Actual Day ~ 28 June 2009

28 June 2009 ~ Wedding Reception of Hari & Kithmini

1 week after their gold smelting ceremony, Hari & Kithmini held their wedding reception at the very elegant Prince Hotel located at Jalan Conlay, opposite The Pavillion. It was a really nice place, excellent ballroom and I must say the food was excellent.

It was a pretty rush affair for their portrait shot before the dinner as there was some roadblocks, but luckily, we still managed to catch the light from the sunset.

All in all, it was a very enjoyable reception and I believe everyone had a fun time. Enjoy the snapshots and as always, leave any comments! Cheers to you both!

Actual Day ~ 21 June 2009

21 June 2009 ~ Ponnurukku (Gold Smelting) Ceremony of Hari & Kithmini

Hari is the brother of Prema. Thats how I got to know him :) I first got to know the family when I photograph their dad's birthday party last year. But anyhow, this blog is about Hari's big day.
This is a very special occasion which is called Ponnurukku or Gold Smelting. The family has their culture from Sri Lanka. Thank goes for Internet research capability.
Today, Hari will have a gold coin smelted to be made into the thaali - the bridal pendant for his bride, Kithmini. In the ceremony, the bride is not there and they are not suppose to see each other till at the wedding!
After this ceremony, there is also the Kanni Kaal Planting, basically the planting of the sacred tree to signify fertility and prosperity. A cutting of the thorny plant (not sure the name) was taken and before planting, a few pieces of precious metal was put in the soil. Then it was planted and various seeds/grains, flowers and milk and prayers was made by various members of the family! This was carried out at the grooms home and also the brides.
It was certainly a very interesting and new wedding for me and appreciate hari for having me for their wedding! Thanks alot and look forward to your reception next weekend.
Cheers and enjoy some previews... do feedback any comments

Testing a Canon 5D

I was really lucky this weekend as it was a long weekend for Wesak day holiday replacement and my good friend Jon Sern loaned me his Canon 5D Full frame camera. First thing when I held the camera, wow, its so much heavier than my Canon 400D.
Then I thought, who better to be my model than my lovely daughter, Hui Cheng who is now 2 years and 1 month old (almost). I have to say, this camera really delivers on the legendary picture quality and I have attached some pictures here. Will post more in my gallery. Almost all the pictures here are unedited except for some slight sharpening. Just to highlight how great the pictures are. Do comment ya.