Kara Photography (the BLOG)

Snapshots of Melaka

2011-01-31T01:05:00.000+08:00

A lazy Saturday morning with my "best friend"

2010-07-15T19:51:00.000+08:00

Here's my pug, Cookie. He's currently 5 months old now and has certainly grown quite abit since the first day I brought him home! Not wanting to miss out the precious few months of him growing into a full-grown dog, I decided to set aside a Saturday morning to take some portraits of him...

Here's the little guy looking sleepy...

If I could jump off the chair, I would!!!

That's me, obeying mama when she says "sit"

The signature pug pose. Head tilts!!!

Me and my dearest baby. These images will last me forever!!!

Pucker up now!

You know what they say about the puppy look right?

Sometimes I may look doe-eyed, other times I may cringe and look mean...

Oh mama, can I finally come down now?

Cambodia trip - Phnom Penh & Battambang (Part III)

2010-07-06T21:22:00.002+08:00

If you're still reading, here's the final part of my 3 part series... For our 3rd day project, we headed to a village about 40 mins drive away from Battambang town... The rows and rows of congested shophouse buildings fade in the landscape and was replaced by the view of stilts homes and straw homes (pictured below).

This reminded me of the story of the Big Black Wolf that could huff and puff and blow the house down. It looked like the straw house in that nursery tale which the wolf blew down at his 1st attempt. How do they weather the heavy rain and crazy heat in these?! Some of us sleep in aircon 24/7. We are indeed blessed.

A very slim cow (most of the cattleherds looked like this, I did not deliberately chose the skinniest of the lot to photograph). I understand that most steaks that you eat in western joints in Cambodia serves really tough steaks. When you see where it came from, you know why.

This is a sponsored church in that village. The kids in the neighbourhood hangs around here to learn bible stories. The roof leaks really bad when it rains and floods the whole church. The wooden structure is falling apart. Good news is Pst David got a small fund from some kind sponsor and will be doing some upgrading soon.

Pst David sharing some stories with us...

He also shared the story of this mother who had two sons with eye infection that almost made them blind. Thank God that the young son (in her arms) was sent for medical help and managed to see. The elder son, however, wasn't able to get any help for his partial blindness.

These are the kids of the bloc. They are certainly poorer than the kids we visited in the past 2 schools. The boy on the extreme left is wearing a skirt. I suspect that it's becoz he did not have any other garments to wear.

It was much much harder to get these kids to smile...

Their clothings were tattered and very much used...

But I guess our presence there did bring them some joy....

Or perhaps it's the chocolates and toy cars that the BC team gave out that made them smile....

Boy in bicycle: One of my fav pic from Day 3's project.

When I was young, my mother always used to call me a dirty pig when I refused to take a bath. After seeing these two filthy guys, I know why people call pigs dirty.

"Yeah? You think I'm filth? Wait till you see how I roll in the mud just for fun!"

I also realised that the kids had to start working and getting their hands busy at a young age. I'm impressed how this young boy controls this herd. I also noticed many of the young girls played the role of "mummy" by cradling toddlers in their arms.

It's a common sight for cows to stroll by the roads after grazing. Well, it's definitely not very common where I live.

Here's a man with a prosthetic left leg. The results of the hidden land mines.

Bare feet is the key mode of transport in the village...

It was indeed a good trip for me, getting in touch with the real world. Sometimes living in an urban city, with rules and laws to guide us can cause us to live in an often too-beautified world to realise how the poverty-stricken world battles with legal unfairness and the struggle to meet daily neccessities.

Cambodia trip - Phnom Penh & Battambang (Part II)

2010-07-02T20:44:00.003+08:00

Here's how a typical street in Cambodia looks like... However you will notice less traffic in Battambang (pictured below) as compared to Phnom Penh (which is the business capital)...

A typical "shopping landmark" aka wet market.. This is exactly where the locals shop.. Think "Chatuchat of Cambodia..."

I remember a similar "Clock Tower" landmark in Ho Chi Minh!

