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Grace Tan

Our Little Nook: The Stories Studio


If you are looking for a cosy environment for your family or maternity portrait sessions, our studio is the perfect space for it. We are based at Oval Damansara, Jalan Damansara, which is just along the Sprint highway next to Taman Tun Dr Ismail. Another landmark would be Glo Damansara mall, which is a stone’s throw away. If you are coming from KL city centre, it takes about 20-30minutes by car.

Here’s a few reasons why we love our little nook so much:

1. There’s just so much natural light!
While we have the backdrop and lighting for a more formal corporate shoot, we tend to use a lot of the beautiful natural light streaming through our ceiling to floor panels. It is perfect for family sessions with babies and young children. We can use our black out curtains and sheers to control the quality and quantity of light that comes into our studio. Our natural light studio looks best between 9am-4.30pm on a sunny / cloudy day.

2. It feels like home
We have arm chairs, sofas, bean bags and mattresses to make the space feel so cosy, almost like home. We even offer snacks, water, coffee or tea to ensure you have a comfortable session with us. While we do not require you to remove your shoes, our studio is cleaned regularly so that hygiene is maintained. If you need a steam iron, a hair dryer, gel, facial blotting paper or wet wipes, we have it all. We even have toys and bubbles to entertain your little ones when they get antsy!

3. We have various background options available
Our walls are painted white, brown and we have a white brick wall available as backdrop options. If required, we can set up seamless white or grey backgrounds for shoots that need it. While it might seem ‘plain’ to some, our style is to keep everything minimal and classic.


4. Need to make it more colourful with props? Yes, you can!
If you would prefer a more ‘set up’ look for the session, you can bring your own props or utilise some of the items we already have. For example, we have a child size tent, rocking horse, paper flowers in various shapes and colours, chalk boards, vintage luggage bags, Scrabble letters and more. Just share with us some thoughts about the theme or look you want to achieve, and we can contribute ideas to make it happen. Alternatively, we can recommend decorators that you can hire to style your shoot!


5. We can accommodate a large group

Our little nook is approximately 400 sq ft, so it can accommodate large groups as well. We have photographed up to 26 adults and children in our studio before! It just takes a bit of coordination and lots of patience from everyone as we work through the groupings. We also have a separate overflow space where family members can relax while the session is ongoing.

6. Easy access
We have 2 entrances to our studio, one through the lift from the main lobby if you need wheelchair access and the other directly from the carpark at zone F. We can reserve a parking lot for you at our carpark so it makes it convenient for you. The entrance from the carpark is our main entrance and it leads you through our shared office space with our other colleagues from Integricity.

We invite you to make an appointment and visit our studio if you would like to have a look at our space, or book it for your next family, maternity, couple, newborn or corporate headshot session! Have a look at some sample photo sessions taken at our studio.

Wedding Video Highlight, Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe: Alex & Lenny

We filmed Alex & Lenny’s #SagoGulaMelakaWedding at the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Crystal Crown Hotel Petaling Jaya recently. We loved how it was full of laughter, made even more colourful by their fun friends who performed at the wedding. There were heartfelt moments when Lenny’s mom teared as she walked her down the aisle at the church. We felt truly honoured to be part of this beautiful occasion.

Alex & Lenny’s Story

It all started in 2010. At a fitness outfit called Original Bootcamp Malaysia (OBC). Training was at 5.45am, 3 times a week at Padang Astaka. Sometimes after the training, the recruits as they were called, often hung out for breakfast and also went on hikes together at various locations within the Klang Valley. It was through this activities that Alex and Lenny became good friends.

Interestingly, they were also ‘technically’ colleagues. Alex worked at BMW Malaysia based in Cyberjaya while Lenny worked at BMW Financial Services Malaysia. So they often met when there were company events. Then one day in October 2012, Lenny got offered a position at BMW Financial Services Australia, based in Melbourne. Alex was devastated – and he didn’t know why. It then clicked that he’d miss her more than he would miss a good friend who got a transfer overseas.

Lenny was scheduled leave and start her new role in Melbourne on 16 December 2012 (a significant date since it was also the date of the wedding). So Lenny and Alex increased the frequency of their OBC activities, hiking excursions and happy hour sessions. There was just something there and they just wanted to make the most out of their remaining time together.

