Musings

The Final Goodbye

28th June 2011. That was the date we said our final goodbyes.

Goodbye to the place I called home when I was a child. The place where I learnt to ride my bicycle, play fashion stylist to all my 9 Barbies, reluctantly helped my mom bake her pineapple tarts so she could sell them for Chinese New Year and also the place where I tried to cram my head full of info for my SPM exam.

It’s never easy to say goodbye, but in life, you have to move on.

While I discovered my treasure trove of Barbie dolls with clothes that have been lovingly hand stitched by my mom from scrap pieces of cloth…

My sister discovered some old pots that she decided was worth keeping. And my uncle from Brisbane discovered his old copper art piece that he created years ago.

We also discovered my brother’s old teddy bear that my sister claimed was bought by my dad when he was in London years ago (like 40 years ago or so!). And my dad’s beloved chess set. He was the President of the Malacca chess club in the 80s.

Grace Tan In For Photographers, Musings, Tips + Ideas

Photographing Large Groups

At weddings, it’s normal for the couple to request for group photographs. Most times, the group size ranges from 5-20 people. However, if you are like Ben and Angela here, you might request for ALL your guests to be in the same image. While it’s a cool idea, there are some challenges a photographer faces when shooting such a large group. How do you even organize the people? How do you see everyone in one image? How do you even light everyone properly, especially if it’s an indoor venue?

Unless you have a huge, multi step platform with about 15 steps that can comfortably fit 10 people per row without one person blocking another, there’s no way to properly achieve this shot.

Tip: So, if you plan to do a large group image like this (anything beyond 50 people)… please make sure there is a way for the photographer to be elevated above the guests.

I wish I had a behind the scenes shot to show you how we achieved this shot. The photo was taken at Zion Lutheran Church in Brickfields, and it didn’t have a 2nd floor where I could be elevated. So Ben organized a tall ladder for me, Johan placed 3 speedlights behind me and held the ladder steady while I climbed it to get this shot.

Ideally I would have liked to see everyone’s faces better without any distortion, but given the space constraints, I could not use any other lens other than a wide angle lens.

Having said that, I am quite happy with the results and I think it’s a pretty cool and unique group photo!

So, it is possible to take large group shots and also make it interesting. Hope that helps! Over time, I hope to share more tips on planning for your wedding, especially from a photographer’s point of view.

Grace Tan In Musings, Promotions, Tips + Ideas

That Special Occasion Gowns

If you are looking to purchase a wedding gown, you should visit That Special Occasion, especially when there’s a mid year sale going on now! I can personally vouch for their gowns… the designs are beautiful and the quality of the workmanship is excellent! So do contact them for an appointment before the sale ends!

Grace Tan In International, Life, Musings

Do you think he shampoos his moustache?

Purely because I’m stressed and this blog has been silent for too long, I’ve decided to pull out an image I shot during my travels in Turkey. I was so amazed at this man’s moustache that I HAD to photograph him. I wonder how long it took him to grow his moustache?

Grace Tan In International, Musings, Outdoor Weddings, Portraits, Pre-Wedding & Engagement Portraits, Running a Business, Weddings

Updates, thoughts on business and time

One of my clients recently asked me, how do I find the time to blog, especially when my days are filled with meeting potential clients, going for shoots, sorting photos, checking through album layouts and responding to enquiries? (and on top of that, move house, move office and actually have a social life?)

My response is simple… I make time for it.

When I think back about it, I am amazed as well. Of course, there are days when I am overwhelmed with the workload. Since I started running my own business 3-4 years ago, I discovered that time is such an important asset. Everyday is a rush to complete the backlog of work that somehow manages to miraculously pile itself on my desk. Before I know it, a day has gone by, a week, a month, a year… where did the time go?

I am still learning the art of prioritizing my time. There are certain things I know I need to do, and those things are high on my priority list. Blogging is one of them. I feel it’s so important to have fresh content on the Stories blog, that no matter how busy I am, I must make time to blog. In my mind, blogging = marketing the Stories brand. How can I neglect something as important as marketing?

So yeah… I make time for it.

Here’s a simple update to what’s been happening the past one week:

Noel & Hui Yi’s pre-wedding shoot in Putrajaya

I love Pullman hotel for pre-wedding photography. The ambience is beautiful!

Kevin & Katherine’s pre-wedding shoot in Nikoi Island, off Bintan, Indonesia

With an amazing beach like this, you can’t help but feel soooo blessed at having a job that brings you places.