If you are a family who loves playing in the swim pool, or with children who are learning how to swim & dive, or pregnant & would love to feel the weightlessness of being in the water, then this package is for YOU! We can plan a fun & splashing session at our private pool OR at yours if you have one. ALP will focus on capturing your water play moments, be it above water OR underwater, together with your loved ones AND your colorful swim wears. Ain’t that smashing?

Here are a few images I managed to capture recently for a few little babies who are just starting to learn how to swim, an important must have life-saving skill for our new generation. It was an eye-opener as much as an amazing session. Just look at these awesome photos and you’ll get what I mean.

Little J playing with water toys while being watched over by swim coach Moon Sha.

Isn’t Baby J too cute? Reminds me of a cute little marine otter!

My own little girl learning to kick & float with guidance from Coach Erika

More fun with water toys!

These are awesome toys to keep children happy in the water.

This was how it looks like underwater.

Being cheeky!

Swimming confidently with her noodle

Blowing bubbles underwater!

Baby S (10-month) taking her first dip underwater & did brilliantly!

Baby E (10-month) concentrating hard to swim into his daddy’s arms. Good job!

Little K (16-month) swimming non-nonchalantly towards her mother.

So there! Why not plan a family day with ALP and have some fun playing in the pool while having your moments captured for eternity keepsake? And maybe we can have a little picnic right after, hey? Write to us (use the CONTACT ME form) or visit us at our Facebook Page for more updates & beautiful moments captured by ALP.

Hear from you soon!

xoxo
Asther

A BONUS GIFT for one lucky winner from the 8 selected winners.

Yup… this is our annual online event in celebration of Haley’s & my birthday. In case you do not know yet, we share the same birthday. We just want to make this month special by thanking everyone who has been motivating us, encouraging us and supporting us in many ways throughout our journey in building ALP up to where we are now.

So, head on over to our FACEBOOK PAGE and win yourself (or your family & friends) some awesome gifts from our generous sponsors. See you there!

Today I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce my family here in ALP. Today is the day when I’m going to publicly express my gratitude to these people… these beautiful people who have been helping me since ALP started. It is by fate that we met, and it is by trust that our relationship grew from as strangers to being friends and now as colleagues. It wasn’t easy at first… for me at least. TRUST & FEAR are two main reasons why many people who started their own businesses refused to find and get help. But I have the Lord to thank for bringing our paths together. I didn’t make any promises. Nor did they. But I’m lucky that we still stick with each other until now. ♥

Recently I decided on an impromptu photography session for my team. It was filled with lots of laughter and silly doings. And with these photos, I’d like to introduce the ALP Team to you all, our dearest clients, fans, and supporters. Let’s see if you recognize any of them. Without further ado, let me introduce you to…

Su-Aishah ~ ALP’s Personal Assistant & everything else in between.

Ain’t she photogenic?

She’s the only “full-time” member in ALP and has been with us for 14 months now. She is the front woman that helps replies all enquiries that came in through our emails and Facebook messages. Sometimes, she is also my confidante and my personal shoulder to cry on. This mother of 3 cheeky kids is always able to keep her cool even when in a crisis. She’s my Yin while I’m the Yang in ALP. Hahaha… Her other talents are script writing & making chocolate truffles! Oh! And collecting Hello Kitty collectibles! She is also the co-founder of ThreadBarn, an online Facebook retail shop offering luxury items from the USA. Imagine Coach US, Marc Jacobs, Kate Spade, Tory Burch and many more!

Jessie Lee ~ ALP’s part-time photo editor and shoots assistant.

Looking pretty & sweet!

Only having joint ALP in October 2012 as our part-time photo editor, she is beginning to take on more roles in ALP as the time goes. At the current moment, she has been assisting me during my newborn shoots and if all goes well, you’ll be seeing & hearing more of her in the future. Of recently, she’s taken the role of being my unofficial shopping partner-in-crime too! Hahaha… This mother of 1 cute 5yr old girl is also crazy about Hello Kitty. Su & Jessie gets along pretty well in their Hello Kitty world indeed. Her other talents are website designing as well as a photographer. She is also the founder of Lovey Photography that specializes in portraiture & events.

Aaron Chin ~ ALP’s associate photographer

Yes… he’s very handsome & tall. But he’s also happily married.

