Well, not sure if there are statistics to back this up, or it’s just another propaganda to boost the birthrate. The ones I know who have large families are either very poor or very wealthy. If we do see a trend where the middle class is having more and more children, that is certainly good news for the country…and ME!

You see, these days, parents spare no expense to provide the best for their children: from the food they eat, to the clothes they wear, the enrichment schools they attend, and the family photographers they choose. (Er hem!) Having beautiful family photos not only augment the milestones of the children, they also bring back fond memories of growing up for the parents and children alike. Perhaps the popularity of wedding slide shows at wedding banquets seem to have convinced current and future parents that they want nicer and meaningful family photos, instead of fuzzy, blurred and poorly-exposed ones, to be  screened. Pray that this trend will still be in vogue in future.

To tell you the truth, family photos are much “easier” to take. Not to say that creatively it’s easy, but as far as customer satisfaction is concerned, it’s almost guaranteed, 100%!

Parents are an easily-satisfied bunch. They have come to the stage where they can turn a blind eye to their own double chins and flabby thighs, but as soon as they see the double chins and flabby thighs, topped off with a toothless smile, on their children, they go ga-ga and ooooh….. Get what I mean?

Yes, I’m not exaggerating. Children are not the most cooperative subjects on earth (for parents like me, they display this characteristic most in the middle of the night). We can direct (grown-up) couples to stand in a particular spot or execute a certain action to achieve the best effect. Can’t do that with kids. Couples will “obey” our instructions, will dig in when the going gets tough, and rarely complain.

For most birthday parties, parents rarely go to the extent of spending obscene amount of money to plan one (at least not in my circle), so there’s no tens of thousands of dollars worth of floral decor, stationery or jaw-dropping venues etc which are things that help make shooting a wedding far easier than it is. Most of the time, it’s a function room, or a simple restaurant, with a few balloons, some entertainment and some guests who’d show up in very “equatorial-friendly” attire. Things get messy, schedules go awry (if a baby wants to sleep, the baby sleeps) and because it is a children’s party, there’s an air of laissez faire to it.

Things can, of course, can be easier if I just take the standard shots (family pictures, shots of the cakes and birthday boy/girl). Predictably, we at Tinydot don’t do standard things. I want to shoot a birthday party like I shoot a wedding: to capture the precious candid moments that transpire as the family celebrates another milestone. It’s how I like my family album to look like.

I’ve been photographing Yu Heng’s family for several years already, and the fact that he has three other siblings mean that I can be kept busy throughout the year. Here, he’s celebrating his fourth birthday in his pre-school, where his elder sister Jiaxuan studies in also. Another familiar face is Captain Dazzle, an amazing magician who knows how to liven things up and keeps the children enthralled throughout the hour he was there. Fun for me too.

Sonia is the one-year-old first child of Sarah and Tommy. There are referrals from another long-time client of mine, Valerie, whose two sons have been the subjects of my camera a few times. Sonia, being the only girl and child of her age group in the family, naturally becomes the centre of attention and the undisputed Princess. But it was clear that even I came under the charm of Princess Sonia!

Years ago, I did a casual pre-wedding portrait session with Chris and Denise. They were decked out in Reds jerseys as they are die-hard Liverpool fans (so am I). Years later, the new addition, Ian (not sure if he’s named after Rush) is slowly being groomed to take over the family mantle. It’ll be a sight when the whole family sing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” the next time the Reds lift that elusive Premier League trophy.

Wei Jin and Janice, thanks for welcoming me into your home, and for an even more exciting experience in witnessing baby Ryan’s 2nd month on earth!

// yuhsin

However, I realise shooting a children’s party involves being a sensitive and politically correct photographer too!

I’ve shot a particular child’s birthday parties more than once already, and coupled with the sibling’s parties, I’ve seen the girl many times over the years. I remembered a quiet, shy and reserved girl staring at the camera all the time. Last week, curiosity finally got the better of me and I asked the mum if her child has become happier, since I saw a lot more smiles in the latest batch of photos.

Then came the surprising answer: “She’s angry with you because many years ago you didn’t take a lot of pictures of her.”

Ok, from now onward, I’m going to shoot a birthday girl like I shoot a bride.

//kc

Ariel & Belle turn 2!

Jiaxuan’s 4th Birthday Party

//kc

I’ve witnessed their blissful union at their wedding, to a family photoshoot when their eldest son Ryan was one year old, and now the first birthday celebration of their second son, Reyes. It was like a mini-reunion of sorts, and I delighted in seeing some familiar faces, with the likes of their parents, uncles and aunts.

The food was good, the light was good, and the company was good.

//kc

We did the shoot at Jacob Ballas Children’s Garden. Isabelle loves the place and Amanda was mentioning to me that the family spends many weekends here – playing and bonding (and competing with the crowds on Saturday afternoons hah!). I really hope that in capturing these images, I’ve done my little part to strengthen that bond.

On another note, just 3 more days of shooting weddings, and I’m off to Santorini to shoot and have a short break! The family’s coming along – time for my own family bonding! *Endure* *Endure*