If you are reading this post, you should already know Ray Soemarsono. Ray and his stunning wife, Mel just celebrated their 11th year anniversary this year and they asked me to shoot their portrait. Ray is a VERY talented photographer (I can proudly say that I could not ask for a better business partner) and Mel, a proud mother of two gorgeous and really smart little girls have been my good friends for quite a long time (especially since we started Apertura back in 2005). I was so flattered that they asked me to do this, especially since we know so many good photographers in our business.
I remembered during one of our conversations a few years ago, that they had a very simple wedding. They don’t even have any professional wedding photos done (back then Ray was still an Engineer, and had no interest in photography at all). I remembered also that they mentioned that they regretted not having any photos other than the disposable cameras that they placed on the tables of their reception that their friends use to document the day. So naturally the pressure is on. Shooting a really good photographer is one, but also I wanted to capture the essence of who they are as a couple. Luckily, the second part is a lot easier since I know them pretty well. When we are talking about the shoot, brainstorming things, Ray and Mel pretty much gave me full reign of what I wanted to do (awesome!). So we ended up shooting at the Parker Palm Springs, which is one of our favorite place ever.
The day was cold, and the night was even colder. However, that didn’t get in the way of them connecting off and on camera. I admire these friends of mine. 11 years and counting. Still going on strong. Congratulations, Mel + Ray! Thanks for letting me shoot your Anniversary portraits! :) Enough talking, let’s see their hotness.
Makeup & hair: Kelly Zhang
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