portrait

Grace Tan In Portraits, Pre-Wedding & Engagement Portraits

Pre-Wedding: Steven & Marilyn

Years ago, I met Steven for the first time at a Christmas party organised by my church cell group. Marilyn and I attend the same group and so one day, she brought along this guy ‘friend’. I didn’t really get to know Steven very well personally over the years, but over the past few months, with the wedding coming up, I discovered he can be a pretty romantic guy, totally detailed and meticulous, funny, and loves to joke.

If you got to know Marilyn, you’d say that she is one of the most bubbly persons you’d probably ever met with a high pitched laugh. She is always tickled by something, which means she constantly has a smile or laugh on her face. I love that. She has a heart of gold, always looking out for others, self-less, loves God with her whole soul, and wears her heart on her sleeve. Over the years, I have been so blessed by this friendship, so photographing their engagement / pre-wedding photos was a privilege.

Here’s just a few sneak pics from their pre-wedding session…photographed by myself and Jamie. The rest will debut on their wedding day this December! :)

20140425_PRE_WEDDING_STEVEN_MARILYN_010 Continue Reading

Grace Tan In Family + Children Portraits, For Photographers, Musings, Portraits

Canon Family Portraiture Workshop

20140803_CANON_FAMILY_WORKSHOP_09 In half a day, 25 participants were taught the basics of what makes a great family portrait even better and were even given the opportunity to photograph real families! Chaos reigned supreme during the shoot as with all normal family portrait sessions, and together, we perspired, jiggled rattles, played games, and simply had fun. It was my first workshop specifically on family portraiture, and though I had spoken at many workshops and seminars before, this one felt a little different.

I am thankful to Canon (yay, thanks Chris, Shing Eu and Kevin!) for being the main sponsor for this workshop, and for giving me the opportunity as to speak as their EOS Academy Instructor. We also got to test out the PIXMA Pro-10 printer which was great! I loved the prints that came out of it, so this one’s a keeper! We’ll definitely be printing more images and displaying it around our studio soon.

I’d also like to thank Diane, Jamie and Alex for assisting me on this day because no successful workshop can be done alone.

Here’s some photos from the workshop over the weekend, held at Tropicana Golf & Country Club.

20140803_CANON_FAMILY_WORKSHOP_01 Continue Reading

Grace Tan In Family + Children Portraits, For Photographers, Musings, Portraits, Studio

Family Portraiture Workshop August 2014

I have never conducted a photography workshop that is just focused on family portraits, so this is the first! If you are a parent who is interested in taking better family photos, I would totally encourage you to come for this workshop! The workshop is targeted towards beginners and amateurs who may have some experience taking family portraits. I will share my experience, not just technically, but also some really practical tips that will help you achieve better results. Even if you are not a parent, but love taking photos of families and children, I do encourage you to participate.

If you do have any problems registering for the workshop, do contact us and we will assist you.

So do join us this 3rd August. Space is limited.

FA_140507_Stories_Poster_Canon_g

How to Sign Up:

Visit Canon EOS Academy website and sign up online.

Terms & Conditions for the Complimentary Portrait Session:

1. The selected shoot date must fall within the month of August 2014, and on weekdays only.
2. The shoot location is at our studio in SStwo Mall, PJ and will be done by one of the assigned Stories photographers.
3. You will get 3 digital soft copy images (printable up to 8R size) and one photo print from Canon.
4. Rescheduling of dates is only allowed once, after which, the session is considered as forfeited.
5. Maximum of 6 persons in a session.
6. Please arrive 15 minutes before your session as we value punctuality and we may have another family scheduled after your session. No extension of time will be given if you are late for your session.
7. Limited weekend sessions are available with a commitment fee of RM30 to book your time slot. This fee will be considered as forfeited if you are unable to make it for your time slot.
8. You may purchase additional high resolution photos, prints or upgrade your session to a full one hour session at an additional cost. Please contact us for more details.

I look forward to meeting you at the workshop!

Grace Tan In Family + Children Portraits, Portraits

Family Portraits: Simon & Monique

Simon and Monique live in the UK, but were back for a short holiday in Malaysia, where they decided to have a family shoot together. Unfortunately, on the day of the shoot, they got terribly lost getting to our shoot location since they haven’t been driving around Malaysian roads for a while. Monique’s mom, dad and aunt had arrived but we had to try our best to give them manual directions since she didn’t have a smart phone on her. I can’t believe how much we rely on Google maps and GPS etc. I remember years ago, I had to read and place stickers on a STREET DIRECTORY book before I head out for any shoot. Needless to say, getting there was a huge source of stress for me.

Well, eventually, they found their way, but was naturally quite flustered by the time they got to the location. I had the task of calming everyone down and having to come up with beautiful family photos, and make a good experience out of it. So a photographer’s job not only involves technical aspects, but people skills too, all the time! Good thing was that grandparents immediately smiled when they saw cute little Ethan. It was his first time seeing his Malaysian family on this trip! What a trooper he was, cause I am sure it wasn’t easy posing and smiling in humid KL weather.

20140108_FAMILYPORTRAITS_SIMON_MONIQUE_096 Continue Reading

Grace Tan In Casual Portraits, Family + Children Portraits, Portraits

Whimsical balloons and turning 30: Gladys

“Many a time, life is about self-discovery and it is a continuous learning process. I wanted to celebrate just that by capturing moments of my life approaching the BIG 3-0 this year. Looking back 10 years ago, I have perhaps been quite clueless about myself although I thought I knew what I was doing. I would let people shape me with their opinions. However, as time passes, I have grown more comfortable in my own skin, believed in myself and gained more confidence. Each one of us has our own strengths and flaws and we should all embrace these as that makes us unique. At the same time, I always believe in improving yourself and pushing your own boundaries. Like they say, the sky’s the limit.

My family also plays a monumental part of my life, especially my mom. She is one of the strongest women I know! Since the passing of my dad many years ago, she is the pillar that holds our family together. I know it has not been easy raising the 3 of us single-handedly. Even though we are all grown-up now she still worries about our everyday meals and safety when we are out. Therefore, celebrating my BIG 3-0 would also mean giving gratitude to my mom for all her years of love and patience.”

Gladys

20140129_PORTRAITS_GLADYS_121 20140129_PORTRAITS_GLADYS_148 20140129_PORTRAITS_GLADYS_150 Continue Reading