Category Archives: this n‘ that

shanghai calling | lifestyle family photographer

shanghai skyline photography background

My last session here has been photographed, the last images edited, the last albums designed, and the last storyboards delivered… after 8 wonderful years in Singapore, it is now time for a new adventure! My family and I are moving to Shanghai!

While we are all excited about this move (and having moved here from Shanghai 8 years ago, we know what we’re going back to), we are of course equally sad to leave behind this beautiful city, our life here, and most importantly all our friends.

And I’ll be very sad to no longer have yearly sessions with my regular client families here. However, I’m planning to still come to Singapore once or twice a year, and schedule a week of photo sessions here. Should you wish to be on my mailing list and be informed of these dates to maybe schedule a session with me, please contact me here! And of course, should you ever visit Shanghai and create some family memories over there, let me know!

Thank you Singapore, and all my wonderful clients here – it’s been fabulous!!!

image of skyline of Singapore

happy dance | shanghai family photography

Today I have some special news to share: below image of my daughter Nele has won a Merit Award in the International Image Competition of the NAPCP (National Association of Professional Child Photographers) in the category ‚Child‘! I’m thrilled and honoured to have my image elected by a blue-ribbon panel of expert judges, among thousands of entries – and my daughter Nele is very proud, too! :)

award for nina tantzen photography in singapore

I photographed Nele in the Chinese Garden on Chinese New Year – I’d say that was a pretty good start into this lunar year! She was very patient with me and twirled, and twirled, and twirled… until I had the shot that I wanted. She’s not always willing to humour me („Mom, not AGAIN!!“), but I think this recognition might just improve my chances of getting her cooperation again in the future. Fingers crossed!

family photographer near me | Singapore

singapore offers lots and lots of beautiful locations for family photography sessions. since i get the ‚location question‘ a lot, in this post i’m going to take you on a little tour of my favourite photo session spots in Singapore (listed in no particular order), which are great for children as well as families and couples.

Jacob Ballas Childrens Garden is a beautiful place for child and family photos. i absolutely adore the wood-and-rope hanging bridge, and there’s also a playground with slides, a little pond, a sand pit and even a water play area (better at the end of the session! ;)) – your session will feel more like a family playdate than a photo session, which is always my goal anyway!

family portrait outdoors in singapore family photography in singapore portrait of baby and parents in singapore

the Singapore Botanic Gardens are an all-time-favourite of course, and you can see plenty of photographers out and about there every weekend morning. the white pavilion is especially loved by wedding photographers and their soon-to-be-married couples, but there are many other beautiful spots for all types of photography. it’s best to go early in the morning, to avoid both the heat and the crowds – and remember to bring mosquito spray!

beautiful professional portraits of a couple in singaporeprofessional maternity portraits in singapore professional photographer in singapore

beautiful light is the most important thing for beautiful photographs, and Chijmes with its white painted, bright corridors offers plenty of that – even on rainy days. on top of that, the spiral staircases, the tiled floor, and the beautiful columns make for a gorgeous background too! however, the use of the location for your family photography session is not free of charge, a fee has to be paid via the Chijmes website.

natural child portraits in singaporefamily portraits at chijmes in singapore beautiful sibling portrait in singapore

Tanjong Beach on Sentosa is another location where the kids will not want the photo session to end. i mean, when did you hear a child say ’no‘ to playing in the sand and splashing in the ocean? exactly! while the light is gorgeous in the early morning, and the heat more bearable, my favourite time of day for a session here is the late afternoon: the sunset over the sea is the perfect backdrop for beautiful images!

authentic child portrait in singapore family photography on the beach in singapore professional portrait of three generations in singapore mother and son portrait in singapore

the next location is urban and a bit ‚grungy‘, and i loooove it: Haji Lane. the colourful shophouses, the graffiti, the grills that are still locked when the photo session is scheduled early in the morning… and yes, i even love the trashcans that are still out then! there’s hardly any traffic (particularly on weekend mornings), so it’s suitable for children as well.

urban family portraits in singapore urban child portraits in singapore urban family photography in singapore urban baby photography in singapore

more shophouses can be found on beautiful Duxton Hill. a bit cleaner, less ‚grungy‘ than the last location, it features pretty cobblestone pavement, typical singaporean shophouse-charm, and some beautiful covered walkways. cars can’t enter the cul-de-sac, so it’s another location where kids can play and run around safely.

professional sibling portrait in singapore professional family portrait in singapore

would you have thought that Marina Bay Sands can be a good location for a family photography session? of course, the outdoor area with the singapore skyline in the background is always a winner, and so is the art science museum with its unique architecture. but the inside of mbs also offers some great spots for portraits, and because of the beautiful ‚glass-tiled‘ roof, plenty of gorgeous light comes in. again, it is best to schedule your session here early to avoid the crowds – and weekdays are better than weekends.