Aaron and I has known each other for some time now via our local photography community. I’ve followed his growth in photography for several years and he has shown so much development since he started. Soft spoken yet very smart, always open to ideas & humble in his achievements, I decided it is time I have him in as part of my team! He shoots for ALP on a part-time basis, focusing on our party & portraiture sessions. Heck, having a guy in our team sure helps create some sort of a balance indeed. Hahaha… His main talent is in wedding photography and he is the founder of Aaron Chin Photography. He also models for commercial shoots once in a while.

Sze Ning ~ ALP’s shoots assistant

Always with her sweet smile that can brighten anyone’s day.

She is the very FIRST person that came into ALP as a shoot assistant. To date, she’s my prop expert, especially in our newborn sessions. One of the most hardworking & dedicated person I’ve ever hired. Hahahaha… She’s also a very very dear friend to have and I’m just so lucky to have known this sweet girl. I can be myself with her because she makes it feel so easy to trust & to just open myself up when I’m with her. She loves traveling, working out at Pushmore Fitness and enjoys documentation in any form. She’s always finding reasons to be involved in activism which advances the causes of marginalized communities. By just following her documentary photography works, I am inspired to be a better person & to help others. You can check out more of her work at Szening.Com.

Sue Low ~ ALP’s shoots assistant

Ain’t she beautiful? With no make-up!

Sue attended our Bloom Workshops back in March 2012 and since then, a new friendship started. This mother of 4 has such big love of her own children, as well as newborns. Hence, her role as my newborn shoots assistant since last year. She sings beautifully and babies (even us adults) will just melt along with the melodies that came out from her voice. She doesn’t talk much, but she’s a wonderful trustworthy person inside. She is also a co-founder of TwoPixels Photography.

So there… all 5 of them! My core team whom helped me bring ALP to where it is now. I’m forever in gratitude to them. No words can express how thankful I am for having them by my side in this journey of building up ALP. May we continue to grow in friendship, in trust, and as ALP grows, I promise I’ll make sure we grow together as well. Money I don’t have much  yet. But whatever bounty I can find, I will never forget to include those who has helped me along the way.

Here are some more images taken from our portrait session that day… well… not everyday we photographers get to be glamorous in-front of the camera!

Yup… that’s me with new curls for 2013.

Love these shots by Aaron. Thanks!

Here we are… trying our “demure” look. There were so much goofing around behind the scenes!

They’re pretty good with the “demure” look, huh?

The ALP Team for 2013!

Goofing around with our spanking new ALP attires!

Here’s wishing everyone celebrating Chinese New Year 2013 a Prosperous, Healthy & Happy New Year.

新年快乐 , 万事如意 , 身體健康, 心想事成, 如意吉祥!

Translation: Happy New Year, wishing you the best with continuous good health. May your dreams come true and may you be showered with peach & luck!

xoxo

The ALP Team!

Last year, a fellow friend of ours got pregnant much to our anticipation. Almost 5 months down the road later, during a usual visit to the doctor brought back some disturbing news. We were told that there are chances that the baby may have Down Syndrome. Mummy & daddy were worried. They were feeling very lost, almost in a panic state. So we had a talk with them. During this period, I was having a mixed feeling too. I mean… I was (and still am) against terminating the pregnancy but at the same time I was very worried about how this baby with Down Syndrome will affect the life of our dear friends.

So being me, I went on a research frenzy. I called out for help on Facebook and I Google-d about Down Syndrome. We’re in luck. My call for help on Facebook received a great number of replies and I slowly gathered all the information I can get to help our friends handle their situation better. So after a few more consultation with other doctors (and tests as well), our friends were told the percentage of their baby having Down Syndrome is pretty low, much to their relief. We’re really glad that they didn’t consider abortion and they’re willing to have this child with or without Down Syndrome.

During this period, Mummy K was one of the people that responded to my call for help on Facebook. It turns out that she has a son with Down Syndrome! So we continued communicating and she shared with me about her family life when Little A came into their lives. I got enlightened. A small voice started to appear from deep inside me. Slowly it became clear to me what I would like to do for 2013!

Every year I will take on a personal project to help the community around me or the world. Yes… very ambitious but I believe that while I am capable, I should try to help others as much as I can. As I’ve been helped countless of times during my low times and because of all the kind souls (strangers, friends and families) that had helped me throughout my life brought me to where I am now. I am thankful to them. Will always be in debt to their kindness.

So… I believe it’s God’s way of telling me that this is the latest personal project I should take on… to help create better awareness & acceptance to the people & children with Down Syndrome through my work. I want to show as many people as possible that having a child with Down Syndrome isn’t that bad after all! It’s not a sickness. It doesn’t mean it’s a curse for suffering for a family.

