Recently I travelled up to Perhentian island off the east coast of Malaysia to cover a Bulgarian/Punjabi wedding. It was a pretty intense 5-6 hour trip as I ran from one wedding in KL to the airport for my flight, land travel then boat to get to the venue which was the Perhentian Island Resort. Within minutes of arrival I was able to set up my gear and get shooting the walk in for the sumptuous barbecue wedding dinner. There were a number of interesting Bulgarian traditions including the wedding bread dance, which features a loaf made by the mothers bride which is later fed to both the bride and groom. They also break the loaf over their heads which you will also see below.
It was very dark, yet one of the things you will notice is that the photos are not. One of the things I do is bring remote controlled lighting to all shoots as it makes a massive difference. One of the photographers jobs is to evaluate, modify and control the lighting of the images. There was almost no available light during the dinner, yet in the background of some of these photos you will be able to see my remote radio controlled strobes triggering away. With more wedding venues using the “new” green and purple LED lights to add to the mood I think more photographers will eventually gravitate to this system. Believe me, no one wants to look like Barnie the dinosaur. Using this system protects you.
Portraits the following day were on a private beach. Only including a small sampling but it was a very nice shoot.
Regarding cameras, I am becoming more and more impressed with Fujifilms X-T1 camera system. I have never owned a camera that captures what I see as well as this camera does, and in doing so I now spend a lot less time editing than I do with my Nikons and Canons.
In Bulgarian weddings the brides mother traditionally makes a special loaf of bread
Two of the ladies dance with the special wedding bread
Please take note of the remote controlled strobes in the background. I am one of the few wedding photographers who use these in Malaysia.
Time to share a bite. Mum feeds the bride and groom
The beautiful wedding cake
Breaking the bread by the bride and groom is another Bulgarian tradition
Sumptuous wedding barbecue
Party on
Traditional Bulgarian dancing
Everyone enjoyed the Bhangra
The dancing went on all night
Time to cut the wedding cake
The beautiful bride
Portraits on the beach
After the portraits were done there was one sure fire way to cool off!
Cooling off with watermelon on a hot day at the Perhentian Island Resort
Later in the evening I took this 30 second exposure of the Perhentian Island Resort
The jetty at the Perhentian Island Resort
