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Grace Tan

Family Portraits in Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa: Jamie & Ann

On Christmas day last year, I went to meet Jamie and Ann, long time clients turned friends. Their pre-wedding session shot in 2011 at the Gold Coast, Australia is still fresh in my mind as if I did it yesterday, because they had transported a couch and a canoe to the location for the photos! I also loved every detail of their wedding at the Hyatt Regency Sanctuary Cove in Gold Coast and Sails on the Bay at Melbourne, Australia.

So it’s been many years since we met, but I love how social media keeps everyone connected and I could always keep up to date on everyone’s lives. So it was only in 2017 that I managed to meet them again, this time with two little cutie pies in their arms! It was also wonderful to see Ann’s family again.

Lots of love to the both of you, and I will definitely see you again in the future, perhaps with my kids in tow instead!

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Alternative Photo Framing Ideas with Driftwood & Air Plants


If you are looking for new ways to make your wedding or family photos stand out, how about a driftwood and air plant photo frame? It is an alternative idea to displaying your beautiful photos. I have always loved succulents, cacti and air plants ever since I knew of its existence, so what better way to combine to passions than to create a new product like this? Each driftwood frame is unique, as no piece of wood is exactly the same. The one displayed here is about 10 inches in length and can hold 2 photos in 4R size.

Some interesting facts about air plants, also known as Tillandsia.
1. Native to the forests, mountains and deserts of Central and South America, the southern United States and the West Indies.
2. They normally grow without soil and can be placed on various surfaces without harm.
3. They love well ventilated areas with lots of open space.
4. Air plants enjoy indirect sunlight or filtered bright light and do not require frequent watering.
5. You can water your air plant by misting it twice a week but you would also need to soak it in water for a few hours once a week.

So it’s pretty easy to care for, but here’s some other info you can read about air plant care. Let us know if you would like to order one for yourself! Prices start from RM150.

Our air plant displays will make a debut this 10th and 11th March at the StarWow bazaar at the Starling, Damansara Utama. You can purchase our photography packages, baby gift book or our driftwood frame there. Do let us know on our social media pages what you think of this alternative framing idea!

Credits:
Photography & Driftwood Photo Frame Creation by: Grace

Wedding Video Highlight: Kingston & Delia

This was our first wedding for 2018, shot on the 1st of Jan! We were glad to have met Kingston and Delia, both very personable and friendly towards us as a team. The both of them live in Melbourne but came back to Malaysia for their wedding. We filmed their Chinese tea ceremony and banquet at the Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa. The games were pretty hilarious, with lots of great moves from the guys!

Here’s the story of how they met:

Delia: Kingston and I met in high school but it wasn’t until the last 2 years of high school that we finally got to know each other. This was probably because our paths finally crossed when he was appointed a prefect in the last 2 years. It was at a prefect’s camp at the beginning of the year that we started talking to each other as we were put in the same group. I remember thinking what a nice and funny person he was, always joking and making me laugh. Conversations were pretty superficial at that stage, but the unusual thing about it was the way he made me smile all the time and made me feel exceptionally comfortable around him. One day after camp, we were both put on prefect duty at the back of our school canteen.  I remember that being the first time we got to talk to each other- just the 2 of us. I felt as if we had known each other for years. I think I told him my life story that day! Clearly we were not very good prefects.. we weren’t even paying attention to our duties the whole time! Since then, we would talk almost every single day.

Kingston: We became best friends. We would hang out every morning on roll call, see each other on breaks and the funny thing is, I always know that she’s looking at me when we happened to be nearby on our prefect duties. She laughs at most of my jokes (which doesn’t happen with a lot of people) and I always (and still do) get that warm fuzzy feeling when we are together.

Delia: Towards the end of college, it was time to decide what we wanted to study in University and where. Many of our friends had either already gone or were preparing to go overseas to complete tertiary studies. This was the time when I started to think about my future seriously and who the most important people in my life were. It was during this time in 2006 when I realised just how much I cannot imagine not having Kingston in my life. It really put things in perspective for me and I guess Kingston felt the same way too. So August 1st 2006, that’s when we decided to take our relationship further.

It was also the time I started Medical School in IMU and Kingston started studying Chemical Engineering at Monash. We spent the first 2 and half years together in this relationship and it was bliss. Beginning 2009, Kingston moved to Melbourne to continue his studies there and our long-distance relationship began. It was one of the hardest things I’ve had to go through and 6 months later, I then moved to Southampton, UK to continue my medical degree. The hardest part about being apart was, to me, meeting him once a year for no longer than 2 weeks and having to count down the days before we had to part again.

Kingston: Spending time together in that short stint was amazing. We appreciated every single ticking second in each other’s company and we would go on dates like how we used to when we were younger. Of course beautiful moments like those were never enough- and the reality of the situation would always set in towards the end of our holidays together. The hardest part is having to say goodbye every single time, and knowing that by sunrise the next day one of us would be leaving for another full year. These were extremely difficult moments for us, but we both know that they made us stronger individually. Although this phase of the relationship is the most difficult and challenging one, it made us grew not only as a person, but together as a couple.

Finally, Delia completed her stint in the UK in 2014 and made her move to Melbourne. I still remember waiting for her at the airport, full of excitement and happiness, knowing that we won’t have to endure the hardships of long distance relationship anymore. Fast forward to today, it still amazes me that we are still together in this 10+ years of relationship and have persisted so much in life. I always knew that I wanted to marry Delia and with us finally being together, I decided to propose at the end of 2016.

Delia: I waited for a long time! It was an amazing, romantic and well-planned proposal with the help of all our family and our friends. Kingston decided to put me on a treasure hunt for a whole day. My two best friends and one of his best friends drove me all around KL to pick up clues to the next stop from his friends who were all stationed at our most memorable ‘spots’ in the last 10 years. It was very nostalgic for me going back to these spots where memories were created and that meant so much to us like our high school, our favourite place to eat, my old house before my parents moved away… I was in tears most of the time. We ended up in Tamarind Springs where we spent our first 3 years celebrating our anniversaries, and he finally got down on one knee in front of our family and friends. That was truly one of the best days of my life.

Credits:
Videographers: Chi Yin, Choo Cherk & Delvin
Dinner reception location: Sunway Resort Hotel & Spa
Groom’s Attire: Adriano Carbone/ Tom Ford
Wedding Gown: Maggie Sottero/ Celest Thoi
Evening Gown: Andrea and Leo
Shoes: Manolo Blahnik/ Oscar De La Renta
Hair & Makeup: Agnes Yip
Decorations (Ceremony): Wishing Tree
Decorations (Dinner Banquet): Willow Events
Stationery: Akitiara Designs
Dinner Banquet Entertainment: Rhumbaa
Photography: MunKeat Photography

Colourful Maternity Portraits: Marbella

I love how there are pops of colour in every shot, with hues of our favourite tones… turquoise and blues! Marbella had an interesting idea of using her daughter’s hands to create art on her baby belly, and it turned out to be some of my favourite photos from the session. It’s a great reminder of how small the firstborn was at that time, and the connection she shares with her younger sibling through the belly. Thank you for inviting me to your home and for documenting such a special milestone in your life. I got to know more about Latin American culture through the both of you. Congratulations once again!

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Tips for Posing Families

Posing is more than just placing people in a specific position and having them hold still. It is about using your skill (and a few tricks) to help your subjects look their best in your photos. Here are 3 simple tips that will help you get better, natural and more authentic family portraits.

  1. Composition makes a difference
  2. Show emotional closeness
  3. Let children play

Watch the video for more information!