In Battambang, there's only 1 shop that sells imported goods (ie: Oreos, wines, Cheetohs)... And here it is... The Cold Storage of Battambang!

Until now, I'm still very puzzled what's 2 Ang-Moh tourists doing in Battambang coz they certainly don't look like they're here to do any de-licing (the Lonely Planet in hand gave them away)... Plus it's a 5 hours drive away from Phnom Penh!!!!

What about horses strolling along the main roads?!!!

Lady boss of a convenience stall?

Battambang Town - School 2
We continued our de-licing project on Day 2 at another school round the corner...

This is my FAV FAV shot... I saw the colourful towels hanging there and so I grabbed one of the little girls for a quick photo... :)

A girl using "turbo dry" on the swing to dry off her hair after the shampooing...

[Girls on the bench waiting for their turn and enjoying the Chuppa Chups that the team gave out...]

The boy on the right, as I was told, was the class gangster... Haahaa

Simple entertainment on the SWING........ Wheeeeeeee........

And more decided to get onboard...

Love this shot of the bunch of mischief!

I remember playing this when I was 8...

How do you make these children smile? Just by hugging them and making them feel loved.

Make a guess, what this is?

Answer: Water "Reservoir"

Here's where the school get their water supply... From rain water dripping into this huge urn... Most households do not have taps but drink from wells (mainly without any form of filtration)... In my final post, we move into a rural school and the way they gather water is even more appalling...

Cambodia trip - Phnom Penh & Battambang (Part I)

2010-06-30T23:12:00.009+08:00

It was a great eye opener for me during my recent 9 days mission trip to Cambodia....

As I begin to blog about the trip, I was reminded of a very meaningful song... I encourage you to let the youtube clip play as you listen to this beautiful song and read my very emotional entry about the trip....

Oceans Will Part Lyrics by Hillsong

Verse 1:
If my heart has grown cold,
There Your love will unfold;
As You open my eyes to the work of Your hand.

When I’m blind to my way,
There Your Spirit will pray;
As You open my eyes to the work of Your hand,

As You open my eyes to the work of Your hand.

Chorus:

Oceans will part; nations come

At the whisper of Your call.

Hope will rise; glory shown.

In my life, Your will be done.

Verse 2:
Present suffering may pass,
Lord, Your mercy will last;

As You open my eyes to the work of Your hand.

And my heart will find praise,
I’ll delight in Your way,
As You open my eyes to the work of Your hand,

As You open my eyes to the work of Your hand.

Bridge:

As You open my eyes to the work of Your hand,
Jesus open my eyes to the work of Your hand

Just like the opening of this song, I feel that living in an urban jungle like Singapore (with the convenience, luxury, prolification of education) has caused my heart has grown cold to the conditions of the poor, the hungry and the needy. It's hard to picture what poverty is, till you're placed in the exact landscape of that exact form of lack.

I guess the main issue battling such poverty-stricken countries like Cambodia is the careful balance of not being over-dependent on foreign aid. Most NGOs tackle the part on the immediate needs (ie: distribution of food packs, money)...

The next step is to empower these people through education and feed their emotional & spiritual needs. That is the vision of Pst. David Lim (a missionary friend of mine that gave up a comfy retirement life with his wife in Singapore to slog it out in Cambodia)... You may read more about his work in Cambodia here -> http://www.wchrist.org/

[Pst David Lim in his rooftop workshop. There's not many plumber or furniture shops in Cambodia, which gives him the perfect excuse to DIY most of the stuff in his home... ]

I've also realised during the trip that a S$50 can mean an entire month of salary to an average Cambodian employee there. That has helped me to be more content with the life I have.

If you would like to find out how your little can mean much more to the people there, do contact him to see how you can help!

[His tools.... Nicely organised.... You know a meticulous person when you see one...]

I will blog about my trip into 3 segments, with each school that we've visited in each blog post...

School 1 - in Battambang town

(Pst. David has been working successfully with 9 churches in the past 3 yrs since he landed in Cambodia)

[I think the little girl on the extreme left looks like Janet Jackson! And check out the twins in the right photo...]

