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WHEN Mr Jai Angel Nama and his wife Adriana Nadine Reyne got married last month, they weren't ready to settle for a typical wedding photo with an ordinary suit and gown.
Instead, they decided to wear what Mr Jai calls the best suit of all, their birthday suits.
'I like breaking the rules,' said Mr Jai, an engineer at oil servicing company Duplex Commissioning.
'I like to be outstanding. Following the norm is boring.'
The result was a photograph of the couple with their backs to the camera, showing off their physique and tattoos.
Mr Jai and his wife are among a small number of couples here who are not only proud of taking unusual wedding photographs, but also showing off their body art.
In the past, both were considered taboo.
For example, actors Melody Chen and Randall Tan caused a ripple with their half-nude wedding picture last December.
Mr Jai and his wife used their half-nude picture to welcome guests to their wedding banquet at Novotel Clarke Quay on 8Aug - his wife's birthday.
'It was something we could show our friends and say this is us,' said Madam Reyne, a 31-year-old sales manager.
Tattoo enthusiast Crystal Shi, 31, a managing director, was one of the guests.
'I thought it was cool,' she said.
Mixed reaction
She said her impression was that there was a 'mixed reaction' to the photograph. But after a while even the more traditional family members opened up and started taking pictures with the portrait, she said.
Another guest, Mr Ashpal Sehgal, 26, a marketing executive, said he wasn't at all surprised by the picture.
'They're very progressive people. They're very open. Maybe they were using this as an outlet to showcase their artistic side.' he said.
The idea for the photograph had come from the couple's wedding photographer, Mr Albert Chua of Everafter Pictures, when they were discussing their shot.
The pair wanted their tattoos to be showcased, but the positions of the tattoos practically required nudity.
'I wanted to make it discreet and artistic by not showing too much,' said Mr Chua.
None of the three were particularly uncomfortable, they said.
Madam Reyne said it was just showing 'human nature'.
Mr Jai said: 'Anybody who's been in the army is used to dropping clothes.'
Sensitive
He added that Mr Chua was sensitive and 'gentlemanly enough' to switch off the lights and turn around before Madam Reyne stripped.
Madam Reyne said her parents had no problems with the photograph.
But Mr Jai said his mother 'flipped'. His dad, on the other hand, was 'cool with it'.
'But they couldn't do anything about it anyway because I only showed it on the day of the wedding,' he said, with a laugh.
The couple was so comfortable with the idea they didn't even hit the gym to prepare for the shoot.
The shot cost them $800 - no higher than what Mr Chua generally charges.
Taking such wedding photographs is slowly gaining popularity here, say photographers.
Wedding photographer Ng Sok Eng, who has been shooting weddings for 10years, says she did her first nude wedding shoot this year.
It is part of a rising trend for nude portraiture (Ms Ng does female nudes) that didn't exist a few years ago, she said.
Mr Chua also said there is an upward trend. But the market remains tiny - MrJai's is Mr Chua's second nude wedding shoot in six years.
But not all photographers are open to taking such shots.
One, Mr Jose Pang, 33, said nude wedding shots have been around but mostly kept quiet.
'I prefer my clients clothed as it shows off their gowns and elegant poses,' he said.
Mr Lee Yow Siang, 34, of Big Day Pictures, said nude wedding photos were not practical, as such photos were supposed to be shown off, and not kept private.
He would rather refer couples who want them to other photographers.
'You need someone really specialised to look good,' he said.
More couples after photos with a difference
FOR many couples, a wedding photo is not merely a picture - it's art.
And couples are looking for something different from the typical suit-and-gown shot.
Nude photography is one way of immortalising their nuptials.
Wedding photographer George Wong, 30, recently set up a website, lipsonskin.com, showcasing his nude wedding photos.
So far, he has done one shoot - a pair of Australians who came to Singapore in April to be photographed. He shot the pair in a hotel, taking care to ensure it remained artistic, not pornographic.
'In this industry we have to push limits, so you can do something different. There's no point doing what everyone else is doing,' he said.
And increasingly, couples are going overseas for their photo shoots, said Mr Lee Yow Siang, 34, of Big Day Pictures.
'More and more are exploring options further away from Singapore, because locally, everything looks the same,' he said.
So far, he has done two wedding shoots in Malaysia. He has an upcoming shoot in Australia.
Some couples choose more novel settings.
Mr Albert Chua of Everafter Pictures has done an underwater photoshoot for a couple.
Mr Bobby Leong, 26, has a package where he turns paparazzi for one day.
Called 'Surprise Proposal Photography', Mr Leong take pictures when the future groom springs an unexpected proposal to his love interest.
He charges $400 for two hours - no different from his normal charges for the paparazzi special.
He has done it once so far, at the Equinox, atop Swissotel The Stamford.
He disguised himself as a customer on the day of the shoot, bursting forward only at the moment the groom made his move.
'I had to show my face because at that location, there was no place to hide,' he said.
This article was first published in The New Paper on Sep 6, 2008.
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