A Photography Obsession...

More baby portraits!

2011-10-24T00:21:00.000-07:00

Have been a little bit busy lately since the opening of the studio. MyToddlerPhotos.com has opened its studio in Prima Sri Gombak in September and we've been doing sessions and sessions of baby portraits. Here are the recap from various sessions at the studio..

Yep.. we've been busy :)

Another MyToddlerPhotos.com photo session with Nik Zaheera Aliaa

2011-08-12T13:46:00.000-07:00

Nik Zaheera Aliaa has came back for another round of photo session. And the timing was just right as we at MyToddlerPhotos have just received the shipment of new hats!

Look at how adorable she is wearing the Angry Bird hat!

Adam Harris - Charm, courtesy of dad.

2011-07-21T20:03:00.001-07:00

Another photo session with Adam Harris recently. He has grown up to a stage where he would just simply won't listen to whatever u say or tell him to do.. It was an interesting session where you had to play the waiting game for that quick snap where you catch him 'in his zone'.

The outcome..

CHARM, courtesy of dad

A New Venture - www.MyToddlerPhotos.com

2011-07-19T19:42:00.000-07:00

Me and my wife have started our new venture together as of July 2011. We will be offering our newborn, baby, toddler portrait photography services. Based in Kuala Lumpur, we can be found on the following links:

Our official website : www.mytoddlerphotos.com
Our blog : www.mytoddlerphotos.blogspot.com
Our facebook page : http://www.facebook.com/MyToddlerPhotos

We are currently offering a promotional rate for a 2-hour baby/toddler portrait session for only RM250. I can be contacted at hemin@mytoddlerphotos.com or my wife at noorhana@mytoddlerphotos.com for inquiries and bookings.

Last weekend, we did our first official shoot with a 3 month old baby, Nik Zaheera Aliaa. She's such an adorable baby. Shared here are some shots from this session..

A Trip to An Old Train Depot, Penang

2011-04-10T20:31:00.000-07:00

I have recently visited Penang for a lovely vacation with wifey and good friends. Over our stay there, I have managed to meet up with a few good friends for chats and catching up. I've always wanted to visit this one old train depot located on the mainland. Finally, with the help of these good friends, they took me there for a visit at the old train depot. I stepped in, and wow! What a wonderful sight! Perfect for B&W lovers like me.

Here's my take on the old train depot.

This would be one of my fav. of the series.

The above shots were taken using my Hassy 553ELX with CZ50/4 Distagon on Fuji Acros 100 developed with HC110. The following shots were taken with a newly acquired Leica M6TTL with CZ50/2 Planar on Kodak TMax400 developed with HC110 Dilution E.

Here's another fav of mine from the series.

In Search of Peace and Serenity VI - Au Revoir

2011-02-08T23:41:00.000-08:00

Au Revoir

The sun says goodbye for the day, the other one says goodbye forever.

High tide, Pantai Jeram, Feb 2011

Cambo Legend 8x10, Caltar S-II 300mm
Ilford Delta 100, Hc110 Dil E (1:47) 7mins @ 20C

In Search of Peace and Serenity V - Still I Rise

2011-02-05T12:23:00.000-08:00

STILL I RISE

You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I'll rise.

Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I'll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops.
Weakened by my soulful cries.
I'll rise, eventually.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.

Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise

Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise

I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.
Leaving behind nights of regret and fear
I rise

Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise

Bringing the gifts that my faith gave,
I am the dream and the hope of His slave.
I rise. I rise. I rise.

-Maya Angelou-

*Special thanks to Nazaruddin @ Damak for recommending this poem for this shot

High tide, Pantai Jeram, Jan 2011

Hasselblad 553ELX, CZ 120 makro planar
Fuji Acros 100, Hc110 Dil E (1:47) 7mins @ 20C

In Search of Peace and Serenity IV - Resemblance

2011-01-30T18:13:00.001-08:00

I found myself again at the same spot. This place has been presenting me with massive photographing opportunities but I would like to take my time to digest and capture the content of what this place can bring to me. Here's another shot called Resemblance. If you look closely, you'll notice that the shape of the tree on the foreground is about the same as the shape of the island at the back.

Resemblance

High tide, Pantai Jeram, Jan 2011
Hasselblad 553ELX, CZ 120 makro planar
Fuji Acros 100, Hc110 Dil E (1:47) 7mins @ 20C

Taking Cambo Jumbo out to play!

2011-01-24T19:10:00.000-08:00

I've recently managed to figure out how to mount my 9-stop filter on my large format lens. The front end of the lens is too big to be fitted with any filter, so the other option is to mount the filter on the rear of the lens, carefully tho. I bought a 77-67mm step down ring, then step it up again to get back to 77mm as I couldn't mount the filter directly to the lens due to the curvature of the lens rear element. Now that I've managed to mount the big stopper, it's time to take the 8x10 camera out to the coastlines :)

Cambo Legend 8x10 with Caltar S-II 300mm f5.6 on Ilford Delta 100. Fitted with Hoya ND400 filter. Scene was metered at f45, 4mins. Calculating the compensation for Delta 100's reciprocity failure, the corrected exposure was determined at 9mins 30secs. The sheet was developed with Kodak HC110 Dilution E (1:49) for 7 mins 30secs @ 20C.

In Search of Peace and Serenity III - The Journey of Life

2011-01-24T17:37:00.000-08:00

The journey of life is an adventure into the unknown. The lifespan varies. This applies to nature, human and even the invention of mankind.

"To some, life is a very long journey,
To some others, it never even started.."

Dead trees pond, near Pantai Remis, Jan 2011

What attracted me to this shot was the 2 different elements of nature and manmade structure. The massive curls and bends of the trees symbolizes the long life lived, and the winding path thru life. The absence of leaves shows the presence of death or 'end of the road' for the trees. On the other hand, there's this small piece of concrete that was meant to be an architectural structure of some sort, perhaps a hut, small building, etc. that was left abandoned. For the structure, life was very short, in fact it's life ended prematurely.. in contrast to the life lived by the trees.

Shot on Hasselblad 553ELX with CZ 120 Makro Planar, on Fuji Acros 100. Developed with Kodak HC110 Dilution E (1:49) 7 mins @ 20C

In Search of Peace and Serenity II - The Struggle for Life

2011-01-18T00:49:00.000-08:00

Continuing the "In Search of Peach and Serenity", me and wife together with another friend, Malee, ventured to Klang for another quick trip there. One particular tree caught my attention there..

The Struggle for Life

It really caught my attention to see how the tree sort of balanced itself to gain a strong grasp of the Earth.. to live. It was an overcast day, but for a very short time frame, the sun shines giving the tree its glow, enhancing the details of the tree with beautiful highlights and shadows. Sort of like a blessing. If you look further into the photo, you'll see a fishing boat symbolizing the struggles of human for life as well, against the vast sea.

Shot with Hasselblad 553elx, Zeiss 120 Makro Planar CF on Fuji Acros 100. Developed with Kodak HC110 Dilution E (1:49) 7mins @ 20C.

