Salam ….
Kali ni giliran pengantin baru Farah n Syazwan…. Majlis berlangsung di Tangkak Johor.  Nikah sabtu and reception Ahad. Alhamdulillah semuanyer berjalan lancar….  Enjoy the pics….  on the way balik tu sempat singgah tepi jalan sorang sorang melantak durian… perghhhhh tersedap dan terbaik… musang apekebende tah dia ckp…. ok la janji sedap……. kene pi lagi ni…..

Selamat pengantin baru Farah n Syazwan….

I took this article from the Jimin Lai blog. Jimin Lai is a former international photojournalist for news agencies AFP &  Reuters. His photographs have been published in newspapers and magazines all over the world.
He is also a former senior photographer at The Star newspaper.
Visit his blog at http://jiminlai.com/blog

original source : http://www.jiminlai.com/blog/archives/922/comment-page-1#comment-6751

What’s the difference between a Photographer and a Cameraman?

Let me give you some history. Many years ago, when photography was kicking off in Malaysia, most people who became photographers were people who didn’t have a high level of education, and didn’t have a good command of English. They figured it’s easy to become a photographer. “Just point and shoot only mah,” was the motto. Learn the techniques to expose a picture, learn developing negatives and printing. You didn’t need a lot of education to do that.

It was sort of perceived as an easy way to make money and start a business. Sound familiar? Let me bring you to the present moment. Digital cameras are so cheap now. The first DSLR in the world cost almost a 100 thousand ringgit. Now you only need to spend less than 2k and you can get a body with a lens. “Just point and shoot, and download to the computer only mah,” is the new motto. You didn’t need to learn about exposure to start taking pictures, the camera does that for you. You didn’t need to learn how to develop negatives, printing, push processing and all that. Anything you want to learn can be found online. With the LCDs built into the camera, you can see your results immediately and make corrections. The learning curve is so much easier now. Anyone can learn to become a photographer.

And most people take on assignments with little thought, letting the client push them around, and they shoot everything they see like a headless chicken running everywhere. They have no strategy. They don’t really know what they want. All they know is to point and press the shutter and they end up with thousands of frames and 99% of it is useless (ok I’m exaggerating a bit, but you get the point). These people are the Cameramen. And all they know is to buy a cheap DSLR, cheap lens, cheap flash, then start taking on jobs and they don’t really think before they shoot. And they let people think that its an easy job being a photographer, “just point and shoot only” was widely perceived by the public.

But most people don’t get it. They don’t understand what it means to be a photographer. Let me tell you this. As a photographer, taking pictures is only 10% to 20% of the job. The rest is planning, doing your homework, research, surveying the location, communication with clients, presentation, workflow, logistics, preparation, etc. But you need to be GOOD at that 10-20% of the job. Your mission is to make that 10-20% as easy as possible and as quick and efficient as possible. You need to have a tight strategy when shooting, and you need to know what you want before the shoot starts. In order to know what you want, you need to know what is the big picture. And you need to know what the client wants as well and WHY they want it. Then you can add in what you want to achieve and meet your client’s needs as well. Most clients prefer a photographer who has his own style and way of doing things. After all, they are hiring you for your creativity. Not just to point and shoot. (If they want a guy just to point and shoot, I usually refer them to the cameramen ). And that’s why as a Cameraman, you only get paid peanuts and you can only demand peanuts.

Here’s the difference between a photographer and a cameraman.

Thinking and Shooting and Thinking again

A photographer is someone who puts a lot of thought into an assignment before taking the picture. It starts from the planning and preparation stage, by visualizing the actual shoot that will take place. He thinks about how is the lighting going to be, the space, backgrounds, what physical elements are there at the location, the weather, what needs to be done to ensure the shoot is quick and easy. And even before the shoot starts, he already knows what the picture is going to be and how he wants it. Right up to the moment of actually shooting the pictures, he is still thinking, about composition, the lighting, depth-of-field, shutter speed, focal length, background, distractions, poses, and all that jazz.

His job is to make sure he sticks to his plan and maybe allow for a little bit of changes here and there. He as already decided on his angle and he knows roughly how the pictures will end up. Once the shoot is completed, the post-processing stage is quick and easy. Because most of the pictures are actually shot the way he visualized it, editing and selecting is fairly easy and he doesn’t have to do a lot of photoshop work on them. There may be a few shots that are out of focus, or not exposed properly, or not composed properly, but most of the shots are nearly perfect.

