It’s been about a week and I already feel the tension building up again. In fact, as I compose this post, I am on Virgin Airlines due for Boston to work with Grace Ormonde. The stress free days of “No problem, mon” seem to be a distant past. And being sandwiched in the coach section with a guy who has absolutely no understanding of personal space and drops food on my lap as he wolfs down sunflower seeds do not help…I might as well have him lay on me. (Early P.S. I seriously hope he doesn’t read this).

Last week, Julie assisted me in shooting a wedding in Jamaica at Sandals Negril resort! Sandals was nothing like conventional resorts with plush white beds and chairs, but they had a lot more color and culture. It was over a year ago when Helen contacted me about photography services. She’s based in Houston and I in Los Angeles, so we just exchanged emails. I knew that she was going to be a fun bride when she admittedly called herself a dork for packing two weeks in advance. To be frank, so did Julie and I mentally.

Matt – Helen’s fiancé and now husband – is a really tall guy. He even towers over me by quite a lot. He served in the Marine Corps and is now a teacher. Helen and Matt met while working together at a hospital. Their union can be called love at first sight if you believe in that…

One day at work, while Matt was on the phone with his best buddy, he told him, “Hey, got to go. My wife just walked through the door.”

Who knew? Three years later, Julie and I were standing at the altar shooting away. I love stories like these.

Anyway, below I have a “fusion” video where photos and video were combined. As many of you might know, I am a photographer and not a cinematographer. The decision to make video on Helen’s wedding was actually not planned. The commissioned videographer did not show for Helen’s preparation, so I took the liberty of doing it myself.

With the Canon 1D MIV and 5D MII, “easy day” as Matt would put it. To be completely honest, it was not so easy if you’re trying to do both. My brain had to switch back and forth and from looking through the lens and at the LCD. I think Julie and I did a pretty swell job considering that this was our first and had no video gear.

I must admit that the day unfolded rather smoothly, which helped with my new video work flow. Helen’s sleight of hand make-up application allowed me to allocate time to cover Matt’s preparation. During the process, I learned something new! All buttons for a Marine Corps’ uniform must be upright and if anything were to have a single scratch it’s discarded. Strict!

Ocho Rios (Eight Rivers) Dunns River Falls

I particularly enjoyed this last section. The morning after the wedding, we thought it’d be cool to jump into the pool. So right before that, I took out my AlienBee800 strobe and took some photos while the sun was at its zenith. The colors are so dark and lovely.

The following image is of me working at Ocho Rios (Eight Rivers) – Dunns River Falls – with Helen and Matt. Yeah, I got chops.

Helen and Matt – it was such an honor to have had this opportunity to photograph [and video] your wedding. Hope to see you again soon – perhaps in Houston!

Sincerely,

Lawrence Chan

P.S. Julie bought a lot of Jamaican spices and we barbecued jerk chicken yesterday. While eating, I had a flash of inspiration and took out two strobes and produced my new profile picture on Twitter.

P.P.S. Special thanks to Grace Ormonde‘s Platinum List exposure otherwise Helen might not have found me!