In my previous post, I mentioned that it has been a long time since I went to the zoo. And this was also the first time that I was worried that I wouldn’t have any good shots from the trip. It was a weird feeling because I usually have a few in mind that I can scream “oh yes!” but this trip, that didn’t happen as I reviewed the pics in cam.

I went out to see the tigers, and in the end I shot a swan, an emu’s eyes, a lion (not shown here), a giraffe and an elephant.

Surprisingly, after looking through the images on the Macbook, I had a lot more wows than I thought I could have. And I have to say that this wasn’t such a bad day after all.

I got the eye shot which I was aiming for, although it is still not a crocodile. Perhaps the next time I go, I’ll go find a friendly croc.

I got yet another elephant shot which was similar to a B&W shot I got but this time I decided that the elephant deserved a bit of colour.

And finally, a shot that I thought was unique for the giraffe. I have seen and photograph a lot of giraffe in the zoo and I was really trying to aim for something different. I got a lot of head shots but it was just another giraffe shot. I hope that you found this to be different as well :)

And I guess this is it. It was a good trip to the zoo after all. Oh, and Selamat Hari Raya to my Muslim readers and to the others, enjoy the break. I know I will :)

After looking through and posting my “contained wildlife” images on Facebook, I suddenly had this urge to go to the zoo. It has been a while since I visited any and definitely been quite a while since I last took photo of an animal.

Since I just returned from Melaka the week before, it didn’t make sense to drive all the way there again. After all, petrol ain’t cheap. It also didn’t make sense to all the way to Singapore, so I finally decided that my very own Zoo Negara will have to do. The day started off cloudy and it started to drizzle so that was a bit of a worry.

But when I reached there, and went to the tiger enclosure and saw the above, I didn’t really care about the rain.

Having not been to the local zoo for ages, I didn’t know that there were some major cleaning up going on. Some of the enclosures were closed and my favourite tiger enclosure where the swimming tiger used to be was closed for upgrading works. I really hope it is an upgrade.

At least, the cubs made up for it. They were really, really cute. And being young and innocent, they are still very active! I hope they stay that way for a long time more to come!

Zoo Negara is not exactly the prettiest of zoos, so it is quite a challenge to find a good spot. Some people have been asking me if this is really our national zoo, and all I have to say that yes it is. As long as you compose out the ugliness, the animals are really quite beautiful. You also need patience, to wait for the animals to be active, or to get into an ideal framing location.

I hope that one day when I visit Zoo Negara, I say so with pride. Let’s hope that day comes sooner rather than later because a well-designed and well-maintained zoo is one huge tourist attraction.

I had fun at Zoo Negara, like I always do. I find myself spending less time at the zoos, no more 6-8 hours trip. Just 3 hours max and these days I head straight to the animals I want to photograph. Once I get those shots, then only I look for other stuff if I have the time.

I wonder if there is a market for a zoo photographer. I would love to get into that. :)

Was on MC yesterday so today is turning out to be a rather busy day for me here in the office. But I thought I’ll take a quick break to just make a short blog to say, well I am still here!

You can look forward to an animal or food post tomorrow :) For today, I’ll just leave you with a single shot of ION in Singapore. Orchard Road was looking extra pretty that day.

This is going to be one of those post about food that I can’t remember the price. Luckily PS.Cafe has an online menu where I can check for the exact name of the food items. One point to note, if you are coming here by cab, most won’t know the name Palais. So it is easier to tell them Thai Embassy or Orchard Towers. Palais is just a few steps away.

Back to food! We started off with something healthy for everyone to share, but Sharon and I ate majority of it. It is the Berry Plate which is lots of berries with yoghurt and some honey over it. Quite good stuff and off to a healthy start!

And then I stole Alvin’s Eggs Benedict for a shot, but luckily for him, I didn’t steal the eggs too. It was basically muffins with poached eggs topped with hollandaise. Looks really yummy and I always wanted to order Egg Benedict. Maybe next time.

Then my sister ordered another egg dish and this was the PS. Big Bacon with Eggs. I love eggs and this came with 2 eggs which you can try different style and it has bacon, toast, mushrooms, a big tomato and it is all really good for brunch. We couldn’t eat lunch after this so the big brunch was really worth it.

Still on the path of the food that I did not eat but shot pictures of, we next had Dwina’s meal. This was the PS. Bolognaise, which is err spaghetti with homemade ground beef, bacon, grated parmesan cheese and tomato sauce. Still looks pretty good though.