Instead… it’s beautiful! Life can still be happy and beautiful with this special child. In fact, life will be extra special when one is blessed with this child. Yes life can be challenging, but heck, isn’t “normal” life challenging in its own way? All it takes are acceptance & unconditional love, strong family bond as well as availability of resources to make one’s life easier & better for everyone.

I continued chatting with Mummy K and I’m really glad that her family is willing to participate in my project! I will do a portrait session for her little boy without any charges incurred on them. In return, the photos (and video) taken will be used for this project awareness on Down Syndrome.

My plan is to hopefully publish a documentary book which will be available in all book stores, eateries & educational outlets for FREE! This book will share some beautiful moments and stories of families with Down Syndrome to our community, and eventually worldwide.

Gosh… I sound overly ambitious aren’t I? Well… it has to start somewhere. It’s been quite a challenge so far, what with my continuous tight schedule with family & work. I hope to be able to find help & sponsors to fund this project. Honestly speaking, I’ve not been able to do more on this yet but I know I gotta start somewhere. So I’ve started some portrait sessions with a few families, with the help of a good friend who is my favorite videographer, Eddie Lee of Eddie Lee’s Moving Pictures. Both of us will pay a visit to the participating families and conduct a brief portrait session and video interview after which the plan is to share their stories here on ALP’s blog, and hopefully we will advance to the production of the book AND a video!

So… to kick start our Trisomy 21 Project, here we’d like to introduce to you a sweet sweet little boy named Adam! A little something about this sweet little boy.

Age at the time of shoot: 18 months
Favorite People: Daddy
Favorite Food: Mummy’s breastmilk, sweet potato and spinach
Favorite Activity: Anything musical related
Favorite Animal: Rabbit
Favorite Toy: LeapFrog Fridge Wash & Go Magnetic Vehicle Set
Favorite Book: Bunny My Honey by Anita Jeram

The first time we met, Little Adam gave me one of his cheekiest smile ever! His parents shared with us that he’s such a clever little boy, capable of out-witting his trainers at Kiwanis Down Syndrome Foundation Centre. On several occasion when he didn’t feel like doing the activities with them, he’d play pretend sick or sleeping! Such an amazing cheeky boy!

Without further ado, here are some of the beautiful moments we’ve managed to capture that day with Adam and his family.

With his doting parents.

His most favorite person in the world… Daddy!

Sweet kisses from his dearest mummy. He loves to bend backwards like this while playing with his parents.

Being cheeky with his grandma who together with his parents, helps take care of him.

Mummy can never get enough of him!

Reading his favorite book with daddy & mummy!

Such a happy boy!

My most favorite moment from that day!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SWEET ADAM!

(More images of Little Adam can be seen here: Little Adam’s Online Album)

So here’s the beginning of a journey for me with these wonderful special people. If by any chance any of you readers out there think you can help with this project, please feel free to email to me at enquiry@astherlau.com with the subject “Trisomy 21 Project”. We will be more than happy & thankful for your support & contribution.

Till then, the ALP Team would like to wish everyone celebrating the coming Chinese New Year a “Gong Xi Fa Cai, Wan Xi Ru Yi”! Will try to blog again soon.

Much love,
Asther

]]> http://astherlau.com/2013/01/31/a-special-day-for-a-special-boy-the-kick-start-of-trisomy-21-project/feed/ 3 http://astherlau.com/2013/01/10/the-first-year-baby-k-kota-kemuning-lake-gardens-malaysia/ http://astherlau.com/2013/01/10/the-first-year-baby-k-kota-kemuning-lake-gardens-malaysia/#comments Thu, 10 Jan 2013 07:45:00 +0000 Asther http://astherlau.com/?p=2775 We’ve been offering a special package called “The First Year” for two years now and it’s always a hit to families with new babies. This package offers two separate photo sessions for your baby’s growing moments in the first year of his/her life. We usually encourage the first session to be done when your baby is about 6-7 months old or when he/she has developed a strong neck coordination which allows her/him to sit up with support or independently. With this ability, more poses can be done with and without props. Also, parents do not need to keep holding onto baby for the photo taking. The second session should be done right before or on baby’s first birthday and one will be able to see the vast changes that had taken place since the first session.

Mummy A signed up for this package to document her son’s first year moment last year. She is one sweet mummy and very soft nature in person. Baby K was a very quiet little hunk and it was actually quite a joy to photograph his cuteness. Photographing him was like photographing nature itself. I had to give him space & time to get acquainted with his surroundings as well as to warm up with my presence. He’s always very inquisitive with the things around him and that sure helps keeping him at ease.

