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Couldn’t have done it without teamwork

The past few weeks have been hectic, to say the least. On the 9th of October, I delivered a beautiful baby boy, whom we named Kyle Ezra Lam. My birth story is really a huge testimony unto God but I’ll save that for another blog post! And just last week, my dad fell ill, was hospitalised and passed away at the age of 81. I have been emotionally and physically drained from all that running around AND recovering from a c-sec operation. Before going on maternity leave, I hardly had time to rest because September was a busy month with 10 wedding shoots, lots of lifestyle shoots, a photography exhibition at Art Square in Bangsar, and an Ibu Tots fair at Publika.

It’s times like these that make me even more thankful for a wonderful team of people who have walked alongside me. Without them, everything wouldn’t have been possible.

Diane – For holding the fort when it comes to enquiries, communication with so many different clients and all with their own different needs, and for making time despite all of my demands to even do family shoots. Juggling this role is a really difficult and extremely time consuming one, but you never complained and you give 110% all the time. Thanks also for coming to take photos of my dad’s funeral last week.

Weiming, Nigel & Jamie – My core photography team! For tirelessly working on wedding shoots especially, editing till your eyes go a little blurry from seeing thousands of photos and creating albums and slideshows diligently. You guys (and gal!) are the backbone to Stories. People usually only see what happens in the forefront during a shoot, but they don’t see the hours of dedication that you guys put into every single image that comes back after that. I am so proud of all of you and how well you’ve done. I am especially pleased whenever I see beautiful images coming back after every single wedding.

Weiming, you are juggling many roles as well, but what I admire most is your sense of excellence that you place on everything you do. You always want to give your best, not just to the work that you do, but to the things you hold dear to your heart. Nigel, I love your can-do attitude, and really easy-going nature that makes you such a joy to work with! Jamie… you add fun and laughter to the team and always welcome a challenge, even though I sometimes place you in difficult situations! 

Chi Yin – Though you are new to the team, but your dedication, hard work and efficiency can be seen clearly! Keep up the good work in shooting videos and editing them!

Johan & Ben – Your support through the years has really humbled me. I appreciate everything you have done for the team and for your ideas, energy and always giving your all! You are like family, no matter how far we go, the bond is always there.

Delvin, Nick, Felicia, Wee Liem, Joshua, King, Lester and many more – An amazing video team that always strives for excellence. A special mention to Delvin, Nick and Felicia especially as they have been really hardworking the past few weeks. Thank you for your contribution! Love all of your work!

Sara, our intern – Every little thing you do is a big contribution to us. Hope you are learning heaps and enjoy working with us!

And finally, my husband Alex – you are my everything. Enough said!

I look forward to more years of shooting together, and creating magic behind the camera!

If you’d like to read more about the team, please check out everyone’s profiles and work here.

Stories_teamoct2014A few of the team members here – (Left to right): Sara, Jamie, Nigel, Grace, Weiming, Chi Yin & Diane

ArtSquareExhibition01Art Square Exhibition of my images

20140920_IBU_TOTS_FAIR_004Ibu Tots Fair at Publika. 

20140920_IBU_TOTS_FAIR_09120140920_IBU_TOTS_FAIR_00920141009_KYLE_BIRTH_02The arrival of my 2nd child, Kyle Ezra Lam.  

 

Thoughts on Children’s Birthday Parties

Marc20140315_PATT_MORNING_004As a child, I remember begging my mom to hold birthday parties for me. Even at a young age, I knew parties were fun and the extroverted me just LOVED being around lots of people. To fulfil my requests, I recall the amount of preparation she put into making the party an awesome one for me- from cooking the food to preparing the gift packs and inviting friends and family. Now when I think about it, I really cannot thank my mom enough for making the little gathering a spectacular affair for the 9-year-old me.

Unfortunately, mom was so busy that she forgot to take a photo with me at the party.

Having shot a few kids’ birthday parties, I realise not much has changed. It’s easy to get caught up with coordinating the event and not enjoying it. I think what’s worst is when all your efforts in coordinating this event is not properly documented! Based on my experience as a photographer, I’d like to share a few points for you to help your photographers get the coverage you want.