And we have now arrived at the food that Sharon and I shared. We had to have soup especially when it is called Portobello Mushroom with Watercress and Truffle Oil. I like all three stuff so the soup was thumbs up for me! No chunky mushrooms but it was fine and smooth. On to our main course!

This was why we came here. Alvin told us about the burger that you can squeeze and nothing will drop out. The patty will stay in place along with everything else. Sounds magical? You bet and it is true!

We had the Brunch Burger which is chargrilled wagyu & US chuck pattie topped with fried egg, bacon, onion ring, and melted gruyere & mozarella cheese. This was awesome. Well, except for the onion ring as I am not a big fan of onions. And I have no idea what gruyere is. But everything stays in place and it was not messy to eat at all!

So, if you are interested in trying them out, you can find them at:

PS.Cafe at Palais
Level 2. Palais S.C
390 Orchard Road
Singapore

I was given the opportunity to spend one night at Holiday Inn Melaka over the weekend and it was quite a much needed break for myself. It was not the first time I’ve stayed there although I can’t really remember how it looked like previously. But Holiday Inn has always given me the impression that it is quite dated, and well, old-school.

Well, guess what? Not anymore because they seem to have gone through some sort of makeover and things are looking pretty good.

They housed me on the 18th floor and I got an awesome view of the jetty and beyond. This will be the Straits View room and I guess on the other side, you get a pretty cool view of the Melaka township as well. During the night, the bling bling lights of the Melaka town should be quite a cool view as well.

Not only is the view cool, the room also comes equipped with an iPod docking station which is a nice touch. I didn’t take a picture but while the bathroom may look plain and simple, the shower is amazing. Great pressure, and great temperature control. I can take bath 5 times a day if I had that shower.

I checked out the spa (which will be blogged about soon), and I also checked out their Infinity Pool on the third floor during sunset. I knew in my head that I’ll get an awesome view and I was not disappointed. Even if you don’t swim, this is the place to just sit back, relax and enjoy nature’s awesome scene unfolding before you.

I always said that I am never in luck to photograph beautiful sunsets but this time around, I was there and I was lapping up every moment of it. On the 3rd floor of Holiday Inn Melaka, all I needed to do was look left and right and I would be presented with an awesome view each time.

I think the people at the pool must be thinking I was crazy because I was snapping away. That was pretty much the perfect moment of my stay in Holiday Inn Melaka. For the view alone, I’ll definitely head back there to stay. Ok, it helps that it is pretty near Jonker Street and Melaka Raya where I can get good food.

I’ll end this post with a vote for me kinda thing. Holiday Inn is running a competition called Stay Together Holiday Inn Photo Contest where we submit pictures to best describe the feeling when you are holidaying with families or friends. Sharon was with me this trip and we took some cool Polaroid-like pictures but I decided to submit the picture above.

Why? Because I wanted to show a different version of being together. And that wherever I go, Sharon will always be with me because I will always be wearing a pair of sandals that she bought for me. In this picture, those cool Orange Crocs that she bought for me during the World Cup fever. Yeah, I am a big Dutch fan.

So, remember, vote for me here! Help me win a trip to Bali!

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.

Looks like my latest obsession in Singapore is not the zoo or the bird park but Marina Sands! During my last two trips there, I have been there three times and I got to say I am enjoying finding new angles to photograph this beautiful building. Sharon still hasn’t been there so I am pretty sure I’ll get another shot of it the next time I visit Singapore.

The above was shot using the 20mm and it was in the evening. One of the best thing about the Marina Sands is the glass panes and the reflection they project.

The different angles I got was shot from opposite the Marina Sands near the Shopping Gallery and the Expo Halls. I am pretty sure if I walked over to the hotel side, I would be able to capture different angles and I’ll try that the next time. Not to mention shooting it from afar, near the Durian building or something.

After the evening shots, I went there again in the morning. This time around, I noticed the sun peeking out from the building and decided to try and get that angle. Looks like I might have to stand in the middle of the road next time for a better angle.

Did I tell you I am loving the 20mm? I love wiiideeee shots :)

Recently, I attended what was possibly the largest gathering of wedding and portrait photographers in Malaysia, the WPPM 2010 Conference. For those wondering what WPPM stands for, it is Wedding & Portrait Photographers Malaysia. Basically, it is a body that we can all be a part of to learn and share.

2010 is the debut year and the 2010 Conference was the first of its kind here in Malaysia. Not only were there Malaysian photographers sharing their experiences, they also managed to pull in some top names around the region like Lito Sy, Charlie Lim and Jerry Ghionis.

