Goodbye 2013! - This Year in Review

It's almost the end of 2013. Certainly it has been a tremendous year to me with lots of learning and personal achievements. Let's jump into some of this year's highlights! (since this is more like a review, you might have seen some of the pictures before)

Few weeks after I got back back home in Malaysia, my friends Muaz and Wana who got married earlier this year asked me for a short outdoor portrait session. I was more than excited to do it and to my surprise it turned out pretty well! Of course when I look back at the pictures there are some things I could have done better but I'm glad that through the photo shoot I started to gain more confidence in this business.

Then few months later another friend of mine said they needed a photographer to cover an event. Turned out it was the 2013 Petroleoum Geoscience Conference and Exhibition organized by Petronas. I shot a lot of clubs and student associations events back in my college days but this is my first real experience covering such a huge event from 7am-10pm. It was intense but the learning was worth it!

Then later I was chosen by Izzati and Haizam to cover their wedding and reception in Serendah, Selangor! I always learn something new from every shoot so it was another valuable experience for me.

Another photo shoot in September! This time it's for Azizi's brother Dr. Karim and her wife Dr. Aishah. The picture above was taken at Taman Tasik Ampang Hilir, Ampang. It was a cloudy evening so the lighting was almost perfect for the shoot.

Then a break from shooting weddings as I got an offer to take pictures of my client and her friends during the commencement day in IIUM. It was my first time being in IIUM thanks to Miss Dina. 

Next stop: Melaka. Two days in Melaka to shoot another wedding and reception. Congratulations to Syaiful and Ashikin. Too bad we didn't get to try the famous Klebang Coconut Shake but I'll be there again...next time.. I think.

Then earlier this December I decided to try my luck at the 8th Korean Speech contest by Republic of Korea Embassy in Malaysia. I memorized the whole speech and alhamdulillah my speech was very smooth. They didn't mention in the website that there'll be a short interview by all the three judges at the end of every speech but luckily things went pretty smooth too during my interview. Alhamdulillah the third place was more than enough this time! 

Now it's the final wedding shoot of this year which took place in Dewan Bahasa and Pustaka. The venue was simply beautiful. The lighting was great and so did the atmosphere.

Congratulations to Ammar and Afyqah. And also to everyone who I photographed throughout the year, thank you very much! With every picture I take, every new places I go, and every new people I meet, I learn something new and photography is also about learning and putting things into practice. The last time I shot a wedding, I still felt nervous because I know that the occasion only happens once in a lifetime but that's a good thing, because I then started taking pictures like there's no second chance to capture the moment! (in fact, there's never a second chance to do so).

Before signing off, here's a picture from Twins of Faith 2013. Nope, I didn't go there as a photographer. I definitely spent a good weekend there with lots of new inputs and reminders. It's free for recent reverts and non Muslims who wants to learn more of the religion from famous scholars.

Now I'm looking forward for 2014 with the hope of becoming a better person and a better photographer.
Have a wonderful end to this year everyone! :)

Sweet Little Camera vs Big Black DSLR: My Personal Opinion

The Early Years

Ever thought of which type of camera should you get? Are you willing to invest about RM1500 on an entry-level DSLR or the same amount of money on high-end compact camera? Few years ago I don't see any reason why I should spend that amount of money on a camera so I ended up buying a cheaper but still very good Canon PowerShot SX120. Long story short, about a year or two later I sold that camera and moved on to a bigger Canon EOS 550D.

The price difference? About RM 500 vs RM1900 (exactly $189 vs $623 with 18-55mm lens, since both were bought in the States).

Canon EOS 550D with the optional battery grip.

Canon SX120 is a very good compact camera during the day but Canon 550D is in a different league. The nature of my previous job as the photographer of UB Malaysia Student Association has forced me to switch to Canon 550D. That smaller camera was great but once I start going indoor and things get darker, the focus system struggled pretty badly. I can still get great shot but Canon SX120 was not meant for quick-moving subject under bad lighting. What does that mean? I am losing all the great moments that otherwise would've been captured with a DSLR.

Now three years has passed. I am still using my 550D but as a backup body to a more advanced Canon 70D. The 70D has a better all-round performance and more importantly it produces cleaner image at high ISO in low light. So since I already have two cameras that serve my every need, I never thought I would buy a compact camera again but last week...

Taken with Canon 70D

I received a gorgeous-looking Samsung Smart Camera EX2F compact camera from Korean Embassy in Malaysia! (I'm gonna write about that too pretty soon). It is an advanced compact camera with manual controls and slightly larger sensor compared to my old Canon SX120 (which means generally  better image quality). In addition to that, EX2F is a smart camera which means that it has WiFi functionality so you can directly upload your pictures online.

Now since I am so used to bringing my DSLR everywhere, having a smaller compact camera has left me asking myself which one should I put in my bag whenever I'm going places? (Well, assuming that I'm not shooting for professional purposes or else 70D would be a no-brainer)

Before I jump into the comparison, here's a sample picture taken with Samsung EX2F:

Canon 70D, taken with Samsung EX2F.

