Salam to all ,

2011 meninggalkan kita dengan 1001 kenangan…… terlalu banyak pengalaman2 baru yang kami dapat, makin hari kami mendapat lebih banyak pengalaman2 baru yang tentunya akan menjadikan kami lebih bagus dari hari semalam. Terima kasih kepada semua yang support Leprikon Pictures, semua klien klien kami , terima kasih kerana trust anda kepada kami. Terima kasih juga kepada kawan kawan lama yang sama sama mendokong LP satu masa dulu. Walaupun mereka sudah jarang bersama kami , kami amat memahami komitmen lain yang mereka terpaksa dahulukan…. terima kasih kepada pendokong2 baru antaranya Mr Syafeeq Subhi yang telah banyak membantu LP dalam menjalan kan kerja2 shooting . Juga kawan kawan lain yang turut membantu kami sehingga waktu ini. Terlalu banyak jasa kepada LP khususnya saya sebagai founder Leprikon Pictures. Insyallah kami akan cuba sedaya upaya utk lebih maju dari tahun lepas….

Terima kasih semua dan selamat tahun baru dari saya di Leprikon Pictures 2012

Azral Ramlay – Principle of Leprikon Pictures

kredit kepada owner gambar : Darina Albakri dan kawan kawannya…. gambar ini dipilih kerana event ini adalah event  penutup tirai 2011.

Selamat pengantin baru Farah n Syazwan….

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.

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/

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 ….

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