MISS SARAWAK

AMELIA II

IT IS ALWAYS A JOY TO SHOOT THIS MODEL. RUSHING JUST AS SHE TOUCHED DOWN INTO SINGAPORE FOR THIS PHOTO SHOOT, IT IS NOT EASY TO LOOK THIS GOOD AFTER A LONG FLIGHT. BUT SHE NAILED IT AND WE HAD AN AMAZING TIME!!

ROSES ARE BLACK

I AM TRULY LUCKY THAT FOR EVERY MONTH-SARY, I WILL BE GIVEN A BEAUTIFUL BOUQUET OF RED ROSES. AS USUAL, I WOULD PUT THEM IN A NICE GLASS VASE AND IN A FEW DAYS, IT WOULD BOW DOWN TO THE EARTH AND ITS TIME TO THROW THEM AWAY.
HOWEVER, THIS TIME ROUND, I HAD TO SOMEHOW CAPTURE IT IN ITS GLORIOUS FORM. IT’S ACTUALLY NOT THE ROSE, NOR THE BEAUTY THAT I WAS INTERESTED IN. ITS THE LITTLE THINGS THAT WE SOMETIMES FORGET, LITTLE GIFTS THAT WE MAY GET EVERYDAY, LITTLE GESTURES, THOSE LITTLE EFFORTS – BUT NEVER HAD THE TIME TO TRULY APPRECIATE IT. LITTLE THINGS.

THE CAMELLIA

PINK SAREE

SHOT UNDER A HAZY BINTULU SUN, I COULD NEVER FORGET HOW IT FELT LIKE TO NAIL THIS PHOTO. THIS USUALLY SEEMS TO BE THE CASE WHEN IT COMES TO OUTDOOR SHOOTING – PERSPIRING BEYOND WORDS.

I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO HAVE AN ASSISTANT FOR THE REFLECTOR, WHO WAS KIND ENOUGH TO, ALSO, BE OUR FAN ASSISTANT. AS THE HEAT AND HUMIDITY LEVEL BECOMES UNBEARABLE, WE HAD TO SHOT LIKE THERE WAS NO TOMORROW AND WITHIN MINUTES, WE WRAPPED IT UP.

END RESULT – J’ADORE!

SINGAPORE GIRL

THE KEBAYA. THE BEAUTY.

ACCIDENTALLY GEISHA

GOING THROUGH MY OLD FILES, I AM ALWAYS AMAZED AT HOW BEAUTIFUL A PHOTO SHOOT MAY END UP WHEN THE UNEXPECTED HAPPENS. ORIGINALLY, THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A TEST SHOT FOR MY MAKE UP ARTIST PORTFOLIO, BUT, IT ENDED UP ON A HIGH NOTE AND THIS IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE PHOTO SHOOT OF ALL TIME.

LOVE IS TRANSPARENT

I HAVE NO EXCUSE FOR NOT BEING ABLE TO POST ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING ON THE BLOG FOR MORE THAN A WEEK, UNLESS I HAVE BEEN REALLY BUSY WITH A PHOTO SHOOT (AND TRAVELING TOO), WHICH IS INDEED THE EXCUSE FOR SUCH A LONG SILENCE. I HAVE BEEN AWAY FOR TEN DAYS, ALMOST MELTING IN THE SUMMER HEAT OF DUBAI AND FALLING IN LOVE ALL OVER AGAIN (FOR THE THIRD TIME) GAZING AT THE GREAT PYRAMIDS OF GIZA AND KISSING THE SPHINX (LITERALLY).

“LOVE IS TRANSPARENT” WAS INSPIRED BY A TATTOO ON THE MODEL’S ARM AND IT HAS A BEAUTIFUL MEANING THAT TRANSCEND ABOVE THE PHRASE ITSELF. I SHOT HER WAY BACK IN ’09 IN MILAN, AND WHO WOULD NOT WANT TO DOCUMENT HER BEAUTY IN A PHOTO?

SHOT WITH TWO SETS OF LIGHTING (AND MAKEUP TOO), THE FIRST FEATURE A VERY CLEAN MAKEUP AND LOOK.

FOR THE MAIN LIGHT, I POSITIONED A BEAUTY DISH, JUST A BIT TO HER RIGHT, FIRING AT 1/4. MY CAMERA WAS SET AT [F8 S1/100 ISO 400]

MY DIRECTIONS TO HER WAS VERY SIMPLE. JUST BE WHO YOU ARE. AND THIS WAS WHAT I GOT.

I DECIDED TO ADD A BIT OF A ZEST TO THE PHOTO SET AND ADDED A FLASH FIRING TOWARDS THE BACKGROUND AT 1/4.

