krabi

Grace Tan In Casual Portraits, Portraits, Pre-Wedding & Engagement Portraits, Promotions

Pre-Wedding in Krabi, Thailand

If you love the beach, I would totally recommend heading to Krabi, Thailand for a pre-wedding, anniversary or even a family portrait session! Recently, we were invited by Tourism Thailand and Weddings Malaysia on a familiarisation trip to Krabi. There were 5 of us – a few photographers, a videographer and a wedding planner. We were brought around to many beautiful resorts and met the sales people at these hotels. Some of these venues were just perfect for a wedding ceremony. In fact, with reasonable air fares, heading to Krabi on a 1.5 hour flight for a photo session is not only easily accessible but it is affordable.

This was my 3rd time on a photo session in Krabi, Thailand. If you are interested in our current promotion (rates start from RM5,500 not inclusive of flights & accommodation costs), contact us so that we can bring you around in the land of Amazing Smiles! Let us arrange all the details for the trip. We will also be happy to take you along for a post-shoot massage. Contact us to find out specific promo details.

These photos were taken around Hong Island and The ShellSea Krabi.

Grace Tan In International, Musings, Portraits, Pre-Wedding & Engagement Portraits, Tips + Ideas

Planning your dream pre-wedding shoot

Exotic locations are a hit when it comes to having breathtaking images to show at your wedding. However, there are certain things to look out for when one travels to a foreign land for some pre-wedding photos. Here are some tips to help you so you don’t end up disappointed with the whole experience.

1. Do your research about the locations you intend to shoot at and the season at the time of the shoot. Summer months may be crowded and you’ll have to get to tourist attractions in the wee hours of the morning to get the shots you want! Or if it’s during the winter months, you’ll need to know that the sun sets much earlier and you may have to rethink your outfit. Take into consideration the distance between each location and how long it’ll take to get there. Allocate sufficient time based on your plan and add on additional days for the shoot if required. After all, you’ve gone all the way there already!

2. Bring along your own makeup artist and gowns as you’ll have the flexibility of arranging your shoot sessions according to your itinerary and look beautiful in your outfits instead of just casual shots in your travel clothes. Also, remember that language can be a barrier if you go somewhere exotic and find yourself struggling to communicate with your makeup artist. We’re pretty sure you won’t want to add any unnecessary stress.

3. Be prepared to walk so bring along a good pair of walking shoes! When you’re not posing in your heels, you’ll need proper shoes to walk around in. Some locations may require some maneuvering to get the best scene so carrying your heels may be wiser than wearing them all over the place. There’s also a chance you might get chased out of a popular tourist spot during a shoot. Most locations require some sort of permission for a shoot, but sometimes even that gets revoked! Just take it with a pinch of salt and move on to the next location.

Our advice is to set the right expectations before setting off on an exotic pre-wedding photo shoot. Having a sense of adventure and flexibility will help make the whole experience more fun and less stressful. And looking relaxed and happy will certainly make prettier pictures!

Credits:
Pre-wedding photography locations above (top to bottom): Turkey, Bali, Thailand and Malaysia

Grace Tan In International, Portraits, Pre-Wedding & Engagement Portraits

Pre-Wedding: Nicholas and Lina in Krabi, Thailand

When I told Lina that she had to wade through sea water while wearing her gown in order to climb onto a long tail boat for our shoot, she balked. A little. But I thank God that she trusted me enough to just go with the flow. I must say that this pre-wedding shoot was a little challenging for me. Coordinating 2 boats in the open sea without a loud hailer (and with no Thai language under my belt) made me look a bit like a silly girl trying to play the charades with herself. Lots of sign language, yelling over the water, and patience was required.

Thank God I was pleased with the end results!

This was my 2nd time to Krabi, Thailand but my first time shooting at the surrounding islands off Krabi. I think being out of your comfort zone every now and then is a good thing. I seriously didn’t quite know what to expect because I had never been to these islands before. I had only seen those picture perfect postcard shots in all those tourist shops… but of course, those were just postcards… right?

