Grace Tan

Grace Tan In Family + Children Portraits, Portraits

Family Portraits: Albert, Serina & Alyssa

My first ever contact with Albert and Serina happened during a time when I was just a baby in the wedding photography industry. I hardly had any portfolio under my belt, and yet, they chose to hire us to cover their wedding. It was my first time too at Banker’s Club. What blew me away during their wedding was their beautiful first dance and performances that entertained the guests through out the night. Waltzes, flamenco… it almost made me dance too! We ended the night consuming lots of delicious strawberry fondue.

After the epic wedding, I had the privilege of photographing Serina again at a dance studio. She was moving to Kuching to set up her own dance studio (Albert’s expertise is Jiu-Jitsu, which is another successful business altogether!). We had a great time as she twirled in her belly dancing costume, looked stunning in her flamenco outfit, and jazz danced for the camera.

Fast forward to 2014. It is a true story of a client turned friend. I am so glad to have developed a friendship with this wonderful couple. Many of those who know them would testify that they are an incredibly talented and giving couple. Truly a blessing to know them.

In December 2012, my daughter Krysta and their daughter Alyssa were born just one day apart of each other. Alyssa picked the better date and came out on 12.12.12. One year later, I am pleased to have been part of their family history, yet again.

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Grace Tan In Casual Portraits, Chinese Weddings, For Photographers, Musings, Portraits, Tips + Ideas, Weddings

Behind the Scenes: Making the Most of Every Location

Sometimes I think of myself as not just a photographer, but also a furniture removal specialist, a clutter-free agent, and a lighting consultant. It’s very normal to find less-than-ideal situations at every wedding. Naturally, everyone would love to photograph at beautiful locations and resorts, but most times, I find myself in truly-loved family homes. Read: It usually includes lots of collectibles and objects that have accumulated through the years.

So, I’ve done all of these and more:

1. Moved furniture for the tea ceremony so that we can maximise on better light.
2. Packed clothing into cupboards, hidden rubbish bins, and the rogue red polka dotted mat.
3. Removed curtains because the colour clashes with the wall colour in the bride’s room.
4. Posed couples and families in the compound amidst shoe cabinets and vehicles. Just like these 2 photos of the bride and her bridesmaid were taken in what looked like a seemingly neutral background.

BTS-jon-priscilla1 But in reality, was taken here:

BTS-jon-priscilla2 I had two things that went through my mind when I chose this location: The beautiful light, and clean wall.

Love the challenge! :)

Grace Tan In Chinese Weddings, Wedding Films & Videos, Weddings

Heritage Wedding in Malacca: Dexter & Michelle

As I was growing up in Malacca, I always wondered who lived in this really grand, elaborate home along Heeren St. It is undoubtedly the nicest looking building on that street, and usually many tourists would stop by and take photos of the house. When we photographed the wedding of Dexter and Michelle, I was excited to hear that I would be entering it for the first time ever. It was Dexter’s ancestral home, and we had full access to all the floors! Naturally, as we were shooting in the front yard, tourists stopped to take photos!

Dexter and Michelle’s wedding was a 2 part event that started in KL and ended in Malacca. Where can I start about this couple… well, I first met them at the Westin wedding fair where they signed up for our photography and cinematic film service. It was an instant click – the feeling that you have bonded with someone even though you’ve only just met. They were humorous, ‘in-your-face’, fun, spontaneous… I guess part of it had to be the fact that Dexter is from Malacca…and you know what…Malaccans are a FUN and loud bunch! (Read: Grace is fun and loud too).

We created a fusion slideshow for them to show the next day at Equatorial hotel. Look out for the middle part of the slideshow where he strides in and lifts her off her feet!

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Grace Tan In Musings, Outdoor Weddings, Tips + Ideas, Weddings

Planning a Destination Beach Wedding

Langkawi-panorama Planning a destination beach wedding in Malaysia? Without a doubt, Langkawi is at the top of the list. It has everything – deep blue seas, white fluffy clouds, white sandy beaches, great 5-6 star resorts, duty free shopping and great Malaysian food. Of course the other famous beach wedding destinations like Maldives, Hawaii, Bali or Phuket has its own charm, but if you are hoping to have a beach wedding in Malaysia, Langkawi is the place.

As a team, we would take the one hour flight from Petaling Jaya to Langkawi pretty frequently to cover beach weddings there. Organizing a beach wedding can be relaxing and yet stressful at the same time. Everyone is away at an exotic location, just ready to have fun in the sun. But planning for a destination wedding from a faraway country on your own can be a pretty daunting task.

To make your life a little easier, I’d like to share some thoughts about how to best organize your day so that you can get the most out of your photography. Since I consider sunset as the focal point of the day, I’ll work backwards from there and give you a pictorial journey of planning a beach wedding from a photographer’s viewpoint.

1. Do check on sunset times for the date of your wedding.

On average, the sun sets about 7.30pm in Langkawi, so a good time to start your ceremony would be 5.30pm. It will be slightly warm at that time, but starting this early would give you ample time for portraits and formals after the wedding ceremony. There’s always a rush to document all the dinner reception details too after the wedding, so if your ceremony starts too late, we will be running around like headless chickens trying to capture all the important shots before night falls. Ideally, I would like to have at least an hour for portraits after the ceremony ends. Continue Reading

Grace Tan In Casual Portraits, Portraits

Fabulous at 45

Women who have been friends since childhood. No, correction, some since kindergarten! It was really a pleasure getting to know such amazing, successful women. They have come a long way since their pinafore days in SK Convent Infant Jesus, Malacca. A few have uprooted themselves and are currently living overseas. But what a great way to celebrate a reunion – with a photo shoot themed Fabulous at 45! I think it’s great that friends can continue to keep in touch through the years and remain as silly and super comfortable as ever with each other.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to capture your beauty behind the lens, ladies. I enjoyed our little morning together. Here’s wishing you many years of friendship, fun and laughter together!

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Don’t you think these women look stunning?!

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