Stepping Into The Camera's Lens

#riselikeaphoenix #dreamtoempowerdreams #missplusworld #missplusworldmalaysia #missplusworldicon #defyingallodds #standingtochange #ignitinglight #infinitepossiblities

I always thought photoshoot wouldn't be as hard. I mean.. just smile and pose right?

I was wrong. Just like everything I have been trying to learn through the Miss Plus World Malaysia pageantry, it's a skill that takes time, effort and a little bit of talent to get it perfect.

Without the help of my talented make-up artists, Gwyneth & Carmen... I probably wouldn't look like a Queen in these photos. And without the support, patience and encouragements from the amazing photographer, I would look like a broken robot trying to look new.

Gwyneth and Carmen came over my place at 10am to make this looks happen. Together, they worked on the basic designs for my hair and make-up so that we wouldn't waste the photographer's and studio's time.

We then moved on to the studio at Roundbox Production in Kepong after lunch. We met up with the photographer, Tommy and got things moving fast. Gwyneth worked on my make-up and Carmen on my hair-do. Tommy on the other hand started doing some test shots with his friend, Nicole while waiting for us to be get ready.

Carmen prepping my hair

Behind The Scenes @ Roundbox

Carmen's amazing hairdo

Gwyneth fixing my dress

Tommy Ng in action!

Truthfully, I was terrified when we first started as it was my very first time doing a photoshoot on my own. I didn't know how to pose and my smile at first was forceful. I didn't know what to expect, and it didn't help that I didn't know how to pose as a beauty queen.

You see, being in a beauty pageant isn't just about the your looks. You've got to have poise, intelligence, a big heart and humility. Also, remember that you're also a representative of your platform (in my case, mental empowerment), and country (Malaysia BOLEH!).

They say that a photo speaks a thousdand words; yet, how can I portray all of these in one photo? It was quite a struggle at first but along the way, I saw Nicole looking at me with a smile, and a mini thumbs-up. Her little gesture of encouragement reminds me of my godson who would show the 'thumbs-up' sign every time he sees someone looking / feeling down or when he likes something.

Patrick telling the plants to grow well ♥

With Nicole, Tommy, Gwyneth and Carmen's encouragements, it became easier for me to relax and unwind as I pose for the camera. Every outfit change helped tremendously as I was more and more comfortable with them. Eventually, with a LOT of patience, Tommy managed to capture some amazing candid shots that showed my playful side.

I couldn't ask for a better team than this. As it's my very first experience of being in the spotlight where all eyes are on me, I had my perspectives opened wide of the work it takes to make a few photos look stunning.

This special day taught me of the dilemma and struggles that make-up artists and photographers experience in their line of work. From being told their services are expensive to being disregarded by their client's friends/family members to 'help them out', I learn that often we don't hear the voices of those behind the lens (aka behind the scenes) that make the possible happen. Hence, one of projects I hope to work on in the future is to share more about what goes behind the beautiful picture of possibilities - the effort, passion and grit that every person had to put in to make their dream happen.

These are the people that made this photoshoot possible:

The Dream team (From Left) Carmen, Gwyneth, Elena (myself) & Tommy

1. Tommy Ng Photography - Facebook

2. Gwen Bridal Makeup & Hairdo Services - Facebook

3. By Carmen Wl Lim - Facebook

4. Roundbox Production (Studio @ Kepong) - Facebook

5. Rawganics (the reason to my beautiful, healthy and glowing skin) - Website

This also wouldn't be possible without Uma Akka, Big Sis Gwyneth, and of course, my pageantry Miss Plus World Malaysia.

For more updates on my journey in the pageant, do follow my Facebook page, Elena Tong.

And come join me on 15th January 2022 at Le Meridien Kuala Lumpur as the Grand Gala Night will be the coronation of the 2021 Queen that will represent Malaysia at the internationals in Houston, Texas, USA on March 2022. Grab your tickets here - Ticket2U! Also, it's near my birthday! Kill two birds with one stone ;)

If you are interested to sponsor and be part of the event, contact me and I'll connect you to the pageant team ^.^ Thank you for reading this post of mine. I hope I was able to share a little bit of my pageant life with you!