portrait

Grace Tan In Casual Portraits, Portraits, Studio

Portrait Shoot: Pandelela Rinong

One day, I received a call from Pandelela’s new manager, Jolene Knight, whom I got to know years ago through my ex-colleague, Jek. She casually asked if I would be interested to photograph Pandelela Rinong… oh you know, our first female Malaysian diver who won a bronze medal at the 2012 Olympics in London. Yeah, like, duh, of course! I was excited to meet this pretty little lass from Sarawak (she is quite petite too, like me!).

I had a brief to create images that reflected different parts of her personality. Naturally, while at the pool, we needed to demonstrate precision, strength, power and determination… but off-work, she is fun and approachable. Thank you, Jolene and Mike for the opportunity, it was wonderful to get to know Pandelela in person.

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Grace Tan In Portraits, Pre-Wedding & Engagement Portraits

Pre-Wedding at The Banjaran Hot Springs, Ipoh: Shao Xuan & Li Li

After our tummies were filled with yummy Ipoh chicken rice, the Stories team headed to the exclusive The Banjaran Hotsprings & Retreat, where we were to meet Shao Xuan and Li Li for their pre-wedding shoot. When we arrived, we were greeted warmly by the staff and the pitter-patter sounds of rain. The skies looked gloomy and we were worried. Unfortunately, the drizzles turned into large droplets of rain, and soon, we felt the full force of a tropical rain forest storm.

But Shao Xuan and Li Li remained calm, and were so open to following our lead. We headed indoors into some really cool caves (some were really really dark!) and did some photos there. After a while, the rain stopped a little, enough for us to take some photos outdoors. I kind of like the wet look on the trees, it makes the venue look so lush. Thank you Shao Xuan and Li Li for giving us the privilege of photographing the both of you and for remaining calm despite the torrential rain!

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

Photography and the Art of Documenting Life

I am a photographer because I love to document life. I feel privileged every time a client invites us to be a part of their life – whether it is photographing a union between two people who are totally and utterly in love with each other or documenting a baby’s first week of his life. It means so much to me because it shows that as a person, they are willing to be vulnerable in front of my lens, trusting me to capture them as who they are and in so doing, connecting with their souls.

I am enriched as a person because I see the fabric that makes us human… this emotion called love that binds us together and transcends culture and religion. Photographing people has always been my passion. I am drawn into this art because people captivate me. As the years go by and I hone my skills as a photographer, I realise the key word that stands out to me most is “authenticity”.

This word drives me to create images that are real. It pushes me to ask myself…

Is this emotion real?
Can I know a person through my images?
What does this image tell me about life?

I was originally drawn to photography because of the world of photojournalism. The images I saw were inspiring, real and gave me insight into someone’s life. It had truth in it.

Which brings me to the images I create for my own family.

As time goes by, I realise that the little things I cherish most are not necessarily the big events in life (yes, they have a special place in my heart), but it is in the daily, ordinary things of life that we take for granted most of the time. Now that I am a mother of two, I feel the cliche phrase “Time flies” really does hold its ground. “The days may seem long, but the years are short”, I was told by a friend.

Almost 10 years ago, I said my vows to this amazing man, Alex. The wedding felt like a fudge pot of random memories fueled by images captured by my photographer then. My pregnancy… well, how quickly those 9 months went by. Suddenly I had a newborn, then an infant and now a toddler who spews out “why, mom??!” every so often.

Wash. Rinse. Repeat. Now I have two.

I photograph my family as they are because I want to remember as much as I can (considering I am a forgetful person!). The beauty of documentary photography is that we get to relive daily life as if it were just yesterday. The joy of showering my newborn. The pain and glories of breastfeeding. Random bubble blowing sessions in our front yard. I want to remember these little things in life.

How much we love each other as a family. How we look like daily, eye bags and all.

Authentic.

20131201_KRYSTA_1728 Krysta approves of dad’s choice for dinner

GT1_1584 Feeding both babies at one go…

Grace Tan In Family + Children Portraits, Portraits, Studio

Studio Family Portraits: Lau & Wen Yie

Last month, we moved to our new premises at Oval Damansara in TTDI. Though our unit is still not completely done up yet (renovations are still ongoing for phase 2!), at least we have a functioning space that we can work in for the moment. I am glad to have a natural light studio space that we can do shoots in. Lau and Wen Yi’s family were the first to visit our humble studio! I had a great time with their two little boys. It was a special day because their little one stood up for the first time that day without assistance! What a memorable shoot.

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Grace Tan In Family + Children Portraits, Portraits

Family Portraits: Meng Hwa, Celine, Amelie & Aiden

In 2014, we photographed many different families and couples, and we’re so glad to have made new friends through all those sessions. Now that it’s already February (where did the time go!), I can’t believe I still have a huge number of images that have yet to be blogged! So I am going to attempt to share more posts starting this week.

I met Meng Hwa and Celine at the Ibu Tots Fair that we participated in last September. They booked a family portrait session with us that day, and in no time at all, I was over at their home, photographing their two little adorable children. I loved the family dynamics and how Amelie loved Aiden. Now that I have 2 children of my own, coaxing an older sibling to kiss the younger one is sometimes a huge task on its own! The reaction ranges from willing participation to outright disagreement (which usually ends up in the younger one being pushed away a bit too roughly). But isn’t that the joy (and frustration sometimes!) of parenting toddlers?

Anyhow, I had a good time with this family, and even their extended family came to join in the shoot. I am sure the kids have grown since I last saw them! Hope to photograph this family again in the future. :)

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