malaysia

Grace Tan In Family + Children Portraits, Portraits

Family Portraits in Melbourne, Australia: Lawrence & Grace

When Grace spoke to me about taking their family portraits in her daughter’s school and their house backyard, I thought it was a great idea! Naturally, Australian schools look much more interesting than Malaysian schools! These locations hold so much sentimental value for this family especially for Amber. Their backyard has a gorgeous, colourful cubby house assembled by Amber’s dad. When I showed the photo of this cubby house to my daughter Krysta, she immediately asked for one too! (Over to you, Alex).

Lawrence and Grace are going to be renovating this house in Melbourne sometime soon, so this photo session marks a season in their life. One day, they will look back at these images and remember how much fun they had together as a family in this backyard. Continue Reading

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, Musings, Portraits, Tips + Ideas

Photographing Children With Autism

We rarely photograph families with children with special needs like autism, and we wondered if it was because parents were simply too intimidated by the whole process. We decided to work with the nice folks from Early Autism Project Malaysia to equip ourselves as well as make a video to provide some tips on how to manage a family photo shoot session with a child with autism.

We started off with an interview with Jochebed Isaacs from EAP Malaysia who gave us some insights into the specialised therapy offered at their centre for children with autism. We were later introduced to Juan and Nancy, who welcomed us into their home for a photo shoot session with their sons Danny and Tommy. The experience proved to be quite tough but we soldiered on and even received hugs from Danny at the end!

Here are some of the pointers we picked up through this experience:

1. It is important to communicate with the child
Prepare in advance before the session. Communicate clearly what is to happen and what is expected of him. The use of visuals like schedules, social stories and role-plays help to familiarise the child to the event and venue, the people involved (especially if they are unfamiliar to the child), the flow of events and the special equipment used (like the camera!). It should also spell out the rules and expectations.
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Grace Tan In Family + Children Portraits, Portraits, Studio

The dragonboating family: Lee Shih & Su Li

I love how this family incorporated their favourite activity into their portrait session, by bringing dragon boat oars into our studio! It’s a fun way to inject personality into your family portraits. Luckily I managed to find a ‘boat’ for our little one to use during this session. What a fun session we had. Thank you for a wonderful time together, Lee Shih and Su Li!
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Grace Tan In Chinese Weddings, Wedding Films & Videos, Weddings

Wedding at St Regis, KL: Fang & Claire

The best kind of love develops over time. Qing Yao and Claire first met in college but love did not bloom at that point in time. They worked together on a project which gave them the opportunity to get to know one another a little better, but that was all there was to it then. Ending up in the same university in Melbourne was the turning point.

It was there that Qing Yao asked Claire out on a date on his birthday so she couldn’t say no! Their first date couldn’t be more perfect in Claire’s eyes. It wasn’t just the Japanese meal, movie or drink thereafter that closed the deal… it was how compatible they were, sharing similar values and ideas, and never encountering an awkward silence!

One thing that has made a huge impact on Claire since that first date is how Qing Yao has encouraged her to chase her dream of owning a fashion empire in the future. Just by doing that, he has given her the assurance that he’s committed to fully supporting her as they start this journey as husband and wife. We wish them both all the love and good wishes on this journey, and we’re so glad we got to be a part of their wedding!