Finding out that we were expecting our 3rd baby, my first thought was “Oh boy, what if we’re having twins?” Seeing my grandmother had twins and my husband himself is a twin, it was quite a possibility. Honestly, I had mixed feelings (more towards relief) when we saw Yaya (as she is so fondly called) turned out to be a singleton

Recently, Asther had the privilege to shoot a set of twins – Jayden and Jayron. They are twin boys and are the 2nd and 3rd addition to their family. This was also Asther’s 2nd twin newborn boys session

Now, J & J’s parents were pretty thrilled with their second pregnancy and much to their surprise, they found out that they’re having not one but two new additions to their family! The doting parents then planned and prepared for their journey with a happy and open heart.

J & J

Big brother Jayden was calm and mostly sleeping throughout the shoot, whereas little brother Jayron was a bit more wriggly and active. Photographing twins can be tricky such as this case when 1 twin is more awake than the other, making it challenging in posing them together.

Brother Jayron all wide awake

Little Jayron enjoying his solo session

Little Jayden still in his deep slumber

Asther will be photographing them again for their 6 months portrait and she is looking forward to it!

Two precious bubs with their loving parents ♥

We would like to thank Julie for helping out that day

Did you know that ALP conducts a mini giveaway every month on our Facebook page? There will be at least one surprise gift to be given away with a simple game to win it.

Click here, like our page if you haven’t already and good luck!

Hope all our wonderful clients and friends are enjoying the first two months of 2012 in between festivities and celebrations! (Our tummies probably enjoyed all the good food too! )

Til next time, toodles!

Xoxo,

Su

Note: The Bloom workshops’ early bird rate ended last month, however we still have some limited spaces selling at RM850 each. Head on to the website and Facebook Page for more details. We are looking forward to meeting all the wonderful ladies at the workshop in March!

~ My very first post on ALP’s blog! Woot! Oh this is Su, Asther’s PA by the way and I have been handling email enquiries sent by you lovely clients. Can’t say I wasn’t nervous in the beginning – She does receive a lot of emails! Lol.. I was so worried I’d get clients mixed up or give them the wrong information but as days and weeks went by; I got the hang of it and what can I say? Gotta love having an awesome and understanding (not to mention very patient) boss.

I’m a mummy of 3 – two boys and a lil girl. I’m lucky to know Asther and trust her enough to let her shoot my baby girl at 6 days old. I know how important it is to capture our kids’ moments as they do grow up very fast.

Ok enough about me.. Let’s move on to our new post and I sure hope you readers enjoy reading it (and all our future posts ) Cheers to all! ~

Mummy A contacted Asther months ahead for her “Bump to Pop!” sessions. Both N and A are very soft spoken & good natured people and the maternity session was done with them totally relaxed & calm throughout.

Mummy A giggled a lot whenever Asther cracked up a joke resulting in this nice shot

Exuding warmth and love to their unborn child

Pretty mummy with her petite belly ^_^

Kisses for his lovely wife. Such a sweet couple

Their baby girl finally came into the world about a month later.

She carries the same calm serenity of her parents'

After a bath (she hates bathing for some reason) and a full feed, she went into a deep slumber and the entire newborn session was done with her sleeping soundly. Asther usually conducts her newborn sessions with the baby sleeping throughout the most part of the photo session. This is because posing a sleeping baby is much easier & more possible as compared to an awake baby. An awake newborn baby is usually very wriggly & tend to fuss for milk or to be held. Often than not, the newborns in Asther’s session will wake up some time so she’ll try to capture some “awake” shots as well. But this is usually without much/any posing done on the newborn.

In baby dreamland!

Don't ya wana "bite" her?

Sweet baby!

Comfortably hanging in there

Sweet Baby S with her warm and loving parents

Wishing Mummy A and Daddy N all the best with their little princess. Hope Baby S continues to carry that serenity and calmness in her. Perhaps we could see more of her in the future?

