Bros.SG.Feb2018

Brothers, brotherhood, buddies, partners-in-crime, friendship. Life is a lot better when you have a friend who understands and share with. We are not made to live alone.

Being Alone

Konica Hexar RF, made in 1938 50 summicron, Ilford XP2

Sometimes in street photography, I like to include more of the environment to tell the story. The dark edges in this shot adds a mysterious/secretly filmed kind of feeling to it, at the same time including much details. Women, in my eyes are usually capable and strong. Many of them possess a kind of strength that men do not have. Determination, stubbornness, the refusal to give up, the strength in biting on an issue for years, etc. I know of many women who single handedly raised up their kids without their husbands. This woman reminds me of that feeling.

Tourist earning allowance . 200218

Konica Hexar RF, 1938 Leitz 50 summicron, Ilford XP2.

This is my first time seeing a tourist earning allowances by selling photography services. Maybe I should too.

Starting Work . 初五 . 20 Feb 2018

Konica Hexar RF with 1938 50 summicron, XP2 

Started my morning in Petaling Street for breakfast before heading to Teluk Intan for a day trip, testing my vintage lens and the Hexar which I have not been using for a long time.
For a 1938 lens, this is full of flavour and character, but don't expect modern sharpness.
I shot this at F2.

Colours in Life . 190218

An Old Malay House in Kuala Lumpur

I am thankful to God my eyes can see. 

There should be colours in life, not just black and white. Colours often bring cheer and a positive outlook, contrary to black and white. But black and white leads us away from reality, yet removes the distraction of the real world and makes us more sensitive to our inner feelings.

Today I choose to share some colours in life that we often overlooked. The roof over our heads, the food we get to eat, our colourful toothbrush, broom and slippers, the clothes we choose to wear, etc. Everything can be beautiful when bathed in the morning sun. 

Appreciate what we have, smile when you wake up each morning because you are still breathing, find a dozen of things you can be thankful for each day and your life will be full of colours of your own.

Hairstylist . 2013

Ricoh GR, ISO5000, SOOC, 2013

Straight from the camera with no editing... Now, I'm beginning to miss the Ricoh.

Pasar malam (night market) is a part of Malaysia's culture. Today, it has gotten so expensive that you can easily spend RM50 within 50 metres of walking in it, and your stomach is still less than half full. But walking with a camera is free of charge, empty stomach but if you are lucky, you get some nice shots. It's a good place to test your high ISO, haha...

Expressions . 2013

shot with Ricoh GR, ISO3200, SOOC, 2013

Found this in my harddrive, the Ricoh GR files really are much better than the GRDiii :)

I remember I sold my GR a few months after I owned it (actually exchanged it with a Konica Hexar from a friend), because I preferred the deeper depth of field (due to it's smaller sensor) and larger aperture of the GRDiii (F1.8 vs F2.8).

I did no touch up to the above file. It's straight from the camera. That's the nice thing about the Ricohs!

Gritty Roast Goose 2018

From GRDiii, RAW edited in LR, 2018.

I have stopped carrying a camera in my bag daily for quite a while except my Samsung S7 mobile. Recently dug out my Ricoh GRDiii and started shooting again... more like testing it because I planned to sell it. (Sold)

Kinda miss it's black and white, and the comfortable grip, the customizable buttons and decent battery life! (Comparing to Sony, it's long life!)

This is just one of the test shots of one of my favourite food.

Using a proper camera really is different from holding a smartphone. You feel different.

I am happy that my GRDiii is in the hands of another enthusiast now and I hope he continues to produce wonderful pictures with it.

Sisters, 2013

I am back posting and writing after a long long silence.

Photo taken with Ricoh GRD3 (SOOC) years ago in Singapore. I am actually pixel peeping my files considering which cameras to sell off. Trying to reduce my camera collection, haha...

Photography and gears are closely knitted. One can't live without the other. It's impossible not to discuss about gears and pixel peep from time to time. Not necessarily with people, but in my own world.

Opposite Attracts or ...

Common Interest. Dannok, Thailand. 2011.

Opposite attracts or "Birds of the same feathers flock together"?

I think both exists. It depends on how you look at it.

Livelihood at Occupy Central

Pairs

The variety (or lack) of communication among them...
加油！ Hong Kong!

Pollution-Free HK

How often do you see Nathan Road in Hong Kong free from pollution?

Butt Check

"Make sure he's dead!"

Halloween at Mong Kok

In the midst of Occupy Central Protests, life is as per normal in Mong Kok, Hong Kong.

Love Series 011

I have another shot of them kissing but in the end, I chose this due to the eye contact.

From the other side

We often judge others without realizing we may be in the same condition as them.

Love Series Continues... 010

Love in Hong Kong tonight.

My "Love Series" continues from here: http://davidchuaphotography.blogspot.hk/2012/01/love-series-009.html

Good Sleep

From a year 2011 recently self-processed negative. Negative has grown mouldy. Probably taken with Leica M6, 35cron and on APX400 film.

At night in bed, I'll pray a short prayer next to him, asking Jesus to give him sweet dreams and a good night sleep. And he'll correct me by saying, "No! No dreams! A good sleep has no dreams."
He's absolutely right!

In the morning, I'll ask him, "Did you have a good sleep?" He'll usually say, "Yes!"

That's how simple life seems.

But today, I think of all the children in the world who's suffering. The ones who flee to the mountains to escape the killing of the ISIS, the ones who suffer hunger and the lack of clean water around the world, the ones kidnapped by syndicates and made beggars on the streets who probably having broken arms and legs, the ones dying from a terminal illness and suffering in pain, the ones brainwashed as young soldiers killing others... so on and so forth.

Could we just for a moment, daily, remember that we are indeed very fortunate?

Life "stops" sometimes...

Agfa APX400, probably Leica M6 with 35cron, processed in DDX

Lately, I have finally dug out dozens of my unprocessed films since 2011, a mixture of 35mm to 120mm, and even some 4x5 negatives, to process them. (the above is a frame from the first roll I begin scanning now in the early morning of 22 Aug 2014)

And it happens that today, 22 Aug 2014, is the official mourning day of MH17 crash victims in Malaysia. My unifi TV at home is showing the condolences message reminding us to mourn, as the bodies arrive back Malaysia today.

Life "stops" inside us sometimes, when something big, painful, or life-changing happens to us. That's the time when we begin so engrossed with what we are going through, mostly painful, struggling between moving on and lingering in our pain. Some of us are more sensitive in our emotions, some of us not. In this case, probably the less sensitive are more fortunate.

I am kinda surprised I can even remember some of the shots I took... the place, the mood, the situation I was in... after more than 3 years... but of course, I have problem remembering some of them.

The fact I stated year 2011 is also because of some of the shots I remember... the person/s in the frames, the places...

They always say, when you remember something so deeply, it's either an extremely happy or an extremely sad time you had.

If you look at my blog, you would have noticed I stopped blogging for more than 2-3 years. My life kinda "stopped" over things I was going through.

There's no doubt that pain is the best teacher in life, provided that we get through it, which we can if we keep at it. There are just too many things we don't have answers for, which we either keep on thinking and searching OR we move on and let the answers come to us (if they ever come to us). That's my way of moving on. I choose to take life easier, because life is too short and there's not enough time for me to do the things I love, and to love the people around me.

I am mourning for the lives lost in Iraq, in Syria, in Gaza, in MH17, in MH370, in Nigeria... we have seen much in the recent times.

May we treasure our lives and our loved ones and be contented with what we have daily, remembering our brains are just too little to understand God's ways in dealing with us. If we know we can't understand the whole picture, we shouldn't blame anyone.