For Photographers

Diane In For Photographers, Tips + Ideas

Thoughts on Photographing Pets

We all love our pets, don’t we? We treat them like a member of the family and because we love them so much, we want to take pictures of them. My cat, Cashmere had kittens during Chinese New Year and the kittens have brought a lot of joy to my family. So last Saturday, I decided to have my take on pet photography- not something that I normally do. It turned out to be quite a fun, yet challenging task!

I am not a pro at this, but here’s some tips for pet photography, which I’ve gathered from this experience.

~~#1. Sedate your pets before the shoot so they will stay still.~~

I’m kidding! :D

#1. Photograph your pets in their comfort zone.

I am sure your pets have their regular “hang out” spots. In my case, my kittens love to play around in my living room, which is where I photographed them. I tried bringing them out to my car porch, thinking there would be more light and space for them to play around but they were just awkward out there. We stayed indoors, but I opened the windows to allow lots of natural light in so I get equally good lighting.

Grace Tan In For Photographers, Musings

Bloom Workshops: Register Now!

Don’t miss this photography workshop! You will definitely get personal attention from all 4 of us girls and we aim to make this a really fun session for everyone!

As for the topics, we have everything from lighting to posing (babies, families & couples!) to learning about Lightroom & Photoshop, and even about the business side of photography! For our fun filler sessions, we have a make up & fitness session too. Do read the synopsis in detail here.

A description about what I’ll be covering:

Show me the Light! by Grace

Interested to know how to make your bride look slimmer?
Find it difficult to shoot once the sun goes down?
How about lighting a group of 50 people in a dark church?

Mastering lighting is one of the keys to making your photography better. Grace will share her experiences and techniques on available and artificial lighting while making the session practical and easy to understand. You will see things in a different light after this session!

Due to a number of requests, we are now offering a FREE 2 hour basic photography class to confirmed participants on a separate date prior to the workshop. Beginners are encouraged to attend this class. Date to be announced soon. Looking forward to seeing you there!

Diane In For Photographers, Musings, Tips + Ideas

Mastering Group Photos

It’s the season again where your family members are back from afar, and gatherings and dinners are scheduled to guarantee a good time. Good times like these need to be documented, and there you are armed with your camera but you’re just not too sure how to get a good shot of your family. Worry no more! In conjunction with the Chinese New Year season, we at Stories would like to offer you a few tips on how to photograph good group photos!

You will need:

A camera. (Any kind of camera will work, really! Doesn’t have to be an expensive and bulky DSLR. Your point-and-shoot will work well!)
Your group of happy relatives.

Tip #1:

Leave no gaps, unless it’s intentional.

As you can see the picture above, the gap has created a kind of awkwardness. As if Weiming (right) does not want to have anything to do with the group. So remember to ask your subjects to go closer.

Johan Sopiee In For Photographers, Musings, Tips + Ideas

Canon vs Nikon

Does it matter? I’ve had both, and to me, I’d say, “No It Doesn’t Matter At All”.

What matters most is that I get to know the brides and grooms that I photograph. I want to know what kind of people they are. I want to know what they like and what they dislike. Do they like to pose or do they prefer candids? Out the many many weddings I’ve photographed, in my entire wedding photography career, I’ve only been asked twice “Do you shoot with Nikon or Canon?”. And both conversations ended up being a fun conversation anyway. Hehe.

I love Nikon and I love Canon in different ways. But when the tyres hit the road, my aim is to have a great time capturing your wedding no matter what the camera tool you put in my hand. It’s my job to figure out which tool works better in which situation and it’s my bride and groom’s job to have fun and have an amazing wedding day. That’s really all there is to it.

Here is a list of things that will help us get to know you better:-

1) We’d like to meet you over a quick coffee a week or two before your wedding day

2) Do tell us what are the important details that you want photographed eg you’ve stuck “I Do” stickers under both your shoes, etc

3) Keep us updated if there are any last minute changes to the flow of events

(and if a longer checklist makes you more comfortable, just ask us and we’d only be too glad to furnish you with one) Hehe.

Explore and Enjoy!

Johan Sopiee

A great moment captured by Johan! PS: Without looking at the exif data, can you tell which image was taken with a Nikon or Canon?

Grace Tan In For Photographers, Life, Musings, Running a Business

A Grateful Christmas

Stories is part of the Integricity group

It’s true, God’s love is extravagant. God has blessed us abundantly, even more than what I could have imagined. My heart is overflowing with thankfulness…I see the business flourishing, and I know God definitely had a hand in it. Every year, I make it a point to reflect about the year that has passed, and to give thanks for good and bad experiences. In 2010, Stories turned one, and now, we’re two!

Last year, I gave thanks for the 38 wedding & pre-wedding clients that we photographed in 2011. This year, the number of clients increased. Collectively, the Stories team photographed 58 different wedding / pre-wedding clients and 30 other clients for lifestyle portraits & events. On top of that, we had a great year with a number of different corporate projects as well.

Our team grew as well and we now have a strong team of 7 core members with other supporting members. Everyone worked really hard this year and I am thankful for such a wonderful team.