For Photographers

Fashion savvy female photographers

Ever since I became a photographer, I have griped on and on about not having anything to wear for a shoot. To be honest, back then, I didn’t really know how to dress. I only knew that most photographers wear black (which to me, is really really boring, despite the many explanations of how black should be THE colour).

My choice of wardrobe was always linked to what I had to have on me at the time of shoot. During full day wedding shoots, I always carry my Think Tank pouch with me that contains memory cards, spare batteries, name cards, my phone, lens pen, and lenses (of course, duh!). I find that having a pouch helps alleviate the stress of carrying a heavy slingover bag on my shoulder. I don’t want to be carrying two camera bodies (with flash sometimes) on my shoulder AND lenses too. So the weight of the lenses rest on my waist and hips.

Ok so Lara Croft look-alike belt is ready.

So obviously, dresses are a no-no right? It’s fashion kill to combine both a pouch and a dress like how I did here:

I only wore a dress for this shoot because it was sooooo hot during that wedding! Photo taken by Mark.

So, most times, I am wearing pants and a shirt/nice top for a shoot. Like this:

Ok, I don’t always shoot barefooted! This was taken by Ian at Alfred & Geeta’s Hindu wedding last year.

I always believe that a photographer should look and dress well for the occasion. I don’t feel it is appropriate for a photographer to come for an event dressed shabbily when all the wedding guests are dressed so well. Round collared T-shirts are a no-no for formal wedding events!

But you know, ultimately, I would LOVE to wear something like this at shoots:

Minus heels of course. I cannot imagine running around for 10 hours on heels.

Lately, I won a Shootsac bag which means that I can ditch the pouch for short shoots. But after 5 hours of shoot, it is still a bit painful on the shoulders. However, the Shootsac enables me to wear dresses without butchering the entire look. :)

Alright, this is NOT a dress, but it’s a shot of how my Shootsac looks. Taken by Shu Wan.

A few years ago, Veralyne, a superb gown designer who used to work with Pretty in White, but now has her own label… told me that she’d design a dress for me for shoots. Recently, she gave me this design:

It looks lovely! I asked her, “Where to put lenses?” and she has yet to get back to me. Hehe…

Anyhow, I think for now, I’ll just stick to wearing pants, nice tops / shirts with the Think Tank pouch and occasionally a dress with the Shootsac.

Grace Tan In For Photographers, Musings

RedNinja.tv got Mojo? camp

After a few months of planning, our first RedNinja.tv event has finally taken off the ground! The got Mojo? seminar and camp was a huge success. We had a lot of fun with so many talented photographers in the country, some who are thinking of making the leap into full time wedding photography. Many photographers said they learnt a lot from Wiki Lee and his wife Ilona, who shared their hearts to everyone. On top of that, they felt the personal mentoring sessions by the team mentors (Jon Low, Mark Leo, Jenny Sun and I) were really beneficial.

I hope that after this camp, a lot of these photographers will put what they learnt into practice – whether it is regarding honing their style in photography, posing a couple, or about how they run their business. Here are a few behind the scenes shots taken at the camp in Corus, Port Dickson.This is Wiki doing some ninja impersonation with Ilona by his side.

Thanks to Canon, we had a few prizes to give away.

Things you learn at camp: As a ninja photographer, you need to be agile. Very agile – like being in this squatting position for hours.

Wiki giving tips to the photographers during the model shooting session.

I managed to take a few snaps as well even though I was there to mentor the team. Here’s Sonia & Reyhan looking really good! All model make up was done by Shinny Ong, who did an amazing job. The beautiful gowns are sponsored by Pretty in White.

The following photos were taken by Mark. He recently made the switch from Nikon to Canon. (yay!) Here’s a photo of Mark looking like he’s doing the macarena. On the right, Jon Low, who was one of the key organizers for the event and on the left, Ian Chong, who surprised us by showing up at the camp unannounced. Ian is one of the other photographers who I have worked with closely over the past few years.

These are Mark’s shots. Models are Rachel & Ser Young.

