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Chi Yin Tan In At Home, Casual Portraits, Family + Children Portraits, Portraits, Studio

What to Expect in a Family Photo Session

Planning to have a family portrait session and not sure what to expect? What is the usual flow for a family session? Would it work if we have kids, grandparents, and other smaller families in the same photo session?

Here is some information on what to expect in a family photo session:

1. Start the photo session with the important photo:

We frequently recommend beginning with a few of the larger family photos. It’s best to capture them first when everyone has the most energy. Also, we want to get them done before the kids get too tired or restless! Unless you have a different priority for the shoot, let us know!

2. Smaller group

After the big group photos, we can continue with some smaller group photos. We also try to prioritise kids first as they might get tired or distracted easily from the photoshoot session. We suggest getting most of their photos taken first – pictures of them with parents, grandparents, uncles and aunties, and also individual shots!

Bin Bin Tan In At Home, Casual Portraits, Family + Children Portraits, Portraits, Studio

Tips for Planning your Multi-Generational Large Family Photoshoot

When it comes to planning for a family photoshoot, it’s easy to become overwhelmed. What more if you’re looking into including multi-generations? Grandparents, parents, siblings, kids—oh my! The thought of coordinating a session like this can put off even the best of planners. Here are some tips if you’re looking to include multiple generations in your next family photoshoot.

1. Don’t Leave it to the Last Minute

Getting a date where all parties involved are available will be half the battle accomplished. You will need to plan ahead in order to book everyone’s time. To make things easier, choose a period when people are already gathering—for example, the festive holidays. Alternatively, pick an occasion to celebrate that will bring the family together, such as a wedding anniversary or grandparents’ birthday. You can then plan the photoshoot around this celebration. It might even be the highlight!

2. Do Coordinate Your Outfits

Now that you’ve got the date, the second half of the battle is deciding what to wear. Rather than having everyone come in the same type of outfit or colour, aim for coordination instead. Choose one or two colours that the entire family can agree on and allow for a variety based on the colour scheme. This will allow every family member’s outfit to mesh well together without matching too much. For large groups, you may want to consider solids, as too many patterns can be distracting.

For tips on how to dress your family for the shoot, refer to our article here.

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Bin Bin Tan In Casual Portraits, Family + Children Portraits, Maternity, Portraits, Studio

Our favourite props at the studio

As a lifestyle photography studio, we often get asked on whether we provide props for shooting. It’s so common, we’ve worked it into our questionnaire – asking whether you’d like any specific props for your session. We have a wide variety of these in our studio but here is a list of our favourites and why we love them.

1. Red and White Tent

Whether it’s for an outdoor or indoor shoot, our red and white tents are one of our most requested props. We can see why – it’s a great backdrop, can be modified to include other decorations and can be easily styled to match your own personality too.

2. Indoor Garden

Keen on a garden shoot but can’t deal with our heat and humidity? Good news – we have a variety of potted plants that we can use to set up a miniature garden theme for you. All this in our climate-controlled indoor studio ;)

3. Rocking Horses

Warming up for photos is something that can take some time for children. It’s difficult for them to sit still for an extended period of time, and they usually have a lot of pent-up energy that needs to be released. Our rocking horse encourages play and allows children to be themselves while providing excellent photo opportunities. It also makes for great interaction shots between siblings or family members.

4. Baby-friendly Props & Toys

Babies are even more difficult to shoot than children since they cannot yet be instructed. As a result, we usually let them freestyle while we photograph them in their cutest natural moments. Whether it’s little chairs for them to sit on, rugs for crawling or stepping stools, our baby friendly props will allow your child to safely be their baby selves. We also have an abundance of toys and books at the studio, so we’d be happy to pull something out of the cupboard when the little ones get restless.

5. Festive Props

The festive season always seems to bring out the family feels. We often see a surge in bookings around this time, likely due to the whole family being together. If you’re looking to capture the spirits of the season, let us know and we’ll set up your session with our festive prop collection. Any ideas for what you would like for a Hari Raya or Deepavali themed shoot?

6. Volkswagen Kombi

While technically not in the Studio itself, Smurfette is our prized Volkswagen Kombi that’s available for rent. It’s presence immediately lends a fun vibe to weddings and the photo opportunities with her are endless!

Chi Yin Tan In Family + Children Portraits, Portraits, Studio

The Yearly Hari Raya Ritual: Alif Satar and Shadila Halid Family

Malaysian artist and actor Alif Satar together with his wife Shadila Halid and their extended family, made it a point to take their Hari Raya family portraits annually. It’s their family tradition to print out Raya cards every year. We love how they plan ahead of time, have their Baju Raya ready earlier and gather everyone together to have some fun before Raya. It’s the second time having this lovely family in our studio. It was wonderful capturing the nine adults and seven children having fun with one another. We love all the little silly moments and love seeing how they enjoy each other’s company. Why not adopt a family tradition like this in yours?

Chi Yin Tan In At Home, Family + Children Portraits, Portraits, Studio

Selamat Hari Raya from all of us!

Hari Raya Aidilfitri is a huge celebration here in Malaysia. Part of our Raya traditions include taking Raya family portraits for different families. It’s always nice to see families dressed up in Raya outfits of the same colour, making time to be together in a photo session. Most of the time, we even get to enjoy some Rendang, Satay, and Kuih if we are at the client’s house.

We do have some returning families who make a point of returning every year to update their family photos. I love how we can journey with families like this, seeing each other every year and watching their children grow.

I hope you have had a great celebration and a wonderful time on this occasion.