There were a lot of speakers so I will only share choice quotes with you guys. Else it might end up being a 10-page essay. That was how much I got to absorb over the two days.

With so many speakers, I couldn’t have attended all of it so I had to pick and choose carefully. First up was Yusuf Hashim, or digitalartist in PhotoMalaysia if you are a member of that forum. He presented on the topic of “Creative Composition”.

“When you do it for a passion, you do it well.”
“Pictures are everywhere, know how to look for them.”
“Everything is planned, nothing is accidental.”

Next up was a tough one as I had to choose between Jon Low, Alex Lam & Grace Tan or Braendan Yong. I decided to go for Braendan Yong and his topic of “Lights, Camera and Action!”

He had some pretty good tips like adjusting white balance by first setting tint to 0. Then adjust temperature by dragging it all the way to extreme left/right then slowly adjust to the tone you want. If it still doesn’t look right, then adjust the tint. Other tips include, always check your exposure and histogram.

He shoots on manual flash setting and I must say I am beginning to enjoy getting rid of TTL. His tip is to start at 1/32 or 1/16 depending on your flash unit because it is the middle ground. Then depending on the results, you can adjust up or down and should save some time instead of starting off at 1/1.

After that, it was quite a no brainer as I went to listen to Kenneth Tan and his topic of “Destination Weddings”. I am quite a big fan of his work although I will probably never replicate his style. He shared his story, showed his shots and gave us some tips.

#1 Understand the culture
#2 Reccee, be a photographer, not a tourist. Pay attention to the light – direction and quality
#3 Check the weather and timing of the golden hours
#4 Be ready before the moment

I sat through the judging session for the print competition and before I knew it, Day 1 came to an end.

Off to Day 2 and I was so busy listening that I didn’t take any pictures. The above was taken by Kar Heng before Jerry Ghionis started his talk. And this guy is very inspiring.

Right before Jerry, Jim Liaw shared his experience on using Hasselblad in Rome. It was RM62,000 for the basic setup. All I can say is.. can I have one on loan? :)

One of my biggest regret of Day 2 was missing the first few sessions and that included Patrick Low, Lito Sy and I managed to catch the tail-end of Charlie’s session. Luckily I managed to speak to the three gentlemen before while shooting clips for The Ninja Report.

But I still missed Patrick’s Leica experience, Lito Sy’s demo on creative veil shots but at least I got to catch Charlie Lim in action. And all I can say is that Charlie can perform magic!

And that was my WPPM 2010 experience! Will definitely attend WPPM 2011!

Some of you may already know but I started a videocast (or vodcast) with Mark Leo called The Ninja Report. It is a show that will focus on photography and we hope to make it light, entertaining and informative as well. With the help of the folks at Redninja.tv and Satoo.tv, we finally got it live!

With so many talented photographers around, I am sure we won’t run out of content anytime soon. If you have any feedback, feel free to do so. After all, the only way we will improve is when people tell us where we went wrong.

Enjoy episode #0!

During my visit to Singapore last weekend, it was rare that I did not visit the zoo or the bird park. I started off with the idea of visiting Little India but I would have to wake up really early for that so I decided to get some sleep instead. After meeting up with Steph, my parents and sister were in Marina Sands, so I decided to go there and take a look.

And this place is quite amazing. Too bad I was only armed with the 50mm, else I would have loved some UWA shots here.

The shops here are pretty much the standard affair and you can find many of the brands in other malls as well. But the design of the place is simply quite stunning. I love lines, geometry and this place has plenty of it. Not only that, they have “street performers” in a mall!

So don’t be surprised to see people on stilts walking around, or a bronze statue smiling back at you. It is all part of the atmosphere. I didn’t grab a picture but apparently some of the top international chefs will open their gourmet restaurant in a sort of a “under one roof” environment.

Will cost me a dent in the wallet but I think I must give it a try one day.

After that, I took a short walk over to the hotel and while I didn’t go up to the much talked about Skypark and Infinity Pool, I was happy getting some shots of the resort. From the outside, I loved how the sky was reflected off their window panes and luckily, I had good weather that day.

I can only imagine the view from the top.

But my favourite shot is probably when I stepped into the hotel, looked up and saw the repeating pattern. Absolutely brilliant! I heard it will cost a minimum of 400SGD a night to stay here but I think I will give it a go one day. After all, the experience should be quite worth it.

Judging by how busy the place was, I am sure Marina Sands is going to be the next icon in Singapore. Probably I’ll visit the casino the next time around. Have a good weekend everyone!