family

Grace Tan In Casual Portraits, Family + Children Portraits, For Photographers, Maternity, Musings, Portraits, Tips + Ideas

Tips on How to Survive an Outdoor Family Shoot

It is common to receive an enquiry requesting for a two to four-hour long family shoot. People tend to have the impression that you get more out of longer sessions. However, that is usually not the case. At Stories, most of our Lifestyle packages are an hour long. Some people seem to think that’s too short but do remember that if it involves children, you’ll be surprised that a single hour can seem like forever to them! I tagged along on some family sessions and here’s why I think an hour is really good enough, especially for an outdoor shoot in our beloved country.

1. Humidity
Even if it isn’t a terribly sunny day, you can be perspiring within five minutes of starting the shoot! On one of the shoots, the perspiration showed through the dad’s dark blue shirt. Fortunately, his wife had insisted he bring along an extra shirt to change into! Mum and child were neither not spared from the icky feeling of sweat. Can you imagine spending three hours posing for photos feeling like this? Believe me, an hour is just right. We all love our country but not the humidity.

TIP: Always bring along some extra clothing and a small towel for outdoor shoots. A hand fan can be very useful too.

2. Timing of shoot
If you’re a local, you’ll know that our tropical weather is quite unpredictable. Due to the heat, outdoor shoots should take place in the early mornings or late afternoons. However, certain months are prone to rain in the evenings so if you plan for an afternoon shoot, it could end up a washout. The other thing about being surrounded by greenery is that it’s perfect for creepy crawlies and mosquitoes to come out and play! You won’t be able to enjoy your shoot if you’re being eaten alive by mosquitoes.

TIP: Check the weather forecast nearer to the shoot date and speak to your photographer about contingency plans. Bring along some insect repellent too!

3. Attention Span
Children are usually quite excited at the start of a shoot but that initial excitement fades very quickly. They don’t like being told what to do, where to stand or where to look! Most of the time, young children start getting fussy even before the hour is up. Tantrums are common when children get tired and an hour will seem like too much to ask from them.

TIP: Bring along some snacks (but nothing too messy!) for your child. Food usually helps to change their mood. We also usually start the photo session with the large family photo so that we get the safe shot done!

Now if you were thinking of doing an outdoor shoot, don’t let the negative aspects frighten you. Come prepared and you will have an enjoyable experience, plus beautiful photos in the park to last a lifetime. But if you’re toying with the idea of having a three-hour family shoot in the park, maybe you should reconsider shortening it. An hour really is sufficient.

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

Raising Children of Character

You have heard of the phrase, it takes a village to raise a child. We were raised by our parents the best way they knew how to. Most likely with a rotan in one hand and with their favourite word, “No”. However, in this day and age, I feel that parenting challenges are even greater in this generation. My husband recently wrote and shared this message with some of our family members regarding the upbringing of our kids. In our culture of over-indulging our children, it’s so easy for their generation to grow up inappropriately without us realising it. Some of our friends saw what we wrote and asked if they could share this content with their family members too. Please feel free to do so.

Dearest Grandma, Yeh Yeh, Uncle & Aunts of our kids,
Grace and I would like to really take time to appreciate you for playing such a crucial role in bringing up our children. With your presence, their lives (and ours!) are greatly enriched.

With the changing landscape of culture and life, bringing up kids today as compared to yesteryear differs greatly in so many, many ways. We as parents are constantly grappling with how we should remain relevant with the times and balance what to accept from today versus what should be maintained based on the fantastic values that you sowed into our lives.

Here are some thoughts we’ve put together about a few topics, that we’d love to hear your feedback about. Continue Reading

Grace Tan In Family + Children Portraits, Parties & Events, Portraits

Korean Birthday Boy & Family Portraits: Vincent & Hanna

Now, isn’t this just the cutest Korean boy? Traditionally, a Korean boy who celebrates his first birthday (doljanchi) will wear the hood but this cutie pie kept insisting on taking it off! One part of the celebration is the toljabee ceremony, where various objects are placed before the child for him or her to pick. This could be food items, books, money, etc. Depending on what the child reached out for, these items would represent his future! For example, if he picked up a book, he would be a good scholar; if it was money, he would be wealthy.

For Hanna’s child, he picked a ball, though I wonder whether that meant he would be a good sportsman in the future! It was my first time witnessing Korean traditions for a child’s 1st birthday. Thank you for giving me the opportunity, Vincent and Hanna!

Grace Tan In Family + Children Portraits, Portraits

Leaving on a Jet Plane: Samuel & Griselda

We have photographed a number of expat families in Malaysia, which is really special, because we feel as if we are part of this transitionary stage of their lives. For expats, the experience of moving to a new country, settling in, finding new friends and then, finally uprooting again is one filled with emotions and nostalgia. Between these seasons, it’s wonderful to remember the place you called home for a few years. It’s quite common for us to have sessions in homes before the big move happens, just like what Samuel and Griselda did.

We are so honoured that they chose us to photograph their family twice in the time they were living in Malaysia. We’re glad that we are part of their special memories.

If you are an expat thinking of how to document your journey visually, have a look at this beautifully written article by a diplomat’s wife, and be inspired.

Grace Tan In Family + Children Portraits, Portraits, Studio

Extended Family Portraits: The Hengs

When we first received the enquiry from Ming Li for a family portrait session, we freaked out just a little bit. It wasn’t because she had weird family members or queer requests… it was because the photo shoot was for 27 persons and they wanted it in our humble little studio! After some discussion, the team decided to take up the challenge and even held a mock shoot with as many people from the office as we could gather to ensure we could fit everyone in comfortably for the group shot.