AXIOO

Directed and written by: Garry Valentino

This is the first time for me shooting an engagement party in Palembang. I'm always excited to go to a new place or city for a shoot, but this time, we as a team got a real treat. I got really really excited the day when we had our pictorial shoot in a little forest in the middle of the city. We were treated with a really good looking couple surrounded by the fresh green woods, a warm breeze of Palembang and beautiful rays of the sun that shines through the leaves, everything was beyond words, especially Valentine who is breathtakingly stunning in her red dress as they rode through the forest in their nice old Vespa. Most importantly, I get to witness two lovebirds who couldn't take their eyes off each other unveiling their love story through their incredible chemistry towards each other. Shooting this couple reminds me why I LOVE my job!

After the shoot we went straight to the hotel for rehearsal. I'm surprised by how relaxed everyone is, how camera friendly everyone is and how beautiful the whole atmosphere of the engagement is. Not to forget to mention how cool the decoration is and how friendly and helpful the Wedding Planner is (Henry and Heniy from H20).

There were countless beautiful moments that we were able to capture that day, but to me and my team, the most beautiful moment was when they were watching the Same Day Edit that we played during the reception. Watching the two lovebirds' expressions is a feeling beyond words for us. Thankfully, we have their expressions as they were watching the clip captured so we can share it with you guys!

Henry and Valentine, congratulations for the upcoming wedding! I can't wait to see you guys your love for eternity. Many luv from us!

CHeers!

I know you might have heard this before but I LOVE this couple! I love the concept and I love the shoot. It was nothing short of an amazing experience. When I first met Revano and Stephanie, we had already established connection. This couple is bursting with chemistry and romance and they knew exactly what they had wanted to do for their pre-wedding portraits: a mixture of perfectionism and fun. Just like their personalities – Revano is the perfectionist and Stephanie is the fun and bubbly girl. They are the perfect match… and shooting them was a blast!

I think everyone of us grew up with a childhood dream. Pilot and astronauts, stewardess or cooks are some of the most common. But just as those thoughts revisit our minds, we look at where we are today and often find that we are nowhere close those superficial childhood dreams, in fact where we are today exceeds any dreams our childhood selves can ever have. And then we are overwhelmed by feelings of extreme gratitude.

I’ve shot a few pre-wedding portraits up till now that I almost squeal in delight when I hear that a couple wants to do a thematic concept. I find that so exciting to come out of the box once in a while. And Benny and Wenly wanted just that!

Have you ever felt that the world keeps getting smaller and smaller? Capturing Dion and Vivi's wedding was like capturing a friend's wedding. The familiar faces and the friendly smiles were heartwarming. Dion and I shared the same mutual friends when we were in Seattle, but for some strange reasons, we have never crossed paths until his wedding day.

I can’t talk about Stephanie without talking about Revano. They’re like the perfect couple – always loving and always adoring. She is the stamp to his envelope and he’s the cream to her coffee. They can’t be separated. They should never have to be, because being together just brings out the best in both of them. And watching them just brings such a warm and fuzzy feeling inside…

I meet a lot of fun and interesting couples doing what I do and each of them are memorable in their own ways. But this one couple here, they’re definitely one of my favorites. There is just something so addictive about shooting couples who are clearly in love with each other.

I often get the chance to witness the union of two people in love. But it is a rare occasion that I am invited to witness the celebration of a Golden Anniversary. 50 years of marriage! Grandpa Arifin and Grandma Martha have been through a lot over the years they’ve been together. They’ve fought together through the struggles and they’ve enjoyed a lot of good times together. They’ve welcomed children into their lives and watched them blossom into adults.

Don’t believe everything you see on those medical drama series, because THIS is what doctors in love really look like in real life!

We’re a family of photographers. You’d think we have lots of pictures of ourselves, right? Well, we could actually do with a lot more. Being behind the camera all the time, we forget sometimes that we need to capture moments with ourselves in it. Moments that we might want to look back on in the future, moments that we might miss later when our children are no longer children or moments when the love we shared was the strength that got us through the day.