Willie & Sophie ROM

I had the wonderful opportunity to photograph Willie and Sophie on the day of their Registration of Marriage (ROM) in Putrajaya. Willie happens to be a client of my boss, so I had to do a good job.

I brought along the trusty D3, 24-70, 14-24, an ancient but working Tokina 80-200, and a ridiculously sharp 50/1.4 G.

 It so happens that the 50mm was the most used lens of the day. Its light, focuses accurately, and gives a moderate degree of background blur due to the large aperture.

 For most of the group shots, I used the 14-24 or 24-70.

 We had to wait quite a while for our turn, but while doing so I got some splendid shots.

 Fortunately the room lights weren't so orange so a colour gel wasn't necessary.

 Willie and Sophie are a spontaneous and fun couple. I admire their energy and spirit.

 Heading back to Pullman Putrajaya for some outdoor photos.

I shot all the photos using normal quality jpegs and edited them in adobe bridge only.

 I tried some shots in the harsh noon sunlight although I'm more comfortable with taking photos under the shade.

A unique place for a final group photo. Love the view from the top !

Hope you guys like this series of pictures. For more pictures please view the rest of the album here.

Cheers !

BRAND'S 2013 Haha CNY Campaign Preview

Cerebos Malaysia, which markets the reknown BRAND'S Essence of Chicken had a media preview of their products for the upcoming Chinese New Year at the Westlake Garden Chinese Restaurant in Sunway. They invited a whole host of media personnel from various news agencies, magazines, tv stations, bloggers, etc. I had the honor of being the main event photographer for this wonderful occasion.

The tables were elegantly decorated with goodies such as this cute doll, and of course, a bottle of Brand's Chicken Essence.

Looks like the ladies are enjoying themselves.

 Finally, the five celebrities unveiled themselves. I only know two of them unfortunately due to my limited background of chinese music - Guang Liang, and Orange.

A group photo session with the mascots, Mr Koh Joo Siang and Carmen Lee from Cerebos Malaysia.

Tossing the Yee Sang for good luck and fortune for the coming year.

 The restaurant, despite its small size was elegantly decorated.

 Having fun dancing with the mascots.

 Yaaammmm Seeennnggg ! - BRAND'S style.

 Media session with the writers and tv stations.

Guang Liang says his bit for the tv stations.

 Mr Koh and Ms Lee wih the newly launched Chinese New Year themed hampers.

 A closer look at the hampers.

The celebrities will be featured in the local media in the next few days, so stay tuned ! Cheers...

My first Hari Raya photoshoot

I can still remember the early days of Hari Raya going visiting with my grandfather, who was once a government official in the welfare department. We went to the houses of VIPs and ministers, eating the wonderful spread of Malay dishes in front of us - lemang, satay, lapis cake, rendang, curries etc. However since I moved to Kuala Lumpur 3 years ago, I have not been to a single Hari Raya open house celebration.

But this year, its refreshingly different. I was invited to shoot for a close knit family in Kelana Jaya. And I had quite a good time with them. I reached their house early - about 9am and proceeded to set up my 'mobile studio'. Yes, my wrists were still giving me some trouble, but I endured it anyway.

The client had a nice garden, so I was glad I came a day before to check out the place and recommend a good spot to shoot the formals. First, a formal shot,

 ... and the informals.

Asking for forgiveness from elders at the start of a new year is always a good thing, I reckon.

 One of the neighbors. I wonder whats running through his mind when I point my big camera at him.

Lovely family. The girl looks very much like her mum !

This bloke is trying eagerly to help his mum with some of the house chores.

 After a while, I managed to convince him to sit down and take some candids.

The relatives came in droves just before noon. Its kinda nice to see them once a year, especially for the elders.

 Like the Chinese, Malays also have their own version of 'angpows', or 'duit raya'. Its mainly given to the younger family members, especially children, or teens who have not been married or don't have a job yet.

 The baby is definitely enjoying the celebrations.

 The guys wanted their share of the fun.

 ...but I didn't leave out the aunties either.

Hope you guys enjoyed this short post. I've definitely enjoyed this years' Hari Raya celebrations. Hopefully there will be more to come in the future.

Cheers !