Day trip to Otways National Park

Made a trip to the Otways 2 days ago with Melv & family + aunty OL

1st, a hearty meal of hokkien mee

followed by a tiring 2 hour walk to the waterfalls

only to find that we got a sucky view from a viewing platform and could not approach the waterfall at all

it was also the same with the triplet falls

We made one last attempt at Hopetoun Falls which was a short 10 mins drive away

Fortunately this waterfall is worth a visit because we could go relatively close to it!

i tried to play with some camera modes to get the 'soft, silky effect' without the aid of any ND filters and a tripod. usually 1/5 - 1/15 of a second on shutter priority mode (with a very steady hand) is sufficient to get the desired effect.

the other side of the falls

a slack macro attempt of local flowers @ f2

we happened to stumble upon a 'plantation' of californian redwoods, one of the tallest trees in the world

it doesn't look substantial from the outside, but once you're within, its an oasis of silence and tranquility

its so peaceful, and as the sunlight filters through the canopy, you get shimmers of light reaching the forest floor.

i tried some poses with jie2

mei2 loves to pose, and gosh, what a lovely model i've got here! :p

i could spend the whole day meditating here if i really wanted to

a quiet river flows through the forest

playing hide and seek with the trees

mei2 looks so happy. its rare considering she frowns most of the time in my previous attempts to photograph her

the quality of light was just... beautiful. simply perfect! i couldn't ask for more.

my favourite shot of the day with jie2. thanks to all those who've taken time to comment

its a wonder that the trees have grown that tall since they were planted 70 years ago

now for some group shot fun, with aunty OL's glasses!

trying a toyota brochure worthy shot of Melv's mpv

we stopped at one of the beach towns for fish and chips

mei2 was pretty insistent on having a ride at the fun fair, so we had to oblige

more later, TK, and happy new year!

My first wedding assignment part 1

After the pre wedding shots, the big day has arrived ! I'll be devoting my next few blog posts to cover Cheng Long and Sue Ann's wedding.

Woke up at 600 am on 27th november and made sure I had the full list of equipment in my bag:

1 x e-3 body
1 x 35-100 f2
1 x leica 14-50
1 x 7-14 f4
1 x FL-50 + 2 set AAA
2 x BLM-1

I was picked up promptly at 630am and 'chauffeured' by the groom to the hairstylist / bridal shop in Boxhill.

Not a bad place to get a make-over. Back home, the shop staff would usually come to your place and make sure the job's done for you.

Reached LSCC @ 930am, approx 1 hour before the wedding started. The deco team employed a no-fuss, simple theme for the church hall and rearranged the pews.

The marriage certificates

Groom's parents welcoming guests.

And here are the bride's parents

Relatives started streaming in slowly. They even had their own 'camera-person' :)

simple deco on the edges of the pews

i just love the shallow DOF of the 35-100. i just needed to use iso 400 in conjunction with bounce flash, which wasn't bad at all !

parents would normally be seated right up front. CL's mom was an english teacher. i should get to know her more next time if we meet again.

a detail of the flowers we got yesterday from the florist on the way to footscray

the groom waits expectantly for his bride

the church welcoming party

the bride finally arrives in the Ford coupe bridal car

her smile was simply breathtaking - perfect!

if you've ever held a bouquet, its not as light as it looks! all the roses are reinforced with steel wires to form the bunch.

ascending the church steps

aunty oi lee making final adjustments to the bride's veil

melvin suggested a 'family photo' before the ceremony. Thanks!

the bride's sis as the bridesmaid

i wonder what CL must be thinking at this point in time

SA makes her grand entrance down the aisle alongside her dad.

More to come later. Going for a trip down Great Ocean Road tomorrow.

cheers