The Comparison

I'm writing this brief comparison of my general experience using both camera assuming that

1. You are deciding between a compact and a DSLR, 
2. you know that compact camera with smaller sensor will never win against DSLR with larger sensor in terms of overall image quality, and
3. you don't want to read all the jargon and just want to get a camera to simply take picture.

I will try to keep things simple and not get too technical in this comparison. I am not gonna mention anything about RAW format, external accessories, dynamic range or camera body construction.  Again, this is just a brief comparison for people who need a camera just to take picture, because I heard from a lady selling camera in Lowyat Plaza that a rich guy sold his Canon 7D just because it's heavy and he doesn't really know how to use it!

Weight and size

Canon 70D or even my 550D produces amazing pictures but they're definitely way more heavier than my EX2F. Canon 550D with a kit lens, lighter than 70D with a kit lens, still weighs around 700g vs about 300g of the EX2F. Samsung EX2F still produces good pictures but at about half the weight and size.You can view the comparison here.

Creative control

Basic compact camera won't give you the freedom to get creative. You are somewhat limited to auto mode and few scene presets. If you are trying to get a picture of light trail like this:

then you should at least get a compact camera with semi-manual control. The picture above was shot with my Canon 550D but any compact camera with manual control can get you the similar effect. How to know if a camera has semi-manual or full manual control? Check the dials below:

Controls on the 70D, taken with EX2F

Controls on the EX2F, taken with 70D

With most advanced compacts these days you will get creative controls (PASM mode or PATvM on Canon) instead of full auto mode, usually only found on DSLR few years ago. That means you have total control over the shutter speed and aperture. Just keep in mind that you will never get as much background blur with a compact camera compared to what you will get with a DSLR. If that is fine with you, definitely the lighter and smaller compact camera sounds better for you.

Pictures quality in low light

Generally, most cameras these days take good picture during the day but when it comes to night shot, that is when most compacts fall behind DSLR. This is due to the larger sensor of DSLR that gathers more light, producing cleaner picture with less noise in low light at high ISO. Remember the those days when you get super grainy pictures taken indoor under dim light or at night?

I don't have a set of pictures of the same scene taken with three different cameras under dim light because DPreview.com has done a great job on that.

This is a picture taken with my EX2F in very dim environment:

1/4 sec, f/1.4, ISO1600 Samsung EX2F untouched JPEG

Not bad for web sharing or small prints, unless you are going to use the picture for your business.
Here are two pictures taken with my 550D and 70D at high ISO.

1/125th sec, f/2.5, ISO1600 Canon 550D untouched JPEG

1/80th sec, f/2.8, ISO1600 Canon 70D untouched JPEG

 The pictures are displayed in the size you normally see online. Unless you start zooming 100%, in my opinion, all the pictures look pretty good in terms of noise. In case you don't need to sell your picture, an advanced compact camera is good enough for general purposes.

Focusing

This part can get really technical so I'll keep it very short. I switched to DSLR mainly for the speed of its focus system and image quality in low light. Compact camera does focus accurately but it is generally slower than a DSLR. If you wish to read about the technical stuffs, just click here. 

Conclusion

There are still way more to discuss but I don't think it is necessary if your reason for buying a camera is just to take pictures, not selling them. If you are willing to take your DSLR everywhere, need good image quality in all situations (with the help of extra accessories when needed), and get more background blur to emphasize your subject, then DSLR is for you. Just remember the extra lenses apart from the one you get with the camera body and flashgun that you might need to expand your creativity. If you are happy with generally good image quality of advanced compact camera that can easily be carried everywhere and not looking to shoot under difficult lighting condition, then you know what to get. After all, the best camera that you have is the one that you can always carry around.

Those are mainly my personal opinion. Honestly if I didn't become a MaSA photographer in 2011, I don't see the need to get a DSLR that soon. But I glad I did :)

Looking for some buying guide? Check out DPreview 2013 buying guide here and here from Techradar!

Mr Syaiful and Ms Shikin

There's actually some sort of satisfaction that comes after I'm done working on a project and I have to say I am indeed really happy to get another one done! We arrived on Friday afternoon and done with the whole shoot the next day around 7pm. The outdoor session was done at a beach and it was also actually my first visit to the beach!

Big thanks to the newlyweds Mr Syaiful and Ms Shikin, Aiman who was there to shoot the event too, Fiza who first contacted me for the job, and everyone involved during the joyous weekend! I've already posted some of the pictures in the previous post so here are some of the rest!

Then I suddenly came up with this idea to make wallpapers large enough (2560x1440 resolution) for them to use on their laptop or tablets! I do have other sizes ranging from 1024x768 all the way to 2560x1440 and also for iPad (2048x2048) upon request.

Looking forward for my next wedding shoot in mid December in KL!
Meanwhile if you are on Facebook and would like to get updates direct to your home feed, feel free to like Zulhilmi Photoworks Facebook Page.

That is how the page looks like right now.
Till the next post, thank you :)

Weekend Roundup!