Pushing Tri-X to the Extreme (ASA25600)

2011-01-16T19:37:00.001-08:00

Back in July during a photo trip to Kelantan with Eddieputera and Sarip, I've had the chance to shoot a scene that is pitch black. It was a scene at the fishing dock where a fishing vessel stopped by for a rest after being in the sea for about 1 month. That night there was a storm brewing so super dark clouds engulfed the skies. There's no other light source around except a couple light bulbs on the vessel itself. It was raining heavily and that made the shot even tougher. I wanted to capture this shot at a fraction of a second. Putting it on long exposure would've made the vessel blur. Yes, I could probably get away with a 1-2 sec shot at a lower ASA, but I figured, might as well hit the extreme just for the sake of trying and testing out the pushing capabilities of this film.

This shot was metered at ASA25,600. Having a Tri-X on my Hassy back, I've decided to give it a go. After doing some research on the flow to push the Tri-X up 6-stops, I've settled with the following..

Rodinal 1:100, 3 hours semi stand development with 2 swirls to the tank every 30mins. After 1 1/2 hours, I replaced the developer with a fresh batch (to avoid the risk of exhaustion).

What I got was a muddy negs. Putting it onto the scanner, here's what I got. No tweaking on this scan. I kinda like the look.

I did played around in Photoshop, where I set the black for the tones. Here's what I got.

All in all, I think I prefer the original look better. It looks classical and seemed very special, considering the circumstances that I had to go thru to shot this scene, plus the darkroom processes afterwards. I will remember this shot for a very long time.. will be printing it and framed it on my wall.

In Search of Peace and Serenity - Kg Telok, Port Dickson

2011-01-10T23:52:00.000-08:00

It has been so long since I last do landscape works. Last weekend, wifey suggested that we went for a drive to Port Dickson. After all that happened to us in the past few weeks, we needed search for calmness and sense of serenity. A short roadtrip to a calm seaside would do the trick.

I remembered a shot from a good friend, Liewwk at this spot. I asked him for the directions, checked out the tides schedule for Port Dickson and off we went in the morning.

Here's some shots during the high tide when we were there.. This is just the first trip. We will revisit this place again, during low tide, for sure ;)

Untitled

A Path to Paradise - A long and winding journey to happiness. Sometimes it's smooth, sometimes there a detour filled with obstacles and sometimes it seems to be an impossible task to reach eternal happiness. Determination ensure the success to achieve that rewarding end.

A State of Perseverance - Life can be very challenging at times. Series of continuous waves of obstacles and tests hits at you at all times to test how strong your character is. Patience is a virtue. The patience to withstand those waves renders a much more soothing and calm outcome, silky smooth.

The One that Got Away -The toughest test by far me and my wife have ever experienced. He will remain in both our memories forever. The storyline has been written beforehand, we can only put our efforts and hope for the best. By far the best 20 weeks EVER experienced.. but shortlived. May you rest in peace, "anak ayah"...

Life surely goes on.. what happened has brought us closer together. It's for the best.. we're sure of that. There will be more of these works from me.. "In search of peace and serenity"...

*Photos shot using Hasselblad 553ELX with CZ 50mm Distagon and 120mm Makro Planar with Hoya ND400 on Fuji Acros 100. Developed using HC110 Dilution F.

Away from the bustling city....

2010-12-12T11:13:00.000-08:00

....lies a very peaceful fishing village in the state of Kelantan. Kampung Canggung, located in Bachok, Kelantan where the source of income for most of the villagers comes from the sea.

A local walking towards his hut to prepare for the next trip to the sea. This is where they spend most of their day if they're not out in the sea. Repairing the nets, fixing the boat, resting, drying the fish and a whole lot of activities goes here. Here are some photos of their tools of the trade..

Part of the preparation before they go out to sea is inspecting the fishing nets before being put onboard the boat.

Once they have loaded the net and other things on the boat, they're set to go.

In the old days, fishermen use logs to roll their boat from the shore to the sea. In the modern days, they use a carriage to assist them in pushing the boat until the boat floats on its own. These type of fishermen goes out to the sea for several hours. Those in bigger vessels go out for days, weeks or even months.

During my visit there, I realized that the villagers are very helpful. When the boats come back from the sea, they'll queue up and take turns to be landed and pulled back to the shore. Everybody lends a helping hand, regardless of who owns what boat. It's good to see how they worked together in a group.. sincerely helping out each other in their community, a vanishing trait especially in the city, where a lot of people just care about themselves and don't even know their neighbors, let alone lending a helping hand!

It was a very memorable trip for me. Thanks to Eddieputera who brought us here, I have learned so many things, witnessed in some places, people trust and help each other without any prejudice. I have also learned to be thankful to Allah for what I have, as there are people out there who are struggling just to make ends meet. I hope to be able to visit them again next time..

PhotoMalaysia.com 3rd Annual Exhibition at Nikon Center, Berjaya Times Square

2010-11-23T20:53:00.000-08:00

Photomalaysia.com is currently running it's 3rd photo exhibition at the Nikon Center, 1st floor, Berjaya Times Square. The "People and Places" exhibition goes from Nov 1, 2010 till Dec 12, 2010 curated by Mr. Alex Moh and Mr. Azrul Kevin Abdullah. Admission is free.

http://thestaronline.tv/v/6371

I have two photographs showcased there. This is my first participation in an exhibition and am very excited that 2 of my photographs are selected to be showcased there.

Temple in the Clouds

Fisherboy

The End of a Journey

2010-11-14T08:01:00.000-08:00

I went for a photo roadtrip to Kelantan with two buddies - Eddieputera and Sarip sometime in July this year. We went to a fishing village (Kampung Canggun) in Bachok and spend about 1 1/2 days there. Armed with my Hasselblad 553ELX and a bunch of films, I spotted a shipwreck on the beach. I've been wanting to shoot a shipwreck for sooo long, so I'm not gonna miss this opportunity.

The End of a Journey

Hasselblad 553ELX, Zeiss 50mm Distagon,
Fuji Acros 100
Rodinal (1:50) 13mins @20C

I like this shot because there's two subjects in the frame that shows a full cycle of a fishing vessel. The main subject (the shipwreck) shows that it's at the end of its journey, no longer needed, left alone letting nature to take its course, while on the far end, you can see another boat still in good shape, in its prime giving its fullest service to the fishermen.

There's more shots from the Kelantan trip. Will be sharing 'em on the other entries very soon.

Another baby portrait session - Adam Harris

2010-10-12T19:22:00.000-07:00

I've been waiting for the right time to shoot my little nephew. His name is Adam Harris, 5 month old son of Mohd Mukreek (my brother) and his wife, Nadira. Cute little fella, sooo adorable, but sometimes he'll show his temper :P

It was a simple setup, fluffy blanket/comforter on the dining table, black cloth over the blanket and someone to hold the cloth up at the back. Put the baby on that blanket, let him play around and nail the right moment.

Strobist info:

As for the light setup, I only used 1 flashgun. 580exII, 1/2 power shot thru white umbrella placed to the right of the camera.

Thanks to Cis@Beruang Putih for being a very good assistance!

Perhentian Island IV - Serenity

2010-09-16T18:13:00.000-07:00

My trip to Perhentian (Kecil) Island this year proved to be a fruitful one. Having shot both in film (mainly) and digital medium, I have managed (my personal view) to capture the essence of beauty, serenity and tranquility of the island. For those who haven't gone to Perhentian, you need to go at least once in your lifetime. It's a beautiful place, a place where it's exactly the opposite of bustling city atmosphere. Take a break, go on a short holiday, head off to Perhentian. I know I'll be going there again in 2011.

