Gorgeous Najihah meets cool Danial. They look so good together, it was a breeze photographing them. Najihah sheepishly says that she likes being in front of the camera, and Danial says, “And I like her!”. Well, it’s no surprise that Najihah was a natural in front of the camera because she has appeared in a number of local television commercials.
Carcosa Seri Negara is a beautiful place to be photographed in. I am so glad that Pitter Patter managed to organize this shoot at this location. I love the decor and the style of the house. Unfortunately it rained heavily with thunder and lightning that day so we weren’t able to take shots outdoors. We were warned that the equation of Carcosa + outdoors + lightning = not a good combination.
Luckily there’s lots of open shade around the building.
The stairs and lights at Carcosa are amazing!
Mark, who was with me at Carcosa, saw the shot a little differently. The bottom photo on the right was taken by Mark.
It’s crucial to discuss baby fashion before the child is born… :)
Danial is a really happy guy. You can tell. :)
Thanks for being such a sport! I am sure your child will look as equally stunning as the both of you!
Every year, I make some time for personal projects: projects that are close to my heart and mean something to me. Over the past few years, I have had the privilege of using my gifts in photography for a few different projects:
Chiang Mai Living Waters – Alex and I went to Thailand to document the launch of Chiang Mai Living Waters, a home set up by this couple living in Thailand. This home was created with the purpose of being a temporary living space for patients and family of patients seeking treatment in the hospital in Chiang Mai. Oftentimes, patients travel as far as 8 hours on a tuk tuk from the village to the town, and once they arrive at the hospital, they don’t really have the money to spend on accommodation. Most of the family members end up sleeping in the corridors or on the sidewalks of the hospital for days while their father / mother / child undergoes treatment. With the set up of CM Living Waters, these people have a place to rest for a week or two while their family members undergo treatment. At the same time, they can be involved in sewing projects that help them earn income.
Myanmar Refugees – Together with Picture This & That, I attended an event organized by UNHCR for Myanmar refugees. I think most of us are aware of the problems faced by these refugees when they come over to Malaysia. They don’t really have a place to live, and they cannot really work legally in Malaysia. The children have no access to education. I volunteered to take some family photos for these refugees – some of these photos are probably the only images they have of themselves.
Crisis Home – Each year, I am involved in this conference called Charge Up – where we train people in learning photography and video skills. Charge Up is organized by a non-profit organization called LiveWire Media. This year, the teams were sent to different NGOs to create slideshows / videos with a message. My team went to Crisis Home, a safe place for people living with HIV. The photos in this slideshow were mainly taken by the team I was mentoring. I am proud of how they came up with this work!
It is through these events and also in meeting couples who are getting married but struggling with cancer that prompted me to come up with this idea.
I want to make a difference in someone’s life.
I would love to share my gift of photography: with someone who deserves it.
Do you know of someone who would love to have their photo taken? It could be an engaged friend who wants amazing wedding portraits but cannot afford it. Or it could be the family living next door that has been contributing so much to society but just never had their family photograph taken. Or it could be a friend living with a terminal illness.
It’s up to you.
Tell me their story.
Contest Details:
1. Nominate a friend and write an email to me (grace.tan [at] stories.my) explaining why this person / family / couple deserves a free shoot. It is up to you to be as creative as possible with your entries! Please attach a photo of your friend. If you don’t have a photo, you can create any kind of graphic with images or text and send it to me. The photo can be a web resolution photo. Please include the contact information of your friend (eg. phone number or email).
2. Every week, selected images and stories will be uploaded onto the Facebook Stories page. Invite your friends to ‘like’ your story.
3. The contest will end by 31 May 2010.
4. Judges from Stories.my will select the top 2 stories with consideration of the public votes. However, the number of ‘likes’ may not necessarily influence the final decision of the judges, who will decide based on story idea. Your nominated friend will win a 1 hour photography session with Stories.my. He/she will get all the photos on CD (printable up to 4R size) and one 15″ x 10″ matte photo print. Shoots are to happen within the month of June or July 2010 within the Klang valley.
