I didn’t have any fancy expensive camera, lighting equipment and such, so I had to rely on just natural light and some instinctive photo editing to make it work…
Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always loved the world of visual arts. From drawing, painting, sketching to any kind of digital artwork was all part of my childhood play. Wish YouTube and filmmaking studies were made available in Malaysia back then—I’d definitely pursue it.
I also wish I had the time to make my photography & cinematography hobby into a full-time business, but with the office work and all, who has the time, right?
So the best I can do was to have fun with it in my free time, every chance I got, and I was at least lucky enough to have some of my work colleagues in Malaysiakini, the company I worked with before, who didn’t think twice to volunteer their natural modeling talents for me.
Past
One of the first few nice people who were ever ready to strike a pose for my old camera was back in 2010. We took many fun shots together. Some of the first few photos were all shot by the window. I didn’t have any fancy expensive camera, lighting equipment and such, so I had to rely on just natural light and some instinctive photo editing to make it work. In this photoshoot, they posed as couples for the camera—not real couples in real life — they’re just professional models/actors.
And then came my very first attempt to use some visual effects (VFX) elements on the next shot with my very old low-end computer that crashed almost every time I rendered, which made me almost give up on it as well. But then I really wanted to practice editing VFX photos, so I kept going. I shot it on a green screen to make the VFX editing process a little less torturing on my computer… and me…
After rendering a few more VFX photos, my old low-end computer crashed for the last time and died on me. This photo, of a friend (not Malaysiakini staff), was one of the last produced before that happened…
She was also kind to sponsor me with enough cash to get myself a medium-to-high-end computer that was powerful enough to handle the stress of editing VFX photos and even 4K videos. Thanks to her, I’m still using that new computer for the past 11 years. I will forever be grateful for her kind gesture and her heartfelt support.
Present
Before I continue with the photos of my other Malaysiakini ex-colleagues, here’s a portrait shot I did for one more kind person who sponsored me with a camera stabilizer, the Glidecam HD-2000 right about the same time in 2010. This silhouette sunset moment with her was shot at the Subang Jaya Lake View recently… and yes, she’s cute!
Finally, when I got my new Panasonic Lumix GH4 camera equipped with better lenses to take higher resolution pictures, an office colleague and also a long-time-good-friend posed for this shot at the Malaysiakini new office rooftop. I was testing out my new camera and lens back then, so she was kind enough to volunteer to be in the shot at the right time, at the right place… thus becoming, the mysterious “Lady of the Sun”…
For the 2019 International Women’s Day, these (the bottom photos) were the natural beauties who volunteered to be part of my photography project.
The company’s designer, Nadya, who’s also the first displayed in the top photos (the one who’s holding the lipstick on her lips), then added their words on why their job in Malaysiakini is important to them.
And so there you have it… the 10 women who represented all the other women in Malaysiakini in this purple-themed Women’s Day photoshoot.
I love all these beautiful pics you made! Such angelic ladies too!
Thanks, Dale!