More baby portraits!

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

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..

In Search of Peace and Serenity IV - Resemblance

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!

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

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 - Kg Telok, Port Dickson

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....

....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..

Another baby portrait session - Adam Harris

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

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 II - Fuji Velvia 50

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

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

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

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

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.

Going larger than 35mm..

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

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

Bib the Graffiti Girl..

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!

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.