professional family portrait at marina bay sands professional family portraits in singapore child photograph taken at marina bay sands professional family portrait mbs singapore

after this little tour of singapore, we come back to a location that is always perfect for your family photography session:
Your HOME!
it’s where the kids are most comfortable and at ease (and probably you are, too! ;)), but most importantly it is the place where most of your family memories are made! it’s where you play together, laugh together, cuddle each other, where you enjoy most of your family meals together, where you have your special family routines and where you tuck the kids in each night. it doesn’t have to be perfect and look like out of an interior design catalogue – it just has to be ‚you‘. :)

professional photo of family on the bed in singapore professional newborn portrait in singapore

do you have a favourite family hang-out that wasn’t listed here and that you think would be perfect for a photo shoot? leave a comment here, or get in touch and let’s plan something!

auction winner | family photography singapore

i’m so happy to be able to show you a few images of this wonderful session.
not because i had such a great and relaxed time with this beautiful family – which i did.
not because the love they have for each other, their family bond, is so obvious – which it is.
not because their place was beautiful with gorgeous light – which it was.

all of the above are true, but i’m most happy to show you these images because this is the session that i auctioned off a while back.
this family made the highest bid of sgd 1,000 – and i was very happy to make the donation to the syria appeal of ‚Save the Children‘!

singapore family photographer for charity

(the amount is in usd, and with the current exchange rate, usd 700 equals just over sgd 1,000)

now – on to these wonderful images i keep talking about:

family portraits in singaporefamily photographs at home in singaporedaddy and baby portraits in singaporebaby portraits in singaporechildren portraits in singaporebaby feet photograph singaporefamily portraiture in singaporepet and family portraits singaporebaby eating feet in singaporemother and son portrait in singaporefamily portraits natural and relaxedprofessional family photos singapore

mpa award | singapore award winning photographer

i’m over the moon excited to announce that i won an award from the master photographers association (far east)! my image was the winning image in the category ’newborn & children‘.
i could not believe it when i heard my name during the award ceremony, as i had not been told before that i had won – then i looked up to see my image of my daughter nele on that massive screen! i actually felt quite shaky when i went up on that stage to collect my trophy… and as i was wearing rather high heals (while i’m normally in flip flops most of the time…), i’m glad i made it up and down those steps without any accidents… ;)
this award is such an honour – i’m overjoyed!

mpa photography awards in singaporeaward winning photography by nina tantzen in singapore

image competition runner up | professional photographer singapore

today i woke up to some wonderful news:
i had submitted some of my images to the international image competition hosted by ‚the monochromatic lens‘. there were six different categories, and there would be only one winning image per category.

today, i found out that two of my images were ‚runner ups‘, and another of my images received ‚honorable mention‘! to be selected out of thousands of images and featured among such amazing artwork is such an honour, and i’m over the moon (happy dance!!!)!

please follow this link to check out the stunning images of the winners and all selected photographers.

and here are my selected images (the first two are the ‚runner ups‘, the third ‚honorable mention‘):

award winning photographer singaporeaward winning images singaporeprofessional photographer singapore

’shoot for charity‘ auction | family photography singapore

shoot for charity auction for a photo shoot in singapore

on this coming monday, september 19th, the united nations will hold a high-level summit for refugees and migrants in new york. therefore i think it’s perfect timing for this year’s ’nina tantzen photography charity auction‘: in the next few days leading up to the summit, i will auction off a photography session including all images as high res digital files. please find all the details here!

please share this with your friends!

happy bidding!

featured on ‚let the kids‘! | family photography singapore

‚let the kids dress themselves‘ is a beautiful site full of the most amazing and gorgeous children and family photography. i love this blog and have been following it for a while, so i’m thrilled and honoured to now be featured on their site!! they published images that i took of my own kids while we were on a trip to dubai recently – follow this link to read the article and see all the images (and show a little love with a comment? ;)) – and while you’re there, don’t forget to check out all the other goodness!

published photographer in singaporefeatured photographer singaporepublished photographs of singapore family photographer

my first cover! | family photography singapore

i have some more exciting news to share today:

yay! my first magazine cover was published!!

one of my images is on the cover of the spring issue of ‚today’s parents‘! found the printed magazine in my letterbox this morning – and did a very good imitation of a bouncy ball on the way back in… the cover article is accompanied by more of my photos of this gorgeous couple and their adorable baby boy (with the cutest smile!).
and as if you needed any more reasons, the magazine also has lots of travel recommendations for families and more, so check it out! ;)

lifestyle photography by nina tantzen on magazine coverlifestyle portraits by nina tantzen in singapore magazine

NAPCP recognition of merit | family photography singapore

i woke up to some exciting news this morning: my image of maxi (below) has received a recognition of merit in the international image competition by the NAPCP (National Association of Professional Child Photographers)!
the winners were selected from thousands and thousands of images, there are some amazing pieces of art in each category, and i am so honoured, proud and just over the moon to have my work featured among them!

merit award in NAPCP international image competition

Zurich, Switzerland, and worldwide
nina@ninatantzen.com