portraiture

Maternity Portraits: Danial & Najihah

Gorgeous Najihah meets cool Danial. They look so good together, it was a breeze photographing them. Najihah sheepishly says that she likes being in front of the camera, and Danial says, “And I like her!”. Well, it’s no surprise that Najihah was a natural in front of the camera because she has appeared in a number of local television commercials.

Carcosa Seri Negara is a beautiful place to be photographed in. I am so glad that Pitter Patter managed to organize this shoot at this location. I love the decor and the style of the house. Unfortunately it rained heavily with thunder and lightning that day so we weren’t able to take shots outdoors. We were warned that the equation of Carcosa + outdoors + lightning = not a good combination.

Luckily there’s lots of open shade around the building.

The stairs and lights at Carcosa are amazing!

Mark, who was with me at Carcosa, saw the shot a little differently. The bottom photo on the right was taken by Mark.

It’s crucial to discuss baby fashion before the child is born… :)

Danial is a really happy guy. You can tell. :)

Thanks for being such a sport! I am sure your child will look as equally stunning as the both of you!

Grace Tan In Portraits, Pre-Wedding & Engagement Portraits

Engagement Portraits: Adrian & Stefanie

When Adrian and Stefanie came to meet me to discuss their engagement portrait session, Adrian told me that he loves high key shots. He couldn’t decide whether he prefers the photos to be taken in the morning or evening. And we talked about shoot locations at length. You see, that’s what happens when you photograph a photographer. They have all sorts of cool ideas and it usually takes a while to make a decision! Stef was the casual, relaxed one. Her only criteria: “Can we shoot on some windy road…?”

And so we ended up at their apartment in Kota Damansara where I took some photos in their newly decorated home.

When I arrived there, Stef showed me these notes that she had written. And I thought it was really cute!!

And so, I thought, why not take the idea a little further. So I got them to sit down separately and write down what they thought of each other. And then to reveal it to camera…

Well, Stef was quite tickled with what Adrian wrote!

After an hour or so, we went outdoors to continue our shoot. When we left their home, lightning was streaking across the sky… “Oh no, it’s going to pour!” And it DID! It rained so heavily that I wondered if we would have to postpone the second half of the shoot. But when we arrived in KL, it was nice and sunny.

The sky was really clear. Hard to believe that we had just gone through a thunderstorm to get here!

When the sun came out in the evening, it was golden…

And Stef got her windy road shot!

When we were about to end our shoot, it started to drizzle again… and that’s when we saw this tiny rainbow peeking out through the clouds! The colour of sky was so glorious!

Then the sun set, and it was blue for a while… :) I promise you, this sky is real and not Photoshop-ed in! I love colour!

Congratulations on your upcoming wedding, Adrian & Stef. Sorry I could not be there to cover your wedding day. I am sure it will be a day filled with lots of joy, topped up with God’s goodness!

Grace Tan In Family + Children Portraits, Portraits

Family Portraits: Sara, Charles & Kayne

Sara is a close friend of my sister’s, and I’ve known her for many years (since I was still wearing school pinafores). My initial impression of her as I was growing up was that she came across as a pretty ‘garang’ or fierce person, but once you get to know her, she’s really friendly. Sara has since moved from Malaysia to Beijing and has been living there for many years now. Charles is a really warm person too, and I’m glad to have been able to photograph their family while they were back for a holiday during the Chinese New Year season.

Kayne is super duper cute. He has this way of weaving into your heart and leaving you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside.

Gee, that nose biting thing looks scary!

Luckily Charles’ nose still looks pretty good after that good biting session.

After all that excitement, we settled down for some reading time.

But Kayne would not sit still. Sara kept ‘bribing’ him with ideas of “A good roti canai breakfast if you behave!” phrases.

Lastly, I discovered that Kayne is a pretty good actor too. We told him to look ‘cool’ and this was the look he gave us…

Grace Tan In Portraits, Pre-Wedding & Engagement Portraits

Engagement Portraits: Mak & Elsa

He cracks a joke, and she laughs. And when Elsa laughs, the whole world smiles along with her. Mak & Elsa are a pretty laid back couple. They are willing to try anything and are pretty sporting even when I told them to sit in a cracked bath tub on the roof top of the Heritage Hotel!

It was a hot, humid day when we did this shoot but Mak was a sport. He willingly stepped out into the hot sun in his suit and smiled away. I sometimes wonder how is it that we’ve come to adopt this ‘style’ of dressing in Asia. The weather is HOT near the equator. Suits were made for cooler countries! Mak doesn’t really look like he’s sweating buckets here, but I am sure he was hoping for an air-conditioned room!

Elsa’s gorgeous gown is from Pretty in White, one of our recommended gown partners.

The lace details on this gown is intricate and beautiful.

A change of gown, location & flowers…

Another gorgeous gown from Pretty in White. I love gowns with bits of colour in them.

Shooting from sunset till night gives you lots of opportunity to play with lighting…

Looking forward to your wedding in May!

Grace Tan In Family + Children Portraits, Portraits

Family Portraits: Tan & Catherine

Marissa is Tan & Catherine’s first child. Somehow, I think firstborns are always photographed more than the second or third child. Parents are usually more diligent in capturing every little moment of their child’s progress, and the slightest smile makes the new parent all soft and mushy inside. I know that Tan & Catherine really dote over Marissa.

Some friends tell me that the pain of childbirth is easily forgotten after you hold your child in your hands. Perhaps not the first 3-6 months (every parent can tell you tales of sleepless nights)… but when she grows a little older, I am sure that child will steal your heart.