I had the privilege of witnessing and recording the marriage proposal of my friends Ivan and Mi Ghent a few days ago. I’ve known the both of them for years – individually and then together as a couple. I am so glad they’ve taken the plunge into this whole realm of trusting each other’s hearts with full commitment to one another.

Ivan had this ingenious idea of creating ‘additional’ Monopoly Deal cards for the proposal. It’s one of Mi Ghent’s favourite game and the idea was so apt! After a few rounds, Ivan played his “Marry Me” card, followed by the “Just Say Yes” card, specially designed by our friend Monica.

She was stunned for a while, and then asked, “Are you on your knees?”

Needless to say, she said YES!

It was especially meaningful too that the engagement ring was a family heirloom handed down by Ivan’s mum. I am so happy for the both of you! Thank you for inviting Alex and I to be part of this beautiful occasion. And of course, thanks for the yummy Ipoh food too! Now, on to wedding planning!

I was happy with the results of the shoot, and though we took more than 50 different shots from this session, only 2 could be selected for the main key art. There were many I liked, but these 2 were selected for the pack.

Have a super Friday!

Not too long ago, Kenny, together with a few friends, got together with the Stories team to shoot some stylized portraits, kind of like a fun fashion shoot. Together with Mark & Johan, we came up with some pretty awesome shots! Here are some of my favourites…

Image below: Photographed by Johan (left image) and Mark (right image)

Johan’s image below:

My shots below:

Unfortunately it poured and poured that day, with a huge thunderstorm. We couldn’t venture very far from the condo we were in.

Image below: Mark’s shot on the left, mine on the right

Overall, I am pretty pleased with what we could come up with in just 2 hours, despite the pouring rain! All the best with your modeling career, Kenny!

Oh the 2 weeks in this magical land just felt too short. There’s just so much to see in Turkey! I had an amazing experience, despite the cold winter breeze, fingers frozen from holding my camera body, feet soaked from the wet snow…

Thank you, Edwin & Dawn.

I am really glad you took us along on this whirlwind trip to the land where bright coloured lamps abound, funny looking structures rise from the ground, and roasted chestnuts (kestane) on carts line the streets all day long.

Edwin & Dawn wanted to travel to Turkey after their wedding for some post wedding portraits. Dawn visisted Turkey some time back, and absolutely fell in love with it. I am still amazed at her Turkish vocabulary! Everywhere we went, she would mention a Turkish word and people would instantly warm up to her. She even managed to communicate what she wanted for her hair and make up in a smattering of Turkish to the make up artist. Dawn brings such joy and a sense of warmth everywhere she went. The cold weather didn’t make a difference.

Edwin, on the other hand, had never visited Turkey prior to this trip. He was the secure and calm person who would carry all the bags for Dawn, and willingly do whatever she suggested. You know that he loves Dawn deeply by his acts of kindness. Edwin, you are truly a gem.

When we traveled to Cappadocia, I felt so amazed at the landscape there. While in Cappadocia, I heard this piece of music that totally complemented the landscape. It’s just surreal. I instantly fell in love with it. It was just perfect for the images that we created in this trip. From Istanbul to Cappadocia… from the Ayasofya to the Blue Mosque to Eminonoue… presenting… Edwin & Dawn.

The underground cities of Derinkuyu.

The temperature in Turkey was about 0-5 degrees, but Dawn was brave enough to step out in the cold without her coat most times…

and smile.

This is Tanya (or Tania). She greets me everyday when I go to work, or when I get back from work. She’s young, excitable and sometimes likes to jump on me and land her paws on my outfit, especially when it’s white. When I scream her name, “Tanya, stop it!” she does it again, looking rather proud at her scuff marks on my dress. Other times, she chews my slippers or shoes, and then gets a prompt beating from Alex. He lost the straps to his Crocs that way. Tanya belongs to my in-law’s and is supposed to be a guard dog, but so far, she has failed at her duties. Guests who come by are promptly greeted with a grin and a tail wag.

This is Chino. The photo was taken by my friend Eugene some time back. Chino used to live with me, but now he’s freeloading at my sister’s house (while my home is being renovated). Chino likes to run and attack if he thinks you’re fun to play with. Hands and feet are for biting, he says. Oh, and my claws are hurting you? Sorry but I can’t help myself.

Chino is sociable. He loves to visit my neighbours and my sister’s neighbours frequently. If there’s a comfy couch to sleep in, he’ll make himself at home. In fact, this toilet bowl in the photo is not even mine. Unfortunately, he doesn’t realize that his social skills are not of the likable sort. But he doesn’t care. He thinks the world loves him.

