There are days when you see a cute baby and think… gosh, I think I am ready for kids, like now! Aaron is one such kid. He’s got such a great personality and a beautiful smile. A smile that can melt your heart instantaneously. I kid you not. James and Dea live overseas and I am glad I managed to meet their tight schedule for a little photo shoot in KL. Thanks Anna for recommending them to me!
Since I am heading off for a newborn portrait shoot soon, I thought I’d share a few from another session I did some time back. I met Joanne and Anderson at our Stories booth in a Pitter Patter event and within a few minutes of chatting with them, they booked our services. I had the pleasure of getting acquainted with their son Joshua too… he’s super adorable (and talented too… he can play the guitar and drums at such a young age!).
Here are some of my favourites from their session.
Just to add some sugary cuteness to your day, here are some photos from Alan, Alicia and Ava’s family portrait session recently. At the start of every family portrait session, I always tell parents that the outcome of the photography shoot will always depend on your baby’s mood. It’s really difficult to predict how babies will really react, but some tips that I give to families are:
1. Make sure your child has enough rest the night before / afternoon before the shoot. If I don’t get enough sleep, I’d be grumpy too.
2. If your child has never been to the park before and you want to do a shoot in the park, I really don’t know how he/she’ll react once he sees grass. Might be a good idea to visit the park as a family a few weeks before the shoot so that you can introduce the little one to grass. (and possibly bugs too!)
3. Bring some snacks in case your child gets hungry. (or if the parents get hungry!)
4. Expect to sweat. Malaysian weather can be unforgiving at times… so dress comfortably!
5. Just play with your child during the photo session. Don’t get upset if things don’t go the way you expect it to. You can never force kids to look into the camera when they don’t feel like it, or haven’t warmed up to the photographer. The more flustered you get, the more likely you won’t get the type of photos you’ve been hoping for.
Have a great mid-week!
It was years ago on a beach in Tioman Island when I first got to know Asther and her boyfriend Francis. Back then, she was a dive instructor and Alex was going through his advanced dive course. Francis and Asther were fun to be with, completely humble people and really easy going. When they got married in 2007, I photographed their wedding in Kuching. I had just ventured into wedding photography back then and they were one of my earliest clients. A memory I can’t forget from that their wedding was how Francis and his heng tais were forced to eat live and fat, squiggly sago worms before he could be granted access to her room.
Now, Asther has expanded her portfolio and job scope; she is a mother and established photographer in Malaysia. She recently contacted me to photograph some profile shots of her and her daughter Haley.
Asther, thanks for the years of friendship… I am so happy to see that your business is doing so well. You are one super talented woman. Catch up with you again soon!
Jeannie tells me that she and her husband Eric makes it a point to take family portraits every year, especially since their son Ka Wai was born. I think it’s a superb idea, since it’s a great way to document your family history and see the physical progress of your child. This year, Ka Wai turned 5, and Jeannie was delighted when she found out that I was able to do the shoot on his birthday! Early that morning, we trooped over to the Taman Tun park and had a great time together. Jeannie, your son is getting bigger by the day, and I do hope that these images manage to capture the innocence of childhood! Ka Wai is great in front of the camera (from all that training you’ve been giving him from those shoots! haha). Love love love his expressions!
