Coincidental Kim Jong Un

Hello peeps! After a hiatus from blogging, here I am starting to write about something again. WOOHOO!!

Anyway, this post is going to be an account of my encounter with the reclusive Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), Chairman, Kim Jong Un (KJU) - who was literally about 7 feet away from me.

Just a few hours ago after wrapping up my shoot at Mischief over at the Esplanade, we were informed by the Esplanade security staffs that all carpark exits have been closed because a VIP was coming to visit. In my mind, I was like "sheesh.. I hope this won't take too long" because honestly, I don't give a damn about whoever that wants to visit because I just wanna get home - this was around 09:15pm.

So instead of waiting in the Esplanade, my crew (Seng & Alex) and I took a stroll at by the bayfront and soon, we arrived at a barricade with a few local and foreign journalists already at the scene with their cameras hoping to catch a few of Kim Jong Un's photos.

In all truthfulness, I was just contented at using my mobile phone to take photos of KJU. However a brief chat with a Singapore based Getty images photographer made me think otherwise - she said "It is a once in a lifetime opportunity for me to take a photo of this man that even the WhiteHouse photographers don't have much opportunity to get photos of KJU. That's why I left my dinner halfway just to get to this location, to get the chance to photograph this man".

Suddenly that urge and desire to try and take a photo of this man (KJU) grew stronger and stronger and eventually, I couldn't resist the urge and sprinted to the car (where I had dropped off my equipments before heading out for a stroll) to pick up my equipments just to try and get photos of KJU.

You heard me right when I said sprinted. By the time I reached my car to grab my equipments, I was totally out of breath and exhausted. I could no longer muster the energy to run back to the original location that I was standing to wait for KJU. Despite my breathlessness and exhaustion, the desire to photos of KJU was still strong. So shortly after, I took the escalator back to the ground level.  As I emerged from the carpark on the escalator to the 1st floor, a small inconspicuous door on the glass panel caught my eye. Thinking aloud to myself - "If I could exit this supposedly locked door, I could grab photos of KJU in close proximity as this fire escape door is the closest to the main road where KLU was due to arrive".

Perhaps luck had a way of presenting itself - as i pushed open the door, it became ajar. Excitedly, I exited it and immediately found myself standing at a barricade (guarded by 3 Singaporean Policemen). Looking around me, I found it strange that I was the only one there but couldn't care more to find out why. All I had in my mind was to take a few shots of Chairman Kim and that's it.

By 10:16pm, Chairman Kim's motorcade finally arrived. Below are some photos and descriptions of my attempts to photograph Kim Jong Un:

Kim Jong Un's motorcade arriving outside of the Esplanade at Esplanade Drive.

Can you believe how lucky I was to get an unobstructed and uncontested spot to finally photograph KJU? Ok, I was lucky up till the point where KJU's bodyguards stood in-front of me (to protect him) as the Leader got out of the car (you can catch a glimpse of KJU's head between the bodyguards).

In this image, you can clearly see the bodyguards with their earpieces, an armed Singapore Policeman, our Singapore Minister, Mr. Vivien Balakrishnan and of course the half shaven head with the high curls hair of Kim Jong Un. They were making their way to the Jubilee Bridge just beside the Esplanade.

It is here that I was pretty amazed - the whole group of about 40 people took a walk on the Jubilee Bridge and within 5mins, they were already on their way back. Perhaps the Singapore weather is really too hot to bear for Chairman Kim. Haha.. 

Anyway a few of Chairman Kim's bodyguards made their way back to the motorcade first prior to KJU coming back to the car. Just so happened that one sad and concerned looking North Korean bodyguard noticed me standing alone behind the barricade, holding my camera with a long lens, waiting to photograph his beloved Leader. He made eye contact with me with his sad eyes and subsequently made every effort to deliberately stand where my camera was pointing (this time Chairman Kim was already making him way back to the car) just so I won't get a shot of his Leader.

If you look closely, the badge each DPRK personnel wears isn't the flag of the country but the faces of the late Leaders of the country Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-II. This just goes to show how much North Koreans adore their Leaders. Here's a close up of the badge.

As the contingent of around 40 people making their way towards the motorcade. My gosh I felt that it was really tough trying to get any picture of KJU. The sheer number of people with and around him makes it really tough to get a decent picture of him.

Finally i get a picture of his attire, his belly and sheesh.. half his face! Seriously Ong Ye Kung you freaking face-blocker, do you really need to walk beside Kim Jung Un?!

Oh can you also see that sad faced bodyguard noticing me again?

Some drama commenced at this juncture of the photo. This sad faced bodyguard raised his hand and shouted at me to stop taking photo. He didn't stop there, instead, he charged toward me with an intention to stop me from taking pictures of his beloved Leader. At this point of time, I sense his fury and decided to take 2 step back from the barricade. 

This time, the bodyguard still unrelenting, charged even nearer to the barricade. I too made another 2 steps back just in case he comes over the barricade to snatch or destroy my camera (containing my client's photos). Thankfully our heroic Singapore Policeman interjected and signalled to the bodyguard that I am already far away, Let it slide. Thank you Policeman Sir!

Well, the bodyguard succeeded in causing disruption to my shoot and that I am not successful in getting a clear shot of his Leader Kim Jong Un *come I clap for you*. In this picture, the whole group has just arrived at the motorcade. Eh seriously, I don't want to see Vivien Balakrishnan. I want to see Kim Jong Un and not the back of his half shaven head! Sigh!

The above is the last picture of the night before everyone leaves.

Thank you once again for reading this blogpost. I hope that you were able to feel the excitement and the adrenaline rush which I felt, all while trying to take some photographs of the reclusive North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un.

