To All Photographers and True Lovers of Photography

Quote: "Use your fxxxing brain. People don't think enough. People don't use their brain. They use copy-paste. Your brain is free. It is fast. Wickedly fast." Erik Spiekermann (1947), German typographer and designer.

To think I haven't spoken enough of the industry's lack of integrity, conscience, ethics and self-respect earlier, you can read more here and here. The world truly is upside-down.

Proven Marketing Strategy 1: Study what images sell in the market, copy them.
Proven Marketing Strategy 2: Study how established photographers source for business, copy them.
Proven Marketing Strategy 3: Study the influential, if possible, join and conform, be like them.

If we still have some self-respect, just like those Japanese retail workers I mentioned earlier, we should start taking pride in what we do. They wrap your purchases better than some photographers claiming they are artists.

My Proven Marketing Strategy is Do What You Love and Love What You Do. If you are not enjoying it, why do it?

Let us remind one another NOT to Prostitute Art for Money/Fame. Each of us have our own group of followers. We have no reasons to be insecure.

Lastly, if you are truly enjoying the art of copying, please forget this blog and forget me. You too will have your own group of followers. That's a worldwide FACT. Again, no one can define "COPY" to be exact, but we should all have our own conscience to answer to, even if you don't believe in God.

Here's an old archived image from year 2003.

Music, An Essential Part of Our Life, just like Images

Image taken from www.last.fm

I grew up with his music. One of my favourite artists. Always remembered. Legendary. Childlike. Purely Original. Now always will be missed by millions. Music brings back memories, smell, taste, sensitize all our five senses, even the sixth. True artists are original, proud to be original, sharing, giving, childlike, sensitive. Here's another story where fame does not equate fortune. But his impact upon our lives, at least for those who loves his music, is forever. Let us learn from great artists, taking pride in image-making, or whatever arts you do. Let our vision be original, for each one of us has our own uniqueness. That's where real joy is. I'll miss Michael Jackson.

Here's one great MTV by him, a necessary statement! Click here.

Hey! It's MY BLOG. You can have YOURS too!

Just a really gentle reminder to all who reads this blog... ... This is my blog. I write what I want. You can have yours too and write what you want. If you don't like what I write, click away and forget you have ever come across this blog please.

I wrote about my personal preference of shooting in "Aperture Priority Mode" during weddings and some who shoot "MANUAL" responded behind facebook calling me names. Though I still don't have facebook till now but I have friends telling me and emailing me about it.

A BIG THANK YOU goes to all who reads my posts FAIRLY(as it is entirely a personal preference which I did mentioned). Also, in regards to my sentiments about the Malaysia Wedding Industry written here and here, it is also ENTIRELY my personal feelings and observation and do not contain any hidden agenda of sabotaging. I wrote them simply to point out the SERIOUS ISSUE OF BUSINESS AND PERSONAL ETHICS AND VALUES. No names were ever mentioned, just issues. I want you guys to focus on the ethic issues we face, NOT otherwise. I also believe we face such ethic issues everywhere, just that usually Malaysians keep quiet about it.

Who cares whether you are shooting AUTO or MANUAL, film or digital when your shots are simply stunning! Let's focus on better things.

The Current Blogging Trend

Just to share some of my thoughts on the current blogging trend... ... entirely personal... ... please don't take it personally... ... like some of you out there who read my earlier posts here and here and here


I have just been deeply thinking, this current blogging style of presenting our works as artists online, a NEW photo/s per day/per week, just kind of make us feel that our old works are being replaced by new ones, that the old aren't good anymore, that the old are "out-of-trend", that the old deserves to be forgotten, deserves to be chucked aside, even trashed(sometimes archived is almost the same as trashed since no one looks at them anymore, that we probably have to dig for hours for that one great shot we suddenly remembered).

Digital = Instant Gratification. Digital photographer who has never shot film will never understand the excitement, the anticipation and the fulfillment from shooting film. New images replaces the old. Digital shooters shoot thousands. The fear of missing shots. 9 frames per second? The lack of confidence. I thought digital shooters should have more confidence since they can preview on-the-spot??? No, obviously not. Digital makes us lazy, dependent on the latest technology, lose confidence (if you are that confident in your competency, DON'T PREVIEW!), and even losing the pride of an artist! The pride of an artist does not rely on "CHANCE SHOTS"! He relies almost entirely on his INTUITION. He treasures every frame he shoots, and remembers them by heart.

Haven't you realize that even as you set your latest digital SLR on multiple-shot mode, you end up getting the best shot on your first frame many-a-times? That is if you are already an Intuitive Shooter. If you think you are still not one, I shall invite you for a personal session with me to "open up" your senses.

So, do we really update our photo-blog because we have something genuine to share? Or do we just update it because we want Google to send some crawlers to our site and help us gain some traffic. Is all that extra traffic really that necessary? How many of your audience really appreciate your works? Are we doing ARTS just for money OR are we enjoying ourselves CREATING WORKS (NOT COPYING) while earning an income from it? Are we more concerned about outdoing our competitors OR are we more concerned of whether we are truly enjoying ourselves, freely expressing ourselves and getting real fulfillment from genuine lovers of our works?

Hey! That's what money can't buy! Money buy you advertisements, publicity, fame but never TRUE JOY IN THE REAL CRAFT OF PHOTOGRAPHY AS ART! That explains why many FLICKR enthusiasts shoot better than PROS! Even some of my students shoot better than some wedding pros I know. That simply is because they really enjoy what they do, not just bragging about it. In my life as an earning photographer, I learn more from people who really enjoy what they do than some who call themselves PRO. And most of them are just photo-enthusiasts! You shoot from your heart NOT your mind or somewhere else for those who are so bloody dependent on high-tech instruments! Use your equipments NOT the other way round.

NO IMAGINATION, NO ARTS!

I don't know about you but I don't need that extra "Back-scratching" from someone in the industry(anyway, I'm glad I'm OUT!) just to remind me that I better scratch his back in return in future. I'd rather have a small pool of people who genuinely appreciates my works than a whole lot of traffic to my site. And well, I still include one picture in this post just hoping it won't get archived and forgotten.