Getting Into the Frame at Alive Museum Singapore

Here's something you might not know about my kids: they actually don't really like taking photographs.

What, did I fool you with those photos of their gorgeous smiles? Despite the fact that their mummy blogs and their daddy loves cameras and photography, the truth is, for every great picture where they are (1) in focus and (2) actually looking at the camera (obviously my standard of what makes a great picture is not very high), I have tons of NG shots of blurry children facing me but with their eyes focused somewhere else. If there was a sound reel, you'd hear me going "stand here for just ONE SECOND, please", and "stop jumping!" and "face mummy!" and "eyes here!" very very often.

Noey is a bigger culprit of this than Mei, who is generally more obliging. But when plans were made for us to go to Alive Museum Singapore for a night out, I knew that the tables were about to be turned. And I was right. Ok, I still had to use "face mummy!" and "eyes here!", but more often than not, they were the ones calling after me, posing without being asked, and smiling for the camera. Nice.

Alive Museum Singapore is the biggest 3D illusionary museum in Singapore, with over 80 exhibits that you can touch and feel, and best of all, be a part of by jumping into the frame. Most of this is achieved through the use of special painting techniques, where such trick art fool the eyes and stimulate your mind, warping reality. 

We got a taste of playing with trick art when we encountered some at Westgate during the June holidays. After seeing all the fun the kids had with the giant teacup, I figured they were really going to enjoy being part of the picture. Still they totally surprised me by really getting in the act! Noey in particular was really keen and came up with a lot of his own poses, which I found very rather amusing! 

One of the unique features of Alive Museum Singapore is the fact that there are a number of locally themed pieces, incorporating scenes and landmarks of Singapore. Alive Museum Singapore is also currently involved in the Singapore 50 project, engaging local communities to create artworks that define the essence of Singapore. 20 artworks will be created and showcased together with the regular exhibits by year-end, bringing the total number of exhibits to 100.

I must admit the kids weren't the only ones to get into the action - us parents had a lot of fun doing so too.

It is best to bring with you a healthy sense of humour and be prepared to really get in the act for some photo fun. That's all you really need since you don't need any special equipment. Good pictures can be taken with just your mobile phone. There are pictures on the wall demonstrating the various poses to help you along, and photo point arrows on the ground to show you the best angle. Aside from that however, it is really up to you to make your pictures memorable by coming up with your own poses.

Definitely fun for the whole family! Thanks Alive Museum Singapore for an entertaining evening and some pretty memorable pictures that I foresee us laughing over in years to come!

Alive Museum Singapore is located at Suntec City Mall #03-372 (between Towers 3 and 4). Tickets are priced at $25 (adults) and $20 (children between 3-12 years). Operating hours are between 10am to 10pm daily, with last admission at 9pm. Book your tickets online and save 20% on ticket prices with the use of the code "ALIVEOPEN"! Visit www.alivemuseum.sg for more information. 

Current promotion: Like Alive Museum on Facebook and get a free meal at Burger King Suntec just next door, with the purchase of a full-priced ticket. See here for more details: http://alivemuseum.sg/news-events/promotions.

*We received a pair of tickets to Alive Museum Singapore for the purpose of this review. All opinions, fun and crazy pictures are strictly own own.

Happy Father's Day, Awesome Dads!

Is it just me or does Father's Day seem more low-key than Mother's Day? It is a pity, because it seems to suggest that Mums are more valued than Dads.

But that really shouldn't be the case, because Daddies are important. They matter. And we sure do need them as much as we need our Mums. 

Well, this year, I decided that I couldn't let Father's Day go without celebrating some of the awesome Dads that I know so I roped in some of my Mummy friends to help with a little Instagram tribute on @foxfashionsg. I asked them to contribute a picture corresponding to the photo prompt: "My Dad is an Awesome ______________." My amazing friends responded so well that I had more pictures than I was able to use. So I've decided to post the full list here instead. Here are our (or rather our kids') awesome Dads:

@missustay: My Dad is an Awesome Hugger!

@scissorspaperstoneblog: My Dad is an Awesome Encourager. 

@fanyin_ih: My Dad is an Awesome Sandcastle-Builder.

@olimomok: My Dad is an Awesome Superhero Dad!

@mummydelphine: My Dad is an Awesome Multi-tasker.

@mylollipopdays: My Dad is an Awesome Buddy.