Our main mission for the trip was to do some de-licing work. You may be shocked to know that 99% of the children have lices in their heads and do not brush their teeth due to lack of oral hygiene.

However, all that's gonna change. Pst David has been working with the schools on educating them on health & proper oral hygiene.

[kids sitting on bench, preparing for the de-licing process]

The kids putting on their Cape-Crusader capes to keep their uniforms dry..

After the de-licing lotion has been applied, it's time for the volunteers to wash it off!

[Girls waiting for their turn @ their hair wash...]

We also conducted handicraft work as prepared by the team from Bethesda Chapel...

The tuckshop/school canteen... What a stark difference from the canteen I used to buy my candies from back in school...

We played a game of catching with the entire school of 250 kids... The 7 of us tried to catch 250 screaming, hysterical but happy kids... It was MAYHEM... :)

The kids can play games around anything....

We also conducted a game of Eagle & Mother Hen... The kids picked it up quite quickly and started playing it on their own even after we have ended the game....

They love the camera... Especially when they know that they can preview their faces immediately after I've snapped the shot...

After all that fun... Many of the students went home happily in their bicycles...

1 more school in Batambang to de-lice & a visit to a run-down church in the village... Will blog about those in part 2 & 3....

Darren & Sharon's photoshoot

2010-04-22T19:03:00.090+08:00

Here's Darren and Sharon, first time parents.. However, they are super well-read and well-prepared, u wld have thought they have a football team of kids already....!!!

Both of them are Liverpool fan, I'm pretty sure their baby girl would become one too...

Sharon's so sweet, no wonder Darren fell so easily in love with her...

Did I mention that Darren is the props master?

Check out the chinese umbrella & funky red hat he owns!

Of course, my signature closeup of the tummy shot....

Love the bulge! One more from the side view....

Both of them are so loving....

and know how to enjoy being silly...

See what I mean?

Looking like a dodo isn't always easy. Sometimes u need some help...

The proud father!

Can't wait to see how little "Darron" (Darren + Sharon) looks like! I'm sure she's gonna be uber cute.....

The Mahesh family - Maternity shoot

2010-04-15T23:58:00.002+08:00

(I've updated this post to hide the face of the couple due to privacy reasons...)

I had the opportunity to shoot Mellissa & Mahesh last week, and I must say it was a piece of cake! They were such a nice couple, oozing with so much joy & happy-ness.... :)

It was a "drizzly" morning.... But the skies cleared up just in time for them....

You can literally almost see the baby's features from the scan!!! Awesome!

One more of the little dude, but in colour....

Sunflowers against a purple dress.... GORGEOUS!!!!!!

From how well-prepared for the shoot that they were, I'm sure the Mahesh baby's gonna be awesomely well taken care of!!!!

Fieldshoots!

2010-03-08T20:44:00.001+08:00

Singapore Flyer

Singapore Flyer x 1

Singapore Flyer Twins!

Wet market - Interesting Personalities

During CNY

Transactions...

I dig this photo... It turned out the way it should (Of coz, I got my lunch buddy to pose for it)

Calvin & Miki's ROM

2010-03-03T20:49:00.005+08:00

Announcing the first wedding I've attended for 2010...! Calvin finally gotten his lady's hand in marriage with a simple ROM last Sunday noon @ the Fullerton Hotel...

Miki looks so gorgeous, that when she appeared, Calvin couldn't help but cry!!! Everyone was so touched...

Wedding luncheon @ the ballroom

No round tables but grandeur long table settings.... Very luxe....!!!

Calvin - beaming with joy!!!

Western-styled table settings exclusive for the couple - I like!

Love that gorgeous red dress!

My best pics from Tokyo

2010-01-12T00:40:00.016+08:00

I was in Tokyo for a well-deserved break a while back... But haven't managed to get time to post these travel pics up till now!

Happiness is............

Sweetness is.......

...

Thoughtfulness is........... placing baskets on the floor for you to leave your bags

STREETS

Shuffling about the subway stations........

Cutest Couple!