Professionalism and Communication and Ethics

He communicates his ideas all the time to the client. He tries his best to be as creative as possible and always thinks about how to improve the results of the shoot, before and during the shoot. He keeps the client informed of his decisions all the time. The client ultimately feels confident and secure with the photographer and trusts him to do his job well. He has INTEGRITY. He understands the meaning of professionalism. He doesn’t try to steal another photographer’s idea or angle. He takes that idea and tries to improve it and comes up with something better. He respects other photographers by making sure he doesn’t block them on purpose. He keeps to his word, what he says is what he does.

Working Smart

There’s a huge difference between working hard and working smart. Shoots usually take time and if not planned properly can take a lot longer than required, and lots of time will be wasted. Working smart means doing what it takes to make it as efficient as possible. The most important factor to ensure this is proper planning. Time is the most important asset to a photographer. If it takes too long to complete a shoot, a few things could go bad. Everyone might lose their enthusiasm, including the photographer himself. A good photographer will try his best to make sure everything goes well as efficiently as possible, and that includes, logistics, accommodation, how far away is the location, how long does it take to travel, making sure his equipment is in working order, backups, hard-disk space, memory cards.

Then there is the cooperation with the client or the people in charge of the event or location, to make sure everything goes smoothly. He has to make sure or minimize any last minute surprises that could disrupt the shoot. He always has a backup plan. And he is always thinking a few steps ahead. If something happens, he has already thought of an alternate plan. He is also able to improvise things on the spot. His motto is always to finish the job as quickly as possible.

So, do you see why being a photographer is so different from just being a cameraman? It’s not just point and shoot. Shooting is only 10-20% of the job. The rest is planning, preparation, thinking about ideas, research, paperwork, communication, logistics, etc. Having a vision and a plan to execute that vision. Now with all this involved, do you think it’s worth it to accept a job for peanuts? How about the cost of running your business, the bills, annual fees, car installments, rentals, upkeep of equipment, including laptops/desktops, etc?

If a client asks “why so expensive ah?” You can tell them this story. And if they still want it cheap, then let the Cameraman do the job. Because you’re a Photographer.

Salam ,

Musim cuti sekolah dah start, jalan tak jem dah pepagi….. ehehhehe, dan ini bermaknanya bermulah musim kahwin, sure jalan akan jem masa weekend . Kali ni rally wedding bermula dengan client aku dari Labu NSembilan yang melangsungkan majlis nikah di Labu dan juga reception di Dewan Sri Endon Putrajaya. Alhamdulillah segalanya berjalan dengan lancar. Masa sampai ke rumah pengantin perempuan tu agak sesat gak la…. addressnya Laman Putri , Labu….. ingatkan nama taman perumahan ropenyer nama rumah… Cantik garden rumah Suriyanty ni atau dengan panggilan Yanty. Sempat jumpa class mate aku masa kat seremban dulu form 3 iaitu Ezreen Azlina. Dia yang rekemen nih. Thanks la … i will try my best to give a good quality of photos. insyaallah.

Shooting kali ni, aku dibantu oleh my officemate cum my Leprikon supporting photographer , Mr Shafeeq Subhi. Thanks brader….. jangan lupa, next week, next next week, next next next week. full OK….. kita layan main lampu llagi ehheheh

Ok guys…. nak sambung editing gambar diorang ni n enjoy the photos….!

More photos soon in my flickr collection  http://www.flickr.com/photos/azralramlay/sets/72157626137404921/with/5525199041/

Salam….

Mungkin belum terlambat nak wish happy new year kot…. bukan senang nak jadik rambo….. full time designer, part time photographer, part time photo editing…. fuhhhh…. takpe, tahun baru ni insyallah dengan berbekalkan pengalaman pahit manis dari 2009 dan 2010, aku cuba upgrade mana yang kurang tu….. kepada klien klien baru dan yang baru nak merisik tu, enjoy my work on this blog. Just buzz me if u think im qualified for your wedding and suit your taste. Simple concept, less editing less effect… simple album, no gimmick… most of it is pure photography…. insyallah…..

