Brother-in-Law's Wedding

For the first time in over 11 years in Japan, I've been invited to the main wedding ceremony. A typical Japanese wedding might start with a ceremony at the shrine in the morning, then a Western ceremony, complete with fake priest, at chapel in a hotel, followed by a banquet in the hotel. After, there is a second party for friends at large, the main ceremony being reserved for family, close friends and business partners (who actually get the honor seats at the front, the families sitting at the back), and often many will go thirds, fourths and so on.

Well, my brother-in-law kept it a little simpler, skipping the shrine. The chapel ceremony and banquet were quite extravagant actually. He asked me to take pictures during the day, a first for me. Although I'm used to covering events, weddings are different, and I was glad there was an 'official' photography as well since I didn't know all the cues and special moments.

At the second party, I installed old faithful on a tripod with a soft box in a makeshift studio for the participants to have fun with. As it was their first time experiencing it, people didn't go too crazy this time. I guess I'll need to provide props and costumes next time for them to loosen up a bit more.

At the third party, in a karaoke box, I lent old faithful to the group, and one member in particular really got a kick out of using it, shooting the french fries, his bag, his feet...

All in all, a long and exhausting day, but quite interesting too. I haven't really had the chance to look and enhance the pictures I got. I chose this one for privacy issues. Enjoy!

Photo Shoot with Yoko

Today during and after w*rk, I took pictures of my assistant, Yoko. OK, I haven't been shooting people for years on end, but I have never photographed someone who was so natural in front of the camera. This time I was using my zoom lens, but even when I took pictures of her with my normal lens last week, less than a meter away, she never shied away from the camera and always looked straight on. Amazing! I think she's a natural at this. The first shot was taken at dusk with sun setting in the background (that's the orange hue in the background) with my softbox, while the second one was taken in the afternoon from our w*rkplace where the windows are textured and a little polished, creating a beautiful diffused light.

She confided that as a kid she would jump in front of a camera any time one was around, and it certainly shows. She has joined my company this month, and we've only worked, let alone shot, together for less than that, and every time I take the camera out for a planned or impromptu shoot, she readily accepts and looks great all the time. I can only wish that all my models will be like her in the future!

And mind you, she had a cold today and still looked this good. We had thought about going to my friend Sylvain's bar to do a photo shoot, but as she was sick, of course I obliged and let her go home. Expect some more pictures of her in the future! Thank you very much, Yoko.