I love this shot I took during an event a couple of days ago. It’s one of those moments which passes in seconds. I am contemplating whether I should shave my beard unless it grows white and I grow as fat (and adorable) as Santa. The recent tan I got from my beach holidays might have contributed to my “scary” look. Well, on the bright side, I think most kids and babies love me cause I have that love for them oozing out of me (I think… haha).
But kids are cute and adorable (on pictures) whether they are crying or laughing. The shot is not “perfect” with the maid standing behind but she does seem to be an authoritative figure standing and watching silently behind. In portrait photography, an expressive moment caught outlaws all compositional rules we were taught sometimes.
Because film is imperfect. Film is coated with a layer of chemical emulsion that can be easily scratched or finger-printed by human. Loading a roll of film requires human touch. Unloading a roll of film also requires human touch. In fact, the whole process of developing a roll of film, whether it’s by the lab or D.I.Y. requires human touch.
Unlike in digital, pixels are often perfect. Technology advances toward perfection. We have perfectly clean ISO6400 today. We also have super-sharp digital images, perfect white balance, and Photoshop to perfect our images further. Yet, so many software are trying to introduce “film flaws” back into digital photography via plug-ins, photo filters, etc. It’s ironic!
I love film because film is imperfect. It reminds me that life is imperfect. It reminds me to accept what I cannot change.
A friend in Facebook recently wrote: ” Life is not always a bed of roses. Will you allow your unhappiness to overwhelm you or will you try to find a ray of sunshine through the seemingly dark skies? It is all a matter of choice.”
My comment was, “To enjoy the fragrance, softness n beauty of roses, we need to accept the thorns too.”
What’s roses without thorns anyway? It creates depth of field. Hahaha…
Oh yeah.. she’s no longer a baby. She’s 3 this year. I have been a photographer for this family for years and it all started with her parents’ wedding years ago. Pics of her birthday party last year is HERE. Here are the some of my favourite pictures this year. For all those who are interested to hire me as your photographer and wish to view full sets of portfolio, it’s all available. Just contact me via phone or email
Hope this picture cheer you guys up out there in this gloomy world – Michael Jackson died, swine flu, economy down, Malaysia’s political situation, more-and-more-”photographers” charging cheaper, nasi kandar still so expensive, sucky photographers winning awards(subjective), everything getting more expensive(except for digital SLRs), poor getting poorer, more and more babies being thrown away, homeless not fed and dying, children being sold to prostitution daily, etc, etc… never-ending human rights violations. Let’s all not forget life is not just about ourselves.
Are we aware that there are many children without a home, without a family, without the love of mum and dad? They are just around us, near us, everyday, unnoticed, living their lives daily not knowing what’s going to happen tomorrow. To know how you can help, click here.
Rumah Kids 2 is the second home set up after Rumah Kids 1. There’s about 20 children in Rumah Kids 2 today. Today is the opening ceremony. It’s in an urban neighbourhood in USJ1 Subang Jaya, where we could be spending at The Summit, often forgetting that a home just near us needs our help. Time, talent or treasure… I’m sure we all have at least one of them to give. Agree?