Till then, stay safe and have a wonderful week ahead.

Kelvin Luffs Photography in India - Wagah Border & Amritsar (Part 4)

Hello and welcome back to Part 4 of Kelvin Luffs Photography in India. If you had been following, I think you are now very familiar with a traditional Indian Sikh wedding.

At the conclusion of the wedding ceremonies and parties, I had two days to spare before embarking on my solo journey from Chandigarh to Agra to visit the Taj Mahal. Some of the guests of the wedding (residing in the same hotel) wanted to make a trip further north to visit other places and that's where we decided to visit the Wagah Border (called Wahga border in Pakistan) to witness the Wagah Border Ceremony, as well as Amritsar to visit the Golden Temple (Sri Harmandir Sahib) during this day trip.

• Attari Village - Wagah Border (Border between India and Pakistan)

A point to note, that in any countries you intend to visit, it is always good to be prepared; know the routes you'll take, distances between the places you will be visiting, mode of transport, have spare batteries for your mobile devices etc.

As our day trip was rather impromptu, there wasn't exactly any plans. All we did was to book ourselves a transport and off we went. Mind you that the Wagah Border was about 270km away from Chandigarh and Google Maps had it for 5 hours travelling time. With this information, we got up bright and early, had our breakfast and departed the hotel at 9:00am with our spirits and mood high from the past few days of partying.

Well, Mr. 'Murphy' (Murphy's Law) always has a way of making fun of people. Well, we certainly didn't plan to get stuck in traffic for close to three hours on the road. The vehicles were stationary and terribly close to one another that at one point of time, I was able to help myself to some sugarcanes which someone was transporting through my opened window. Traffic was just horrible! 'Why are we waiting' and 'Are we there yet?' kept on playing in our minds. 

Our Traveller arrived very early to pick us up for the day trip. (Image taken with iPhone 6+)

Vehicles were stationary so much that we can literally disembarked from the Traveller, walked down the road to try to see what was hindering traffic. (Image taken with iPhone 6+)

Two way traffic but look at how close the on-coming traffic was to us. Oh and since India is the 2nd most populated country in the world, it is very common to see over-crowded vehicles, trains, Auto (people call it Tuk-Tuk in Thailand), even on animals (as their mode of transport). (Image taken with iPhone 6+)

Can you spot our Traveller pulling up alongside the sugarcane transporter? (Image taken with iPhone 6+)

So eventually we did arrive in the village of Attari. Make a rough guess as to what time we got there? If you guessed 5:00pm, you are absolutely right! We spent 8 solid hours driving from Chandigarh to the village of Attari where the border is situated. But, we humans love making lemonade out of lemons right - we did admire the beautiful countrysides, tasted raw cane sugar straight out from the machine, had ice cream which costed us SGD$0.50 for a cone which would have costed SGD$2.50 or more here in Singapore.

As if the 8 hours journey wasn't the worse that can happen, the flag lowering ceremony (Wagah Border Ceremony) was about to start at 5:30pm which meant that everyone in the bus only had 30 minutes to run 500 metres to the border gates in order to witness the ceremony. As we had with us a few older folks, running for them was out of the question so they had to give this ceremony a miss or catch it from afar from the huge electronic and pixelated displays. I did not want to miss any photo opportunities hence there I was literally making a mad dash to the gates.

Oh, and as if the 500m dash within 30mins was straight-forward? I couldn't be more wrong! 

I had to dance my way pass the crowd of hundreds of people just to reach not one but two security lines for body searches where I again needed to squeeze and shove my way to the front (in case you didn't know, shoving, pushing and squeezing is the norm in India) to have my body searched quickly. Security was really tight - they didn't allow any kinds of bags, cigarettes, lighters, sharp objects etc - the heighten security was in place due to a suicide bombing attack which took place in year 2014 during the daily border ceremony in Pakistan. Thankfully foreigners holding foreign passports (make sure you wave it up in their air when nearing the checking and segregation areas so that the officers could see you and redirect you to another faster lane if necessary) were allowed to use special (tourist) security lanes that would eventually get me to the border gates within 15 minutes.

Do enjoy the next few photos I took when I was at the Wagah (Wagha) Border Ceremony.

At this point, we were already in a mad rush to quickly arrive at the border gates to witness the ceremony.

Took a quick snap of a checkpoint. Ladies and gents went to separate security lines.

Crowd numbers can reach 1000 people on weekdays and 2000 people on weekends.

Ladies dancing on the road. Gents aren't allowed to participate.

As foreign visitors, we are lucky that even though the crowd numbers in the thousands, we could still get a seat / space at the VIP gallery.

A picture of the border gates for both India and Pakistan.

The presence of the Indian Army in this area is strong due to the conflict from both countries. Did you also know that they have jammers jamming phone signals at this location? No wonder I wasn't able to contact my wife.

Wow.. the ceremonial uniform together with the medals and the iconic sky-high red-fanned hats on their heads made the guards look good.

Women personnel of the BSF taking part in the ceremony.

Off to show their might against the Pakistani guards.

After the battle cry, these stone-faced guards marched down the road towards the Pakistani border. They then began to display a series of synchronized stomps, high kicks, aggressive body jerks and headgear adjustments along with their serious expressions - all to intimidate the opponents.

Check out his ceremonial uniform, assault rifle and most importantly, check out his moustache.

I kid you not with this image. This guard's knee could reach his nose. What flexibility!

I do often wonder if they ever accidentally kick their head and knock themselves out. Hmm..

Right after the battle cry, the guard starts to complete a series of stomps and high kicks going towards the Pakistani gate.

