back from my trip and i missed the reflections of year 2011 and my goals for 2012 haha but i guess it’s better late then never since i just got back from overseas (more on the trip soon!). here’s a look back at the year at {nicolethen studio} in 2011 :D

shot my first lookbook for love bonito

haha it was real fun <3 and we forgot the whole luggage of clothes! and the security guard came by and we had to blah-blah him to let us continue shooting lol

test shoot with vineeta

we did a shoot with vinee and michele was my assistant during that time (thank you babe)! haha and thivya came to offer moral support and later on i shot her family portrait <3

love bonito lookbook corporate

shoot with francesca

my first official gig

at rehearsal

so after helping to 2nd shoot at wendy & marcus and then for my cousin (i want to thank them for even asking me to help them haha because i would have never thought weddings could be this fun. i would have never thought of photographing weddings ever), i got my first paid gig as the official photographer at denise & ivan’s wedding (thank you guys so much for your trust, love and amazing support!)

behind the scene at the hotel

so it rained like CRAZY that day haha i remember, we were getting soaked even while using umbrella. so we changed location and shot indoors instead. i was really happy with the results even though i shot at that location for the first time in an indoor setting.

at the actual day! they got married on polling day haha so they were featured in straits times ;) haha and there’s an iphone pictures of me shooting…well, behind the little girl doing a weird face haha

best friend photoshoot <3

the two of them were absolutely gorgeous :D haha

bryan and rachel’s wedding

rachel and bryan’s wedding was one fun and rowdy one haha, the yum seng was insane!! lol

the summer lookbook!

pre-wedding/engagement shoot with eileen & mervyn

couple of personal work

started experimenting with film too! absolutely loved it

portraits with munfoong/ kristie

started doing a couple more portrait sessions on film!

other personal work

with vineeta!

with rachel!

with constance ;)

family portrait with the tan family

wonderfully fun!! i just love the kids, they’re too adorable <3 keith and fiona were so funny too, haha they were afraid their kids will turn me away from photographing children lol. but no! i love them <3

added my own spin & styling for my sister’s couple shoot

success! and they both look so good ;)

graduation shoot

menwear fashion lookbook

first time working on menswear and it was fun ;)

another little lookbook

teeny tiny portrait session with tingzhi

one artist that i love to work with anytime

asokan family portrait

had a wonderful time with the family, just love these girls <3 hugs!

mommy photoshoot

photographed haslinda mommy’s glowing gorgeousness <3

eileen & mervyn’s actual wedding day

selina and gervais anniversary shoot

sylvia & justin’s engagement photosession

they printed out a photograph from their session for both their parents to keep. too cute and precious!

best friend photoshoot

the lovely pair who wanted to capture their friendship together as well as help out somali! thank you girls

genevieve & marcus’ wedding day

november started with the gorgeous genevieve and rockstar marcus!

ling yun & bernard’s wedding

the following week, lingyun and bernard officially tied the knot <3

portrait x dance session

sylvia & justin’s wedding day

the surprise left many others in tears too haha, too adorable

portrait session with sueann

met the lovely sueann and photographed her twenty-first bday special portrait <3 more on the photographs to come!

personal work

experimented with dark areas and corners with little light together with newbie model cherlyn and her little sister. will show more stuff too soon!

winter lookbook

portrait session with lemon

she celebrated her eighteen birthday and what better way then to keep beautiful pictures. after my engagement surprise, where ken put together this collage of pictures of us, the love and endearment of pictures we took just grew so much more!!

all in all, this was one AMAZING year and i’m so grateful to God for all the blessings. i cannot know the future and i can only plan my steps so much then work really hard at it. so truly credit must go to God who helped path the way. and of course, the wonderful support from my family, friends and my fiance! haha not forgetting you guys who have really helped me so much in ways you cannot imagine <3 thank you!!

