Family + Children Portraits

Grace Tan In Family + Children Portraits, Portraits

Family Portraits in Desa Park City: Ranjini & Rune

Rune is from Denmark and Ranjini is Malaysian. 10 years ago, they met by chance at the now defunct Bar Savahn in Heritage Row. It so happened that he was standing at Ranjini’s spot at the bar when she returned from the washroom. That was the first time she saw him and spoke because she wanted her spot back. He was happy to move a bit but stayed to keep talking. It took Rune 6 months to woo Ranjini because she was not into younger men. Rune said that he was the Danish national salsa champion (not true), and yet 5 years later they got married with the most awesome wedding! Two years after that they had Noah, and another 2 years later, Luna. We were privileged to have met this amazing family in a fun filled photo session in Desa Park City.

Grace Tan In Family + Children Portraits, Portraits, Studio

Large Family Portrait in the Studio: Lai family

When 26 people get together for a large family portrait, there’s bound to be chaos! In fact, my studio looked like it was hosting a giant Chinese New Year eve family gathering. There were 3 generations in this family shoot, but interestingly, all the married grandchildren did not have children of their own yet. It would be even more challenging if babies were added to the equation!

I’ve known Timmy Lai from the good old days of when I was in DUMC, so it was nice to get to know his entire family. His brother Jacky coordinated this session for his grandmother’s 80th birthday. This is what he had to say…

“Our last family portrait was taken almost 23 years ago. Therefore, in conjunction with our grandmother’s 80th birthday, we would like to retake our family portrait once again. This is also to create a new memory for all of us, so that, someday, we will be able to look back and cherish the beautiful moments and memories that will definitely put a smile on our face.

Family unity is very important to my grandmother. Even till this day, she still worries about all her children and grandchildren. She is a typical Hakka Lady, the one that works super hard and relentlessly for her family especially during her younger days.

The family that we are today, is not really perfect, but with the countless sacrifices that she made with her blood and sweat in order to keep the family united as one! As a young mother, who was also the breadwinner of the family back in the old days, she would always make sure that there was food on the table and a roof over her children’s head. Today, I can say that she has passed down this great legacy to her children and also to us, her beloved grandchildren.

A lot of things had happened since our last photo-shot. There were plenty of ups and downs, joy and laughter, pains and regrets; but because of the strong foundation that my grandmother has built for us, we still stand united as one family. As we looked back at our previous family portrait, we noticed that our grandmother has definitely aged gracefully. Not forgetting her children, our parents, who have grown older with time too. The grandchildren will be moving on to their next stage of life where meeting each other would be rare. Therefore, seizing this opportunity while celebrating our grandmother’s birthday, it would be an amazing moment for us to cherish and look back our this coming family portrait in future.”

What a beautiful reason for a family portrait! We did something different this time for such a huge group. We tested out an idea we had of taking multiple shots of individual families and then compositing it into one large panoramic image below. What do you think of the result? The print looked really unique in my opinion!

Grace Tan In Family + Children Portraits, Portraits, Studio

One Year Old Cake Smash: Jing Yu

Ooi and Mei Leng visited my studio a year ago, when their older child was just 2 and Mei Leng was still pregnant with Jing Yu. I love to have this privilege of journeying alongside all the families I photograph, especially to see them grow. It was wonderful that I got to celebrate Jing Yu’s 1 year old birthday with a fun cake smash session in the studio. His brother was all too happy to participate in the session together!

Grace Tan In Casual Portraits, Family + Children Portraits, Life, Musings, Portraits, Relationships

A new phase of life for my firstborn

Just like every other parent I know, there are some moments in life that are just etched in your mind forever. Like that first cry your child made at the hospital which made you cry too. That moment she took her first few steps, or when she babbled those semi-incoherent words that you swore meant something. Lately, I’ve been feeling a little emotional too, as my 5+ year old is now about to leave preschool and head on to her first year in primary.

First day at preschool

It felt like just a few blinks ago when she stepped into preschool, all scared and tiny. Being a December baby, she was just 2 years and 1 month when she joined the 3 year old class in January. She blossomed from a timid girl to a confident and intelligent child. In fact, going into year 1, she is not fearful at all, but really more excited than the nervous wreck I am!

Packing up on her last day at preschool, just after her Merdeka party

I just want to cuddle her close to me, never wanting this baby to grow up. But she has, and she will continue to do so…growing more and more independent as a person. It’s hard to verbalise this feeling, so bittersweet. So proud of her, and yet this tinge of sadness that her baby years are ending faster than I am willing to acknowledge. Soon, I’ll have a teenager with acne and boyfriend problems and then the day will come when her dad will have to walk her down the aisle to the man she loves.

But for now, I’ll just cherish these memories and be brought back through time with captured moments.

Gearing up for Year 1 on orientation day

Grace Tan In Family + Children Portraits, Portraits

The Happy Japanese family: Yuki & Aki

Last year, we participated at the 9th Private International School Fair in Midvalley and met Yuki there at our booth. We had a great time just chatting and connecting and on that day itself, he booked a photography session with us. This really cute Japanese family loves Malaysia so much, they are considering making this their 2nd home under the Malaysian My Second Home program! It always amazes me when I meet expats who love Malaysia so much they want to make it their home. Despite the challenges our nation faces, I am still proud to be Malaysian. This is a place where many opportunities abound.

Here are some of my favourites from Yuki and Aki’s session.