Grace Tan

Outdoor Maternity Session: Jason & Jill

It’s really amazing how photography can connect people. I met Jill for the first time during her maternity session, and we had a blast together. That very evening, as I was sharing bits of information about my photo shoot with my in-law’s, my mom-in-law suddenly connected the dots, and asked me out of the blue, “Is this Jillian Heng?” She told me that she was the cousin of Jill’s grandmother. So, that evening, I discovered a new distant relative. What a beautiful way to find family!

During Jill’s maternity session, we included her little pet dog into the photos as well. After all, pets are family too!

Congratulations, Jason and Jill on the birth of your little daughter recently. I look forward to meeting her in the near future.

Grace Tan In Family + Children Portraits, Portraits

Family Portraits at The Datai, Langkawi: Ronnie & Ivy

Grace Tan In Musings, Studio, Tips + Ideas

Corporate Profile Headshots

A good corporate profile headshot can make a huge difference to someone’s perception of you! It can exude warmth, show a hint of fun or maybe a whole lot of crazy. If you have been using your passport photo in your resume or as your LinkedIn profile shot, it’s time to update that headshot of yours.

Here are some tips on how to prepare for a session with us.

Grace Tan In Family + Children Portraits, Life, Musings, Parties & Events, Portraits, Tips + Ideas

Tips for Planning Children’s Parties

When I was growing up, I remember the most epic birthday party I had was when I was 8. Growing up in Malacca in the 80s, it wasn’t really common to have major parties for children my age, but my parents had organized my birthday at the new McDonald’s restaurant (the one and only in Malacca at that time!). It was totally memorable for me, especially since my mom baked a gorgeous cake for me, and my friends and I packed into the walk-in freezer to see how long we could stand the cold. I am grateful to my parents for organizing such a party for me.

Now that I have children of own and with the growing influence of Pinterest, DIY groups on Facebook etc, I feel a little ‘pressured’ to do something fun. So a few years ago when my daughter turned 5 and my son turned 3, I organised 2 parties – a unicorn party for my 5 year old and a fireman party for my 3 year old. It was quite fun doing some of the DIY stuff on my own, but unlike my mother, I can only bake instant cakes from those pre-mixes in the supermarket. (Needless to say, I didn’t bake these cakes).

It was a little stressful, but after all that organising, here are some tips to share with other mums who intend to plan their own child’s birthday parties.

1. If you are not good at something, hire someone to do it.

I realised that I was putting additional stress on myself in making some of the decorations myself. I went shopping for goody bags, was busy sorting out the guest list, planning food, AND thinking of how to keep everything under budget. Unless you are the kind of mum who truly enjoys this process, the best way to avoid unnecessary stress is to hire someone to do things for you. There are many great decorators / stylists who are great at what they do! (For my son’s 1st birthday, I had an Up themed party and hired Moments). For his 3rd year party, all I did was call the local fire station, do a site visit, and then let the firemen entertain the kids! (You need to give a donation to hold the party at the local fire station. Some fire stations do not allow parties)

Grace Tan In Casual Portraits, Portraits

A Portrait Session: Elaine & Friends

These four ladies came together to celebrate their 50th birthdays. It’s an annual tradition. This shoot also celebrated 28 years of friendship since they first met each other in their early 20s! We had a conversation about getting older and one of them said,

“As we age, we don’t really feel any different from when we were in our 20s. Our bodies might be getting older but emotionally and in our minds, we’re still our crazy, silly selves from when we were younger.”

I feel the same way too (in my 40s now). When I was 25, I thought anyone over 40 was old, but now as I have reached that milestone, I don’t feel old, I am just a wiser version of myself. I’ve added more years of experience to my life and sharpened my focus on my priorities. But as I get older, I must remind myself to always have fun and enjoy the little things in life. Like making time to celebrate life and friendships with a photoshoot, perhaps!