Karim & Amanda

Karim & Amanda’s story was built along the Esplanade waterfront. Walking, talking, stopping whenever they felt like it, and letting one place lead them to the next.

And sometimes, quite a bit further than expected.

One of their most memorable dates involved walking all the way to Marine Cove for McDonald’s ice cream, only to arrive and discover that the ice cream machine was broken. A ridiculous amount of walking for absolutely no ice cream, but somehow exactly the kind of story that becomes funnier and more precious with time.

Even the proposal nearly became another one of those stories. Karim had planned to propose at the maze in Jewel’s rooftop garden, except things didn’t quite unfold as smoothly as intended. What was supposed to be a carefully planned moment came dangerously close to not happening at all.

So for their pre-wedding shoot, I wanted to return to that same rhythm. We wandered the Esplanade waterfront, stopped for food, messed around, laughed, and eventually made our way to Jewel as day turned into night.

There was no need to manufacture a grand romantic moment. Their story already had everything I wanted to photograph. The detours, the bad luck, the inside jokes and the way they seem to have the most fun when things don’t quite go according to plan.

Because sometimes the best stories aren’t the ones where everything works out perfectly.

They’re the ones you still laugh about years later.