Agnes contacted me from Japan where she has been living for the past 8 years. She was coming back to Malaysia to get her marriage with her fiance Isao registered with the government. As she had been away for so long she was a bit out of touch with the wedding industry so asked me if I could:

1. Arrange a church
2. Arrange a minister
3. Arrange a make up and hair stylist
4. Arrange a bouquet
5. Arrange a wedding car
6. Recommend a hotel for easy access to the church
7. Draw up a timeline and co-ordinate the day – Hey I am a wedding planner!  BTW I worked in an event management company for 12 years!

That’s a tall order when you contact your wedding photographer a mere 2 1/2 weeks before the date! Even more so when you realise I was in the midst of a heavy shoot schedule with photography for the annual report with one of the big banks in KL as well as heading off to do the Perhentian “Trash the Dress” shoot you will find elsewhere on this web site. Other than the car which they found on line before I could get back to them (Perhentian is a remote place to do business from!) I organized and advised them with everything else. So yes WE CAME THROUGH!

We chose St Barnabas Klang as its a great wedding church and has nice air-conditioning! I also know the minister well so there were no issues. We respect the rules the church puts in place for us. (Photographers: Please remember that in a church you are a guest and you should always respect the location).

This is not the smallest wedding we have shot, its TIED with two others we have done. One in Four Seasons and the other in Assumption. All three had a bride, a groom, and officiant and ….us. In this wedding blessing both myself and the makeup artist were called on to be witnesses

The ceremony was very moving and significant for both Agnes and Isao.

Afterwards we spent about 30 minutes taking portraits before heading back to the hotel. Job well done.

Thank you for the wonderful memories!

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 ]]> http://www.grantcorban.com/st-johns-berjaya-times-square-wedding-photographer-canon-200-400-f4l/feed/ 1 http://www.grantcorban.com/perhentian-honeymoon-photography-trash-dress/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=perhentian-honeymoon-photography-trash-dress http://www.grantcorban.com/perhentian-honeymoon-photography-trash-dress/#comments Fri, 14 Jun 2013 05:20:16 +0000 grantcorban http://www.grantcorban.com/?p=6859 NOTE: the images in this feed have been downsized or removed for copyright reasons. To see them in their unmodified state, please view the original post by clicking here.

Last week I endured the heat and severe sunburn (left the sunscreen in the hotel room aaargh!!!!)  on Perhentian for a honey moon shoot…OK endured is a harsh word….in reality ENJOYED is a the totally accurate term!    I was approached by Pina and Ahmed’s close friend Zina from Germany a few weeks ago and asked whether I would be open to heading up to Pulau Perhentian Kecil to cover part of their honeymoon. For those outside Malaysia reading this “Pulau” is Malay for “island” and “kecil” means small, important as there are two islands in the Perhentian group.

The photography shoot was going to be broken into two parts. First was above water portraiture and the second part was a trash the dress. Above water was going to be no problem provided I compensated for the very bright sunshine which tends to give very harsh shadows. The way to do this is usually to use a diffuser to shade the face to eliminate “squinting” and then use a fill flash to rebalance the shady parts with the strong sunlight. As there was only me and no assistants we did what we could. Big thanks to Ahmed for being my impromptu lighting stand!

Drown the Gown!

Part of the plan was to trash the dress or “drown the gown”. This can be fun and romantic. While we were shooting some Malay girls in Tudungs from one of the dive boats walked over to have their photos taken with Pina, and later on the main beach we certainly attracted attention. It’s only when you get in the water that you realise how buoyant a bridal gown really is. Safety was also a primary concern for me  as swimming in a gown isn’t something you can do with any real conviction….not that I have tried! 

Solid emphasis of my shoots is fun!!

….and romance….

…and more fun!!

The classic wet hair flick photo.

Sunset photos of the bride are always romantic

Sweet Sunset from Perhentian Kecil

UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY: Ok, the glaring omission is the lack of the underwater photos. The sea didn’t agree to work with us and due to overnight rains and the inevitable rain water and soil run off the water was not clear at all     A big disappointment considering the amount of preparation I had done but it also showed some shortcomings in the gear I did eventually choose to use. I purchased the Dicapac DCP-WPS10 underwater DSLR soft case as I read some very positive reviews about it. Seems like the reviews were shot either in swimming pools or nice clear ocean water, as in less than optimal conditions it was hard to use and couldn’t focus even if its life depended on it. It may have been the camera I used, a Canon 650D, but I was not too keen to trust either my Nikon D3 or Canon 5Dmk3 to the Dicapac bag as they are very pricey cameras to replace! I am used to pressing a shutter button and the camera giving me a very positive feed back that a photo has been taken. The Dicapac was a big fail here. I had no idea whether it was firing or not…and it turned out it did, once in every 20 clicks….aaaargh! The other thing is viewing the images on the back of the screen was exceedingly difficult so I gave up on the Dicapac. It is now relegated to swimming pool shoots. One tip if using the Dicapac DCP-WPS10: when you open a Dicapac after it has been underwater be extremely careful as water is trapped in the folds so there is a good chance of some sea water falling on to your camera.