The Wagah (Wagha) Border Ceremony is basically a flag lowering ceremony which is observed by both countries daily.

Indian guards marching away with the folded India flag.

I wasn't able to move to a better position where I could get a good view of the Pakistani guards. Here's a cropped picture to show the Pakistani guards in their ceremonial uniforms.

Personally, I can't help but think about the years of conflict India and Pakistan have been in when witnessing the Wagah Border ceremony. Despite their tense relationship, both countries still come together every sundown to produce an enthusiastic and pomp ceremony marking the nightly closing of the border. I can only hope that relationships between both countries will improve for the sake of the the well-being of their people. 

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Saw this sign while leaving the border. Security threat is ever so real in this part of the world hence we must never take the security we enjoy at home for granted. (Image taken with iPhone 6+)

• Amritsar - Sri Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple)

After witnessing the Wagah Border Ceremony, we left the village for the city of Amritsar to visit the Golden Temple. The journey from the border to Amritsar took us about an hour and we were very glad it was only an hour given that the traffic leading into the city was by no surprise, horrible. It was about 7.20pm by the time we arrived in Amritsar.

Feeling famished but wanting to make up for lost time, we hurried along the busy roads leading to the temple and it was along the way that I heard from Mr. Charan that within 2km radius of the temple, the food were all pure vegetarian - for a moment, my heart sank - "I need my meat" I thought to myself but quickly disregarded this point because all I wanted was to get to the Golden Temple quickly.

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Congested roads in Amritsar. (Image taken with iPhone 6+)

After arriving at the Golden Temple, we had to deposit our shoes as no footwear is allowed within the Temple premises. Given that it was winter, you can just imagine how cold the marble floor was to the touch of our feet. But the cold in our feet soon gave way to a feeling or sensation that I felt while staring at the golden temple.

Along with a few others in our group, our jaws dropped as we stared in awe at the Golden Temple. The gold from the Temple gleamed straight in our eyes so much that a pair of shades would help us see better. It was as though we had finally seen the heavenly light shining down on us from the heavens above (ok, I was being dramatic here). 

I recall vividly on first stepping into the temple, feeling a deep sense of respect and privilege - that for me as a foreigner, and of a different faith, was able to set foot into the holiest of holy places of the Sikhs. And I am really thankful for that.

Enough said, below are some photos from Sri Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple). Enjoy. 

The first sight which caught my eye the moment i stepped into the Temple. I just can't take my eyes away from it. The Harmandir Sahib (The abode of God) floating on top of the Amrit Sarovar (sacred pool).

Here, you can see a priest reading text from the Holy Book (Guru Granth Sahib).

If i am not mistaken and I do believe that in the North, South, East & West side of the Golden Temple are small cubicles like this where priests would go at every part of the day to read the text from the Holy Book.

This is the shrine of Baba Deep Singh located at the south side of temple. According to Mr. Charan that in year 1761, when the temple was being desecrated by the Mughal rulers of India, Baba Deep Singh rushed to its defense and while on his way, he encountered resistance and the enemy's sword managed to slice so deeply into his neck that his head was decapitated. Still undeterred, Baba Deep Singh supported decapitated head with his left hand while charging forward with his sword in his right. He eventually defeated his enemies.

A picture of Mr. Charan (standing on the left) and his friends he met in the temple. Thankful to Mr. Charan who guided and explained certain facts to us while we were visiting the temple.

I parted with this holy place with another view of the Sri Harmandir Sahib. It's just so stunning.

Having seen this holy place, I have to admit that although the time spent in there was short (I didn't get the chance to enjoy the free meals or lodging provided or enter the Golden Temple), I truly enjoyed every minute of my time there. I found it rather hard to leave such a peaceful, extraordinary and stunning place.

Hold it hold it.. do you really think the day trip is done? Absolutely not! I have a little more to share regarding this 2 days 1 night trip. Yes! You heard me right. Our day trip became a 2 days 1 night trip.

Here's what happened - It was about 9:00pm when we decided to finally make our trip back to Chandigarh from Amritsar. Remember I said that we were all famished? Well, we had to grab a quick bite. For me, I tasted vegetarian McDonalds for the first time (OMG it was quite awful) and the rest of the guys got vegio pizza to takeaway and eat on the bus as we had a 4-hour journey ahead of us. We got back onto the road at about 10:00pm and was scheduled to arrive back at our hotel by 02:00am the latest (as advised by the driver).

As we headed back to Chandigarh, Mr. Murphy again decided to pay us another visit - this time with a punctured tyre on our transporter. WHAT MORE DO YOU WANT FROM US MURPHY! Thankfully a gas station was close by where we got some gas and had the tyre replaced. The time was 02:00am and all of us were already exhausted, the driver then informed us that for safety reasons (he's on his spare tyre), he was only able to travel at 50km/h back to our hotel. All of us just sunk into our seats sighing in disbelief but had to resigned to fate on what had happened to us in that past 19.5 hours. In all, we arrived safely back at the hotel at 04:30am. What an eventful day it has been for all of us who signed up for this day trip.

Some pictures to document the incidents while coming back to the hotel.

We had to take a break at this road side darbar for close to 40mins for the driver to have his dinner. The fuel for the fire place were styrofoams, plastics, or anything that one can find from the heaps of rubbish lying around. I couldn't withstand the toxic fumes hence I didn't join in. (Image taken with iPhone 6+)

That sickening flat tyre that cost us precious time while heading back to the hotel in Chandigarh. (Image taken with iPhone 6+)

It took the driver about 40mins to change the flat tyre out. Most of us helped by shining our mobile phone lights so that he can see better. (Image taken with iPhone 6+)

So, I've finally come to the end of part 4 of Kelvin Luffs Photography in India. I do hope that you've enjoyed my blog posts so far. In part 1 of my blog post, I did mention that I'll cover my trip to India in 4 parts. Well guess what! I've got a bonus Part 5 for you that will be up by next week. Do continue to stay tuned to my blog for more updates.