2009-12-02T19:04:00.008+08:00

I had the opportunity to shoot this really cute couple 2 weeks back... They're so funny together, I had so much fun shooting them...!!!

We headed to the playground for some warm up shots as I was told they were camera shy...

But honestly, I don't believe them... They were simply experts in front of the lens!

And the battle continues...............

The apparels for the princess who's arriving in less than a week's time...

The radiance of an excited mum-to-be!

I was told that the Daddy loves soccer... So here's one for Daddy!

Oh man... The joy of first-time parents...... I feel excited for them already!

20-09-2009 (Part 1)

2009-09-21T18:17:00.014+08:00

The papers wrote sometime last week that 300+ couples were gonna say "I do" on 20th Sep 2009 (which reads 20-09-2009 in the numerical calendar). And guess wat? My cell members, Meng & Ling happens (not really "happens", they did planned for it... :P) to be one of the 300+ couples to be walking down the aisle on that auspicious date....

I was tasked to help out with some "background" photography job for Meng&Ling for them.. Basically my job is to provide some snapshots for them to use for the dinner slideshow...

Acting like a wannabe can be a challenging n tiring job. that's why shooting wedding has nv really been my thang. The big challenge is shooting the photos without the actual (REAL) photog in em' (coz sometimes there can be one lens too many) and the 2nd challenge is keeping myself outta the shots of the pros so they I dun screw their photos... I'm sure my friends Qiren & Edmund can attest to that... With all the actual day weddings they've shot...

Oh well, here's some pics I shot (when I don't spot the main photog or videographers lurking anyway nearby):

Evidence! This is where I suspect Liling was messaging JunMing to come late.... :P

It was pretty tough trying to break thru EXPERIENCED jie-meis @ the door... But even tougher trying to get past these 2 kids who looked like they were gonna give the groom a hard time too....

The male entourage who has yet had a full glimpse of the entire jean gang of jie meis...

The powerful PALM....

& the power of negotiation.......

But well, the chaps know all of us too well... That the most we could do is to make them do funny faces and silly dance steps...

JunMing: Call me, call me, call call gimme a call....

(I've a feeling what he was trying to say, really, was that LiLing has already called him to come late so the boys can get in easily........... hmppppttttt....)

The PALM again.........

the veteran Ang Pow grabber cum calculator holder...

Part 1 - Tea Ceremony -> Done & uploaded!

Part 2 - Solemnisation @ Bottany Gardens -> Coming right up in my next post!!!!!!!!!!

20-09-2009 (Part 2)

2009-09-20T00:52:00.000+08:00

Part 2 of the wedding was a solemnisation @ the Botanical Gardens....

The lovely bride ruffling her veil...

Ling, getting ready for her entrance with the father-of-the-bride...

The couple praying together...

Then we headed out to the fabulously green grass for.... Bouquet tossing ceremony!!!!

I like that this photo looks like a bunch of girls getting ready for a soccer match.... Hahahaha..

Swing..... And TOSS!!!!

Guess who's the next in line??????

Miss Gina... I absolutely LOVE this statue-of-liberty pose she did... Got me cackling when I previewed it on my camera screen...

*APPLAUSE* Next bride to be (if the bouquet story is true...)

Miss/Mrs Universe(s) numbered from 1 to 12......

Another one with Mr Chinatown(s) included...

Fish SPA experience

2009-09-01T21:42:00.008+08:00

My dearest sista took me out on a girls-day-out for my bd celebration a month ago.... It was my first time at Kenko for a fish SPA experience!

You can stick your finger under my armpits and I would not laugh. I'm resilent to tickles and think nuttin abt running a feather across the soles of my feet. But this fish SPA thingy sure hit my laughing nerves!!!!!!

These small thingies have the attitude of piranhas! They swim towards your feet once it's somewhere near the surface of the water....... And then they nibble....... and nibble... and nibble.... all your dead skin away............
After giggling ourselves silly for half an hour at the Kenko fish spa, we headed to Oomphatico's for a late luncheon..........

I lurve the quaint decor and whimsical chairs!

