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Grace Tan
In Life, Musings, Running a Business

2024 Reflections

Each year, we strive to be better than yesterday—not just in the photos we take but in the connections we build. At Stories, excellence isn’t just about quality; it’s about creating an experience that feels warm, personal, and meaningful. However, developing personal connections can be challenging as our number of clients grow. In 2024, we photographed 274 personal events and portrait sessions, and the year hasn’t even ended yet. This is a milestone we are so proud of!

One way we nurture these connections is through community events. This year, we hosted the Family Rhythm Father’s Day event, participated in Nurts Day, and joined the Ibu Family and Private International School fair. These moments remind us that our work goes beyond photos; it’s about celebrating relationships and creating memories together.

Looking ahead to 2025, our hope is to deepen these relationships even further. We’re challenging ourselves to grow creatively, improve our service quality, and enhance efficiency—all while staying true to what makes Stories special.

That also means evolving with our clients’ needs. While we’ve been blessed to welcome so many families into our studio, we recognize the need to reconnect with the wedding industry. It’s a question we often ask ourselves: How do we remain relevant to our clients as trends change?

As new creatives join the Stories team each year, we constantly ask ourselves, “How do we maintain a consistent, exceptional brand experience while allowing space for fresh ideas to shine?” By encouraging open discussion amongst team members, we find ourselves in a space where we are never allowed to be comfortable for too long. We disrupt ourselves again and again, pushing ourselves towards a higher standard, year after year.   

The encouragement we’ve received keeps us inspired. With 137 five-star Google reviews and 72 Facebook recommendations, we’re reminded that the work we do matters to you—and that’s everything to us.

If you have been a client of ours, please send us a message to share your experiences with Stories. Your words not only keep us going but help us grow. Thank you for trusting us with your moments—here’s to creating even more moments together!

Bin Bin Tan
In Musings, Portraits, , Tips + Ideas, Wedding Films & Videos

Why You Should Have a Pre-wedding Photoshoot

It’s a bit ironic that I’m writing this article because I didn’t have a pre-wedding shoot. With the benefit of hindsight, I do wish I had more information on the matter and had given the decision more thought. So if you are like me and on the fence of whether you wish to have a pre-wedding shoot, here are 5 reasons to help you decide.

1. Allows you to have more time on your wedding day 

You may wonder about the point of a pre-wedding shoot given that you will be having photographs at your wedding day happening in just a few months time. A wedding can be a very demanding and stressful affair. While we will definitely set aside some time to take some couple portraits for you on your actual wedding day, between the ceremony, family photo sessions and guest arrivals, you might not have as much time available to dedicate to your own photos. If you had pre-wedding photos taken, you could relax knowing that couple photos are the last thing on your mind during this already hectic day. Instead, you could spend the day fully immersed in celebrations, enjoying your meal and spending quality time with loved ones. 

2. Wedding day trial run 

You want your wedding photos to showcase you at your best while still having you be relaxed and natural.  Pre-wedding portraits will allow you some time to get used to being in front of the camera. You can practice your poses and reviewing your photos can also help you prepare better for the big day. You can even use your pre-wedding session to test hair and makeup. Knowing ahead of time what suits you best will allow you to feel more at ease on your wedding day. 

3. Get to know your photographer 

A pre-wedding session is also a great opportunity to get to know your wedding photographer better and get familiar with how they interact and collaborate with you. Additionally, it helps the photographer learn more about you two as a couple. For instance, are you both naturally tactile? Do you prefer more direction in posing? Having this opportunity to know one another and develop a bond can make you feel more comfortable around your photographer and confident that the photographer will be able to deliver you at your best. 

4. Variety of locations and styles 

On your wedding day, time constraints and logistics can limit photo opportunities. A pre-wedding photoshoot on the other hand, offers more flexibility and you have options to choose for diverse locations and as well as outfits. For example, you may like to take pictures at sunrise or sunset, this can’t be controlled (as much) on your wedding day but it can be planned for during a pre-wedding session. 

A pre-wedding photoshoot can also allow you to be as creative as you want. We have even photographed a pre-wedding session in a grocery store! Maybe you want a casual photoshoot or maybe you want to go glamorous with multiple wedding gowns in different styles. It’s a once in a lifetime occasion, so go all out! 

