These photos were taken last year, however I never got a chance to edit them until now.  You might have seen the scenery photos from my old Xanga post.

The Maldives is definitely the furthest place I’ve traveled for a photo assignment. A Beijing couple was referred to me by an acquaintance and they wanted a “U.S. photographer” rather than the cheesy studio glamour photos. They found this island through a wedding convention in China. Kani is one of hundreds of tiny islands that form the Maldives in the middle of the Indian Ocean just south of India. You could consider this a “trash the dress” session, two years after they’ve been married.

All photos were taken with natural lighting, with a Canon 1D Mark IIN, 50mm, 24-70mm, and 70-200mm.

Yum!

This is my second time back at the Rockhouse hotel in Negril Jamaica for a wedding. It’s a beautiful location, but I personally still prefer dry, cool weather myself. It was easier this time due to previous experience of this location, 2 more years of photography experience since the last trip, and newer equipment. However long ago the first wedding may be, I definitely think Derek and Sherry’s photos will live up to my expectations for many years to come. The following photos are just scenic photos the day before the wedding, captured with Canon 5D & 16-35mm 2.8L II. This may be the only time I’ve taken scenery photos with people.

I flew to Toronto this weekend for a wedding, and noticed a guest had a new DSLR with “Live View.” I believe it could be a useful feature for those hard to reach places, but it’s a feature that I personally would never care about as a selling point, but that’s just me. This guest, however, was using Live View holding the camera far away from her body thus making it unstable, and shooting a straight forward portrait of the wedding couple only 5 feet away. Is this necessary or just plain neglect of a SLR’s capabilities? What’s the point of using a SLR body to take snapshots when it’s much easier and effective with a prosumer point-and-shoot? Relying on Live View just because it’s available will most definitely detract from your patience in framing correctly, noticing the slightest details due to the limits of LCD resolution, and of course prevent you from shooting in direct sunlight. Sooner or later, these photo kiddies will never have any experience of film or know what a view finder is.

Can you guess what aircraft this is?

Not too long after I checked into my hotel, the fire alarm goes off and I stroll out the rear exit and look up and noticed my hotel is on fire…

I rented a Ford Mustang GT for the weekend since I’ve always wanted to test drive a Mustang. It’s one of those American muscle cars I wish to own someday, preferably a Shelby. Even though this GT was only a 300hp V8 with AT, it was still fun and made me smile. The interior was garbage, but that’s not the point of getting a  Mustang. I’m glad that didn’t catch on fire either. These photos were taken with my Sony W170. The last shot of this series is definitely my favorite because of the perfect lighting condition with the sunset. The shot wouldn’t have worked any better without the warm brick walls against the fiery red Mustang - and of course, a little tilt adds some dynamics to a still shot.

The following day I invited a gorgeous actress from Toronto to model for me. Of course I had to use my sweet ride as the prop, all the while trying to not make this look like an import model shoot. Obviously, I switched back to my Canon 1D with 24-70mm. The trick here is to drive the car in circles until you get the proper sunlight location. I love it when girls play in the back seat with no pants.

Once a year, there comes a wedding that tops all the previous ones and sets a new benchmark for myself and for future wedding couples. My latest and best is Karen & James who had their wedding at the Metropolitan Building in Long Island City, New York.  Three floors of antique furniture, mirrors, and plenty of windows for natural light.  Each floor is a challenge and whole new setting to really test your photography skills and creativity, it is an amazing experience for anyone to be there.  Words can’t do it justice, so I will just let the photos do the talking.