Ethan: First Wedding Photography (Cousin)

Note: Long post alert. Not much of writing, but plenty of large-size photos taken with Ethan. Please see HERE for more info on Ethan. If the loading of photos is slow, consider changing browsers or upgrading your Internet connection speed. Thanks for reading! <3

I'm not sure who is happiest, Ethan, or the wedding couple. =.=
He's like soooo excited before we even leave the house, until I had to stash him away in his bag to shut him up. LOL.

This is Ethan's first wedding photography, and although it's one of the hardest areas of photography (especially occasions like weddings where movements and everything happen in a split second, expressions come and go and there is no take two), Ethan is willing to step up to the challenge and I am willing to help. Hehe.

Of course I checked and made sure the lens was working. :) No more of equipment disaster for me please.
Sneak peek of my look:

:P Ethan mostly refused to take photos of me (naughty! =.=) so I resorted to Xperia. :P
Do I look okay? Can't find a normal pin anywhere so can't braid my fringe. =.=
When you have a lot of money in your purse and you can't even find a 1sen pin......=.=

Lol. Wedding dinner was held at Cinta Sayang Golf and Resort, Sungai Petani, Kedah.

A little family background here: My cousin (the bridegroom) is from S.P Kedah. He is second in his family (elder brother, younger sister). Brother also held his own wedding at the same place 5 years ago. Bride is from Seremban, N.Sembilan. Known each other for over 3 years, after my cousin broke off with a long-term girlfriend (they were together like over 10 years?) who refused marriage when cousin proposed. =.=
We all think the bride is nicer and prettier, so...it's true that if you don't lose something, you don't gain a better something. :)

Arrived around 6.30pm and had Ethan around my neck the whole time. He only had on the 50mm prime lens (zoom lens was broken, read HERE), which obviously is SO not enough to cover a whole wedding dinner (it got more and more obvious later in the day =.=) but well, Ethan and I were just getting experience.

Ethan and I! <3 <3  *we look soooo stressed out*

By the way they already had a main photographer (one of the bride's brothers) so no pressure! :)
(but rendered me unable to get the best positions at times, because he was already there =.=)
Plus I don't have flash (built-in flash is always the worst flash there is which makes photos overexposed + fake + deer-in-headlights effect), so all photos below are taken without flash.

Sorry if some of them are blurred, sometimes the lights were dimmed down, so there was not enough light in there to give me a faster shutter speed for handholding. >.<
Still put a few of those blurred photos up because I need to tell the complete story. :)
And sometimes photos are too close-up (that's because it's a prime lens and not a wide angle), and it was impossible to have to back up a mile away to take the photo. LOL.

*shush Ethan...finished my ramblings already, posting your photos now =.=*

Minimized size of watermark for better photos.

Constructive criticism welcomed. :)

First up are the photos of wedding details. Especially love them because the prime lens is mainly for these kind of photos. Money is spent on those details (I don't remember his brother's wedding was this tastefully and specially decorated, I think they just went with whatever simple decorations the venue offered in the package.)

Red carpet.

Wedding arch.

Specially designed decoration in front of the ballroom entrance.

Candle decoration at the main table.

Balloons!

The menu. Tried to shoot this through a glass for a different effect.
*not that great because the menu is just a piece of paper, no stand or whatever to hold it up*

Tea ceremony is held first before dinner starts. :) 

First view of the bride and bridegroom! :D

Due to the inability to zoom, it's impossible to take a photo with everyone inside. Hopefully those above will do. :)

The crowd, just coming in.

Bridegroom's parents (organisers of the night) welcoming everyone.

*thank you for coming*

Wedding march >>> red carpet. :)))  (This is so hard to shoot, since there's already a main photographer in front and everyone crowding in at the back with their compact cameras, phones, and me with a prime lens. =.=)

I know this is unacceptably blur but will have to make do. >.<
My youngest aunt, and uncle.
Bridegroom's parents. 

:)

Cake cutting. Another super hard to shoot moment. =.=
Not a good angle from here, I know.

Champagne moment. :D

First up is the opening of the champagne~
*shake shake shake*

*pop goes the champagne*

*pouring over the champagne fountain*

Love this photo, only expressions can't be seen clearly >.<

Champagne fountain <3

Couple photo :D (only he isn't looking my way =.=)

Exchanging glasses~

*drink!*

Bride's parents coming up the stage.

Bridegroom's parents coming up the stage.

This is very LOL because I didn't expect the effect to come out like this, with the candles in focus. LOL.

Immediate families up on the stage preparing to toast. Bride's family on the left, bridegroom's on the right.

Same smiles, LOL.

With their parents.

*here's to all friends and family attending today*

Everyone standing up to toast together

Very 1 Malaysia, there were even Indian friends attending :D

Half of the room. Total about 30 tables. But very comfortable because the room was huge.

I know this is the most blurred photo =.= but I still have to post this to complete the story.
Bridegroom's parents giving a speech.
Blur due to wrong focus (look at the sharpness of the balloons behind =.=)

Bridegroom giving a speech. Hehe. Finally the focus is back.

Not forgetting the AWESOME live band. <3

Lead singers, their vocals were like sooooooo amazing.

Second aunt with my baby niece :D
*lil bit of blur*

Baby niece with her mom. 

Bridegroom's brother's baby to be exact. Isn't she cute? :D

Giving red packets time! xD

Baby accepting angpau :D *motion blur*

Children lining up *motion blur again*

*motion blur*

I also get an angpau xDD
*Xperia doesn't function well in low light >.<*

Trying out Ethan at night...this is taken without flash.
Naked eye sees NOTHING...pitch black.
Ethan is quite amazing! <3

Nephews. 17 and 7 years old.
17: My playmate since birth (his birth obviously), extremely fond of him. :D
7: Cute little guy with a naughty streak. Very adorable though. <3
Taken by a 10 year old so it's blurred. =.=

Nephew, 10 year old. :)
He was very, very close with me when he was much younger, before primary school anyway.
We are still quite close though, just that I don't go back to visit as often as before.

Wedding couple and I. No comparison please. Not my best self. =.=

Group pic with the band. <3 

Backdrop decoration designed by Penang designer.

Last photo of the wedding couple (and their tired faces lol)

And finally a group photo of us all. <3
Part of my extended family. :)
*not complete version, complete version will need a much much much larger space*

The group photo was especially funny because it was taken by the bride's brother who was the main photographer of the night. Ethan kicked up a fuss because he hated to be handled by other people. He wouldn't open his built-in flash (later I opened it easily) and even then the flash gave an overexposed photo. Above photo was taken without flash.

Since it was a prime lens I warned the guy he might have to move backwards a lot to take everyone in. And we all laughed when he kept moving backward and backward until he was about a quarter of the room away from us LOL.

Ethan is happy with his first shooting, but he says he could do better. :)
I agree. What do you think? :D