5. Tell Your Love Story 

A wedding (especially in Asia) can sometimes be a bit of an extended family event. A lot of the wedding planning revolves around creating a great experience for your guests. On the other hand, your pre-wedding session will be exclusively to celebrate you as a couple. You can use this photoshoot to tell your unique love story – perhaps engage in an activity you both enjoy or choose a location that is meaningful to the both of you. You can even take it one step further by adding on a pre-wedding video. A video will really capture all the emotions in the lead up to the big day and will be something you watch and reminisce on in the future. 

So there you have it! I hope this list has helped open your mind to the benefits of a pre-wedding session. A bonus from doing the pre-wedding shoot is of course the beautiful, professional pictures that you can use for your save-the-date announcement or to decorate the reception. 

If this article has convinced you to have your own pre-wedding shoot, get in touch with us! Do also check out our current promotion with That White Dress for gown rentals starting from as low as RM650. 

Suzyana Ong
In Casual Portraits, Family + Children Portraits, Portraits, Tips + Ideas

Top Tips for Photographing Large Families: Capturing Timeless Moments

If you’ve ever been involved in coordinating a family photoshoot, you’d understand the challenges that comes with it. The larger the number, the more stressful it gets! As photographers who have photographed large families up to 40 people, it’s daunting for us as well. Posing large families and ensuring everyone looks their best requires experience and skills. In Malaysia, there are many festive seasons where a family portrait session becomes necessary. If you are trying to DIY a large family portrait at home, these tips will help you master the art of photographing large families!

1. Start with a plan

Before the photoshoot, communicate with the family to discuss their vision, preferences, and any specific poses they have in mind. Consider factors such as location, wardrobe choices, and the overall style of the portraits. Having a clear plan in place will streamline the process and ensure everyone is prepared.

2. Choose a location

Selecting a suitable location is essential for large family portraits. Outdoor settings with ample natural light, such as parks, gardens, or beaches, provide a beautiful backdrop and ample space for posing. However, it can be pretty humid and chaotic when you bring so many people outdoors, so make sure you set everyone’s expectations prior to the shoot. Alternatively, if shooting indoors, opt for areas with neutral backgrounds to avoid distractions.

3. Appoint a leader

A leader is tasked in coordinating and organizing the entire shoot from the start till the end, as well as communicating with all the family members and photographer to ensure a smooth session. Create a chat group so that everyone involved receives the same message and information about the photoshoot.

4. Arranging and Posing

When posing large families, it’s helpful to establish a hierarchy to ensure everyone is positioned appropriately. Start by placing the parents or grandparents at the centre of the group, with smaller family units positioned around them. This arrangement helps to identify the family’s structure more clearly. Instead of lining everyone up in a straight row, arrange family members in layers to add depth and dimension to the photograph. This technique creates visual interest and prevents the image from appearing too flat. You can place taller individuals towards the back and shorter ones towards the front to avoid blocking faces. Utilize props or natural elements like stairs or benches to add dimension to the scene.

5. Pay attention to details

Try to take the time to pay attention to details such as wardrobe coordination, hair and hand placement. Besides that, notice for any distracting elements in the background and make adjustments as necessary. Additionally, be mindful of facial expressions, body language, and posture to convey warmth and unity within the family. Avoid stiff, unnatural poses by encouraging relaxed and comfortable stances. Guide family members to lean towards each other slightly or make physical contact to convey closeness and affection.

6. Experiment with different angles

If you have a really large family like the one below, and find it really hard to get a location to fit everyone, you can try to take a top angle shot! Everyone can be standing on the same level, but as long as they can see the camera, their faces will be seen.


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Suzyana Ong
In Misc, Running a Business, Tips + Ideas

Retouching: What kind of editing do we do?