 

@p2me1a: My Dad is an Awesome Storyteller.

@littlebluebottle: My Dad is an Awesome Acrobat!

@adollopofme: My Dad is an Awesome Car Washer

@aisakuraharuka: My Dad is an Awesome source of Support.

@susankoh: My Dad is an Awesome Ice-Cream Eating Companion!

@dottiedotz: My Dad is an Awesome Art Teacher.

@june_yong: My Dad is an Awesome Troubleshooter.

(There, I really felt like putting exclamations at the end of every one of those but felt it might be a bit much.)

And then there's our own Dad, the Daddy who is the an awesome Lego-builder (and supplier) and an awesome dance partner, who is the best playmate, tells the best stories, makes his children laugh with wild abandon. The one who is always up for a tickling match, reads countless books, and lets his children rummage through his awesome Lego collection (under highly supervised conditions). The one who is the firm disciplinarian, who leads family worship, who is the head of our house. the one who points us to Christ.

We had a rather low-key (yes, gasp, I did say low-key) Father's Day celebration as the husband strongly requested that I not make a big song and dance of it. So there were Father's Day greetings, and there was Nando's for lunch and his favourite Chicken Macaroni for dinner. He got to take a nice long uninterrupted nap and otherwise spent the whole day doing lots of fathering. It was just what he wanted.

(If your Dad is less low-key than ours, and if you're looking for ideas to celebrate Father's Day, here are some suggestions. In fact, you don't have to use them only on Father's Day -- use them to celebrate your Dad any day!)

Happy Father's Day to all you awesome Dads! We are blessed to have you.

Tea, anyone?

Tea, anyone?

The kids and I had some fun with a piece of 3D street art, also known trick art, that we stumbled upon during lunch.

Demonstrating how to walk on water.

Teetering on the edge.

"Don't fall in, Meimei!"

Thirsty little caffeine addicts.

Noey had been learning about trick art last semester at school so he was very enthusiastic about taking pics and turned out to be a much better model than I expected him to be. It was so random but fun!

If you're interested to take some fun pics of your own, this piece can be found at Westgate, outside Miam Miam in the ground floor courtyard.

There will be two trick art museums opening soon in Singapore -- Trick Eye Museum at Resorts World Sentosa and Alive Museum Singapore at Suntec City. They will both be throwing open their doors soon and we're certainly looking forward to visiting!

Linking up with:

10 Tips for a Great Family Studio Photoshoot {An Orange Studios Review}

Confession: I love having professional photoshoots. You get lovely photos of happy faces, in good lighting with coordinated outfits, What's there not to love, right? 

So when a photoshoot opportunity came up with Orange Studios, I jumped at the chance. To me it's not just about the kids, but also the fact that finally, one of us doesn't have to be stuck behind the camera (by which I mean my husband) and we'd still have the assurance that the photos will come out well. I also thought it would be a great opportunity to get some nice shots of the kids with my parents as my parents are rather camera shy, and I therefore don't have many grandparent-grandchildren photos. 

This was to be our first indoor studio shoot with the kids and I was a bit worried about how my kids would take to being within a confines of a studio. As it turned out, it was more fun than I had anticipated, thanks to the patience of of Ryan, our photographer, and his lovely assistant Wini. My kids were not in the most cooperative of moods but Ryan still continued to engage them, and well, you can see the results!

In the process, I also learnt a few tricks about getting the most out of your family studio photoshoot. Here are my TOP 10 TIPS:

 #1: Communicate with your photographer

I think one of the most important things you must do after -- and maybe even before -- selecting your photographer is to speak to him to get an understanding of his style. It's one thing to have a nice portfolio, but what's he like, what's his working style, and what can you expect on the day of your shoot? I was rather impressed with Orange Studios even before I stepped into their studio because they were prompt in answering my e-mails and queries, and the day before the shoot, I received a call from our photographer, Ryan, to confirm our appointment and also to for him to understand more about us as a family, and for us to discuss what we wanted to achieve during the photoshoot. I was able to tell him what shots I wanted: in this case, good shots of the kids with their grandparents. Ryan worked hard to indeed give us some good group shots to choose from.

