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Grace Tan In International, Portraits, Pre-Wedding & Engagement Portraits

Pre-Wedding in Santorini: Terence & Sarah

As a photographer, I am always touched that couples would willingly display public forms of affection in front of my camera lens. It’s not an easy thing to do… following directions and at the same time, being engrossed in ‘the moment’. And when the photographer is your sister-in-law, it can either be a good or awkward. But Sarah and Terence rocked the session, and were totally easy to photograph.

If you have been following this blog, you’d know that a few days before this shoot, it was raining in Santorini. The weather was 8 degrees Celcius and strong winds threatened to ‘blow’ us off the cliffs. But thank God the clouds parted and we had a sunny day for Terence and Sarah’s session. (though her jacket was always within reach in between shots!)

Terence and Sarah have known each other for years now, since uni days, when they were young adults exploring life in Australia. Their journey began in 2004, and now, 11 years later, they are registered. Thank you, T&S for being such awesome family members. I’m glad we could share memories like these, including lugging our bags up and down stairs in the rain, exploring different restaurants and lying on the black beach. Love both of you very much. Looking forward to the Bali wedding later on!

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Grace Tan In Chinese Weddings, Church Weddings, International, Outdoor Weddings, Portraits, Pre-Wedding & Engagement Portraits, Weddings

Greetings from beautiful Santorini, Greece!

Every single postcard image I have seen of Santorini promised clear blue skies matching the blue of the famous domes and breathtaking sunsets over the caldera. I packed in my bikini (and warm clothing) since the weather forecast said it was going to be around 15 degrees Celcius for my travel duration. When I arrived, I was in for a shock. The wind was bitterly cold, it rained for the first few days we were here and I definitely could not do any swimming in my bikini! Even the locals said that it was cold for them and this was winter weather!

But the village of Oia was as charming as the travel guides describe it. I love the little paths that led to nowhere, and then suddenly, opened to a gorgeous view of the Aegean sea. You can’t help but feel your heart skip a beat as you take in the breathtaking views that Santorini has to offer. I was there to photograph the wedding of John and Hazel, shoot portraits for my sister-in-law Sarah and her husband Terence and have a holiday at the same time.

Thank God the weather cleared up after the initial first few days and then we had sunshine! Though it was still very cold when the wind blew (I was wearing 4 layers, and Sarah only had her wedding gown!), we had a great time.

The official photos will be up sometime in the future, but in the meantime, here are some of my travel photos and sneak peak images from the shoots.

07-Oia-web We wandered around the romantic village of Oia for photos with Terence and Sarah. While we were doing so, we kept bumping into other couples on their pre-wedding photo shoots!

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Grace Tan In Portraits, Pre-Wedding & Engagement Portraits

Pre-Wedding in Pulau Ketam: Charles & Lih Woon

Pulau Ketam holds a special place in my heart. When I was a young photographer, one of my first outings was to Pulau Ketam. I remember meeting this old man reading his newspaper in an equally old shop. He said that many of the young people had left the small island to work in the city. Indeed, it felt as if time stood still on that island. Now, years later, as I revisited Pulau Ketam for Charles and Lih Woon’s pre-wedding shoot, I didn’t think very much had changed. It had an old school charm which made it really special.

What was meaningful was that Lih Woon’s parents used to work in Pulau Ketam years ago. We caught a private morning boat to the island from Klang jetty, just in time for sunrise.

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Charles and Lih Woon accommodated my every request. We had to trek back and forth along small, dilapidated bridges, passing by wooden homes in the hot sun. The people on the island were really friendly, and even allowed us into their home compound for photos!

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Grace Tan In Life, Musings, Relationships

My return to Brisbane

It’s been 11 years since I graduated and left Australia. Brisbane holds many fond memories for me… 3 years is a considerable amount of time to spend in a country. Today, I landed in Coolangatta airport and traveled by train to Brisbane city. Proudly, I showed Alex where one place relates to another, where my university was, and related stories about how I used to travel around by bus and car, and even driving to Sydney and back from Brisbane in my old 1985 Honda Civic. Yup, my friends and I made it without the car breaking down.

Seeing my old room in my uncle’s home where I used to stay for 3 years made me a little sentimental. It’s funny, I think I recognize the 3 plastic gerberas that are sitting in a vase in that room. I am sure those were the flowers I left behind 11 years ago. Gerberas were my favourite flower then.

After our first meal in Australia (dim sum at a Chinese restaurant, haha!), we went to visit Jeta Gardens, a retirement and aged care resort that is based on eastern values and philosophies. My uncle sits on the board of directors and ever since we heard about it, we knew we wanted to visit the place.

In Malaysia, if you talk about going to a retirement home, there is a stigma involved. Most people would feel guilty about ‘abandoning’ their parents at an old folks home. No one wants to be left behind at a place where they sit, stare at the 4 walls and await their ‘time’. At Jeta Gardens, there is a completely different mindset. People who come here are at various stages of their life. They see this place as a resort, a place where their needs can be met, a place to socialize and make new friends, and to be independent. Some of the elderly who live here are really able-bodied. They can drive, are fit and full of life. Then there are those that need 24 hour care.

Grace Tan In Portraits, Pre-Wedding & Engagement Portraits

Langkawi Portraiture Shoot

I am so excited to share this set of photos. They are special because it features really really cool people from the wedding industry. People whom I work with, and people I admire. Ever since meeting Kee Sitt, Sharon, Mark and Ian, the colours of my life has doubled drastically. Not to forget, Alex too! They add so much fun to my life, and I truly cherish the friendships that have been built over this one year. They have challenged me in my art, my thinking, how to run my business, marketing it, to creating wacky ideas and then executing it.

Through these relationships, I’m glad to have known Mun Tzin and Lai Yeen too. Thank you for being so generous with your love and support. We took so many lovely shots that day, it was hard choosing favourites. These are my personal favs from the collection. Photos were taken by Mark, Ian, Kee Sitt, Alex and myself. Unfortunately 2 other people could not be with us on this trip as they were overseas – Choon Ean & Chua who are part of the video team.

First up… Kee Sitt and Sharon!