I think this is the third time I am publishing this Santorini wedding. It’s not the flagging of a dead horse. In fact, this horse is alive and kicking, and galloping into the horizon, with me stranded behind. What do I mean? This set of wedding day images is one of the earliest I made after I turned full-time. Armed with my years of photojournalism experience, I shot it the only way I knew. That was the time before Facebook went mainstream, before the proliferation of photo workshops by “guru” or award winning wedding photographers, and before I even knew who my competitors were. There was no template to follow, no Pinterest boards to reference from, and it didn’t even cross my mind to Google for other Santorini wedding photos from which I can get “inspired”.
This wedding between an Italian groom and Singaporean Chinese bride was extremely intimate and low-key. What it lacked in the usual fanfare (read gate crash and over-the-top customization) was more than compensated by understated elegance and spontaneity. I love this set of unadulterated and pure images, which are made with heart and from the heart.But after years of “contamination” from other sources, I sort of lost my way. I tried (too hard) to shoot the way that was trending. Even though the images were still well-received in a way, I never really felt as “connected” to them as before. Hence, the allegory of the runaway horse and me being left behind.
My legs are warmed up now. I am looking for my horse, after all these years. Let’s hope she still remembers me. I am ready.
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