Photographer Dan O’Day was shooting in Hong Kong when he received an email from couple Arianne and Kane that asked if he (and his partner Andrea) would shoot their wedding in Canggu, Bali, Indonesia. “It was our first time visiting Bali, and of course first time shooting there,” recounts O’Day, who was recently named Australian Wedding Photographer of the Year by AIPP. “I really felt connected to these two—Kane was just like all my mates I grew up with and we developed a bond quite quickly. Ari was just a dead set legend (with amazing style).”
Photographing in a country you’ve never been to before is always going to present itself with a few challenges here and there. “For this wedding, I wasn’t at all familiar with the area or the culture,” O’Day says. “We arrived a couple of days earlier to make sure we could scout the area around the venue and draw up a plan for the day, making sure I’d have enough time to do what I wanted to do with the allocated time. This included making sure we had a driver to get us to and from the venue without fail. It all worked out well in the end, you can never be too prepared.”
That said, O’Day does recall that it was “almost unbearably hot on the day, but there was so much going on at all times it was hard to remain focused on it,” he says. “But it was torture to be surrounded by so many beautiful infinity pools when you are dripping with sweat and not able to throw yourself into them (pre-ceremony anyway).”
Otherwise, the wedding itself “went off without a hitch,” the photographer says, and there was plenty for him and the guests to enjoy: “Balinese fire dancers, amazing food that never seemed to end, an insane local band and, of course, the moment when everyone decided to jump into one of the outdoor spa baths and get naked…topped off with Kane deciding to do a naked run streak through the outdoor party.”
O’Day stayed in touch with these newlyweds, who are now new parents. “They have just had their first baby, which I am hoping to photograph soon,” he says, “and I will also be photographing Arianne’s brother’s wedding this coming November.”
GEAR FOR THE DAY
Cameras: Canon 5D Mark III (x2)
Lenses: 24mm f/1.4 and 50mm f/1.2 (Andrea shot with a 35mm f/1.4 and 85mm f/1.2)
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