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5Dmk2
50mm f/1.2L

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D700
24mm f/1.4G

Now interestingly enough, we were at Sentosa when we noticed that there was a fire on Pulau Bukom. Quite a spectacle, with fireballs going off amidst the thick smoke. I don’t know how most other photographers would react but we were like “oh cool!” and proceeded to work with it heh!

“now that’s what I call a smokin’ hot couple..”

We ended off the night and it was a splash!

Thanks you guys! And you’ll be seeing more of them soon!

Enjoy!

As I mentioned in their sneak peek, that we had got rained out before and as such we definitely made the best out of this opportunity!

So… usually I’d end the eshoot after 2-3 hours of spending time with a couple, but these guys had me in stitches the whole way.. so when their brother organized a little engagement party on a yacht, I couldn’t resist but get more pictures!

It was a blast with the lovely couple and their spontaneity! Thanks and I’ll be seeing you guys real soon!

Here’s one from our time at Portsdown with the lovely Lisa and dashing Danny (ha! see what I did there? )

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35mm f/1.4
D3

Shot on behalf of Onion, photography & design

Amanda got ready at Studio E where she works and they gave her the VIP treatment. And after she got her hair and make-up done, she went on to help her other bridesmaids too!

the guys getting ready at their place before scooting off in a limo an a drive around the area..

Amanda & Eric opted for a first look.. I swear the “eh?” face is totally unplanned heh..

headed out to the beautiful Japanese Gardens out at Delaware.. blazing hot day but that didn’t seem to deter any of them, least of all the bride and the groom!

then it was back to the Avanti Mansion where we did more pictures as well as the location for their ceremony..

when the officiating minister asked Eric if he was ready to take Amanda as his lawfully wedded wife, he got into a huddle with his groomsmen and ‘discussed’ his situation before they all gave their approval for his ‘plans’ heh! Totally cute moment there as the family and friends who had gathered there, burst out in laughter!

lovely details.. what warmed my heart even more was that as a centerpiece of every single table was a photo from their e-shoot, every table a different photo.

This wedding in some ways have helped me come full circle in that, my very first wedding in Buffalo was also at the Avanti and also with a couple that was quite dear to me. Buffalo, it has been an awesome experience and someday, I will be back!

p.s. watch this in full-screen by changing the settings in the player!

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Camera: D3
Lens: 70-200mm f/2.8G VR
Lights: SB900 & SB80

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Nikon D3
24mm f/1.4G

Not my usual style of post-processing but Amanda looked really gorgeous in this portrait I snagged at the Historical Society at Delaware Park..
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Nikon D700
70-200mm f/2.8G VR

i think i should call this the “oh look at the silly photographer over there” pose

so while we were at Columbia University, where Stan studied at, I decided to spontaneously do a mini-story seeing how the building had multiple signs..

“Where are you? I’m already here..”

“Hee hee.. there you are..”

“Oh hi there!”

Sarah and Stan were real troopers throughout the day.. Not only had they gotten in the night before at varying times (Stan actually reached the hotel at 2am and Sarah was working the whole night) but we all went to catch the Liverpool-Arsenal game in the morning.. yet they put on their best smiles and gamely went from location to location for this shoot! As I said at the start of the post, I had a great time shooting my friends in a city I really love.. and I can’t wait for their wedding!

more to come!

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D3
50mm f/1.4

On Day 1 on coming back, I was being attended to by a customer service rep who was very impatient in explaining to my mother and I about the various data and phone options with regards to our current plan. We were then later ignored and told to call a service hotline for a service that another associate (which we had to get another queue number for) had done on the spot in 5 minutes later. Whatever happened to serving the customer that is in front of you, especially with a service that is easily done?

So on Day 3, this is when after spending such a short time back that I realized that there is something fundamentally wrong with some of the businesses here.

I had gone to the driving centre, where on arrival I was misinformed by the information counter about the procedure on converting my US driver’s license. Along with the misinformation, I had signed up for a test I did not need to take and my credit card charged. When I reached the second registration counter, I was then informed that I did not take the test but they were unable to cancel or void my transaction. I then asked why that was not possible as I had neither received a service nor gotten a product for my payment/transaction. The staff at this second counter turned defensive and then called her assistant manager, who right off the bat, became very defensive and instead blamed the information counter for giving me the wrong information but that they could not refund me my money. Subsequently when I made a call to their hotline to request to void the transaction, I was instead blamed for giving the wrong information to the information counter. WOW. I wonder if they knew what customer service 101 was?

