Life

Grace Tan In Life, Musings, Relationships

Appreciating the MAN…

He has been by my side for many years, encouraging me when I feel down, cheering me on when things are going well, holding my hand when I am sick, my adventure buddy, my partner, my lover. That’s Alex.

This is my fourth year of marriage, and boy, has it been exciting. This month, we celebrated Alex’s birthday, and I thought I’d write a post to celebrate him. The best part about my marriage is the fact that I can journey together with him, going on our little adventures together. It’s not just about a trip to the beach or an extravagant holiday somewhere, but it is the little things in life that I appreciate. Him waking up early in the morning to prepare me breakfast. Him carrying my camera bags from the car at the end of a tiring shoot. Him looking after my parents while I am away.

He’s an amazing man.

Photo by Dawn McCarthy

Yes, we have our squabbles, like any other couple (like him getting exasperated at my short term memory, or me getting annoyed at him for leaving receipts and bills all over the floor)… but at the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter. I believe in not holding grudges and working at a relationship to make it work.

So… to celebrate his birthday, I did a few things…

Grace Tan In International, Life, Musings

India: Sights, Smells, Sounds

A kaleidoscope of colours, smell and taste. I did not imagine India to be anything else but interesting. In my list of countries to visit, India is definitely not one of my top 10. But at the end of June 2010, I had a taste of India. AND, felt the burning heat of the sun, all 40 degrees of it. I was in India for a corporate shoot. 8 days, 4 internal flights, many hours on the road and 5 cities later, I felt I had seen two different sides to India.

On one hand, you have poverty…

Children with growths on their heads, young girls who barely look like teenagers holding on to babies, begging on the streets…

And then you have development…

Fancy buildings that look so futuristic. Offices with coloured glass windows. High end apartments that only few can enjoy.

What a contrast.

Grace Tan In Life, Musings

The all new Stories Facebook Page

Yes, it’s official! We now have a Facebook page at www.facebook.com/Stories.my. About half of the number of enquiries that we get originate from Facebook, so it only made sense to have a page where everyone can interact, discuss questions regarding wedding photography (or your gown, or deco even if you wanted to!). It also features ongoing promotions, and contests in the future. To launch the new page, I created a video of myself… It’s tough being in front of the camera, especially when you have to speak! After a few takes, I managed to come up with something ‘acceptable’. :)

Welcome to our Stories Facebook Page!

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 Life, Musings

On the road towards Santa Cruz

A few days ago, we started our first day down the coast from San Francisco to Los Angeles. Together with Jenny & Ju, we rented a car for our coastal road trip. The rental of the car costs about RM1,500 for about 5 days. Each driver you register incurs extra cost. I suppose it’s because of insurance coverage. So Ju and Alex were the designated drivers for the trip. Firstly, it’s important to get your orientation right. It takes a while to adjust to driving on the right side of the road. So Ju made some little reminders, just in case…

The coast on the way to Santa Cruz was just beautiful. We had excellent weather even though it was a little chilly with the breeze.

Alex clowning around as usual.

Alex showing off…

According to this sign, not every American knows how to spell properly.

One of our other stops was at this picturesque lighthouse. I can’t recall the name of this lighthouse. It’s so nice that it deserved a vintage treatment. :)