Oh and have you noticed the head bands worn on Baby S? (I know I have! Lol) These beautiful hand-made headbands used in this photo shoot was bought from Sew Whimsey by Asther. Go check it out!

Before signing off, we would like to send out a special thank you to Irene Lim who became our props assistant for the day Until our next post, remember to hug your loved ones today, tomorrow and every other day! Toodles!

xoxo, Su.

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I’ve been ill just a few days back. So ill that the doctor decided to admit me into the hospital ward for treatment & observation. While I was in pain & misery early that morning, only 2 major thoughts came to mind. Haley & my clients. Boy oh Boy, was I in a mess! Who’s going to take care of them if I’m like this?

Honestly, I was partially afraid for my life that day. My heart was beating so hard so fast, that doctors were worried about my thyroid situation. I was praying so hard that I do not get a heart attack that day. It was so scary… an event which has left me lots to ponder about… again.

This year has me struggling in keeping a balance between my personal life & my business. I was at the verge of burning out. I was working so hard to achieve so many goals, that I forgot to take a step back & give enough time to myself. Every time I wanted to do that, I started feeling guilty about it. I started telling myself the “Me Time” can wait. Lots more important stuffs need to be done first. And thus, I got caught into a whirlpool of family responsibilities, making sure every one is happy, making sure our monthly income is flowing in steadily, chasing after deadlines & deadlines of editing, and endless other things. I forgot about ME. And that affected my creative self, my self esteem, my happy self. I let a certain people bully me & take advantage of me. And that almost killed my passion & my business.

Lucky thing is that I realized about it before it’s too late. I decided to take a real break. I took the courage to have my first solo trip away from home. The wonderful times with my dear friends Laura & Pau Ling are still fresh in my mind. I got to have some time alone & explore Melbourne all by myself. Don’t get me wrong, I love being in a company of people. Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a social butterfly. But there’s this special good feeling once a while being alone, especially when traveling in a foreign place. I guess I get the chance to think and not think at the same time. It’s just ME time. And it did wonders. I came back refreshed & strong again.

Laura took time off from work & flew down to Brisbane from Sydney to be with me. She took me around town & even brought me back to her beautiful parent's home. This is her goofing around in the house.

Such fun refreshing time in Melbourne with little Meagan. Mummy Pau Ling is one of my besties. I miss our times chit chatting in bed at night about everything under the stars.

During my exploration of Melbourne city, I visited the beautiful St. Patrick's Cathedral where I offered a prayer for my late father. I did some private reflection here to find some peace in my heart & soul. And found them I did.

I made new resolutions that includes more of ME this time. My health is one major issue I need to keep in check. My family is another, especially my relationship with dear hubby who’s been much ‘neglected’ since we both became parents. And I was so caught up in building up this photography business while juggling with motherhood & keeping the household in order that I just didn’t have much time for anything else. But I want to change all that. And change has been happening. Slowly but surely. And so far, I think I’m doing quite okay.

Our own version of Winter Sonata at Nami Island, Korea. Hehehe...

My beautiful Haley... my everything.

All these changes will not have been easy if not for the amazing amount of support I have been getting from my dearest friends & clients. For trying to understand that I need this time to re-prioritize. For understanding that I am a mother, a wife and a daughter as well. Most importantly, I’m a person with feelings & needs too. And for that, I want to thank my current & past clients who have been so supportive to me. Your little words of encouragements, your short sms-es & messages to see how I was doing, your small little gifts of food & little pretty things. All these I treasure close to my heart.

My business have finally grown enough this year to let me afford help & I’m really happy to welcome my dear friend Su as well as a new found friend, Kevin, into ALP’s little family. We aim & hope to make more happy hearts amongst our clients so praying that our team still stay strong & bonded in order to do just that. To make more happy memories & more happy hearts.

This little slideshow is dedicated to our 2011 clients. Thank you for your unconditional supports! Thank you for taking my hands & walk through this beautiful journey of photography with me. Love you!

A remembrance of 2011.

