Interviewing the Best Hong Kong Wedding Photographer – Ali G

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Ali G is a famous photographer based in Hong Kong and who has photographed Keanu Reeves, Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, and Edward Saxon, the Macau Casino King Stanley Ho, Lee family of Lee Kum Kee, Fan Bing Bing, and a lot of celebrities and VIPs.

He is also the main photographer of a lot of “Crazy Rich Asians” types of weddings, LOL. So… probably you could get a great idea about his work and clients. Check out Ali’s Wedding Photography via here.

Why Did We Pick Ali G as the Best Photographer in Hong Kong?

I discovered Ali when I was attending my friend’s wedding and he was her wedding and pre-wedding photographer. Looking at his photos and I felt love and passion.

If you have ever attended a typical wedding in Hong Kong, you will probably see there would be a photo album displayed at the reception area, and most of the time, nobody is looking at it at all.

But then for that wedding, things were different, you could see there is always someone looking at the album and quite a bit of the ladies were talking about the photo. That’s the moment I know he should be a great wedding photographer. Then I asked him if he wants to grab a coffee with me and do a quick interview, he said yes!

Later I found out Ali’s photos was on New York Time, South China Morning Post (SCMP), New York Times, Hello Magazine, and Times of India. Nice!!

Interviewing the Best Wedding Photographer in Hong Kong – Ali G

Q: What is your favorite part of wedding photography?

Ali: The emotions, the love, and the colors. I just love weddings, it’s one of the best days of your life! I treasure my job as a wedding photographer because I get to help my client frozen the happiest moment in their life.

Living in Hong Kong is making my life as a wedding photographer even better because I get to photograph a lot of Chinese and Indian weddings and the dress, the jewelry, and the ceremonies are just incredible.

Q: What makes you become a successful wedding photographer?

Ali: True Love! Arhahahaha! Right, first of all, you gotta believe in love so you can capture it, isn’t it? You need to feel the love between the couple, the families, and their friends. So you can take the best shots.

Another point making my photos stand out from others is probably because of the motion in my photos. I will observe and listen a lot so I can raise my camera quick enough to capture the moment they are smiling from the bottom of their heart.

That last point is communication, you need to understand what your clients need and give them what they want. Talking to your clients, the wedding planners are the best way to feel their personalities, the relationships between different family members so you can take the best photos of them on the wedding day.  

Q: What are the biggest challenges of wedding photography?

For me, here are the challenges of wedding photography:

1. Need to enjoy being around and interacting with people. Never forget, you are part of their wedding experience.

2. You need to BELIEVE in LOVE. If you don’t believe in it, how can you capture it?

3. Need to be Physically and Mentally fit – one must carry heaving equipment around for long hours each day, and always be ready to take photos. After a 4 day Indian wedding, I usually stay behind at the destination and take some days off just to recover!

4. Need to have backup equipment, cannot just rely on one camera

5. Flexible – there are always delays at weddings because a lot of people are involved. So you must be patient and able to perform under high-pressure situations.

Q: Can you tell me more about those “Crazy Rich Asians” weddings you’ve photographed?

Ali: Crazy Rich Asian type… There are actually… quite a few! Incredible experiences!

The Indian Weddings I have worked on have been 3-5 days worldwide…Bali, Phuket, Cebu, Mumbai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Bangkok, Hua Hin, etc. Some have been huge with almost 1800-2000 guests.

For one wedding in Bangkok, they flew in the Batmobile from DC Comics (Batman’s car!) and the groom went around in the car in the streets of Bangkok

At another wedding in Thailand, the groom entered the wedding ceremony on an elephant!

For a Bali wedding, just the wedding planning team was 30+ people! There was a construction company that built an entire building structure on the beach for the ceremony. The structure looked like an Indian temple and palace.

At one wedding, the bride entered on a small boat!

The designer clothing, the jewelry, the colors, the whole experience is simply unbelievable!

Most of these weddings are from USD 3,000,000 to USD 20,000,000

Sometimes, I just put the camera down and watch for a few minutes. I feel very thankful that I am a professional in this industry, and my hard work has taken me to some of the most amazing destinations and experiences in the world.

When I get married, I am Batman!

Q: Any tips for the Bride to be to help them look stunning on the wedding day?

Ali: yeah sure! Here are a few things that can help her look special and stunning on the big day.

  1. Thank about what you want, look at the portfolio of the photographers and pick on that you like and trust
  2. Talk to the photographer, make sure they understand what you want and what’s your plan on the big day, listen to their opinion. It’s their job so very likely they will give you some great opinions.
  3. Do a pre-wedding photo shooting and test make up, see if you love them
  4. Trust your photographer, following his/ her instruction
  5. Forget about your look and just enjoy your wedding day! 

(We have summed up tips from the best wedding photographers in New York, Boston, Las Vegas and Malaysia, for sure, Ali’s tips too. You may want to take a look at that article too!)

Final Words Regarding Interviewing the Best Wedding Photographer in Hong Kong – Ali G

We have done a lot of interviews with photographers, but the interview was just… lots of fun. We could not stop laughing during the whole section and I guess this is one of the reasons why he is so popular.

The wedding day should be one of the best days of your life and Ali makes this an even better day!

Below is the contact info about Ali G Studios.