You might have read this on Through Our Eyes Photography blog, but if not, here goes.

When I first heard of Wedding & Portraits Photographers Malaysia (WPPM), I wasn’t sure if I wanted to join the Enthusiast or Pro category. While I have been shooting with Tim since 2008, being certified seems like a next step that I wasn’t too sure if I was ready to take. The biggest question was, what was the ultimate reason I wanted to be certified?

Some may say industry recognition and some may say so can charge more (just saying, no one told me that :P)! I have never been a fan of forced accreditation because it restricts the freedom of the service industry and wedding/ portrait photography is pretty much a service.

Luckily, WPPM is not a must, it is more of a want. And I found myself wanting it more. Not because I wanted the title, although “WPPM Certified Photographer” sounds rather cool, but because I believed in their code of ethics and because I wanted to know if I was up to the standard.

And so, I submitted my initial shots, which were slightly different from what you saw up there. In front of a crowd (which is not the norm by the way), my shots were reviewed and I was given feedback on what to improve, and how to select my portfolio by established names like Patrick Low, Braendan Yong, Jason Victor and Jack Tan. For that review session alone, I would say, it was worth every single cent I paid for my Pro membership.

Having peers of the same passion and interest review your work is a fantastic experience. This was not my first review experience of course, having had some shots reviewed by Wiki Lee, Jenny Sun, Grace Tan and Jon Low during the RedNinja Camp and I dare say with each review session, I have improved. And I guess that is at the end the point of WPPM (and RedNinja as well!) – to share, to learn, to better oneself.

So, finally, I submitted my 20 shots as shown in the montage above. Sorry if some were cut off as I used an automatic montage creator to do one up. But I hope I gave you a glimpse about my journey into WPPM and I am now proud to say that I am A WPPM Certified Photographer.

Most wedding/portrait photographers who made their Page on Facebook will easily garner thousands of fans. For Through Our Eyes Photography, 100 was quite a big deal for us. And this is where the marketing plug begins!

As a sign of appreciation for the support we got, we are running a simple contest for 3 free sessions shot by us under the following categories:

1. Pre-wedding inclusive of make-up session by Adorn by Shinny Ong (http://adornbyshinny.blogspot.com/)

2. Family/ Newborn session

3. Solo/couple/ misc portrait session

The sessions will be within Klang Valley. If it is outside of Klang Valley, you will have to bear the transport and accommodation cost.

How to participate? Simple! Just write to nickleong@throughoureyes.my on why you should be selected, and a picture to accompany the email. You can also submit on behalf of friends or families that you think deserve a free portrait session.

Closing deadline for submissions is 01/08/10. That is 1st of August 2010. Chosen people will get a one year period to claim the shoot.

Hope to hear from all of you soon! You can help spread the word too if you know of any friends. They can get the details here or here.

Back in 2008, I was asked to help out in a wedding. Tim (my current partner in Through Our Eyes Photography) asked me if I was interested to shoot a wedding. I said yes. Armed with a D40 and only a 105mm, I went about covering the make-up session, the tea ceremony and the dinner.

I had fun. And my journey began.

The beginning of the journey was interesting as I got exposed to my first Indian wedding, my first Baba & Nonya wedding and I met many people. But I still wasn’t serious. In fact, I decided to sell off all my digital equipment, went on film and the wedding photography aspect pretty much went down the drain.

It wasn’t long that I started missing the digital side of things and also the fun of wedding photography. There was something about capturing those special moments that was very rewarding.

And so I returned. And I made a vow that I would try to make it this time. I guess along the way some people told me that I took good photos, and that probably spurred me on anew. Hopefully, I don’t disappoint them.

Other than buying gears, I decided that education was another wise investment. So I went to my first ever workshop with RedNinja, and I will be going for my second workshop tomorrow, Inspire+. I also bought books and DVDs to pursue further knowledge and seek inspiration from others. And trust me, these are investments I would never regret.

Of course, wedding photography is about the people. And I decided that since I am already shooting people, why not do portraits as well? And so I added that into my list of things to do – portraits.

This wasn’t easy for me because if you know me as a person when I am shooting, I tend to be quiet, reserved and trying to nail that moment at a quiet little corner. By going into portraits, and shooting some of them solo, I then needed to make myself more personable (is this a word?). Making that move made me grow as a photographer.

And so, here I am today. Ready to take on even more challenges. I’ll be doing my first family portrait shoot this weekend, and I will be going on my first major overseas assignment next year, assisting the awesome Steph Tan.

I have revamped the blog (please visit!) and made efforts to market the service on Facebook (please please add/like us! :P).