It's the perfect setting for tea and cupcakes....

My dearest dearest sista!

Rugged-looking chair... I wish I could steal them back home!

The Ohhh-So-Delicious Turkey Ham sandwich!!!!!!!!

Yyn's huge Parma Ham & rocket salad pizza that she obviously couldn't finish on her own...

Outdoor seatings....

Had a great Tai-tai wannabe Saturday!!!!!

My baby has grown!

2009-08-27T22:43:00.003+08:00

My baby Wedding has grown! When we first got her from the petshop, she was more grey than orangey... But her colour coat has become more orangey now....

She's learnt to act cute a little more....... (*_*)

& hop around the house alot!

Wedding - Putting her best (left) foot forward! Maybe she's a leftie, just like me!!!! :D

We knew she's grown when her butt's too big to squeeze under the sofa... :P

Loving my furball........................!!!

Royal Experience in Bali

2009-08-23T20:33:00.011+08:00

I travelled to the resort island of Bali last month and stayed at the Royal Pita Maha in Ubud area.. With 42 private villas and a river-facing SPA facility, here's THE place to stay... If you're looking for a trip that guarantees you nothing but a royal treatment, here's where you can find the friendliest staffs who doesn't stop short to make you feel like a datuk...

This is my first travel trip where I brought "Alpha" along. Someone asked me why lug such a heavy dSLR there. To do some justice to the photos (& the experience) of coz!
So here's some of my favourite pics taken on the trip.......... Enjoy!

Royal Pita Maha

walkways to the private villas

Huge bathtub! (That's me in the reflection... :P)

Private pool

View of the private pool from the bed

Healing Pool

Main pool - open to all hotel guests

Another long stretching pool

Lift access

Pool @ night

Monkey Forest

Streets of Ubud

We had some local fare at the famous Ibu Oka.... You can view my review of that place here...

The touristy Kuta area

Beautiful home, radiant mama!

2009-08-14T22:30:00.001+08:00

Here's more pics of the radiant mum in her beautiful home!

One of my fav shot, so here's the same photo but now in mono...........

And more in MONO..........

Here's daddy playing his guitar... Music is good for the soul and the baby!

And the hidden rock star....

And his very cool looking guitar!

And what about mummy trying her hands @ it?

This pic is super ROCK n ROLL!

Now to the ikea kitchen... Love the bright yellow kitchen cabinet doors!!!

You remember those pow-wow Super Lemon candies and the marvel-comic type packaging that they come wrapped-in? I like that the next few pics look comic-strip worthy!

Mum: Ooh darling... Are the muffins for me?!

Mum: Lemme take a bite....

Mum: Honey, they taste lovely... you should really try some too!

I've just sneaked a peek @ baby Kenneth a couple of hrs ago while he was sound asleep. I think he's totally adorable....

Ikea-catalogue!

2009-08-12T23:33:00.006+08:00

I took a photoshoot of another mama abt a week ago... Her home was really nicely furnished... Looks like it's out of an ikea catalogue!

Here's the super uber radiant mum! She was telling me she hasn't been looking radiant till this particular week... Must be Baby Kenneth's excitement to burst out soon!

Mom & Pop on their cosy couch.... Love the bright red leg-rest!

As I blog this, Baby Kenneth should have been delivered by now... With LOVE, no less!!!

Will post more of the mama in her IKEA-ish home soon!!! Watch this space!

Swimming Mama

2009-07-25T11:49:00.009+08:00

I shot a 3rd-time experienced mama a couple of weeks ago... She's a really active mama (considering she's already almost due), loves to swim and hang out with her 2 sons at the pool...

I've been so busy recently, I couldn't find time to post her sneaks till now! I just came home from a church wedding and am blogging this... (That's how sardines things are at the moment) I'll be running out for the wedding dinner once I'm done blogging! The dinner is at the very nice, new and posh Hotel Capella on Sentosa Island... So exciting! Have never been there before....

Here's the Mama at her condominium pool...

This is my fav pic of her and the father-of-3-sons...

Posting more of her exclusive series soon! (Once I get some time on my side!)

