Home is where my heart is

I love to take photographs since I was a kid.

When I was small, I would play with toy cameras and pretend to snap away.

As I got older, I made it a habit to buy rolls of film and bring along a film camera whenever I went out with friends or on excursions. Not surprisingly, I always depleted the films.

When digital cameras came out in the market, I used up my savings and got for myself a 2.0 megapixels camera and treated it like a gem.

Since I became a mum, the camera has become my best companion. Other than my baby.

It's like I see all these precious moments of life slipping away and feel a dire need to capture them in some form so that I can tell "Remember when you were a baby..." stories to my kids in future, that I can look back in fondness when I'm all wrinkled and old, that I can always be reminded of how beautiful life is.

Yes, I know the heart is the best camera. But there's so much a heart can hold and seeing how my girl grows up every day, I just want to capture these moments in pictures while I remember the happiness in my heart.

I love taking family photographs. Do you?

I'm by far not a professional photographer, I don't know how to operate a DSLR properly, I did not attend any photography course, but that doesn't stop me from loving to take pictures.

Yes, I'm just a normal girl, housewife and mother. That doesn't mean I can't take good pictures.

Here is a gallery of some of my favourite photographs, some were taken by courtesy of our friends, some were taken by myself or the hubby, whom by the way knows nuts about photography and the rule of thirds.

You gave me a reason to live

Of all the beauty in the world, none can ever come close to yours

I'm your first love, You're my last

I stop and realise how beautiful life is after you came into it

Simple things can make me smile the whole day

To you, it's a ball. To me, it's happiness.

Always there to hold me up

I'm so sorry I ate you up, Nana

The world is beautiful because you are in it

The sweetest kiss in the world

Seasons may change but love remains always

Hand to hand, Heart to heart

I'm so glad I'm going to have a bagful of stories to tell Angel as she grows up. Well, I might even use these pictures to create a personalised story book for her titled "The Birth of An Angel". Ok, I will think of a better title.

How about you? What's your favourite family photograph?

If you have any heartwarming family moments to share, you might be keen to know that Singtel is currently running a "Home Without Walls" photo contest to inspire Singaporeans to connect with their families and forge stronger bonds with their loved ones.

The Open Category is open to all Singaporeans and encourages participants to submit photo entries under the following four themes relating to precious family moments:

1) Father Figures (Fathers)
2) Grand for a Reason (Grandparents)
3) Mum’s the Word (Mothers)
4) Just Kidding (Children)

The Grand Prize winner for the Open Category contest will walk away with S$2,500, and the individual winners for each of the four category themes will enjoy S$500 in cash prize.

Every participant can submit up to 12 photos, each with a caption of not more than 140 characters on what the photo represents. These photos can be taken with any camera, including mobile devices.

This contest ends on 5th August 2012.

For submission details or terms and conditions, visit www.facebook.com/singtel.

I've already sent in mine. Why not send in yours too and inspire more fellow Singaporeans out there to build up a loving home and blissful family?

Happy photo-taking and remember, home is where your heart is.

Disclosure: This post is written out of a love for family photography and a hope to inspire others. A Happy Mum received an invitation from Ogilvy PR to take part in the contest, no compensation was received and all opinions are my own.

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