Based in Malaysia, MJK Photography is a team on a mission to capture beautiful moments of love. The principal photographer, Jason Koong, has an innate ability to capture natural, intimate moments brilliantly. Passionate, funny, and humble, his passion for what he does radiates in every single one of his romantic images. We love his honest and emotional style, natural approach to photography, and story-telling imagery that strives to authentically capture the love between two people. Join us as we share our interview with Jason Koong of MJK Photography, we are sure his exquisite work will truly leave you inspired!
Praise Wedding (PW): Share with us your journey as a wedding photographer, how and why did you step into this industry?
MJK Photography: Our founder and principal photographer, Jason Koong, stepped into the photography field back in 2009, when he was studying in UK, hoping to capture all the beautiful moments in life. His travel, landscape, and portraiture photos touched one of his friends, who soon invited him to be his wedding photographer.
During his friend’s wedding, Jason was amazed by the incredibly touching, and yet cheerful atmosphere, and capturing every precious moment gave him a tremendous amount of happiness. He realized that this was exactly what he wanted to work for! That was his very first experience in wedding photography, and since then wedding photography has been his passion.
PW: How would you describe your unique style?
Jason Koong: I admire simple and natural photographs with the main focus on the intimate interaction between couples. Wedding photography is a type of photojournalism that captures and journeys with true love, so I am especially obsessed in capturing natural interaction to express their warm and lovely relationship.
PW: Share with us your 3 favorite shots – and tell us the story behind each photo!
Jason Koong: This photo above was taken in Prague, where a street performer was blowing beautiful bubbles at the old town square; at the same time, a group of youngster approached, sang the couples a song and blessed them a wonderful marriage, the moment was so warm, so sweet, and so beautiful!
Jason Koong: After almost 7 hours of shooting, the bride was exhausted, so the groom started to act funny and told jokes to cheer the bride up. The bride finally laughed when the groom pointed his nose to hers and rubbed it in a funny way. This moment was a mixture of love, care, sweetness, and joy! This is why I enjoy being a wedding photographer, and how I stay passionate all the time!
Jason Koong: There’s a lot of famous wedding shoot locations in Paris, Musee du Louvre is definitely one of them. Some would wake up very early in the morning to avoid the crowd, but we love how the sunset creates a natural vintage filter. Here’s a photo with crazy crowd in Musee du Louvre at sunset, we love how there were people around but this couple seemed to be left alone in their own world of love!
PW: What do your clients love the most about working with you?
Jason Koong: Most of my clients commented that they really enjoyed the entire photo session, because it was relaxed, comfortable, and filled with laughter.
I believe a good photo can only be captured under a relaxed atmosphere, where the couple can laugh and interact with each other naturally with true joy. Those are the moments you can find the spark!
PW: What are some things you would suggest to couples before taking pre-wedding photos and the actual wedding day photos?
Jason Koong: Communicate with your photographer and makeup artist 2 weeks before your shooting! Pick a light and comfortable gown/outfit/shoes for your shooting and get everything ready 2-3 days before the shooting day. Most importantly, have a good sleep the night before. Having good mood and a good sleep can do magic on your wedding photos!
PW: Do you shoot destination weddings or overseas preweddings? Share your most memorable story with us!
Jason Koong: Yes! It’s always a good experience to do destination wedding. I love when you get surprises from the locals! There was a time when we were shooting in Prague, a gang of student came to us and sang a song to celebrate the wedding, it was a really touching moment that we can never forget!
PW: What has been your most interesting or dangerous assignment?
Jason Koong: Every assignment was interesting to us, with different couples, it would create different chemical reaction. The most interesting assignment would be a photoshoot for an Italian couple, where English was not a useful language to communicate, and we had to use a lot of gestures and body language to tell jokes! The assignment went very well, and I learned so much from this experience, especially how to tell jokes by using body language!
PW: Do you see any emerging trends in the wedding photography industry?
Jason Koong: Back in the 20th century, couples pose for formal wedding photos in their best outfits to celebrate their marriage. In the early 21st century, most couples look for flawless photos with posed interactions. And now, more and more couples go after the natural look! This personalized trend will spark over time and continue to inspire more modern couples!
PW: How do you like to spend your time when you aren’t shooting weddings? How do you keep yourself inspired?
Jason Koong: I love to travel and to get inspired by different local culture, life, and arts. It helps me to think outside the box and to appreciate all the simple little things in life. Don’t you agree that the most beautiful things are always around us when we keep our hearts open?
PW: What’s the best advice you’ve ever received about being an artist?
Jason Koong: “Create eternity through art”. Wedding photography celebrates love for a lifetime. The photos should be a timeless collection of precious moments that never fades over time!
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