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Sikhs believe that the way to lead a good life is to:

• keep God in heart and mind at all times
• live honestly and work hard
• treat everyone equally
• be generous to the less fortunate
• serve others

Have a lovely mid-week everyone!

Kelvin Luffs Photography in India - Traditional Sikh Wedding (Part 3)

Namaste!

First up, I have to admit these posts have been the longest ever written on this blog, but it is with utmost pleasure writing and I reckon this is one of the best ways to share my excitement and adventure recently in India. Although it is not quite possible to be very exhaustive, I hope the memories captured by my lens will share more than just a thousand words.

So, welcome back to Part 3 of Kelvin Luffs Photography in India!

I firmly believe that documenting an event like this will give guests and visitors alike the chance to reminisce and relive the moments during the wedding, or feel like being at the wedding itself even though one may be physically in front of the computer. And that's the power of still images - where photographs are a means of keeping memories fond, timeless and sometimes, priceless - because you can never re-create an exact moment that was captured on camera.

If you recall from the previous two parts, there were pictures from the Haldi ceremony, the Mehendi party, the Sangeet and the Traditional Sikh wedding (Anand Karaj). Hence, in today's post, I will be covering the finale of the wedding - the Grand Wedding Reception.

It was one of the most extravagant, classiest and opulent wedding receptions I had attended, with the venue being somewhere in the outskirts of Chandigarh. One could have mistaken that this was an event fit for a Maharajah! Which comes to my next point - What goes on during a wedding reception?

No prizes for guessing! Yes, it was time to eat up all that delicious gourmet, make merry and most importantly, to put on your dancing shoes and dance the night away! Having been to wedding parties before this, I can surely conclude that the Sikhs really do know how to P.A.R.T.Y.Y.Y.Y!! It was incredible! Where did they get all their energy from?

The pictures tell a brilliant story, and I guarantee you will enjoy them all! Presenting - the Grand Wedding Reception!

The extravagant, classy and opulent entrance to the main reception area. Look at all that gold.

Just take a look at how lavish the decorations are in this main reception area. The gold, the chandeliers, every inch of details covered.

The main stage where the bride and groom would sit most of the time in that evening to receive blessings and take photos with guests.

The secondary dining hall for guests who'd prefer to keep out of the cold while dining.

Sam! Whatcha doin' stickin' your head there?! Hahaha.

It was a chilling 7° celcius that day and these were what they wore to look good. Brrrrr....

Eugene and Leah having a run at the catwalk.

The lovely ladies from Singapore.

Look at those million dollars smile. 

Milan & Raymi enjoying themselves in the winter cold.

G.O.R.G.E.O.U.S !

Honestly, I thought they were Bollywood actor and actresses. Such a good looking newly wed couple.

The lovely couple making their grand entrance to the reception.

Groom: And I love you so. But after this, I'm gonna DANCE BABY!

The newly weds sharing a moment together.

Shalini, Charmaine and Lavina (Bride) have known each other since they were babies! You ladies look fantastic!

Party all night long! Right Angus & Milan!?

You, and you, yes you, it's you. Don't look it's still you.

From way down under!!!

Party lah! Yes lah! 

Oh hello hello. All smiles for the camera.

Shalini and Trent goofing around with the decoration. It's actually quite the LOL moment.

Group picture of the bride's parent's and the guests.

Bride's parents with the groom's first cousins.

This picture is a must for them. 

WAhahaha!! Groom: Woahhh I'm married!

Cake cutting for the couple during the wedding reception.

Champange from the bottle. Come drink up Bride!

Dad: That's enough. Now you drink!

At this juncture, I have pretty much summed up the few days of a traditional Sikh wedding in India. This assignment has definitely given me a greater appreciation of the Sikh culture and tradition. In globalised Singapore, we may live locally but we may sometimes be able to celebrate such events globally, and in this regard, it is beneficial for one to be constantly mindful towards the customs and traditions of any wedding, festivals or events one attends. It is also a good practice to do your own research, or perhaps even consult the host to on things like attire, and some do's and don'ts. This will prevent any inadvertent insult/offence to people of that culture.

If you are still in the mood, and are craving for more, here's a sneak peek into the next blog post! I will be sharing some pictures of my trip (with some of the wedding guests) to the Wagha Border to witness the Wagha ceremony, followed by a trip to Amritsar, the spiritual and cultural centre for the Sikhism, and end with my solo journey to the Taj Mahal. In the meantime, stay safe and have yourself a wonderful mid-week!

Kelvin Luffs Photography in India - Traditional Sikh Wedding (Part 2)

Welcome back to the second part of Kelvin Luffs Photography in India. In this post, I share my personal experience during my time in India, from shooting the Sangeet, to the traditional Wedding Day, to the continuation of my trip (I was in India for a total of 14 days).

So, having accepted the assignment in India, I thought to myself that the chance had arrived for me to visit the Taj Mahal, which happened to be a destination on my bucket list. In all my overseas assignments previously, I strive to come home to my family, and to get on with editing and other works, right after they were done. But in this case, I chose to stay on, and went on a solo trip to visit the Taj Mahal. It was also my first solo adventure without the missus.

