Becoming a wedding photographer at 16 set her on path to build her own business

A school dropout at 10, she credits homeschooling for getting her to think outside the box

- Sue-Ann Tan

From a young age, Ms Annabel Law has taken the road less travelled. She dropped out of school at 10 due to dyscalculia—a learning disorder that affects the understanding of maths and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). She was subsequently homeschooled, and never experienced what most other Singaporeans do—sitting the PSLE, and O-level or A-level exams.

Instead, Ms Law has charted her own path to personal fulfilment and success. At 16, she became one of Singapore's first female photographers in the wedding industry.

It was the start of her building her own wedding photography business.

Ms Law, now 33, is the founder of Annabel Law Productions, a photography and videography company that specialises in weddings.

She has also been named by multinational imaging solutions firm Canon as one of its EOS masters in Singapore for her photography prowess.

And while dropping out of school might have once carried a social stigma, Ms Law credits her unconventional experience for making her who she is today.

"Homeschooling taught me to think out of the box and, at a young age, I realised that I didn't have the security of knowing that getting into a good school or good grades will ensure I get a good job," she said. "Hence, I needed to have the mindset to be hungry and be very ambitious. Nothing comes without hard work."

This fire to succeed also spurred her on in her business. Over the last three years, she met nearly 1,500 couples to refine and design packages that meet their needs.

But Ms Law acknowledges that her path to success included the support of others.

When she wanted to become a professional photographer at 18, her father gave her $10,000 to start her career, even though money was tight for the family. She managed to pay him back within a year.