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Grace Tan
In Indian + Punjabi Weddings, Portraits, , Weddings

Wedding in E&O, Penang: Arun & Rani

“I think I am the most complicated person I know and I’d ever come to know. I am usually conflicted, emotionally. I hold back when I should take the plunge. I let it rip and fly off the handle when I should hold it in. Yes, complicated, is definitely a word I’d use to describe myself.

The absolute truth is, I don’t think I’d have grown so much in the last 6 years if not for this one person who came into my life and turned it completely upside down! Arun. He changed me in ways I didn’t think I’d let myself change, and ways I didn’t know I could change, and ways I didn’t know I should change. He has been my best friend, my worst nightmare (at times) and my most loyal companion. Through it all though, he has just been there. Refusing to budge. Refusing to leave. Refusing to take ‘No’ as any kind of answer…”

Rani

20131215_WEDDING_ARUN_RANI_001920131215_WEDDING_ARUN_RANI_0074I remember my first encounter with Rani. It was at the Westin wedding fair, and she came with a group of friends who were funny, witty and easy to chat with. That instant, we clicked. Rani signed up for our photography package, and months later, off to Penang I went with Diane to photograph their Malaysian reception. Arun and Rani were wed in India (darn, I still am hoping to photograph a wedding there one day!) but they had a 2nd celebration in Penang’s colonial looking E&O Hotel. We spent a good part of the day taking portraits, and then photographing their dinner reception in the evening.

A really funny thing happened that morning while Diane and I were waiting to meet Arun and Rani. Since I had only met Rani once and it was more than 6 months ago, I couldn’t quite recall how she looked like… exactly. And we had never met Arun. So while we were waiting, a couple walks into E&O after disembarking from their wedding car, all dressed up, and we went over to them thinking that they were Arun and Rani. Needless to say, it was an awkward moment when we all realized we didn’t know each other! Well, we had a good laugh after that and we wished the other couple well.

I was glad when the ‘real’ Arun and Rani turned up and everything else went on smoothly that day without any further hiccups! :) Continue Reading

Grace Tan
In Family + Children Portraits, International, Portraits

Family Portraits, Melbourne, Australia: Stewart, Georgina & Patrick

Two years ago, I photographed Georgina’s family portraits in Malacca, the town where both of us grew up in. It was a lovely time with her immediate family (and nieces & nephews) – it was cuteness overload! Fast forward to 2 years later, and now, Georgina and Stewart have their own little bundle of cuteness to raise. At the time of the shoot, Patrick was just 6 months old, and learning to suck on lamb chops as I was told, most Australian kids do! (apparently the Asian side of Patrick rejected the porridge that was offered to him, much to Georgina’s disappointment).

Anyhow, I didn’t get to witness any lamb sucking activities (though that would have been epic!) but the 4 of us headed to a little park near their home in Melbourne for some family portraits. It was a beautiful day, though the week before, Melbourne was pouring! Patrick stole my heart and I ended up photographing so many images of this little one…

Enjoy the photos!

20140413_FAMILY_PORTRAITS_STEWART_GEORGINA_PATRICK_3220140413_FAMILY_PORTRAITS_STEWART_GEORGINA_PATRICK_56 Continue Reading

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

Time and The Notion of Success

Recently, a series of events has caused me to think about life, our notion of success and what we do with our time. I came across this post by one of my favourite photographers Jasmine Star, where she talked about the notion of busyness, and how oftentimes, we equate it with success.

“Oh, you’re busy? Your business must be very successful then!”

But she pointed out in her post that rest and relaxation are equal indicators of success… that it is important to have a work-life balance and have time for friends and family members.

A week ago, Alex and I started the first of a series of parenting classes conducted by our church. In this course, we watched a DVD with real, parenting issues as brought up by Nicky and Sila, the trainers. Then we discussed these issues between us and also in a small group setting. Through this course, we were reminded that children really need to feel loved and that one of the ways of filling their emotional tank is to spend intentional time with them.

One of the pitfalls of running your own business is the need to ‘constantly’ work 24-7. There were days when Alex and I would be sitting in bed, but both still replying emails or doing some form of work. It came to a point that I thought it was really unhealthy and we needed to set aside boundaries for ourselves. How easy it is to let time slide by, just doing things that consume us at that point in time, but not really things that are truly important!

In the video for the 1st week, a dad related the story of how he used to tell bedtime stories to his daughter, but every so often, his phone would ring, and she would plead with him to just ignore it and finish the story. He would say, “This is important…” and then one phone call led to another and another, and then half an hour later, he would come back to her room with her fast asleep with the light still on and the book next to her head. But now, if you ask him, he can’t remember a single one of those calls that were ‘truly’ important, or what the content of them were.

It is really my heart’s desire to set aside time for the things that matter in life. The thing is that busyness will always be there. It will always consume us and before we know it, a day has gone by, and then a week, and then a month, or a year. If I don’t make intentional time for my family, or for friends, I’ll soon discover that all I ever did was being ‘busy’ with daily life and tasks.