I also rented a Canon G9 along with Canons specifically made housing for it from a PADI diver on Perhentian. He was raving about how good it was until I told him I am a professional photographer. His “nOOb spiel” was then replaced with a more realistic set of expectations and afterwards we had a most excellent chat about underwater photography. The images I took were marred by the murk however it was an excellent experience for me. The “feel” was really not responsive and I wasn’t sure if images were being taken or not while shooting. I would say about 70% of the time photos were being taken but pressing the shutter and not being sure if it was firing was a curious phenomena for me. It was spray and pray…with many images deleted in post. Again the viewfinder was quite poor  (might be awesome if in deeper water – say deeper than 3m?) but it was useless for framing within 2m of the surface so it was a real cowboy shoot from the hip experience.  One tip when using the Canon G9. Turn it off when not shooting. The camera is fairly warm when on and fogs up the front plate really fast with condensation. A bit of tissue around the lens sort of helps but not a lot.

So where to from here? It’s time to drop about RM16,000 for a proper casing for my pro level DSLRs and get some underwater strobes. Professional is professional.

This shoot was taken in the Nikko Hotel at one of their bridal fairs. The bridal gowns were by Jovian Mandagie & Carven Ong Fashion. Gorgeous models including Xandra Ooi.

Xandra Ooi in a beautiful red gown

Xandra Ooi in a beautiful wedding gown

Beautiful Wedding Car surrounded by the gorgeous models

This is an ongoing project we are working on at present for an upcoming annual report. We are shooting on location and are bringing a full lighting set up and backgrounds on site. Being a photographer for trophies and awards has quite different challenges than photographing people. While there may be a lot more control over lighting, the reflections and transparency of the crystal and glass pose their own challenges. One of these is making sure the lettering is readable. White lettering on a white back ground poses the question of how white should the background be. If it’s too white then the advertising agency will have great difficulty in cutting the images out for later placement. Make it too dark and the clear glass awards will look dirty.

One of the images below, the blue one, took well over an hour to light properly due to its rounded base and sloping top. The writing on this award is immensely more legible in our photo than it is on the actual award!

Camera: Mamiya Phase One P30+. At one stage I was keen on getting a Nikon D800 due to its similar resolution to digital medium format cameras and comparatively affordable pricing, however viewing images side by side of these two cameras I would have to say there is no comparison. If you can go medium format and make money from your images, get one.

Sunset Wedding at the Westin Langkawi

Matt and Susan contacted me from Singapore to ask me to be their wedding photographer to cover their destination beach resort wedding at the Westin on the beautiful island of Langkawi. I love beach weddings as they are usually small, intimate informal affairs. The wedding photos speak louder than words so please enjoy. Cameras used for this wedding were the Nikon D3, Canon 5DMk3 and both the Fuji Xpro1 and XE1.

Dinesh’s dad is a pilot.

Dinesh and Urscilla had a beautiful wedding at St Barnabas Church in Klang. The ceremony was carried out by close family members who are in the clergy with the Anglican and Methodist churches.  The brides saree was very beautiful and the long veil was last used by the groom mum at her wedding. As Dinesh’s dad is a pilot, it was fitting to arrive at the reception in a helicopter. The dinner was held at the Grand Dorsett in Subang Jaya. It was a BIG reception of about 1,000 pax. Dome dinners always provide great Indian food and this was no exception.

Stunning electric blue evening gown. Fuji Xpro1 and 35mm f1.4 at f1.4, 1/90th second, ISO200. Aperture priority mode.

This afternoon we took Hari and Shangkeree out into the country side outside of Kuala Lumpur to take their pre-wedding portraits.  I was equipped with my Nikon gear (Oooo……. the weight builds up after shooting with these for so many years!) and also my trusty Fuji Xpro1 equipped with the 35mm f1.4. My shooting partner eyed it with great interest. He also shoots with a pro-Nikon body (D3s). Admittedly the speed of operation between these two cameras should not be compared as the D3 series is designed for sports and costs 3x as much as the Xpro1 . That said, the Fuji Xpro1 performed admirably and easily matched the D3 as far as image quality is concerned. One thing I have noticed on the Xpro1 is that it is really easy to hit the “Q” button instead of the focus button….grrr! I must send an email off to the Fuji engineers regarding this.

After the shoot was finished Hari surprised Shangkeree by bringing out the ring. Lovely!

The beautiful bride-to-be photographed with the Fuji Xpro1 and 35mm f1.4 at f1.6, 1/60th second, ISO200 via window light. Aperture priority mode.

Another angle of our bride-to-be photographed with the Fuji Xpro1 and 35mm f1.4 at f1.4, 1/70th second, ISO200. Aperture priority mode.

