Having pre wedding photoshoot before marriage is now become a new dream for few couple in this planet but majority they were an asian bride-groom to be. In fact, when I got another sweet couple who coming from Australia, Europe or even US than we directly meet each other on the wedding day and skip this pre wedding photoshoot at all. Basically it’s on your choice and all of what we talk here is about your priority to having such beautiful day with someone who you love.
I’m Bima by the way and I would say thank you so much to all of you who just visiting my photography blog at the very first time. I run this destination wedding photography company together with my wife since 2009 and serve various couple on wedding, engagement, pre wedding, till an exclusive portrait for such gorgeous clients. The reason why I choose to be small family business is I want to get close with my client for every session that we’ve got so rather than having mass photography studio who serve hundred of clients per year than I choose to serve at 12 couple in a year.
What I’m enjoy so much is now I become a better friend with all my clients that spread around the globe, I could say marry Christmas, happy birthday, till congratulation words personally when I saw my clients got their first baby. Sometimes if I got a chance than I will tell my previous couple to meet each other if I travel both for business or family holiday to their country like what I had in a beautiful night to meet my recent couple in Hong Kong.
I’m going to have an overseas portrait session in Hong Kong by the way but what I did a night before is meet with my previous couple who brought me for pre wedding photoshoot in Maldives. This connection is beyond everything cause having a regular professional-client connection is limited by time and money so when the photo session is finish and the album is well delivered than everything seems to done, I don’t want to be that photographer at all!
Why I Choose to Stay Connected with My Previous Couple
Every single photo session no matter it’s a pre wedding photoshoot, wedding, engagement, or family portrait brings me a lot of meaning, professionally their photographs will become of my portfolio that take me into another clients in the next future so generally I made tons of value through their photos. But personally I’m a guy who see networking way more important than just a money, it’s a thing that make us a better person in the future no matter where we are so I’m so sad if seeing someone who just get the money an go.
Billy and Dickie Ma, my couple on the above photo is only hiring for having pre wedding photoshoot in Maldives, even they use another photographer for their spring marriage in Hong Kong and it doesn’t matter at all cause the most important thing for me is I’m blown away see them married in such beautiful Chinese red dress just like other Cantonese, and you know what….they just have a sweet little angle on their family right now
My Dream is Become a Private Wedding Photographer Who Work Together with My Wife
Life is too short if we want spending much time with someone who we love. I’m growing up without my father’s love cause my parents getting divorced when I know nothing about this life, I’m just a 4 year old boy during that time and what I saw is my mom is working so hard for me in Jakarta Indonesia and within once in a month she come to see me in Yogyakarta, a small town that need 10 hours ride by night train. The main reason of this divorce is family violence cause I saw my dad hit my mom many times even both of me and my mom ever get threat by a hand gun by my dad.
So if you have a happy childhood on your own than I would like to say congratulation cause not all babies in this globe got the chance as same as like you. I’m working so hard in my photography business and sometimes I leave my kids with Nina’s parents while I’m shooting wedding with Nina for a week.
My friend told me as an international wedding photographer but you know what, when I come back home and take off all of my photography gears than I’m just an ordinary father who cook for my kid’s breakfast and a guy who gonna took them to the school and picking them up at 2pm noon.
I Found Few Couple Who Saving Their Money for 10 Years Just to Realize Their Dream Overseas Pre Wedding Photoshoot
Based on my research than majority people in this world who work on a company will get annually salary between $45,000 to $65,000, when they have to pay a tax, buy a car and an apartment than they will take the rest for saving and holiday. Lately I got few enquiries from Canadian, Singaporean, Australian, till Hong Kong couple who asked me to shoot on their wedding, engagement, or pre wedding photoshoot. One thing that I know for sure is they want to be memorable.
When a found a couple who want focusing their budget on wedding day than they used to not taking any pre wedding photoshoot before but some of my couple who concern on destination pre wedding session than they spend more budget on it rather than on the wedding day. One of my couple spend 10 days in Maldives while having an engagement shots with me but celebrate their wedding in so simple, attending by family and close friend only which is no more than 40 people.
Are you preparing your wedding too?
Generally people will consider about several marriage activities like pre wedding, wedding, and honeymoon but some of them are bundled wedding and honeymoon in one place like what my Italian-Indonesian couple Danilo and Eka had in Uluwatu Bali. So based on the data that I got, couple used to spend budget on the their wedding which is equal at leas as same as their annual salary, surely I know some of you spend more for it and it’s fine.
When I got an enquiry from Billy and Dickie for pre wedding photoshoot in Maldives than it just 2 months before the date, generally they already get their international flight ticket and book Lux* South Ari Atoll before hiring me but to make their overseas pre wedding session happen which is take only within 7 hours than they prepare it, surely when I heard that they spend 10 years to realize their pre wedding dream than it’s blown my mind away.