While the rest of the guests were getting ready for the dinner reception, the bridal party together with Mo and Greta were out on the beach having some fun!
Johan took this shot below while I was shooting from another angle…
Mo wanted a shot of Greta in her veil, so we quickly hooked it on, and got this shot… I love the detail on her veil!
A lot of things in this wedding are themed red. Like the tables and chairs in this ballroom.
And so, it only made sense to take the ring shots against something red!
The cake at the dinner reception varies in colour depending on the lighting at that time.
I can’t help photographing kids. They have this look that demands to be photographed!
Find the official photographer. Hehe…
Not only were the speeches good, the dancing was pretty awesome too!
Johan took this cool dancing shot (below) with off camera flash. It was really dark while the dancing was happening, so we utilized flash, video light, and high ISO on the cameras! Thank God for 6400 ISO setting on my 5D Mark2. :)
I had a great time at your wedding, Mo & Greta. Thanks for your confidence in my team even though you only met me on your wedding day for the first time! Wishing you years and years of happiness together!
Months ago, I received an enquiry from Greta, who resides in the UK. We exchanged a couple of emails, and then she booked us to cover her wedding. I met Greta for the first time on her wedding day, but the moment I started talking to her, it felt as if we have known each other for months. She is really bubbly and fun, and I found out that she used to go to the same primary school as I did, in Malacca! The similarities end there, however… since I don’t have a black belt in martial arts, as Greta does!
Mohit is more subdued, but he enjoys things like climbing mountains and diving. Their family and friends flew from UK, Australia and many other parts of the world to be in Penang for their wedding ceremony.
Greta’s wedding dress is really unique. I love the detail on her gown.
And her wedding invite is superb too! Red is one of my favourite colours.
And of course, Greta looks really amazing!
Of course, Mohit looks pretty good himself!
The gorgeous bridal party.
I loooove garden & beach weddings. The garden at Rasa Sayang Resort combines the best of both worlds – you can have a garden ceremony and portraits by the beach!
More images coming up soon in Part 2! [updated: View part 2 here]
When Adrian and Stefanie came to meet me to discuss their engagement portrait session, Adrian told me that he loves high key shots. He couldn’t decide whether he prefers the photos to be taken in the morning or evening. And we talked about shoot locations at length. You see, that’s what happens when you photograph a photographer. They have all sorts of cool ideas and it usually takes a while to make a decision! Stef was the casual, relaxed one. Her only criteria: “Can we shoot on some windy road…?”
And so we ended up at their apartment in Kota Damansara where I took some photos in their newly decorated home.
When I arrived there, Stef showed me these notes that she had written. And I thought it was really cute!!
And so, I thought, why not take the idea a little further. So I got them to sit down separately and write down what they thought of each other. And then to reveal it to camera…
Well, Stef was quite tickled with what Adrian wrote!
After an hour or so, we went outdoors to continue our shoot. When we left their home, lightning was streaking across the sky… “Oh no, it’s going to pour!” And it DID! It rained so heavily that I wondered if we would have to postpone the second half of the shoot. But when we arrived in KL, it was nice and sunny.
The sky was really clear. Hard to believe that we had just gone through a thunderstorm to get here!
When the sun came out in the evening, it was golden…
And Stef got her windy road shot!
When we were about to end our shoot, it started to drizzle again… and that’s when we saw this tiny rainbow peeking out through the clouds! The colour of sky was so glorious!
Then the sun set, and it was blue for a while… :) I promise you, this sky is real and not Photoshop-ed in! I love colour!
Congratulations on your upcoming wedding, Adrian & Stef. Sorry I could not be there to cover your wedding day. I am sure it will be a day filled with lots of joy, topped up with God’s goodness!
Myanmar Refugees – Together with 
