Horticultural Therapy

It works… cause it requires much patience and creativity. It’s healing because we get closer to mother nature! Just love the experience! My art piece to share with everyone.

Passionate Photographers

The following article was written based on personal experience, with the purpose of motivating other photographers around. May readers like you find this sharing useful in improving your photography skills.

“To be a good photographer, you have to be a good human being. Have humility, feel their lives.” The humble Khaled Hasan from Bangladesh shared his experience as a photographer in his home place.

As Nikon Malaysia celebrated their 10^th Anniversary Celebration, photographers and enthusiasts were given the rare opportunity of attending photography talks by the professionals. This was the place where the pros shared their photography passion with those present. Ten talks, spread out in 4 consecutive days, saw some over two thousand people attending the talks, where the audiences were given the chance to be up-close and personal with the pros.

Photograph with Emotions

Khaled Hasan, who was awarded the All Roads Photography Award by the National Geographic, shared his powerful images with the crowd on Saturday evening, where he featured his black and white photographs of his people in a stone factory. Being a documentary photographer, he spent time with the subjects and tried to understand them. “My mentor once told me that I must be a good human being before I start photographing. This is because when I know the history and emotions of my subjects, the photographs I take would reflect how I feel.” With strong emotions in his photographs, the photographs he shared gave everyone a sense of hopelessness in the stone factory workers.

Currently equipped with a Nikon D200 and a 28mm prime lens, he believes that one should know their gears thoroughly before shoots. He gave some tricks away as well, “look out for emotions, contrasts, and tones. Always photograph what you feel.” As Khaled started off with film photography, he liked his time spent in the dark room developing his black and white photographs. As for now, he still spends some amount of time on the computer burning and dodging some of his shots before prints. On his last note, he advised everyone to “outdo yourself, push yourself and challenge yourself with the other professionals.”

Deanna Ng from Singapore started off with her own project on photographing Pasat (Market) in Singapore. “It was a something more personal, as I know some of those sellers myself.” Her photographs from a project called Life Before Death campaign by Lien Foundation moved those present to tears, where the photographs showed much emotion in the hospice and terminally ill patients and their families in their last days. “Those are not patients. They are my friends. They are dear to me.” Deanna shared with us while flipping through her album. There were times she found it hard to press the shutter, as those very sad moments for her. “Believe it or not, the hardest people to photograph are those closest to you. Try photographing your family and you will realize how hard it is.” She also took the opportunity to encourage everyone to not just focus on taking nice photographs, but take photographs that mean something.

Emotions, strong and powerful, they put the viewers into deep thoughts. Many photographers sharing during the event do agree that emotions play important roles in portraying the subject of the picture. Indonesian photojournalist Ahmad Zamroni, or just Roni, shared his experiences and photographs he has taken during many natural disasters, especially those involving his homeland. He found that those emotions came rushing through and he can’t let go of his camera, he kept on clicking away, wanting to get the best shot he could to show the world how he felt about the natural disaster. On a lighter side, he has experienced joys of photographing as well. “There was once my assignment was to photograph a football league. When one of the teams struck a goal, I was hopping with joy, totally forgotten about my photograph.” He laughed reliving the moments. “Only a few seconds later I realized that I have a responsibility to fulfill.”

Compact to Pro

From a psychology teacher to a professional photographer, Manny Librodo from the Philippines started off his photography with a Nikon Coolpix compact camera.

“I got this camera to photograph myself. That time, I did not know about the settings, compositions, or how to make the shots nice. But I know one thing for certain: I love colours”.

Manny Librodo took hold of the power of the internet and shared his photographs online, where he learnt from the others and got feedbacks from many viewers. The positive feedbacks helped too. That was where he started to photograph better pictures.

“The turning point of my photography was when I borrowed my brother’s Nikon D100 to a Bangkok school trip.” That time, he was oblivious about the technical aspects of the camera, but he still managed to get some wonderful shots with Aperture Priority and Program Mode. “I was totally blown away by the images. So, I went to a photo store the next day after my trip and got myself a new DSLR.” His skills grew from that day onwards.

From using his students as models to spending time doing post processing his shots, he learned so much and he shared much of his passion and experiences with the other photographers through workshops he conducts. He also gave away some hints and tips during the presentation for the Nikon Photography Talk. “Always look out for catch-lights when you photograph portraitures, observe the natural lightings, use props and tools to diffuse your light, and capture those patterns and textures with your photographs.” He too believes in sharing and he hoped that everyone could share what they have learnt. “When others are better than you, it creates a friendly competition where it drives you to try harder.”