I am back! I had a wonderful time shooting Mr Syaiful and Ms Syikin's wedding and reception in Melaka. During the two days I've learned so much about some random things that'll help me to better improve my photos. Definitely I'm not without weaknesses. There are more than 1500 photos need to be carefully filtered and retouched so I guess I'll be working non stop till the end of December, since another wedding reception is coming up in mid December.

Some shots from the wedding:

Congratulations on your wedding! I really can't wait to have the full album ready within the next few weeks!

Right after spending two days shooting the newlyweds in Melaka, I went back to Kuala Selangor and reached home at 10.45pm, recharged everything, and the next morning I was on my way to Penang and then Cameron Highland with my ex-colleagues!

Here are some random shots from the short trip:

Well it's so weird being in my house in Kuala Selangor today feels a lot colder compared to Cameron Highland when we were there yesterday. Now time to go back to work. Till we meet again!

Going Back in Time: The 6th Annual Toronto Korean Speech Contest

This post is going to be a more personal one and some of the pictures were taken few years ago with a compact camera. Yes, that was when I just started learning how to actually take photos. I used Canon Powershot SX120 and personally I think it's the best compact camera (in the price range) that I've ever used at that time!

September 2009 - During my first semester back in my college days, I was contemplating between taking Chinese, Japanese, or Korean introductory class. I thought it'd be awesome to learn another language so that's the reason why. I took Japanese back in secondary school for three months but I had to quit since I had to move to another school that didn't offer the course. For Chinese, I have zero experience except the words from my dad that it is not a simple language if you're trying to learn writing in Chinese. He used to learn Chinese before so I took his words. For Korean, I noticed that the writing system is a lot simpler than the other two languages so that was a huge plus point that has got me started taking KOR101- introductory Korean class.

My professor's name is Choi Yoon Hwa (최윤화) and seriously if you could ever get into one of her classes then you're lucky. She's very helpful and she'll help you all the way as long as you put your effort in the course. Too bad she's not teaching at University at Buffalo (UB) anymore.

This picture was taken during the traditional game session.  We played yunnori (윷놀이), a game where you throw four sticks that act like dices and move your tokens across the board towards the finish.

January 2012 - So I went all the way from first year Korean to third year Korean (first semester). Too bad I could't get into third year Korean second semester due to some conflicts in my schedule. But lucky me I was offered the chance to be part of the UB team for the Korean speech contest in Toronto, Canada. I just couldn't think 'no' as an answer. 

There are four categories: beginner, intermediate, advanced, and open. I was trying to get into the intermediate category but then prof said that I've had more than 300 hours of class time so that means advanced category. I just couldn't say no too at that time. And so, the journey began!

The speech!

Mid February 2012 - I had to memorize two pages of speech (and understand everything of course) and that was about 4 minutes of presentation time. Nope, I didn't write the whole speech. I only wrote the content in English, tried to translate it halfway but then suddenly prof and her assistant came up with the Korean version of the speech. Lucky me again! 

Taken right in front of Toronto Eaton Center.

March 24th 2012 - The competition day. Prof came right in front of my house with Terris and gave me a ride from my house at Amherst all the way to the bus terminal at Downtown. It was 4.30am, early spring so it...was..cold. Oh and in case you don't know who's Terris, I'm gonna talk about him pretty soon. I think we took the bus really early and arrived at Toronto around...7 or 8 something? The competition wasn't gonna start till 12.30pm so we had so much time to....eat and..find our way to University of Toronto.

Picture of Shuyu. I think she was taking a break from memorizing her lines. This is one of the pics that I love most. I think it looks just natural.

When we finally found our way to the university (well we just took a cab. it's that simple), had some light meal, took our seat and changed into the appropriate dress, the competition finally began!

 My name tag.

 If I'm not mistaken the Japanese girl won the 2nd place and the other one won the 1st place. Well I placed third out of three but they decided not to give anything to the second runner up :p

참가증서 - Certificate of participation, or sijil penyertaan.

Well too bad I didn't get anything but that courage of standing in front of everyone in the hall and giving speech in my third language is something that will stay in my mind for a long time. 

The best thing about the competition? A guy from UB won the grand prize! and his name is... 

Terris Brown! This guy is just so good he deserved it! You can watch more of him speaking in Korean here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sp8q-lSj4Mo

Well it was a great experience. When I first got into UB, I never imagined I'd be part of the team but I did. Thanks everyone! Now after leaving Buffalo I barely use any English or Korean and I think I am getting worse. That's why I'm trying to use as much English as possible in this blog (unless I'm in the mood to write in another language) because being good at a language means having tons of practices!  But what happens to my Korean? There's Kakaotalk and a community on Google+ for that. 

LOL just some random conversation but this is what keeps me learning Korean these days.

Just some personal thoughts here. Learning different languages opens up so many new experiences. You'll get to know new people, learn new culture and try new things you never did before. Demolishing the Great Wall of Communication Barrier is something everyone should try, because only then you'll start to see the other side of a society-good or bad.

So long. I'll be out of town to shoot another wedding this weekend and I'm really looking forward to it!