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Grace Tan
In Family + Children Portraits, Portraits, Studio

Tan Family Portraits at the Studio

Living a nomadic life has been the trend in the Tan family from years ago. They’ve lived in Penang, Kelantan, Kuala Lumpur, and Kota Kinabalu, and interestingly, all siblings were born in different state. Abraham and Eva are now living in KL, running their own kindergarten even though all their children have left the nest. Their son Tim is now married to Joyce and living in Singapore. Peter, their other son is living in a lovely cottage in the UK with his wife Thuy and son Caleb.

The lovely girls in the family have been helping out in the kindergarten and homeschooling through the years. Now, Su-Ann has left to further her studies in Arkansas then with Su-Lynn coming shortly after, leaving Su-San behind with her mom and dad.

Last June, the entire family came back together for a holiday together and we did a portrait session together. It was really lovely to be able to meet this really warm family. Little baby Caleb wasn’t really in the mood for photos during the group session but we had a different session scheduled just for his family, so I’m so pleased to report that he was a happy camper then!

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Grace Tan
In Life, Musings, Relationships

Pride That Blinds

As we argued over a petty little issue (in my mind, that is!) in the car on the way to Krysta’s school, we heard a little voice in the background saying, “Say sorry, mummy and daddy!”. It grew louder and louder as she realized we had ignored her for the 4th or 5th time.

“SAY SORRY, MUMMY AND DADDY!”

My mind went back to the times when this same 4 year old toddler was forced to say those very same words to her 2 year old brother after a fight. Over some toy or something like that. She had ignored me, refused eye contact with her brother and just muttered the barely audible words, “I’m sorry.”

I was cornered. I had to say sorry, though inside, I just wanted to hang on to my anger. Or my pride. I couldn’t tell the difference. So with no eye contact, I muttered the words, “I’m sorry” trying my best to have the most sincere tone I could muster, while failing miserably. She must have thought it was sincere enough as she started singing to break the deathly silence that was in the car.

That evening, I was in a rather bad mood as I was driving home. I was stopped at an intersection, but since I couldn’t really see the road clearly, I had to drive a little too far forward, partially blocking the road. In the distance, I saw a bus coming, and I thought briefly, maybe I should reverse, but I didn’t. The bus driver actually stopped his vehicle right in front of my car and gave me a signal to prove I was in the wrong. And though I knew it, I felt pride welling up inside and excuses coming out of my mouth, though no one was in the car.

It was then that I realised, how easily we allow our pride to blind us of our mistakes. How as human beings, we don’t like feeling inferior or wrong. How natural it felt to be defensive and angry even when the fault lies with us. And how difficult it is to admit that you need to back off, say sorry and just move on.

My marriage needs my humility, not my pride.

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Grace Tan
In Chinese Weddings, Church Weddings, Indian + Punjabi Weddings, Malay Weddings, Outdoor Weddings, Wedding Films & Videos, Weddings

Wedding Cinematography Reel

The amazing thing about videos is that you can capture the emotions as it happened… the voice that chokes as she says her vows, the tears falling down the groom’s cheek or a small smile that turns into a big guffaw. It’s so special. It brings you back to that exact moment as it happened, and it is just immortalised. Years later, as you look back on your wedding video or film, it will bring you back to that precise moment.

This is the magic of filmmaking that drew me to it in the first place when I studied Film and Television 18 years ago. Not just because I can create stories, but that it had the power to connect people. I hope you will enjoy this reel compiled by Chi Yin, of wedding stories that we have created for our clients over the past 1-2 years. Filmed by so many talented videographers on our team. Thank you for all your hard work!

Wedding Video Showreel from Stories on Vimeo.

Grace Tan
In Portraits,

Rustic Romantic Pre-Wedding: Calvin & Queenie

Every great love story starts with friendship. Conversations that make you feel connected, understood, and ultimately, loved. It was 4 years ago that Queenie joined the firm Calvin was working at. Their story took time to unfold though. On her first day at work, Queenie met a rather grumpy Calvin, who was having a rough day as he had to take over some additional work from someone who had left the firm. He was swamped with work and hardly had time to talk to her (though she sat next to him). Basically, Calvin just kept his distance.

Maybe being introverted had something to do with it, but during Queenie’s training over 3 months, Calvin hardly spoke to her. It wasn’t as if she hadn’t attracted his attention… through all that work, Calvin found time to just glance at her, half the time, wondering what she was doing (he claims he is a nosy person). He wanted to actually talk to her more, but didn’t know how to approach her. Finally, when her training period was about to end and she was offered a work contract, he found the courage to properly chat with her. It was a turning point for them, and after that, they became normal work colleagues, chatting about general stuff.

When their firm moved location, they started having lunches daily and that was when Calvin discovered the real Queenie, over conversations about family, life and relationships. Though their friendship grew, they were both in different relationships. In 2013, Calvin took a year off for personal family reasons. During this time away, he missed their daily lunches and thought about her often. In 2014, he joined the firm again, and it felt natural to hang out with each other again. That same year, both their previous relationships ended. Calvin decided she was worth it, took the plunge and bared his heart to Queenie. They have been inseparable ever since.

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Grace Tan
In For Photographers, Life, Musings

Fun Facts… about Jamie!

20160904-CAMERONS-02As photographers and videographers, we are behind the scenes a lot. We’re more comfortable behind the camera than being in front of it. But recently, we did a fun shoot when we were in Cameron Highlands. Four girls (my current full time team!) sharing fun facts about each other! We will be releasing these videos over time, but to kick it off, we’re starting with Jamie *just because I can muahaha*

So now you know your photographer better!

Credits:

Videographer: Chi Yin