|
|
| Thursday, 20-Sep-2007 09:29 |
Email | Share |  | Bookmark |
|
2nd Simple Food Photography Workshop
|
|
Recently, my associate Hatizal & I organised a Simple Food Photography Workshop. More updates coming soon.
*Credits go to Hafiz (freakdiver) for loaning his reflector. Thanks.
Hatizal explaining to the group while Azwin (fmuham) photographs.
From left to right: Hafiz (freakdiver), Khairul (rege_nesis), Hatizal (manasikanak), Haffizain (fuyyous), Uda (uDA) & Azwin (fmuham)
One of our teachers, Hatizal. Very casual and informative.
Haffizain (fuyyous)
Haffizain (fuyyous) taking a break, while the food is being prepared in the kitchen.
Uda (uDA), came all the way from Kuantan with her 2 lovely daughters and her very supportive husband.
Uda, taking her shot.
Uda, taking her shot, after we set up the boom lights.
Uda, evaluating her shot, after we set up the boom lights.
Hafiz (freakdiver), possibly changing his lens or just instered the wireless radio transmitter to his DSLR, before shooting the next setup, while Haffizain (fuyyous) and Hatizal (manasikanak) observes the rest of the class' activities.
Hafiz (freakdiver) shooting. This is the basement of Hillside Corner Cafe. Very spacious and private. Just nice for a 5-student workshop.
(Khairul) rege_nesis, looking out to the prop setup, while Hafiz (freakdiver) takes his shot on the DIY light tent/box.
Khairul (rege_nesis) taking his shot on the propped food.
Azwin (fmuham) waiting for his turn.
Azwin (fmuham) taking his shot on the propped food.
Azwin (fmuham) taking his shot on the food in the DIY light tent/box.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Saturday, 1-Sep-2007 06:38 |
Email | Share | | Bookmark |
|
Malaysia's 50th Independence Day, Merdeka 2007
|
|
Updates for today. All shots we're taken on Malaysia's 50th Independence Day, Merdeka 2007 on 31st August 2007.
Myself with the Malaysia's ruling King & Queen behind me. Human flag formation in progress. Photographed by Zainuddin Zainal.
My long time photography friend, Zainuddin Zainal, in action.
Zainuddin Zainal, assessing the shot.
My photography partner, Hatizal Ab llah in action.
Hatizal, noticing that he was being photographed.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Saturday, 23-Jun-2007 00:15 |
Email | Share | | Bookmark |
|
Bangi Chicken House Advert
|
 |
|
Bangi Chicken House
|
|
|
Hi All!
Many of you have been wondering what have I been doing lately? My recent assignment was to shoot food for Bangi Chicken House in Bandar Baru Bangi, Selangor. We shot all the food on the menu in two 5-hour sessions. Photographing food does not look as easy as it seems. It takes a lot more preparation prior to the actual shoot than when the camera starts clicking. For your information, a main dish takes an average of 1hour to photograph. This includes setup and the actual photographing act.
During the second session, I had two assistants to help me out, Hatizal & Nassir. I thank them very much for lending me a hand in this project, with most credit goes to Hatizal for giving me a ride to the location.
The sessions were exciting, and very rewarding. For this, I would like to thank Rostam & Wani (the owners of Bangi Chicken House) for trusting us to photograph their food. A warm thank you goes to Wani for assisting us in the food styling (you know your food better than us  ). And not to forget, their warmest hospitality during our sessions. Guess what happens to all the food that was shot?  It goes into our three stuffed bellies! Heh heh! Thanks for the food Rostam & Wani!
Below is a sample artwork of how one of the final images works with the advertising bit. Enjoy!:
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Wednesday, 6-Jun-2007 16:22 |
Email | Share | | Bookmark |
|
Nurhafizah & Wan's portraiture
|
 |
|
Nurhafizah & Wan
|
|
|
Date: 26 & 27 May 2007
Venue: Kuchai Lama
It's been a while since I last post a wedding entry. I've been really, really busy lately. There's lots of photos to share. However, I'm really sorry for my regular visitors for not updating soon enough. There's more to come, I've shot some wedding outfit design awards catwalk and they are yet to be uploaded. I suppose my photos will show up in Ratu Sehari magazine before I could post them here.
Now, about this wedding. Truly, Hafizah & Wan are a beautiful couple. I enjoyed photographing them for their wedding album. They are such humble and nice persons, that I felt bad for eating so little due to my sore throat.
These photos were taken in their house, and one in the bedroom. To create an illusion of space to the tight bedroom area, I photographed them through the reflection of the dressing mirror, with Wan right infront of the dressing table, and Hafizah at the other side of the bed, near the wall, with both of them framed by the dressing mirror frame. Where was I? You can only guess.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Sunday, 27-May-2007 14:54 |
Email | Share | | Bookmark |
|
TUTORIAL: Balancing Ambient with Flash
|
|
How do you shoot to get this effect shown above?
1. A night shot, showing true available light, just as you see it.
2. The same shot with backlight with shadows casted towards you.
3. The same shot with the subject properly lighted and also have the backlighted casted shadows.
Before you read this, there a few notes about this sample picture:
1. Apart from the final edited picture above, the following pictures are straight off from camera, resized and added watermark. That's all. No other processing involved.
2. These shots are for educational purpose only and is not intended to be used for the client's album.
3. These shots are unplanned for composition, but it was for the sake of demonstrating balancing ambient with flash. So, please mind the lack of composition.