Serenity, Perhentian Kecil, July 2010
Hasselblad 553ELX | CZ 50mm Distagon
Fuji Acros 100 | Rodinal (1:50) 13mins @ 20C

This shot was done on film medium, on a long exposure (~8-10secs), low tide, sunset (more like a hidden set, the sun decided to descend behind the clouds). I loved this shot. I've printed it and framed it.

Perhentian Island III - Triptychs

2010-09-15T04:09:00.002-07:00

Ever since I read the interview with Rolfe Horn on B&W Magazine, I've always considered triptychs as part of how I express my work. For the Perhentian Series, I've planned and executed 2 triptychs, seen below.

Paradise Island, Perhentian Kecil, July 2010

Locals at Work, Perhentian Kecil, July 2010

For a larger view, click on the triptychs

Both triptychs are shot with Hasselblad 553ELX, Zeiss 50mm Distagon
Fuji Acros 100, Rodinal (1:50) 13mins @20C

My Triptych Inspiration - Rolfe Horn (www.f45.com)

2010-09-08T14:36:00.000-07:00

In the B&W Magazine, issue 74 (April 2010), there was an article on an American photographer, Rolfe Horn. An avid landscape shooter, most of the time he shoots in square format. In an interview with the B&W magazine, he mentioned that during one of his trips to Japan, he realized a need for a wider vision when shooting seascapes. Since he doesn't own a panorama camera, he started making diptychs and triptychs to include more peripheral elements in his photographs.

An example of one of his Japan series triptych,

Dawn, Study 2, Izumo, Japan 2004 (Rolfe Horn)
Source : Rolfe Horn Photography (www.f45.com)

After viewing his triptych photos, I personally find that presenting my shots in triptych is such an interesting format to explore. Many triptych combination can be planned and executed. Triptychs photos can be viewed as three separate photos that would stand on its own, but is strongest when viewed as a combination. Triptychs can also be planned in which;

1. The main subject (placed in the center) is supported by the other two shots on each sides, or;
2. The two supporting shots are placed on the left and center, leading the viewer to the main subject (placed on the right), or;
3. Replicating a scene with static subjects in all three shots, but with different dynamic/moving subjects, or
4. Any other way that you can imagine to portray your shots as 1 master shot or as a series.

The key to creating your own triptych is "CONTINUITY". Each shot must be relevant to the other shot, be it as a master shot, or as a mini-series. Plan your triptychs and execute them according to what you visualize the final outcome to be.

Explore it, you'll have FUN with it. I have done a few triptychs, will be working on more triptychs in the future and I'm loving it.

p/s : Rolfe, thank you for being an inspiration to me, and hopefully to others as well.

Perhentian Island II - Fuji Velvia 50

2010-09-05T14:15:00.000-07:00

Aside from the Canon EOS5D, I've also brought along my Hasselblad 553ELX to the island together with a bunch of color positive films and B&W films. Here's some shots taken with Fuji Velvia 50, which used to be one of the most preferred films by most photographers. Honestly, this is the first time I've ever shot with this film, and oh boy, I really did fell in love with it.

Hasselblad 553ELX | CZ 50mm Distagon
Fuji Velvia 50
Lab developed

Amazing colors, don't you agree?

Perhentian Island - July 2010

2010-09-03T15:06:00.000-07:00

After being mesmerized by the beauty of Perhentian Island during my trip in 2009, I have decided to head down there again with my wife to meet up with a good friend who's running business there. Accompanied by another good friend, Nik Fariz, we went there again in July 2010. For those who haven't been to Perhentian, please do so. This island is simply gorgeous!

I brought along my Canon 5D and my Hasselblad on this trip. Her are some landscape shots of the island.. these ones are shot using the 24-105mm lens on my 5D. Most shots are with CPL, the sunset shot was done with Cokin grad filters.

A view from the top of the hill.

The Hidden (Sun)Set.

One of the small islands nearby, Tokong Burung Island.

Outdoor wedding portraiture - Musawwir & Wanni

2010-08-29T23:40:00.001-07:00

I was commissioned by the married couple for their outdoor portraiture. Wanni used to work at my office has been following my works for quite some time. She wanted the outdoor shoot to have some sort of dreamy effect. Knowing what exactly she wanted, me, Raz and Sarip arranged the shoot to be done somewhere in Ulu Yam.

Congratulations for the newly wed ;)
There's a few more photos. Will upload 'em and add on to this post later tonight.

A mesmerizing smile - feat. Nurul

2010-08-25T21:06:00.000-07:00

This was shot during the same session the tale of the woods were shot. This time the model is Nurul. She has a mesmerizing smile, and it's very evident in this shot!

A mesmerizing smile - feat. Nurul

Strobist info:

Metz 1/1 power shoot thru large diffuser model left.
SB800 1/4 power shoot bare behind model.

Model - Nurul
Make up - Su Yin
Art direction - Me
Lighting - Me
Team- Yong, Sarip, Morph
Location - Lake Gardens

Tale of the Woods - featuring Ayu Samsudin

2010-08-24T17:41:00.000-07:00

Strobist shoot organized at the Lake Gardens with a couple friends (Sarip, Morpheuse, Yong, Raz, Paklan). We had a blast during that day. Metz flash was shot thru a large diffuser model left for fill, and another flash from behind model, about 3-4 meters away to create a backlight on the tree and the model.

Strobist info:

Metz 1/1 power shoot thru large diffuser model left.
SB800 1/2 power shoot bare behind model.

Model - Ayu Samsudin
Make up - Su Yin
Art direction - Me
Lighting - Me
Assist - Yong, Sarip, Morpheuse
Location - Lake Gardens, Kuala Lumpur

KL Sentral Urbanscape

2010-08-23T05:17:00.000-07:00

I frequently go to or pass by KL Sentral for meetings or hanging out with buddies, but I haven't really brought my camera to shoot those awesome architectures there. One fine day, I took my Hassy together with me, and with a fellow photographer, Sarip @ Guillotineman, we went for a quick scout with our cameras.

I love this shot with the train passing by in between the high rise buildings. Very modern look.

A shot looking up the tall buildings. I love the lines and the curves in the shot. Some gave feedback that they prefer some details of the skies as in this one the skies are blown. I personally think that the skies details does not carry any significant meaning to the shot as the key elements are the two buildings, colored in shades of grey. IMO, the blown skies contributed to a simple yet elegant look to the shot. Skies with details would've distracted viewers' eyes from concentrating on the lines and curves of the buildings. That's what I think. Others might have a different opinion. Either way, I appreciate the view.

This is another shot on the other side of KL Sentral. The building where the train came out from is the city's main transportation hub, linking up 5 train lines and services, including an express rail service to the airport in Sepang, city bus service as well as taxi services. I also like this shot because as you can see on the background to the right, there's massive building construction going on. In a couple years, this shot will be appreciated even more because another shot from this angle will have buildings (which will probably be taller than the KL Sentral itself) surrounding it, not like what can be seen today..

All shots were shot with a Hasselblad 553ELX with CZ 50mm Distagon on Kodak Tri-X400, developed with Rodinal 1:60, 14mins @ 20C.

