FIFOTO Blog

John & Sumana by Nicholas

admin — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 09:40:34 +0000

When Fiona mentioned that Su has a contagious laugh in her recent pre-wedding photoshoot blogpost, little did I know that I would get affected too! Sumana was such a fun and out-going bride it never felt like I was working but rather, someone who was there to capture those beautiful moments. On the day of the “Chip San Leong”, the bridesmaids prepared some “special” games that incorporated Sumana’s half Indian parentage for John and his ‘Heng Tais’. Lucky for Sumana, John was quite a pro when it comes to dressing himself with a saree and he even performed some indian dance moves! Another task they had to do was to drink a baby bottle of beer, which I suppose didn’t challenge them at all because they even did a “yam seng”, shows how much they love their beer! Finally, John had to break a few coconuts by smashing them on the floor which was easy peasy for him too!

Their wedding dinner was held at two places on two different dates, the first reception was dedicated to family and in many ways, was the ‘warm-up’ to the wedding party for friends which took place one week after!

John & Sumana’s second wedding reception was held at Ciao restaurant, a cozy bungalow with a beautiful garden located off Jalan Tun Razak. I’ve never heard of that place before and honestly when I was there, it was such a lovely place! Thanks to the team at I Do Weddings, there were pretty decorations everywhere that brought the place to life and filled it up with romance!

The evening started with an intimate exchange of vows ceremony with families and close friends, followed by a mini impromptu photo session with friends. The atmosphere that night was filled with love and laughter. During the speech by the bestman, he revealed that John loves the song “Moves like Jagger” by Maroon 5, and whenever he listens to it, he will dance. So John being the sporting groom, brought it onto the dance floor and everyone enjoyed the groom’s unique dance moves! The rest of the night was filled with wonderful music and dancing, including special performances by their friends!

Once again I would like to congratulate John & Sumana and I wish the both of them the best in married life!

Photography by Nicholas & Jason

Blue Skies Fluffy Clouds Contest

fiona — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 11:00:35 +0000

Come Bloom with Us!

fiona — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 10:18:11 +0000

Florence’s 21st Birthday Bash by Nicholas

fiona — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 12:51:50 +0000

It was a wonderful Christmas night as the sun set at Teak, the scenic garden roof top restaurant at Lot 10. The place was beautifully decorated with Christmas decorations and Christmas themed items such as the gingerbread house, all pretty and ready to be eaten! The star that night was Florence who celebrated her 21st birthday. A group of girls came dressed looking very much like Cosplay characters (Japanese cartoon characters)! Others dressed to the Christmas theme, wearing reindeer It was such a fun-filled night where everyone enjoyed themselves to the live music, good food and of course, the lovely atmosphere of the Christmas season. Towards the end of the night, it was the cake cutting session where everyone gathered again to commemorate Florence’s birthday.

Once again I would like to wish Happy Birthday to Florence and hope everyone had an awesome Christmas and New Year celebration!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

fiona — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 17:20:32 +0000

Salina & Raees

fiona — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 00:59:29 +0000

I love akad nikahs, not only because the room is always beautifully decorated with drapes and flowers, and that the room smells of fresh flowers but also because it is one of the least stressful ceremonies to shoot. (I leave all the stressful hand shake with the imam shots for by forever faithful partner Steve to shoot!) I love akad nikahs because they are calm, collected and serene. It’s straightforward and if you find yourself a good spot, you settle in and snap away. No fuss. No hassle. And they are so easy to shoot as well. I mean, how could you not get a pretty shot when everyone is so nicely dressed and when the place is just as beautifully dressed up as well! And For Salina & Raees’ nikah, it was no exception! Salina, looking elegant in her very modern laced Baju beamed from ear to ear as the imam kept it light-hearted and humorous throughout the ceremony. Meanwhile, a slightly more nervous looking Raees was seated at the corner. But he was all smiles again after he recited his lafaz with ease…

Salina’s family is a true representation of 1 Malaysia. Looking 100% Chinese, she is 100% Muslim and her family is a perfect representation of a splendid assimilation of Chinese-Muslim cultures. Her parents and siblings who all wore Baju Melayu conversed fluently in Hokkien!

Congrats to Saline & Raees! May your new chapter be filled with love and laughter, always!

