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It’s called “lockdown”, “confinement”, or here in Singapore “Circuit Breaker”..
Either way, everything/everyone seem to be standing still…
… seem to be standing still …
But life is still going on inside homes.
Kids are still being kids, and parents, well, they are trying to make the best of it, multitasking teleworking, homeschooling, housekeeping, sanity keeping, …
Wandering how it is a an apartment with 4 kids?
It is manageable but you have to seriously lower your expectations.
Our home is a school all mornings – my office has been taken over by little girls – the living room is being transformed in a giant doll house every afternoon, and the whole place look as it has been through a tornado daily.
Here is a few pics into one day in our confined lives…
There is a lot of teleworking for the kids too.
It’s sometimes difficult to get motivated for schoolwork .
“A day in our confined lives”… documentary family photography.
But we are usually done by lunchtime and then the fun time can begin.
“A day in our confined lives”… documentary family photography.
Then the toys take over the place.
“A day in our confined lives”… documentary family photography.
May the fun begin….
For my little one having his big sisters home all the time is super exciting… and a little bit tiring…
Fights and meltdowns also fill up our days!!
But usually all it takes is a big cuddle, and they are back in business!
So yeah, it’s exhausting for us parents, but at the same time we have a unique opportunity to spend loads of time with our little ones. So let’s try to make the best of it. And to be totally honest, even if I find the days very long right now, I will miss them when schools will reopen...
The purpose: describe my past week in just one picture, boots my creativity vibes at the same time, and stop going through life one week at the time without even noticing it.
I can’t believe I started this photography challenge already 8 weeks ago!! (feels like yesterday…)
So here it is!
Week 8: Mar 30 – Apr 05
Lay-Flat weekly photography challenge.
– Palm tree branch: living tropical
– Orchids: same as last week, and still looking fresh (which I find amazing)
– Paper fishes: for the First of April (April’s Fool day). In France a tradition is to stick paper fished on other people back… my kids obviously love that tradition, but they made those fishes just for my Lay-Flat challenge. I love how much they like this weekly project and invested themselves in it.
– Ester eggs and paintbrushes: well, this one is pretty much self-explanatory. We started this week or traditional easter eggs painting.
– Picture: our family outing this week-end to the Tree Top Walk in MacRitchie Reservoir. Quite a serious walk in the Singapore’s heat (with 4 little kids in toe). Although lots of activities are slowly shutting down, parks are still an option (still need to think about social distancing though). And two good things out of this: 1- we got a lot of exercise, and 2-the kids were so exhausted they wont ask to go outside for a while :-).
– Playstation Controller: for some indoor fun.
– mask: sadly no need to introduce that one anymore, and yes I have been using the same exact mask for these pictures for the last 7 weeks (and to ride the bus when necessary), so no worries, no wasting here!
The purpose: describe my past week in just one picture, boots my creativity vibes at the same time, and stop going through life one week at the time without even noticing it. I will still have longer blog posts whenever I can, but also this mini weekly one picture posts :-).
So here it is!
Week 7: Mar 23 – Mar 29
Lay-Flat weekly photography challenge.
– Palm tree branch: living tropical
– Orchids: same as last week, and still looking great
– mask: sadly no need to introduce that one anymore, and yes I have been using the same exact mask for these pictures for the last 7 weeks (and to ride the bus when necessary), so no worries, no wasting here!
– tablet: more and more e-learning for the kids, but also for me (loving Creative Live!)
– ArtZen colouring book: for some low-key indoor fun time with my girls
– book: “Colomb de la Lune”, René Barjavel (my favourite author, I even named my first girl like a character of one of his books)
The purpose: describe my past week in just one picture, boots my creativity vibes at the same time, and stop going through life one week at the time without even noticing it. I will still have longer blog posts whenever I can, but also this mini weekly one picture posts :-).
So here it is!
Week 6: Mar 16 – Mar 22
Lay-Flat weekly photography challenge.
– Palm tree branch: living tropical
– Orchids: love them, but somehow not able to grow one, so fresh from the store
– mask: sadly no need to introduce that one anymore 😦
– kids pencil case: for a week of homeschooling!!
– Xbox controller: because it was not whole work, lots of playtime too 😉
– book: “Ni d’Eve ni d’Adam”, Amélie Nothomb, my third book from her in a month (big fan here!)
– Insta pictures of leaves: for a new series I’ve been working on this week, featuring lots of leaves
The purpose: describe my past week in just one picture, boots my creativity vibes at the same time, and stop going through life one week at the time without even noticing it. I will still have longer blog posts whenever I can, but also this mini weekly one picture posts :-).
So here it is!
Week 5: Mar 09 – Mar 15
Lay-Flat weekly photography challenge.
– Eucalyptus branch: still smelling strong!!
– mask / french passport / picture of Italy: because how not to think about all the people affected by the corona virus all around the world but right now particularly in Italy, and how not to worry about my family in France (I usually feel bad to be 14h flight away from them – not even talking about the train to and from the airport – but now there is almost no planes available and there would be 14 days quarantine both ways, so I feel so so so far away, when I wish I could just take my car, and buy groceries for them and keep them safe …)
– swimming goggles: mine this time – I practise my social distancing at the pool doing laps, and it also helps me keep some sanity
– nectarines: to fill up my kids with healthy food
The purpose: describe my past week in just one picture, boots my creativity vibes at the same time, and stop going through life one week at the time without even noticing it. I will still have longer blog posts whenever I can, but also this mini weekly one picture posts :-).
So here it is!