Here’s to a better 2012 for everyone the world around.

xoxo,
Asther

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A match made in heaven.

Beautiful pregnancy curves!

Pure happiness!

Daddy C sure knows how to goof around which is just perfect for my camera.

And their pretty little princess Baby G finally came into their loving arms.

So much LOVE!

Sweet baby details

*sigh*

I think Baby G's most favorite part of her newborn shoot was being carried in this swing.

At times like this, I’m just very thankful for being able to do what I do. And that God keeps sending me beautiful beautiful clients such as Baby G & her lovely parents. Don’t you agree?

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Tiny fingers, tiny toes

Little itty bitty clothes.

Teddy bears and smiles of joy

Oh! my gosh its a little boy!

Mummy N welcome me with warm smiles when I visited them for Little Z’s newborn session. Such a trooper even only after giving birth just 13 days earlier. Well, why wouldn’t she when she just delivered such a precious little thing! This little guy will melt anyone’s heart, I tell ya!

Love his little feet!

And that lips! *muacks*

*sigh*

Totally love the bedsheet from their guestroom bed. I love intimate personalized props!

Too cute!

Another personal fav! Love that piece of furniture in the master bedroom!

Little Z decided he’s had enough of his sleeping shots taken and since we still have time, we continued with some intimate moments with mummy & daddy.

Daddy J is such a baby whisperer himself!

Little Z starting getting cranky so we quickly had a few more shots before he continued his long milky snack. Love how Daddy J & Mummy N just enjoyed their moments together even tho Lil' Z was screaming away. They just love his little feisty spirit!

Thank you once again Mummy N. For trusting me with your little handsome & for giving me a precious friendship with you. Thank you so so much for the constant sms-es to keep in touch & for all the cheering & supports for me when I’m down. I’m so so sorry I’ve yet made time for a meet-up and yes it’s been months. Will call you soon to set one up!

Love & hugs,

Asther

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A baby portrait is never complete without some delicious drool!

Precious!

So much LOVE!

Oblivious to what daddy & mommy were doing. Hahaha...

So much JOY!

What did I say about that hair?

We then headed back to his house for some indoor shots.

Yum Yum Yum!

"Okay, I'm beat!"

Thank you once again, Mommy J, for your warm hospitality & friendship. Have a blast with Baby Ian and hopefully one day we get to do this again.

As of this week, our booking calendar is FULL up to November, therefore we are no longer accepting new bookings for shoots in KL/Selangor. However, we’re now opening our 2012 calendar for bookings! So if you have a plan to have a beautiful session with me, be it for your pregnancy or your baby’s little moments, or just simple day-to-day family moments, do write in now to secure a date with us.

We are also opening our 2012 calendar for intimate couple portraits such as for engagement or simply just to celebrate your relationship together.

We are revising our package rates and will be releasing them in September 2011. However, if you want to grab our current rate, it is still possible by confirming your booking by end August 2011. So hurry now!

I’m in the midst of caring for my sick little girl so business management will be a little bit slow for the next few days until I’m sure my baby’s back to her normal self. We’re all very sleep deprived in the household so we’re kinda taking things a little bit slower for now. Appreciate your understanding & prayers.

Till then, hope everything is on a brighter side on your end.

xoxo

Asther

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I love her smile!

This is the ONLY "naked" shot we managed to capture that day.

Here we used Mommy V's wedding saree as the backdrop.

And then we head outside at their beautiful garden for some outdoor background.

I think she loves sleeping there.

Here's a little moment with daddy dear.

And here's with her beautiful mommy.

And here's with handsome big brother! We had a photo session with him a few months back too.

Thank you again, Mommy V, for being so patience with me during the session. And for trusting me once again to capture your precious moments. I’m even more thankful for the friendship we’ve built and pray that we get to see each others’ kids grow up happy & successful.