In just about any country I have visited, I was very sure to encounter people living in the streets, or just living below the poverty line. India was no different. In fact while on my way out of New Delhi, my taxi drove past a really huge landfill (some locals call it 'Trash Mountain'), and people were actually going through the mountain of garbage for items they could resell just to make a living!

But what heartened me was that although the gap between the rich and poor is wide, some people still care for others. At one of the parties, I actually asked what would become of all the leftover food, and the response was, "We will share it with the poor."

Here is a picture of some of the underprivileged children enjoying hot food from the party.

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Underprivileged kids given hot food to eat. (Image taken with iPhone 6+)

Now, let's head back to the parties. I did mention in Part 1 of this blog post that a traditional Sikh wedding is all about prayers and parties. Well, each party held their own significance - just like the one that I will talk about - the Sangeet.

• Sangeet Ceremony

A little fact I found out about the Sangeet was that the ceremony is the mother of all pre-wedding parties. It is the epitome of a grand event which includes the festivity of songs and dance, decorations, lavish gourmet food and bringing together wonderful guests of all ethnicities; dressed up as if they were attending the prestigious International Indian Film Awards (IIFA). 

Just to exaggerate slightly, everyone at Sangeet was so sharply dressed that if anyone were to make an entrance into the party escorted by an envoy of bodyguards or photographers flashing away, I would think that they were some super star like Hrithik Roshan or Aishwarya Rai - stars worthy of my rushing over for a selfie! To be frank, I personally believe that the people who graced that night's Sangeet were really good looking.

Anyway, Sangeet is also a time where family members and guests put on choreographed performances for the bride and groom's enjoyment. Thinking back, it is no wonder the Sangeet is indeed THE most memorable part of the wedding and I dare say that this event would definitely leave a lasting impression on the guests who have attended. It sure did for me.

Do enjoy these photos.

The international contingent of guests who flew into India for this wedding. Just look at how beautifully the ladies are in their lehenga, ghagra cholis, salwar kameez and saris while the gentlemen are clad in their kurta pyjamas as well as sherwanis.

Having loads of fun even during group photo-taking.

The gorgeous couple of the evening.

Their exquisite wedding rings that bind their love for one another.

With this ring, I marry you.

With this ring, I take you as my lovely wife.

Lovely family of the Groom.

Lovely family of the Bride.

The party commences.

Dancing the night away.

Bride's 2nd elder brother's an avid dancer. He truly belongs to the dance floor. Way to go Haresh!

Guests of the bride and groom performing specially choreographed dance for the couple's enjoyment.

All smiles from the bride who's enjoying the performance.

Guess what?! The bride also prepared a specially choreographed performance for her groom.

The groom enjoying the special performance put up by his bride.

YEAH!

Hope you are enjoying the above photos so far. Writing this blog post and posting pictures of the Sangeet makes me reminisce how much I had enjoyed myself even while documenting the whole ceremony.

To add, after the Sangeet Ceremony, the next day was to be the traditional Sikh wedding conducted at the Gurdwara. Let me tell you that in all the weddings that I have covered so far, this traditional wedding left me with the fondest of impressions. Why you might ask, well - 1st: I've never seen a groom make an entrance to a wedding venue on a horse. 2nd: The sheer number of people accompanying the groom all the way from his home to the wedding venue just blew my mind. 3rd: being a photographer from Singapore, heat and humidity is something that I cannot avoid so wearing a full suit to a shoot in Singapore is quite unheard of, so to cover this whole event during winter and in a full suit, was literally a first for me.

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As a photographer, not only would I go where the job takes me, I do what it takes to get me THAT photo. (Photo credit to Mahesh. Taken from his Iphone 5)

• Traditional Sikh Wedding (Anand Karaj)

On this very morning, guests and family members of the bride gathered early outside the Gurdwara to wait upon the arrival of the Barat (groom's family). At this juncture, the bride had already arrived at the Gurdwara and was ushered into a private waiting room until the main ceremony begins.

Please pardon me if my facts are not as accurate, but if my memory serves me right, upon the arrival of the groom, both families do come together for milni (meeting) before the ardaas (prayers) commences. This prayers are important because it signifies the start of a happy occasion and the milni serves as formal introduction to relatives of each family where garlands are playfully exchanged between family members of both the bride and groom.

The main event; Traditional Sikh wedding (anand karaj also known as 'Blissful Union') takes place in the gurdwara darbar. In here, family, relatives and friends from both sides pay their respects to the Guru Granth Sahib before taking a seat in the darbar.

I shall let my pictures do the talking from here, shall we? Below each picture is a little description.

Sporting guests even agreed to put on the turban to attend this traditional Sikh wedding.

Bob obviously having a good time putting on the turban.

Meet the Turbanators!

Simply gorgeous!

The groom making a proud entrance!

Doesn't this groom look like a knight in shining armour (without the shield but with his Kirpan) riding his pristine white horse?

Families of the bride and groom gather for the milni (meeting). The priest (middle of the picture in a black turban) will then call out names of relatives from each side (beginning with the eldest) to put on a haar (garland) on each other.

Ardaas (prayers) being carried out by both families.

The relatives from both sides playfully put on the haar (garland) for each other before hugging and posing for the camera.

Each party tries to put on the haar first for the recipient. The intended recipient would then try to avoid having the garland put on him. At the end of it all, it's a hug and pose for the camera.

This picture shows the youngest in both families trying to put a haar on each other.

I seldom use the word majestic but in this case, the groom looks simply majestic.

Take a look at how intricate the embroidery is on the bridal attire. Did you know that the dress that the bride wears for Anand Karaj must be red, as the colour symbolises auspiciousness and prosperity in the bride's new married life.

