Reverie

Featuring: Stella Ziyao
Hair and makeup: Pearlyn Law
By: Fiona Sng

Pretty is a total understatement for Stella. Imagine my delight when I first met her. Pearlyn and I have adoringly named her our 'Tofu Princess' and not to mention, she is really tall. My mom's handmade garland came into good use again and we loved how everything fits together nicely and even the weather was perfect. We shot till the sun set and loved how it casted a warm glow over the entire beach. We had a lot a lot of fun shooting together. It's always nothing but fun with Pearlyn and with Stella it was like we've known each other for forever. we had so much fun laughing and talking, climbing rocks, snapping behind the scenes, going "whoaaaaa, nice leh!" and giggling over it when Pearlyn snaps a good behind the scenes picture and falling down and scraping our feet against the rocks. It's been so many months, but I loved these photos and the fun we had shooting. It's times like this I'm grateful to have a job that barely makes me feel like I am working.

July is coming to an end! I'm so stoked for August's arrival and all the plans we have made. I've been lucky to have shot for Ziggy magazine and NBS Pageant etc and an upcoming wedding which I am really looking forward to because it is going to be really beautiful and different.

Stay gold, y'all!

xx

Adv: The White Carousel

It's not often that you get to see outfit post on my space here, but today I'm featuring the Hathaway Floral Peplum that was kindly given to me by Kexin, owner of The White Carousel, which I wore to the River Safari with the boyfriend. I swear I love this top to death, I love how figure flattering it is and how it goes with so many of my other apparels in my wardrobe.

1) Like The White Carousel's FB page for sneak previews of their launches and my readers get to have $2 off regular priced items when you quote "FionaforTWC" under the discount code!

2) Also, remember to sign up for The White Carousel's mailing list to get firsthand news of their latest updates and FREE local normal postage!

If you like the top, go get here! It's only left with the last few pieces (:

SHOP: www.thewhitecarousel.com

Check them out on their other social media platforms here:

We lived an adventure, love in the summer (part two)

For part one: Here

I know I am extremely behind time, but good things are worth the wait I guess. Here're the remaining photos of the shoot I did with Sharmaine and Justin just a day before Chinese New Year this year, and looking back at these photos it still makes me smile and feel all warm and fuzzy within. I bet you wouldn't have been able to imagine the intense scorching heat that we all had to put up with, and how badly badly burnt we all were after the shoot. Thank you guys, for being so spontaneous and for believing in me that the photos will turn out fine. <3

To elaborate a little more on the shoot, we had actually done the shoot in two different days 'cause it rained on the first and we had to postpone it. If you've bought helium balloons before, you would have known that they cost a bomb {(especially for something that barely lasts through 1 full day) so you can imagine our dismay when we couldn't put the balloons to good use. But Sharm kept the balloons well, except for some unobvious slight deflation and a unicorn that was tilting downwards. It's no surprise we had a hard time trying to get the balloons to be in place all the time.

If you've read my space for awhile, you might have noticed the famous/overused pink polka dot picnic mat that I used for my shoots and for my own leisure picnic over the past 4 years. Best part? It only costs $1.99. It's actually a shower curtain that I got from Giant, and the good part is that it doesn't tear  and the material is thick enough unlike those filmsy picnic plastic mats. So why a picnic idea..? Because that's exactly what Sharm and I loved doing back then. We held our own little photoshoots over makeshift picnics and stuffs like that! We surrounded the mat with things that they loved- cameras, polaroid films, bubbles, scrabbles, flowers and etc. They wanted to have things that symbolise their love around them. The very last photo above, is a reenactment of the very day that Justin surprised Sharm with a super pretty time turner necklace. Till date, this necklace remains as a love token that is very very special for both of them.

This series still remains as my favourite couple shoot till date, and for all this time that they are together, they have been on a long distance relationship throughout. Now that Justin is coming back, Sharm is leaving for another 4 years for her studies. I am truly in awe of them, because they are brave enough to pursue their lifelong dreams but never once leaving each other behind. To be honest, I'm not even sure if I could have half the courage and faith that they possess. Having heard their story, all the more I believe that it's always better to find a lover in a friend, because with time, you will have the perfect soulmate and bestfriend in one and relationships like that are always the most beautiful.... and rare.

In every way, I wish for nothing but the best for them and I hope they will always find their way back to each other.

xx

Evil Valentine C20: Flower Child

Wardrobe: Evil Valentine
Model: Eunice Annabel

Evil Valentine shoot a few months back with my best and top favourite model, Eunice Annabel, whom I see the most often and click really well with. (: Thank God for blessing us with awesome sunlight during the shoot that gave these photos its magical glow. I'm a huge sucker for photos with that magical glow. Meeting Eunice later on for another shoot, and I can't wait! (:

I'm relieved that July has been treating me well, and I'm doing better at coping with work and squeezing time out to meet the people that matter to me in life. I've also gone a little crazy and splurged on my first bag in my 22 years of life but this deserves a little post on its own so I'll elaborate more in my next post when it arrives at my doorstep tonight (:

Lastly, in preparation for my birthday trip in August, I am on the mission of losing weight (again -.-). It's been a little while since I've last lamented on this space that I am in dire need of losing weight/ in the midst of dieting but the digit on the scale right now is screaming at me to. Despite risking sounding like a completely shallow bimbo, I am on a mission to shed those fats not because of the digit I see on the scale, but because I can see it myself and feel it when I fit into clothes that use to fit me well..... and that is really depressing since I was never even slim to begin with. The numbers just serve as a reminder for me to.

