Through the Viewfinder: A Sabahan Photographer's Point of View

It seems like everywhere you turn nowadays, you're bound to spot some fellow with a dslr hanging around their neck. Clearly, big cameras are in in a huge way. So, really there is no shortage of aspiring photographers here in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Yet, for some reason, there is an absolute lack of photography-centric events being organised here, be they seminars, workshops, or fairs (such as the KLPF).

So, whenever one is organised for the photographer community here - well, let's just say that the response is more than warm! One such rare event was organised here just today. Sponsored by Futuromic, distributors of photographic gear, the Tamron Snapshot and Lifestlye Workshop was held at Upperstar Cafe in Kota Kinabalu. The speaker was Mr Foo Kok Kin, photographer extraordinaire and co-founder of the Photographers Society of Malaysia.

The whole event started with a brief hello from the the organisers, and right after it was the speaker, Mr Foo, sharing shots he took during his stay here while giving his comments. Then it was the practical session: go anywhere, take anything, and submit your best shot within an hour. The grand prize: a RM100 voucher courtesy of Futuromic.

I didn't stray very far from the venue, taking shots of anything that caught my fancy. Shooting was the easy part; selecting the best was the hardest. I liked all of the shots and deciding on just one to submit took quite a bit of time. These were the final selections. All are straight out of the camera, with only resizing done on them:

One of the statuettes in Upperstar

Shutters of a shop next door

Spotted both these fellows waiting for someone/something

Regular patterns of apartment units (I think)

Another statuette in Upperstar

In the end, I submitted the Egyptian-esque shot as I liked the colour and the angle best...and that bagged me a consolation prize. Well, it's the first time my photo ever won anything so that was a rather good start! We were also 'poisoned' with some seriously mouth-watering photographic gear (of the lens variety), but I suppose what makes a photographer isn't the kit, but the one behind the lens. So, I'll stay satisfied with what I have now and expand my horizons just that bit longer.

All in all, I thought the workshop was fairly well organised. I only wished that there was a bit more deeper talk on the finer aspects of photography like developing the photographic eye, composition, lighting - but I guess, that's for a more serious (and more expensive) workshop.

Crop! The speaker, Mr Foo, critiquing a photo

Destination weddings seem to be all the rage these days, and why shouldn't they? You get the thrill and uniqueness of exchanging your vows at an exotic locale, and it may just be that little mini-vacation that you need to get away from it all. And of course, the wonderful scenery doesn't hurt as well.

Well, my sister-in-law had hers at Trang in Thailand at Anantara Si Kao Resort. It boasted spectacular views and dramatic sunsets, but alas the weather then wasn't very co-operative (see my previous post). But that didn't stop myself and another friend (who were the designated photographers for the whole event) from getting some incredible shots of the newly weds.

Here is a selection of a few of my favourites that I took on the day before the wedding and on the actual day.