Tag: imagery

July 10 2010 7:46am

Published October 28, 2010

Today, I’m going to share with you an image shot by Michel Tay. Michel is my associate photographer who has years of experience in the fashion photography industry. It is very fortunate of me to be able to meet him as I start the imagery wing of Andessen DC this year to provide photography services for “Capturing the things we love.”

Andessen Imagery is not your conventional photography studio. We do not subscribe to the point and shoot technique which is so prevalent in the digital photography age. We also do not content ourselves with technically correct images because these images may look good but are actually soulless.

Photography to us is an art and we believe that photography can make a difference. With that in mind, our approach is to offer photography as a way to capture the meaningful things in your life so that they can be with you as a form of valuable memento. We know how we as human beings tend to forget the happy things as we go through our lives, therefore, A.i creates images that are authentic to reflect these captured moments to serve as reminders to ourselves. We want you to connect with your soul.

In this image, we see Shan, and it was 7:46am on her wedding day. She was getting her hair done and the sun greets her through the windows with its rays. Michel captured this shot. I think it is stunning. The lights combined with Shan’s expression give this image a lovely gentle softness that is captivating as it is comforting.

I wish I could be present when Michel capture this shot but I wasn’t. Instead, I was over at the groom’s place to capture his preparation. That made me just a little bit envious. But that was the plan by the wedding couple and as photographers we make the best of what is available. To be authentic, we do not intervene. We let things happen at their own time and when the moment is right, we click the shutter.

And here we got one at 7:46am on July 10, 2010, by Michel Tay.

Photography Michel Tay Post-Process Andy Words Andy

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What do cats think about?

Published October 26, 2010

Cats are mysterious creatures. They are independent, quiet and often wear a poise expressionless look. And because of that, it’s hard to guess what are on their minds.

Just the other day, a friend asked, “What do cats think about? You look at them and they either just lie here or sit there staring into blank space.”

Cats do that don’t they? So I speculate that they might be thinking about where to sleep later, what to eat later, or how to catch the attention of another sexy cat. These apply to the strays around us I reckon.

This image here, however, is not about a stray, but he could have been, if his owners had not adopted him. Lucky he is, and he is Lucky. Yes, that’s his name.

Lucky have really big eyes. That is the first thing I noticed when I first met him. And he would use them to scan me from top to bottom, much like questioning me about what business have I at his home. Only after making sure that I’m not a threat in his habitat would he go about his own business, and he’ll let me be as I’ll let him be. He has got such character and is a pleasure to photograph.

In this shot, I spot him out from his room and just sat outside the studies looking in. There was no one inside. The light would lead from the windows, filtered through the door and cast a nice contrast of lights and shadows on the corridor. Lucky would sit behind the wall with his face illuminated. The reflection of him off the floor was a bonus, giving this image an added dimension.

But back to the question, “What do cats think about?” Can you think up an answer here?

Photography Andy Post-Process Andy Words Andy

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Wesley, Denise and Baby Lucius.

Published October 24, 2010

Here is an image of Wesley, Denise and a 3-days-old Baby Lucius before they set off from TMC to bring Lucius home for the first time. It was about three months ago.

Honestly speaking, I struggled with this image, revisiting it countless times in post-production. And even as I was writing this, I stopped and went back to re-edit it, correcting the colours, once more. Initially, I had thought that Black & White would be nice here but after going through a few versions, I find that it could be overly dramatizing and went back to colours instead for a much more natural look.

While it took ten months for a baby to be born, this image took three, much like a cheetah. The reference came to mind only because of a recent documentary on cheetahs that I’ve watched.

The planning and capturing of this shot took much less time. Before this was taken, I had it in my mind that I wanted dad, mum and baby to be intimately close in the picture sharing a moment together. I thought about using natural light from the window but it was raining that day. The next option is to use the yellow/orange ceiling light, and this spot at the corner of the room is perfect to frame the shot with.

A few minor adjustments were made to ensure the curtain and cushions were proper and I made Wesley and Denise sit really close to each other. They were really in a “tight spot”, literally speaking. Other than that I just ask of them to relax and talk to each other. This image was one of many shots. Some had them laughing and looking at each other while sharing a joyful moment, and some are of them smiling and interacting with Baby Lucius.

