MY JOURNAL

This couple is the closest you’ll get to perfection, and so I was extremely flattered when Jason and Joanne Son chose me to be their wedding photographer. You’ve all heard of the “fairy tale wedding”, well this is it right here! Carefully planned down to the last detail, the Son wedding was magical, and magic is what I hope shines through in this blog post.

Originally from South Africa, I left its shores after I graduated, to experience the great wide world. What was supposed to be a gap year, turned into 9 years and counting. I came to Korea to teach for a year, fell in love with its people and culture, and the rest is as the saying goes is “history”.

This beautiful couple contacted me to do their formal wedding photos later this October. Hyun Jin is a fireman and Annemie (a fellow South African), is a teacher. I was totally over the moon that the couple had decided to make the four-hour trip from Gyeongju to consult with me in person about their session. Let me explain why…… Most “long distance” clients consult with me via email and the occasional text msg or phone call before we finally get to meet in person on the day of their photo session. I cannot stress enough just how much value meeting clients face to face beforehand adds to their shoot. It gives me SO MUCH MORE insight into their personality, style, preferences and the way they interact with each other. I do believe that the magic I managed to capture between Hyun Jin and Annemie in this shoot was a direct result of our face to face encounter beforehand.

Danny is Korean and lives in the US with his wife Laura, a photographer herself. I was quite honored when she asked me to document this for her as she has such an impressive portfolio and has documented an adoption before. You can see more of Laura’s work here. When the decision was made to start a family, the couple opted to adopt a Korean child. Laura felt that God had placed little Joey on their path, she was perfect for them! On completion of the adoption process in February of this year, they contacted me to document their first couple of days together in Seoul. Our 1st location was at a nearby park with some pretty Korean architecture as it was important for Danny and Laura that Joey have a reminder of her Korean heritage one day.

Their story began in May of 2016 when Madeleine was out and about in Yeosu with her dog, Henry. Hyeonsoo, who was on vacation, spotted the two, went over to say “hello” and ended up spending the rest of the day taking in the sites of Yeosu with Madeleine and Henry. The rest, as they say, is history.

This classy, Malaysian couple chose Seoul as the destination for their pre-wedding shoot. The city’s vibrant metropolis of ultra modern and historical architecture, which was important for them to be prominent in some of their photos, made it the perfect location for Blake and Ruth’s modern urban vibe they were looking for. The people of Seoul are trendy, following the latest fashion and cosmetics movements, and so Blake and Ruth’s stylish choice of wardrobe for our session fitted right in. I decided to capture the essence of this couple as they moved through the lively city from one location to the next. Blake and Ruth are as much FUN as what they are sophisticated!! Their zest and love for life is as great as their love for one another! Everything this couple does together is next level, whether it’s sharing a tender moment, a joke, conversation, taking a stroll or just goofing off!

Dean and Lorie are from the Philippines and chose beautiful Korea as their destination location for their Pre-wedding shoot. They came across my work after researching multiple photographers in Korea, loved what they saw and contacted me to do their shoot. They were looking for an authentic traditional feel with a little twist of Korean Pop culture, and so I convinced them to come to my city, Gwangju. On the one hand Gwangju is rich in traditional Korean culture with beautiful Hanoks and Temples out in the nearby countryside, and on the other, trendy and “vibey”, with coffee shops, restaurants, designer shops, a well as the buzz of downtown, lending itself to the perfect locations for the shoot.

In the late fall of last year I traveled up north to the town of Andong, famous in Korea for its tradition. In a beautiful ballroom of Andong Grand Hotel, Byeong-yeop and Ae-ri would be married in front of their loved ones. Never have I felt so welcome and so appreciated than with this couple and their families! It was going to be a beautiful day!

While many Korean brides plan their wedding at least a season in advance, Mina contacted me about a month before her wedding. She was originally not going to have a wedding because she didn’t like the idea of having the ordinary proceedings of the typical Korean wedding however she said she came across my photos of Pete and Sanha’s traditional ceremony, and the photos convinced her otherwise.

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to document a beautiful wedding in Seoul, Korea’s capital. The awful summer heat had just passed by a week ago and I was excited to get out and enjoy a lovely outdoor ceremony. Another reason I was excited about this particular wedding was because not only is the groom a fellow South African, but he is a great photographer here in Korea too.