Baby Esther

2009-05-30T11:28:00.017+08:00

Some of her priceless expressions.....

The pillow from a previous shoot...

She couldn't stay awake long enough... Muz be the comfort of mama's embrace....

Liked that this photo is a continuation...

of a time, not too long ago, when she was still sleeping inside of mummy....

Chubby cheeks!

She opens her eye for a quick look at the camera..

Then goes back to her lil' dreamland again....

Sweetness........!

Baby Esther - sneak peek!

2009-05-29T01:19:00.006+08:00

I shot Mabel's maternity a few month back... Now she's a proud mama and here's her little princess...

My fav photo of the entire shoot... Love her little smirk!

Pet Photography!

2009-05-25T00:24:00.009+08:00

I've not been "studying" photography for a while now... Doing up my online blogshop kept me busy! However, last week I took a short break to do some "upgrading" and also spend some time in solitude to seek God...

I picked up 2 really great books... One was about Digital Photography... Another was by a Pet Photographer...

The first book talked abt training your eyes to see like a camera lens... The author wrote that as a photographer, u shld be observant and keep a lookout for things happening. And when events happen, (even if u do not have a camera with u.. which mostly u dun...), snap a mental picture of it in ur brain! When I read it, I surprised myself to realise that I've actually been doing that! Just that I wasn't really aware I was doing it till I read the book... Haaaa....

I was browsing the 2nd book on Pets and it was a photobook.... I never did have a fancy for anything furry... But this book sure inspired me to do some pet photography!

(Centrespread of the book from my red sofa)

Some photo excerpts of the awww-so-cute furry friends that the photographer shot!

If I were to keep a dawg, I wld keep a PUG for sure... I used to have a PUG where I was young... She was the sweetest thing ever (though she smells when it rains.. :P)

My boyfriend tends to think they've got CRAZY EYES.... ^@_@^

Exotic pets! My strong affliation with pugs and PIGS..... Neither is more good looking than the other... Haahah...

Love this photo...!

Time to shoot animal portraiture!!!

Bowling fever!

2009-04-30T23:04:00.010+08:00

It's bowling fever again...!!! This time, it's MASS. Think 3/4 of the bowling alleys filled with competiting teams screaming their lungs out at EVERY "longkangs" and EVERY strike.

Bright neon lights from the alleys!

Guess who striked and who missed?

Love the noise, the energy, the jeering and the cheering...!

Found a prewwwtty pic of u, Pam!

TANDEM BOWLING!!!

There's a good reason why I'm not playing! Being a left-ie, I'm licensed to use that as a bad excuse to skip all the bowling games.... In fact, I'm doing the alleys a favour from thudding bowling balls, okay.... :P

Laydee Nostalgia

2009-04-07T17:55:00.007+08:00

Nostalgia is defined in wikipedia as "a longing for the past, often in idealized form."

But in Addy's terms, the most exciting part of turning 30 is not so much of longing for the past.. In fact this sassy laydee is looking forward to her next decade! How many women can embrace growing older like that? I love her positivity in celebrating herself!

the Laydee threw a party at Paulaner... and the groupies turned up for a night of German grub, house-brewed beer and sang her a birthday tune with their vocals (which by the way have been tried & tested during their KTV session in KL a few days back)........

Asparagus, Rostii & (very extremely saltish) Parma Ham...

Addy's YUMMILICIOUS cake!

The Hollywood Sweethearts.....

For round 2 of nostalgia, a round of bowling is a MUST-thing to do for the Laydee every birthday, i was told!

Love this shot of the overworn bowling shoes!

Not forgetting the white socks that you gotta buy for $1! (Seems like after 10 years, the price of socks has withstood the test of inflation...)

Bowling brings back memories of my secondary school days where it's a typical recreational activity to do after school or on weekends (along with kite flying, arcade playing, laserquest)..... You see, not every home has a fast speed computer back then...

The look of HITS & MISSES.......

HAppy bUfDAe Laydee Addy!!!!!!