OK, here goes,
Here's the process I went trough:
1. If you let the camera think with aperture priority, the camera will try to think of a setting to get the best exposure for your nearest subject, without thinking about it's background exposure. Bottom line, the camera says, "As long as my immediate subject in the foreground is exposed correctly, the picture's fine".
So, this is what you get. A classic "deer in headlights" picture. Subject exposure is ok, but the background is in total darkness. But then, that's not how it was, was it?
1/60s f4 ISO 800 with flash
2. So I checked what's the reading of the available light. I switched off the flash and get this exposure from aperture priority set to f4:
1/3s f4 ISO 800 without flash
Result: Ambient light is ok and I got the shadows casted, but the subjects are shaded in the shadows.
3. I need to freeze the people so I added some TTL flash (I let the flash think by itself) and to override the camera's "intelligent brain", I switched to manual mode and used the same reading I got from just now (1/3s F4 ISO800). I got this image below:
1/3s f4 ISO 800 with TTL flash.
The thing with this picture is, I got a bit of a balance between ambient and flash, but the flash was a bit too much that it eliminated the shadows.
4. I stopped down the shutter to 1/1s to expose more of the apartment in the background with the same amount of flash, and I got this:
1/1s f4 ISO 800 with TTL flash.
Some of the subjects are a bit blurry because of the slow shutter. You will definitely get this effect. However, the subject face will now be compromised as long as he or she is facing the camera, because the flash will freeze the movement with slow-sync flash setting. Take a look at the lady's face with the yellow outfit on the far left. You can still see her facial features, the eyes, nose, lips.
5. To give the final touch, you can add some unsharp mask, colour balance, curves and levels as you desire to give a some sort of a final image like below:
So,there you go. Give it a try.
Azhar Ariff
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Wednesday, 18-Apr-2007 14:16 |
Email | Share | | Bookmark |
|
Al-Fatihah
|
|
Al-Fatihah & many prayers for Allahyarham Adam Ariel Tunguia Abdullah, my photography mentor & my close friend. Arwah Adam passed away yesterday 17-APR-2007 due to kidney failure after a brain surgery to remove excess fluid in his brain.
The event came so sudden. I managed to visit him for the last time on 12-APR-2007, at University Hospital, while he was unconscious.
I pray for Allah to have mercy on his soul, and may his knowledge that he passed onto myself and others bring him pahala for the afterlife.
Amin.
Allahyarham Adam, at a restaurant after a photoshoot. Picture taken 23-APR-2006 after Vivien & Faroze's wedding photo shoot.
Among those present was Arin (left) & Bob (right). Photo taken at one of Kg. Baru's restaurant. 23-APR-2006.
Allahyarham Adam, on location for wedding photo shoot of Khairil Adam(sitting) & Fairuz (standing). I was his assistant for this assignment. Photo taken on 20-AUG-2005.
Allahyarham Adam, on location for wedding photoshoot of Khairil Adam & Fairuz. Group shot. Photo taken on 20-AUG-2005.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Wednesday, 21-Mar-2007 01:15 |
Email | Share | | Bookmark |
|
Siti Mariam & Saiful Hisham
|
 |
|
Siti Mariam & Saiful Hisham
|
|
 |
|
Siti Mariam & Saiful Hisham
|
|
|
Event Date: 11-MAR-2007, Kota Damansara.
It's been a while since I've posted in my fotopages. The reason is I was working on a special project for a new budget airline recently launched. Without further due, here's some posts that I managed to process for uploading.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Wednesday, 31-Jan-2007 04:44 |
Email | Share | | Bookmark |
|
Handmade baskets, from used magazines!
|
|
Last week I've been commissioned to shoot hand made baskets under the brand SALAAM WANITA, made of selected used magazine papers, by single mothers, supported by a non-profit organisation to help the single mothers and disabled women in Malaysia earn a living. The items shown here are of very high quality I must say and their molecular strength are equivalent to those wicker baskets. These items are good stuff! Enjoy the pics.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Wednesday, 10-Jan-2007 07:00 |
Email | Share | | Bookmark |
|
Menara TA
|
 |
|
Menara TA, Jln P.Ramlee
|
|
|
I was assigned to shoot Menara TA, which is the tall building on the centre, designed by architect Ken Yeang.This photo is their visual reference for future renovation and extension projects.
|
|
|
|
|
|
| Tuesday, 9-Jan-2007 04:31 |
Email | Share | | Bookmark |
|
Up Close and Personal: MPIRE Band
|
 |
|
MPIRE,L to R:Pae(Drums),Trabye(Guitars),Ali(Vocals) & Ady(Bass)
|
|
|
Date: 7-JAN-2006
Event: Karnival Rasa Sayang 2007
Venue: Bukit Jalil Stadium
Client: MPIRE
For all you who are familiar with Malaysia's local music scene, I'm sure you'll know who these people are. They are MPIRE (pronounced as "empire"). With frontline vocals by Ali, a former member of XPDC, backed by guitars by Trabye, Ady on the bass and Pae on the drums. I'm so excited to be commissioned this assignment to shoot the band at Bukit Jalil Stadium, I didn't notice that I was headbanging while my eyes were on the viewfinder. MPIRE rocks!! Check them out!
MPIRE's official website: http://www.mpireband.com
Many thanks to Trabye for commissioning me this assignment!Thank you!Thank you!
*Note: All image rights displayed belong to Azhar Ariff. Copyright © 2007 by Azhar Ariff. Any reproduction and manipulation in any kind is strictly prohibited.
|
|
|
|
|
*sob! *sob!!
