15% discount for Capilano students!

I loved my time at Capilano University, and I have many fond memories there. That's why I'm permanently giving a 15% discount to all current and past students of Capilano! All you have to do is show me your Capilano ID and I'll knock 15% off your wedding photography package.

There are lots of hidden codes on our Facebook and Twitter that will help you save money on your wedding. Just today, we were able to offer $1,000 in savings to a client just because she knew where to look. Hopefully, if you're a Capilano student, this will help keep more money in your pocket.

Benjamin Luk Photography is available for assignment at BLPwedding.com.

Italy in 2016?

(Photo by David Iliff. License: CC-BY-SA 3.0.)

In 2003, I visited Italy for the first time. Florence, Siena, Sorrento and Positano are still cities I remember vividly. In 2010, I started to fall in love with Italian wine. For my grandfather's eightieth birthday, we shared a bottle of 1999 Barolo. My first girlfriend was Italian. I met her on a plane to Rome. Her family fed me the best Italian food I'd ever tasted. Even now, I still get excited over a frattaglie menu. I love Italy.

Ever since I started wedding photography, I'd thought about going back. I'd always fantasize about doing destination weddings in Italy, perhaps while picking wine grapes during harvest season so I'd have a place to stay. I'd stay in the country and putter around in a rented car while building the portfolio of my dreams. Well, it's time that dream became a reality.

Starting in January, I'll be taking courses in Italian and building a network centred around Florence. The idea is I'd still primarily shoot in Vancouver during peak season, but escape to Italy for three to four weeks a year during my offseason to shoot destination jobs for clients from Canada. I'll use tools like Airbnb to figure out my lodging but ultimately, I'll be relying on you, the friends and fans of Benjamin Luk Photography, to help me out. If you have a contact in Italy, please let me know about him or her. All I'd need is a couch to sleep on and good wi-fi, and I'd pay very generously for that in cash, wine, good company and possibly backrubs.

Do you know someone? Help me build my dream. I won't forget it, and I'll do everything in my power to help you build yours. Help me get to Italy. I'll be forever grateful.

Benjamin Luk Photography Weddings is available for assignment at BLPwedding.com.

Our Best of 2013!

(Brad and Jill at Fort Langley's CN train station. © 2013 Benjamin Luk.)

Weddings are my life. 2013 was an unforgettable year for weddings and my only regret was not staying on top of my blog posts to keep you fine folks updated. What's crazy is 2013's wedding season isn't over yet. We have an NYE wedding so we'll be shooting right up until the end of the year. Meanwhile, here's a small handful of shots showing what we've been up to. Click to enlarge.

(Tom and Charity at Barkley Brook. © 2013 Benjamin Luk.)

There's way more where these shots came from. We had a blast and barely any rest. From Dan and Donna to Tom and Charity, from Brad and Jill to Kim and Bryan, we had our busiest summer ever. I hit Toronto for a wedding in May, but most of our bookings have been local. I travel for weddings if need be though. I'll be in Newcastle for a wedding in 2015.

(Gabriel and Gladys at Riverfront Park in Vancouver. © 2013 Benjamin Luk.)

I now work regularly with accomplished portrait photographer Greg Bricknell. His combination of evocative imagery and technical skill makes him one of the finest wedding assistants I've ever brought on. 80% of the wedding shoots I did in 2013 were with Greg. Because of that, we're now running like a well-oiled machine and if you book us for 2014 or beyond, you'll benefit from that working relationship.

(Dan and Donna at Dr. Sun Yat-Sen Classical Chinese Garden. © 2013 Benjamin Luk.)

Prices for 2014 start at $2,095 for the first six hours and $400 per additional hour plus applicable tax. Book a free consultation with us to see more work, especially from the weddings shown here. To do that, e-mail us at info@benjaminluk.com or text me at (604) 649-5635 with your names and wedding date. I consider my clients top priority. I'll make sure you're seen to right away.

(Kim and Bryan at New Westminster's Metro Hall. © 2013 Benjamin Luk.)

Benjamin Luk Photography Weddings is available for assignment at BLPwedding.com.

Tony & Caitlin's Wedding - September 29th, 2012

(Tony and Caitlin as the sun sets on their wedding day. © 2012 Benjamin Luk.)

Long before I'd set foot on their ceremony site, we'd all already bonded over beer at Central City Brew Pub. Tony and Caitlin were friends with my intern Lauren and she recommended me since she wouldn't be able to play photographer and bridesmaid at the same time. We hit it off great. In that meeting, we realized our respective personalities were the perfect match and moved right on to prep for the big day.

(Tony and Caitlin's wedding party. © 2012 Benjamin Luk.)

