Bucket List-Worthy Bali Beauty, by Dan O’Day [Rf Wedding of the Week]

October 6, 2016

By Laura Brauer

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).”

Arianne_Kane_Rock_0752

All photos © Dan O’Day

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.”

Arianne_Kane_Rock_0116 Arianne_Kane_Rock_0173 Arianne_Kane_Rock_0112 Arianne_Kane_Rock_0149 Arianne_Kane_Rock_0157Arianne_Kane_Rock_0164Arianne_Kane_Rock_0248 Arianne_Kane_Rock_0250 Arianne_Kane_Rock_0317Arianne_Kane_Rock_0131That 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).”

Arianne_Kane_Rock_0074 Arianne_Kane_Rock_0290 Arianne_Kane_Rock_0286 Arianne_Kane_Rock_0375 Arianne_Kane_Rock_0423 Arianne_Kane_Rock_0493 Arianne_Kane_Rock_0529 Arianne_Kane_Rock_0572 Arianne_Kane_Rock_0575 Arianne_Kane_Rock_0592 Arianne_Kane_Rock_0601Arianne_Kane_Rock_0608Arianne_Kane_Rock_0678Arianne_Kane_Rock_0661Arianne_Kane_Rock_0631Arianne_Kane_Rock_0635Arianne_Kane_Rock_0648Arianne_Kane_Rock_0706Arianne_Kane_Rock_0728Arianne_Kane_Rock_0760Arianne_Kane_Rock_0769

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.”

Arianne_Kane_Rock_0829 Arianne_Kane_Rock_0935 Arianne_Kane_Rock_1001 Arianne_Kane_Rock_1050 Arianne_Kane_Rock_1086 Arianne_Kane_Rock_1073 Arianne_Kane_Rock_1098 Arianne_Kane_Rock_1107 Arianne_Kane_Rock_1152 Arianne_Kane_Rock_1176 Arianne_Kane_Rock_1219 Arianne_Kane_Rock_1263 Arianne_Kane_Rock_1280

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)

Check out more Weddings of the Week, and email Libby Peterson or Jacqueline Tobin with submissions.