SK's lovely new abode

Home is where the heart is, but with a home like this it's no wonder the heart will tend to linger..

The owner diligently preparing..

The passion of a coffee aficionado..

A nice quiet evening with some good coffee and good company ;)

BVD and the Lady Liberty

And so it goes that BVD heard of a certain Lady Liberty that lived on Liberty Isle in NY. It was said that this Lady Liberty could provide some insights to BVD on techniques that he could use to liberate himself from all the troubles and woes he has experienced lately (especially not to mentioned being chased by a giant with a camera). So off BVD went to search for her...

Upon arriving on Liberty Isle, BVD started searching high and low for the Lady and came upon a humongous green skirt. Upon looking high up, BVD recognised that its was the Lady herself. He shouted to her, "Dear Lady Liberty, i need your advice on liberating myself!" And the Lady said, "Bladoovil, my son, you need to come closer to my lips so that i can whisper it to you for it is an invividual secret that needs to be told in secret."

"But, but.... you're lips are so high up there!" shouted BVD.

"Well, do you want to know or not?" asked Lady Liberty.

And so, summoning the powers of the red underwear and the three-pronged fork BVD jumped as high as he could so he can find out what is the secret..... (well as you can see, he still has not reached high enough -.- ... hopefully he will by the next BVD posting)

A doggie weekend..

Weekend was spent just chilling at Alpha Angle's Starbucks after a photo session with Pan. The place was just a little more crowded than usual due to the school break. We were looking to make ourselves comfortable by securing a couch but to no avail as the place was packed with patrons surfing. Finally we managed to secure some couches and my companion proceeded to read Cecelia Ahern's 'P.S. I love you' while i myself continued working on Pan's post shoot editing.

The earlier session of actually shooting Pan proved quite entertaining to see the antics of the Shih Tzu and his owner ;). Pan was very friendly and warmed up to me within a short time so I guessed I looked trustworthy to him but the actual shoot did prove difficult as he was easily distracted by moving objects and continually chased them within the compounds of the shooting area which was a tennis court hahaha... Lucky that the netting prevented Pan from running too far as with the afternoon sun, it could prove to be quite a tiring session. Cute thing was after a very short while of about an hour or so, he got really tired and it was much easier to get him to 'pose' :). A very warm thank you i must say to both the owner and Pan for a great session..

Transit Taiwan

Hello Farewell Taiwan, originally uploaded by alreza.

Shot taken during an overnight transit @ Taoyuan, Taiwan. Got bored after going to the airport early and scouted around for some shots and found this one :)

Pat & King on their glorious day

Pat & King on their glorious day, originally uploaded by alreza.

It was a very special occasion for two very nice couple. And by that i mean kind and generous and patient souls. Even i felt the slight pressure of making sure every moment of my dear friend's happiest day a memorable one.

To Pat and King, may this day forward mark more happier days to come :)

Romping @ Endau

Have been under the radar lately due to many distractions and hence the long absence. But fear not my friends, erm those that visit here that is.... which probably ain't that many. Anyway, digressing. Had a trip to Taman Negara Endau Rompin recently with some dear colleagues. Must say that it was a memorable experience. Gone were the comforts of chalets and such as we did the proper camping in. Scenery wise, i preferred the Taman Negara  from up north, the Pahang entrance. In any case though, the company was absolutely great :).. to bad the main guy, fox, who organised this couldn't make it.

Ram & Hannah

Union, originally uploaded by alreza.

'Twas a beautiful day and on such a beautiful ocassion. Ram (an ex-colleague) called me to be the back-up for their special day. Lighting was beautiful but tough due to the high church ceilings. The presence of many photographers also made it more challenging to get a clear angle at the precise moments. Thank you Ram, Hannah and Jo for making me part of your special day. :)

Bora Asmara

Di Bawah Bayangan Bulan, originally uploaded by alreza.

Each month the KL Flickr group (KLickr) holds meet-ups amongst members. I believe its one of the more active flickr groups in Malaysia thanks to great administrators, and group members who never fail to organise activities AND turn up.

At the end of last month, the KLickr Raya meet was held at a place called Bora Asmara. Its situated within Kg. Sungai Penchala across Penchala Link, past the mosque, some housing areas and an overpass if coming from TTDI. This eatery has ambience abound where patrons can dine alfresco under the stars or in covered areas.

This picture was taken with a long exposure hence the ghostlike appearance of fellow KLickers. I too was present though my presence was not registered by the camera sensor as I was walling about the table after remotely releasing the shutter.

Model 3 squared

VelvaTriptych, originally uploaded by alreza.

Met Velva during a recent Eye Of EOS outing workshop on outdoor portraiture. Now this is a type of model that I love to shoot :) ... though she appears to be new in this compared to the other 3 (Angeline, Kim, and Candace). I personally like the image...Velva's attire plus the background with a hint of sepia-ness..

Workshop wise I really learnt much from the second speaker, Kaz Chua. He thought us how to balance ambient and fill in light and his works are amazing.