Girls just want to have fun!

The lovely bride being escorted by her brothers into the gurdwara darbar. This is a symbolic sight because brother in the Indian culture are considered as protectors.

Groom and bride preparing themselves for the rituals.

Bride and Groom standing in-front of the altar. The red scarf that is draped down the shoulders of the groom is called a palla. It's the link between the couple as they journey around the altar.

In this image, the family members of the bride and the bride herself are actually negotiating a price for the return of the groom's shoes which was taken earlier as ransom. All in good fun.

The groom and his family not giving up without a tough negotiation. Again, it's all in good fun.

Thanks for staying with me all this way! Very proud of you! I hope you have enjoyed my write-up and the mesmerising pictures. I'll cover more about the wedding reception as well as my solo journey from Chandigarh to Agra in the next two blogs post. 

In the meantime, have a great week ahead and stay tuned for Part 3 of Kelvin Luffs Photography in India!

Kelvin Luffs Photography in India - Traditional Sikh Wedding (Part 1)

Hi again! It's been quite a hiatus on my blog. But I have been very hard at work in the last 10 months at Kelvin Luffs Photography. For the very first time on my blog, I will include pictures taken from my mobile phone to depict the behind-the-scene situations I had encountered during the trip. This post will totally be different from the previous posts because it will include my own personal opinion, views and thoughts during and post-assignment.

So back in December 2015, I flew for the first time into India, New Delhi and my assignment was to shoot a traditional Sikh wedding in the city of Chandigarh, further north of New Delhi.

Prior to making this trip, I encountered people who were really negative about the county of India. They were questioning, why why why? Why India? Some comments I received were; India is dirty; India is unsafe; there's nothing in India; you are going to get sick the day you arrive, etc. When I accepted this assignment, I knew it was time to debunk any kinds of stereotypes that people have tried to impress upon me. As a professional photographer, it is my duty to go anywhere the job takes me. And I wanted to see and experience how the India was like.

• Arrival to New Delhi and onwards journey to Chandigarh

After 5 hours 40 minutes in the air, I finally touched down at New Delhi's Indira Ghandi International Airport. Quite honestly, the staff at the airport were not very welcoming. It had taken 1.5 hours just to clear customs and I couldn't help but feel it was parallel to some of the negative feedbacks I had gotten earlier. Apparently many tourist were caught up with e-visas and visa-on-arrival issues. So lesson here - always have your visa done at the Indian Embassy in your own country before the flight into India to avoid such problems.

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World's Number One airport? (Image taken with IPhone 6+)

The bride and groom were expecting guests on the same flight as I was and had arranged for taxis to drive us into Chandigarh. The estimated time from New Delhi to Chandigarh was about 4 hours 30 minutes (NOT), all in, we took a 7 plus hours drive to get from New Delhi to Chandigarh.

Having hit the 299km/h mark on my Suzuki Hayabusa on many occasions in the last 11 years of riding, the experience I got while in this taxi was one of the most harrowing I have ever experienced in my life.

Could you imagine a fully-loaded 7-seater vehicle roaring down what seems to be a highway at 160-180km/h with the driver seemingly having a blatant disregard for the safety of anyone, let alone the passengers in his vehicle? Then as the sky turned dark, the driver shockingly continued speeding down the unlit highway at 160km/h on the fastest moving lane, only to come to a sudden emergency stop - because a COW was crossing the highway! Whew, I have never felt more relieved in my life reaching my destination in one piece.

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It's a common sight to have a vehicle fully loaded with passengers and their baggage placed atop the vehicles. (Image taken with iPhone 6+)

• Chandigarh and Sector 17 Shopping

Unlike the actual day weddings I cover in Singapore which are usually done in a day or in exceptional cases, two days, a traditional Sikh wedding can take up to four days long! That's four full days of formalities and parties leading up to the traditional wedding day and wedding reception. 

As with all the photographic assignments, I do make it a habit to arrive early (1-2 hours earlier locally) and in this instance, I arrived three days ahead of the first scheduled event. This is to ensure that all my equipments are in working order, and for me to locate shops selling camera equipments in case any of my equipments were damaged en-route or stolen (which I have personally experienced back in 2013) needing replacement. Unfortunately there aren't any rental service in that part of India so buying would be the next best alternative should I need to.

In any part of my overseas assignments, I think the part I love most is getting to know people. Getting to know people surely has its perks - they share with you information which may take you to places to meet any needs you may have (for me, they are camera shops and tailors). Loving the jacket which was tailored to my liking and costing only SGD$70.

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Please pardon my distorted and frowning face in the picture above. (Image taken with iPhone 6+)

• Pre-Wedding Prayers & Party

Prayers before the actual wedding is actually rather common across most cultures. Whilst each differs in their own ways, the goal is the same - that is to give blessings to the wedding couple. Here in the next few photos, you'll be able to see Akhand Paath - the reading of the entire Guru Granth Sahib. You will also be able to see that the home (of the groom's parents) where the Akhand Paath was hosted had been cleared of furniture, and clean white sheets spread on the floor with fresh flowers placed beside the Guru Granth Sahib. 

Notice the white clean sheets on the floor together with the fresh flowers placed beside the Guru Granth Sahib.

Mr. Charan reading the text consisting of 1430 Anks (pages). In my opinion, he read it in a rhythmic and poetic way, pretty much like a melodious tune.

Oh and if you think reading the text is easy, you're absolutely wrong - the reader can get pretty exhausted to a point where he loses his voice and momentum in reading.

Bride's mother shedding a tear as she was overcome by emotions during the prayers. 

