Miss Qistina's Long Call

Congratulations Miss Qistina! I met her for the first time few months ago during her engagement and then for the second time right after her long call. Again, thank you for having me as your photographer again this time.

By the way it's great to know that she shares the same passion in making differences in young generation's life and how she really considered being part of TFM.

May - The Month of Weddings

With three weddings in May and also Teach For Malaysia (TFM) final stage interview, I had to say it was one of the most challenging months I had go through. It was worth it though! At the end of May, I was admitted to TFM which means I will have to attend an 8-week training at Port Dickson then start teaching from January 2015. From this point, I will not be able to take photos as much as I did before.

Just to quote what I wrote on my Facebook page on 2nd June 2014:

The last one year and a half has been terrific. I was able to work with awesome people, meet beautiful couples, and at the same time improve my photography skills. However, as I am not a full time photographer, I know that one day I would have to slow down and focus on my full time job. 

Last week, I have been admitted to Teach For Malaysia for 2015 Fellowship. The Pre-Service Program starts in October and I will start teaching in January 2015. Therefore, I am sorry to announce that I will not be taking photos for any events from July till end of November (I am free in December!). I will personally contact everyone who has made a booking with me by this week and refund all the booking payments.

From January 2015, I might be able to take photos on Sundays but most probably I could only work on only one event per month. Well since my placement is not decided yet, I can't guarantee anything. Thank you for all your tremendous support all these while. This page will still be updated with some random pictures from time to time:)

Let's take a look at some of the pictures from Hazim's, Rina's, and Raja Nadiah's wedding:

Thank you to these wonderful people who trusted me to be their photographer on their meaningful day. 

Weekend Camping Trip at Hulu Langat

Hi guys! 

Last weekend I had my second camping trip in my life. Yes, second. Well the first one was about..8 years ago! From Kuala Selangor it's going to be about one hour and 40 minutes to get there. The location is on Google Map so getting there shouldn't be a problem.

 Nope I wasn't driving alone. Introducing my....partners? 

After you get off from the main road, it's gonna be nothing but trees and bushes around you...  

...and getting there requires exceptional driving skill! Sorry I was just bored actually :p

After few minutes driving on the gravel road, we finally reached the campsite located just next to a shallow but clean river.

Any sort of insect repellent is a must!

Just in case we encounter ermmm wild bears or tigers or the non-existent zombies, we have this shotgun!

Garlic bread mmmm!

Say goodbye to diet for the whole weekend!

Few group shots before we leave the campsite. It was a weekend well spent! Huge thanks to everyone for making this such a wonderful weekend! Next destination: Aiman's wedding reception a.k.a. mini reunion with ex-UB Malaysian students! That's coming up in the next post!

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! :)