High Speed Sports to the Game of Patience

High speed sports are pretty much unpredictable, and you can never have your subject redo what they have just done. To capture those memorable shots, Khalid Redza, who has been covering sports events for the past 34 years, shared that practice makes perfect. “When I first started off, I was told by my editor to head towards sports field to photograph. That was the place where I practiced and learn. It was a challenging process, and with film that time, you can only know how well you shoot after you develop them.”

As he recalls his days of film photography, he advised many present to “not be shy to ask.” He said, “Get yourself a mentor and do not hesitate to ask the pro photographers how to shoot. Most of the time, they are willing to share their experiences with you.”

Besides these, he encouraged everyone to learn and practice the photography skills, and also be knowledgeable about the sports. “When you are on the field, remember the winners, as well as the team who had just lost the battle. Look at the crowds, their reactions.” To him, it is the attitude of the photographer which will determine the end result. “You must be willing to take risks, know all your gears, and be prepared. Good captions for your photographs help a lot too.”

Wildlife photographers may not experience much adrenaline rush like the high speed sports photographers, but they too share some similar points. Just like sports photography, wildlife photographers would gain the most if they do their homework. “You need to know the behavior of the animals and plants. Only with such knowledge, you know when and where the animals would appear in the forest, and when the wild plants would grow and blossom.” Cede Prudente, who is Sabahan, has worked with many scientists and researchers in preserving wildlife in photographs. “The photographs I take would be a reference for researchers around the globe. It becomes a proof of existence.”

During his talk, he emphasized again and again that patience in wildlife photography is a must. He shared a few photographs which he finds it hard to ever come by again. “Photographing flying creatures of the Borneo is time consuming but worthwhile. You don’t see much of these creatures in the forest, and therefore you really need to spend time knowing these animals and their behaviors.

Besides taking photographs, he videotaped some of the scenes where he encounters the wildlife. “Photographing is just not enough sometimes. A video is more powerful in conveying the message.” He recorded some rare clips on the behaviors of the orang utans and some of these clips were used as educational materials for the BBC. “Most importantly, I realize that what I have taken would show the whole world the wonders of nature, and this message can be a reminder for everyone to preserve our natural habitat.”

Quick Tips to Share

The time it took for Stefen Chow to become professional was 4 years. This self-taught photographer from Singapore shared some of the truths behind the photography world during his talk. “It is a competitive world out there. Do what it takes to survive out there, but remember, do what you love. You need to know all kinds of things, learn them, relearn them, and remember to apply them.”

Most of the time, he finds himself working on personal projects, where he pushed himself harder each time, to make his work stood out among the crowd. “Do something people wouldn’t commission you to do. Pay for your own projects and put yourself in a unique position.” Not only that, he advised everyone to learn to work with everything, evolve and generalize oneself. “Most importantly, make your photography useful. Share them.”

Occasionally, a photographer may find it hard to stick to the original assignment. Deanna Ng was happy to advice a solution to the issue. “Write down your thoughts and ideas you want to photograph before a shoot, as specifically as possible. At times you’ll find yourself overwhelmed with unexpected incidents and you started to lose focus on your main objectives. At the end of the day you may find that you did not accomplish much of your goals. The thoughts you have written down, they help. They help to bring you back to your main story.”

One thing for certain, the photographers who shared their work during the event showed much enthusiasm and passion towards photography. They love what they do, and they believe that sharing would make them stronger. Before I end this article, allow me to do a quick summary of all the 8 talks I have attended.

1. Get yourself a mentor. Be it someone across the internet, or someone professional you know of.

2. Believe in yourself, be willing to take risks.

3. Evolve and generalize yourself.

4. Challenge yourself to do better each time.

5. A picture is worth a thousand words. Don’t just take nice photographs, make them meaningful.

6. Study your subject, do your homework and understand them.

7. Make use of the gears you have. Learn your gears.

So here, I wish everyone the best!

Old Faithful Camera

Got my old faithful camera back from SP… certainly enjoy the simplicity of simple point and shoot camera…

So today, after working in the lab, I head over to KLCC to meet a friend, then we had a short walk over to Pavilion.

This year’s theme for Chinese New Year is RABBIT!!!

They’ve got some nice decorations going out there. Inside is just as nice too!

The very main attraction are the drums out there. They certainly know how to draw a crowd!

Kids definitely love them…

The adults alike!

See this foreigner also enjoyed himself!