This shot, however, was what I was really looking for. It has a sense of unspoken serenity and telling quality to it. It’s a little difficult to describe. I’ll try my best here. I like the way Wesley was smiling proudly while looking at Lucius. And I especially like Denise’s motherly expression as she cradles Lucius. What happened in this moment just felt very right.

Do you share my sentiments?

Photography Andy Post-Process Andy Words Andy

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Kandahar Street

Published October 22, 2010

Kandahar street is a place within Kampong Glam, Singapore. Kampong meaning Settlement, and Glam referring to a variety of eucalyptus which grew in the area, it is a heritage site in Singapore. The land was allocated to the Malays and Muslim immigrants when Singapore was under the British colony back in the nineteenth century.

Kandahar street lies at the back of Sultan Mosque, which is a major landmark for the Singapore Muslim community.

I was there on one of the evenings during the Muslim Fasting Month as there was a food bazaar along the road for Muslims to buy their food for breakfast. It was already late so the stores have mostly closed and the crowd dissipated as the lights dimmed.

What caught my eye as my friend and I rested our feet by the side of the road was the corner provision shop. I like the contrast of the white light coming from the shop within the ambient incandescent lit environment. There were vehicles to frame the subject and two men by the side so the picture doesn’t look lonely. And as I was adjusting the camera for exposure, another man cycled by and that was the perfect moment to capture the shot.

Photography Andy Post-Process Andy Words Andy

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An inquisitive Wayne.

Published October 20, 2010

Time flies. About 2 years ago, I was photographing Wayne when he was just a newborn. Now his birthday is coming up and he will soon turn two.

I didn’t have a DSLR then, and I was struggling to make ends meet. Since ’05 I was trying to fulfill a vision and it is still in the works till this day. I could have made money the easy way but I wanted it to be right. I’ve asked myself many questions and one of them, “What is innocence?”

One of the way to answer this question is to observe how children behave. Children do things in the simplest and most direct manner. When they are hungry they cry, looking for attention. When they want you to carry them they’ll stretch out their hands. When they want something, they’ll just go ahead and explore their possibilities without fear.

In the process, sometimes, they get in trouble of course, but that’s how they learn. In the eyes of adult, children do things that are perceived as wrong, but the truth is that they don’t know that. Children do things purely out of good intent and curiosity. They delight in discovery. They are joyful and happy. It’s a wonder why many of us adults grow up to lose this innocence. Why are we subsided to be shaped by circumstances, environments and events that we do not delight in life anymore. We harbour more fear than we have hope.

That is not to say that we have to be childish of course. Children still do lack the perception of consequence, unlike adults. Instead, I think we should often listen to that inner child of ours. Do you still remember the simple joys of being a kid? How can you apply that now?

In this shot, we were at a Subway restaurant when Wayne wander off on his own, again. He would explore the drinks fridge, walk up and down the aisle looking for something that would catch his eyes and he would be behind the big glass door, trying to grab the large handles. His parents and I kept a close watch of course so he wouldn’t hurt himself. I waited till Wayne was next to the counter lights which would illuminate his face on the side before clicking on the shutter. He complete the look with an innocent smile.

Photography Andy Post-Process Andy Words Andy

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Princess Ulfah

Published October 18, 2010

A princess, that’s who she is. In the eyes of her dad and mum and family no less, Ulfah is a princess. I think that is one of the reason why ‘princess’ is in her name, written in Arabic. The celebration for her Cukur Rambut (hair shaving ceremony symbolising cleansing) and baby shower was just held over the weekend. This photo was to be my gift to her mum and dad.

She is the first baby girl (previously all boys) that I’ve had the honour to photograph and also by far the most challenging newborn to photograph. Let me explain why. This was the first time that I’ve taken a First Day Portrait of a newborn, whose mother I’ve only met and spoke with for the first time. Her mum’s name is Nina, and her dad, Firdaus. Although Firdaus is my friend, I’ve only seen Nina once before and that was on their wedding day. Nina is a stranger to me as I’m a stranger to her so it does feel a little awkward that you’re photographing someone’s precious little baby just hours after she was born.

Adding to my level of stress was the fact that her dad, who is also a photographer, had shown me a stunning picture of Ulfah that he had taken with his iPhone. And in the same room with me were the grandparents, relatives, and two of my friends. There were many eyes on me as I tried to calm my nerves and focus on the task at hand.

