i haven’t shared the individual portrait shots from sueann’s shoot and i want to share it ;) because the “just for you” portraits is one of the collections at {nicolethen studio} that I’m passionate about. well, i’m passionate about all of them, they each have their value but woman to woman or lady to lady or girl to girl…we all wear so many hats everyday and play such integral roles in our worlds that having a time set aside to remember you at each point in your life…to just pause and feel beautiful and at ease with yourself…is something that i feel so strongly for!!

sueann had turned twenty one and in her list of twenty one things she had to do was to have her portrait taken. (on a side note: i tried to do the twenty-ish list of things i had to do before my birthday after hearing sueann’s story…and then i realized that having less then a month to accomplish the entire list was a ridiculous plan haha) 

just like me, she was a little camera shy, and i guess coming from someone who avoided the camera like a plague when i was in my early teens (i’ve worked hard at working through this fear haha)…i understand what it feels like to be afraid that the shots are just not going to look nice. but in the little moments where i see she has let her guard down and that beautiful sunshine smile spreads across her face and i quickly focus, snap and capture her gorgeousness…wow!! 

I need to share this before it’s too late! Some time back I did a portrait session with the beautiful and talented Nabillah for her The New Paper feature. Her story is a special one, she with many odds against her has actually secured a place at the Royal College of Music (RCM) in London! 

However, due to the high fees of the school, she has been trying to garner media support in hopes that someway, somehow she’ll be able to get the fundings she needs. During our portrait session, she played for me a piece and the second photograph is her in the middle of that song. She doesn’t just play the piano, she plays the kind of music that touches your soul and make one swell up just at it’s beauty. And I know, that one can be technically perfect but never create that kind of music that carries weight. It was definitely an honour to listen to her song.

Here’s the link to the TNP article where you can read more about her story and if you can help or know someone who can please drop me an email at info@nicolethen.com and i will link you guys up ;) thank you (click)

lemon wanted to mark her 18th birthday with a portrait session! and i think there’s always something so special about pausing in time and remembering who you are at that point in time. we had a lovely time and made a little “picnic” area for her too and she just looks so pretty! hope you have an amazing 18th year lemon <3

these three days are going to be packed!! today i’ve got lots of errands to run, collect my gear for tomorrow and have our weekly meeting. then tomorrow, it’s Cindy & Weeqi’s ROM :D followed by a casual photosession with cindy’s “friends” hahaha how cute! i’m so excited and happy for them!! then saturday morning it’s a family portrait session with Ginny & her family and we’re bringing the “studio” outdoors. got so many ideas :D 

sneak peek of portrait session with lemon

when i was in primary and secondary school, i had absolutely no idea what i wanted to do. but i knew one thing for sure, and i told my parents with utmost conviction that,”I never want to be a business man…”

fast forward a decade and i find myself loosely termed as a business person. sure, my job’s not about selling. i just want to create amazing photographs for a living. the creating photographs part is easy…well relatively easier then the “for a living” part.

i hate talking about money. i hate selling things that i won’t buy, so i don’t. but one thing i’ve learnt is that if i want to remain in business and not have to convert my dream back to a hobby is that i have to be honest about pricing. internally i understand why, the training that i do, the skills i’ve acquired, the knowledge and know-how, the experience, the expertise, the ability to bring out the best in someone, to allow everyone to have fun, the workshops i pay to attend, the time i take to prepare for a shoot, the time it takes and the gazillion thoughts running through my mind during a shoot/wedding, the intense problem solving while remaining calm on the surface, the follow up, the long hours of editing, replying emails, operational costs, equipment maintenance, then making sure i enjoy creating, making sure my clients get sufficient attention, making sure i have a life for inspiration, making sure i have time to spend with my family and loved ones. internally i know why i should price things a certain way but i’m scared to share it. i’m nervous that people won’t understand and terribly come to a conclusion that i’m trying to get more then i’m giving.

it’s tough being a photographer and also having to wear the hat of a business person. how can i explain to someone all the many reasons that go into the way i price things without making them feel like they owe me a living? because that’s not what i want at all! i just want to share with them the value of what i provide. haha sometimes it is tough.

but i shall strive through it and struggle to find the right path and way if i have to. because i do believe that somehow what i do can bring joy, hope and love some way some how. and oh how i enjoy seeing that sparkle in someone, drawing out their beauty in our photoshoot and making them see and understand their beauty! because i think in our society where everything has to be perfect and is so narrow in it’s clasification that our true beauty is smothered and cast aside. so i say let your light shine! and when a girl goes away from the shoot affirmed of her beauty, it brings tears to my eyes ;)

dance always gives me that freedom, it takes me away and i love it. and when the chance came to photograph these two wonderful dancers, i was ecstatic! they don’t just move beautifully, but they are such lovely girls in their own right and we had such an enjoyable shoot. ok, so we got chased out from one location…but not before i snapped a few shots! tee hee…

december is going to be one crazy one! haha and tomorrow we start :D by first a portrait session with a junior smugger & her beau, then S+J’s wedding day this saturday, followed by another b’day portrait session with a special someone who’s turning eighteen, then the wedding dinner back at grand shanghai, another lookbook, regularly scheduled shoots, christmas eve celebrations, a wedding reception on christmas, my cousin’s 21st birthday on christmas and then flying off to chiangmai the next day over the new year. wow whee!! are you ready? haha “let’s go!”

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