A couple of months ago, I was approached by this sweet couple to photograph their cute birthday boy. Dhiren was turning one and many friends and family members were invited to a lunch party at The Esplanade. Plenty of candy went around for the other kids and a balloon sculptor was at hand to twist some cool creations for them.

It was great seeing so many people catching up, and also bringing their own toddlers to the party. It’s one thing to get married and another to have children. I hear it changes you. And from the looks of this I’m totally convinced. Good food and big smiles – the ingredients for a happy day.

One thing you might notice about the photos (other than being nice of course!) is that it’s very brightly lit. In actuality the restaurant had pretty dim lighting so it was important to use flash and some fast prime lenses to create the happy atmosphere. The event was two hours but it went by in a snap. Ok I should stop yabbering and flood the rest of the post with pictures.

Enjoy, and if you have a boy or girl who is gonna receive the party of his lifetime, fill me in!

It’s been a long time coming.

My older cousin Kok Weng, whom I shared many fond memories with as a kid whenever I visited Kuala Lumpur, finally got married on Dec 17, 2011, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. My Dad and I flew back for the weekend, just for this special occasion. It was also a reunion of sorts, as many uncles, aunts, and cousins came back to see the main man.

This was the eight wedding of the year, and by far one of the most meaningful and fulfilling. The rest had been friends, ex-classmates, and colleagues but this was family. Everyone likes seeing everyone else happy, but it’s all the more poignant when it’s someone you really care about. Perhaps that is what separates family from all else.

Sometime over the course of dinner that magnificent night, it struck me how many years we hadn’t seen each other. I’m guessing at least eight years! So much has changed – our lives, our appearances – and it was a stinging reminder of how quickly time passes us by. While it pains me to have missed out so much, I’m extremely glad to have been there for his big night.

While these photos were shot on a whim, you can be sure they’ll be cherished for the rest of my life.

When I left California in May 2010 after a maiden two-week visit, I thought I wouldn’t get to see my friend and former schoolmate so soon, if ever. Randy had moved back to his hometown after our year studying in New York’s Columbia University, and I was on my way home too – to Singapore.

Funny how life turned out. Around June 2011 he got accepted into a fellowship programme in Jakarta, Indonesia, working as a copywriter. And if our luck was already that good, it was just getting better. He got an all-expenses-paid trip to Singapore just to settle some visa issues, with the added bonus that he would get to see me and the country again.

My girlfriend, who had already met him several times in the US, was ecstatic that he was coming over. His last visit to the Lion City was about eight years ago, and Singapore today is almost worlds different from 2003. Eating being pretty much our culture here, we couldn’t help but to show him as much local cuisine as we could. Work schedules prevented us from following him every day on his four-day adventure, but here’s a peak at what we did on one of the days:

After graduating from college in the U.S., some found ourselves back in homeland Singapore, while others had the great opportunity to remain there for work. Long story short, it’s hard to get most (if not all) of us on the same soil again. With one of us leaving soon to start work in New York City, we proposed a triple birthday celebration for her and two other ladies whose birthdays were within weeks.

Not sure how we ended up at Nanjya Monjya as the restaurant of choice, but Japanese cuisine is one of our common favourites, so I was game to try some place new. Even though the food was a tad too salty for my tastes, the service was excellent and the staff was very compliant with many of our inane and unreasonable demands. Hey you can’t blame us if we’re having a triple birthday celebration!

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I have to say it’s been awhile since we had such a sizeable group gathered together in Singapore. It’s been at least a year. With life still in fluctuation, no one can say when they next one will be. But for now, we have at least these photos to remember it with.

Two weddings attended in 2011 – that’s a way better record than the recents years put together. As one gets older, your friends and peers around you get married and settle down. Yesterday was my colleague Alphonsus’ turn. It was a grand event, held at the Cathedral of the Good Shephard, Singapore’s oldest Roman Catholic church. Plus, many other colleagues joined in the celebrations, and it was good to mingle outside of the work setting.

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I was there as a guest and not an ‘official photographer’ of any kind, so my 24L lens got to get out of the house. Just as well though, as the church was somewhat dark. Most of the photos your see above are taken with the 24mm, except for the long tele shots. The thin depth-of-field is great, but sharpness and precise focusing become something to be mindful of, as they could go wrong very easily. It’s definitely something I want to improve on.

While I no longer shoot weddings as a job these days (except on special occasions), prime lenses do come in handy a lot. Unless you set up lots of room lights or strobes, those prime lenses with f1.4 or larger will provide dreamy looks under natural lighting. What I’m lacking right now is a 85mm prime, which I hope to get soon so that I can get some unique and beautiful portrait shots!