Composure

Composure, originally uploaded by alreza.

This was the result of an initial henna project with a good friend of mine as the model who also happens to be the henna artist. Comments I got from this was that the facial features overpowered the henna on the left hand...hahaha.. oh well... looks like I have to restrategize the shoot (pose). People preferred the color version of this though I prefer this sepia toned version as it really brings out the shine in her eyes .. :)

Oh and btw, anybody interested in henna for weddings or any other occasion do let me know. I know a talented henna artist ;)

CloudFalls

CloudFalls, originally uploaded by alreza.

The first day we arrived in Kuala Terengganu, God blessed us with the amazing display in the clouds. Patterns that I have not seen before.

Part of my Nature Abstract Set

Patricia

Patricia, originally uploaded by alreza.

TITLE: Patricia - Marketing and Communications
PROJECT: Faces and Feet Profiles
WHERE: Terengganu, Malaysia

Was inspired by Ellen Ugelstad's The Shoe Project (http://www.twentyonepictures.com/gallery/shoeproject/index.html) and managed to persuade my sweet and shy colleague to model for me.. :).
The light was a little harsh due to the midday sun so hopefully I could shoot her again with proper lighting this time... to do her justice ;)

Geronimo!: The drop from heaven

Geronimo!: The drop from heaven, originally uploaded by alreza.

Went to the recent Canon Photo Marathon 2007 just for the heck of it. During the shoot for one of the themes titled "An Abandoned Lot", i got distracted by the sound of chutes opening, so off I went to find that there were base jumpers having either a practice run for Merdeka or it could have been an actual competition. Nonetheless, I proceeded to grab a few shots. I liked this the best as the faint cloud trails looked as though its some form of 'alien' hand releasing the base jumper from the sky...

MIFC: The World, practice run

MIFC: The World, practice run, originally uploaded by alreza.

Gathered with fellow friends to see the fireworks at PICC for Malaysia's International Fireworks Competition (MIFC). To get to this elevation and view we had to pay to enter the premises of PICC itself. The actual run started at 10pm and lasted a mere 7 minutes. I was playing around with different exposure times and this was at about 40 seconds. Maybe it was too long as too many fireworks were recorded into my camera's image sensor. Hope I myself had enough practice so I could get better shots during the final on September the 2nd.

Friends Old and New

A trip is not a good trip if it is not amongst good friends..



:)

Island vacation withdrawal symptoms...

Beachcomber, originally uploaded by alreza.

Location: Cenang Beach @ Langkawi

Had a recent getaway with old and new friends recently in Langkawi for 3 days and I'm still suffering from post-holiday withdrawal symptoms... It was a good break and vacation. The company was superb too! Photo taking wise was good except for the last day when it rained almost the whole day....sigh....will definitely return for another round. Especially to that japanese restaurant!!

Mijas, Torremolinos!

Rendezvous at Mijas, originally uploaded by alreza.

Rendezvous at Mijas in Spain.....'nuff said. :)

Courtyard of the Lions, AlHambra (A Spanish-Moroccan journey Part 3.2)

Courtyard of the Lions, AlHambra, originally uploaded by alreza.

This was the focal point of the Sultan's private dwellings in the days of the old Moorish dynasty. The design of the Courtyard of Lions was not that of a 'house' with a garden but rather a garden containing a house. The middle area contains refreshing water springs that pour out of the mouths of 12 white marble lions. The Alhambra has been declared a monument of human heritage and it is also in the running to be voted as one of the new 7 wonders. Please vote for it if possible.. :)

View On Black

Flamenco in Granada! (A Spanish-Moroccan journey Part 3.1)

Flamenco Dancer #2, originally uploaded by alreza.

Upon arriving in Granada, we had the option to attend a local traditional flameco show. These performers are actually gypsy descendants that have been practicing it through their generations. Although considered part of the Spanish culture, flamenco really originates from the Andalucian region. It is generally acknowledged that flamenco grew out of the unique interplay of native Andalucian, Islamic, Sephardic, and Gypsy cultures that existed in Andalucia in ancient times.

Photographing in what appears to be a cave-like-tunnel-of-a-hall seems abit tricky. The lightings and the pots and pans really throws of my white balance and using a flash would throw away ambient light. Though it was challenging, I found it fun... the capture and the dance!

Toledo city streets (A Spanish-Moroccan journey Part 2)

Toledo city streets, originally uploaded by alreza.

The next place in the Spanish leg of the journey was Toledo which was 70km south of Madrid. Apparently this placed now is classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. Toledo city looks like it was built on a hill with rocky slopes that were wrapped with roads and on some slopes ended by the Targus river.

Walking through the streets of mostly cobbled stones, one could still see remnants of Moorish architecture. It really reminded me of medieval times...of knights and knaves, of horses and carriages....Anyway, we did visit the local smithy where the ancient art of sword, sheild and armor making were inherited during the Muslim era in Toledo. From here, we would re-trek their journey to Cordoba (see Part 3).