Diane

Diane In Family + Children Portraits, Portraits

Family Portraits: Calvin & Audrey

I am excited to show you this set of photos which Weiming and I had done for Calvin & Audrey’s beautiful family- it’s one of those shoots that makes me glad about being a photographer. There’s really so much joy in seeing family portraits turn out great in post-processing (Thanks to our intern Digital Artist, Cheryl!) makes my heart flutter.

Calvin & Audrey were one of our former clients who hired us for their actual day wedding photography. Now that their little bundle of joy, Mikaela has come into the picture, it’s time for another photography session!

Weiming and I had a lot of fun during the shoot. Calvin & Audrey are cool parents, which made the whole photo session very enjoyable.

Diane In For Photographers, Musings, Tips + Ideas

DIY: Clothes Pin Photo Frame

Are you getting anxious about spending heaps of money for the coming Christmas season?

Are you bored of Christmas decorations that look the same year after year?

Are you running out of ideas for Christmas gifts?

Worry no more! We at Stories are here to help you!

Pardon my impersonation of an annoying informercial announcer above, now that I got your attention, I’d like to show you a fun and easy way of making a photo frame that is out of the ordinary.

Introducing, The Unconventional Photo Changer Frame!

Diane In Family + Children Portraits, Musings, Portraits, Tips + Ideas

Family Portraits: Edwin, Priscilla, Joseph, Joy-Anne and Isabel

After having done some outdoor family portraits, I realised that it’s not hard to make a photo session enjoyable for the whole family. Here’s some tips to make your family photo session truly a pleasure:

Let us know of the timing when your child is at his/her best mood. That way we’ll be able to work around the baby’s timing. Some babies are happier in the morning after a good night’s rest, while some are better in the evenings.

Bring sufficient drinking water & snacks. Since our Malaysian weather is hot and humid, staying hydrated is crucial! A thirsty/hungry child (or adult, for that matter) can get whiny. ;)

Be on time for shoots. This is important for outdoor shoots especially as we don’t want to miss the best lighting during the day. The best time in terms of lighting are between 7.30 – 9.30am and 5 – 7pm. It tends to get warmer after 9.30am, which might mean a cranky kid! It’ll also be a shame to miss out on good lighting for your shoot!

Talk to us! Communicate the ideas that you might have for your shoot with us. Some parents might like to have a picnic, while others just want a casual day in the park. Share with us the list of props that you have.

With all the above, I present you… Edwin, Priscilla, Joseph, Joy-Anne and Isabel.

Diane In For Photographers, Musings, Tips + Ideas

Composing Your Photos Like a Pro!

I don’t know about you, but I have a love-hate relationship with camera-gear talk. As much as I love gathering information about lenses and camera bodies, I also detest the thought that my gear is not good enough, even after spending a whole lot of money. It makes me and my bank account very sad. :(

While good camera gear helps add magic to photos, it only represents half the challenge (I mean, you don’t see us bringing little point-and-shoot cameras to our clients’ events!). Having an idea on how to compose a good image is key to a great shot, no matter the gear.

Since the year-end holidays are near and you will probably be traveling, I will show you some basic composition rules to help make your holiday shots better!

1. Rule of thirds

No, we’re not playing tic tac toe. :P

You’ve probably seen this grid in your smart-phone cameras. This is one of the most useful feature that you can have as it helps you align your horizon.

The other use for this is as a guide to place your subject at the points of interest, which are the points where the lines cross. Our eyes are drawn to these points, creating a pleasing photo.

Diane In For Photographers, Tips + Ideas

Bokeh Fun!

Don’t you just love the creamy background blur that Grace and the team get on our pictures? :)

I remember one of the deciding factors that drove me to purchase my first DSLR is the ability to produce bokeh. The word “bokeh” is essentially a Japanese word for blur. In photography, bokeh is used to describe the blur that is behind the focused subject. It is typically produced when one shoots with a large aperture, like f2.8 and below. Therefore, prime leses, such as the 50mm f1.8, 85mm f1.2, 35mm f1.4 and others will give you pretty bokeh.

Normally bokeh is round, sometimes it’s hexagon, according to the shape of your aperture opening. Well, they are great, but boring. (Yawns) So I am going to show you how to change the shape of your bokeh to look like this:

You will need:

1. Cardboard. Go green, don’t have to purposefully purchase it. Use your unwanted cereal box. They work great!

2. Your DSLR with a prime lens. (the nifty 50mm f1.8 will do!)

3. Pen, marker, scissors, pen knife and clear tape.