As the days came closer towards Lenny’s departure, Lenny and Alex grew closer too (movie dates and teddy bears involved). And then the day of Lenny’s departure came, and despite the impending separation, they finally spoke to each other about being together and…that was the conversation that sealed it in for them.

Embarking on a long distance relationship (LDR) is no easy feat. But they survived. In August 2016, Alex made the move to Australia and planned to pop the proposal question at the Coldplay concert on 9 December 2016.  The stage was ‘literally’ now set. After weeks of memorising the order of the setlist, Alex picked ‘Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall’ to be the song where he pops the question. The song came. She said yes! Everything after was Magic. An Amazing Day it was with a Sky Full of Stars. Again, literally.

Credits:

Videographers: Chi Yin, Joel & Jemsen
Church Ceremony Location: Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe, KL
Dinner Reception: Crystal Crown Hotel Petaling Jaya
Groom’s Attire: Ken’s Tailor (church), Surya Amitbals Trading (dinner)
Wedding Gown: Luv Bridal & Formal Melbourne
Evening Gown: Surya Amitbals Trading
Make up & Hair: Jenny Fan
Decorations: Sophia (church), Crystal Crown (dinner)
Cake: Accidental Bakers
Dinner Entertainment: Colour of Voices, Soraya Barakbah
Photographer: James Lew

Family Portraits: Sasi the Don

We met the famous Malaysian reggae singer, Sasi the Don through Puvan and Poornima’s wedding last year. He has released a number of albums and had the support of the local music industry with the work he is doing. As a creative professional, we recognize that it takes a lot of hard work to be successful, so hats off to you, Sasi! Thank you for coming to our studio for your family portrait session. Wishing you all the best and even more success in all you do!

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Tips on How to Survive an Outdoor Family Shoot

It is common to receive an enquiry requesting for a two to four-hour long family shoot. People tend to have the impression that you get more out of longer sessions. However, that is usually not the case. At Stories, most of our Lifestyle packages are an hour long. Some people seem to think that’s too short but do remember that if it involves children, you’ll be surprised that a single hour can seem like forever to them! I tagged along on some family sessions and here’s why I think an hour is really good enough, especially for an outdoor shoot in our beloved country.

1. Humidity
Even if it isn’t a terribly sunny day, you can be perspiring within five minutes of starting the shoot! On one of the shoots, the perspiration showed through the dad’s dark blue shirt. Fortunately, his wife had insisted he bring along an extra shirt to change into! Mum and child were neither not spared from the icky feeling of sweat. Can you imagine spending three hours posing for photos feeling like this? Believe me, an hour is just right. We all love our country but not the humidity.

TIP: Always bring along some extra clothing and a small towel for outdoor shoots. A hand fan can be very useful too.

2. Timing of shoot
If you’re a local, you’ll know that our tropical weather is quite unpredictable. Due to the heat, outdoor shoots should take place in the early mornings or late afternoons. However, certain months are prone to rain in the evenings so if you plan for an afternoon shoot, it could end up a washout. The other thing about being surrounded by greenery is that it’s perfect for creepy crawlies and mosquitoes to come out and play! You won’t be able to enjoy your shoot if you’re being eaten alive by mosquitoes.

TIP: Check the weather forecast nearer to the shoot date and speak to your photographer about contingency plans. Bring along some insect repellent too!

3. Attention Span
Children are usually quite excited at the start of a shoot but that initial excitement fades very quickly. They don’t like being told what to do, where to stand or where to look! Most of the time, young children start getting fussy even before the hour is up. Tantrums are common when children get tired and an hour will seem like too much to ask from them.

TIP: Bring along some snacks (but nothing too messy!) for your child. Food usually helps to change their mood. We also usually start the photo session with the large family photo so that we get the safe shot done!


Now if you were thinking of doing an outdoor shoot, don’t let the negative aspects frighten you. Come prepared and you will have an enjoyable experience, plus beautiful photos in the park to last a lifetime. But if you’re toying with the idea of having a three-hour family shoot in the park, maybe you should reconsider shortening it. An hour really is sufficient.