Thanks pada client pertama aku utk 2011 sebagai pembuka tirai iaitu Nik Rizal and Amelia yang berlangsung di Blue Wave Hotel. Nik Rizal ni pernah berlumba gokart ngan aku kat Kylemore go kart kat Dublin dulu… diam tak diam dah sampai seru la nak kawin… pasni jom gokart lagi kat Subang ehhehe…. Very sporting client….. sempoi habih…. simple event but meaningfull…. Just enjoy the photos!

browse more photos of this wedding reception in my Flickr Set http://www.flickr.com/photos/azralramlay/sets/72157625667460197/with/5342921043/

Salam to all,

Introducing our new 10X12 inch custom album for year 2011 basic package. 22 Pages , hard cover ….

Salam…

Hari ni buat lawatan tapak sket, alhamdulillah cepat jugak TH Properties ni buat keje dan kemas. Kepada yang berminat boleh la contact Brader Shahzeli @ Enstek. Ni address blog dia http://bandarenstek.blogspot.com/
Lawatan kali ni just nak tengok orientation matahari sama tak mcm yang aku plan masa pilih unit march tahun lepas. Mula mula agak frust sebab opening yang besar kat tepi umah tu tadak Louvres . So memang kene carik supplier louvres la kot nanti nanti . Then bila dtg waktu pagi rasa down tu terubat sebab bahagian courtyard tu redup seperti yang dijangkakan. Untuk sesapa yang plan nak beli rumah tu la kan, sebelum beli tu , kaji dulu geografi rumah tu. Kalau leh jangan la depan umah tu mengadap matahari petang sebab panas terik tu memang bawak sampai malam. Kalau terpaksa gak, try minimize la. Just my 2 cent jer… lain ka kalau design banglo sendiri haa yang tu memang sukahati nak buat mcm mana pon…. Posting ni sekadar nak sharing idea dan pendapat peribadi aku jer …. ilmu yang baik tu bagus kalau share at least serba sedikit boleh bagi idea pada yang memerlukan….insyallah nanti kalau ada bende pasal design rumah nak share nanti aku share kan kay…..

morning sun

at 10am…..

21 february – jalan depan umah semua dah siap……

Sutra dah pandai masuk bilik dia sendiri kat atas…. dia tau ni bilik dia… hehee….

Yeazzza….. my first book by blurb! Buku ni utk Sutra…. nanti dah besau nanti baca yerr….or tgk gamba! eheheh. Actually ni baru jer dpt tadi ni. Excited. Apa yang boleh dikatakan ialah qualitynya OK …. nak ckp best or paling best pon takleh sebab tak tau nak compare mcm mana….. tapi ikut mata aku…. “good enuff” heheheh . So buku ni la yang akan aku gunakan utk wedding or other event. Client yang berminat boleh la set appointment utk tgk kualiti photo book style ni.    Motto 2010 :  More photos, more pages…. cheaper price…. ehehhe

sesapa berminat nak order buku ni , boleh beli di blurb.com via this site  http://www.blurb.com/books/1146924

Slann to my ex D300….. im still with the dark forces. Hopefully this time it will be more kickin than before….. thanks to muhamad from sabah. Thanks to Rizwan Hazeman aka HAWK yang ada kat sabah sebab uruskan segala bisness jual beli ni.  million thanks…. i owe u one brader…

Salam….Buat pertama kalinya aku melangkahkan kaki aku utk menjenguk bakal rumah aku.  Alhamdulillah rezeki dtg Allah nak bagi kekadang mcm tu jer.  Lama giler tunggu nak umah sendiri , berkat kesabaran menunggu akhirnya dapat jugak rumah yang menepati citarasa mengikut kemampuan jugak la. Walaupun jauh nun di Sepang, tapi design punya pasal, aku redah ajer. Sebelum masuk aku bagi la salam dulu kan mcm biasa…. bila nengok umah yang bakal kita duduk ni under construction, rasa lain sket. Sebab apa? sebab kita dah boleh bayangkan lebih kurang camana kehidupan kita seterusnya utk 30 tahun akan datang. Sebelum ni setiap umah paling lama aku duduk 1 tahun lebih… ala ala gypsy gitu. Kesana kesini sewa lori bawak barang. Pasni boleh la aku sewa lori pastu duduk diam diam…sampai ke Dublin gak laa buat perangai gypsy nih…. Insyallah sinilah Sutra akan dibesarkan, menambahkan baby lagi ker… bila dah tua nanti, sini jugak la aku berteduh dan mungkin juga sinilah aku akan menutup mataku selama lamanya….  sebab tu aku kata feelnya agak berbeza.  Syukur Alhamdulillah walaupun rumah ni belum siap… tapi aku akan sentiasa bersyukur….. harap harap aku sempat la merasa duduk dirumah impian aku ni….. amin…..