And here’s Paddles the dog and Sugar the cat. My sister’s beloved pets. Unfortunately the other members of the family, Puppy the dog and Mocha the cat refused to join in for this family portrait. They live under one roof in harmony. Sugar is rather embarrassed to have been caught in this pic, getting too cosy with a dog. She is completely anti-social, hates people but loves dogs. When you call her name, it’s a cue to run faster. In the opposite direction.

Paddles is a people dog. She loves loves loves people (x 1,000 times). She loves the water too, in fact, in her younger days, she used to sit in a kayak while my sister went white water kayaking. Now that she’s older, she has a more luxurious lifestyle. Occasionally my sister would allow her to swim in her private pool at home.

*iPhone pic

When Chino joined their household a few months ago, he discovered there were political alliances in this family. Sugar hates Chino’s guts and Mocha (also known as Hitler) just bears with him. Mocha’s an old boy, and he’s seen lots of funny things in his lifetime. Mocha has taken a “I can’t care less about you” attitude. Just feed me, darn it, and I’m happy.

*iPhone pic

And finally, this is Puppy (on the right, duh!). She is demure, loving, and gentle. She gets along with everyone. Puppy was an abandoned dog at my sister’s office and was adopted into the family years ago. Puppy will come to me and look adoringly into my eyes until I give her a little pat on her head.

My brother always says, “There’s drama in the Tan household”. With so many animals in my life, there’s definitely drama. Thank goodness they don’t ALL live under the same roof. I still have hopes that one day, I’ll be able to get a full family portrait. I don’t know how, but it’ll be a miracle when it happens.

Or do I only care about where I will be having dinner tonight… sushi or Italian? Whether to buy Coach or LV? Which movies to watch, what to do after work…?

I know that it’s impossible to lead a completely self-less life, but I am constantly challenged to do things that matter in life. Whether it is volunteering to take photos at a HIV institution, cleaning people’s homes after the tsunami, or just feeding an old lady in a home… I believe that every action counts.

And so, the message in MadWorld really resonates with my soul. This amazing dance & song choreography, performed by talented individuals is the joint production between two churches – SIBKL & DUMC. The production raises this long debated question… “What indeed is the worth of our souls?”

The energy and passion that is in this production is truly inspiring. I know for a fact that the performers have sacrificed hours and hours of their time practicing for this production, debuting this 3rd of December in DUMC. The event is open to all and entrance is free.

A month ago, the performers, creative team, band members and many others gathered in an abandoned house in KL for a photo shoot. It was a challenging shoot for me, as I had to evoke the right kind of emotion through the images, which would be used for all marketing materials and brochures. Check out the poster below for the performance times, or visit the official MadWorld website.

The singers

The dancers

The four main cast – Adam, Lucas, Pearly and Sinister

Recently, I was invited to a special bloggers’ preview of the production. I was just awestruck at this visual feast before my eyes as the music, dance and acting melded together perfectly. My main gripe? I wish the production was longer. Enjoy these sneak preview photos taken by myself and my husband Alex. (on a side note, if you want to view some of his amazing video and editing work – ahem, trained by me… you have to visit the official MadWorld site! Click here for promo 1 and here for promo 2)

Three projection screens will be showing different videos to enhance the storytelling.

The beach wedding reception is not till next year, but this is the day Terry and Mei Ling made their marriage official. The papers are signed, the vows are made, and they are married! So here’s a quick little post to wish them congratulations!!

This year’s Christmas performance, produced by DUMC and SIB KL is definitely not your ordinary Christmas play. Titled MadWorld, it’s a combination of creative dance and beautiful singing, in a story centred around 4 main characters, Lucas, Adam, Pearly & Sinister.

This photo shoot is for MadWorld’s promotional materials – posters, program booklet, the works. I had 50 people to photograph in one day and in a stylistic way. The day before, my team who consists of Alex, Yih Wen & Weiming went to KL to source for broken or old looking furniture. The doors were brought in by them. So proud of my props and lighting team.

The make up & styling is  incredible too. After many discussions with various people, the look was finalized. Main make up person is Joy Chong, overall styling by Kenny Shim.

I have heaps of photos to share with everyone, but they will have to come later… here are a few to whet your appetite!

In the past, I used to shun away from using flash for my photography work. It is a scary thing that is hard to control. But once you begin to understand it, light is a fun thing to play around with. I am still learning and improving my skills over time. I know that there are flaws to this image, but overall, I am rather pleased with it.