My Photography Experience
Over the years, I've met many wonderful people through photography. Some assignments are memorable because of the photographs I produced, while others stay with me because of the people I met and the experiences we shared.
One of those people is Angie Mui, the person behind Framing Angie. I had the opportunity to photograph both her portraits and the interior of her home for a project connected to Expat Living magazine. Although the assignment was interesting, what made it especially memorable was getting to know Angie and experiencing the trust and kindness she showed me.
This is one of those stories that reminds me why I've always valued good relationships more than the money I earn from photography.
Angie was known for her customised framing work. Rather than simply putting artwork into standard frames, she created frames that complemented the objects being displayed and the interiors where they would be placed. I admired how she could turn something meaningful to its owner into an attractive feature of the home.
When Angie was approached for a feature in Expat Living magazine, she decided to engage her own photographer instead of relying entirely on the magazine's in-house photography team. She wanted greater control over the photographs, which would include portraits of herself and images of her home's interior.
She contacted me and proposed a paid meeting to discuss the assignment. I appreciated that she recognised the value of a professional consultation, even before any photographs were taken.
Interestingly, her son was also doing freelance photography at that time, yet she still chose to approach me. I was grateful for the opportunity, not simply because it meant another paid assignment, but because it gave me the chance to get to know her. Looking back, that turned out to be far more valuable to me than the photography fee.
As I got to know Angie, I realised that we shared a similar appreciation for customised work. She enjoyed creating frames that suited the individual objects and their surroundings, while I preferred approaching photography according to each client's needs rather than following the same formula for everyone.
Although our professions were different, we both cared about the details and wanted our work to be meaningful to the people receiving it. I enjoyed talking to someone who understood the satisfaction of creating something specially for a client.
Angie was also far more established and experienced in business than I was. I admired her confidence, her communication skills and the way she interacted with people. She seemed comfortable in situations where I might have struggled to find the right words, and I felt there was much I could learn from her.
The assignment involved both corporate portraits and lifestyle portraits of Angie, together with interior photography of her spacious home. These were quite different types of photography, so I had to approach the lighting, composition and presentation differently.
I particularly enjoyed photographing Angie because she was so comfortable in front of the camera. She could change her expression or move into another pose within seconds, which made the portrait session very smooth. She told me that she had been taking creative corporate portraits regularly for her business, and the experience had helped her become confident with posing.
The interior photography was a different challenge because her home was large and there were many spaces to cover. We agreed to calculate the fee according to the actual duration of my work, rather than trying to estimate a fixed shooting time in advance. This allowed me to concentrate on photographing the property carefully, knowing that the time spent would be accounted for.
Something unexpected happened during the first day of photography. Angie suddenly mentioned that I had used a word incorrectly in the write-up for one of my older photoshoot albums.
I was stunned, not because she had found a mistake, but because she had actually spent so much time reading my website. Even back then, I had already written a huge number of pages about my photography experiences, and some of those articles were rather lengthy. The mistake she spotted was in one of my earliest photoshoot write-ups.
It made me realise that she hadn't merely looked through a few portfolio photographs before contacting me. She had taken the trouble to read about my work and experiences, paying enough attention to notice something I had missed myself.
I was genuinely touched by that small gesture. I put a lot of effort into writing about my photography because I want people to understand not just what I do, but also how I work and what matters to me. Knowing that someone had taken the time to read those stories made all that effort feel worthwhile.
Another thing I appreciated was how much Angie trusted me with the interior photography. Her home was spacious, so I had to return on another day to continue the shoot. However, Angie wasn't there when I arrived for the second visit. Her domestic helpers received me, and I was left to carry on with the photography independently.
Since our arrangement was based on the total duration of my work, she could have insisted on being present to monitor how much time I spent. Instead, she trusted me to manage the assignment properly and make good use of the time.
I appreciated that freedom because I could concentrate on studying the rooms, adjusting my compositions and working towards the results I wanted without feeling that someone was watching the clock. Of course, that didn't mean I could take as long as I pleased. I understood that she was paying for my time, and I had a responsibility to use it reasonably.
What mattered to me was that Angie was comfortable leaving those decisions in my hands. It made the working relationship much more pleasant and allowed me to focus on the photography itself.
Unfortunately, not everything turned out as we had originally hoped. Although Angie had engaged me for the portrait and interior photography, the magazine later felt that the background of the main portrait was too dim for its cover.
The background had been chosen by Angie, and I had photographed her according to the direction we had agreed on. However, the magazine had its own preferences for the cover photograph, and Angie eventually used its in-house photography service for that particular image.
Naturally, I was disappointed that my photograph wasn't used for the cover. Nevertheless, I understood that a magazine had its own requirements, and the final decision wasn't entirely within our control.
It didn't change how I felt about the assignment or Angie. I had enjoyed the opportunity to photograph her and her home, and the relationship we developed meant much more to me than whether one particular photograph appeared on the magazine cover.
What made the experience even more special was that our relationship continued beyond the photography assignment. Angie invited me to gatherings at her home, where I had the opportunity to meet her partner, her son and some of her friends. On one occasion, she even cooked for me personally.
I appreciated her hospitality, although I have to admit that social gatherings weren't exactly my strength. I could be rather awkward around people I didn't know well, and I sometimes struggled to keep conversations going. Looking back, I wish I had been more confident and better at interacting with her guests.
Still, I was grateful that she welcomed me into her personal circle. She could easily have treated me as just another photographer she had hired for a job, but she took an interest in my work and made an effort to get to know me. I never took that kindness for granted.
When I think about photographing Angie Mui, I remember much more than the portraits and interior photographs. I remember how naturally she posed, how much trust she placed in me and, most unexpectedly, how carefully she had read my website.
Although the magazine cover didn't turn out as we had planned, it was a small part of an otherwise wonderful experience. I was fortunate to meet someone who appreciated my work, respected my time and treated me with genuine kindness. The friendship and memories that came from the assignment were worth far more to me than the photography fee.
Years later, what I remember most isn't the photograph that wasn't used. It's the person who took the time to understand and appreciate the photographer behind the camera.
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