I hope to be sharing more of the newborn sessions I’ve done from the past few months. *fingers crossed* In the meantime, my 2011 calendar is almost filled up, so here’s an update of my booking schedule:

• August: FULL
• September: FULL
• October: 2 more weekdays & 1 more weekend available
• November: FULL
• December: Open only for sessions in Kuching (Sarawak). Limited slots available

I am in the midst of revising my packages & rates as well as other products to compliment your sessions and will be launching them in September onwards. Any bookings done in August will still be of the current old rates. So if you plan to have a photo session with me in 2012, you might want to consider booking it now to get the current rates.

Wokay… hope to share another post here soon. Take care & see you soon.

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So anyway, I started to search about the web for a photography workshop which is related to what I’m specializing. I realized there was no workshop in Malaysia which fits my requirement list or able to offer more than what I already know when it comes to baby/children related photography. I started looking outside of Malaysia. This was initially a tough decision for me. Cos outside of Malaysia means two things. It’ll cost me a LOT of money for the travel, as well as the exchange rates in countries like U.S or Australia which are not really in favor to our Malaysia Ringgit. This also means I’ve to travel away from my family, from my little girl. I’ve never left my girl for more than 24 hours in her entire life. She sleeps next to me 98% of our nights together. So oh yeah… it was really tough for me to decide.

But in the end, I took up the courage and signed up for a Baby Posing Workshop by Lana Bell in Australia. Well, I’ve heard of several famous baby related photography workshops based in the U.S but after going through Lana’s website, I decided to give it a try since it’s nearer & cheaper for me than if I were to go to U.S. And I’m glad I did, cos I learn quite a bit from the workshop.

Although there are several differences in terms of culture & business applications between Australia & Malaysia, I’m glad I get to see these differences. It opens my eyes to a lot of perspectives. I get too see the pros & cons from each differences & hope to make something positive out of each for my business application. Some major differences I realized are:

1. Weather

Well… I went to Australia during the start of their winter time, so it’s colder there than it is in Malaysia. So when it comes to photographing babies, more preparations are needed to ensure baby’s comfort & warmth.

2. Culture

Most mothers in Australia are either fulltime mothers (with no helper or maids as commonly found in Malaysia) or if working fulltime, then they depend a lot on schools & childcare centres which are very professionally set-up throughout the country. So when it comes to after delivering a new baby, a mother there usually gets help from the husband, occasionally from family members but the term “confinement period” is not a norm. Mother & baby starts their new life together just like any other normal people. They eat whatever healthy food they can get, they go out whenever they want, no restrictions whatsoever unless it’s medically decided by doctors in cases of some post-delivery complications.

3. Photography Studio

Most baby photographers have a home-based studio, and newborn photography sessions are conducted here. Clients go to the photographers, bringing their new little bubs for their photographs to be taken. And this is pretty normal for them, bringing they days old baby out (we’re talking about less than 10 days old) without a fuss on “getting wind into the body” or “baby’s too young to be out in public” kinda thing. Unlike here in Malaysia, where photographers like me had to do on-location sessions cos it’s a common thing for mothers & babies to be in confinement period, hence, generally they’re not allowed to leave the house in the first month period.

Since it’s the photographer’s studio, the photographer has more control in terms of lighting, setup & location. So consistency is a lot easier to achieve here.

4. Photography Charges

Clients are charged a “booking” fee for the studio space as well as the photographer’s time. After the session is done, photos will be chosen & edited by the photographer and then clients will be invited into their studio again to view them & make orders for digital files or prints. Sometimes they do it online, but generally face-to-face interaction is much more preferred. Bulk digital purchases are available but they cost a lot lot more usually. Common practice will be for clients to order images for prints such as canvas prints or albums or photo quality prints. Here in Malaysia, generally clients get digital files (high resolution files) in a disc, sometimes with additional offers of prints. I must say, clients in Malaysia are getting a lot more for what they pay for as compared to Australians.

