Another MyToddlerPhotos.com photo session with Nik Zaheera Aliaa

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.

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

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 mesmerizing smile - feat. Nurul

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

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

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.

Passing By triptych

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

Posh Girl Goes Shopping

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. :)

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

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!

An Urban Sunset with EF100-400L

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 :)