A new family of five.
Makeup by : @amup_makeupartistry
Photography by: @JacqandtheCamera
It's been a while since I've blogged but I just want to capture the moments and memories of that wonderful day somewhere. I have been close , close friends with Vivian for a very long time - before boyfriend, husband and kids, imagine that! I was surprised when I found out she was pregnant and we talked about taking newborn photographs for her new little boy but a maternity shoot was never part of the conversation. Goodness knows why!
But Vivian, being the impromptu, fun-loving person she has always been buzzed me a few weeks before delivery and a maternity shoot was arranged! Given the current pandemic situation and mask mandate, photographing outdoors can be a little challenging sometimes. So I scouted high and low for a suitable photoshoot location; somewhere quiet and beautiful but not too far from civilisation. We found Upper Seletar Reservoir Park, the famous Natural Reserve with a wide expanse of green space and water. We shot the maternity and family pictures in November and the entire month was forecasted to rain every.single.day. That meant the photoshoot location would have to ideally provide some sort of rain shelter if it really rains. Upper Seletar Park fit the bill because the beautiful place has a lot of public rest areas, shelters, benches and public toilets (though it's only at one end).
The original plan was to shoot on Saturday late afternoon but as the forecast was really heavy rain, we decided to push it to the next morning instead. Guess what? Saturday afternoon featured clear skies. It started to rain when evening came about but we wouldn't have been done by then. I guess morale of the story, weather forecast in Singapore cannot be trusted haha,
GApparently she had a random conversation with her neighbour and one thing led to another and eventually the idea of a maternity shoot was conceived! And indeed why shouldn't a maternity photoshoot be in order? Pregnancy should be celebrated since it's clearly so dang difficult and I'm sure her little boy will love seeing the pictures when he grows up.
Sometimes I wished my parents had more photographs of themselves and us as kids to look back on but alas, photography was not as prevalent in the 80s as they are now.
Given this was hardly the first time she had been pregnant, (this is her 3rd pregnancy in case you need me to point out) the maternity shoot request definitely caught me off guard. Apparently she had a random conversation with her neighbour and one joke led to another and eventually the idea of a maternity shoot was conceived! And indeed why shouldn't a maternity photoshoot be in order? Pregnancy should be celebrated since it's clearly so dang difficult and I'm sure her little boy will love seeing the pictures when he grows up.
Sometimes I wished my parents had more photographs of themselves and us as kids to look back on but alas, photography was not as prevalent in the 80s as they are now.
It was a cloudy morning with pockets of light. Pretty comfortable weather to be outdoors.
Absolutely loving how sweet the two of them looked!
I absolutely loved how feminine and dreamy these pictures came out!
Vivian looked absolutely stunning that day in her pink maternity dress and coral makeup (Makeup by Amber Zheng @Amup_makeupartistry) that matched so well with her adorable little girls. She had 2 different dresses to choose from and was initially more inclined towards the other dress that to fitted her better. But after some comparison, we decided to go with the slightly longer dress.
Here's a little fashion tip ladies, empire waist dress (dress that has a fitted bodice ending just below the bust,) and a long gathered skirt which ends slightly above the ankles is extremely complimenting to the female body. Not only does it accentuate your bosom, it also gives the appearance of a higher waist and longer legs! Who wouldn't want that!
And I just can't continue the blog without mentioned the most eye catching (sorry vivian!) individuals of the day - their 2 adorable princess!
Photographing children has always been challenging - my old bones can never quite keep up with their agility and tempo! Expecting children to stand still for pictures is almost as hard as striking lottery haha, or at least that's how I approach these shoots - zero stress for the kids!
We were in the middle of doing a sisters pair shot when the littlest princess started whining about hunger haha. Vivian and Hock Chai were really worried their children wouldn't cooperate for the shoot but I assured them that with children, it is always better to just go with the flow and not force them too much. We also came prepared with some props so we laid down a vibrant picnic mat and distributed snacks to the girls.
I mean, look at those satisfied faces. Those twisties were a worthwhile bribe wasn't it? haha.
So while they shared giggled over their twisties, I fired my camera as best as I could to capture their most natural moments.
I allowed them to play with my sakura props and they were over the moon playing imaginary trumpets with the plastic branches. Children are such a wonderful blessing from aren't they?
I know the picture is slightly out of focus with a wacky composition but I just love how it completely captured the raw exuberance of the kids! Can you feel their excitement and joy through the screen yet?
Life's simple joy is nothing more than spending quality time with your family.
Yes, they became pretty obsessed with the sakuras haha!
" Not every successful man is a good father. But every good father is a successful man"
Even after close to a month since this shoot, my mouth still grins whenever I looked at these picture and remembered the adorable quirks of the two little baby girls and how sweet this family was.
Family is not an important thing. It's everything.
Here's to praying that this family of five continues to grow strong in the Lord's love and strength. And may the Lord bring them through every challenge and opportunity in life through his grace. Hello baby boy K, I hope to see you soon! Grow up healthy and strong okay? =)
~ Love,
