I have been moving all of my older weddings from decaying DVD’s onto a new server and have been coming across some real gems of weddings that we have covered over the past 15 years(!) I realise now that when I moved from my old HTML 1.0 web site to wordpress that hundreds of my older wedding posts never followed us along! Ouch! So I am busy picking out some of them for reposting as time permits. This wedding is from December 2005. Back then we were shooting with the Nikon D2x and Canon 20D. Just viewing the images today I realise just how far camera sensors have come! Visible noise in ISOs as low as 400. Back then we were still transitioning from film so it wasn’t a concern, but in light of what we have today…wow! Now the tech talk is out of the way let’s talk about this wedding.
Peter and Akiko are members of the Malaysian Philharmonic orchestra. They are still there with them 8 years on so do look for them when you visit the MPO! Their wedding was at the Datai Resort in Langkawi. We have covered a few weddings there and I do hope to put more up as time permits. Peter is Slovakian, and Akiko Japanese. They decided on the Datai as it is a classy resort and neutral ground for both families. Peter’s family flew out from Slovakia while Akikos came from Japan. It was a small and intimate wedding. The Datai did a great job with very tasteful arrangement of flowers and the dinner setting. Akiko’s good friend Maho, and Peter’s brother Miro also attended. Both are also in the MPO and it turned out were courting. We covered their wedding when their turn came about! More on that in a future posting.
Akiko looked beautiful as she prepared for the ceremony at the Datai
Akiko’s anticipation is evident
Last stages of the preparation before heading to the Datai’s beach wedding location
The brides family waited for her at the Datai’s pool side
Grooms father found the weather at the Datai rather balmy
Brides best friend from the MPO. We shot her wedding a few years later!
Hands communicate so much
First kiss
The beautiful bouquet
Portraits on the beach in front ot the Datai langkawi
The happy wedding couple
A classic wedding portrait pose. Cliched perhaps but will always be welcome on a mantle piece.
Romantic
Sun has set
Beach portraits. It was much darker than it looks here.
An inviting wedding dinner set up on the beach at the Datai Langkawi
Geoff and Ellie had flown in from Canada so they could celebrate with Ellie’s parents in the town of Taiping where they held a traditional Chinese Tea ceremony and banquet dinner for the family. Geoff’s folks flew down from Canada to enjoy the ceremonies and they were also joined by his brother and sister in law from Japan. Traditional Chinese weddings include giving of tea by the couple to all of their older relations, and receiving tea from their younger relations. It is a great way of getting to meet the family and understanding the relational links. The bride and groom also receive a lot of gifts, both jewelry and cash. This provides a good “kick start” to married life.
The dinner banquet had the traditional cake cutting, champagne popping and table-by-table yumseng. We rounded out the end of the night with a series of family group photos, one of which is shown below. With family group photos the secret is to work quickly, professionally, and be able to banter with the family to get everyone relaxed. And as always – shoot RAW for best results. We used a total of 6 flashes for these photos. Setting up that many lights quickly requires you to know your gear.
Four days later we all headed to Putrajaya where the legal technicalities of getting married in Malaysia were taken care of. Then we headed off to a nice location for a small private ceremony by the lake. I have to admit I was a bit concerned about this part of the day as it was going to be mid-morning, and the heat could have melted all of us…me included! Fortunately the sky was overcast, and a gentle breeze started which kept temperatures moderate. All in all it was very pleasant.
I know a lot of photographers like to see how we shoot a wedding. I have attended a few weddings where you see more of the photographer and video crew than the wedding couple!!!! There were 2 of us covering each of these days. Take note of where we were shooting from. One of us (my shooting buddy for +10 years)Â is way off doing long shots, while I am up “close”. I like to use the professional 70-200 f2.8 lenses for their versatility and reach as well as their quick focusing and sharpness. Do note where I am shooting from. It does mean I have to move around fairly rapidly (walking not running) but ensures I never block the family. Why stop the enjoyment of someone who flew thousands of miles so they could witness the wedding?
After the ceremony we did a quick series of family groups and some portraits before the weather closed in and it started to rain.
The Flemington Hotel in Taiping
Wedding Portraits were in the beautiful Taiping Lake Gardens
Geoff and Ellie looked splendid
We believe photography should be fun. The right word at the right time.
Geoff’s family noticed it was slightly warmer in Malaysia than Canada
The famous “Blue Frame”. Nat Geo eat your heart out. Blue is the new Yellow.
Grant giving some photo tips. I used a 5DMk3 and D3 at this shoot
Welcome to dinner!
Ellie and Geoff serve Ellie’s parents tea
Ellie’s mum bedecks her daughter
Ellie strikes gold. What a great smile.
Geoff’s parents entering into the spirit of the traditional Chinese tea ceremony
Geoff and Ellie’s grand walk in to their banquet in the Flemington hotel
Popping the champagne!
