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.
We do not have to have similar personalities, as long as we complement each other! Pravin and Michelle proved this right. Pravin is a very bubbly and extroverted person. He is perfectly comfortable being in the limelight and is very much a people person. He is definitely a hopeless romantic! As for Michelle, she is more of an introverted person who shies away from the limelight. But her extroverted side comes through when she is with people who are close to her.
If you wonder what their first impressions of each other were, Pravin said, “Michelle is very sincere, genuine, and warm.” For Michelle, she said: “His deep sexy voice!”
Scroll down to see how Pravin and Michelle celebrate their special day at St. Thomas More Church in Subang, and the Intercontinental Hotel in Kuala Lumpur.
“What should my family wear?” is generally the first question most families have when arranging a family photoshoot. It’s a valid question! After all, your images will most likely be displayed someplace in your home, and you’ll want to make sure they’re not only beautiful but also timeless.
Based on our experience of photographing many families, here are some tips for choosing your outfits!
1. Coordinate, not match
Rather than having everyone show up in the exact same shade and style, consider instead outfits and colours that complement each other. Think cohesiveness rather than being “matchy-matchy”. Begin by choosing a colour palette of two to three coordinating colours and select your clothes that will fit into this colour scheme. Coordinating colours are colours that are found opposite each other on the colour wheel. If you’re unsure about which colours complement each other, this handy tool from Canva can assist!
2. Consider Colour Shading
If colour coordination feels too daunting, go for multiple shades of the same colour instead. You can’t go wrong with a light natural palette – think earthy tones and hues of cream, grey and blue.
Having different shades of the same colour doesn’t just mean going light and dark. Shades of green, for example, could include olive, mint, turquoise, and even teal. Throw in a bit of neutral colours like white and grey to mix it up and you’re good to go!
3. Have Variety
Discard the all tee-and-jeans look and replace it with a variety of khakis, skirts, and even long dresses. Allowing this range will let each family member dress in a way that reflects their unique personality and will result in far more interesting family portraits.
4. Don’t be afraid of prints, patterns or even bold colours
While you can’t go wrong with solids for everyone, including a pattern or print in the mix can assist to draw attention to your images. A splash of colour can also do wonders. When styling with prints and patterns, it is important to note that not everyone should be such styles. With aesthetics, typically less is often more. A good idea is to have majority of the family in neutrals with only a few members in pattern or colour.
5. Textures and accessories are your friend
Choose garments with a range of textures and fabrics such as lace, tulle, chambray, knits and others to add depth and character to your images. Layers and accessories can also be used to apply textures. Not only can these help pull your look together and assist with outfit coordination, they can also be used as styling props in the photoshoot – think a jacket slung over a shoulder or a tulle skirt being twirled around.
6. Be yourself
Ultimately, your family photos should represent who you and your family are. Don’t dress like someone else just because you saw an amazing outfit idea. Being comfortable in your chosen outfits and enjoying your projected look will help you love your photos more.
Aren’t newborn babies just the cutest? This tiny little human whom you birthed has suddenly become the most important person in your life. And the truth is, they grow so, so fast. In fact, the newborn stage barely lasts two months at most! Here are some pointers to help you prepare for a newborn baby photoshoot.
1. Know the timeline
If you’re looking for photos in the newborn phase (think sleepy, swaddled babies), the best time to do this is in the first 14 days. Babies in this two week window period tend to be smaller, enjoy being swaddled and spend most of their time sleeping, thereby making them easier to mould into various positions used for newborn photography. If you’ve missed this marker, don’t worry; newborn photography can still be captured for babies up to a month old, however, they will likely be more alert as they grow older. The best time to do the shoot would be morning, as babies tend to be a little cranky towards the late afternoon.
2. Plan ahead of time
As a new parent, you’re likely to be sleep-deprived, you might want to source your photographer and make a tentative booking based on your expected due date to ensure they’ll be available during that period. It’s also a good idea to talk about the types of images you want to take ahead of time. This way, you can get all important discussion out of the way and focus on getting sufficient rest after your delivery. Continue Reading
How did Joel and Priyanka meet? Priyanka told us: “We’ve known each other for about 10 years, and we were mere friends. Joel was a city boy from KL and I was a “kampung-girl” from the jungles of Borneo, Sabah. We both attend the same church, the one we are getting married at, and often see each other in church. Just say hi and bye when our paths cross. One fine day, we bumped into each other in Bangsar and went for drinks. I guess that’s when I fell in love with Joel. It was followed by a few horror movies here and there, as well as a few drinks. A lot of drinks, adventures, trips to Sabah, injuries and surgeries later, here we are, getting married after officially dating for 5 years.”
They describe themselves as a couple: “We’re major foodies! As a couple, we are usually joking and laughing with or at each other-especially after a couple of pints of Guinness! On long drives, we can create our own games. We usually spend most of our time after work eating, drinking, and enjoying a chilled session with good music and being with family and friends. We recently got a dog who is a hyper-active yet loving companion. Her name is Ally Rosa. Together, we just love being with each other and enjoy each other’s company.”
On that wedding day, we shared lots of laughter with Joel and Priyanka and many beautiful moments. We shed tears when Priyanka danced with her father and when he passed her hand to Joel. And of course, the wedding ended perfectly with a lot of dancing and fun!
5. Textures and accessories are your friend
6. Be yourself