Groom's mother seen here offering her most sincere prayer for her son.

Groom's grand-dad also offering his sincere prayers to the couple.

At the conclusion of the prayers in the groom's house, it was time for the family members, relatives and guests to dance along with the couple to the Gurudwara (Temple) to collect water. So what happens here is that a special jug called the Gharoli is used to collect the water from the temple for the groom to bathe in later on.

Bride and groom fathers having a ball of a time dancing in the streets outside their the groom's home. 

Likewise for the couple who were getting married, they were having lots of fun dancing in the streets towards the Gurudwara.

A female relative carries the Gharoli on her heading walking towards the Gurudwara.

A picture of the Groom's mother holding the Gharoli on her head.

Family, relatives and friends having a great time dancing away.

Picture of the Gharoli being filled with water at the Gurudwara.

Groom immersing himself in the celebratory dance.

The bride having a great time dancing too!

A heartwarming picture of the bride (back-facing) dancing together with her siblings.

Groom's father happily dancing.

The bride's mother carrying the Gharoli on her head while heading back to the groom's place.

Did I mention that a Sikh Wedding is all about prayers and... PARTIES? Yes, it was literally non-stop partying and boozing and here are some pictures from one of the many parties leading up to the wedding.

Partying under the lovely cold winter weather.

Let the beat rock!

The bride's 2nd older brother claiming the dance floor.

Booze anyone? From the bottle PLEASE!

Let's rock the night away!

• Haldi Ceremony & Mehendi Party

Some facts about the Haldi Ceremony which I learnt while I was covering the event - Haldi ceremony is basically an act of smearing turmeric paste onto the bride and groom's body and the significance to this ritual is really to ward off evil spirits that may affect the union of the groom and his bride.

Apart from warding off evil spirits, the paste serves as a cleanser for the body and soul and signifies the bride's preparation to be welcomed into adult married life.

This Haldi ceremony was definitely a mood lifter because it's when the bride can have some fun amidst all the tension and chaos of planning her wedding. Here, friends and family of the bride (including me) can take part in it and apply the haldi paste on the bride. 

Brothers of the bride marching her into the Haldi ceremonial location.

The bride prepares herself for Haldi.

And so the smearing begins!

Guests of the bride having a great time smearing paste on the bride.

The bride's youngest brother putting a good amount of turmeric paste on his sister's face.

Before the bride's older brother could smear the paste on her face, he was attacked by the youngest sibling in the family. Take That MASH!

Brother Mash says - "It's my turn Now!"

The hair isn't spared!

Bride's Father adding to her blessing.

The aftermath.

What's an extremely fun event without a group photo?

Bride being escorted by her brothers back to her room.

Mehendi Party or better known as Mehendi Ki Raat is when the gorgeous bride-to-be adorns her hands and feet with different designs made out of henna. The entire ceremony is one that's filled with endless fun and laughter as every family member and close friends of the bride and the groom can have the mehendi done on themselves too.

Even I had the privilege of getting a small mehendi done on me by the groom himself. Haha.

Before the start of the Mehendi Party.

Honestly, I'm not sure what the bride was feeding this dear friend of hers but what I got to know is that the recipient of whatever the bride-to-be is feeding will be the next in line to get married. All the best Shalini! 

Aww that lovely smile!

All brides are pretty in their own rights.

Friends of the bride having their henna done.

As per the traditions, even the groom applies a bit of mehendi on his hands too.

The bride-to-be's mehendi is the most intricate and most time consuming to execute hence the need for 2 professional mehendi artist for this bride-to-be.

Check out those striking designs! Did you know that in order not to smudge the fresh henna, the bride-to-be must not move. She would need people to feed her water and even scratch her nose.

Did you know that - Mehendi represents the bond of matrimony?

The bride-to-be giving her husband-to-be clues on where his initials may be.

Groom trying really hard to locate his initials. Actually I heard that if by the end of his wedding day, the groom is still unable to find his initials, they aren't allowed to consummate. Whoops!  

I hope you are still following by now. It will be easier if I break this article up into a 4 parts for your easy reading. For now, do enjoy the above photos and stay tuned for Part 2 of Kelvin Luffs Photography in India!

Destination Pre-Wedding: Nicholas & Fion

I got a call one morning in late December last year from Nicholas asking if I was willing to accept a last minute booking to shoot their pre-wedding in mid January 2015 of which I gladly accepted.

Basically the couple had already booked a short getaway to Batam, Indonesia to escape the hustling and bustling rapidity at work. So in the midst of planning for the trip, an idea struck the couple that since they were already heading to Batam, they should also get their pre-wedding shoot done there.

While places like Bali and Bintan are common places where couples travel to to have their pre-wedding photos taken, not too many have ever considered Batam for their shoot as most people do not perceive Batam to be as beautiful as it's neighbours.

Well I have to admit that this perception did cross my mind while I was doing my research. Perhaps by pure coincidence, I chanced upon this phrase while doing my research; it read - 'When life gives you lemons, make lemonade' though more philosophical than photography related, it hit me like a tonne of bricks. It basically reminded me that I must make good of whatever that comes my way. Throw me anywhere in any conditions and I'll still give you stunning and memorable pictures for keep.

To those of you who were wondering, yes some of the pictures were shot right smack in midday when the sun was directly above us and there were also instances where I had to shoot directly into the sun - at times the glare was so intense that I had to shoot with both eyes closed and completely trust my equipments and technical knowledge fully to get The shot. 

Here are some photos for your viewing pleasure.

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With that, I shall conclude this lengthy post with a Wefie with my clients after a day's shoot. Have a great weekend everybody!

