Olivia & Raymond’s Engagement Shoot | Focus Photography at Good Catch Bar & Cafe

Olivia and Raymond suggested their photoshoot to be at Good Catch Bar & Cafe. I was unsure if it had any significance to their relationship, but the interior itself was a vibe! The walls were colored almost sea blue-like, and it had a sheen that contrasted very well with the LED lights. It is kind of retro, as if they were traipsing around Hong Kong on a late night.

When Olivia and Raymond arrived, they looked very ravishing! Olivia was wearing a spaghetti-strapped white dress and beige heels, while Raymond wore a dark blue button down and pants. For their photoshoot, they wanted to be seated at a table and incorporate some food items. I was totally onboard with the entire idea.

It was very exquisite, and it was quite rare for me to do food photography as well on these kinds of shoots. Because there were so many elements, I wanted Olivia and Raymond to interact with their surroundings a lot. But before they cut up into the deliciously cooked food, I wanted to do a top shot of the table with their intertwined hands resting on it.

Honestly, it kind of looked like their photos came from an editorial shoot, they were very fitting for whatever high-end magazine there is! Their pictures became so memorable to me that their photoshoot became one of my favorites from that year. It was very eccentric and unique, but it alluded to who Olivia and Raymond were individually, and as a couple.

The only challenge I faced from this was that I got jealous of Olivia and Raymond because the food really looked so good. If I looked back on their pictures, I would most probably get hungry.

Afterwards, I transferred all of the equipment because they wanted to do an outdoor shoot as well. They wanted to play around with the streetlights outside. I just had to be careful with setting up everything and positioning Olivia and Raymond so that they were actually visible the entire night. I didn’t want to do a lot of editing when it came to post-production because I wanted to retain a lot of the romantic feel that the natural environment gave. 

While they were focusing on how to pose, I felt that there was a certain air of comfort around them that I thought no one else shared. Obviously, Olivia and Raymond were extremely close with each other but it felt like to Olivia, it would always be Raymond. And to Raymond, it would always be Olivia. I wanted to be able to embody that sense of security through their pictures as well. 

Afterwards, I wanted them to have more casual and somewhat informal pictures as well, so I asked them to walk around the city and pretend like I wasn’t eating up every pose they struck my way. I thought this really brought out their natural dynamics and chemistry with each other. Their smiles became wider, and it became more relaxed.

Honestly, their entire photoshoot felt like my Pinterest moodboard popped out of my laptop for a second. They truly embodied the kind of aesthetic that a lot of young couples look for in a photoshoot. And I am so proud of every little thing that I did on this shoot with Olivia and Raymond. I believed that I was able to give their vision justice.

Like any other photoshoot, for me, it is always more than a portfolio. These are precious memories of how much I grew as a photographer as well, and how each photoshoot became a lived experience for every couple. To Olivia and Raymond, thank you for sharing with me your love story, and letting me re-tell it through pictures.