Ellie’s family. End of evening group photo.
A few jumps through the hoops at the Putrajaya registration centre and Geoff and Ellie were married.
The private wedding ceremony was held on the end of a pier in Putrajaya near the Maritime centre
I do!
I do too!
Personal note: I enjoy weddings…can you tell?
A very happy day for Ellie
Sometimes families travel thousands of miles to view the wedding. Wedding Photo Tip: NEVER block the families view of the ceremony.
Geoff and Ellie wrote their own vows for a personal touch
The Kiss
Ellie was simply stunning
Agree?
The happy couple
A dramatic skyline…weather was closing in at this stage.
The happy couple at the wedding banquet in the Equatorial hotel
A Punjabi Hindu wedding. Anusha’s mum had just outlined her daughter’s upcoming wedding day in Melaka as we sat in the local Starbucks enjoying a coffee. I have been the photographer for many Hindu weddings in the past and I have shot quite a number of Sikh weddings as well, so the fusion of the Punjabi culture and Hindu religion promised a very colourful couple of days with lots of fun.
The wedding day started with the Saainth ceremony (performed with oil) at the brides house, followed by the bangle ceremony. I was at the brides to cover these events while the team headed over to the grooms and awaited the priest who would perform the reciprocal saainth ceremony at his home. After the groom performed these rituals his family performed the Sehra bandi ceremony. This is a meaningful time whereby he gets dressed and puts on the traditional head dress and veil (known as the Sehra).
The wedding ceremony was held at the Melaka International Trade Centre (MITC). Both Punjabi and Hindu wedding traditions were observed when the groom Karun arrived at the wedding venue. Traditionally the groom arrives on a horse, typically a mare, along with his “best man” (who is called the sarvala). The families met and greeted each other with bhangra drums, dancing and Milni (exchange of garlands between our fathers, our brothers and our uncles).
The Punjabi Hindu wedding ceremony is quite different from the south Indian traditions. Immediately on meeting the bride and groom garland one another (Jaimala). Rumour has it that the bride and groom should be careful not to bow as it is a marriage of equals. As you will see in the photos the parents are integral in the ceremony itself. Once the wedding ceremony is over the groom is finally permitted to remove his veil. To everyone’s relief it was Karun underneath!
Later in the evening we all retired to the brides house where the bride and groom were welcomed. Karun had to bargain his way into the house and the bridesmaids/cousins and sisters all made good on his lavish donations. A tearful goodbye was expected as Anusha left her home. It is quite a dramatic event for any woman.
Two nights later the final wedding banquet was held at the Equatorial Hotel Melaka. It was a very colourful event, with many family members flying in from overseas. The bride and grooms first dance turned out to have a flash mob made up of cousins and friends.
Stunning wedding bangles
The brides beautiful henna prints on her hands
The groom arriving to the wedding venue on his horse
The Milni welcome garlanding
The Serbala aka grooms “best man”.
Groom in his Sehra
The brides entrance
The first part of the ceremony is the Jaimala (exchange of garlands) between the bride and groom on the Mandap
The parent’s play an integral role in the ceremony
The Mandap looked very beautiful
The ring exchange
Married
The girls teasing the groom
Money opens doors!
Bride, groom and sarvala resting up after the negotiations for entry
Doli ceremony as the bride leaves her home
The bride and grooms grand entry into the ballroom at the Equatorial Hotel in Melaka
The happy couple at the wedding banquet in the Equatorial hotel
The grooms speech was well received.
The grooms parents enjoyed their sons speech
Brides speech was touching
Dance and Celebrate!
Bhangra!
The happy couple at the wedding banquet in the Equatorial hotel
The Wedding Champagne Fountain. Time for Yum Seng!
Ben and Yin’s wedding was both a special day for them and a unique one in Malaysia’s wedding photography industry. Why? Because my friend Mr How brought along his brand new Canon 200-400 F4L, The first and only one in Malaysia. I will share more on this lens at the end of this posting and have tagged several of the images below that show it in use.
Ben is the last of three brothers who have asked us to be their wedding photographers. Each one has been fun and it was like old times being back with the family again. The wedding was a traditional Chinese one. For those not familiar this means the groom and his friends come to the brides home (in this case the Berjaya Times Square hotel) and have to bargain their way in to collect the bride. Once the bargaining is over there is a tea ceremony with the family of the bride, and then another one with the grooms family.
Ben’s family are committed Roman Catholics, so the church wedding mass was held in St Johns Cathedral, in the centre of Kuala Lumpur.
In the evening the wedding banquet was in the Berjaya Times Square hotel. Ben very pleasantly surprised Yin by hopping up on stage and singing her a love song. She was blown away by this as any bride would be by such a pleasant surprise.