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Best Friends

If you've ever watched sitcoms like 'Friends' and 'How I Met Your Mother', you'll notice that the characters in the sitcom portray what best friends should be really well. 

Here are the similarities I gather from the above sitcoms I've mentioned

1. They hug each other all the time
2. They apologise when they're wrong (eventually)
3. They tell the truth (although sometimes it can be hilarious or mean)
4. They are honest (that's why they tell the truth)
5. They respect each other (although sometimes NOT)
6. They push you and encourage you to reach your goals (Drink more BEER!)
7. They laugh at your jokes although they don't know what it means
8. After laughing at your joke, they make a joke out of you by teasing you
9. They are always connected to you (Whatsapp / Telegram chatgroups)
   .
   .
   and the list goes on..

So having the opportunity to document the friendship of these ladies (Phyllis, Winnie, Shanice & Amanda) gives me a chance to rethink what friendships should be.

These ladies were so joyful (even though we started the session really early),  they enjoyed each other's company, teased one another and laughed to their heart's desire. Friendships should be like that. Don't you think so?

Anyway, have a wonderful 2015 everyone!

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Baby Chloe & Baby Melanie

To begin, allow me to introduce the stars of the photo-shoot. They are baby Chloe (my lovely daughter) and her cousin baby Melanie (my lovely niece). Both Chloe and Melanie were born in August this year, just a day apart from each other in the same hospital. Somehow I feel, these two baby girls are destined to be as close as sisters when they grow up, just like how close their mummies are to each other.

As I seek to add pictures to my portfolio, being a daddy photographer gave me the opportunity to do just that. Having these two precious little babies allowed me to constantly practice shooting with my baby models, play with the lightings to ensure the lights compliment the subjects, meddle with the props, think on my feet, etc.. I must say, I can handle babies really well now (after the few months of practice Chloe gave me).

In my previous post, I mentioned that in a baby photo-shoot, most of the time is spent on every other thing related to the babies Except photographing them. But when you do get down to taking their pictures, their expressions can sometimes blow you away.

Take for example this picture below, Chloe was busy crying and Melanie was well.. shocked! Priceless expression from baby Melanie.

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Some behind the scene pictures.. Having a two Profoto B1 Air made a world of difference in lighting these precious babies.

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[Picture left] So as the shoot progresses, it ended quickly (within 30mins) because both babies started being cranky (time for their nap). [Picture top] We all know that photographers love to 'Seize the opportunity' and that's exactly what I did, seized the opportunity to take the both of them sleeping, just like the picture below.

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After about an hour and a half, both Chloe and Melanie came awake. So immediately, the mummies and I sprang into action by helping them change into their next outfit for the next shoot. Like all human beings, babies too need time to warm up after they come awake but perhaps we were too anxious in changing their diapers and clothes, the babies became agitated and showed me their displeasure in this photo.

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Another two behind-the-scene photos to show how the next few pictures will transpire. Seriously, it involves the mums hopping up and down and making all sorts of baby language noises just to gain the attention of the two little ones.

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[Picture above] Any home can be a make shift studio. With the right backdrop and a sofa, voila! We've now got a red background. [Picture right] Most parents would know that the colors that babies first see are Red, Black and White. As red background is too distracting for the babies, we had to quickly change a background to one that's of a more neutral color.

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The babies being 3 months old have gained a fair bit of muscle mass hence rendering them less flexible as compared to when they were just infants but we still managed a few good pictures nonetheless.

Remember, babies are precious and they grow up real fast. So seize every opportunity to capture fun portraits of them, just like these pictures. If you're interested in having such portraits of your kids done, just drop me an email at info@kelvinluffs.com and I'll be most willing to sit down and conceptualize ideas for the shoot.

Here are a few more pictures for your viewing pleasure. Have a great week everyone!

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Shay & Dinah's Pre-Wedding

Hi everyone. It's been awhile since I last posted anything on my blog. Well, the hiatus is over and it's now time to start sharing again and with that, I'd love to present to you Shay & Dinah's pre-wedding series.

As Shay and I were ex-colleagues from the same bank, I'd say he was a real charmer. He would often be charming the colleagues around him with his humorous antics and super jovial personality. Ladies both young and old (some guys too) were easily captivated by his charms. Well, as charming as he is, Shay only had eyes for that one special person.. and that person is none other than the gorgeous looking Dinah (sorry both young and old ladies & guys, Shay's taken!).

As an observer with the camera, I must say that the chemistry and romance between the both of them both off and on the photo-shoot are just incredible - which goes to show that they are truly comfortable in each other's presence - a true envy of many couples.

So here's my heartiest congratulations to you two beautiful souls. May the both of you continue to have your picnic under the stars and may the both of you hold each other's hands tightly as you grow old together.

Love is that condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.
                                                                                                                   Robert Heinlein.

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It's Been a Good 6 Weeks..

A baby is a blessing. A gift from heaven above, a precious little angel to cherish and to love...

Grateful, worrisome, anxiety, confusion, helplessness, sleepiness and happiness are how we as new parents have felt in these past 6 weeks. 

Like any new parents would do, my wife and I would constantly worry if baby is fed well, whether she's getting adequate rest and regularly consulting Dr. Google and our paediatrician friend on an array of topics concerning baby's well-being etc. So each time when we think we've got her figured out, she'd spring up new surprises that would leave us dumbfounded.

Well, what I would say is that baby Chloe definitely fills a place in our hearts that we never knew was vacant.

Here's a picture of baby Chloe at 6 weeks in her bare body.

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Here's daddy (Kelvin) having some father & daughter time together.

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And we are proud parents of baby Chloe!

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