Everyone who can tell I've put on those weight, tells me that it's probably cause I'm happy and in love now which IS a good thing but I don't get the link since I've been eating moderately as usual. In any case, I would share the product if it works for me because I've had friends who took them 2 years back and it worked wonders. Besides having to admit that I am one hell of a lazy bum now, my schedule really does not permit me the time to hit the gym like I used to or otherwise I'm just too tired to do so after a long day of work.

Wish me luck! (:
xx

Compliation of Lace and Ebony's Lookbooks

Wardrobe: Lace and Ebony

Model: Angela Maryann Lim

By: Fiona Sng

Apologies for the lack of updates! I was trying to squeeze some time out in between before I left for my second trip in June but every day was a race against time. So here I am, with a compliation of my favourite frames from the lookbooks of Lace and Ebony over the past few collections. I love how Ange and I can always effortlessly agree on the same concept and ideas for shoots. She is one hell of an amazing, kind and beautiful woman in and out. Check out her store for really pretty manufactured dresses now (:

It's been about a year since I've started Smittenpixels Photography, it definitely isn't a great deal of time but wow, how time flies! A year ago, I was struggling with projects, examinations, moving of house and the very start of my photography career. I'd say it was one of the toughest period of life. I'll let you in a little on how it all started. This time last year, I was approached by a few shops to photograph their outdoor lookbooks for them and I turned them down because I was really afraid of taking on paid jobs. I haven't been to any photography classes nor have I had a mentor that I learnt my ropes from. I found my interest in photography when I was 18, borrowed funds for my first DSLR (Nikon D90), and played around with it ever since. I brought it out with me everywhere I go to, and contrary to what everyone said about how I would get tired of lugging this big black camera out and how I would soon dump it elsewhere and purchase a small compact camera, I did not. I'll be honest that the weight is a bitch at times (most of the time, maybe) but it has never once deterred me from bringing it out on dates and outings with my friends. I felt that nothing was more important than documenting every happy occasion and memorable days.

I would lug the camera and the tripod out on weekend dates, and set up makeshift picnics and scenes for my own little photoshoot and I'll blog about them. I love what I'm doing, irregardless if I've an audience or not, and I pick up everything along the way slowly with the help of photography magazines and sites online to better my skills.

I'm very grateful to all who have helped me to kickstart career, and people who have rendered endless support to me throughout this year. Especially the close ones who hear me grumble and whine about the endless photos I had to sieve through, the late nights and early mornings where sleep has become such a precious thing, and how my macbook is the one I face the most every single day. And days whereby I feel so tired and uninspired I just want to give it all up because the stress I have to face is beyond me. It's been about half a year since I've graduated from school and I still find it hard to really adapt to the life of a working adult and the burdens I have to start shouldering, and making sure that my passion can feed me and my family. I can humbly say I'm doing well enough now to feed myself and to feed my wanderlust spirit with overseas trips. But there's just so much more to what I am doing now, and I want to break out of this blogshop scene to achieve more, and there're just so much more for me to go out and explore and learn along the way.

When I thought that doing this would steer me away from office politics, I was wrong. Competition remains, and tongues will always wag to bring you down. But hey, i've been doing this alone and I'm strong. I won't ever give this up, because I'd like to remind myself that I'm really lucky to be able to do what I love for a living. Thank you to my close friends who have been the most understanding of my working hours I could ever have asked of, and make arrangements to meet me at my convenience so that I could have sufficient time to finish up on my work and have sufficient sleep. Thank you to all the clients I've worked with who are always so appreciative of my works and efforts. I'm thankful that my parents are more supportive of my job now that they see me reaping fruits of labour, and I am very thankful for the boyfriend who sacrifices every bit of sleep and time for me by going for every shoot with me on weekends and staying up on weekday nights with me while I work on editing just so that I wouldn't have to be alone. Thank you to all, who constantly inspires me and spurs me to work even harder for a better Smittenpixels Photography. I'll make this ride worthwhile.

PS/ I've finally succumbed to buying a smaller compact for me to bring around on days I'm out and about and when I'm not working (after years of lugging my DSLR, I finally deserve a break on my shoulder). It's a huge hole in the pocket, but my new Fujifilm X100s is the bomb... Classic vintage looking beauty in a (relatively) small body and incredible image quality. So cheers to more casual outtakes on life on this space!

xx