Beautiful Provia!

2010-08-22T10:01:00.001-07:00

Since I started playing with film camera, I've always wanted to shoot with slides or color positive films despite the higher processing costs. Tested a roll of Provia 100 and boy was I happy. Here's a detailed shot of the Chin Swee Temple in Genting Highlands demonstrating the beautiful colors of Provia.

An architectural study,
Chin Swee Temple, Genting Highlands, January 2010
Yashica MAT 124G | Provia 100

Passing By triptych

2010-08-20T16:07:00.000-07:00

I was working on a project to capture the life at the KTM station at Jalan Sultan Hishamuddin with a group of PhotoMalaysia.com members. The project was shot entirely with film. A lesson learnt during the execution of this project. Visit the site repeatedly. There will always be something new to be captured. Always look from a different perspective on the subsequent visits. Try to live the life. Be the workers, be the passengers instead of being the tourist.. if you see the place from a tourist's point of view, then what you'll get are tourists' shots.

For this particular trip, I brought my Linhof Technika V (which I have sold off recently) to the station. At this time, the station was dimly lit. I resorted to a ASA3200 to limit motion blurs. A 3 stop push during developing process was required.

On to the triptych shot. I saw a man and a elder lady waiting for the last train to come on the platform they're facing. Between those two, there were very little activity done by them. They were just waiting there patiently, very less movement. I knew there will be a train coming on the platform behind them, and there will be activities happening behind them, adding a dynamic element into the almost static shot. A triptych of a train passing by would definitely show how time passes by as opposed to waiting. See it large on flickr.

Passing By, Triptych, KTMB KL station, February 2010
Linhof Super Technika V | Kodak Tri-X400 pushed to 3200
Rodinal 1:100 for 120mins @24C semi-stand development. Slow inversion first minute, 10sec gentle swirl every 30mins.
Ilfostop 1 min 30 sec
Ilford Rapid Fixer 4 mins 30 sec

Temple in the Clouds

2010-08-19T08:40:00.000-07:00

I went up to the Chin Swee Temple in Genting Highlands to capture something special there, if there is any. It was around 10-11am if I'm not mistaken, a sudden rush of fog started to engulf the temple, creating a sense of mystical atmosphere to the environment. This is what I was looking for! Went up one of the trails to get a higher point of view of the temple, and make my shot. This shot was actually untitled (as you can see on flickr), but when I was about to write about this shot, it finally struck me! "Temple in the Clouds" .. yea, that's it, "Temple in the Clouds".

Temple in the Clouds, Genting Highlands, December 2009
Yashica MAT 124G, Kodak Tri-X 400
Ilford LC29 1+29, 7mins @24C, agitation continuous first 30sec, 10 sec every subsequent minute
Ilfostop 1 min
Ilford Rapid Fixer 4 mins

Vacancy For Two - Charcoal Factory, Kuala Sepetang

2010-08-18T08:40:00.000-07:00

Had an opportunity to visit again the Charcoal Factory in Kuala Sepetang, Perak a couple months back to make some photos using my Yashica MAT 124G. Shot about 2-3 rolls of B&W film there. One of the shot was taken then I saw a chair and a bicycle parked next to each other, with some light from the outside. There was something special about this shot. Went back home, developed the roll and scanned the shot. Was very happy with the outcome.

Vacancy for Two, Kuala Sepetang, January 2010
Yashica MAT124G | Ilford HP5+ 400.
Ilford LC29 1+29, 6mins 15sec@24C, agitation continuous first 30sec, 10 sec every subsequent minute
Ilfostop 1 min
Ilford Rapid Fixer 4 mins

Several months later, a very good friend has offered to print it for me. Here's a scan of the print that he did. There's 2 versions of the print.

Version 1 - Paper - Ilford MGWTFB, Lith Printing and Selenium toning

Version 2 - Paper - Ilford MGWTFB, Lith Printing, Selenium toning, Bleached and Redeveloped

Thank you Morpheuse for the prints =)

Lady Golfers

2010-08-17T19:40:00.000-07:00

I have collaborated with Malaysia Golf Portal (MGP) to do a golf portraiture for them. The MGP team provided the models, the makeup and the venue for the shoot, MST Golf sponsored the golf apparels and clubs, while I went in with my team (BeruangPutih and Raz Mohamed) on the lighting and execution of the shots. We had a fun day. Thank you Ronald and the MGP team, MST, Beruang Putih, Raz, Min, Melissa :)

Goofy Golfer - Model : Min Ismail

Strobist info:

580exII bare 1/2 power on talent left
430ex softbox 1/1 power angled from the top pointing down on camera left.

At the 19th hole - Models : Min Ismail (left) and Melissa Tan (right)

Strobist info:

580exII 1/4 power bare about 45degrees behind model left
430ex 1/4 power bare about 45 degrees behind model right
SB800 1/1 power with shoot-thru umbrella camera top right

Baby Portraiture - Nik Zara Ariana

2010-08-17T08:36:00.000-07:00

I am guilty for not updating my blog for quite sometime. Please forgive me again =).
A good friend and his wife has requested me to shoot their first baby's portrait. Nik Fariz and his wife Nisa is a close friend of me and my wife. Fariz used to be my partner in wedding shoots as well as other jobs. It was a pleasure having to shoot their princess's portrait. Zara, was 4 months old during this shoot.

Strobist info
580exII 1/4 power shot thru white umbrella camera top left.
430ex 1/8 power reflected with whiteboard on baby left.

The shoot took several hours. We took a break between shots for the baby to rest. Zara was a doll. She is not a camera shy girl. It can be seen from the shots above. Then we put her on her baby chair for some sitting shots.

The room was quite chilly, so it was very comfortable for Zara. During the sitting shoot, Zara fell asleep! I took the chance to shoot this moment and she was so adorable! Here's a triptych of her dozing off on her chair!

It was a great shoot for all of us. Shared the shots with the proud parents, and they were happy =) I hope I will be given a chance to shoot her for the next 20 years! Then I will have a complete series of Zara growing up..

Going larger than 35mm..

2010-03-11T05:40:00.000-08:00

A couple months back, I took the plunge venturing into film photography. The chosen format, medium. My first medium format camera is a Yashica MAT124G that shoots in 6x6cm format.

Yashica MAT124G is the last model of the Yashica TLR. TLR stands for Twin Lens Reflex where it uses 2 lenses, one for viewing, one for shooting. Made between 1970 till 1986, this camera is basically a copy of Rolleiflex, hence similarities in controls configuration. Equipped with a built-in lightmeter, Yashica MAT124G is a perfect tool to start your journey into the medium format world.

Lovely camera, takes both 120 and 220 type films be it. Market price is around RM650-850 for a used unit, depending on condition.

I've been shooting for a couple months now with my Yashica MAT124G, and I'm loving it!
Will share some of the works soon =)

Esther in the Woods

2010-01-26T16:12:00.000-08:00

I was in Penang a couple months back to accompany my wife as she has business meeting there. Whilst I was in Penang, a couple of good friends (Mujib and EdwinT) has organized a model shoot session for me :D

Esther was a very friendly model, and I am happy to work with her.

Strobist info.

