Engagement: Daniel & Joelle

At the end of June, I had the privilege of doing an outdoor shoot for Daniel and Joelle for the Singapore leg of their wedding. Daniel, who is half-Scottish, came in his full Scottish attire. Joelle was born in Singapore and moved to the UK with her family many years ago. They met during the course of their studies, fell in love and are now happily married. Robert Burns, a famous Scottish poet wrote the following poem which somehow seems apt for me to reproduce here.

My Luve is Like a Red, Red Rose

O my luve is like a red, red rose,
That’s newly sprung in June:
O my luve is like the melodie,
That’s sweetly played in tune.

As fair art thou, my bonie lass,
So deep in luve am I;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a’ the seas gang dry.

Till a’ the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi’ the sun;
And I will luve thee still my dear,
While the sands o’ life shall run.

And fare thee weel, my only luve!
And fare thee weel a while!
And I will come again, my luve,
Tho’ it were ten thousand mile.

Each outdoor shoot is unique. I never really know what to expect. Will the weather be good? How natural and comfortable would the couple be in front of the camera? Will the outdoor locations be crowded? And many other variables and possibilities, most of them not within my control. This shoot was no different. The father of the bride who engaged me for the photo shoot made himself the unofficial photographer; he was grinning from ear to ear, obviously taking pride in the apple of his eye as he snapped multiple shots of the couple until the bride shoo-ed him away gently. We came across a large group of tourist from Taiwan who started snapping away at the couple like paparazzi. A lone photographer lurked around us for some time sneaking in shots of the couple. An impromptu dance in an underpass. Daniel and Joelle were naturals in front of the camera and made the shoot a breeze for me. A number of times they seemed to get lost in each other’s eyes and were not conscious of my presence . . . which is always a good thing for the photographer. These things and many others made the shoot really enjoyable and memorable for me.

Here are a few of my personal favorites from the day. The words in the background of the first shot, I was told, were “I love you” in Arabic.