Shu Wan, Stories’ amazing digital artist was there at the camp as well. This time, she took up the camera and was shooting away instead of touching up images! Here she is in blue (her favourite colour!)

And these are Shu Wan’s shots.

And finally, a group photo of the team I was mentoring. I had fun with all of you!

Alex Lam In For Photographers

Viral divorce video

You’ve surely seen the hilarious viral wedding entrance clip called JK Wedding Entrance Dance that amassed 46 million views worldwide and heaps of blog and press coverage. Now, there’s the sequel to it, called the JK Divorce Entrance Dance, which also leaves you laughing and gasping for air. I love the ending – so stay and watch right till they start squabbling.

JK Divorce Entrance Dance

Original JK Wedding Entrance Dance (for the benefit of those who haven’t watched it)

Grace Tan In For Photographers, Life, Musings

Photographed by Dawn McCarthy

While I was at WPPI, I blogged about winning a competition where I got a free photo shoot with Dawn McCarthy, a photographer from Jacksonville, Florida. Being in front of the camera makes me realize how tough it is posing for the camera! It’s one thing when you are photographing others, it’s another when you are being photographed. This session puts me in my client’s shoes and helps me think about how I’d like to be treated during a shoot.

I am the kind of person that enjoys being ‘talked’ to. I love it when I am told what to do by the photographer. Most times, when you’re in front of the camera, you feel a little self-conscious and wonder if what you’re doing looks good or silly. So everyone needs a little direction and reassurance now and then.

In my photo shoots with my couples / families, I do constantly yak away… and perhaps this way of working stems from some subconscious need to make others feel comfortable. I usually pose my clients too. I tell them how to sit, stand, where to put their hands etc. Then the most important part of making a photograph happens – I talk to them so that they exude some kind of emotion / expression. That’s when the magic happens – when my shutter clicks at the right moment the chemistry happens.

So here are my photos – photographed and edited by Dawn. It was a chilly day in Las Vegas, but I totally enjoyed myself with Dawn. Thanks for the memorable photo shoot and great images!

Grace Tan In For Photographers, Musings

Introducing… RedNinja.tv!

Years ago, when I first got into the whole art of photography, I didn’t really know where to turn for help or training. Everything I learnt about photography was through my own trial and error, reading the darn camera manual that I didn’t understand, or searching for information online. Other times, I had some photographer friends who helped explain technical concepts to me. And trust me, it took a couple of sessions for me to grasp all these concepts!

Over time, I took photography classes conducted by various Malaysian photographers, and that helped a lot. I am the sort of person that learns things hands-on, rather than just reading that darn manual (again!). This year, I had the privilege of learning from world class photographers at WPPI (Wedding & Portrait Photographers International) in Las Vegas.

After speaking to many Malaysian photographers, I realize that I am not the only one who craves good teaching material. Why should all the good speakers only congregate in the US or Australia? It was with this thought that the 5 of us – Alex Lam, Jenny Sun, Jon Low, Mark Leo and myself came up with the idea of bringing quality training to Malaysia; focusing on creativity, technology and business.

Hence, the birth of RedNinja.tv!

Our first event, called, Got Mojo? is happening on the 23rd-25th April 2010. We’re bringing in Wiki Lee, a renowned photographer from Australia. He will speak on finding your style in photography, techniques in developing yourself, including marketing and communications.

Photo taken by Wiki Lee

This is a 2 part event:

1. Seminar (23rd April) – RM50 at P1 auditorium, PJ

2. Camp in Port Dickson (24-25th April) – RM950 for individual registration or RM850 for groups of 3. This includes bus transportation from BU, hotel accommodation and food! There will be practical and theoretical sessions for this camp. And you get to be mentored by Jenny Sun, Jon Low, Mark Leo, Alex Lam and myself. This camp is designed to be more personal so that we get to spend more time with everyone. All of us will be speaking as well during the camp.

Look at the schedule here: http://redninja.tv/schedule-001/ There is limited space at the camp. Register for the camp or seminar here: http://redninja.tv/register-now-001/

I do hope to see you there!