1 580exII on top of camera pointing downwards towards model 1/1 power with mini beauty dish
1 430ex model left about 45 degrees 1/4 power bare
1 580exII model right about 45 degrees 1/4 power bare

Posh Girl Goes Shopping

2010-01-10T22:16:00.000-08:00

Had the opportunity to work with a talented model - Azreen. The idea is to shoot a posh girl going shopping in the busiest district of Kuala Lumpur, Bukit Bintang also known as the Golden Triangle of Kuala Lumpur, strobist style. The challenge is to have a dynamic lighting setup where the lighting can be moved around easily to follow the model. After a couple weeks of careful planning, we carried out. This kind of shoot, requires special attention on mobilization and safety of the equipments on top of the usual aspects (lighting configuration, etc.) The shoot went well, and here are the results..

A special thanks to the talented model, Azreen and the usual suspects, The Bears Photoworks. :)

Bib the Graffiti Girl..

2009-12-11T01:22:00.000-08:00

Went shooting with the usual suspects.. The Bears Photoworks. This time, the theme is Graffiti Gal. The talent is Bib, my colleague, and this is her first time modeling for a shoot.

Strobist info
1 430ex bare 1/4 power 45 degrees behind model left
1 SB600ex bare 1/4 power degrees behind model right
1 SB900 honeycomb 1/2 power on top of model
1 580exII softbox 1/1 power camera left.

Here are some other shots of the photographers.. hehehe.. we want to be models too! :P

Eddieputera the Rockstar!

2009-12-10T08:23:00.000-08:00

Was invited by a fellow photographer, Eddieputera to shoot him at his studio in Shah Alam. He wanted a rockstar theme. We started off with some simple shots, then we moved onto the hardcore ones..

Here's the shot of him that I like the most.

Here are the rest of the series.

We used between 3-5 lights for this session. Combination of studio strobes and speedlights and lots of light modifiers.

Click at the photo to view it larger on flickr.

Sekinchan landscape.

2009-11-10T08:58:00.000-08:00

ShutterAsia organized an photo outing to Sekinchan. For those who don't know, Sekinchan is a beautiful place full of paddy fields in Selangor. I took my 5D, 350D(IR) and Yashica together with me to have fun shooting landscapes there. Here are some shots from my 5D and my 350D(IR).

Valley of the Snow Beasts

To the Rescue!

A Halted Climb

The Colors of Nature

For those who haven't visited Sekinchan.. don't waste your time, go quickly as the skies have been sooo blue the past few weeks (especially if it rains the night before your trip!)

A self portrait

2009-10-29T16:50:00.000-07:00

I have recently purchased some flash accessories kit. Eager to test it out, called up Nfariz and Beruang Putih to join me for the session. We set the lights up, and walla! A self portrait of me. Shot courtesy of Beruang Putih, pp by me.

The lighting setup involves 3 lights.

580exII with softbox on top of me, 1/2 power.
580exII with barndoor behind my left, 1/8 power.
430exII with grids behind my right, 1/8 power.

Malaysian MotoGP 2009

2009-10-25T06:13:00.001-07:00

I was very honored to be given a complimentary ticket to go to the Malaysian MotoGP by Canon Malaysia as a representative of ShutterAsia.

There I was on Saturday afternoon, with NFariz and geared with my toys. I can't recall when was the last time i shot motorsport action (probably never), but it was a great opportunity to learn how to pan. Took me about 30mins to adjust my swing following the biker's pace, then I'm all good :D

Here's a couple shots that I took. The rest of the series can be seen on my flickr.

Jorge Lorenzo of Team Fiat Yamaha

Dani Pedrosa of Team Honda Repsol

Valentino 'The Doctor' Rossi of Team Fiat Yamaha

It was a great experience for me, thank you Canon Malaysia and ShutterAsia. You guys ROCK! I'll end my post this time with another panning shot..

:P

Red Kebaya - I die the day you went away...

2009-10-19T17:45:00.000-07:00

A new theme planned a couple weeks back.. The Red Kebaya. After a location scout on Saturday, the shoot follows the day after.

Team members involved - myself, Raz@Jeepang, Maestro, Sarip@GMan and Cis@BeruangPutih. Props were prepared by Mr. Raz@Jeepang. Thanks for providing us the the antique radio, the umbrellas, the violin. The red kebaya was provided by Alin Azmi, worn by the beautiful and talented Nurul.

Hope you enjoy the series!

Visitors not welcomed!

You left me alone.. aimless.. what's left are memories... and the very last roses from you...

I miss those beautiful music you used to play for me..

The radio.. used to play your music all the time.. keeps me close to you.... where ever you are..

Why? Why do YOU have to take him away from me?!?!?

I have no more reason to live in this world.. bye bye world...i shall be with my loved one...

We had a blast with this theme. There are more themes coming up, some very very interesting and challenging! All in the execution queue. Stay tuned!

Strobist shoot - Nov 5th, 2009

2009-09-07T00:27:00.000-07:00

Had the idea of shooting a willing model with musical instruments. A good friend, Raz has volunteered to provide the musical instruments - guitar, sporano and a bagpipe. Crews who made the shoot successful would be the usual, NFariz, Capix, Cis and Raz himself. We had a blast!

Strobist info :
- 1 580exII on camera left with silver brolly (1/2 power)
- 1 580exII behind model at 45 degrees for left side kicker (1/8)
- 1 430ex behind model at 45 degrees for right side kicker (1/8)

Strobist info :
- 1 580exII on model right with shoot-thru brolly (1/1 power)
- 1 430ex behind model at 45 degrees for kicker (1/8 power)
- 1 reflector on model left to lighten the shadow on left face

Will edit this post and add lighting diagram once I've done it.

Tip of Borneo - Stunning!

2009-08-16T14:16:00.000-07:00

The Tip of Borneo is located at Simpang Mengayau, Kudat about 190km North from Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. The journey takes about 2-3 hours, depending on the drive. For those who aren't used to the small and winding roads, you might get a little bit dizzy, but overall, the journey should be manageable.

There hasn't been any development done at the Tip, and hopefully it stays that way. The Tip is such a beautiful place. All the exhaustion suddenly went away the moment you feel the windy breeze and the breathtaking view of the place.

Here are some shots I have managed to shoot on my day trip to the Tip. I know one thing for sure, I'm going back to this place, and spend more days for more photographic opportunities there... soon!

The Tip on a high tide. As the tide goes lower, more of the Tip can be seen, up to another ~50m.

Beautiful colors.. simply magnificent!

Yes, dear. You're at the Tip of Borneo :D

Venturing into the World of Infrared Photography

2009-08-09T09:07:00.000-07:00

I've always admired the effects and mood created from infrared photos. Recently, I have taken the plunge to send my third body, a 350D for a full infrared (IR) conversion. The reason I did this is to add another tool in my gear lineup to create certain effects to my works. With this tool, I hope I'll be able to realize some ideas that gives the sense of mystical, ethereal or dreamy look.

I'm still familiarizing myself to the post processing aspect of Infrared photography and have been trying to understand how to achieve what colors throughout the whole pp cycle.

Here's my first IR shot, a shot taken in Genting.

Then, the camera was used during my KK trip. This was shot at the Tip of Borneo, Kudat, Sabah.