A few days after the nikah, Steve, Wei Jun & I shot the “chip san leong” and tea ceremony on Raees’ (Formerly known as Alex) side of the family. The bride looked radiant in an intricately embroided Qua (I absolutely love it when brides where the traditional Quas for tea ceremonies as the colors turn out so well in photos!) The dinner reception that night was photographed by Steve and Wei Jun at the ParkRoyal…

The following week, we gathered once again for the fourth and final reception for Salina’s side of the family. The theme that night was “Shanghai”, the place where Raees proposes to Salina! Thanks to folks at Wishing Tree, the ballroom at the Intercontinental was lavishly decked out with red lanterns and fresh orchids giving the place it’s Shanghainese origins.

With performances by famous local artist Adibah and a guest serenading songs to the lovely couple, the night was an unforgettable one!

Flowers by Wishing Tree

Photography by Fiona, Steve & Wei Jun

Ho! Ho! Ho!

fiona — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 17:16:32 +0000

Jessica & Gav

fiona — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 08:20:55 +0000

Filled with joy & excitement to be back at Pangkor Laut Resort for the 4th time round, I was equally nervous. Not because the wedding was on an island, not because it was the smallest wedding I’ve ever shot, but because this time, in my 6 years of shooting weddings, I was going to shoot it alone. Being the paranoid and kiasu (there, I admit it!) freak I am, the thoughts just kept playing in my head… what if I miss the shot? what if I miss the exchange of rings? What if my shots are blur or out of focus? There’s no Steve or David or Jason or Nic to back me up, or hold the flash up, or lift the veil! Oh no! Despite all that drama that was going through my head, it went well. Perfect, in my opinion! Jessica and Gav’s wedding is by far the most intimate wedding I’ve been a part of. And by intimate, I mean 12 of them, bride and groom included!

The wedding ceremony and exchange of vows were held at the beautiful sandy beach of Emerald Bay. It was a short and sweet ceremony followed by a portrait shoot of the cute couple at sunset. Luck would have it, there was Ben, an intern at PLR who was eager to help! And so, I had found my assistant! The highlight of the night for me was the Chinese wishing lanterns. Everyone wrote a wish on a paper lantern, lit it and released it to the sky. It was a pretty sight indeed and definitely a photo opp!

Congrats to Jessica & Gav! Wishing you both all the love & laughter in the world! (with Gav’s sense of humor, we can be sure of it!)

Preggars-mania Part II : Connie

admin — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 18:17:36 +0000

I’ve been shooting quite a few pregnancy shots lately and all the mothers to be seem to have the perfect figure. I’m starting to expect that keeping the perfect figure during a pregnancy is a given and I’m liking the idea of the positive reassurance I keep getting!

I met Connie and her husband, Chan for the first time that day for their pregnancy shoot. Connie is a petite bundle of sunshine and Chan who kept himself occupied looking through our wedding albums, was quiet and unassuming. It is hard to believe that they both have a daughter aged 8 who unfortunately was unable to join in for the shoot because she had a basketball tournament. She must be tall and athletic!

I couldn’t help but notice the magic that would light up between the two when I wasn’t looking. Chan just couldn’t bare to stay away and keep his hands off Connie, well, not in that dirty old man sorta way, but in the most loving and adoring fashion for what seems to me is a childhood sweetheart kinda love. It was so sweet, they way they held hands or the way they hugged. Every time I wasn’t looking, he would rest his head on her shoulders and grin. And I knew there and then that all I needed to do was get them to be together, and pretend I wasn’t there. And magic happened! Connie and Chan definitely wins the title of “Most Loving Couple!”

Congrats to Connie and Chan who will be expecting a baby boy this coming Jan!

Makeup by Shahnaz Baharuden

Preggars-mania Part I : Joanne

admin — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 17:48:36 +0000

It seemed like quite awhile ago, that Steve and I took a road trip to Muar and captured the beautiful church wedding of Joanne, the daughter of a pastor, and Stephanus, a South African whose father is also a pastor. It was a match made in heaven, literally!

When Joanne had contacted me a few months back to book her pregnancy portraits with us, I was overjoyed to hear the good news and looked forward to catching up with the lovely couple! Nothing has changed much really… Joanne is still the soft-spoken, mild mannered sweet girl I met before, and Stephanus is the same old friendly self! It goes without saying, we had a fun hour at the studio and I’m looking forward to a very adorable lil girl in the next month or so!

And what could be a better gift for us at the studio than an iron and ironing board! Now these two will certainly be thought of all the time! What a perfect gift!

Congrats to Joanna and Stephanus!

Makeup by Shahnaz Baharuden