#2: Plan your outfits (yes, in plural)

By this I mean colour-coordinate your outfits, or if you have fun matching outfits, wear them! I'd gotten these dinosaur tees for Noey's 4th birthday last year and thought this was a great time for all of us to wear them together again! I thought it added a fun touch. Without custom tees or outfits, another good way to coordinate is simply by wearing the same colour, or clothes in the same colour family. We've done photoshoots in pink and red before, so this time, I instructed everyone to wear blue. One advantage of having a studio shoot versus an outdoor one is that it is much easier to change your outfits mid-shoot, so do it! A change of clothes brings a different look and a different feel to your photos.

#3: Bring along meaningful props 

This tip actually originated from our photographer, Ryan. During our pre-photoshoot chat, he had asked about our interests and the activities we enjoyed as a family, and offered some suggestions of items that we could bring along to make the shoot more personal. Like the kids' favourite toys, for example, or the books they loved, or games we played together as a family. In the end we ended up bringing a bag full go Noey's favourite Lego dinosaurs, Meips' soft toys (aka her children), Meips' wooden tea sets, Lego figurines for father and son, and some of Noey's books. I actually wanted to bring the scooter skates, more Lego sets, our badminton racquets, some board games, but it was just impossible to bring all of it! (I would have tried but the husband strongly objected.) But looking at the pictures, I can see that having our own props was a great idea because they made the photos ours. I can see myself looking at these photos years later and smiling not just at how little and cute my kids were, but also at these favourite toys of theirs that have played a part in their growing up years.

#4: Have lots of Snacks/Treats at hand!

I don't think this needs further elaboration. Just make sure you have them for when you need that extra incentive for the kids to cooperate!

#5: Choose a good time

Half the job is done when the kids are in a good mood, so pick a time when they are at their most alert and energetic. Work around nap times and make sure that everyone is well fed and happy! (By that I mean the adults too!)

#6: Be natural and spontaneous

A studio photoshoot doesn't mean that the photos have to be stiff and posed. We've had one of those before at an old-school studio when we took our graduation shots. I guess that is a rite of passage for most Singaporean university graduates, but studio shots need not be that way. At Orange Studios, we were encouraged to just be ourselves in front of the camera. Try cuddling, tickling or even upside down! The toys naturally also helped a lot too. 

#7: Bring along an extra pair of hands

With kids, it always helps to have extra help. I'd invited my parents to join us for the photoshoot so they doubled up as minders and also helped to make the kids smile -- or at least look in the right direction! When we were all in the photo, Wini (the photographer's assistant) kindly stepped in to help. 

#8: Take breaks if necessary

Where you've booked a photographer and are paying for his time, the tendency would be to try to squeeze in as many shots as possible. Remember the law of diminishing returns? That's how it is when you try to force the kids to comply when they've lost all interest. When the kids began to act up, we let them off and took some couple shots instead. Tho sometimes they'd want back in again at the most inopportune times!

#9: Mix it up

You don't always need smiles for a good photo. Try getting the kids to roar, sing, or shout out some of their favourite phrases. My kids like to say something silly together and then burst into heaps of laughter after that. It always makes for a cute photo. Dance, jump, do something crazy!

#10: Enjoy yourself!

Lastly, don't forget to have fun. When the smiles are genuine, the photos will always look good.

Thanks Orange Studios for capturing the moments and the memories!

** A Special Life is in the Small Things Reader's Promotion! **

Orange Studios is offering a $150 cash voucher to all readers of this blog if you book a photoshoot with them between now till 13 December 2013. The photoshoot has to take place within 2 months of this post, ie. by 13 January 2014, and the cash voucher can be offset against the cost of your package. Simply quote "Life is in the Small Things" when making your booking to qualify!

Orange Studios is also currently offering a fun "Mischief" Pre-Christmas Special on for 23 and 24 November 2013 where, for $280 you get a 20 min family photoshoot and a DVD with all soft copy images from the session. You can also get a set of personalised Christmas/New Year cards with your family photo from the session for an additional $50.

Contact Orange Studios at 8606 9650 or at contact@orangestudios.sg for enquiries and bookings. Do also check out their Facebook Page for more updates and offers.

*Our photoshoot was sponsored by Orange Studios for the purpose of this post but I received no commission or other monetary payment. And will not be receiving any payment or commission in future either, in case you're wondering. As always, my opinions are my own.

Scaring Away the Mid-week Blues

 How do you scare away the mid-week blues?

By giving them a good ROAR of course!

And if that doesn't work, these cute pics should at least put a smile on your face.

Happy Wednesday everyone!

