KOTA KINABALU: Everyone has a unique story to tell. At Journal 17, the stories are told through the lens of a camera.
Journal 17, located at 88 Market Place along Penampang bypass, is a photography studio in Kota Kinabalu that specializes in capturing the special moments of children, pregnant women and families.
Its creative and production director, Valerie Lo, believes in keeping memories of children through photography. This is the reason the name ‘journal’ came from, to keep a record of babies as they grow, of pregnant women as their bellies blossom.
“Children grow up so fast, and adults age so soon, all of these should be kept as memories.”
Lo is a self-taught photographer who has two years of experience in photographing children. Prior to that, she worked at the property industry for 11 years, and in the lift industry for two years. When she was working in the lift and escalator industry, she started offering freelance photography for wedding events and children.
As she took more pictures of children, Lo began to realize the potential of this niche market and set her eyes on developing it.
“Parents now are willing to sacrifice a lot for their children. Tthey give the best to their kids.
“There are mothers who take pictures from their pregnancy up till their children are a year old.”
Lo eventually went from freelancing and outdoor photography to opening a studio to provide a more comfortable environment for her clients, though she also does outdoor photography.
The concept of her studio is geared towards simplicity, while provides an environment for her clients to express their own personal stories. She also makes her own accessories for photography sessions, such as a tutu or a headband.
Working with babies and children is not an easy task, Lo admits, as they do not understand instructions.
“Taking pictures of babies is most difficult because of the sleeping time and feeding time, as well as being emotionally unstable. We must be patient to capture the moment.
“When they are a few months old, it is also not easy because they don’t understand what you want. They walk away if they want to walk, and cry when they want to cry.”
Nonetheless, Lo remains passionate about her job and believes she gets along with children pretty well.
Instead of a photography package, Journal 17 came up with a membership of RM280 per annum. Clients are required to sign up for the membership, which gives them access to unlimited photography sessions throughout the year. Each session is limited from one to 1.5 hours, and clients are required to purchase a minimum of three photos at the end of the photo session.
“Clients can take pictures everyday, or even every hour,” she said.
In addition, clients can request for their photographs to be developed into canvas print in order to hang in the living room.
The studio also offers loyalty programme for clients, whereby a stamp will be given for every RM200 spent.
In conjunction with the opening of Journal 17 this Saturday, the studio is giving out RM30 vouchers and RM100 outdoor photography discount vounchers.
Lo added that the studio also accepts photography for birthday and full-moon celebrations, with the sole exception of wedding events.
For more information, visit www.journal17.com.