Portrait of a Singer

It’s my pleasure to photograph this local artist. Here’s his current website which is yet to be updated: http://www.khylune.com/

New Studio

Portrait of an Artist

I have recently shifted my studio to a landed property, a link house. My studio size has shrunk by half but I am happy with my new setup. I am also happy to be working more privately in my own little space, a good place for thoughts, for sorting out my mess, and an ideal place to serve my clientele in my preferred homely and private manner. As such, my new studio is only open to my clients and not to the public. Stay tuned as I gradually update my portfolio in this website. I thank all of you who love my works and who supports me.

Pinky Promise?

A Personal Portrait

Aging Gloriously

I love to photograph people as they are, in total unawareness (or at least it seems to me) of a camera pointing at them. The expressions are priceless to me. Most people just look different when they look at a camera lens pointing at them. We live in a culture which taught us to “pose” for the camera. Too often times during photography sessions, I hear parents calling out to their kids to say “cheese”. We need to be taught to observe the natural, to catch the priceless moment, to “respect” the ambience.

The trick in good portrait photography is staying quiet. Many things can’t be taught and it has to be caught. The gut feeling of pressing the shutter is one of them.

My Simplest Camera… …

also my MOST favourite camera, the Holga. This is no NEW Holga, it’s been with me for more than 8 years.

Sometimes, All you ever NEED is a plastic lens on a black plastic box loaded with film. This IS the BEST Therapy ever! Shutter Therapy, as my blogger friend Robin calls it.

Have you ever thought of quitting photography? Yes, I do, in some ways… …

Sometimes I just feel so tired of looking at tons of digital images everywhere, especially online, and ONLY FEW can make me look at it for longer than a quick glance. For example, it makes me wonder why some bothers to shoot 10 shots of the same cat in a similar pose and post them all in flickr!?

In the current wedding industry, it’s common for couples to receive 12 sequential shots of a groom wearing his bow tie, and another 12 sequential shots of the parents covering the bride with her veil… … the list goes on and on…

I ever hired an assistant photographer who gave me just that! And editing his shots after the wedding is a real pain in the ass!

I wanna throw a question to all you guys out there… Do you seriously think photography standards have improved TODAY as compared to film days? Or to be MORE specific, do you seriously think wedding photography standards have improved in recent years due to the latest technology, the MOST intelligent cameras, the Nikon D3S, Canon 5Dmk2, etc. and etc… …???

So what if we can shoot smooth and silky jpegs at ISO25600 at 9 frames per sec?

Street Shot – Footprints

Footprints, permanent ones.

Footprints, permanent ones.

Street Shot – Earn-a-living

Couple packing up their mobile store after a morning of work in the street market

Couple packing up their mobile store after a morning of work in the street market

Street Shot – Traveller

Traveller

Traveller

Rush, rush, rush… I’ve been like this traveller lately. No time to eat.

Care for Our Environment

Rest-in-Peace, 2nd Prize in "Be The Change Photo Competition"

Rest-in-Peace, 2nd Prize in "Be The Change Photo Competition"

It’s great fun and satisfaction when you go around looking for subject that matters to shoot, and not just shoot mindlessly without an aim. Winning something is a bonus.

Tons of outstanding photographers out there don’t participate in competitions. Many old school photographers still prefer very much to stay in their darkroom and enjoy great traditional printouts rather than posting them online. I was lucky enough to win something.

(Story behind the winning shot: I extended my stay in Bintulu, Sarawak after a wedding shoot with my friend Louis, to photograph Bintulu. This shot was taken when our car broke down by the side of the road and I went to look for a place to pee. While hunting for a discrete spot to do my business, I found this captivating scene).

I believe ARTS should be shared and not kept in the closet. And it should benefit others. And it should be easily understood. ARTS ARE NOT MEANT FOR ARTISTS ONLY. It’s meant for everyone. It’s lame to produce something and give yourself an excuse it’s ARTS when people don’t understand it. So my shots are often simple. (Though sometimes, my wife will exclaim at me, “What the hell is that?” … … Hahaha … … I sincerely believe God gave me a wife to keep me sane).

For the geeks, all shots are done with Olympus E-P1 and the kit lens. A camera small enough and yet produces professional results can double up your photographic opportunities!

Still, the message is “CARE FOR YOUR ENVIRONMENT PLEASE” and it’s not just about using cameras. The following are the other shots I did which was selected for the exhibition last week at The Gardens Shopping Mall, Mid Valley. The Competition was organised by Hot Potato Publishing and you can read about it HERE.

A respectable man with strong determination to contribute to preserving our environment is Mr Matthias Gelber. Please look at what he has to say HERE.

burning forest-1, Bintulu

burning forest-1, Bintulu

burning forest 2 - Bintulu

burning forest 2 - Bintulu

burnt forest, Bintulu

burnt forest, Bintulu

smoky bus, Subang

smoky bus, Subang

smoky jeep, Cameron Highlands

smoky jeep, Cameron Highlands

littered drain, Bintulu

littered drain, Bintulu

 

Heaven

My Favorite Favourite Favourite Song of All Times!!! Click Here and view the images at the same time.

When you are in love, you are in heaven. You forget all unhappy things. There’s no way anyone or anything can take that feeling away. Oh… how deeply I still love my wife after more than 12 years of marriage. Thank You, Lord!

Clouds 4Clouds 5Clouds 1Clouds 2Clouds 3Clouds 6