Best places to do an outdoor photoshoot in Singapore

 

What are the best places to do an outdoor photoshoot in Singapore

The short answer to this question is that there is not ‘best place’. Singapore is an outdoor photoshoot heaven. There are so many unique places with wonderful sceneries and backgrounds. within this little Red Dot, you can get jungle, park, beach, city scape, shophouses, skyscrapers…. And of course to add to this a myriad of different cultural backgrounds: Little India and Arab Street just to mention a few.

Chose a location that suits you

There is not best place for an outdoor photoshoot in Singapore. I honestly don’t have a favourite place to shoot. Each shoot is unique and the most important thing is to pick a place that suits you and your family. If you have three small children, then doing a shoot downtown CBD is not exactly recommendable. But CBD could be an excellent choice if you are looking for some cool shots with teenagers or a selection of headshots or personal branding…

Some families like to have greenery, and in this case Botanical Garden is an excellent choice. I have done many outdoor photoshoots in Botanical Garden and each and every one is different and unique. Besides, the Garden is so big, that you get a very different shoot depending on which area you go to. The Garden is so varied in flora and fauna, that we don’t need to walk far to get a very diverse and beautiful gallery.

If you are leaving Singapore, then you may opt for a location such as Garden by the Bay East, where you get a great view of Singapore and some of it’s landmarks in the background.

Great shots no matter what location

I can guarantee you will get an extremely diverse gallery with great individual as well as group portraits, no matter where the shoot is done. Outdoor shoots is about angles, light, composition and interaction between the models. We can do an entire shoot an an MRT station and get great portraits. It is up to the photographer to capture the moments and work with the available background and light.

Examples of outdoor photoshoot locations in Singapore

Below is a few examples of what type of images you get in various locations in Singapore. Again, these are just examples from those locations. Each and every shoot is different. We work outdoors so the final images will be influenced on the lighting situation (there is no ‘wrong light’ but light will dictate the final image). Moreover, it will be affected by your children’s mood and what you wear (yes high heels limits our options a bit). So the most important thing is to be open and trust that I will get some great images no-matter what location we go to.

 

Photoshoot in Fort Canning Park

Below imagers are all taken around the playground in Fort Canning Park on an overcast day with a toddler who did not want to be in any photos…  This means the images with the little boy are more candid, whereas the little sister was an age where she could not easily escape to the playground….

I do not recommend meeting near a playground. It is simply too big of a distraction if your children are playground age. You will not get the type of family images you could get in an area with less obvious distractions. However, if you are happy with very candid pictures and hot looking toddlers, then this is absolutely the place for you.

 

Photoshoot in Botanical Garden Singapore

Below are three different shoots in Botanical Garden. Different locations, different light and different families. As you see the outcome is quite diverse.

 

 

Outdoor photoshoot on Sentosa at Tanjong Beach

Tanjong beach at sunset. Bright sunshine and lots of light is what you often get at the beach. Which is not a bad thing at all. As long as we work with the light we can get some striking images. And as I always like to get some bright and some dark backgrounds, this place is perfect as I just use the rocks for the darker images.

If you want we can even finish the session here with some water splashing if your family is up for it. But, yes, that belongs to the end of the session for obvious reasons!

 

Outdoor photoshoot at Gardens by the Bay East

Gardens by the Bay East has a great view of Marina Bay Sands and the city. It is a popular location for families leaving Singapore, as it has all these landmarks in the background. This location also has some greenery and flowers, which are my personal favourite backgrounds as floral backgrounds give an amazing blurred colourful and impactful backdrop .

 

Outdoor photoshoot National Stadium  Singapore

National Stadium is a fun and bright place to do a shoot and you get a bit of everything. Greenery, water features, promenade with a view of the city. We did an extended family session here. I really recommend bringing grandparents to outdoor sessions. They don’t need to be in every single picture. But it is a great gift for both children and grandchildren to have portraits together. And if the grandparents get tired, they can just go and sit on a bench or in a cafe whilst we finish the shoot.

 

Robertson Quay area

This place can be busy with people, but it is a wonderful place for a photoshoot with great light around 6PM. It is really popular with people who live in that area, as it gives them some unique and beautiful memories from their own neighbourhood.

I would advice to avoid Friday and Saturdays here as its simply so busy its hard to get portraits without too many strangers in the background.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you don’t think outdoor photoshoots are for you, then we can also do a studio portrait session with your family. You can get an idea of studio portraits and the styles we can do HERE

Photoshoot at Fort Canning Park in Singapore

These are all images from a portrait shoot in Fort Canning Park – Singapore. The session was with extended family but the focus was on the youngest daughter. As you see the outfits fit extremely well with the green background.

