Photography

Grace Tan In Beautiful Everyday, Family + Children Portraits, Portraits

Mum’s the Best!

In May, we ran a Mother’s Day contest with Eka Roots to celebrate that beautiful woman in our lives. It was wonderful to read the many entries, sharing their thoughts on why their mum deserved to win our Pamper session for 2. But alas, we could only choose one winner… and that was Siew Keng and her mum. This is what she wrote about her mother:

Turning 80 this year, she looks 20 years younger. Her youthful look is because she’s filled with so much joy and love that constantly is poured out to those around her. That’s her love language, acts of service. She never tires to help those in need of care, love and companionship. She’ll run to the market to buy the best produce to boil nourishing soup for those who are sick, she takes the effort to visit her lonely or sick neighbors, she mobilises her other friends to visit the less mobile friends.
Mum, thank you for being my role model. A woman that has such a big and caring heart, even right at this age ripe old age. So selfless and compassionate. Filled with life and cheekiness. I will try to be more like you, a people-centric person.

Mum’s been the pillar of strength in this family as she single-handedly brought the both of us up, growing up, we were never missing out on anything in life. She’s wise, full of perseverance, has tenacity, organised, focused. She’s also caring, proactive, God-centered, loving, selfless, generous. Both our parents have given us such a strong legacy to exemplify. We are blessed.

Grace Tan In Family + Children Portraits, Portraits, Studio

A surprise for a 90 year old grandma: Kirthi’s family

Kirthi wrote to us saying that she was planning to come back to Malaysia from Australia to surprise her grandmother for her 90th birthday. As a family of 4, she said that they never had a family portrait, though they had wanted to do one for years. So this year, she decided that she would make it happen as a wonderful birthday present for her grandmother. When Kirthi shared her desire, it made our hearts swell with love and excitement. We absolutely treasure family photos and we’re so glad that Kirthi does too! These are precious family photos that will remind the next generation of this lovely grandmother and her beautiful smile.

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 Family + Children Portraits, Portraits

Family Portraits at Desa Park City: Greg & Eunice

They share a love for luxury sports cars, and how apt it was that the Sepang International Circuit was the background for their first meet up. Both Greg and Eunice are from Singapore, and when we met Eunice at an ibu event, she told us that she wanted portraits reflecting their life here in Malaysia. For expats living in Malaysia, I think it is a great idea to do a photo session at the country you are based at for a particular season of your life. Here are some of our favourite photos from Jennifer’s session with them.

Grace Tan In Family + Children Portraits, Life, Musings, Newborn, Portraits, Relationships, Studio, Tips + Ideas

Documenting the Different Phases of Life

How true it is that daily life filled with chores, workload and family concerns may seem long and tedious! However, when you look back at how fast the months and years go by you find yourself yearning for time to slow down. That baby you hold today will be a young man or woman in a blink of an eye. Here are some phases in life you’ll want to capture and cherish forever:

BABY STAGE

Whether it is a maternity, newborn or baby stage, it is usually a very special time for the parents. Documenting the natural glow and protruding tummy in the later stage of pregnancy can remind you of how you felt throughout the pregnancy. Capturing shots of your precious baby sleeping in her crib, breastfeeding her or those of a gurgling baby will remind you of the happy (and tough!) times as a parent in the early months. It is also a good opportunity to share the journey with your child when they are older!

TODDLER STAGE

This is the stage when your child starts to discover new things and experiences… like the joy of cooling off on a hot day with the water hose in the backyard, or doing hand-painting in playschool, maybe even digging in the garden with their plastic garden tools. Having keepsakes of them in the midst of these activities is what you’ll treasure later on when they have grown up a little.

PRE-SCHOOL STAGE

At this stage in life, your little one is developing in character and is capable of so much more. They’ll be selecting their own attire for the day, helping you make cookies, learning to cycle, going for piano or ballet lessons! The list is endless… and there’ll be so much to photograph.

PRIMARY SCHOOL & BEYOND

Time zooms by once they start school proper because life takes over and days are filled with ferrying them from one place to another. But don’t forget that even as they grow into teenagers, documenting moments like holidays and achievements will give you something to hold on to before they leave the nest to lead their own lives. As a parent, you’ll want to capture every milestone with your child. Sometimes, you may remember to whip out your handphone to snap a picture or two, but most times the moments just pass you by. It is a good idea to make it a point to get some proper shots of the family together, in various phases of life. You will not regret how it made you feel to be reliving those times again!