Here are a few shots taken when he was 6 months old

Chubby K totally absorbed in the environment around him.

This is his favorite past time playing with daddy!

Always love to be in mummy’s arms!

How cute!

Yes… he loves his baby biscuits.

5 months later, we headed to Lake Gardens for another session as he turned 11 months old.

More hair and bigger smile!

Yup… he still loves playing with daddy.

He’s grown cheekier too!

Handsome fella, isn’t he?

Turning one soon! Great job Baby K! Great job mummy & daddy!

It’s always an honor for me to be given a chance to witness the growth of each baby. I always feel teary whenever I reflect back how these babies grow along with ALP. This is why & how I keep this business going… cos I capture your moments as if it is mine too. God Bless you, Baby K. Grow up big & strong. Grow up happy & good. We’ll meet again for sure.

This year end, we’ve been blessed with so many newborns. So many parents have been so good that Santa decided to give them an early Christmas presents! Here are a few images of these little babies. We’re so so blessed to be able to spend some time with them.

Sweet Flamenco Baby!

Our very first twin girls in 2012!

Christmas Fairy!

Cute Baby S in Christmas colors!

Baby H in silvery Christmas theme!

Baby SY all wrapped up as a gift to mummy & daddy!

Baby J with his Christmas hat!

Such a cute ladybird!

Baby K all set to venture out in 2013!

 Here’s wishing every one who celebrates Christmas a Merry Merry Christmas filled with joy & love! We would also want to wish everyone a Blessed 2013 filled with dreams come true and continuous good health! Stay connect to us in ALP and do visit our Facebook Page for more constant updates. God Bless and Thank you!

xoxo

Asther

During every shoot, I will visualize a setting where I see beautiful lighting and equally beautiful backdrop are available at the location of our photography session. Then, I’ll “put” my clients there. So what’s next, you may ask? Well… I’ll then encourage my clients to be themselves. To interact with each other. To forget this big black box in front of my face. To look into each others eyes & communicate within. To kiss & smell the person next to them. To feel the ray of life & cooling breeze that surrounds them. To forget what is not define as pretty & happy, instead, to remember & recreate what makes them warm & joyful inside.

And if this doesn’t work… I’ll create a scenario for them to imagine or act on. Often enough, this worked. And then I wait… I wait for the magic to happen.

And here are a few magical moments I’ve managed to capture with my big black box.

The moment when Little N leaned on her mummy & embraced her baby bump, then looked up at her mummy with that cheeky smile. That’s MAGIC.

The moment Baby S reaches out her hand & touches her daddy, while looking into his eyes. That’s MAGIC.

The moment Baby K peeps over his daddy’s head, trying to get assurance from him that it’s okay to be so high up there. That’s MAGIC.

The moment C & R touched their noses together & C cracked up a funny face. That’s MAGIC.

The moment Little H gave out a shrill laugh while being swing around by her mummy, that’s MAGIC.

The moment Baby E looked into his daddy’s eyes while his doting parents looked over him lovingly, that’s MAGIC.

The moment Baby A squeals with happiness playing with her parents, that is Magic!

So really… I have my clients to thank for everything magical seen in my work. All the plannings, the long walks, the efforts to carry the props, the efforts to manage the children, the sweats and many more… All these are worthwhile after all! Do you agree with me?

Alritey… Bedtime soon so I better wrap up for today & look forward to another crazy, hopeful day tomorrow! Good night world and thank you so much for continuing to follow this blog. Sweet dreams & let the magic appears!

xoxo
Asther

And you know what? I feel contented. VERY contented. It means so much that I can do what I’ve always encourage my clients to do with their families. Even tho it means waking up early at 7am so that I can get everyone ready to head out the door. I’m happy.

Here’s a shot I took while testing the Panasonic DMC-LX7 camera this morning.

Hubby was such a trooper for willingly to try swing Haley up so high. She’s now at nearly 15kg with long legs! Yeah… my little girl is a big little girl now.

So what is your favorite weekend/public holiday activity? Do share.

xoxo
Asther

OUR LITTLE HERO

Hmmm… now how do I start this post? I am having mixed feelings on what & how to write about this little boy. But here goes…

I have known this beautiful angel boy for nearly 10 months now. Tomorrow is his 10th month birthday. He was recently diagnosed with the horrible C. Yes… the horrible horrible Cancer. Acute Myeloid Leukemia to be specific & he has called the hospital ward his “home” for the past 2 months. He has lost his hair & was constantly being pricked for new IV line to induce medications & chemo solution into his blood stream. High fever was constantly haunting him & he’ll cry his lungs out, clinging on tightly to his helpless mother.