The wedding was in Gibsons, BC. I'd always remembered Gibsons fondly, having gone on numerous high school camping trips there with my best friends. My assistant Jason booked the ferry and I booked the hotel. We'd stay one night, then wake up fresh to shoot without having to worry about arriving late. We even brought props, some of which we had to wrestle into cooperation. I was striving for a top-end commercial look to Tony and Caitlin's wedding portraits. Thanks to our on-the-go Profoto AcuteB 600, our lighting was exceptional.

(Caitlin and the groomsmen. © 2012 Benjamin Luk.)

It was a four-hour shoot; getting ready, portraits, ceremony and family shots. Through our extensive prep work, we stayed on schedule and had a great time doing it. Even though this was a shorter shoot than most, it didn't feel like it. We came back with loads of material and I look forward to updating my portfolio with some of our best wedding party shots yet. I deliver the photos this Friday. In the meantime, see even more from this wedding on our WedOverHeels.

(Wandering hands lead to genuine smiles. © 2012 Benjamin Luk.)

Benjamin Luk Photography Weddings is available for assignment at BLPwedding.com.

Check us out on WedOverHeels!

(WedOverHeels is a new social network for engaged couples and wedding professionals. © WedOverHeels.)

As we look to find even better footing in Vancouver's booming wedding industry, we hope to connect with every vendor in the area capable of meeting our high standards. Luckily, local Bean Benson saw the need for an engaging online community specifically for us and started up WedOverHeels, a place for us wedding pros to exchange ideas and even share them with our clients in a design-savvy space. Click here to see my WOH profile and leave some feedback. Whether you're a fellow pro, newly engaged, a past client or simply a fan, you'll find yourself at home. I look forward to watching the site grow and can't wait to see what new ideas are just around the corner.

Benjamin Luk Photography Weddings is available for assignment at BLPwedding.com.

Andrea & Rob's Wedding - August 11th, 2012

(Andrea getting ready for the ceremony. © 2012 Benjamin Luk.)

Andrea and I first met to talk about her wedding at a hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant on the outskirts of Greater Vancouver. We'd had numerous mutual friends, but didn't know each other well on a personal level. However, she trusted my vision and knew I'd be the perfect fit for her wedding. When the day came, I couldn't have felt more at home. Her and her now-husband Rob were more traditional folk with a more traditional wedding mindset, but we were able to put a more contemporary spin on some of their images. To see more from this wedding, give us a call and book us for a personal consultation.

(Andrea and Rob relaxing as newlyweds. © 2012 Benjamin Luk.)

Benjamin Luk Photography Weddings is available for assignment at BLPwedding.com.

James & Tory's Wedding - June 9th, 2012

(James and Tory got married in Santorini on June 9th, 2012. © 2012 Benjamin Luk.)

Sometimes I get assignments that seem too good to be true. Most of these involve travel. And though I've technically shot in Hong Kong and San Francisco, this opportunity to travel to Greece and stay there for a week getting to know the couple I'd be photographing on their wedding day was far too good to pass up. So flights were booked, hotels called and bags packed. I set off on May 31st for the adventure of a lifetime.

(One of our locations was Atlantis Books, located in the small Greek town of Oia. © 2012 Benjamin Luk.)

After a short engagement session at the Acropolis and numerous days of drunken misadventures (where we learned exactly what the best man's alcohol tolerance was and why you shouldn't be standing on a national treasure during a hangover), we took a ferry over to the majestic island of Santorini. It was picture perfect. Beautiful blue skies, crystal clear water and cold craft beer awaited us. Moussaka and gyros greeted us at every turn. And my camera practically never left my side.

(One of the many beautiful doorways and alcoves in Santorini. © 2012 Benjamin Luk.)

Then the wedding day came. Since our budget couldn't accommodate an assistant, it was up to me to wrangle the 22 pounds of gear I bring to every shoot. Rushing from the hostel we were all staying at in Kamari up to the peak of Oia, I had my first encounter with every destination photographer's worst nightmare: heat stroke. With the ceremony only minutes away and fighting back waves of nausea, I hydrated as quickly as I could and carried on. This first kiss photo is proof I survived and stayed at the top of my game.

(The best 'first kiss' photo I've ever shot. © 2012 Benjamin Luk.)

I stayed for dinner and the post-wedding party at Dom (where I snapped many an inappropriate first dance photo), but took off the next day for a flight back into Athens where I stayed for two more nights. Not ready to end my adventuring yet, I found my way to Paris before heading back home to edit. These five photos you see here are only the tiniest percentage of gorgeous shots I got while in Greece. For the real deal, you'll want to book a private appointment with me to see more and talk to me about your upcoming wedding.

(Sunset on Santorini. © 2012 Benjamin Luk.)

Benjamin Luk Photography Weddings is available for assignment at BLPwedding.com.