Week 4: Mar 02 – Mar 08
Lay-Flat weekly photography challenge.
– palm tree branch: what’s left of my tree
– frangipani flowers (Plumeria): my favorite flowers since I moved to Singapore
– jumping rope: it was still school break, and my girls jumped and jumped and jumped!!
– Pictures of birds and cages: as I discovered the Bird Singing Club, in Ang Mo Kio this week-end and loved it (Kebun Baru Bird Singing Club)
– Camera
(and yes I realised while editing the picture that I forgot to add the surgical mask – even though the corona virus is still very much around and spreading to the whole World – but it’s been affecting Singapore for many weeks now and the same way I see less people wearing masks in public transportation, I just forgot about it for a little while)
The purpose, describe my past week in just one picture, boots my creativity vibes at the same time, and stop going through life one week at the time without even noticing it. I will still have longer blog posts whenever I can, but also this mini weekly one picture posts :-).
So here it is!
Week 3: Feb 24 – Mar 01
Lay-Flat weekly photography challenge.
– eucalyptus leaves: still here, still smelling good
– red poppies: “coquelicots” in french, I was so excited to find some at the store (reminds me of France :-))
– pink goggles: it’s school break, which means lots of time in the pool with the kids!
– Music sheet: Clair de Lune of Debussy – One of my favourite piece to play and that I was working on this week (I rented a piano a few months back hoping to be able to play one day like I did a (long) time ago… not sure it will happen but still enjoying it…).
– Passion fruit: my new foody obsession!!
– Camera
– surgical mask: for the corona virus, still around 😦
The purpose, describe my past week in just one picture, boots my creativity vibes at the same time, and stop going through life one week at the time without even noticing it. I will still have longer blog posts whenever I can, but also this mini weekly one picture posts :-).
So here it is!
Week 2: Feb 17-23
– eucalyptus leaves: the smell is getting stronger as it dries
– lavender: I gave up trying to grow it in Singapore and bought a bouquet 🙂
– mask: for carnaval day at my kids’ school
– book: Amélie Nothomb “Nostalgie heureuse”
– Camera
– surgical mask: for the corona virus, still around
Let’s be true to myself, disorganised or super busy (or any mix of the two) I just can’t keep up with posting “regularly” normal size (if such a thing exist) blog post.
And, as I started a new year this week (my birthday was two days ago): I’ve decided to start also a new very personal photography series: My Lay Flat Mondays!!
The purpose, describe my past week in just one picture, boots my creativity vibes at the same time, and stop going through life one week at the time without even noticing it. I will still have longer blog posts whenever I can, but also this mini weekly one picture posts :-).
So here it is!
Week 1: Feb 10-16
Week 1: Feb 10-16
– eucalyptus leaves: my new go to scent in the house
– red rose: for Valentine’s Day
– candles: for my birthday (a few more were needed!!)
– Click: my new favourite photography magazine
– Camera
– surgical mask: fro the corona virus
Are you right now expecting a baby? Congratulations! It’s so so exciting right?
Not easy (believe me, I know, I had four, with nine months of morning sickness each time…), but still really exciting!
Is it going to be a boy or a girl? Did you choose a name yet?
All the conflicting emotions (thank you hormones!), all the things to prepare… One minute you could not possibly be more happy and the next you’re freaking out. And I’m not even talking about all the things you have to choose: What kind of baby bed? Which stroller? Breastfeeding or bottle? Cloth or disposable diapers? …
So let’s not add any more stress and let’s make your newborn photography experience as smooth as possible :-).
Here are the 4 options I’m proposing to my clients at Mermozine-Photography, in Singapore. All designed with what you may want in mind.
1- Newborn Session
The “classical” newborn session is the most complete. It takes 2 hours on average and includes not only posed newborn baby pictures on different background colours, and props, but also family pictures (mom-baby, dad-baby, mom-dad-baby, siblings, …). These sessions can be done in the studio or in the comfort of your home. The best time to do this session is when your little one is between 5-15 days “old” (meaning still really sleepy). During the whole session the priority is the security and the comfort of your precious baby so we take as many breaks as needed (feeding, cuddling, …).
As indicated in the name, this session is done in the first couple of days after the birth of your baby. It’s a lifestyle, photojournalistic-style session (no posed baby pictures), about one hour long, usually done in the hospital, and the goal is to capture those really precious fleeting first moments (first cuddles, first meeting with siblings, first bath …).
The family session is focused around the family. It’s about one hour long and does not include posed newborn pictures. It can be done in the studio, in the comfort of your home or outdoor (although I would not recommend it with a brand new baby). The session can include a mix of posed and lifestyle pictures. And big advantage the age of your baby is not a stress factor (can be 5 days as well as 18 years old!).
Newborn photography services in Singapore.Newborn photography services in Singapore.
4- Newborn Mini-Session
The mini-newborn session is focused on baby only, and is designed for anyone wanting posed newborn pictures but also wanting to spend less (time and investment). They are maximum one hour long, can be done only in the studio and do not include any family pictures. Once again the best time to do this session is when your little one is between 5-15 days “old”, and like the regular Newborn Session the priority is the security and the comfort of your precious baby so we take as many breaks as needed (feeding, cuddling, …).
Newborn and maternity photography Services in Singapore.
To see more of my portfolio and to get the pricing details of each sessions, please
You will also find a link there to contact me if you have any question and to book your newborn session with me, or you can email me directly at : Photography@Mermozine.com
It’s sometimes difficult to get motivated for schoolwork .
Mermozine-Photography Blog 