Love Series . 006

Love Series . 005

Love Series . 004

Love Series . 003

Love Series . 002

Love Series . 001

Sayang

The word "Sayang" is commonly used in Malaysia. It basically means love. (Click Here)
It's common to hear "I sayang you ah..." (Manglish/Malaysian English)

Figures

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Earn-a-living Series

I am still collecting images for my "earn-a-living" series which I started in 2009.

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Arts and Artist

Do-re-mi

Keeping a Business

Moment

"Fill Us Up"

Photographers' Rights

Reading the blog post on The Online Photographer (HERE) reminds me of this shot I took just 2 days ago. 

"A citizen's right to film government officials, including law enforcement officers, in the discharge of their duties in a public place is a basic, vital, and well-established liberty safeguarded by the First Amendment."

—The federal First Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston,
in a recent ruling
Source: American Police Beat

281011, Kota Raya, Kuala Lumpur

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Pocket Money

Earn-a-Living

Oh btw, a man who looks like he's 50-60 years old with full proper limps and face was begging just a few metres away. What a shame! And this man choose to sing you songs. 

What's In?

Image taken on 7 Aug 2011 in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur.

Hot Babes, Dannok, Thailand

Education

I Know My Mess

Hot Babe!

Freedom

Freedom is a condition of your heart. It is not something which can be seen by "shallow eyes" and people with "shallow" hearts. It does not seek approval, or "like", or even others' understanding. It is a selfish pleasure of an individual. When you are truly free in your heart, no matter where you are, you are truly joyful.

Have Hope!

Seller has hope. Buyer has hope. Hope is the element which keeps life going.

Cool Grandma!

Baby Safety

This photo is taken just yesterday in Malaysia. I believe the lower income group in Malaysia is earning so little that most can't afford a car or motorbike. And for those families with babies among the lower income group, this sight is common. Some parents even ride their bikes with 2-3 children on it. I don't think any helmet for babies are available in Malaysia. And the police are more interested in "catching" rich car owners than poor motorbikers in general. This is life in Malaysia.

Solitude Shown

The Yoga Goat

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The "Photo Expert"

Ah Beng: "Bro, you received the Sony image file I sent to you ah? The one with your face in it?"
Ah Seng: "Yup, replied ur email. The skin tone not bad, but colors still look a bit digital lah..."

Ah Beng: "How about the Olympus one I sent?"
Ah Seng: "Ah.. that one nicer... the skin tone I meant... doesn't look so digital... but I hate the noise!"

Ah Beng: "I'm just wondering... if you like film so much... why don't you shoot film?"
Ah Seng: "Shoot film troublesome lah... expensive... hard to find a good lab... etc etc..."

Ah Beng: "Hey, what do you think of that film scan I emailed to you, the one I shot with Lucky Color Film on my M6 the other day... remember?"
Ah Seng: "Oh yeah... I like the film look but... the skin tone sucks!"

Ah Beng: "How about the one I shot with Kodak Portra?"
Ah Seng: "Oh... that one the skin tone is nice... but when indoors, not so nice..."
Ah Beng: "You think it's better than digital?"
Ah Seng: "A bit grainy lah... I like the smoothness in digital... like the Sony's one."

Ah Beng: "I'm just wondering, since you like film look, but don't like grains; yet you prefer Portra's skin tone, but you don't like to shoot film; you prefer Oly's skin tone to Sony but don't like Oly's noise... what do you shoot with???"

Ah Seng: "Oh... Hahaha... I basically hang around forums commenting on others' shots... I own a Nikon but my son uses it more... I also do have a Canon but it's for leisure... you know... daily shots... but it's too bulky, so I usually leave it at home... But I usually try all sorts of cameras my friends have... when they bring their gears during our *Teh Tarik sessions..."

Ah Beng: "Oh, so you do photowalks during the Teh Tarik sessions?"
Ah Seng: "Erhem... we usually just sit down and talk..."

*(terminology: teh tarik means having tea)

"Mind Your Language and Sit At Your Own Risk!"

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Stripes

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The Opposition Party

The next generation always goes against the previous. History repeats itself all the time.

Commitment

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Malaysia Police

CLICK Twice to View Largest Size

If you live in Malaysia, you would probably understand better about what I want to tell through this image. The subjects in the picture are mere representation, being there at the right time, at right place, showing their expressions, and you can say I was lucky to be there, with my camera, at the right time, in the right place to capture this moment. My heart aches whenever I look at this image I took. My heart aches, but yet laughs with sarcasm at what I already knew and experienced in this country where I live in, over the last 8 years. But yet, I shall continue to do my best within my ability, to capture, to tell, to make art, to share, even if I may offend some along the way. I believe to each has his or her own calling to fulfill.

