MY JOURNAL

On a magnificent fall morning, I made the trip down to the quaint county of Gochang where I was to photograph a lovely traditional wedding. Close friends and family came from all parts of the country to celebrate the marriage of Seong-cheol and In-hye. The couple have been together for years so this was really a just formality. Even so, it was a lovely celebration enjoyed by all!

Nigel and Serena were visiting Korea from Hong Kong in the early autumn of last year. She wanted to have her pre-wedding photographs taken while they were on their trip and had her heart set on Jeju Island. However, due to the fact that it was the long Thanksgiving holiday it would have been nearly impossible to get the team over there because of a lack of tickets. So I convinced her and Nigel to come and meet me in my beautiful province of Jeollnamdo and we set to work on planning a half day shoot.

On a crisp autumn morning I embarked on my journey to Jacob and April’s beautiful wedding. The wedding was held at Island CC Resort near to Ansan. On arrival at the resort I was so excited because not only was it a beautiful day, but the resort had really pretty architecture and was surrounded by mountains. It was the perfect setting!

It’s really cool how I get to watch families around me grow. How I get to see babies grow up to become their own, unique little people. When moms contact me and share the news that their family is growing, I feel so much joy for them and I get excited to share in the the next chapter of their happiness.

Three years ago this lovely family came to me to photograph their little girl’s 100th day milestone. Later that year I was at her first birthday party. In the meantime they stayed in touch, always sending pictures of Eunchae growing up. I love this journey that I walk with the families I photograph. Seeing the kids grow up and the love and happiness between the families is so special to me.

During the late spring, I made my way down to Busan to photograph the mamma-to-be in her new home. Our original plan was to go out in the afternoon to take advantage of the pretty spring sunset light, but between all the chatting and the lack of accurate planning from both Dorette and myself, we had to get up the next morning very early. You see, I’m terrible at direction and failed to realise that Busan is on the east coast of Korea, so of course the sun wouldn’t set over the ocean. Luckily we were having so much fun catching up and Busan has so many good restaurants we weren’t bothered too much and instead went to fill our bellies with some good food and ice-cream. The next morning we ventured out at 5:30am to the famous Haeundae Beach. Our timing was perfect! Just as we arrived there was beautiful golden light coming through the little garden at the entrance and we played around with the morning rays for a bit.

This past spring Queenie and her family travelled around Europe and Asia and decided to include Jeju Island in their itinerary. As they were planning their vacation, they wanted to take a day to have some photos taken to remember their trip by.

It was a beautiful and happy day for this couple and their families. Tae-hyung was constantly telling me how beautiful Sun-a looks and how lucky he feels. I was very happy to be part this family-affair and especially around a couple with so much adoration for each other. This makes my job so much more meaningful!

The dictionary describes a tribe as a group of people with similar values and interests. We all have a need to belong, and tribes offer us a sense of belonging. They are loyal, encouraging, and your soul feels full when you are with them. You can show up and be real around them because they give you room for discovery and growth to become your best self. And on this day a designer, a dancer and a photographer formed a very special bond. We formed a tribe. This, as Oprah says, was my “aha” moment and my mantra for the rest of the year.

Nick and Amy… Where do I begin? They are one of the warmest, sincerest couples I have ever met. Most people always say that they want their weddings to be about them and having fun but it mostly never turns out that way. And understandably so. It’s a big day with many traditions to honor, guests to entertain and things to do but somehow Nick and Amy got it right. They were all about having fun and truly celebrating their decision to live the rest of their lives together.

The couple were surrounded by all of their close friends and family and Nick’s family all flew in from the U.S. They filled the room with so much love and happiness that I had to remind myself that there were other guests there too that need to be documented.