To end this post, I’d just like to share a little video that Alex and I made. The journey of being a parent has been really amazing and one that we wouldn’t trade for the world. I used to think that being pregnant was a bit of a nuisance and a necessary ‘evil’, especially as a photographer. But after going through it with my first child, I realized there is no real convenient time to be pregnant. It shouldn’t be thought of as a burden, but as a gift. A beautiful gift from God.

Trailer: Krysta+Kyle from Stories on Vimeo.

Grace Tan
In Chinese Weddings, Outdoor Weddings, Weddings

Lovin’ You Like Coffee in the Morning: Chee Kiang & Jolene

A wedding that had a lot of heart and planning in it. From her Pinterest boards to frequent discussions with friends…Jolene gave her all as she planned her wedding. I loved the many DIY details that were present at her wedding and the coffee theme that was very strong (pun intended!) at the dinner reception. People who are coffee lovers know that people who love coffee group together like a cult. It was great that they even had a booth to serve cappuccino and lattes during the cocktail session before dinner.

The outdoor wedding ceremony was held at Holiday Inn Glenmarie. About an hour or so before the wedding was supposed to start, it poured. Even though the wedding set up was shielded under a gazebo, still, the rain poured in through the sides. But Chee Kiang and Jolene didn’t panic. It all turned out well in the end because the rain stopped in time, and there was a cool breeze that enveloped the place as they said their vows.

20140315_WEDDING_CHEEKIANG_JOLENE_054420140315_WEDDING_CHEEKIANG_JOLENE_038720140315_WEDDING_CHEEKIANG_JOLENE_0055 Continue Reading

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

Mom Is Beautiful

201405_Contest_MomisBeautiful-small

As a 1.5 year old mom, I now fully appreciate what my parents used to do for me – the endless hours of sacrifice making sure that I grew up to be a responsible, mature adult. Memories of my mom include her waking up in the wee hours of the morning to prepare breakfast for me every day before I go to school. I did get sick of the milo, bread and half-boiled eggs after a while, but it was all done with love. My mom did not go to university, but she worked hard. After she was retrenched from her job in the fisheries department, she started her own business out of necessity.

She sold Pyrex, Arcopal (for those who don’t know what they are… they are heavy sets of dining plates, bowls, pots etc!) to anyone who was interested. She would travel mostly to the kampung in Malacca to sell to her majority Malay clientele. Even if the set was worth RM300, she would offer them an instalment plan, and diligently come back month after month to collect a mere RM10. The plates were definitely heavy, and I recall her having to lug it on her own to some of her client’s homes. As a child, I sometimes followed her on these trips (grudgingly). It was tough work, but she never complained (at least not to me!) and succeeded in her business.

When the Chinese New Year season came around, she would wake up at 5am to make cookies to sell them. Thousands and thousands of them. I was a very naughty daughter. I hated having to help in the kitchen, and tried to escape whenever I could, much to her despair. She would labour in the kitchen till midnight, and had to endure lots of nagging from my dad who didn’t like seeing her work so hard.

Well it did take a toll on her, and she fell sick when I was 13. My mom had a stroke which left her half paralyzed. She couldn’t do anything and had to learn to hold a fork and spoon again, learn to walk etc. It was really frustrating for her and my dad but she pulled through. She learnt how to drive again after much perseverance. I learnt that from her. To never give up despite life’s circumstances.

Now, my mom is 77, and she is not all she used to be. Her heart problems and other health issues has made her retreat into a shell. I feel a little sad about it all but I am glad that when she sees my daughter Krysta, her face lights up, if only for a few minutes.

Mummy, I love you. I don’t think I say it often enough.

xoxo,
Grace

Contest Details and T&C:

1. Find a photo with you and your mom (it could include other family members).
2. Write a story about why she is beautiful to you (any length!)
3. Share it with us by posting it on our Facebook wall (www.facebook.com/stories.my) before midnight Malaysian time on 16th May 2014.
4. Our judges will decide on the best (or most touching) story and decide on one winner.
5. The winner will receive a 1 hour family portrait shoot from Stories. The shoot must be done on a weekday before 31 August 2014. You can choose to do the shoot in our studio or outdoors within the Klang Valley. A Stories photographer will be assigned for the shoot. The winner will receive 20 soft copy images (printable up to 8R size) and one 12″ x 8″ matte print.
6. A limitation of up to 8 people is allowed for the shoot.
7. A surcharge of RM100 is chargeable for weekend dates. Outstation surcharge of RM800 applies for shoots done outside of Klang Valley. Costs of flights / transportation & accommodation is not included.
8. To purchase the entire set of high resolution images, a fee of RM500 is chargeable.
9. Up to 2 postponement of dates is allowed, however, if a 3rd postponement is required, the prize is considered forfeited.

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