Salam Ramadhan……
Kepada semua pelawat2 blog aku selama ini yang masih tak jemu jemu melayan gambar2 aku, aku nak ucapkan selamat menyambut bulan Ramadhan al Mubarak…. semoga segala ibadah yang dilakukan dalam bulan ini diberkati ALLAH SWT. Bagi aku ini merupakan antara Ramadhan yang special kerana dah 3 kali ramadhan aku sambut di perantauan…. so bila di perantauan, pepaham la…. bab makanan memang susah nak carik . Kat sini memang mewah…. kluar jer umah dah ada orang jual tepi jalan…. tapi dalam banyak banyak tu, jangan lupa ingat pada orang yang memerlukan. Aku nasihatkan diri aku sendiri dan kawan2 semua utk banyakkan sedekah bulan puasa ni. Insyallah bertambah banyak rezeki kita nanti mudah mudahan….

Bila datang time bukak puasa ni, aku teringat sangat la kat nasik beriani arab kat Dublin dulu…. aku dengan kawan2 jantan yang lain semua seronok nak makan free kat masjid dublin ni…. sini nasik beriani makan stail dulang… memang sedap…. especially nampak muka sorang2 membahagikan teritory memasing eeehhehe nasib baik dah set siap siap sparring partner… kot dpt pak arab lain… mau disebatnyer semua hehehehe….

Selamat menyambut ramadhan….

Alhamdulillah… satu lagi tugasan telah berjaya dilaksanakan…. hasil penantian selama lebih sebulan , dan masa yang ditunggu oleh Aishah dan Ariff.  Kredit to Ainol sebab introduce aku kat pengantin. Nanti ajak ariq kita minum minum makan makan ehhehehe tunggu masa free kay… Kesibukan bulan June yang sangat bz dengan job job wedding berakhir juga…. Pasni boleh amik nafas lega utk siapkan editing gambar2 bulan June…. banyak betul assignment editing yang tertunggak.  Aku harap pengantin2 dpt bersabar… July aku leh bernafas sket utk buat editing ngan album cantik2 kay. Kalau rushing nanti editing jadik lebih kurang pun tak best gak kan… so baik edit elok elok. 

Wedding kali ni unik sangat sebab first time gak la aku shooting kat area kampung bahagian Negeri Sembilan. Pi memana orang ckp loghat nogori.. So leh paham dan leh nyampuk la  hehehe… Sabtu lagi aku dah Fuad dah terpacak kat Masjid Tuan Tulis ni pastu petangnya pi buat outdoor sket kat rumah lama kepunyaan Uwan Nongah ( kalau tak silap den aaaa ) peh tu poi pulak bondang…. kodongaran makcik dari jauh monjorit… ” Apo ajo yang ekau buek kek sano tu jang oiii ” heheheheh   apo kono eh jang aaa makcik ni….   thanks to Fuad sebab jadik member tag aku kali ni…  masa on the way balik tu sempat tepon polis buat report ada bas 2 tingkat bawak mcm horang gilo…. tapi tak nampak pon polis tahan….. (off topic heheh )

Pastu malam plak sambung dengan Malam Berinai sambil diiringi caklempong…. sepanjang majlis…..  sambil duduk lepak luar ngan fuad dengar bunyik cengkerik momalam memang nyaman…. raso cam ghayo pulak… den dah lamo dah tak raso berayo kek kampung ni…. dah 3 kali rayo lopeh dah…

Ahad pulak majlis sanding…. alhamdullillah takdo masalah apo apo sobab den risau gak… den datang sorang… yang lain masing2 ada job masing2  . Tapi ni bukan first time den sorang… maso Dwen ngan Nini kat Batu Pahat marin pon den sorang. Alhamdulillah la kosihatan den takat sihat walafiat…. kalau tak camno nak pikir maso amik gamba kan….. Oklah merapu meraban banyak pon den dah takdo idio… nak sambung rehat esok nak kojo…

here’s some of my random selection……enjoizzz

13 Comments so far

1. @mmw@t@n June 28th, 2009 4:00 pm

   smart bro..

2. azral June 28th, 2009 4:24 pm

   tq broo…

3. sajhs June 29th, 2009 4:11 am

   Akak selalu gak jenguk blog azral ni… gambor seme ada kelassss, chanteek2!!!! Tahniah!!!
   Tapi apasal lately susah bebenor nak masuk, bnyk kali error?? ke akak pnya comp. yg x betul???

