They were looking around for a photography team to cover their wedding ceremony and landed on Foto Expression as their preferred choice. It was their vintage style of photography that attracted Bonnie & Will.

They then asked if I would be interested to cover the wedding reception. I was obviously over the moon by their offer and very very honoured that they even considered me! It was a most humbling experience to be there firstly as a friend and secondly to capture one of their happiest moments.

Here are some of my and Bonnie & Will’s favs from their special day!
Hope you like them too!

Thanks again Bonnie & Will for giving me the opportunity to be part of your special day.

with much luv.

Having a full time job and still trying to keep an active, up-to-date blog is hard work! It requires a lot of determination, motivation, discipline and time to say the least. It’s especially tough when you’ve gotta work 10-12 hour days at times. That is why I have full appreciation and admiration for bloggers who are able to do exactly just that.

When I first started my blog, I told myself that I would give it 2 years for me to develop my portfolio as a professional photographer. Whilst I have been taking photos for many years now, to be a professional is a whole new ball game of it’s own. You simply cannot rock up to an event (a wedding especially) without the necessary training, equipment and skills to do the job right.

There is a big difference between being able to hold a pro-looking camera and go snappy happy versus being there at the right place and at the right time to capture the moment in style! It is definitely not about taking a million photos and spending hours on post-editing. It is about planning, anticipating, framing your picture and getting it right the first time round. Of course, this comes with years of practice and experience!

Well, I’m halfway there and I am most definitely not going to give up on my dream of becoming a professional wedding & food photographer. There is still a lot more for me to learn but I believe that “if you’re serious, you’ll get there”.

For all you aspiring photographers out there (or whatever your dream may be) – keep working at it, keep learning, be patient, be creative, establish your own style and most importantly – you’ve got to love what you’re doing! Your photos will speak for themselves

Finally, I would like to express my sincere thanks to B&W for giving me the opportunity to be their official photographer for their wedding reception recently (photos to follow soon). Thank you for trusting me with your big day! Wishing you both a lifetime of love, joy and happiness together as you embark on your new journey together as Mr & Mrs Chan xoxo

For approximately 2 weeks, the city of Sydney (in particular the uptown side) was beautifully transformed into a vibrant, colourful and interactive artwork display after dark.  The Rocks, Circular Quay and Sydney Opera House areas were buzzing with people from all walks of life.  They ranged from the very young staring in awe and amazement to families and friends bonding over the light displays to photography enthusiasts (like me) with all sorts of gear trying to capture the beauty of it all.

Unbelievable but true – There was so much to see (and take photos of) at Vivid Sydney this year that I went back for 3 consecutive days!  And to my frustration and disappointment - I still did not manage to see everything   I did however had an amazing time and 3 great nights out with my friends and family

For those of you who missed out on seeing it in person, I hope that these pictures have at least captured the essence and beauty of Vivid Sydney and that I did do the artists some justice.  Hope you enjoy them!

To view the rest of the pictures, please go to my Galleries page or click here.

I was fortunate enough to check out the 2010 World Press Photo Exhibition in Sydney on its final weekend and I must say that it was an eye-opening and moving experience – from both an observer and photographer’s point of view.  While some of the images were very disturbing in nature, I also felt that they were stunning, profound, touching and beautiful in its own way.  The photos evoked all types of emotions and feelings: pain, anguish, pride, thankfulness, peacefulness… it was indeed thought provoking!  So much so that it felt as though the photographer was calling out to each and every one of the audience to not just be a spectator as such but to actually feel and see what he/she felt and saw at that exact moment the photograph was taken.  It’s like I was being brought back into the past to the actual event, witnessing it firsthand.  I remember walking out of it thinking to myself, how blessed am I…

The photos are broadly grouped into the following categories:
Arts and entertainment | Contemporary issues | Daily life | General news | Nature | People in the news | Portraits | Sports actions | Sports features | Spot news

About the exhibition
The annual World Press Photo Exhibition is the best known of World Press Photo’s activities and is a leading event in the organization’s calendar.  Every year following the World Press Photo Contest, the winning images go on tour.  In April, the exhibition is officially opened in Amsterdam and can be seen at venues around the globe until March of the next year.  The tour program takes in approximately 100 cities in 45 countries and is still expanding. 