We got all these shots within a circle of probably 50 meters. Which just proves, that there is not need to trek around very far to get a diverse gallery.

 

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An honour to photograph someone

When Pia asked me whether I could do some natural portraits of her, I knew it was a very special request, and I was very honoured that she asked me. Why? Because Pia hates having her picture taken. She told me she has always felt very uncomfortable in front of the camera and have therefore always avoided any camera with a vengeance.

When you photograph a face – you photograph the soul behind it

I am devoted to make people feel comfortable in front of the camera, simply because having a good portrait is so important. Your age and look doesn’t matter! Don’t wait for the ‘right time’. The right time is today – now. Make this point of life special and capture what you look like right now. Tomorrow it is history. Today never comes back.

A good portrait is  is not a ‘selfie’ – it is not a blurred capture with a phone.

A good portrait is a capture of who you are. If I could, I would make it mandatory for everyone to have their portrait taken. It is something you will treasure for ever and something that will  become your legacy – something your children and their children will treasure forever.

Look at this lovely lady, mother of four and grandmother of nine!

 

As you can see Pia rocked her portrait session. She may hate being in front of the camera, but as you can see in her series of portraits, it is not necessary to look into the camera and say ‘cheese’ to get a good picture.

In fact, once we started walking, talking and photographing, Pia pretty much forgot she was having her pictures taken. She walked on the beach, posed in sand dunes and flowers… She even posed in front of a restaurant without any issue:)

How to make your portrait session a success

The trick is to be yourself

Wear what you like to wear.

Wear what identifies you.

Select a location that is you. Somewhere you feel comfortable.

And then leave it up to me to capture some beautiful portraits that show who you really are.

Are you interested in a portrait session just for you? Something that fits  your personal brand, then do get in touch or check out my personal branding page for more information.

Holiday on in Northern Denmark

Every year I go to Denmark for a summer holiday with my children. I love my time in the Danish countryside. My parents live 15 minutes drive from both the East and the West coast of Northern Denmark, so needless to say we spend a lot of time at the beach. And of course fitting in a beach photo session is pretty much inevitable. 

This year I went camping, just me and my children (that merits another blog post:)… My lovely cousin, Line, came around to meet us at the beach for a few pictures and a chat. Line’s beach photo session started with a bit of a drama, as I managed to get Line’s car stuck in the sand. Therefore,  before we could start shooting, we had had to put on our big smiles and beg two guys to help us push the car free. Not the best start of a shoot.

Not the best conditions for a photo session

When I finally got around to start our session, the sun was really high on the sky. As the sun rises at 4am in Denmark in the summer, you have to be a pretty early bird to catch the good light at 4.30am. Therefore, we pretty much got the worse light imaginable at 10.30am with the sun high on the sky and no clouds at all. Without going into too much detail – harsh sunlight and no shade is any photographers worse nightmare. 

Despite the conditions we had a lot of fun, Line’s son is an active little one, therefore, we just let him run wild. I do not try to pose people much for outdoor session. With harsh sunshine, that is pretty much impossible anyway, as they can’t look at the camera given the sun is behind me. 

The result was a great series of black and white images

We ended up getting a fun series of action packed pictures of Line and her son. The conditions were perfect for a sharp black and white conversion of the pictures. The more contrast you have between sun and shadow, the better the pictures convert to black and white. 

I love the challenge of getting a good series of pictures, even with the light is far from desirable. At the end of the day it is about capturing the connection between the people I photograph.

Although it is a very different beach in Singapore, I love doing beach sessions, so do get in touch if you are interested in a beach photo session. Or check put my outdoor session info here

 

Theresa Olesen is the only photographer in Singapore specialising in custom made portrait sessions.

All sessions with Theresa are done in the style you want. It all starts with a 1-2-1 pre-session consultation where we chat about your style, who you would like to be photographed with and what type of wall art you would like.

Unique to Theresa’s sessions are:

• 1-2-1 pre-session consultation.
• Sessions don’t have a time-limit.
• All studio sessions include an hour professional hair and makeup (unless otherwise stated). 
• You only buy what you like. View your full gallery before you commit to any purchase.
• Enjoy using any outfit from the studio wardrobe, which is full of hundreds of women, girl and baby dresses. You are bound to find several dresses you will love.

The following is a short overview of exactly what happens when you book a portrait session with Theresa

Reach out:

If you haven’t already done so – contact me to book a ‘pre session consultation’. Just email theresa@olesenportraits.com or text/call me on 9754 1759 – this chat costs you nothing and there is no obligation to book any session. It is just a chat where you can ask any question you may have.