4. azral June 29th, 2009 12:14 pm

   thanks kak….. takleh masuk ? ye ker? alamak…. tak sure la pulak… saya masuk OK jerk ni…. kalau error lagi kasik tau kay… tq tq

5. aishah June 30th, 2009 3:04 pm

   azral, u did the fantastic job ever!!!! very nice pic!! i like it so much… u make me n hubby smile

6. azral July 1st, 2009 3:46 pm

   thanks to both of u too…..
   this is where the satisfactory comes in…..
   u happy…. im happy too

7. Reena July 2nd, 2009 12:56 am

   so far..outdoor kali ni mmg best…ala2 kg, tepi bendang…ermm….terkenang zaman kanak2 dulu…
   the picture so beautiful and interesting…
   nmpak klasik sgt…nanti reena nk kawin nanti bleh la yek outdoor mcm nie lak..hihi….

8. lina July 2nd, 2009 1:11 am

   ct…cantekknyer gambo..gambo je la…kuang kuang kuang… takde la… gambo orgnyer pun cantekk gak… anyway tahniah both of u… n to cameraman… mana gambo haku ngan pengantin… anyway.. nice job..cantek gambo kawen aku ni jadik pengantin….

9. azral July 2nd, 2009 1:17 pm

   thanks…. boleh jerk kalau kita jumpa spot menarik mcm kali ni….. actually time outdoor ni sawah padi tak hijau pun…. kering kontang baru lepas bajak… so thrill gak ler nak carik spot…..

10. hanif ramli July 5th, 2009 4:13 pm

    clean n sharp..i lyke..
    mmg terbaek..lu mmg kreatif la bro..

11. azral July 5th, 2009 4:38 pm

    hanif….
    bro thanks bro… gambo ko pon tajam bro….
    sama sama bagi semangat sesama…. mcm ni memang sihat bro…

12. jas July 7th, 2009 9:12 am

    respect habis gambar2 wedding ko torot..makin meletop2..

13. abong July 13th, 2009 2:54 pm

    umang ai cantek eee akak den nihhhhh….congratulation!!!

Babak pertama telah bermula…..
Semalam tido pukul 5pagi gak ler nak packing brg2 ni… pastu kene pi keje.. pastu sambung halfday tu lagi beli lagi barang sket last call. Pastu start petang semalam dah final check semua dan ready utk diangkut ke storage kontena. Penat taklehnak kata… tapi sempat la tido 15 minit jadik la kan… pastu dalam pukul 9pm  Putra Venture nyer lori sampai pastu bermula la kerja gotong royong , ivy exchange jer dah penuh satu lori… ada 4 family… nasib baik muat muat satu lori utk first trip… ramai gak yang membantu…. especially member2 ummar , kene belanja diorang makan malam ni nih… then lori brg ni dibawa ke storage sementara kat Finglas. Tpt ni mcm sewa space utk brg2 le ni sebelum diorang akan masuk ke kontena betul nanti. Pastu second trip sambung umah Halim, najib ngan izwan. Gotong royong ni habis kul 430 pagi mcm tu ler… pastu nak carik mamak takde… hapa pun takde time2 mcm ni…. perut lapar giler sebab tak makan… nasik baik isi perut sket kat umah halim makan karipap. hehhehe…  itulah update utk harini… so skang aku , emmy sutra tinggal sehelai sepinggang… 2 ketul beg besar , 2 beg galas , sama mcm aku dtg dublin ni dulu.. beg yang sama…. takde terlebih… kecuali sutra ngan strollernya…..

3 Comments so far

1. jas November 27th, 2008 2:28 am

   wah..brg2 dah selamat dah..bestnye klau gotong-royong ni kena buat bubur sum-sum..org johor ckp la,kat tmpat lain tak tau pggil ape..pastu kuih2 n kopi O panas..tambah plak kena rokok surya..masyuk….kekeke…mesti kecoh gile kat situ smlm kn,seme dok angkat2 brg..semoga semenye berjalan sempurna..

2. udeyismail November 27th, 2008 2:45 am

   wat da stroy!!!.. wah jom2 nyanyi lagu Malaysiaku gemilang skali

3. rufi November 27th, 2008 12:41 pm

   ..puas hati ….kiranya mcm rokok rewang ler..