BLOG ON 36 - Grant Corban Photography Sdn Bhd

9 November 2023

Adriels 1st Birthday in Putra Heights

Adriel’s 1st Birthday was held at home in Putra Heights. There is nothing quite like having a children’s party to fill you with joy. In Malaysia it is a long accepted custom to put up marquees onto the street when having a wedding, birthday or wake. All races do it and drivers respect the practice. One of the problems at night is lighting them sufficiently for photography. Sharp eyed people will notice the use of off camera flash in these photos. In fact I do point out in one of the last images of this post to take note of them. This is a technique I have used at almost every shoot I have done for well over a decade. It really makes the colour POP!

Thank you bags

Kids love sweets.

The very joyful birthday boy

Great food supplied by Big Raja

Beaming Parents

Birthday Cake

The grandmothers were very happy

Time to cut the cake

The joy of having a nephew

Note how using remote flashes enabled lighting up the inside of the marquee

Goodnight!

9 November 2023

Sikh Birthday Celebrated at the Gurdwara

I was asked to cover the 1st birthday and baby dedication at a Sikh Gurdwara last weekend. The ceremony began with some prayers, then we went out to do some portraiture while we waited for the guests to arrive. Then the main blessing ceremony was conducted followed by the cool Mickey Mouse cake and party. As can be seen it was a colourful affair The photos below are small sample of the 350 images taken.

Sitting with Grandad

Cute as a button

Family portrait

Getting tired about now

Sikh blessing in progress

Cute Mickey cake

The children loved the cake and party snacks

9 November 2023

Event Group Photo at Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur

Group Photo at Le Méridien, Kuala Lumpur

Just a quick post today. I was covering an event at the Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur in Sentral this morning for the INCF event. I was asked to do a group photo for it so got to work. Part of a successful group photo is to feel at ease in front of a crowd of strangers and chat away in a good natured manner explaining what you need from them. Once they know you are wanting to make them look good people will work with you. Important when it is warm and muggy outside. Note the smiles and that everyone is visible. I asked some of them to stand on tip toes in order to achieve that.

This photo was taken with a 24mm lens. This focal length is usually classed as too wide for groups shots because people on the corners start to distort. Switching to anything wider would have been very noticeable and introduced branches from the trees that were adjacent to me into the sides and top of the frame. I would have been happier going to 35mm for a more pleasing photo, but in this case it was simply impossible. That said, the hotel was happy and have a copy of the photo for their future clients reference. Thumbs up.

8 November 2023

A Wedding in Saint Barnabas Klang and Wedding reception at the KL Sentral Hilton

kl hilton sentral wedding dinner main door decor

Annie and Andre’s wedding was a split affair between the traditional Bidayuh wedding in Kuching, Sarawak and dinner at the Hilton in KL Sentral. I only covered the Kuala Lumpur side, which included a church wedding at Saint Barnabas church in Klang. The decor at the Hilton was stunning. Really fine affair with everyone dressed up for a fantastic evening out. You cannot have a Bidayuh wedding without the traditional Tuak. It is called a rice wine but in reality it is much more like Sake or Tequila. POTENT as you will see in some of the photos below.

bridal prep at the kl hilton in sentral

Saint Barnabas Church in Klang

Groom waiting with his mum

Bride arrived in a nice white Mark 2 Jaguar

Beautiful bridal bouquet

Selfie time. Even grooms do it.

Grooms mum getting ready

Welcoming committee at the KL Sentral Hilton Wedding dinner

Pre dinner cocktails were a hit

The main door decor at the wedding dinner

Great table name decor for the bride

Grooms table tag

Nice crystal chairs

The official wedding cake

Nice table centre pieces

Wedding at KL Hilton sentral and Saint Barnabas Church in Klang

Bride and groom enter the ballroom

Grooms mum

Cheers!

Bride and groom cutting the cake

Birthday party too

Groom’s turn to give his speech

Carvin Ong designed the gown

Kids got the dancing going

The pretty bride enjoying her night

It’s Tuak time!!!

Matsalleh enjoying Tuak. Tuak is a “rice wine” with the potency of tequila

All the relatives came dressed beautifully

Bride and grooms first dance

The wedding party really got underway

Chocolate Wedding Cake

8 November 2023

A Childrens birthday party at the Raintree in KL

I shoot birthdays quite frequently. The birthday featured below was a pool side one at the Raintree in KL. It included swimming, a clown, balloon artist and of course a nice birthday cake. Birthday photography is all about capturing the children having fun. Photographing the event is usually quite hard for the parents who are busy entertaining their children, or in the pool, or making sure the cake doesn’t melt! I make sure my rates are clear, simple, fair and straight forward, and this means I get called back again and again.