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Introducing… The Stories Gift Pack!

2014_STORIES_GIFTPACK_23 I am really excited to be able to share with you a recent development that we’ve been working on the past few months. In the past, we’ve had requests to purchase our photography service as a gift for friends or family members. We’ve printed personalised vouchers and sent it out to the lucky recipients, but all these were done on an ad hoc basis.

So now, we’ve officially launched the Stories Gift Pack! Currently, the gift pack is only available for our Lifestyle Photography packages (Studio or Outdoor shoots for family portraiture, maternity, newborn or anytime portraits). Each gift pack is valued differently to suit various budgets. You can purchase the Stories Gift Pack at our online store where we will courier to any location within Malaysia at no extra cost, or you can walk into participating stores and buy it off the shelf at a discounted rate.

At the moment, the only physical store you can purchase these gift packs is from Blue Dot Baby in Bangsar Village. The gift pack is valid for a year from the date of purchase.

2014_STORIES_GIFTPACK_25So how do you redeem a session? It’s really easy. Head on over to our store page and fill up the form with your details, preferred shoot dates and voucher code that is unique to each gift pack.

If you’d like to enquire about our lifestyle photography services for yourself, do keep in mind that we do have other options listed in terms of packages and pricing, so head on over to our usual contact us form to get our rate card.

Thank you for your support, especially to all our returning clients who have entrusted us to capture your family history… from your wedding to your maternity photos and family portraits. Some of you have recommended friends our way, and for that, we’re truly grateful.

2014_STORIES_GIFTPACK_27

Our 8th Year Together

This morning as I sat on the golden throne which is my toilet, unhappily clutching my stomach from a bug that has decided to hit me at the most inopportune time, I thought to myself, “What a great way to start our 8th year anniversary.” We later joked about it especially when Alex willingly picked up the disinfectant and helped clean the toilet after I was done. What a romantic start to our day.

But what struck me this morning was that this really is an act of love, more so than just the gifts you get on special occasions, or the fancy-schmancy dinners that are planned ahead of time. It is these very things that get taken for granted on a daily basis. The little things we do for each other that demonstrate love in bite sized pieces. Though I love the large acts of love (like planning for holidays together, date nights etc), it is these little things that keep my emotional tank full on a daily basis.

I believe it is these very things that make me feel so loved and cherished these past 8 years. I just hope and pray that I am as good a wife as Alex is a great husband. Growing up as the youngest child in the family, I am used to being pampered, so my selfish nature is something I have to battle with constantly. Over the years, through our heartaches and arguments, I have learnt what it means to live less for myself and more for others. Marriage is one relationship instituted by God that truly brings out the best and worst in you.

So my dear, I am sorry for the times that I might have taken you for granted all these years. With God’s help, I hope our marriage will continue to strengthen through and through. Love you heaps.

Oh, and here’s a reminder of our wedding vows said 8 years ago!

20140713_FAMILYTRIP_PENANG_28

Canon Family Portraiture Workshop

20140803_CANON_FAMILY_WORKSHOP_09In half a day, 25 participants were taught the basics of what makes a great family portrait even better and were even given the opportunity to photograph real families! Chaos reigned supreme during the shoot as with all normal family portrait sessions, and together, we perspired, jiggled rattles, played games, and simply had fun. It was my first workshop specifically on family portraiture, and though I had spoken at many workshops and seminars before, this one felt a little different.

I am thankful to Canon (yay, thanks Chris, Shing Eu and Kevin!) for being the main sponsor for this workshop, and for giving me the opportunity as to speak as their EOS Academy Instructor. We also got to test out the PIXMA Pro-10 printer which was great! I loved the prints that came out of it, so this one’s a keeper! We’ll definitely be printing more images and displaying it around our studio soon.

I’d also like to thank Diane, Jamie and Alex for assisting me on this day because no successful workshop can be done alone.

Here’s some photos from the workshop over the weekend, held at Tropicana Golf & Country Club.

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