Enjoy the photos and for a quick opinion piece on the new Canon 200-400 F4L please skip down to the end of this post.
Yin awaits her groom Ben’s arrival at Berjaya Times Square
The Bride and Groom in their wedding car as they leave Berjaya Times Square for St John’s Cathedral in Kuala Lumpur
The page boys very cute wedding procession sign
The wedding procession in St Johns Cathedral, Kuala Lumpur – sans page boy who decided to opt out  🙂
The just released Canon 200-400 F4L allows really long shots down the church aisle.
An emotional moment for dad as he “gives away” his princess. In reality he gets a brand new son!
The priest blessing the wedding couple in St John’s Cathedral, Kuala Lumpur
Ben and Yin are married!
(Shot with a 24-70 F2.8 at 56mm. Compare with the following photograph)
Wedding recessional photo taken with the Canon 200-400 F4L with 1.4x teleconverter engaged.
Note the compression and background blur compared with the preceding photo.
Photo of the sweet bride with the Canon 200-400 F4L
The very eligible catcher of the bouquet toss outside St Johns Cathedral
Wedding table decor at Berjaya Times Square
The grooms brother anounces the wedding couples entrance
Bride and Groom’s grand entrance to their Wedding Banquet at Berjaya Times Square
Ben surprised Yin with a song
Which delighted her.
Ben’s a natural.
The second walk in showed off Yin’s evening gown.
Beautiful couple
After the Wedding banquet the wedding photo booth got heavy usage.
Mini review of the Canon 200-400 F4L: My friend and co shooter Mr How of Photowerkz picked up the very first 200-400 into Malaysia. Apparently it caused quite a stir when it appeared in YL Camera. He is primarily a sports photographer and also owns the Canon 400 F2.8L.
So what’s the new Canon 200-400 F4L like. Three words, sharp, versatile, pricey!
This was the lenses first outing on a photo shoot, and the lens gave a very sweet taste. So is this a killer wedding lens?
If being able to take photos completely unobtrusively is your goal this lens is excellent. Coupled with the Canon 5DMk3’s silent mode no one will know they are being photographed, however getting yourself into position with this or any telephoto lens of +200mm takes a lot more thinking as changing angles with these lengths takes a lot of walking to do so. There is also the additional hazard of being so discreet that videographers and family friends with cameras do not know you are there and will block your view. Unfortunately in Malaysia a lot of weekend photographers (and some non-thinking pros) have “educated” the populace that the proshooter needs to be joined at the hip with the couple thereby blocking everyone’s view, so this type of lens can come as a surprise.
As I am an NPS member, Nikon have kindly loaned me the Nikon 200-400 F4G on ocassion and it is a very nice lens to use, however it certainly wasn’t light and required the use of a monopod at all times despite my being a regular gym goer. It also precluded the use of other lenses unless you have an assistant to hand it off to so you can use something shorter. Fortunately with three of us shooting this wedding my friend How could concentrate on using the Canon 200-400 F4L exclusively while my other partner Hock Seng and I could cover the more usual bread and butter photos. As you can see from How’s set up below, a monopod is definitely required to make the most of it. This helps relieve the strain of carrying the lens, and also gives much sharper photos.
The first shoot with the only Canon 200-400 F4L in Malaysia was at this wedding. How made history for local Wedding Photographers!
The built in 1.4x teleconverter makes the lens even more versatile, enabling it to rack out to become a 280mm-560mm F5.6 lens. The recessional photo shows the lens to be very sharp when it is engaged. The lever’s operation is very smooth and positive.
All of this comes at a price. Shashinki lists the Nikon 200-400 F4G at RM22,000 and the Canon 200-400 F4G at RM34,000. Either lens requires a heavy financial investment, and that means a lot of weddings to recoup ROI.
Compared to the Canon 400 F2.8L: How is looking at selling his unit (let me know if you are interested in buying it) so in his opinion the versatility wins out. The only issue may be that you do lose a full stop of light. This may be an issue with some sports as the difference between a photo at 1/1000th of a second and one 1/500th of a second for freezing motion may be a possible issue.
Compared to Nikons 200-400 F4G: The Nikon is a good performer. I know some people complain about softness but I have never had a client do so. Most clients can’t see the difference between an 85mm 1.8/1.4/1.2 either. That said, as a photographer you probably will notice a difference if you shoot both lenses side by side. The big advantage with the Nikon is that you can buy one AND a D800, monopod and flash for less than the price of the Canon 200-400 F4G.That said, the Canon 200-400 F4G is very sharp throughout its zoom range and trumps the Nikon in this area. I do hope to borrow Nikons 200-400G along with a D800 (I shoot with the much lower resolution D3) so we can do some comparative testing.
Am I going to buy one? That is the RM34,000 question 🙂
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