However, whenever the horrible C gives him a break, he’ll immediately perk up & curiously check out his surrounding, all ready for new adventures. He’ll wake up with a sun-shiny smile that will melt anyone’s heart & spread the magic to the entire ward.

His parents are trying their best to be stronger for each other. His mother is with him, 24hrs a day, 7 days a week, still fully breastfeeding him whenever he is able to suckle from her. She’s put me to shame for the moments I had complaint & whined whenever my own girl fell sick which resulted in lack of sleep in the entire household. For since what seems to be ages ago, his mummy has had less sleep than anyone of us. Even if she’s managed to take a short wink, her dreams will be of her precious son.

His father has been in & out of the hospital day & night, trying to keep his business running, making sure their elder son is not neglected & running all errands while his wife is battling with his younger son in the hospital. But he remains positive & continues to be the pillar of strength to his family as well as his friends.

The news about Little H’s suffering totally shook a part of my world. I’m not too sure why, but I started to feel this extreme pain & hurt inside. An uncontrollable sadness loomed my days ever since. Prayers were said constantly and I was visiting him in the hospital as often as I could until his immune system has gotten too weak to accept any visitors. Yes, it felt like my own son is fighting this horrible C and I was feeling so so so helpless cos I couldn’t do anything to make him feel better & not suffer anymore. I cried so much, kept asking God the only question I could ask. Why? Why him? He’s only 8 months old! He’s such a beautiful baby. He’s bringing so much joy to his parents and people around him. Why?

I continue to pray… I keep trying not to lose my faith… I keep reminding myself to focus…

And now the main reason I’m writing this post is not to tell a sad story, but a happy one. Today, Little H’s doctor has shared with his parents that his cancer has finally gone into remission! When I knew about this, I couldn’t help but dance! I rejoiced! I thanked God while shedding happy tears.

Well, this doesn’t mean everything is over though. Little H still has a few hurdles infront of him, but this one little good news is HUGE to us after getting constant demoralizing news throughout the past 2 months. There is a surgery coming up, as well as the recovery process after the many chemo injections. And the growing up of course… but THANK GOD that now he’s given a chance to continue to grow & for given his parents another chance at being parents to him!

So what have I learned from this so far???

I’ve learned that a parent’s love to a child can drive you to do things unimaginable. Seeing them staying strong to each other, continue to pray for hope & make every new day as a birthday of their son has kept me strong in my own daily life. To stay true to myself & to my family.

I’ll keep telling myself that all my struggles & challenges is a God sent cos I still get to see my girl grow up healthy & happy & full of future. These struggles & challenges are there because I want to make sure my girl has all the things she needs to grow into a beautiful person inside & out.

So far, none of my struggles & challenges are as big as what my friends & their son are going through. So they are my idol & source of inspiration for a lifetime.

Okay… now let me share with you some beautiful images of Little H, taken just 2 weeks before he was diagnosed with the terrible C. We had such a wonderful time together and he’s truly won my heart over that day.

Hello there!

Chubby chubby chubby!

A beautiful moment with pretty mummy

Oh yes… he’s so deliciously irresistible!

♥ ♥ ♥

Here are some moments with Big Brother A. Remember him?

Little H loves his big bro a lot. Especially his hair. Hahaha…

Hehehehe…

Awww… Little H trying to make peace with Big A.

All is good again! Big A loves playing with his little brother. He truly loves him.

So I hope you all have a wonderful week ahead & do help us say a little prayer (or a BIG prayer) for Little H’s road to full recovery. Much love! *kisses*

xoxo
Asther

This is the second or final part of our 2-weeks trip into Europe. First part was Rome and it was a really beautiful historical city. We were very lucky & privileged to be staying inside the Vatican City’s wall itself during our stay.

Both cities were so different in terms of culture, design & outlook and the people so it has been a pretty big eye opener for us. Good thing is we have friends in both places which means it is much easier for us to settle down with their help.

I hope to be sharing more photos from our trip once I return to Malaysia, but in the meantime, here are two sneak peaks first.

This view was taken INSIDE The Vatican City’s wall, which has a very restricted access to only the residences (that includes the Pope himself!) and the staffs working for The Vatican. So this is a RARE sight to behold!
The building with the dome is actually a part of St Peter’s Basilica, which is not visible to the public crowd or tourists.

A beautiful scenery greeted us as we arrived Lausanne in Switzerland.