Another shot at the same place. Shot by my wife, pp done by me.

And recently, this was shot in Putrajaya.

I really like the post process for the last shot. I'm spending a lot of time trying to understand about the channel swapping, color balancing, etc. in the post process step. I will share any information that I have learned or experiment in my blog.

[KK trip] A beautiful Sunset

2009-07-31T17:01:00.000-07:00

I recently went for a quick getaway trip with wifey just to get ourselves out of the hectic life in KL. It's a 4d3n vacation in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. On the day of arrival, we were greeting with a couple of my schoolmates, who are 'locals' there.

On the first day there, we were taken to Third beach in Tanjung Aru, a usual spot for people to view the sunset. The sunset seen from there was probably one of the best that I've ever seen. Magnificent view!

Here's some of my fav. sunset shots from that trip.

"Touchdown"

"Romantic Sunset"

"The Afterglow"

Do click on the images for larger size. :D
More on KK to come, soon ;)

Evon T - The Special One

2009-06-29T08:15:00.000-07:00

I've finally completed editing my Evon T - Pretty in White series. The last photo to be edited would have to be the one given careful thought and plenty of brain squeezing activity. During the photo shoot, there was this one particular shot towards the end of the session, with Evon posing in a graceful pose in the bridal gown with her shadow projected onto the wall. I knew that shot was special. Well, 2-3 nights ago, the creative side of the brain got into a working mood.. popping up that "light bulb". Tadaaaa..

After a few days of editing (a couple sessions, not 72 straight hours :P), the final image has been born.. yes, this is my favorite.. and it'll remain "Untitled" for now, as I am still looking for the right words to portray what I have envisioned, in a subtle way.

"Untitled"

Wrapping up the series, I would like to thank Steph again for inviting me as part of the team, good planning, art direction and execution. Evon T, you're one great model to work with, am looking forward to work with you again. Prettyinwhite.com, for the awesome looking bridal gowns, and last but not least, Roo!! Remember me.. Uncle Barney! :P

Evon T - Pretty in White

2009-06-28T16:44:00.000-07:00

Felt guilty of not being able to write for such a long time.. damn.. it's been almost a month. Anyway, here's the continuation of the Evon T - Pretty in White series. A session organized by Steph Tan, Art Direction by Steph Tan. The gowns are from Prettyinwhite.com. The model would be the lovely Evon T.

Evon T - Pretty in White

2009-05-31T20:22:00.000-07:00

Was invited by Steph to a fashion shoot at the luxurious Dua Residency penthouse. Had a great time. Gowns were provided by PrettyInWhite and art direction by Steph. Evon T was the model of the day. She's very cooperative and experienced. It was a pleasure to work with the bunch :D

I've processed a shot, will be adding more later :D

Introducing Yoshida

2009-05-26T01:06:00.000-07:00

Yoshida Shigeyuki - A 29 year old Japanese, is in Malaysia on a business (+ leisure) trip. He loves to pose in front of the cameras, and from his poses, he seems like he has potential. This shot was taken on a morning session of the day that he's supposed to depart Malaysia back to Japan. A mix emotion from him suggests that he has fallen in love with Malaysia (or a Malaysian) and is having a hard time to go back to Japan..

Yoshida - Leaving on a Jet Plane

Back to the Nature

2009-05-24T00:23:00.000-07:00

I haven't shot nature macro for quite sometime. After a drive from somewhere, reached home and noticed that there's a jumping spider on top of my car. So I decided to shoot the spider with my macro gear. I've always wanted to shoot 5x on my MPE65, so this time, I had the chance to do it..

#1 - This was shot at 4:1 using the MPE65. I just love that water droplet on his head.

#2 - This was shot at 5:1.

3 different versions of 'The Lone Tree'

2009-05-21T05:16:00.000-07:00

I don't know why, but I've been getting this urge of shooting something that has element of emptiness, darkness, eeriness, gothic, scary or horror. Maybe it's because my mind has been clogged with ideas on a gothic shooting theme that I was supposed to do with Steph. The session got canceled because Steph had an accident. Steph, hope you recover from your injuries soon. Take good care of yourself. Once you're back in your hyperactive mode, lets get some unfinished business done. :D I need to get this gothic theme out of my head :P

Anyway, there I was at UPM's Farm, with a friend whom just started his photography hobby, another friend and my wife. We went inside, shot a silhouette of the tree on top of the hill.. for the post processing of this shot, I decided to give several different treatments to it.

Here's one with the sunset (that I normally do) look,

Here's on with a twilight or midnight with moonlit (this is experimental) look,

Here's another one in B&W, but to get this, I had to combine 7-exposures of the same shot, injected with HDR treatment to get the tones, and converted to B&W plus some dodge and burns.

I love all three versions of this. Don't know what to do with the threesome. Maybe I should do a triptych, print it large and hang it on my wall.

An Urban Sunset with EF100-400L

2009-05-03T02:30:00.000-07:00

Went to the Ampang Lookout Point with Zamrud recently. Had a blast waiting for the sunset to come. Since the subject in mind is a few kilometers away, I decided to mount my EF100-400L on the 5D. For those who have never or rarely shoot sunsets, make sure you reach there early, set up your tripod, etc.. and wait for the moment. The 'sun setting' timeframe is very short! So, once you can see that round ball of light starts coming down, its time to shoot, shoot and shoot! Remember to vary the shutter speed to get different effects.

Here's my take.. I like it so much! This shot definitely ranks up there among my top 10 shots of 2009.

'An Urban Sunset'

View it large here.

Thanks Zamrud for the guidance :)

The Living Fossil

2009-04-30T02:09:00.000-07:00

I apologize for not being able to update my blog any sooner. During this time, I have visited Zoo Melaka twice. One creature that really grabbed my attention this time is the iguana. Me and a couple friends went to the iguana enclosure and spent a good hour there. Yes, an hour inside the iguana enclosure. Hard to believe, but when me and a few photo-crazy guys go to the zoo, we'll be there from the time they open, until the time they close! Anyway, the lighting from above was dramatic and my brain starts working.. Dramatic light + Iguana's beautiful details = B&W!

#1 - "The Living Fossil"

Click here for bigger resolution of this photo.

#2 - "The Living Fossil 2"

Click here for bigger resolution of this photo.

Zoo Melaka revisited

2009-04-06T23:17:00.000-07:00

Zoo Melaka.. such an amazing zoo, in comparison to others around Malaysia. I went there last time with the Zoo Raiders (Nicholas, Joseph, Liew) and said that I have to visit this place again..

Well, there I am, at the Zoo Melaka entrance again, this time accompanied by my wife since she never been there. She was playing around with my 350D paired with my 24-105L. I of course, had my trusted 40D with the 100-400L. Only 2 worthy shots this time from me.. pretty sure Nicholas gonna like it :D

'Wishful Thinking' - Chimpanzee

"Chimpanzees are an endangered species; their population in the wild has been reduced by hunting (primarily for meat), destruction of habitat from logging or farming, and commercial exportation for use in zoos and research laboratories. Lions and leopards also prey upon chimpanzees." - excerpt from www.Brittanica.com

... of it's freedom, it's survival and it's fate in this cruel world.

We then moved to the tiger section :D Lady luck is on my side, a Malayan tiger is having steak for lunch!

