*The following content was approved by Ben & Cheryl prior to this post.

“What drives me to create? The fear of time…lost and forgotten.”

I scribbled that on a piece of paper back in 2004, in an effort to truly discover what I was trying to do with my wedding photography work. I’d spend my time away from the computer, looking at the past, the present, and how i visualized myself in the future.



Choosing the name for my company (REFLECTION PHOTOGRAPHY) was the easy part, and I always knew what I wanted in a name like “Reflection” – I wanted people to think back, to reflect on what they’ve done and basically take a step back to see how far they’ve come. Problem is…I didn’t understand how it would tie in with wedding photography.

Back in my university days, I had a lecturer who stressed on three basic features of any argument: “What, Why….So What?” I had the What figured out, and the Why was pretty much a breeze. The “So What”, however, didn’t come along till I did Ben and Cheryl’s Trash The Dress shoot.

One fine day in 2007, I received an email from Cheryl who was looking to do a pre-wedding shoot in Perth, Western Australia. Being the ever so inquisitive photographer, my first question to her was “Why?”. Through further correspondence via email, I soon found out that Ben and Cheryl had never been in Perth together at any point in time.

My advice to Ben and Cheryl was to find something closer to home (not necessarily literally). I wanted them to have an album that was close to the heart, filled with images that spoke volumes about themselves – one that would continue the legacy of their relationship for years to come.

About a month later, Cheryl returned with an email suggesting a shoot in Ipoh. Since Ben grew up in Ipoh, I was satisfied that the location would give me lots to work with.

Cheryl and I finally met up face to face, months from our first email conversation, and that’s where the story takes a different turn altogether. During the weeks that we had to wait before I had an opening to meet up with Cheryl, she realized that things weren’t going so well where their relationship was concerned. Through the course of engaging new careers and living through the hustle and bustle of everyday life, Ben and Cheryl realized that they were slowly drifting apart. As if things weren’t difficult enough, the both of them had to deal with the passing of their fathers all within a short span of time.



In an effort to save the relationship, Ben and Cheryl decided that they’d still go ahead with the shoot; difference being that:

a) The photoshoot would be done on a 60 foot boat, and would become just a day-trip out for the both of them.
b) In the event that they couldn’t rediscover what they had lost over that one single day, the album would be a parting gift for the both of them.

Two things ran through my mind then. If I could see them walk down the aisle one day, this experience would be a great story to tell for generations. At the same time, I decided there and then that I wanted to kick their photoshoot up a notch or two, and do a Trash The Dress session with them.

Why a Trash The Dress session? Simple. If I can make people feel at ease, despite putting them in unfamiliar situations, then I’ve succeeded in gaining their trust. Add that to the total loss of any inhibitions once they realize that they’re already wet, and I suddenly see a plethora of positive emotions. The euphoria that I experience seeing people let go…priceless.

After all was said and done, Ben and Cheryl got married on January 4th, 2009. Only an act of God could stop me from covering their wedding day, as I was looking forward to that day since we started planning to trash Cheryl’s dress.

Ben & Cheryl’s story was the turning point in my wedding photography career in Singapore.

The experience gave me precious insight into my own wedding, which was nearly cancelled because both my brother and Wendy’s brother got a divorce, all within a month of each other. Divorce became the basis of all my wedding work, and for a very good reason. I believe that in this day and age, we can’t deny the possibility that our marriage could very well hit a road block or two sometime. I hope that the work that I’ve done for my wedding clients, will remind them of why they got married in the first place. I hope that my images will help them reflect on the past, and they’ll remember how hard they worked to get to where they are.

My name’s Amos, wedding photography is my life-long career by choice, and this is my cause.