Musings

Diane In For Photographers, Musings, Tips + Ideas

Take your photos off-screen!

Great photos are meant to be shared. Other than uploading them on Facebook and blogs, they should be shared in its’ most traditional form- in print. For me, I find that I am more likely to turn the pages of a ready physical photo album than to access the soft copies from my computer.

In light of that, I would like to show you a quick way to make a simple photo album. They are great as little gifts for your loved ones or simply for keeps. For this simple tutorial, I will be making a pocket-sized photo album, featuring some of my favourite Instagram photos.

Oh, by the way, did you know that Instagram is now available on Android phones as well? :)

You will need:

– A4 sized craft paper. Any colour you might like!
*Tip: If you are going to use cardboard, please note that it is slightly more challenging to fold as they are thick.

– 6 of your favourite photos.

– A blade, cutting board and a ruler.

– Double-sided tape for the insides. (optional)

Grace Tan In Chinese Weddings, Church Weddings, Indian + Punjabi Weddings, International, Malay Weddings, Musings, News, Outdoor Weddings, Running a Business, Wedding Films & Videos, Weddings

Feature your wedding on an International Travel Channel

Hi everyone! We’re involved in a really cool, upcoming project and we’d love to get you involved too! It combines 2 of my favourite topics: Travel and Weddings.

For those who have been reading this blog for sometime, you might know that I started out my career in the local film and television line. For many years, I edited TV programs, dramas, films, documentaries… and also directed some episodes of various television programs. Then in 2007, I began to explore the world of weddings through my camera lens. You can read more about my history here.

So how is this relevant to what I am about to say?

Well, basically, we will be involved in a new project involving an international travel channel that broadcasts to 120 countries worldwide. No, this doesn’t mean that we are no longer photographing weddings. Every now and then, I believe in doing new things that will help fuel creativity, and though it’s been a while since I directed a TV program, this is something I’m excited to do.

So… this is where you come in.

We are looking to feature weddings in Malaysia, Indonesia (Bali), Taiwan, Thailand, Philippines and Singapore. For each episode, we will feature one local couple and one couple who are traveling to that destination for their wedding. If you are getting married in these locations within the months of May-August 2012 and would love to have your wedding featured internationally on television, do contact us!

Please email grace.tan [at] stories.my with these details:

1. Your name & your fiance’s name

2. The location and date of your wedding

3. Why you think your wedding should be featured (or perhaps some unique details about your wedding plans)

4. Include a photo of the both of you

And that’s it! This is not a contest. We will select the couple based on the best story that fits our requirements. We are excited to hear from you, so do email us soon!

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

Bloom Workshops: Empowering Female Photographers (our first!)

Who would have thought, that 4 very different photographers with unique personalities and style could sit together and organize something as unlikely as a female photography workshop? It took us 5 months to brainstorm ideas, get together a sponsor list, and plan for the event, but our inaugural Bloom Workshops was a hit! The event was held on the 10th & 11th of March 2012 at the Terrace of Hock Choon and attended by 30 eager female photographers. The trainer list consisted of Anna-Rina, Asther Lau, Fiona Lim and myself.

We would like to thank our main sponsor, Canon and all our other sponsors Schmidt Marketing, Wall Canvas Arts, Simplr, Laura Mercier and Kelly Moore bags for adding lots of spice to the workshop.

I had a session on lighting, which is a huge topic to cover in 3 hours! I taught the participants how to look at available light and also did an introduction on off camera flash techniques. I was really excited to read some of these comments on my session:

“Something new and challenging but very beneficial as before this lighting was something that I didn’t take seriously. Understand that it’s all about the light and not all only about the location and pretty subjects.”
“Clear & Precise. Enjoyed applying the techniques during the practical session. Hot models haha.”
“I came away with so much more tips that I’m excited to put into use!”

For those of you who couldn’t make it, here are some photos from the workshop! When the participants arrived, they were greeted by Diane’s friendly smile.

And they received a Canon paper bag filled with lots of yummy goodies from all our sponsors! They even received a personalized print of their photo, created by Simplr.

Grace Tan In Casual Portraits, Life, Musings, Portraits, Relationships

Women: girls & International Women’s Day 2012

I’ve always believed in using your skills for a cause. Photography has always been a tool for me, something to express how I feel about a particular topic. When I travel, I use photography to show how awesome and diverse this world is. In weddings, my work becomes a record of someone’s life journey, and hopefully to remind them of that beautiful moment they said “I do”; years later when the eye bags and wrinkles appear. When I photograph families, I want them to cherish the most important people in their lives.

In conjunction with International Women’s Day (IWD), I collaborated with Capri Communications Sdn Bhd to bring forward yet another cause and purpose – to show how important it is that mentoring relationships are formed in every part of our life. The Women: girls campaign was created in line with IWD’s theme Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures. The campaign aims to begin a connection to inspire and encourage a new network of exchanges between young girls and women. I think it’s really pertinent to life. I can remember many women I looked up to when I was young, women who inspired me to believe in myself and reach higher heights in life. My sister is definitely one of them.

The following series of images were created specifically for the Women: girls campaign. It features 10 local celebrities and 10 girls from underprivileged backgrounds. The photos were exhibited in Fahrenheit 88, KL for the past week. The celebrities share their thoughts on inspiration and what it means to them.

Some of the awesome thoughts that resonated with me:

“It’s a strong feeling and drive that I get from someone else that makes me believe I could do anything.” – Julie Woon –
“Inspiration is that wonderful moment that makes you go wow and say, if she can do it I can do it too!” – Kartini Kamalul Ariffin –

What are your thoughts on inspiration and who inspires you?

Julie Woon, Actress & TV Presenter with Gokila, 16 years

Datin Paduka Umie Aida, Actress with Valawanda, 17 years

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.