'A Tiger's Menu' - Malayan Tiger

"In addition to its usual menu of boar and deer, the tiger has been known to feast on the occasional monkey. While it cannot climb trees with the agility of monkeys, it has been known, in Malaysia anyway, that a tiger would work its way stealthily under a tree of monkeys and roar! A roar so loud that frightened monkeys would fall off their perches down to the waiting tiger." - www.malayantiger.org

Putrajaya Mosque in Silhouette

2009-04-06T22:59:00.000-07:00

Went to take fellow Shutterstock friends from Surabaya (Eman and fiancee) around KL and Putrajaya recently. Didn't shoot much, but wanted to see if there's any shot a little bit different that the common ones.

Guess it's too early to design a Hari Raya card, but seems like I have a candidate shot for a Hari Raya card design. Putrajaya Mosque, with the sun behind it, creates a nice silhouette. This was shot at around 4pm. The skies were dull, but enhanced in CS2 to create the sunset feel to it. I like the shots as it creates a sense calmness and peacefulness to my eyes when looking at the final product.

Senjakala

Perhentian Island - Simply Magnificent!

2009-03-26T22:59:00.000-07:00

After eagerly waiting for several weeks, the anticipated trip has come.. Perhentian Island. We reached there Thursday morning and spent 4 days there. It was a long drive up to Kuala Besut, Terengganu, but it sure was worth the wait!

Here are some of my Perhentian Island landscape series..

#1 - Landscape reflection

#2 - See thru

#3 - State of Tranquility

#4 - Untitled 1

#5 - Exiting ray

#6 - Conflicting path

I still need to work on my 'landscape eyes'. Lucky did some practice on landscape shots during my Penang trip. Will I come again? Without any hesitation.. YES!!

Next up.. will be sharing the faces of those who have joined the trip. Interesting shoot where direct flash was used to compensate harsh backlight from the sun creating an interesting effect..

Kuala Sepetang Charcoal Factory - A memorable phototrip

2009-03-15T09:01:00.000-07:00

In conjunction with the ShutterAsia 2nd Anniversary celebration, a photo trip to the charcoal factory in Kuala Sepetang, Perak was organized. A group of 15-20 members came in from the Northern, Central region and KL. Despite of the coming in from different places, we managed to meet up at the charcoal factory in between 9-10am. One of the factory managers was kind enough to give us a briefing on the process of producing charcoal.

I have set in mind that I'll be producing black and whites, so most of the shots are in B&W to add a historic/nostalgic mood to it. However, some shots are left in color as it was best to do so..

#1 - Boats are used to transport the woods from the mangrove forest nearby to the factory.

#2 - The barks are skinned off before being put in the chamber.

#3 - Hardworking villagers been doing this job for generations.

#4- A hardworking villager

#5 - An old school transporter

#6 - The burning chamber

It really was an interesting and memorable photo trip. I wouldn't mind visiting this place again..

Sunrise in Penang

2009-03-10T09:44:00.000-07:00

There's a bunch of guys/gals celebrating ShutterAsia's 2nd anniversary in Penang over last weekend. Plenty of shooting involved. Went to Shamrock Beach nearby Batu Ferringhi with wife and Capix to shoot the sunrise.. A little rusty, especially with landscape, but it's a good practice for the upcoming Perhentian Island trip, scheduled third week of March.

Well, here's some sunrise shots.

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

Composition - A forgotten aspect in macro

2009-02-16T20:41:00.000-08:00

When I first started exploring macro, I was always thrilled and obsessed with the magnification factor. During my first year exploring macro, I was always going for bigger and bigger magnification. This year marks my second year in macro photography. This year, I have set a few goals to achieve in my macro photography exploration. One of 'em is to compose better. What I have noticed in my macro outings with friends and forum members is that they tend to shoot from a diagonal angle. Why? Because it's easier to shoot. Even I do shoot that way. Well, time for a change, and put a little bit more effort in giving yourself the opportunity to compose creatively. Remember, when you see a subject, don't view the subject 360 degress of a single axis, view it from 360 degrees from 2 axis. That'll give your creative side of the brain to start working :)

Here are some of my 'improved' macro shots. At least I think so. :)

FRIM macro

2009-02-13T09:03:00.000-08:00

Since the recent FRIM contest was published, me and a few friends rushed to FRIM to play around with our macro gears. It's been a while since all of us went shooting together so it's time to make full use of the MPE. Kurt was there as well as Adrian. A few shots I managed to shoot.

Nothing competition worthy, so it's back to the drawing board :D

High Dynamic Range (HDR)

2009-01-08T05:52:00.000-08:00

High Dynamic Range or HDR is a technique that I've learned since I started getting involved with photography. Depending on how to tone mapped the HDR images, the outcome varies, be it a subtle effect or a dramatic effect. Some like it subtle, maintaining the photo-like appearance, while other prefer a more dramatic effect, which makes the photo look like a painting. Either way, it all comes down to personal preferences.

There are several HDR generation software that can be used to produce the HDR effect. A popular one is the Photomatix (I use this). Photoshop also has the HDR creation function. Personally, I find the Photomatix easier to use.

In order to produce a HDR image, one will need to identify which shots suits best to be processed in HDR. For me, the following types of shots are suitable to be processed in HDR,

1. A shot that shows a lot of details, be it an old rusty fire hydrant, architectural details, etc.

2. A shot that contains a wide tonal range. Example, have you ever shot a landscape only to get an underexposed foreground or a blown sky? Well, that's a good candidate for HDR.

3. A shot that involves metallic materials, ie. vehicles, metal structures, shiny things.

Don't rule out another potential HDR shot, which is the combination of 2 or 3 of the types mentioned above.

In this post, I'm sharing some HDR images that I have processed showing architectural details of a building. This building is the Morrocco's House, located at the Putrajaya Botanical Garden, Malaysia.

Malacca Zoo = SUPERB!

2009-01-01T07:01:00.000-08:00

Last time I mentioned that we're going to raid the Malacca Zoo. We as in, myself, zio, macropixman and liewwk. Armed with our tele lenses, we left KL around 7.30am. After a decent sized breakfast, we found ourselves at the entrance of the zoo. Entrance fee is RM7, not bad. Stepped in, and we saw the parrots (macaw). We put on our gears, and the rest was history..

'Blue and Yellow Macaw'

'Black on White'

'Movie star'

'The Stare'

'The Chosen One'

'Baby G'

'Spikes of Trouble'

I loved all the shots I managed to take in this session, but the best shot (in my view) for me was this shot.

'Unconditional Love'

The shot depicts an unconditional love of a mother. The emotion portrayed by the mother, with her eyes closed, shows that sense of calmness in providing her child with the basic necessity, security and food. The child, on the other hand, with eyes wide open while breastfeeding, shows its curiosity, daringness to try and naughtiness of a young child, totally opposite of what is being portrayed by the mother.

In summary, Zoo Melaka was awesome! All animals seemed healthier and well fed, in comparison the the ones kept in Zoo Negara. We spent the whole day there (10am-6pm), and still missed on a few notable animals, ie. elephants. :P We will be back, for sure..