Anyway… this is going to be another looooooong post with lots of photos to share. So hope you enjoy some of the behind-the-scene shots as well as images of baby Asher who came with her lovely mother into Lana’s nautral light studio for us to photograph. All poses & setup were done by Lana herself and I’m very thankful for her mentoring us that day. She opens up so much of her trade secrets for us, from how to conduct a session, to how to edit the photos and lastly on discussing about the business part of things with us. We even had a lovely full-course dinner at one of Lana’s favorite restaurant. Good food, good wine, great company. It was indeed an experience. I’m thankful for the new friends I’ve made during the workshop, especially Jessica & Beck. They made me feel a lot more comfortable & welcome with all the things they’ve shared with me.

Lana undressing & preparing baby Asher.

Lana, a mother of two herself, is really great with babies.

Lana doing her magic for us.

My first shot of baby Asher. She was 8 days old. Lucky to have caught that smile! Good thing she was a very "smiley" baby.

Love that headband!

Oh sweet sweet Asher...

So comfy & happy

Another lucky shot with her sticking out her tongue! Hahaha...

In mommy's loving hands.

We “ran out” of good lights as the day went by so Lana decided to bring baby Asher outside for some more portraits. Being that it’s winter, she had baby Asher wrapped up nicely before we headed outside to her lawn area.

Nice & warm in the wrap.

Loving that old wooden crate!

And here are a few with Asher’s beautiful mommy. You wouldn’t have guessed that she just delivered a baby 8 days ago!

LOVE

That little smile from Asher = PRICELESS!

And my all time favorite from the workshop…

*sigh*

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They’re also one giggly couple, and that makes my job so much easier in capturing their happy moments together.

:D

Super sweet!

*sigh*

Pretty Mama!

Mommy K was such a sport to get down & wet in their tropical swimpool.

And alas! They celebrated the birth of their little princess, Shevaune a few weeks after the maternity session was done. Baby S was too excited for her photo session that she stayed awake most of the time. She was slightly more than 2 weeks old when these were captured.

With daddy & mommy who adore her to bits!

Those eyes... WIDE AWAKE!

Trying to suck her own thumb.

Alas! She fell asleep but refused to be out of mommy's arms.

I love old houses. This was taken in her grandparents home.

Awww...

And FINALLY we managed to get some (very quick) sleeping shots of her alone!

Zzzzz...

That is all for today. Just a little note to let everyone know that our March weekends are fully booked, leaving a few more weekdays dates open. If you’d like to have your moments captured by ALP, be it pregnancy or your newborn baby or just casual moments, do let me know ASAP to avoid disappointment.

March is also when my LTinker Bell and I will be celebrating our birthdays, so stay tuned and we might have something exciting for those who visits us often here at ALP’s blog/Facebook Page.

April weekends are almost filled up so hurry!

It’s going to be a busy busy weeks ahead with 3-months long of editing backlogs to clear as well as some exciting new shoots coming soon. So please bear with us and we promise to try our very best.

Till then, have a great week ahead!

xoxo,

Asther

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His doting parents brought this cute little rattan chair for the portrait session.

I've had people commenting that he looks like a little "tau-keh" here.

The morning sun was so pretty & I can't resist but to put him on the field & have some shots with his birthday suit.

How cute!

His chubby little hands out exploring the world around him.

Here are some moments with his daddy & mommy and the family pet.

Sweet happiness!

Now what did I say about the morning sun? Handsome boy here!

Awww...

Mommy P making funny faces at Daddy E!

And lastly, my all time fav from this session.

I’ve got sooo many sessions to share with you on this blog, but time is always an issue with me. Will be spending the next 9 days on an editing frenzy, photo shooting as well as sending my Tinker Bell to her play classes before we jet off to Hong Kong for Chinese New Year break.

If you’re looking at booking a session with me in February, I have one more weekend day available (19th Feb 2011). Click the Contact Me tab above to get in touch with me soonest you can before the someone else grabs the slot. I still have plenty of weekdays available for sessions, so you can consider those too.

Hopefully I’ll be able to share one more session with you here before the holiday break. Till then, have many great days ahead!

xoxo
Asther

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