This grandma and grandson was sitting by the stairs, resting after a long walk I guess.

There were some shops selling some nice decorations and gifts, this guy here etches on the marbles to create drawings…

But then again, kindly think whether is it necessary for you to buy them. Cause by the end of CNY, those decorations are most likely discarded… Think before you decide to buy them.

At the end, here I wish everyone:

(Which translates: May you be safe and prosper always).

And if you want to look young on the outside, perhaps you could pay this shop a visit… haha…

P/S: So here, I prove to everyone here that the camera you’re holding does not affect you from taking great photos. Use them wisely, and you’ll be amazed by the wonders of photo story telling! Keep shooting everyone!!!

UKTAR V-Gen Potluck Dinner

Yesterday’s potluck dinner at TBR was fun. Although the place is a bit small, but it was a heartfelt event. Lots of people there, lots of food, and much laughter and joy. We even celebrated the birthday of October child.

A bit of discussion for the upcoming V-Gen Fiesta on the 24th Oct.

Anyways, just to take some time to promote the event, be a vegetarian and you’re most welcome to join the fun at V-Gen Fiesta. Free entrance. Look at the following poster for more info!

百蔬V族 (V-Gen) Launch @ Tropicana City Mall

Last weekend was busy busy busy… busy preparing for the 百蔬V族 (V-Gen) Launching Ceremony. So many things to do, yet so little time.

Anyways, the event was a success, and we had great fun!

 

988 Radio Station DJ dropped by to support as well…

 

 

Then, I saw this dog and talked to the owner… The dog is actually a vegetarian!!!

Even the dog agreed to be a vegetarian… those who are not… you want to lose out to a dog?

Be a V-Gen today! Do your part and save the earth!

 

The event ended around 9.30 pm, but by the time I reached home, it was almost 1 already…

Nonetheless, I had great fun during the event.

Does camera matters?

When people started complaining that they don’t have enough equipments, or when they need more lenses, better cameras… go back to the basics. Take a look at this video… entire portraiture shoot used only iPhone 3GS… some lousy camera there…

The iPhone Fashion Shoot - Lee Morris Shoots With The 3GS Fstoppers from FStoppers on Vimeo.

Does your camera really matters? Or the person behind the camera really matters?

FEStival… Again…

Again… Another Festival in FES… like never ending only.

As usual, dance by Dance Club, band performance by Music Club and martial arts demonstration by Taekwondo club.

I like the following shot very much…

GTF, making the impossible, possible.

From some sources, this event took 19 days to plan and execute… that was amazing!

Well, things went well and they’re quite good.

 

P/S: Funny, why so arrogant? Just because you have more customers doesn’t mean that you’re doing better than other people, when you’re providing the service for free! Anyways, it’s not right to blame other people when you’re not doing a good job of contacting other people.

Walkabout KL

This very first time I entered Central Market at Pasar Seni, I was amazed by the many arts exhibited there.

Most of the things are for sale here, and some of them are worth collecting.

 

Some very interesting perfume bottles in one of the shops at ‘Malay Valley’.

A tourist around the art market.

Then my friend and I headed over to Petaling Street. Lots of stuffs for sale, as expected, but beware of phony merchandise. 

Anyways, I spotted some shops selling some beautiful flower arrangements. They’re quite affordable too.

 

Next stop, the Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve, just around the KL Tower.

The park opens at 7am and closes at 7 pm. You may camp there if you wouldn’t mind feeding blood to the mosquitos.

Anyways, it was nice to walk around KL, but I think I miss the element of human in the photos… I should pick up the courage to go ask permission to shoot other people’s photos more…

The Petronas Twin Towers Skybridge

After almost 4 years in KL and countless attempts to get the tickets, I finally got one ticket to go up to the sky bridge of KL Petronas Twin Towers.

Well, I think I managed to get the tickets because of the newly improved system to manage ticket issuing. By the way, there’s some flaws to the security system. I’m not trying to prove anything here, but the metal detectors, X-ray machine and the officers did not detect something dangerous in my bag.

Well, the ride up to 41st floor was pretty fast, almost 1 floor per second and the view up there was stunning, thanks to the good sunny weather.

Really see a lot of buildings around the area… Crowded.

 

By the way, I think some of you may have seen this before, but here’s the ‘miniature’ version of the buildings and surroundings. Same photo, just Photoshop effects.

The next one looked even more miniature realistic.

 

If you’d like to learn how to do it, try this tutorial.

Anyways, I’m going to sit for IELTS soon… I’d better do more practice. Wish me luck! :)