STEP 1: Your pre-session consultation:

This chat is completely free of charge and is done over the phone. It is a very important step, as this is when we plan your session. What style you like, who you would like to bring to your session, what shots are important to you etc.  It is your portrait session, you can tailor it exactly the way you want. Therefore it is important to go through everything before the session, so I can prepare the portrait setups before you arrive.

Of course we will stay in contact from this initial conversation until your session, and you can reach out at any time if you have questions or new ideas for your portrait session.

After the pre-session consultation – if you decide to book your photo session – you will be invoiced for $299, which is a non-refundable session fee. Your session date, can be changed up to 48 hours before your session. The $299 does NOT include any images. It is the same session fee for studio and outdoor sessions.

STEP 2: Your portrait session:

This will be either at my studio in Bukit Timah or outdoors at a location of your choice. All studio sessions include 1 hour of professional hair and makeup (included in your session fee).

We will start with hair and makeup. Some ladies choose to come alone for 1 hour relaxing hair and makeup before the rest of the family arrive. This is particularly advised for those of you with small children, as they generally don’t like waiting around for too long. This method can also be applied to teenagers who don’t like photoshoots.

There is no time limit to my family portrait sessions. This is because I like to take whatever time it takes to create a beautiful 20 image gallery. Timing depends a lot on what style of portraits you would like and how many people attend the shoot. As a rule of thumb, shooting time for my family sessions are 1-2 hours (plus the 1 hour hair and makeup).

All sessions are relaxed and fun. There are literally no two sessions that are the same. But I can guarantee that all my family sessions are stress free. All you have to do is turn up and enjoy being pampered, posed and photographed. And of course, most importantly, have some fun as a family, that is what I am here to capture.

STEP 3: Your viewing and ordering session:

Two weeks after your portrait session, we will find a date and time that suits you for your viewing and ordering session. This will be a video Zoom call where I will show you your final gallery of 20 fully edited images. You will then select which package you would like to purchase.

Most people order wall art too, these are frames and canvases. You will of course receive guidance in sizes and types of wall art.

The end result is a beautiful selection of prints and images that fit your needs and home.

Please note, that all orders are taken during this session. There is no online gallery and there is no second ordering session. I therefore advise you to all be there when we do this, so you can make a decision together as to which images you would like to purchase.

Additional ordering sessions are charged at $75 per session.

Before you shoot, please familiarise yourself with the  full pricelist.

All final portraits are of a very high standard. A lot of work goes into the editing process to make every image perfect, this is why you cannot view or purchase  unedited pictures and RAW files, if you want to know why, you can read here.

If you have any question please contact Theresa on 9754 1759. Theresa is always happy to answer any questions you may have, totally free of charge.

P.S If you want to see my portfolio, just click here.

Beautiful outdoor portraits.

Family Four Fun

I was so excited to meet the Foran family for an outdoor family photo session. They have four children like myself, and they are not just four ordinary children, but four children with amazing red hair! It is any photographers dream to photograph people with red hair, so this evening one of my dreams was coming true.

 

Four children

The four children range from five to 12 years old, which is pretty much the same age gap as I have between my own children. I was keen to see the dynamic between the children at that age, (as my children are currently 9 months – 7 years old). I was so happy to see how it arguably becomes easier when the youngest is five-years-old. Though things may change when the oldest become teenagers! When we met it was totally overcast, which was quite disappointing. When you have 6 red heads lined up at golden hour, the last thing you want is overcast! But as soon as we started taking photographs, the skies cleared and we got an amazing soft sunlight. To top up a perfect shoot, the children knew how to pose and weren’t bothered at all by the camera. four red haired children posed in fern for a professional photo shoot.

Candid and posed shots

Candid shots and beautiful portraits Although the children posed very well, I always aim to get some more candid shots too. As our photo session progressed, the kids started to play more and more and just do their own thing. When this happens, I just follow them with the camera, and get shots of them balancing, playing, running and interacting.

During an outdoor family photo session I strive to get a diverse gallery of posed shots as well as candid shots. However, as I am a bit of a portrait fanatic, I always shoot at least one nice portrait of each of the family members. It is such a nice thing to have a timeless beautiful portrait of your child (and yourself:). I am really happy with the individual portraits I got of family Foran.

Of course the most important picture is the family picture. I try to do a few different family pictures with different styles, as some people like more posed, and others more candid. Hence, it is nice to have some to chose between.

The essence of an outdoor family photo session

Another favorite of mine are pictures with connection between the family members. Nothing is more special than a photograph that depicts the special bond between two people. It can be between siblings, or a parent and their child…. Or between parents. I love it when I get a good picture of just the parents. A family photo session is not just about the children, but also the parents. Apart from wedding pictures and funny selfies, very few couples have a good picture of themselves together.

If you are interested in an outdoor family photo session, make sure you check out my outdoor session info here