FOR THE SECOND SET OF PHOTOS, I WANTED TO GO DARK, WHICH IS MY FAV PHOTO THEME OF ALL, BLACK AND WHITE. B&W PHOTOS ARE ALWAYS AMAZING (LIKE, ALWAYS) AS THEY TEND TO HOLD BACK THE DETAILS AND GIVES THAT MYSTERIOUS GLOW TO A PHOTO. WHEN I FIRST STARTED MY PHOTOGRAPHY, I SHOT B&W ALMOST 90 PERCENT OF THE TIME. I WAS JUST TOO INTRIGUE WITH THE POWERFUL MESSAGE A B&W PHOTO CAN PORTRAY, WHICH MOST (NOT ALL) COLORED ONES CANT. SOME MAY DISAGREE, BUT LETS AGREE TO DISAGREE. ITS JUST A MATTER OF PREFERENCES ANYWAYS. LOL.

SHOT WITH A BEAUTY DISH ALONE WITHOUT THE SOCKS ON, FLASH FIRING AT 1/4 AND MY CAMERA SETTING KEPT AT CONSTANT, THIS IS MY PIC OF THE WEEK 🙂

BEAUTIFUL IS ONE THING. BEAUTIFUL INSIDE OUT IS ANOTHER.

GENIUS PERFUME COMMERCIAL. SIMPLY GENIUS.

A GENIUS COULD HAVE ONLY BEEN THE DIRECTOR FOR THIS BEAUTIFUL COMMERCIAL FOR ACQUA DI GIOIA PERFUME. THE PERFUME HAS BEEN OUT FOR QUITE A WHILE, BUT I HAD TO SHARE WHAT I THINK MAY BE ONE OF THE BEST PERFUME COMMERCIAL EVER MADE. THE EFFORT AND LOVE PUT INTO THE COMMERCIAL WAS JUST BEYOND EXTRAORDINARY.

I CANNOT DENY THE FACT THAT THE MODEL, EMILY DIDONATO IS SIMPLY DIVINE IN THE COMMERCIAL, WHICH WOULD HAVE ALONE MADE THE COMMERCIAL A HEAVEN TO LOOK AT, BUT, IT WAS THE CINEMATOGRAPHY THAT AWED ME THE MOST. THE LUSH SCENERY, BREATH TAKING IMAGES AND TIMELESS ELEGANCE DRAFTED WITHOUT A CASTLE NOR EXPENSIVE PROPS. ALL THERE WAS TO IT WAS JUST NATURE, BEING THE BEST PROP AND BACKGROUND EVER. AND THE MUSIC, ARRIVAL OF THE BIRDS BY THE CINEMATIC ORCHESTRA, SWEEPS YOU OFF YOUR FEET INTO AN UNKNOWN WORLD OF ABSOLUTE DIVINE.

CINEMATOGRAPHY AT ITS UPMOST BEST. BRILLIANT.

THE FULL COMMERCIAL :

WASHED AWAY

LAST JUNE, I FLEW BACK HOME TO THE ISLES OF BORNEO FOR THE HOLIDAYS. IT WAS A WONDERFUL TWO WEEKS SPENT LAZING AT HOME AND JUST SPENDING TIME WITH MY FAMILY. I PACKED MY CAMERA WITH ME BECAUSE I WANTED TO DO A SIMPLE PHOTO SHOOT FOR MY PARENTS FOR THEIR ANNIVERSARY. LUCKY ENOUGH, I MANAGED TO DO MORE THAN THAT. A REALLY CLOSE FRIEND OF THE FAMILY WAS KIND ENOUGH TO TAKE THE AFTERNOON OFF AND WE HEADED FOR THE ‘TANJUNG BATU’ BEACH FOR A JUST-FOR-FUN SHOOT. LITTLE DID I KNOW, THIS BEAUTIFUL FRIEND OF MINE IS A MODEL IN THE MAKING. SHE LISTENS TO DIRECTIONS WELL AND I WAS INDEED BLOWN AWAY WITH THE FINAL PRODUCTS.

I HAD ALWAYS LOVED TO SHOOT OUTDOOR. GIVEN A CHOICE, I WOULD CHOOSE TO SHOOT OUTDOOR FOR ANY KIND OF PHOTO SHOOT, BE IT FASHION OR JUST A SIMPLE PORTRAIT. THE SUN IS (AND HAD ALWAYS BEEN) A BEAUTIFUL LIGHT TO WORK WITH AND THE SEA PLAYS A GORGEOUS BACKGROUND FOR THE SHOOT. SHOT AT F 5.6 AND AT 1/200S WITH AN ISO OF 250 ON THE 85MM LENS, ALL I NEEDED WAS AN EXTRA HAND ON THE REFLECTOR WHICH WAS ON HER LEFT TO DIRECT THE SUNLIGHT TO HER FACE.

END RESULT – STUNNING. JUST, STUNNING.