Recently EXPATLIVING ran a feature on Oh Dear Studio, asking for an interview with one of our client. The final draft was much shorter than this. Not wanting to “waste the effort” of wonderful client-turned-friend, here it is! A real testimonial and real review of Oh Dear Studio by a real client.
*None of the wordings were paraphrased, they are exactly as submitted.
Ques 1: Please give your family details and how many years living in Singapore.
Jimmy, Rose, Alli (7 years old), Andi (6 years old) from USA. We lived in Singapore for a total of over five years. Jimmy is half Korean half Thai American. I am Filipino American. We are from Southern California.
Ques 2: How did you hear about the studio? Why did you choose them?
When we first arrived in Singapore in the fall of 2019, Halloween to be exact, I wanted to send Christmas photos to our families and friends. I wanted Christmas photos that were not just the average photos with Santa.
I found OhDearStudio on Facebook the following year in 2020 when I searched for studios that specialized in Christmas shoots. I booked on October 7, 2020 for a Christmas mini shoot at OhDearStudio in November.
After our first shoot at OhDearStudio, we fell in love with Melody. We found out that she also did fantastic Chinese New Year photo shoots. As my husband’s Thai side was Teochew, and Hokkien from my side, we wanted to honor our Chinese backgrounds with CNY photoshoot with Melody. Needless to say, those shoots were not our last 😄.
There was one year when we were homesick for Easter celebration in America. OhDearStudio made Easter come to life minus the Easter bunny. While the studio provided the sets and props, we worked with Melody to bring a few additional props (our own personalized Easter baskets with eggs, favorite plushies, and of course, Easter outfits) to make the shoot even more magical.
Ques 3: Tell us about your photoshoot with the studio. Please elaborate about the location of the shoot and what you liked about it.
Which one? 😄
I’ll share about our first and latest shoot at OhDearStudio.
We did not know what to expect at our first shoot. Our daughter just turned four years old. Our son was two years old. We arrived at the studio’s location at a colonial shophouse. We climbed up the shophouse steps to the second floor. Upon entering the studio, we were warmly greeted. The set and props were prepared, and Melody was ready to go. The studio has a small dressing room for a change of outfits and freshening up.
Our first impression was Melody has experience working with small children. Once the children were dressed and ready to go, Melody worked her magic. We call her the ‘Toddler/Kid Whisperer’. She knew how to work well with young children, and captured shots that were natural. Our children immediately called her ‘Auntie Melody’, and still do until today.
Fast forward, four years later. Our latest shoot was this summer in June. I requested a K2 grad / family shoot. By now, we have moved up from a lite mini shoot to a premium shoot (actually moved up to premium shoots quite a while ago 😂)
While shooting with Melody at least twice a year in her studio, Melody suggested outdoor shoots for us at our last two shoots (Gardens by the Bay area with a view of MBS, and most recently, Singapore Botanic Gardens.
Our family came ready to shoot in our coordinating outfits. Over the years, Melody and I developed a good working relationship in together choosing themed outfits to go with the location.
We walked a bit from the Gardens entrance to the shoot location. Melody was prepared and brought a cap and gown for Andrew. She immediately started shooting while we still looked fresh.
Melody was mindful of the heat – she made sure we were hydrated (we took water breaks), and those of us not actively shooting stayed in the shade. Each shoot was efficiently done as Melody had in mind what shots she wanted for us. There was a clean bathroom nearby for an outfit or two change for the children.
What we liked about the shoot was the element of surprise. Melody took us to a part of Botanic Gardens that we have never been to before. It was little work on our part as we show up, shoot, and end up with gorgeous photos.
Ques 4: Anything else you would like to add about your experience? (Photography style, photographer’s experience with children, location options and other services etc.)
What made my experience even better was our good working relationship. Melody listened to what I wanted, and at the same time, I was open minded to her location suggestions.
Ques 5: Would you recommend the studio? Why?
Absolutely! OhDearStudio has versatility in working every type of shoot – we know because we’ve done many shoots. From holiday shoots (Christmas, CNY) to intergenerational shoots, and grad shoots, this studio knows how to capture the moments. My husband even did a mini corporate shoot 😄
