This is a relative term from one person to another. A perfect day for a photo shoot can be it's raining, but when it's time for the shoot the rain stopped. Or, it could be that we encounter a very beautiful day that is unbelievable.
Together with Adelard & Linda, we've experienced both. EnEn is the integral furry family member of Linda whom she really wanted to include in her prewedding photos. Since that we couldn't bring EnEn from Singapore to our main location Penang, we made do with a grassy field at Tuas in Singapore.
Adelard & Linda wanted to put up a stylized shoot for the short session in Singapore and they are very well prepared with props, layering for stuffs, drinks etc, just look at the first picture! That day when Linda is doing her makeup halfway, it actually rained. This of course concerns us whether we should postpone to another day.
I felt it's very important that we persevere until reaching the location. Simply because when it's raining, not every area rains at the same time. Also from past experiences, weather forecast in Asia doesn't seem to be super accurate either. I've lost count the number of times forecast says it will rain but I could still finish the entire outdoor session smoothly!
However, the opposite is true, a good forecast doesn't guarantee it'll be a better day for a photo shoot either. Despite the risks, the reward of a successful outdoor photo session is invaluable, we can only try our best and pick a dryer season to have the shoot. Turned out that when we reach Tuas, the weather and the ground are DRY! Lucky that the couple obliged with my suggestion too, the makeup effort is not wasted.
A stylized shoot involves some arranging work and rental of props if it's not done by vendors like florist or wedding planner. It can be a bit of a hassle sourcing around, but this gives a personal touch of uniqueness cause you are doing it yourself through your own vision and aesthetics.
The cloudy dry weather held throughout our session until after the sun sets. Although we don't have visible sun rays during sunset, we've got a calming and comfortable mood for the pictures created even with countless photobombing by the clingy EnEn when we don't need it's presence.
A couple of weeks later, it's time for the main prewedding photo session in Penang. I never put any weather expectation for any shoot because it can be anything, I'll make the best out of it. But guess what, at the time I stood by my car ready to head out to pick the couple, I looked up to the sky and I see stars. The exact kind of sky and clarity one would wish for, to photograph the milky way. In layman terms, it's super awesome!
I can't help to smile every time when I see very clear stars in the morning before heading out from home. It usually means a good day, at least for the morning. To our surprise, it is the BEST DAY EVER throughout my career, still holds true till date! It's almost cloudless, the sky is so blue that reflection on the sea is unbelievably blue till the extent that I need to reduce the saturation in my editing! This has never ever happened before. We often need to boost the vibrance but it's never the opposite!
The blues and warmth you see in the Penang series are actually original. Or they have already being toned down by me. It's ridiculously beautiful and vivid without needing to edit anything. The blue is super blue while the sun light at dawn & dusk is very strong and warm in color it sets a really nice feel to the pictures, it's crazy! I'm so jealous till I hate them. ahaha.. I jest. My words are not at the level of making the pictures justice yet, but indeed, we've experienced perfect days.
&.b.t.w. - From my recent visit last month, the look of this famous spot in Tuas, Singapore is no longer suitable for photos. At least half of the area where we were shooting are now in the midst of construction, likely for a new factory. When we were doing this shoot last year, on and off you'd see couples coming for their prewedding photos too.