Back to the photo that Firdaus had shot, which was a picture of Ulfah with her eyes brightly opened, and taken just perhaps a couple of hours after she arrives, someone asked the question, “How do you take a (nice) picture like that?” Nina answered wittingly, “Well, you got to be her dad.” The room filled with laughter.

I spent about half an hour observing Ulfah. The awkwardness only grew. I was looking for an expression, something magical and I began to doubt whether it could actually happen. Somehow, I felt the anxiousness of the people around me as they could only hear the sounds of my camera shutter. My shots were awkward too, as Ulfah was certainly not making it easy for me. She kept a very stern and serious look, with her eyes seemingly frowning and her lips pouted. Her dad would joke, “Why so serious?”

As I never like to disturb babies while they sleep, I did not attempt to alter Ulfah’s sleeping position, opting to let it look natural, and continue to wait for the moment. And this was the shot. Why? Because she looks most like a princess here; a beautiful Arabic princess. Princesses never make things easy, do they? ; )

God bless Princess Ulfah and family.

Photography Andy Post-Process Andy Words Andy

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Just me; I’m Sutopo.

Published October 16, 2010

Sutopo is my friend of 15 years. We met for the first time at our class orientation when we were starting our first year in Product Design. When he told me his name as we shook hands, I couldn’t quite make it out as it sounded quite foreign so I asked, “Where are you from?” in which he answered, “Singapore,” to my embarrassment.

Out of the 15 years that we have known each other, there were two that we did not meet or speak due to a misunderstanding. It wasn’t one thing alone that led to it, but I guessed it happened for a reason, and that I think was to let us grow. We shared common interests but we have different goals. At times we depended on each other while other times we were so busy we couldn’t help one another. The point is that even as close friends, our paths do divert. It took me quite awhile to gain that wisdom of letting each other live our own lives for our own good. The mistake was to force our beliefs onto each other. But friends however are reflections of each other.

For this picture, we were on our way to a friend’s car at a basement carpark when I spotted this textured wall that was lit by a fluorescent lamp. I thought that would make a good backdrop as Sutopo wanted me to take a portrait for him so my mind went searching for ideas to resemble him personally. He is a craftsman who prefers to create with his hands. All our friends know him as the guy who would never fail to come out with the best working product prototype. I’m happy to see him using his talents in his career.

One of his bosses, a Korean installation artist, describes him as her talented right-hand man who provides the solutions to her inspirations.

In this shot, I simply told Sutopo to sit with his back leaning against the wall and act as if he owns the place. He provided the rest and my job is to look through the viewfinder and click the shutter, and that’s him right there, captured in true nature at the first frame.

Photography Andy Post-Process Andy Words Andy

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It’s noisy here.

Published October 14, 2010

Ok, I might be exaggerating just a little bit but the noise made by the Bangkok Glass fans was enough to give this little girl a grimace. Her mum had to lead her away from the stands for awhile.

Meantime, Bangkok Glass fans were cheering hard for their team to get the equalizer, which they did! The Thais are a very passionate bunch. And why not? That’s what fans are for, getting behind their team in the most vocal fashion. It worked magic that night.

Check out a selection of the action at Jalan Besar Stadium between Bangkok Glass and South Melbourne: Penalty kick, headed goal, yellow cards… It’s all part of the game.

Photography Andy Post-Process Andy Words Andy

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He beats his marker.

Published October 12, 2010

Here’s another picture from the RHB Singapore Cup Quarter-Final 2nd Leg between Bangkok Glass and South Melbourne.

This time it was the Bangkok Glass striker who takes the limelight as he beats his marker on the dribble and takes the ball into the penalty area. Did he manage to score? He didn’t. He lost the ball to another defender.

To add to the story, a fellow spectator who sat behind me lamented about how useless the No.9 was throughout the game. Translating from the Chinese dialect of Hokkien, he said that these foreign imports have no skill, they only look good because they have the physique. It was quite entertaining to hear his ‘live commentary’ throughout the game as he made negative comments on every missed opportunities from both teams and bad decisions by the referee. They were however all said in good humour I believe.

But to give the striker credit, he did pounce on an opportunity to score the equalising goal that tied the score at 3-3 towards the end. The pity was that the ‘live commentator’ did not get to see it as he had already left his seat.

Photography Andy Post-Process Andy Words Andy

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