There are days when you see a cute baby and think… gosh, I think I am ready for kids, like now! Aaron is one such kid. He’s got such a great personality and a beautiful smile. A smile that can melt your heart instantaneously. I kid you not. James and Dea live overseas and I am glad I managed to meet their tight schedule for a little photo shoot in KL. Thanks Anna for recommending them to me!
Some time back, Wyeth ran a Be Photo Ready competition for families where the grand prize is a portrait shoot with Stories! Through this contest, I met 2 awesome families – CK, Martina, their sons Melvin and Mavis, and Ivan, Jennifer and their 2 cute girls Cayla and Liz-Myra. My job is a breeze whenever I get to photograph really cute babies like these…
I am sure he gets his cheeks pinched every so often.
Presenting CK & Martina’s family…
Just to add some sugary cuteness to your day, here are some photos from Alan, Alicia and Ava’s family portrait session recently. At the start of every family portrait session, I always tell parents that the outcome of the photography shoot will always depend on your baby’s mood. It’s really difficult to predict how babies will really react, but some tips that I give to families are:
1. Make sure your child has enough rest the night before / afternoon before the shoot. If I don’t get enough sleep, I’d be grumpy too.
2. If your child has never been to the park before and you want to do a shoot in the park, I really don’t know how he/she’ll react once he sees grass. Might be a good idea to visit the park as a family a few weeks before the shoot so that you can introduce the little one to grass. (and possibly bugs too!)
3. Bring some snacks in case your child gets hungry. (or if the parents get hungry!)
4. Expect to sweat. Malaysian weather can be unforgiving at times… so dress comfortably!
5. Just play with your child during the photo session. Don’t get upset if things don’t go the way you expect it to. You can never force kids to look into the camera when they don’t feel like it, or haven’t warmed up to the photographer. The more flustered you get, the more likely you won’t get the type of photos you’ve been hoping for.
Have a great mid-week!
Family Portrait Tip: If you are planning to do a shoot at 8am in the morning, especially if it involves slightly grumpy young kids who are still groggy from sleep… do remember to bring some props and think of some games to play.
That’s what we did for Andrew and Shih Nei’s family portrait shoot. From a non-smiley face, the kids were smiling and having fun within 5 minutes. Whenever I shoot a family portrait, the parents usually tell me before the shoot, “I hope my children will behave”. With children, you never really know what will happen during a shoot, so I usually tell them, “Relax, don’t worry, we’ll have fun, and let’s see what happens.” Forcing a child to smile at the camera when he/she is not in the mood may not yield good results!
Andrew & Shih Nei, I hope you like these photos of your family having a good time!
It was years ago on a beach in Tioman Island when I first got to know Asther and her boyfriend Francis. Back then, she was a dive instructor and Alex was going through his advanced dive course. Francis and Asther were fun to be with, completely humble people and really easy going. When they got married in 2007, I photographed their wedding in Kuching. I had just ventured into wedding photography back then and they were one of my earliest clients. A memory I can’t forget from that their wedding was how Francis and his heng tais were forced to eat live and fat, squiggly sago worms before he could be granted access to her room.
Now, Asther has expanded her portfolio and job scope; she is a mother and established photographer in Malaysia. She recently contacted me to photograph some profile shots of her and her daughter Haley.
Asther, thanks for the years of friendship… I am so happy to see that your business is doing so well. You are one super talented woman. Catch up with you again soon!