 

Shutterfly Photobooks

Digital photos are both a boon and a bane. It's great that you get to take unlimited shots but I now have tons of lovely photos that are simply just sitting our computers. It's such a shame.

I plan to rectify the situation, and am seriously considering starting on Project Life. The idea appeals to me - just print photos, journal, and file into an album. I'm no scrapbooker so I'm thinking of using it in it's simplest form, which I think should still be pretty. Of course, some planning will have to go into the layout but I think that should be something I can manage.

I'm still thinking about it, but in the meantime, another friend suggested that I should create photo books. Another great idea, except that I tend to get overwhelmed when sorting photos, especially when I'm doing it digitally. Plus putting together a book - choosing, editing photos and laying out pages - takes me so long I usually run out of steam to complete the book.

Anyway, as it happened, when this brilliant suggestion was made to me, I discovered (quite by chance) that there was a sale on Tiny Prints' Shutterfly photobooks. So I decided to create one for fun to test them out.

To save myself the pain of organising and and sifting through my photographs, I decided that for this first project, I was just going to create the album from the photos of our first family photoshoot.

This is the result.

Click here to view this photo book larger

Build your own high-quality photo books at Shutterfly.com.

It was pretty simple and relatively painless. The photos were easy to upload, and automatically sized into layouts. It was easy to adjust them - just drag and drop - and there were lots of sample template pages that you could use. It took me a while to finish - me being me - but it was definitely easier than I thought it would be. I'm inspired now to create another book out of our other family photoshoot, and also of my holiday to Siem Reap that I never finished blogging about!

By the way, I just realised while writing this post that the sale has been extended till Wed 9 Jan 2013! So maybe I should snap to it and complete my other projects pronto.

Also as a heads up, Shutterfly is offering a $10 coupon to be used on your next purchase if you share your album on your website. Which is why you are seeing this here right now! 

I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of my photo book. In the meantime, if you have any good suggestions on how to organise and get your photos out of your computer and into your hands, do drop me a note!

In a Galaxy Far Far Away...

One fell asleep clutching his self-constructed A-wing, and the other with her "Storm-per-per" beside her.

This is my Lego Star Wars family!  

Photoshoot! Our Family, June 2012

I think every family has a family photographer.

In our family, it is DD. He is the one responsible for the gorgeous shots of the kids. The unfortunate result of that, however, is that he doesn't appear in many photographs with the children. He has tried to hand the camera over to me occasionally, but the SLR and me, we don't really get along. I have that special gift of taking over a camera, already pre-metered and focal point adjusted, and the shot will still come out blurry. It's almost an (un)super power of mine.

I didn't want to kids to only have bad photos of their Dad - and not many at that - when they looked back on their childhood. So as my Father's Day gift to my husband, I got KC from Tinydot Photography to take some family photos for us. (Thanks Pam for the recommendation!)

When I started looking around for a photographer, I kept flip-flopping between taking studio shots or having an outdoor shoot. Tinydot doesn't have a studio, but KC suggested doing some shots indoors at the Tinydot office and taking some shots outdoors in the Tiong Bahru neighbourhood. That sounded perfect to me! And that's what we did.

We trooped down bright and early at 8am one Saturday morning in June and spent a couple of hours taking pictures.

KC shot and edited the shots and I got a disc of images - all 330 of them - a couple of days later.

We are sooo pleased with the photos! Even my fussy-about-photos husband loved them.

There are lots of lovely ones which I plan to collage, and also print on canvas for the house. I haven't gotten round to it yet, but I thought I'd share some of my favourites here.

I love this collage of 4 photos below because of the backstory. Naomi was acting up on the ground just before this, and these shots capture Noey going over on his own accord to cheer her up. It worked. The sibling bond? It makes me melt.

I thought having some shots indoors turned out to be a good idea because we were able to continue shooting in air-conditioned comfort when the kids were fast tiring, and everyone didn't look quite so, erm, sweaty.















The husband and I also took the opportunity to do some couple shots, which you can see here, on an earlier post I wrote on our anniversary.

It really wasn't that easy, taking photos with a not-so-cooperative 1-year old. On hindsight, we realised it might have helped to have brought an assistant along to help trigger some smiles from Naomi. But notwithstanding this, I think KC did a great job. He related well to the kids and the photos were just what we were looking for: beautiful shots of our family, as we are, but in good light. Hee.

And yes, with Papa present too.