Slideshow of the Foks

2009-03-20T23:23:00.006+08:00

Here's the slideshow of Mabel, Isaac & baby Esther! Enjoy!!!

Sneak peek: In conversation with....

2009-03-17T01:06:00.007+08:00

I spent my sunday afternoon at the home of a very pretty mum... She looks so radiant, you can't believe she's giving birth in 2 weeks time!

An online-order bolster for baby Esther! It's one of those "charlie-brown-and-his-blanket" thing... A comfort bolster that probably won't be going into the washer for the next few years!

Lil' shoes for the lil' gurl......

The figurine is a wedding gift given to them when they got married abt 1+ yr ago... I found it sitting on the display unit and thought of using it for this shot...

A "mood" shot

Can't believe myself to actually suggest they do the heart-shape on the tummy thang... HAH!

Both of them are such a sweet couple! I'm sure baby Esther will be showered with all the TLC!

Just a sneak peek! More photos coming up real soon!!!!!!!!!!!

Zoo-landers!

2009-03-12T01:23:00.018+08:00

We conspired a plan during a few cell meetings, to poll people who were able to get free corporate zoo passes. After some simple coordination, we ended up entering 14 pax into the Singapore Zoo without paying a single cent! HAH!!!

It was raining the day before (THUNDERSTORM i would term it).. Personally i was sceptical that it would be nice and sunny on Sun. But God heard Matt's prayer fo good weather and granted us sunshine throughout the trip. As Randy & I rushed over from prayer meeting, we brisk-walked thru to meet up with the rest.

"Australian Outback" - if not mistaken, it's a new highlight of the zoo

There was this Caucasian family who were feeding the kangaroos and i thought this image looked totally "down under"! so i secretly snapped a photo of em'... Heh...

I overheard a guy telling his girlfriend to be careful coz the kangaroo will "box people". *hmmm...*

SHOWTIME! - SPLASH SHOW! To make our trip worthworth, we went for every single animal show available.

MASTER OOH-QUI

I love to gross people out by telling my fav story of how my schmate's tortoise ate up her chinchilla, leaving only the chinchilla's fur in the tortoise tank. A tortoise of this size can definitely devour a rabbit, i'm pretty sure.

enough of animals... Now moving on to PEOPLE...

DOUBLES

Our Sep wedding couple!

Love their colourful tops against the green backdrop...

Love the over-exposed backlight...

One of my fav shots for the day!

Zoo's not exactly my fav... NIGHT SAFARI is!!! Though many think it's uneventful but I just love the close contact with the animal in the dark!

Themed parties!

2009-03-05T02:11:00.004+08:00

My sis and I were just chatting abt her wanting to open up the home for our Fri Night Clubbies to chill and hang out...
Some ideas we had:

1) Movies & popcorn + bunk over in Yyn's room
2) Late night supper near our place + bunk over in Yyn's room
3) Cook-our-own-dinner in the clean new kitchen + bunk over in Yyn's room

We went on to explore the potential of THEMED parties and how I can bring my cam to snap us all dressedup and doing silly poses:
1) PJ party
- The previous time we did a pyjamas party, only I showed up in PJs! *Grrrr*

2) Canto-pop KTV night
- dress up like Canto Heavenly Kings/Queens and KTV the night away

3) Grease night
- Play John Travolta & "Grease" soundtracks and dance to them

3) 80s retro party
- Was reading thru some blogs from other photographers and this photo made me laugh-out-loud...

Think my dad owns a shirt in a similar print. HAH! I really like this photo, it's wacky!

So yea friends, if you're invited to a similar party at our place, pls rem to DRESS THE PART. WAHAHAHA.......

When nature calls!

2009-02-16T23:40:00.012+08:00

I was up and about on sun morning to do a photoshoot for an "urgent" call (along with my trusted assistant who had to down 2 cuppas to last the morning...) This mama's giving birth next week! Time-critical, we headed off for a quick shoot with mother nature the next day after receiving the call....

The tireless mum! Kudos to her for lasting thru a 3 hr photoshoot, brisk walking like she had no weight on her... Love her confidence!

