MY JOURNAL

A collection of images from Lynn and Edward’s pre-wedding. Taken in Damyang in the late autumn. Captured in a traditional Korean style, this photo shoot is a must for any couples looking to add an extra touch

It was the first pre-wedding photoshoot I had done since the start of the pandemic. I was beyond excited to pick up my camera again but also a bit nervous as I hadn’t shot for almost a year. This artist power couple chose the place where they first met to have their pre-wedding shoot. Gang-ha is a hanok restorer and Julia is a French artist that currently designs modern jewelry using traditional Korean patterns. It was only natural that we planned a beautiful hanbok pre-wedding in the warm autumn sun. I absolutely love working with creators, especially when they share my love for Korean tradition.

This beautiful couple met in 2017 when Annemie (living in South Africa at the time) was researching for a language exchange partner online. In short, she commented on a cute picture of a cat, Jin replied to her comment, and the rest (as the saying goes) is history.

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 our first meeting, Gongji starts off by telling me she had a big crush on Sungwan in high school. She blushes and giggles like a little school girl while telling me the story about how they met. The pair were students attending an art high school here in Gwangju, but only started dating a couple of years later. The look of adoration that these two have for each other stole my heart and I was immediately head-over-heals for this couple. Throughout the meeting I couldn’t help but notice how much these two loved laughing with each other and at each other.

When Seoyoon contacted me for her pre-wedding photos she knew exactly what she wanted: greenery, romance and beautiful lighting. I’m always thrilled when brides know what they want because then I can design a specific plan to deliver beautiful images just as they imagined. Only this time I was very concerned. It was in the peak of summer with very unpredictable showers and so I recommended that we change her plan a little bit to suit an indoor session. She said “Don’t worry. It will be perfect weather. I know it.” And so our plans for outdoor photos went forth.