So all I could do was trust the boatmen whom I spoke to, and believe somehow that we made the right choice to go to Hong Island.

The other part of the shoot was done at the Sheraton Krabi Beach Resort, so no climbing into boats there!

Nic and Lina, I hope you enjoyed our little adventure in Krabi (not to the mention the delicious Thai seafood!). Diane and I had a blast, and this shoot will definitely sit in my mind as one of the most memorable for the year! It was also little Krysta’s first ever overseas trip at age 2 months! Couldn’t have done it if it wasn’t for Alex who willingly became my nanny during the shoot. I have an amazing husband!

Enjoy the photos… :)

Grace Tan In Family + Children Portraits, International, Life, Musings, Portraits, Pre-Wedding & Engagement Portraits, Running a Business

Being a working mom

Ever since I delivered baby Krysta mid December, I have discovered the joys of motherhood. Everyday, my heart swells with even more love for this cute little baby of mine, especially so when she looks adoringly into my eyes and coos in her baby language telling me all sorts of things that happened in that day. Six diaper changes, lots of good yummy milk, and recently… her first overseas trip to Krabi, at 2 months old! While I was out shooting, Alex, my husband, was the baby sitter to Krysta!

* Krysta’s newborn photos, when she was 14 days old.

Though I have tried to stay away from work and enjoy my maternity leave, I realized I can’t ‘stay’ still… in fact, I didn’t really observe most of the confinement practices (to the horror of some people). By the first week of her birth, after the C-section, I was up and about, attending Christmas events and even brought her for a theatre production at church. While on maternity leave, I was still replying work emails, meeting up with potential clients, skyping, and blogging. I now completely understand how difficult it is for working moms to balance between working at home and taking care of a child. All I can say is… thank God for the help of my maid, and the pacifier!

Now that I have officially starting working and shooting, I hope that the transition is not too difficult. I am a little concerned about being away from her for some of my outstation shoot jobs, especially since I am still breastfeeding, but I guess I’ll jump over that hurdle once I get to it.

* Krysta looking really happy at getting her very first ang pau for Chinese New Year!

I know the blog has been silent for 2 weeks, so here’s a teaser image from the recent pre-wedding session at Krabi, Thailand for Nicholas and Lina… my first client after delivery! More to come later!

Grace Tan In Casual Portraits, International, Portraits

Krabi Honeymoon Shoot (of sorts!)

Candace said, “Grace, I’d like you to come with us to Krabi on our honeymoon as our photographer.”

Are you kidding? Of course I would!

Well, the trip wasn’t really a honeymoon trip, but a holiday with some of Ashley & Candace‘s closest friends. It was more of a pre-honeymoon trip, because after we left, Ash & Candace left Krabi for Phuket for the real honeymoon.

And so I traveled to Krabi with Alex to meet Ash & Candace and 6 of their friends there. It was a really fun trip, and since it was my first time to Krabi, I thought we might as well extend our trip. Isn’t Krabi amazing?

Blue skies, nice sandy beaches… ah….

When Alex and I visited Railey beach, we were like the minority. Seriously there were more Westerners there than Asians. And of course, being the typical Asian that we are, we sat on the beach, under the shade, when everyone was out there on the beach in the HOT sun. And it WAS hot!!!

Every morning, the sun would be blazing down on our backs, and then in the afternoon, it would rain. When Ash & Candace arrived in Krabi with their friends, it was pouring! This was taken after the rain subsided.

One of their purchases in Krabi. Ash & Candace, are you sure you want to wear this t-shirt on your honeymoon?

The next day, the 10 of us went on a organized tour around Krabi. The troop, getting ready for the day.

First stop: The famous James Bond island.

Saw this opportunity for a shot, and managed to convince Alex to scramble to the edge of the rock!

Next stop is a kayaking trip around one of the islands near Krabi.

Thanks to Clarence & Yen Mei, Alex and I got a photo of ourselves in action!

We did other things like visit caves…

And ride elephants.

I definitely enjoyed myself on the trip and getting to know everyone. Thanks, Ash & Candace for your hospitality, and for the opportunity to be a travel photographer on this trip!