Outdoor bridal portrait. Fuji Xpro1 and 35mm f1.4 at f1.4, 1/550th second, ISO200. Aperture priority mode.

A tender moment. Fuji Xpro1 and 35mm f1.4 at f1.4, 1/75th second, ISO200. Aperture priority mode.

After the shoot was completed and just before we headed home, out came the ring!
Nikon D3 with 24-70 F2.8G

Portraiture by the lake: Fuji X-E1 with the XF18-55mm F2.8-4 lens shot at 1/125sec, F4.5, ISO200.

Jay and Shireen’s wedding was held at the Puspanita Hall in Putrajaya. The Christian ceremony was a small and intimate ceremony performed in the foyer atrium of the main hall. The dinner was simply huge. Puspanita hall can seat some serious numbers.

This wedding was shot using the Nikon D3 and the Fuji X-Pro1 and X-E1 cameras. The images below all came from the Fuji X-E1. We like it’s lightness and it seems to be a nicely responsive camera.

Ring shot. Fuji X-E1 with the XF18-55mm F2.8-4 lens shot at 1/125sec, F5.6, ISO200.

A tighter ring shot. Fuji X-E1 with the XF18-55mm F2.8-4 lens shot at 1/125sec, F5.6, ISO200.

The ring cushion. Fuji X-E1 with Leica 50mm attached via adapter. ISO200. Other exif data not recorded.

Fuji X-E1 and XF35mm F1.4 lens shot at 1/125sec, F2.0, ISO200.

Quick enough focusing for the walk in. Fuji X-E1 with the XF18-55mm F2.8-4 lens shot at 1/125sec, F5.0, ISO800.

Another walk in shot. Fuji X-E1 with the XF18-55mm F2.8-4 lens shot at 1/125sec, F4.5, ISO800.

Candids require closer contact: Fuji X-E1 and XF35mm F1.4 lens shot at 1/125sec, F1.8, ISO200.

Ring exchange. An essential photo: Fuji X-E1 and XF35mm F1.4 lens shot at 1/125sec, F1.8, ISO200.

Ring exchange part 2: Fuji X-E1 and XF35mm F1.4 lens shot at 1/125sec, F2.0, ISO200.

Cheeky candid: Fuji X-E1 and XF35mm F1.4 lens shot at 1/160sec, F2.0, ISO200.

Another essential – the kiss shot: Fuji X-E1 and XF35mm F1.4 lens shot at 1/160sec, F2.0, ISO200.

Close up of the flowers: Fuji X-E1 with the XF18-55mm F2.8-4 lens shot at 1/60sec, F4.5, ISO800.

Main Table Decor: Fuji X-E1 and XF35mm F1.4 lens shot at 1/125 sec, F1.4, ISO200.

Candid portrait: Fuji X-E1 and XF35mm F1.4 lens shot at 1/125 sec, F1.6, ISO200.

Family photo: Fuji X-E1 and XF35mm F1.4 lens shot at 1/125 sec, F1.8, ISO200.

Wedding cake: Fuji X-E1 and XF35mm F1.4 lens shot at 1/125 sec, F1.8, ISO200.

Table detail close up: Fuji X-E1 and XF35mm F1.4 lens shot at 1/125 sec, F2.2, ISO200.

Narrow depth of field during the walk in: Fuji X-E1 and XF35mm F1.4 lens shot at 1/125 sec, F1.6, ISO200.

Quick grab portrait: Fuji X-E1 and XF35mm F1.4 lens shot at 1/60 sec, F1.4, ISO200.

Candid of the groom during the speeches: Fuji X-E1 and XF35mm F1.4 lens shot at 1/125 sec, F1.8, ISO200.

Photo ops are every where: Fuji X-E1 and XF35mm F1.4 lens shot at 1/125 sec, F1.4, ISO200.

She was dancing around gaily. Fast focusing nailed it: Fuji X-E1 and XF35mm F1.4 lens shot at 1/125 sec, F1.4, ISO200.

Good night: Fuji X-E1 and XF35mm F1.4 lens shot at 1/80 sec, F1.8, ISO200.

Looking for a destination wedding photographer? My core photography covers a broad spectrum of wedding faiths, including Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, Sikh, Baha’i, and Hindu weddings. As a New Zealander most of my several hundred weddings are cross cultural. Being based in Malaysia we have easy access to both eastern and western hemispheres. My clientele quickly realise that we offer competitive pricing, fast turnaround, excellent service, and excellent quality.

Just read the reviews on my home page! Past weddings have been in the USA, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Bali, and India to name only a few.

It is best to contact me well in advance so I can plan the trip and take advantage of cheaper airfares, savings passed directly on to you.

I would suggest first contact by made via email. This way everything is documented, and you might be calling me while driving, shooting or whatever, and not be able to note down your details. In the email include the location, your dates and general agenda for the day.

You may want to contact me via Skype. This is a free service IP telephony system that works world wide. My name on Skype is grantcorban.

I look forward to hearing from you.