www.smittenpixels.com

Hi, I've relocated to www.smittenpixels.com.

For more of my recent works, do head over to the new domain and follow me on my photography journey!


(:

Flight to Forever

Outfit on Valerie: Agneselle
Hair and Makeup: Pearlyn Law Makeup and Hairstyling

In October 2013, the Agneselle team decided to come together and do up a giveaway for all of Agneselle's customers. What better way for us to collaborate than to team up and do a giveaway for 2 hours of casual couple shoot where Pearlyn would be doing the hair and makeup and Agneselle would be sponsoring at outfit (for the female only of course (;). We were very overwhelmed by the response and feedbacks we received on all of our FB pages, and it was a rewarding experience for all of us and we are happy to know that most people complied with the rules and were eligible but ultimately, we could only choose one winner at random and the above couple- Valerie and Nic were the lucky pair! Once again, a big thank you to all who have participated. The response was way better than what we had expected.

Come to think of it, it might have been predestined because Valerie is an air stewardess and our shoot is very aptly named Flight to Forever. Along the way we got to learn that the duo met through Facebook and it all started with Nick being attracted to Val when he first chanced upon her profile, and no doubt we teased him about it thereafter. I have to admit that they are both a really good looking pair, and they're really nice individuals as well. 

I hope you both last a long time together.

xx

This time is forever, love is the answer (part two)

Read part one: Here

Here's the second part of the pre wedding shoot that I did for Jane and Daniel last year. 

To continue from where I left off, we were very blessed with good weather for two consecutive days of our shoot. 

On the second day, Jane and I happened to be left alone in the car for almost 30 minutes when Daniel had to top up his cash card and we weren't near any of the topup machines. With all honesty, I hadn't expected us to strike up a conversation that personal with Jane. I thank all my lucky stars that we are both Leo girls. Plus point: Both our boyfriends have the same name! Intrigued by both our beliefs in horoscope, we started an endless topic about ourselves and our relationship which slowly led to our families and we found a ridiculous amount of similarities between us. 

As for Jane and Daniel, they met through a mutual friend when Jane was about 19 and here comes the unexpected truth- Daniel is 11 years older than her. What I did not know, was the amount of obstacles they met with in their five years relationship. They were supposed to get married last year, but an unfortunate event happened and they had to postpone it till this year. Jane spoke of their relationship and marriage with so much hope and love in her voice, and she told me she couldn't wait to get married and start a family with Daniel. I almost teared. She told me about her family's objection to their relationship in the very initial stage because of their age difference, but they overcame every bit of it together. I wish I could share the more personal side of their story with you guys, but some things should be kept private. Jane isn't someone who opens up very easily, and I'm glad she trusted me enough to share the private stories of her life with me.

Now 24 and 35, they are happily married and have just gone for their honeymoon in Maldives. I've also done processing their actual day wedding images and handed them over to the couple. (: Everyday I'm still in awe that this awesome couple chose me to document their love. Honestly, I still think that I dreamt it. Forever grateful for this honour I shall be.

Looking back at these photos, I could pinpoint in so many ways what I could have improved on but I guess that's how it's meant to be. There's only progression and improvement when you learn from your past mistakes. It's about 9 months since we shot this entire series, and I can't help but marvel at how quickly time has flown by. Till date, I'm in amazement how fast 2014 has passed, and it certainly feel like the quickest year ever yet. This year, I'm working on bringing Smittenpixels Photography to new heights, and I'm fulfilling what I had promised myself. It's been a great year thus far, and I cannot wait to reveal what I have in store soon! Loads of plans installed for the next 2 months and sometimes the work load gets a little too much to bear, but I'll just have to tell myself that it'd all be worth it. 

xx

This time is forever, love is the answer (part one)

"And maybe we can find our own slice of heaven close to the sun."

For three days before this shoot, I was praying fervently for good weather and for everything to go smoothly. This always happen prior to a shoot and my brain goes into an overdrive. 

The other time I had a shoot at the same location, the sun was completely hidden behind the clouds so I was really hoping for a miracle that day. Prayers do work wonders. Jane and Daniel had painstakingly prepped a number of props they would like to feature for the shoot and they were so full of hope for the day. I rarely had to give directions to the couple. When the evening glow from the sun became more pronounced towards the later time in the evening, Jane and I could a barely contain our excitement together. The most magical moment is evident in the last photo- the sun rays igniting where their lips touched. 

I have pretty sensitive skin, and trudging through tall grasses for shoots often result in itch around the feet area and I'm often deadbeat at the end of a shoot from all the running to and fro across the big field. The entire day was worth it, and the golden light that lit up the entire field was breathtaking coupled with the chemistry between Jane and Daniel made it all the more extraordinary. 

I'll share more about their story in the second part of the post.

Keep your eyes peeled (:

Thank you once again to everyone who has participated in the Rakuten giveaway! I've narrowed down the three winners and I'll be contacting you guys by email over the next few days. Do give me some time to sort out my stuffs. 

Good week ahead everyone!

xx

Styled Engagement Shoot at Intercontinental Hotel

About half a year ago, I was given the honour to shoot for a styled engagement setting put together by many wonderful and incredulously talented individuals who came together and made this all possible. It was beyond amazing, watching how everything transformed into its own beautiful setting and understanding how everything played a part for everything to fall into place. I am lucky because for the longest time, I've been wanting to put together a styled shoot so it was a great opportunity for me when this sprung up.

What's different this time round is that unlike other styled shoots, the couple you see in the images are not models; they are a real engaged couple! Yes, by the time you are reading this NOW, Shawn and Jenn are already officially married a few months back after the styled shoot. It was a little disheartening when our initial plans of doing the shoot outdoor in a really lovely location had to be cancelled because of the bad weather, but everyone was spontaneous and kept the spirits up. And honestly, at the end of it all, I didn't think it was that bad doing it indoors. I liked how the images have turned out, but looking back at it now, I thought I could have done it a lot better in so many ways. 

Merrylove Weddings put up a pastel garden theme for the initial half of the shoot, playing with colours such as mint, pink, white, lavender and yellow to create a dreamy pastel feel whereas the second setup was along the lines of a rustic woodland. It consists of neutral colours like brown, glitter and gold to bring out the vintage feel. They are so talented and I'm awed by their love and passion for what they do. I've spoken to Shuying from Merrylove Weddings and we are contemplating conceptualising another styled shoot in the next few months to come. We are hoping to inspire people to incorporate themes into their engagement shoot for a personalised theme that adds a magical touch to the photos. 

Photography: Smittenpixels Photography

Venue: InterContinental Hotel Singapore

Styling and décor: MerryLove Wedding

Wedding Gown: The Gown Warehouse

Candy Dessert Bar: Little Treats Inc

Flowers: The Bloom Room

Hair and Makeup: Pearlyn Law Makeup & Hairstyling

Cupcakes: Goobycakes

Balloons: Inflate - The Balloon Company

Vespa Sidecar: Little Tiffany Blue

Furniture Rental: Second Charm

Hope you enjoy these visuals!

xx