As I said, this is quite the marketing plug but a story that I would like to share with my readers here. It has been a great journey so far and I can only see it getting better from here.

I would not have made it without the support of my family and of course, my lovely wife Sharon (well, technically wife-to-be). She has been the constant supporting voice, telling me that I take great pictures and telling me that I should pursue my dream. I love her, and I hope I make it because I would hate to disappoint her.

Recently there was this campaign by a local satellite TV provider for Malaysians to tell their 1Malaysia stories. If you are not familiar with the 1Malaysia concept, it is basically a concept by our leaders to promote unity in the country. And a lot of brands/ companies are milking the concept dry by launching their own 1Anything campaigns.

This MyStory campaign is probably another one trying to get us to be a little patriotic. I thought since I had some free time, and I can’t shoot video, I thought I would write my story on the blog.

I remember a time when I wasn’t reminded of the race of the person I was playing with, hanging out with or chatting with. I remember a time when I read the newspapers and find that the leaders working for the people, not fighting for “rights”. I remember a time when I didn’t need a slogan or a brand to depict a united country.

This is my story. And that WAS my Malaysia. Now someone please give it back to me.

I shot them. Well, not the kind using guns but using a camera. And no one died in the process. It was the first time I shot at Universiti Malaya and it was quite fun. It rained but we did what we could, and we got some nice diffuse lighting for the shots since it was cloudy.

This wasn’t a solo session as I had Kar Heng and Kian Kheong in the session as well. I noticed that when there are other shooters, I tend to direct less and go with the flow. Of course I need to change that aspect especially if I am considered to be the lead.

Anyway, I had the chance to try funky shots like the panning shot above and while it may not be everyone’s cup of tea, I thought it was quite nice. Then again, I have a quirky taste, so couples should probably becareful when they hire me :P

Looks like I might miss a blog post tomorrow, because tonight I feel like playing games rather than edit photos. Then again, this weekend will see me having two shoots – a wedding on Saturday and another couple session on Sunday – so I might have to clear these photos before the queue reaches a mile long.

Time to take a break. :)

Last night, I sat down to edit the photos from the Heritage Station Hotel shoot as I needed to submit 5 shots to the management as per the agreement. The photos featured in post are the ones I submitted along with two other shots from the previous post.

And the title reflects not my last act of photography, but most likely the last time I’ll ever shoot at the Heritage Station Hotel because it is now closed! :(

I really enjoyed my shoot at the hotel and it was my first time shooting a serious assignment alone. I shoot at zoos alone a lot but this was entirely different. I had to compose, communicate and direct all by myself and I have to say I enjoyed the experience tremendously.

Having said that, I would still prefer company for my next shoot but I’ll probably attempt another solo session soon enough.

It is sad to read in the papers that the hotel is going to be closed because I doubt we will find another venue that will give us the same nostalgic ambiance and the classic look that we go there for. I hope KTMB preserves that portion of the building and continue to allow access for photographers for a token fee like they do now.

My heart goes out to the staff that were evicted yesterday and I hope that there is a happy ending for them all at the end of this saga. Here is to Heritage Station Hotel and may it stay on for many more photographic journeys in the future.

That was also my initial location for my own pre-wedding but looks like a change of plan is needed now. Universiti Pertanian Malaysia maybe?

It has been a hectic few weeks for me, and finding time to update the blog has been difficult, not to mention editing the photos that I can put on the blog. I missed out on the Singapore Blog Awards for Best Photography Blog category but after looking at the final 10, rightly so. There are some really fantastic ones there.

Maybe I should join others, maybe I will get lucky like I did for Nuffnang.

Anyway, I have been having a shoot for almost every week to increase my portfolio particularly for portraits. I was given the chance to shoot Darren and Ying Ying, a very fun, outgoing and sporting couple and we decided to have it at Heritage Hotel.

That place is fantastic for a shoot, although many photographers might be bored with it by now. Since it was my first time there, it was fun.

It was also the first time I was shooting a portrait session alone, and while I like shooting with friends, shooting alone wasn’t too bad. At least it forced me to lead the session rather than relying on people to do so.

That reminds me, I need to send five shots to Heritage Hotel by 1st June. Better start editing more.

I was also busy with a wedding the week after the Heritage Hotel shoot. And it was a very fun wedding, especially during the dinner reception where there were lots of dancing and singing. There were lots of talented people there!

So, while the shoots may not be a lot, the editing is a killer! Lots to edit, lots to delete and now I got another couple portrait session sitting in my memory card. And a wedding next week with another couple portrait session. This is going to be one helluva ride!