My bad day with customer service did not end there either. On my way back from the centre, I had gone to a small handphone retailer and inquired about getting a replacement SIM card. I was ignored for 5 minutes as he was serving a customer, without even a word of acknowledgement or notice that I was even in the shop. When he finally got around to helping me, he was curt and impatient and kept insisting that I could not use my jailbroken iPhone in Singapore when all I wanted was whether he could supply me with a replacement SIM card. Needless to say, I do not envision that there is a feedback system for that shop nor will I be returning to that shop anytime soon.

Things I noticed in the last few days is that:
a) When faced with a situation, customer service representatives and managers should never take a defensive stance towards the customer. The customer has no personal vendetta against you. Do not aggravate the situation further, it only serves to raise everyone’s blood pressure up a couple of notches and does no good to everyone.
b) When the customer is right in front of you, please do not tell them to call the service hotline when you can do it on the spot quickly. Ignoring the customer is just plain rude.

Now, we say Singapore is supposed to have a world class mentality but right now it seems it comes nowhere near to the service I have experienced in the United States. Now despite all my complaints, I know that all is not lost. There are definitely shops where I have experienced great customer service, where the staff do go out of their way to make you feel welcomed and appreciated, problems are solved without the raising of blood pressures and without pushing the blame to the customers.

What does customer service mean to you, our dear readers and clients? In what ways could poor service turn you off or what is your general expectation of customer service? Hit me back with your comments! And also stay tuned as I update you guys on the situation and what good customer service means to me and my work!

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D3
50mm f/1.4

to both of you.. stay beautiful and goofy hopefully i’ll see you guys in my area sometime!

p.s. Let us also never forget the sacrifices made by the heroic men and women in NYC 10 years ago! While the thing I most vividly remember is the video of the two planes crashing into the towers, the stories I’ve read over the years and pictures from that very day remind me that there is a price to our freedom, let us all treasure it well..

So instead of me rambling on.. here is a couple that is dear to my heart and despite the craziness of the day (story when I have the full post up) and the rising temperatures, they never seemed to miss a beat with their love.

p.s. update – i’m still in Buffalo! freak weather conditions had pushed my flight out from Buffalo to JFK back and eventually it got cancelled. I was faced with two options, one was to travel anyway to JFK on a later flight and miss my connecting and wait at the airport for the next available flight back to SG. The other was to reschedule and then rebook everything. Thank God I chose the later option of rebooking rather than going in a blind hope that a seat would open up on the flight back to Singapore for tomorrow. Turns out that SQ is booked solid till the 11th of Sept. Would have prob ended up being a hobo or playing Tom Hanks in the Terminal heh!

Thank God I still have got a place to stay at here in Buffalo and still have friends around me! Singapore I’ll be back really soon!
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Nikon D700
70-200mm f/2.8

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D3
24mm f/1.4

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D700
70-200mm f/2.8

Love doing a first look! The emotions and thoughts that must have been running through his head as she taps him on his shoulder..
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Nikon D3
24mm f/1.4G

A lil bit of back-story to this shot.. basically the entire wedding was in the church and the girls were getting in the chapel but due to religious reasons, they were not allowed to get changed in there. As such they had to run across that corridor to the choir room to get changed. As there were guests arriving and the guys getting dressed up at the other end of the hallway.. the bridesmaids formed a wall to shield the bride from curious eyes!

one really sweet moment at the end of the father-daughter dance.. Tracie’s dad had waited some 20+ years to make it right for his wife.. when on their wedding night, the band had played the wrong song for her father-daughter dance.. and he used this chance to finally correct the mistake and put on the right song for his wife’s father-daughter dance. I don’t think there wasn’t a dry eye in the room..

..and then the party started for real..

and there was a short and very funny song based on a polish tune wishing the blessings of the bride and groom..

For their web gallery and purchase options, go to Onion, photography & design‘s proof and purchase page: here!