Challenging Route to A Captivating Photoshoot For Brian and Putri

I’m the kind of photographer who would go through challenging circumstances and not giving up on difficult paths in the name of getting that one great shot.  As long as I know that the photos will be worth it and the client would fall head over heels then I’ll pursue it whole-heartedly.

Just like the pre-wedding photoshoot I had with Brian and Putri in Lombok. Originally I proposed a Coachella concept where they both look wear casual bohemian style with the beauty ocean and glaring sun on the east of Indonesia as their background. However, their parents would love to see a photo of them in formal suit and dress. So we inserted a scene for that particular request during the photoshoot.

Putri is very shy and awkward in front of the camera, so I planned it to be an all-candid shoot by letting them walk, talk and hug naturally while I am busy capturing their every move.

Let me introduce you first to my client: The bride-to-be is a yoga instructor who is easy to be friends with anyone, her parents are doctor who live and work in Lombok. The groom-to-be was the one who contacted me for this photo shoot. We didn’t get a chance to meet, at least not until we landed in Lombok. Brian is a funny and very straightforward guy. He’s very helpful and cooperative, assisting me to find the local’s permissions at every spot in Lombok that I proposed.

Together, Brian and Putri, were not difficult to capture at all because being romantic and lovely seem to happen quite naturally for them. What challenging was the track to our last spot, which required a hike. It was a hill at Tanjung Aan. Putri was not in a good condition, so she was already exhausted to climb up the hill. With what’s left of her energy, Putri committed to get the golden shot that I promised to them.

Now, the route to that hill was a total challenge. We had to walk across this path of beach rocks surrounded by thousands of sea urchin. The stones itself were sharp and painful to be passed through with feet, but we also had to keep our balance so that we don’t slip and fall onto a sea urchin. Super scary indeed! I got a sore feet afterall due to the rough stones that I put my feet on. Did I mention that I also slipped and got an injured foot? Yeap, that happened. Lucky me, the camera and lens did not get into the water.

Gratefully, as what I have always believed, no pain no gain! The sweats and pains I had to deal with earlier was paid with numerous golden shots, which I call the “money shot”! Most of Brian and Putri’s expressions were the truest emotions that I wanted to capture and revealed through my lens.

Thank God that Putri’s parents are professionals doctors. They took care of my feet, gave me medicine, and Putri herself who was sick got a vitamin supply from her parents. At the end of the day, what really made a photoshoot worth it for me was not the process, but the end result. The process, no matter how tough it is, would only make the story behind the photo more memorable, because as we looked through that particular frame in the future, all the stories and memories will emerged at the back of our mind.