We went out to a ranch (not really), just outside of KLCC (literally) and managed to capture the lovely morning light with Ms Daisy, happily grazing in the background while John & Sumana giggled and caressed in the foreground. What a start to a beautiful Monday morning!

John & Sumana met about 4 yrs ago, at work. Apparently, it’s a very common thing if you’re in the advertising industry – you work and play together in the office because you don’t have time to outside of work to have a personal life. In many ways it’s a good thing I guess, you totally understand where your partner’s coming from – working late nights everyday, most days of the week and even on public holidays. Having chatted with the two of them and with Jason who also has a history in the same line, I’m certainly not envious of the lifestyle people at the agencies lead. But I guess there must be something magical about it too, for John to be it for 15 years and some friends of mine who have been in it longer.

Magic happens when you put John & Su together. Su’s laugh is contagious and you can tell the joy it brings to John when she does. And with their background in advertising, they knew exactly how to portray their characters behind each storyline we gave them and shooting them was a breeze!

The theme for the day (well, the 2nd part of the day) was Shanghai Tang and we shot at the Old China Cafe in Petaling St. The place looked authentically old school which worked well with that they had in mind! I especially loved John’s red suspenders and Su’s interesting red heels!

We had lunch there afterwards and I must say, the food is not bad at all! If you’re looking for Nyonya/Peranakan food, or a nice place to shoot, vintage oriental style, this would be the place to go!

Hair & Makeup by Shahnaz Baharuden

Flowers by Mng Bouquets

Photography by Fiona & Jason

It must be a banker thing. A culture, perhaps. A good one to have, actually. I know a few people from the banking industry and they all seem to share two very  prominent traits. They are all very DETAILED and ORGANIZED. Aileen is one of them and it’s so good to work with brides who know exactly what they want! No need for uncertainty nor guessing games! I was given moodboards for the look and feel, and photos of her beautiful gown and cheongsam. We worked together and carefully planned the route to shoot at at Putrajaya.

We started out at Taman Botani and as we made our way to Pullman hotel, we made a few pit stops along the way. Both Aileen and James needed little direction and knew how to work the camera. My favorite part of the day was in the open field where the “lalangs” (switch grass) were waist-high. The lighting, weather and props she brought along for the shoot were just perfect!

Later, Aileen changed into a beautiful  red, low back, lacy cheongsam and we explored the Pullman grounds for sunset/dusk shots. Another favorite shot of mine for the day was the little surprise we got as we captured the tiny insects lit up by the flash! It was also my first time that night I tried out the Metz Flashes sponsored by Schmidt Marketing. After so many years of using my EX580′s it needed a little bit of getting used to but worked seamlessly once I got the hang of it! I must say, I’m pleasantly surprised that the Metz flashes were easy to navigate and pretty user friendly!

Photography by Fiona Lim & Ng Hsien Ming

Makeup + Hair by Remy Ngan

Flowers by Mng Bouquets

It’s certainly not uncommon these days, that people meet through cyberspace. With the widespread of the Internet and how it’s played a major for most of our teenage to adult life, it’s not uncommon to hear of people meeting people online. Keith & Leeza’s history is one of such and in fact, the second FIFOTO couple to have met their other halves through online gaming! They met 7 years ago through playing MMORPG (don’t ask me what that meant, I only know RPG), Dragonraja. Who would have known, the Cyber Gods were working their magic and they found themselves having much more than just Dragonraja in common and 7 years later, they are sealing the deal!

I looked forward to their shoot as they were open to back alleys and abandoned fields, right in our area of expertise! Despite the usual humid heat and blood-sucking mosquitoes, the photos we took at an empty grassland turned out great! The early morning sun was warm and soft and reflected the connection they have for each other…

Later on, we headed to the studio for a change of clothes and they both put on 2 really cute outfits! Thankfully for sporting and adventurous couples like Keith & Leeza, they didn’t mind the smelly back lanes we brought them to! And in fact, they even brought with them the coolest attitude, those you find in Chinese gangsta movies starring Andy Lau and the entire crew of Hong Kong veteran stars… Yes, they brought on the look once the aviators came on, and it made the perfect “Yao Yeng” (got style, aka ban cool) photos! It was so much fun shooting the bubbly couple and I just can’t wait to see what Steve & Jason come up with for their wedding photos in June!

Happy Friday y’all!!!!