Jon Low’s DCIM Talk

I had a chance to share a part of my life as a wedding photographer at DCIM. It’s a place where I would meet so many fellow photogs. It was quite an event and together with the RedNinja.tv crew, we were invited to share some of our experiences at the Canon Interactive corner. We were given an hour each. Those who made it to the talk, thank you for coming and listening in. Those who didn’t, I document my points and chain of thoughts – a somewhat summary (rather long for a summary – it’s an hour talk). Here it goes:

I started the talk and welcome everybody for taking their time off.

I’ve always love this slide – I like the phrase Love brought us all together. I use this phrase for thank you notes (which I have neglected to send them out quite a while) to my client. Cos, their wedding + my love of photography brought us together. I know, I am quite a literal person. I thought it is nice. In the case of us at DCIM that day, Love brought us all together, and I mean our love for photography.

I quickly introduce myself and my family. I’ve quickly stated how creative my family is and perhaps why I am doing what I am doing today.

Here I am as a kid. Great set of pictures I thought. Who remembers the red color tvset they own in the 80s? I remember this tvset was kinda popular back then. I am wearing the lady bird round neck tshirt, which I think many kids has them as well. in the 3rd picture, was me running around – probably at Genting Highlands. I remember as a kid, that going to Genting was such joy. Going Genting Highlands means KFC in the cold. Yummz…

I explained that my mom was the creative person. She drew up a drawing from a featured wall in our old house.

There were a few goals I wanted to archive giving this talk. I wanted to share some of my insight of my recent shoot to keep people excited about wedding photography, and perhaps inspired with the imagery that I have to show.

The first story was my recent shoot in Perth. I was introducing the team and the journey path we took for the shoot.

There is plenty going on for this shot. Angie, my make up artist for the Perth shoot was beautician – whom she took care of my bride’s look, and at the same time, she was my photography assistant assisting with the vail. She was also my potter, holding my biggest and my baddest lens all the same time trying to get out of a shot.

I know what you are thinking. You are saying that she’s wonderwoman and Jon, you should be paying her well, if not – stop exploiting her talent! Let’s just say we are in this together and we both want the shoot to be as successful as possible. Saying so, her role at the end of day is still an make up artist. I work terribly hard myself to be my own photographer assistant.

Unlike a commercial shoot, where the client probably has deeper pockets and higher return of investment, wedding shoot has no return of investment and usually the budgets are pretty dry. We work with what we have.

I’ve also featured Lead You On – Time Lapse editing during the talk. You may watch it as below:

Lead You On – Time Lapse Editing from Jon Low on Vimeo.

The segment was geared to explain how me, as a wedding photographer work in a small team and move around shooting weddings. I went on and explain what’s in my camera bag when I go shooting.

I was showcasing Dancing In the Rain portfolio next. I was selling the idea of having a concept – which beats the hell of couples asking if we provide 100s and 1000s of gowns to shoot. Dancing in the rain was shot in front of my house’ porch. In the case of dancing in the rain, I found inspiration from the final dance by George Sampson, the winner of the British Got Talent show in 2008. He was dancing in the rain, and I thought it would be nice to replicate for a wedding shoot.

I would love to be doing a themed wedding shoot! Hook me up if there is anything

Out of this world is a portfolio which explains my travel and hike to our very own Niah Cave in Miri. This is one of the shoot which sometimes when I look back, I wish we’ve have bigger budget for more crew and lights to accomplish extraordinary pictures. By itself already, I felt I have done fair.

With determination, and even more so for the bride and groom, we hike in to the cave prior the shoot, which took half our lives away. It was pretty adventurous and out of this world literally. My question to the floor was “How adventurous are you?”

Wedding Day is by far my week to week challenge shooting brides and grooms on their auspicious day.

I was showcasing pre ceremonial and portrait shoot during the wedding day. I thought that family portraits can be done tastefully and believable if it is done right. I love story telling photographs, and I love good looking pictures. Hence, I would direct my bride and groom doing certain things they are already doing, better. I would take time off to take their family portraits – all in a wedding day.

And to quote perhaps, the masters of wedding photography I’ve learnt from. Are you taking pictures? Or are you creating them? I buy into that quote and it really defines how I shoot wedding days to date.

All these showcases and stories – from Perth, to Dancing in the Rain, Out of this World and perhaps Wedding Day has one thing in common. The Bride and Groom spend ginormous amount of time, effort and investment to put themselves out all in the name of wedding photography, and I started to question the intention myself. What were their motivation?

Is it really the trend where everyone is taking wedding photographs, that you need to have photographs for yourself? Even if so, why the effort?

I got myself involve with wedding photography, and I started to be curious with what my old folks has gone through back in the days when they got married. I dug through their 3R photographs that they keep rather loosely in a shoe box in a cupboard for many many years. One reason why they were in a shoe box was due to a flood back when I was staying in my old house. The very famous Jerry Ghionis told us in the class – if there were fire, you would probably save your wedding albums first. And I thought how ridiculous it was then – but, hey those 3R photos last through to date , and I am glad.

I took a photo of some of the photograph, and started including my old folks wedding pictures into the talk I gave back in Prince Hotel. My mom was there to see her photographs being presented. I don’t know about my mom, but I felt good that she listened in.

This is probably one reason out of million of reasons why photography is so important in people’s life. I could relate. Arguably, I am bias because I am in the industry.

Wouldn’t it be nice if one day, your kid found a photograph of you and said that “Wow, mommy and daddy walking on the moon!” It’s so cool.

But really? Is that important? How about for generations to come? How great are we preserving moments to share it to our grandkids? Do we age like fine wine?

Do you know what is definate?

We all move on and grow up. Time passes on and age catch us up.

I wouldn’t have known that I had really great childhood. All because my mom and dad really cared for me. Memory can only serve us so much. It changed the way I feel about my old folks. My mom, as beautiful as she is, is a mother of 3 and she age. She kept reminding us kids that she was once upon a time a beautiful and attractive woman. Well, after looking at the photograph. I am sold. I then know my dad has good taste. .

I realised then, photographs has made a big impact in my life.

It’s an important realization. I thought. It changes the way I approach my job, my client. I realize how much impact I would make at the very beginning of the couple’s marriage life. I realize how much value I am able to produce for my clients. It changes the way I value my work, and approach the people I want to be shooting the way I would want to shoot. I started to attract people who get my way and understand what I do.

And as for me, the best part about the realization is that I am just at the beginning of my journey. I showcased my recent work I’ve done in a slideshow to end the presentation.

The Journey from Jon Low on Vimeo.