Having such a simple bridal portraits like this is Dickie’s dream for 10 years, she just told me that she want to lay on the wooden deck which standing 2 meter above the sea level where she also can see her private water villa luxury room in Maldives. I can doubt more, it seems highly specific and detail expectation that she dreaming for 10 freaking years and I’ve been so honour to be someone who able to help her realizing her dream.
This picture below is truly simple candid photo that I took while they sit down on the wooden deck, face to the ocean and enjoying the most beautiful sunset in Maldives. I know that it was wonderful but I’m here for realizing their dream so rather than see the sun goes down than I keep shooting on them and got hundred of beautiful memorable pre wedding images for them.
Open Your Eyes and Imagine That You Go to Some Resort That I’ve Been Visited Too To Celebrate Your Wedding
I travel around the world together with my wife, Nina who belong to my personal assistant (so don’t let me fly alone) and make up-hair do style for several couple who asked her for that.
Getting married is something that most people in this world waiting for, you may love each other but say your vow right in front of the priest is in different level. Celebrate your marriage and spend days together with your husband, might be some family and close friend in such wonderful place following the wedding will such wonderful moment. This the week where you must forget your healthy diet plan and enjoying the local tasty food wherever you are, and the most important thing is you can spend days without any daily habit that make you boring, this is wonderful wedding for sure babe!
I’ve been shooting for wedding in this villa called the Sanctus, it’s a great villa with huge landscape and amazing cliff-front scenery where you can see the sunset beautifully. When you getting married in this place than your planner will set all the things right on the indoor chapel commonly even you also can expecting to celebrate it outdoor. Two white giant tent that you can see on the picture above is my couple’s Plan B, if the rain come suddenly than we will evacuate to that location.
The next venue that I’ve been visited is Angsana Velavaru, Maldives. If you never been there before than you must book your double propeller seaplane once you book the resort cause there is no other way to go to this amazing resort. I’ve been fly with my seaplane for 45 minutes and when I see that I landed in the ocean than this gonna be my first exciting moment cause I never did it before.
The best thing about Angsana is, they built their luxury room called water villa separately with their main island called Turtle island and there is a free boat shutter every hour to go to your resort. But don’t worry once you touch down on your water villa resort than you don’t wanna go anywhere cause you will get everything that you want from best fine dining restaurant right next to the ocean, bicycle to sightseeing around at the wooden bridge, till humble staff that will help you 24 hours in a day.
My Couple Did It After 10 Years. But The Final Result Was Amazing
I would called it as determination, cause doing the greatest hard work for your own is ain’t easy but when you can achieve it than you gonna get the result as great as you dream. Back few years ago I’ve been struggling for my bankruptcy and it takes $15,000 from my bank account, I was remember when I don’t have any idea of what kind of food that I’m gonna deliver to Nina and kids so I make some other effort that related to my passion in wedding photography and traveling.
I’m not sure it can be help you or not but at least I could share great memories to all of you who wanna achieve your goals of marriage. Definitely we talk about chance and money but as long as you got the money than it helps you to get your chance for sure. As I said before that I’m a professional wedding photographer but I want to explore this expertise beyond wedding or pre wedding photoshoot, to get out from my bankruptcy I tried so many ways and here are what I could share with:
1 – I’m Sharing My Room on Airbnb and Simply Block It Out When I Got Photo Session, But Now I’m Developing 3 Properties From It
In 2013 I living in a big house which has several rooms but honestly I only use 1 room for my own and family, lately I got 9 sqm room with air conditioning system and twin bed so what I did is renting this room on Airbnb for $12/night and start earning $250/month as an additional income. This passion goes great till I open my second property on 2014 and the third on 2018, all of them are my family’s property so I don’t use any money capitol at all.
2 – I’m Cooking for My Own Food And Only Twice a Week to Buy Meals from Cheap Resto Near My House
What I have to do is saving my money as much as I can but it could be easy if you don’t have any kids and during that time I got 3 kids that I must feed and entertains so I still go out twice a week to buy some meals. If you don’t have any kids yet than you can do better than me cause one of my friend survive with 1 meal per day (sharing with his wife) and get 2-3 cups of espresso/day by making by his own mokapot.
3 – I’m Selling My Travel Images as a Stock Photos on Shutterstock
If you get a photography hobby or passion than you also can do this cause since when I got nothing on my bank account than I still do this job both as a hobby and part time job. I sell everything on Shutterstock cause this is how it be, from the snacks that you bought till amazing beach that you’ve been visited than it can be sell online and bring you money on your paypal.
Generally you can do this part time hobby with a simple electronic devices, it could be your Iphone, mirrorless camera, till your DSLR, take a look one simple photos that I took with my old Iphone 5 about Shark conservatory, and it’s been sold few weeks ago for $0,25
I’m so glad to share this experience with you and hoping you got a new spirit to realize your dream wedding or pre wedding photoshoot no matter where it is. Last I welcoming you to see my portfolio so you can get inspiration about how your wedding photos gonna look like. Whenever you want to discuss with me and Nina related to your wedding than kindly drop me a message and I will reply it as soon as possible.