Report: 9th Simple Food Photography Workshop

After 3-weeks of delay, due to my chicken pox, our 9th Simple Food Photography Workshop was a success, last Saturday.

We were packed till the last hour that we didn't have time for a group shot. So, here are some of the photos I shot earlier during the workshop.

To my previous food photography students, I'm compiling the cropping guideline and will inform you a download link. I think it's time for me to put it in the notes.

Thanks all & best wishes!



Shila


Zainuddin


Izzat


Aziz, all the way from Kelantan. Referred to by my previous workshop atendee, Sham Abdul. Thanks Sham!

Wedding Album

Hi,

There has been several types of wedding albums that I've done in the past for my clients, which includes self-adhesive albums, pocket albums, photobooks and storyboard albums (or some call it magazine-type montage album). Among the list, I've narrowed down to only producing the storyboard album, due to the fact that it's the most cost-effective for my clients and provides great colour rendition and durability.

Self-adhesive albums and pocket albums are now so cheap that it's cheaper if my clients print their own photos at the consumer photo outlets and mount it themselves. Whereas, the photobook manufacturer's print quality has been dropping over the years. The first few times I printed the books, they were totally awesome. But the latest book that I've printed has the colours and exposures mismatch and inconsistency, which forced me to reprint and stop their services completely (until I can find a truly reliable vendor).

Which leaves the storyboard album the most consistent(in terms of colour output), cost effective and durable.

For those who inquired regarding what kind of wedding album(s) do I make for their wedding photos? Here's what I'm only offering at the moment for my wedding packages:
- 10"x12" Storyboard album
- 20-pages printed on photographic paper, with UV-varnish, mounted on hardboard
- Black LV Synthetic Leather cover
- Opens flat for pleasant viewing of the album spread

Cheers!

I'm Back!

My chicken pox is almost over, which is at the last buffer stage now, and I'll be back to work on Monday, 13-APR-09. Man, there's tons of things I've planned out to do. One of 'em is a continuity of my Food Workshop. I'm cooking up some syllabus and materials for "Basic Food Styling Workshop", which introduces what food styling is all about. Of course, previous particiants in my Simple Food Photography Workshop will get some cool discounts privileges :) Will update y'all soon. Cheers & thanks for your support!

I've got Chicken Pox

Dear all,

I regret to inform you that I've contracted chicken pox over the weekend. As of today, the fever has kicked in and the itch is really unbearable. The only thing I can do is sleep to it. I wish I can put myself into them time capsule and just sleep it off and by the time I wake up, I'm already good to go. But nope, that aint happenin. I am sleep deprived and can't also stay awake. My senses are too sensitive and I can't even do the simplest task on the computer. I am at my most vunerable physical point at the moment that I feel like I can pull out my hair. I'm very fortunate that I have my wife, Nita to thank for. She's really taking care of me and all my needs, no questions asked. And for that, I would return the favor in a heart beat. This is my pledge of IOU. Luv ya, hunny. Good nite.

Therefore, you won't be hearing for me for a while till I'm healed. As for th 9th Food Workshop due this weekend, I've personally called the participants to inform them that it's been pushed to 25-APRIL-2009.

Thanks all!

DIY: The Cheapest 21" Shoot-thru Umbrella on Earth!

Hello all! The rainy season in Kuala Lumpur has it's blessings albiet getting wet on my way home on my motorcycle everyday now. I'm here to share you some advantages you can take from this rainy season.

Apparently Giant Super/Hypermarket (sorry, this is only applicable to Malaysians)is having a sale on umbrellas. Guess what? They have the perfect white umbrella with the correct shaft diameter to fit in your umbrella bracket! I first saw these umbrella at Guardian pharmacy, which sold them for RM5.99. But then I saw the same umbrella for RM1 less at Giant. So, head on to Giant now for these umbrellas cos' I have a feeling that once the rain stops, the umbrella supplies stops too.

Now, let jump to the DIY. Should take you less than 30 seconds to do this DIY, I promise. But first get yourself this exact umbrella.

Go ahead, knock yourselves out! Don't forget to spread this news around...Cheers!





Now this should take less than 30 seconds...










Careful note:


Here it is. Nice & sweet!


The bill. It's so cheap! Alhamdulillah...

My Philosophy on Wedding Photography

What does my client deserve?
I believe that every couple deserves the best wedding photography they can get. It doesn't matter where your wedding takes place, or what background you are from. You deserve the best.

Chemistry.
I believe that chemistry is everything. If you've ever considered me to become your wedding photographer, this first indication shows that my work interests you at some level. Next step is we'll meet up, have a little chat over some beverages of snack if you'd like. This meet up will give both you and I a chance to get to know each other, line up our expectations and see if we have chemistry. If there's spark, that's great! I'm honored to be your wedding photographer. If there's none, it's good too, because you can move on to find a photographer that suits you. In short, it's like a first date. If there's chemistry, you'll know right away that the road is bright, and you know that along the way, it's gonna be a fun, memorable and the best ride of your life.

My Style.
Is there such thing as style in wedding photography? I don't know. But what I do know is that I respect your wedding, and I put that as my number one priority. By saying so, I'd like keep myself as invisible as I can during your wedding, so that your wedding unfolds it's story naturally. I am not there to attract attention, because the centre of attention should be you! I will dress as close as possible to the general crowd during your wedding, so that I'll blend in. At times, I was identified as part of the relatives, maybe because I dressed like one. I like this because the guests feel less intimidated to be photographed, and I get my shots easier. If your guests dress code is in tux, I'll be in one. If it's Baju Melayu and Songkok, I'll wear one. If it's Bermuda shirts and shorts, I'll wear that too, as long as I'm in the crowd.

In terms of photography, I want my photographs to contain a certain intensity of emotion, story and relationship in my subjects. I carry a portable lighting kit to create a particular mood that I want to reflect. In many times, this lighting kit had created spectacular "location sets" that looked far beyond the reality of the what the "real" location looked like. In short, no matter what weather, or location your wedding would be, I can make it look great. Isn't that some peace of mind?

Well, I hope this establishes some ideas on how I see wedding photography.

Cheers!

Contact Me

Hi, if you have any further inquiries, just about anything, please do not hesitate to contact me via email or telephone listed below. No matter if you're a student looking for some answers/directions, a couple who wants to find out about wedding packages, a corporate client looking for a photographer, or just any individual with just a question, I'll do my best to respond to your needs. Go ahead, contact me.

Email:
azhar@fotomomo.com

Telephone:
+60-16-6250800