here’s some really back dated behind the scene shots taken by tingzhi at a menswear shoot! tomorrow i’m heading out again for another fashion shoot with the LB team. I pray the weather will be AWESOME :D hee i think fred’s looking forward to the Popeyes that is near the shoot location then the actual shoot itself haha i’m also looking forward to grabbing a nice fruit juice near the studio. the uncle there sells the best fruit juice cause he chooses the freshest and yummiest fruits. reminds me of my grandfather :)

ooh i’m hungry…haha but before i head out to grab a bite and then reccee for an engagement session, here’s the little lookbook i did for love bonito :) haha, i don’t know…i always have so much fun at shoots :P plus after we wrapped things up we headed out for a special dinner, but will save that for another blog post! haha 

today’s gonna be a long day! after my short reccee trip, it’s back to the office to replying my emails and admin stuff. then i have to get changed for the Robinsons Prime Time fall fashion event at Avalon Club! have a good lunch everyone :D

photography by nicolethen studio

models: beatrice, constance and zianna

styling: velda & daphne

www.nicolethen.com

so vineeta got herself a new spunkie haircut, check her previous shoot out to see her “longer” hair haha (click here) and the behind the scene post (click here) and we decided to have some fun!

model: vineeta | make up artist: delanie (ps, if you’d like to engage her for any make up stuff just drop me an email!) | assistant: nadia | wardrobe: nicolethen boutique

# photographed & styled by nicolethen studio (info@nicolethen.com)

it was one of those days when i said, “i want to try out strobes (artificial) lighting…come nadia, be my model for the day!” ok, i didn’t say it like that exactly but…along the lines haha

i got this heavy ass ton of a portable lighting and carried it up a hill…a very very high hill…and tested a few shots moving the lights around and i just hated it. i found that i was forcing myself to like the results that came from using artificial lighting because i found in many instances, well…some people equate using strobes=professional. what i didn’t like about the photos that were lighted with strobes was that it was too harsh, it gave that “darkness” or “moodiness” to a photo that i didn’t like (although i do appreciate moody & dark photographs on magazines, i just don’t have that much fun and fulfillment from actually shooting them myself haha). but i was glad i tried it out, i’m starting to understand my style as a photographer and it’s comforting to allow myself to be myself.

being a photographer is like being a conductor to an orchestra. you don’t just push the button and count 1,2,3 (although it does look like all the conductor does is wave a stick and dance to the music haha). it starts with the vision, researching on the concept, then finding the right venue (then cropping the right parts of the venue), working with the stylist on the concept, communicating the idea to the model/make up artist/team/etc, guiding the model into a shot that is most flattering yet not over-posed, making sure the clothing is seen in the best light (for fashion photography), making sure the styling works well with the background of choice, making sure the lighting is right, my ISO/shutter speed/aperture are in the right marker, work through a myriad of different shots, compositions or poses then we take the prints home and work on it on photoshop (for digital prints) and this post-processing part takes alot of time and effort too. for a typical fashion shoot, i usually take a total of 8-10 hours from start to finish. well, at least, this is the amount of effort i take into producing those images haha

although for these images, i cut down the post-processing by a ton because i shot with film. i think i used 3 different types of film and was afraid that the effects would be different. but well unless you look closely will you be able to see the difference between the films. 

# check out photography packages at nicolethen studio

haha i half-closed a door and now i feel like it’s nearly closed shut on it’s own and because this light in that door is now gone, the other open door shines even more brightly. i’m worried but i guess, now that i have only that door to walk through, i will walk through brave and strong. 

# photograph of nadia taken on a canon film camera by me

contact nicolethen studios at info@nicolethen.com

oh no!! i just realized i jotted down her details in a note-app on my iphone and then i deleted the app recently because i didn’t really like it :( i lost her email. oh no, babe if you ever happen to visit my blog or website please email me!

if i’m not wrong…digging through my poor memory…her name’s Celine. (fingers cross hope i’m right). yeeps, if i’m wrong i’m so sorry! i have a memory of a a a…forgetful person :P

# shot on film