SINGAPORE, May 26 — When 29-year-old ballet teacher Erica Ng learnt that a photographer was offering virtual photoshoots during the circuit breaker period, she was inspired to have pictures of herself practising ballet taken.

The virtual photoshoot was offered by Samuel Ng, 29, owner of Pixioo Photography, and was shot entirely on Ng’s phone via video conferencing apps FaceTime and Zoom.

This meant that Ng had to position her phone at different spots around her home with the help of a tripod and tissue boxes.

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At one point, Ng even had to tape her phone to the ceiling to achieve a picture she had in mind.

Ballet teacher Erica Ng, 29, had a virtual photoshoot of herself at home. — Picture by Samuel Ng/Pixioo Photography via TODAY
Ballet teacher Erica Ng, 29, had a virtual photoshoot of herself at home. — Picture by Samuel Ng/Pixioo Photography via TODAY

Ng said that she decided to have a virtual shoot of herself at home because she is usually busy running her family’s ballet school and spent very little time at home before the circuit breaker.

“So what better way to commemorate my stay-home days?” she said.

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Ng also arranged for another virtual shoot with her mother, who is also a ballet dancer. It was the pair’s first photoshoot together, making it extra memorable.

“Dance runs in my family, it’s my family’s business and it’s been such a huge part of my life since I was a child. Now that I am dancing and teaching at home, a dance photoshoot at home could not be more apt,” she added.

Expectant mother Rachel Low, 29, said she opted for a virtual photoshoot with her husband in April, when she was 35 weeks pregnant, as she wanted to capture memories of her pregnancy and look back on them in time to come.

“We had planned for a face-to-face session, but due to circuit breaker, it had to be a virtual session. At first we were wondering how the shoot would be done, since it’s a unique way of doing a photoshoot,” she sa

Expectant mother Rachel Low, 29, opted for a virtual photoshoot with her husband to capture memories of her pregnancy. — Picture by Samuel Ng/Pixioo Photography via TODAY
Expectant mother Rachel Low, 29, opted for a virtual photoshoot with her husband to capture memories of her pregnancy. — Picture by Samuel Ng/Pixioo Photography via TODAY

While unconventional, Low was pleased that the photos from her maternity shoot turned out better than she expected since they were taken via a FaceTime call with her iPhone supported by a stand.

“We did not know what to expect. We’re still posing for the photos like a normal shoot but it was all taken on screenshots. The pictures turned out really well with layering effects. It was a totally different experience,” she said.

Samuel Ng, 29, the owner of Pixioo, told TODAY that he started conceiving the idea of holding virtual photoshoots in mid-March when he started receiving requests from clients to hold off wedding shoots.

“This idea came about because I felt that it was very important to stay in touch with photography. Virtual shoots allow us to keep sane as we can continue to interact with people,” said Ng.

He then did some research online about virtual photography after being inspired by the work of other photographers who had done similar shoots abroad. He also watched YouTube videos before inviting some friends to test out the process.

He officially began offering virtual shoots in April and has shot the portraits of more than 50 clients so far.

Pixioo Photography charges S$100 (RM306.81) for a 45 minute virtual session for up to five family members. Clients will receive between 15 to 30 edited digital photographs a week after the shoot.

In comparison, a physical photoshoot typically costs S$350 per hour.

While the resolution for pictures taken through virtual shoots are lower at 1200 x 800 pixels, as compared to the usual 6000×4000 pixels, they are good enough for social media or 4R prints.

Before the actual photo taking, Ng will have a video call with his clients to have a look at their homes and better understand the spaces they can work with, before deciding the concept of the shoot with them.

Wealth product manager Patrina Tan and her husband Jonathan Chua, both 29, were one of the first few couples who had portraits documenting their stay-home days during the circuit breaker taken virtually by Ng.

Wealth product manager Patrina Tan and her husband Jonathan Chua, 29, had portraits documenting their stay-home days during the circuit breaker taken virtually by Samuel Ng. — Picture by Samuel Ng/Pixioo Photography via TODAY
Wealth product manager Patrina Tan and her husband Jonathan Chua, 29, had portraits documenting their stay-home days during the circuit breaker taken virtually by Samuel Ng. — Picture by Samuel Ng/Pixioo Photography via TODAY

said that while she was unsure of what to expect from the photoshoot at first, since she and her husband would have to adjust their own angles, she felt very relaxed throughout the shoot.

“Samuel asked us strange questions to create different expressions on our face without us even trying,” she said.

“It turned out so amazing and candid. Samuel did such a great job directing us. He compensated for low light by making the grains in the photo part of the photo treatment.”

Ng added that he believes virtual photography is here to stay and hopes to continue offering this virtual portrait service even after the circuit breaker.

“With virtual shoots, we will no longer be limited by space and borders. Clients can have their photos taken even at places where access is restricted such as in hospitals.

Wedding couples who are based overseas can also choose to have their photos taken virtually to save the trouble of flying a photographer overseas,” he said. — TODAY