We were this close to missing such a spectacular moment. Castle Hill was meant to be a short stopover on our way to back to Christchurch, on our last full day in New Zealand, provided we had the time. Time was a little short because we had made some stops earlier, plus we almost missed the turning for Castle Hill.

Castle Hill is a cluster of huge limestone rocks, shaped over time and weather into unique-looking formations. It may not be as large in size as the Grand Canyon, but it really is a different form of aesthetics. The rocks almost seem alive, as though frozen in time in different stances and poses. Each look like they have a soul of their own.

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It’s a moderately steep climb to the top, but once you get up there, the view is grand. One of the photos above shows the footpath we travelled to Castle Hill – that’s how high up we were. Good thing I’d brought my tripod along, otherwise that family photo at the top wouldn’t be possible as well.

In case you didn’t know, this was probably where they filmed the climatic battle scene in the movie Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch & The Wardrobe. It’s no wonder I found the rock formations oddly familiar once I’d gotten closer. I highly recommend a half day visit if you’re in the area. It’s not Lord of the Rings, but it’s just as great!

Back in February, I went on an adventure.

My parents, brother, and I spent around 11 days travelling all over the south island of New Zealand, in what was a long overdue family trip. One of the clear highlights was to finally get my bum onto a horse. I’d had opportunities before, in Singapore, to do so, but my trepidation always got the better of me.

This time, no more. The premise was just too good to resist – a slow 90 minute stroll through beautiful, wild plains in New Zealand, retracing paths that were used in the now-famous Lord of the Rings movie trilogy. Truly there were some moments where the place just jumped out of my memory. Even though I’m not a crazy fan of Middle Earth and its lore, it almost felt like you were in a faraway place not of this world.

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Perhaps the only letdown was the crummy weather. A sustained drizzle persisted throughout most of the ride, making the area looking somewhat downcast and melancholic. Still, it doesn’t take away the natural beauty of the place. If that will end up being my only and last ride on a horse, I’d be extremely proud to have done it in the vast lands of New Zealand.

I’ve been waiting a long time for this – good deals on photography gear! Particularly studio gear which can be bulky and pricey. Yesterday a sizeable sale went on for several hours at Redhill, boasting all kinds of lights and modifiers from Lastolite, Profoto etc. If you brought your camera, you could also join the Hasselblad User Group and shot three stunning models to test those very lights.

Items looked heavily discounted (like 50%), though I’m not completely convinced if the original prices weren’t already marked up. Plus, as the “post-McNally tour” sale, at first glance it sounded like they were demo products. As it turned out, they had plenty of new ones in stock. Despite the temptation to buy more, I limited myself to some softboxes and stands, since I don’t have a full-fledged, working studio yet to house so many lights. I’m happy with my SLR strobes which work splendidly enough for now.

One day, I wish to walk into my own personal studio, with my name adorned at the front door. Financially, I’m not sure if that will ever come to be. I’m certainly grateful to already be shooting daily (as a photojournalist) but studio work is something I want to delve into at some point. While the equipment I bought yesterday won’t furnish an entire studio, it’s a step towards the future. Slowly build up what I have, so that when the time comes, I’ll be jacked in and ready to go.

Who knew there would be a higher viewing spot than the Marina Bay Sands Skypark to see the city lights. And yet there we were, on the rooftop of One Raffles Place, at the One Altitude bar. Perched on top of the old OUB building, the bar is split into three floors (I believe), but we stayed up on the roof the whole time.

It was a good catching-up for us University of Michigan schoolmates who had spent three of more years there. The view is certainly astounding, but the only drawback is you can’t see the Central Business District skyline because you’re standing right on it. A vantage point from MBS or the Singapore Flyer would serve that purpose. I loved the music and the relatively smaller crowd at One Altitude, so I might return pretty soon!

Whoops! I was having a chill-out Christmas at home with the family that this post became a day late! Some of you will celebrate Boxing Day, while the rest of us are enjoying a lazy and sleepy Sunday. So here’s my chance to wish everyone a great, merry Christmas .

While I’m not a church-going Christian myself, I do appreciate the holiday season, especially the values of giving, sharing and forgiving. For at least this once a year, everyone seems to be happy. Things may not be riches and gold (and they’re not for me), but we can always look on the merrier side of things.

For example, business may not be booming at the seams, but I’m grateful for every client and friend I make along the way. Plus, with my regular shooting job, I’m so thankful that I get to make pretty images every day. I’m not the most talented photographer in the world, but I believe practising every day can help me get closer to that goal.

So whatever your aspirations, head on high starting with the new 2011 year. There’s a week of 2010 left, so do cherish them too! To all my readers, thank you for following my blog and supporting my photography. It’s the greatest gift.