If you’ve ever wondered why photographers can’t send your photos instantly right after the shoot, this is because the photos need to go through a few processes before reaching their final result! When we shoot, we shoot in a format called RAW, which is not suitable for general use. So first, after the photo shoot is completed, our photographer will transfer the photos to the computer and select the best ones. Next, it gets transferred to an editing software, where our editor would do a basic colour correction on every photo and then export it in JPEG format. We often have clients ask, What do we mean by basic colour correction? Does it include removing pimples, wrinkles, eyebags, etc… Unfortunately, these requests fall under extra editing requests, as they require a longer time and effort to edit. If we do this for every photo, you may not receive your photos within the promised timeline!

Basic Colour Correction

Colours in RAW format are usually lifeless-looking, but it is still the best format to further process in post production. So it’s absolutely a must that we bring some life to the photos! A basic colour correction is essentially adding and balancing out the brightness, colours (saturation), colour temperature, highlights, and shadows of the photos as well as cropping out excessive backgrounds to make the images look more centred. A few toggles here and there will instantly make your photos look more vibrant and captivating!

Have a look at the before (left) and after (right) samples here!

Extra Editing

We do offer extra editing services for those who wish to have a “picture-perfect” photograph. This service usually comes FOC when you order framed prints and albums with us. Alternatively, you can add on this service for your favourite selection of images at a minimal additional fee.

Extra editing includes:

  • Skin smoothening
  • Removing skin blemishes
  • Minimizing eyebags/dark circles
  • Minimizing wrinkles
  • Removing flyaway hair
  • Removing any background distractions
  • Removing any scars/wounds
  • Face/Body slimming
  • Minimizing double chins
  • Whitening teeth
  • Make-up retouch (add blush, lipstick, etc)
  • Minimizing creases on clothes

We hope this helps to clarify our editing services. Feel free to reach out to us if you have any more questions!

 

 

Shan Szetho
In Parties & Events, Portraits, Tips + Ideas

Unique Places to Throw Your Kid’s Birthday Party

As a mother of two, I love planning themed birthday parties for my kids and finding unique ideas to execute to make their birthdays extra special. In fact, when my daughter was 4 years old, we came up with a list of fun party themes we could do in the coming years. But I find that as the years go by, we start to slowly run out of ideas. So, I thought what better way than to compile a list of unique places to hold a party for parents who are struggling to think of fun things to do around KL and PJ. From a whimsical kids spa to rolling fun and exciting outdoor adventures, these unique kids’ party ideas will turn the special day into an unforgettable experience.

Jac & Ivy

Get a pampering kids nail spa experience at Jac and Ivy. Kids get wrapped in luscious mini-sized ropes (yes, they have one for both girls and boys) and sip drinks while getting kid-friendly face masks and water-based manicures and pedicures. The spa uses Puttisu products from Korea, which have 100% kid-friendly and non-toxic ingredients which are suitable for children ages 3 and up. Kids get their own little corner for their pamper session on mini chairs, while parents can also relax and indulge in a nail session of their own. Jac and Ivy also create a special birthday tea party with mini treats, decorations, and they can even get a photography session on the spot with Stories.

For more information visit: https://www.jacandivy.com/kidz-spa

Rollerwa

Get the party rollin’ with roller skates! Roller skating is making a big comeback and what better way to do it with a cool laser-light ambience filled with the latest k-pop songs? At Rollerwa, there are plenty of Instagram-worthy places to take photos and places to rest if your feet get tired. If you are new to skating, fear not! They offer walkers on wheels for beginner skaters on weekdays, and there are places at the side with less slippery mats and hand-holding bars for you to practice your skating skills. If your kid is an avid skater, they are allowed to even bring their own quad roller skates (no rollerblades). They provide both skates and safety gear so you just need to show up. For birthday events, Rollerwa has a private party room set aside, which allows you to bring your own food and drinks for the special occasion.

For more information visit: https://www.facebook.com/rollerwaMalaysia

Photo credit: Discover KL

MAD about Education

If your kids love the outdoors, this is the party for them. Explore outdoor nature adventures through activities that are not only fun, but educational as well. MAD about Education uses nature environments such as forests, lakes, parks and even beaches to curate a special, exciting birthday party for your kids following their interests. Kids get to explore mangroves, dig for sea creatures, and go on a wonderful picnic.

For more information visit: https://madabouteducation.com/birthday-party /


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