The exhibition is a showcase for creativity in photojournalism and a platform for developments in the profession, part of World Press Photo’s aim of encouraging and stimulating the work of press photographers around the world.  The show also attracts a broader public and, because of the wide-ranging focus of the contest, forms an eyewitness record of world events from the previous year.

Updates: As of March 2011
The 2010 World Press Photo is still currently on exhibition in Kitzingen and Chemnitz.
A copy of the winning photos can be found here.

The 2011 World Press Photo exhibition will be on tour starting on 22 April 2011.  It will be coming to Australia in June/July this year and I highly recommend for you to check it out!

Exhibition details
Brisbane Powerhouse: 4 – 26 June 2011 (entry is free)
Hours: Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm; Weekends 10am-4pm 
General inquiries: (07) 3358 8600 or www.brisbanepowerhouse.org

State Library of NSW, Sydney: 1 – 24 July 2011 (entry is free) 
Hours: Monday to Thursday, 9am-8pm; Friday, 9am-5pm; Weekends 10am-5pm 
General inquiries: (02) 9273 1414 or www.sl.nsw.gov.au

Check out the World Press Photo website to view the 2011 WPP winners photo gallery.
OR
You can view a copy of the winning photos at “Boston Globe – The Big Picture”

So, first up I do apologize for the lateness of this post. The past few weeks at work have been hectic and my weekends have either been spent ‘hibernating’ or (like the last weekend) filled with lunches and dinners with friends! Hence, the Part 1. Time to get out of the shell, Ms Hermit

I was previously going to blog about my weekend at the Good Food & Wine Show (which I attended on Saturday, 17 July 2010) BUT I didn’t manage to take all that many pictures because I was too busy eating my life away; and indulging myself in the gorgeous selection of food products, discounted Sunbeam products and Fast Ed’s cooking demonstration at Tupperware® (epic fail!). I was so full after that I couldn’t even eat dinner.
Note 1: Do not eat a whole slice of cheesecake by yourself if you know that you are lactose intolerant! Ouch. I was still feeling the after effects of it 2 days down the road… hhmmm…
Note 2: I didn’t actually buy anything. The only expenses incurred were on food. Mwahahaha…

Moving on to some more recent appetizing and mouth-watering stuff…
Last weekend, my boyfriend and I went to our much loved Italian cafe, Bar Reggio. A very reasonably priced cafe that is situated on 135 Crown Street in Darlinghurst (I promise no more posts on restaurants in Surry Hills for the next month!) – This place is usually packed with people 24/7. The average waiting time on a Monday night can take up to 30-40 minutes. I mean, really?! YES, really! That is why we usually like to go there on a late Saturday afternoon to avoid the crowd. Alternatively, call in advance and opt for takeaway instead. It’s just as good.

Bar Reggio

Courtyard at the back of the cafe

We love visiting Bar Reggio because the boyfriend reckons that it serves the best Spaghetti Aglio e Olio in Sydney and is comparable to the taste of Italy (says he who was fortunate enough to visit Italy some years ago). Whilst Bar Reggio’s menu has much to offer, we have 2 favorite dishes that we usually order – the Italy Special (aka the Aglio e Olio) and Reggio with ricotta and spinach ravioli. Love the ricotta and spinach ravioli as it’s very light and is cooked to perfection. If you love your spices and chili – I suggest that you also try out the chili and olive oil condiment. I find that it just adds a lovely flavor boost to my pasta/pizza, and it tastes like Malaysian sambal belacan! In simple terms, it’s syok!
Note: Syok – a common Malaysian-English exclamation which indicates that something or an experience is really good, pleasurable or orgasmic to some degree.

Other items that we have tasted and recommend trying are: Fettuccini Carbonara (special order as it’s not on the menu); Palmer Street pizza, Reggio pizza, and Trecolore pizza; Baci gelato.

Italy Special with spaghetti (garlic, olive oil & chili)

Reggio with ricotta and spinach ravioli (garlic, mushrooms, tomatoes & chili)

Clockwise from left: Coke, chili and cheese containers, chili and olive oil condiment

Disclaimer: Don’t take my word for it, go and try it for yourself! By the way, apologies that there are no photos for the rest of the food. I’m usually halfway through the food until I realized that I had forgotten to take a picture! Oppss…