Fun @ Putrajaya

2008-12-26T08:07:00.000-08:00

It was Xmas day, and I wanted to plan for the upcoming outdoor wedding location at Putrajaya. What was supposed to be a survey trip, ended up becoming a fun trip. Made a few calls, and a couple friends were up for 'free-run' shoot at Putrajaya. Me+wife, my sister-in-law, Nfariz+wife and Capix decided to have some fun there since I brought my strobist kit along.

Haven't shot my wife's portrait for a while, so here's some portraiture of her @ Putrajaya.

#1

#2

Then, the sun sets and we started to set up the lighting. We've hardly do all these strobist thingy, so, we're pretty much 'infants' in this area =)

#4

#5

#6

#7

#8

I just realized how much fun it was doing these kind of outing. Will be planning for more!

Zoo Negara Part Deux

2008-12-22T03:37:00.000-08:00

I've been a frequent visitor of the zoo this past couple months. Shooting animals in the zoo are interesting and requires patience. Most of the time, they'll be asleep. You can't throw your sandals to wake them up, so u gotta wait. This time, me and Joseph hit the zoo again and shoot selected animals, mainly the tiger and lions. Here are some shots of that day.

Next trip, we're hitting the road! We're raiding Zoo Melaka next!

KTM Station Street Shoot

2008-12-22T02:53:00.000-08:00

There was a street shoot outing organized by a my good mentor/friend 'Zamrudku' last Sunday. A massive group outing with a combination of both ShutterAsia and PhotoMalaysia members. I was there to support and meet up with my friends and try out my street shooting skills. Street shooting requires your eyes to be observant in order to pick up great shots from something seen everyday. I didn't shoot much, in fact, I shot only 17 frames, but I was very happy with the outcome.

This would be my favourite shot of the day..

And some other shots..

For those who are interested in doing street shooting, gather up a couple friends, and hit the streets of KL. It's better to do street shoots in group for your own security. And yea, no need to cover such a vast area, just select a small area and explore deeper. Keeping the shooting area small would make you look harder.. be it patterns, emotions or a perfect urbanscape shot.

Daniel & Chen Hui's Wedding

2008-12-16T11:39:00.000-08:00

Kurt and I have been given the honor by Daniel & Chen Hui to shoot their ROM. Daniel is May Kei's brother, whose wedding we shot recently. In return, we talked them into doing outdoor shoot at the Orchid Park. Outdoors are fun.. 85mm is fun too..

Congratulations to Daniel & Chen Hui, they're such a loving couple..

There's always the first time for everything.

2008-12-09T09:11:00.000-08:00

It was my first Chinese wedding job.. I (and my team) was given the opportunity by my wife's ex-colleague to shoot her wedding dinner + the traditional tea ceremony. Full of happiness, laughter and love. Such a wonderful couple. Congratulations May Kei & Kok Song. Here are some of my shots..

Hope there will be more opportunities to come in the future :)

My New Toy

2008-12-05T08:36:00.000-08:00

I recently purchased the lens I've been dreaming of, Canon's legendary macro lens - MPE65mm f2.8 1-5x. Ever since I started shooting macro, I've been inspired by the shots taken with the MPE65. This lens is capable of shooting up to 5:1 lifesize, which means, it's magnification power is 5x more than the other 1:1 macro lenses in the market. A 'must have' lens, at least for me..

Handling the lens is not as easy as it looks. It's a manual focus lens, so you need to practice to get higher percentage of success rate. The DOF is very thin, and at 4:1 and 5:1, there's an earthquake on your viewfinder even with the slightest vibration.

I pair this lens with my macro ring flash, the MR-14ex. Due to work commitments, I've only managed to take this lens for a walk only twice. At the moment, I'm only concentrating on getting the lighting and settings up to the level i wanted it to be. Composition of subject can come in later ;)

Here are some shots taken with this lens. I know I'm gonna love this lens... just like my other lenses :P

The Nifty Fifty Project #7

2008-11-01T18:17:00.000-07:00

#7 - Delighted (ISO400, 1/60sec, f/2.8)

The Nifty Fifty Project #5 and #6

2008-10-28T01:41:00.000-07:00

#5 - Make me work (ISO100, 1/320sec, f/2.0)

#6 - Look deeper! (ISO1600, 1/60sec, f/1.8)

My dad used to live here..

2008-10-22T04:53:00.000-07:00

My father grew up in this house in Perlis. I believe that this house was built since the 1930s, if not earlier. Now, there's only the kitchen portion that remains. It'll be there for the next couple years before it bows down to earth..

I'm very sure my father has a lot of fond memories of this house.

PP-info - Multiple exposure shot (-2,0,2) HDR, converted into BW, then tons of selective curve adjustment plus selective sharpening on house details (thanks to Zamrudku for sharing his knowledge).

Shot with a 17-40 f4L on 40D.

Zoo Negara with EF100-400L

2008-10-16T20:35:00.000-07:00

I just got a new toy. It's the EF100-400 f4.5-5.6 L. This lens has "FUN" tagged to it. So, I went to Zoo Negara and did some shooting with the new toy. Here's my best shot of the day..

"Mad Scientist"

The Nifty Fifty Project #3 and #4

2008-09-19T09:10:00.000-07:00

#3 - At rest (ISO100, 1/500sec, f/2.8)

#4 - National Colors (ISO100, 1/800sec, f/2.8)

[BEHIND THE SCENE] SUNGAI CONGKAK OUTING

2008-09-11T10:07:00.000-07:00

We had tons of fun shooting those silky water effect at Sungai Congkak. Here are the three photographers who went in and out of the water soaking themselves and their gears wet just to get the shots as they imagined it would be.

Master Zamrud looking for the sweetest spot

Master Fariz in and out of the water

and.. ME! Manfrotto ad wannabe :PSungai Congkak.. we'll be back with more photographers!

[NATURE] Sungai Congkak, Hulu Selangor

2008-09-09T10:14:00.000-07:00

I've always wanted to shoot those silky water shots. Recently had the chance to shoot it when I visited Sungai Congkak, Hulu Selangor. Equipped with Cokin GND2,4,8 and a tripod, there I was with a few friends soaking ourselves in the chilling water trying to get the best angle.

This won't be the last time me visiting Sungai Congkak. I was mesmerized with the calmness and cooling atmosphere. I will be back for more shots and leisure, with family and friends.

The shots were post processed with Orton effect (you can download the photoshop action on the net). However, I didn't use 100% of the Ortonized output. I blended the Ortonized layer with the original layer with a 30-45% opacity.

The Nifty Fifty Project #2

2008-09-07T14:25:00.000-07:00

#2 - Patriotism (ISO200, 1/4000sec, f/2.2)

The Nifty Fifty Project #1

2008-09-07T13:49:00.000-07:00

I have decided to create a photography project for myself. This photography project is called the Nifty Fifty project because the all the photos in this project will be shot using the 50mm f/1.8 lens. All shots in the Nifty Fifty project will be using shallow DOFs, ie. between f/1.8 - f/2.8. The idea is to emphasis on certain details of a subject with having to complicate the interpretation of the photo. I plan to shoot 50 shots for this Nifty Fifty project before proceeding to the next project.

#1 - "Lentik" (ISO400, 1/125sec, F/2.2)

Test post.

2008-02-11T04:08:00.000-08:00

Testing testing.. one, two, three...
Okay.. will be back with more posts :D