Not Talking

Your Audience

Thinking of who's looking at your pictures does make you shoot in a certain way, right or wrong?

My wife who is not a photographer BUT someone who does know how to tell a a nice picture from another will never be able to advise me which lens gives a "better" result, etc. But yet, she can tell me which picture she likes best and which she finds there's nothing interesting.

On the other hand, my photographer friends who know more about lenses will start asking me what lenses I used, film or digital, and all the questions regarding the equipment I used when they see some "nice" pictures from me.

So I guess, the "Nice" when my wife said it must have a different meaning to the "Nice" when my photographer friends said it.

So now, what?

Should I aim to please my wife or my photographer friends? (as a reminder, my wife is quite a critic at pictures. She's not very artistic when compared to many others but at least she has some art sense)

When I said, "ART is selfish, you only set out to please yourself, you should only shoot for yourself, you shoot what you feel NOT what you want others to like... etc..." erhem... "Bullshit!" that's what the realists will say! Sometimes, I am a realist too!

We all want an audience, don't we?

But some can go so crazy in "Fans-collecting" that they often lose themselves, lose their own character, lose their gut feeling, lose their moxie in doing what they want, in fear of losing their fans and losing their audience.

If my audience is a bunch of gear nuts, I'll be changing gears constantly in order to satisfy my audience.

If my audience is a bunch of non-artistic business people, I'll only be shooting what makes money, whatever that's "in-season".

If my audience is a bunch of sensitive people who appreciates ART, I'll be more sensitive in the content I wanna present in my images.

So I guess, it's either Change Your Audience (if you find you're not getting the right audience) OR Change You (to suit what's most "popular").

The Fatherly Figure

How important it is, for a dad to spend time with his kid?

Enjoying Photography as Art

Photography as Art is all about emotions, your inner senses, your gut feeling. When you look at an image and can't feel what the photographer is saying, you fail to communicate to the photographer. It's like reading body language. Sometimes, the photographer leaves an open end for your imagination, sometimes an immediate answer to your question. It's pure unspoken pleasure between the artist and the viewers, and willing audience only.

The ones who try to define photography with rationalism fail to communicate with their feelings. They skip the pleasure of the senses. It's hard when photography is so dependent on cameras. It's hard to avoid thinking about the camera and lens behind an image, and the exposure settings, etc. We can go on and on about sharpness, the "right" way or your "preferred" way of doing it, and forget the emotional communication between you and the photographer.  

Try understanding the photographer through his/her images. You'll be a happier person.

Running Away

HINTS

1. Can't wait to get away, far far away... ...

2. Running away from reality

3. Fighting to be in the first place

It's sad that I even have to list out the above to get your imagination running... we seem all dead in our senses living in this part of the world. Photography has become all about cameras and lenses, nothing about imagination anymore. If we can't read images, how can we make images of our own expressions? 

All we know is to ogle at how difficult some images seem to be made by some professionals, how about the tons of hobbyists who make fantastic expressions through images? It surely does not take a pro to make better images... ...

The Child in Me

Can't Stop

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...

The Mystery Meat Seller

Looking Beyond Sharpness. (Pic: Two Different Shades)

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I've been keeping quiet for a long time and I believe I'll continue to keep quiet. That's because I choose to let my images speak for me instead of my writings.

In this country I live in currently, I face the problem of people reading and understanding images more than anything else. We have no lack of knowledge of the latest cameras, photographic technology, the best lenses, the newest remote flash gimmicks, Photoshop tools, etc. but we lack people who can read images beyond simply sharpness and bokeh. 

Is sharpness and bokeh all that you see in an image? If you are asked to describe an image emotionally, can you do so? If we can't even read images, how can we shoot them? 

What's the reason of you picking up photography? To earn FAME or CASH?

I enjoy photography as an art form. I shoot what I see and feel, and what I see and feel changes at different stages of my life. I practise it because I like it, NOT because others like what I do OR give me recognition and cash.

I enjoy sharing my images and what I know. I like being myself. If what I share benefits you, stay with me. If not, please find someone else who benefits or inspires you. 

In photography, it's hard for us not to talk about gears. But to grow in image-making, it's time to look beyond cameras, lenses, sharpness and bokeh. You will see no mention of gears in my blog this year. 

Determination

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Working in the Rain

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Different Lives

The Balancing Dog

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