I shall see you again next week, hopefully! Off to Singapore for a bit of recharge.

Since it is Earth Day, I thought I’ll add another post for the Tiger Blogfest 2010. Just a few more shots of these beautiful cats I’ve taken in the past. And I’ll provide some fun facts about tigers as well :)

Did you know that tigers are the biggest cats in the world? The heaviest tiger recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records is a 1,025 pounds Siberian tiger. That is roughly 465kg!

The above shot was taken in Melaka Zoo, which in my opinion, is the best zoo in Malaysia right now. Now for more facts about them tigers.

There are five different subspecies of tigers alive in the world today. They are the Siberian, South China, Indochinese, Bengal and Sumatran. These cats are an endangered species and three subspecies; the Bali, Javan and Caspian tigers have become extinct.

And of course, the white tiger is shot in Singapore Zoo, my favourite zoo for now. Haven’t visited the zoos in Australia.

Last fun fact for the day: Tigers have round pupils and yellow irises (except for the blue eyes of white tigers). Due to retinal adaptation that reflects light back to the retina, the night vision of tigers is six times better than that of humans.

That’s all for today, and Happy Earth Day everyone!

ps: Tiger facts taken from here.

The tiger is our national animal. Our heritage. But today only less than 500 of them remain in the wild. As Malaysians, we need to stand up and protect our heritage. Speak to your children. Speak to your leaders. Everyone of us can make a difference. For further information, please visit MYCAT (www.malayantiger.net), WWF Malaysia (www.wwf.org.my) and Department of Wildlife & National Parks (www.wildlife.gov.my)

One of the things that I usually try to photograph when I go to Kuching is Adeline’s and Sharon’s pet dog, Cuby. But of course, the only time I can get to photograph him without him rushing after me is when I shoot through the gate separating his play area with the living room.

Not the most ideal of shots with the bar and all but I thought these portraits of him turned out rather well.

Cuby is a golden retriever if you haven’t noticed from the pictures. He is really quite active but I think has mellowed down over the years. They say that the best time to have a golden retriever as a pet is when they are really active. So I guess, it may be a pain to run after him all the time, hoping he won’t chew on another slipper, but these are also the best moments.

So, here is to many more shots of Cuby in the future. Maybe the next time I visit him, I’ll go photograph him in a park or something. Just need to make sure there is ample distance between me and him.

The tiger is our national animal. Our heritage. But today only less than 500 of them remain in the wild. As Malaysians, we need to stand up and protect our heritage. Speak to your children. Speak to your leaders. Everyone of us can make a difference. For further information, please visit MYCAT (www.malayantiger.net), WWF Malaysia (www.wwf.org.my) and Department of Wildlife & National Parks (www.wildlife.gov.my)

If you have been following my blog, you will know that I am big fan of animals. So much so that zoos everywhere around the world is kinda my must-go attractions. Of course, it is my dream to finally go Africa and see the animals roam wild, but right now, zoos are to me – the most important sanctuary in the world.

When I read the call to participate in an awareness campaign to save our tigers, I decided to pitch in a little. After all, how hard is it to do something I’ve always done? Which is to write.

Tigers are really awesome cats. They look beautiful, and when they break into a run, you can’t help but admire at their agility and strength. Of course, if they are running after you, you won’t have time admire it. :P

My experiences with tigers have always been at zoos or watching documentaries on TV. It is the only way I can get to know these beasts properly. But that shouldn’t be the case. We should have them in the wild, we should let them roam free and most importantly, we should not let them go extinct.

I would at least hope to be given the chance to watch these animals in their natural habitat in the future. And that hope is dwindling fast.

These images might be a rehash of my earlier posts (haven’t had time to photograph new ones) but I hope that after reading this, you carry the message that we have to do something. Stop believing that eating some parts of the tiger is healthy for you. Stop believing that they are human-killing machines that threaten our lives. Most importantly, spread the message that we have to stop killing them.

There is a campaign this year to double the number of tigers called the TX2. To pledge your support, you can visit the website here.

For all my blog post this week, you will see the banner supporting this campaign under the Tiger Blogfest campaign. Have a good start to the week people, and remember, SAVE OUR TIGERS!

The tiger is our national animal. Our heritage. But today only less than 500 of them remain in the wild. As Malaysians, we need to stand up and protect our heritage. Speak to your children. Speak to your leaders. Everyone of us can make a difference. For further information, please visit MYCAT (www.malayantiger.net), WWF Malaysia (www.wwf.org.my) and Department of Wildlife & National Parks (www.wildlife.gov.my)