With no time to recky the location and no prior walk-about there, we took a walk ard the garden and captured this mama and her tummy before her baby sees the world next week!

Evolution: Not the Darwin's theory.. But more of how the baby is slowly evolving in her...

WATERBAG: An artistic attempt.. This mum was telling us a story abt how during her 1st pregnancy, her waterbag burst without her knowing.. She went abt doing her regular activities! With her 2nd pregnancy, she assured us that she's really experienced now to know when the waterbag has burst and it's time to deliver!

She's such a happy mum, I'm quite positive her boy/girl (she hasn't found out the gender yet) will be a cheerful kid too!

- latest update: this mama has given birth to a healthy baby girl, weighing 3.895kg at 12.15am 17th Feb! - CONGRATS!!!! :)

Appreciating AH-RT...

2009-01-06T23:35:00.017+08:00

On the very 1st Day of 2009 - I visited the museum for 2 photo exhibitions.
(HAPPY NEW YR, by the way.... )

The showcase featured works by 2 photographers:
1) VOOM PORTRAITS by Robert Wilson
2) DOUBLENESS by Chang Chien Chi

It wasn't just because of this that I was there:

Nor was this the reason...

Okok, Brad Pitt's more like the incentive when I got there, the main reason was more of Yyn convincing me to go see before it all ended on the 4th. (Yyn- thanks for the motivation by the way coz I enjoyed the exhibit much better than Biennale) :P

1) VOOM PORTRAITS by Robert Wilson

Portraits are still images, right? Videos are meant to capture moving objects moving, right?
WRONG....
Robert Wilson's gallery featured video portraits ("What's that, again?!") of his years of works... Basically they're video clips whereby the actors stay really still and slowly & progressively make their movements so that the pieces can look like "still pictures" that are real life.

"I do not interpret my work. Interpretation is for others." - Robert Wilson

Sorry, i didn't quite get this one, except for the star-studded subjects.... Maybe someone else can shed some light..... :P

Preferred the 2nd exhibit better.....

2) DOUBLENESS by Chang Chien Chi

There were basically 3 forms of "Doubleness" that Chang Chien Chi wanted to explore.

1) DOUBLE HAPPINESS

Taiwanese men & Vietnamese women - brokered marriages

- explored the "doubleness" from the chinese word "喜喜" which depicts "double happiness". The couple/strangers are bounded together by marriage but divided by language & culture differences.

The photos of the "matchmade couple" at the matching agency listening to a briefing. Clearly don't look like they're in love.

2) CHAINS

- Chang visited a temple in Taiwan where their mode of therapy to treat mental patients do not involve any form of psychiatric or medical treatment. They believed that chaining these mental patients in pairs would help in their recovery. A more stable guy is chained to a less stable one. Day in & out, the more lucid one would lead both of them in their daily chores (to get food, clean up the temple etc)

- Two total strangers are physically bounded by chains to become PAIRS till the day death do they part.

The patients in the pictures looked mostly miserable and they lived in isolation.

3) CHINATOWN

1st set of photos captured Chinese migrant workers in New York City's Chinatown

Photos of male migrant workers (in mono) - to show the loneliness, how much they miss their families...

Photos of their families (in colour), to show how their families are comparatively prosperous from all the remittances.

Depicted the physical separation between the men and their families & the stark contrast between their doubled lives.

But connected through blood ties, phone calls, old photographs & the longing to be united again.

100 HOUSEHOLD SURNAMES

DOUBLENESS: ZHENG! My surname.
I took this shot of another Zheng (my sis) snapping at her surname- that's my interpretation of Doubleness

Artsy Day Out - misc stuff

2009-01-05T09:50:00.015+08:00

Before we headed for lunch at Va Va Voom (Read the review of the restaurant here) & the Museum for the photo exhibits, we walked pass the Peranakan Museum.

Being a "Little Nonya" fan, Yyn was tempted to go in though we were late for the photo exhibit. We did make a quick tour in there and had a look at how a traditional Peranakan wedding was carried out through the displays of wedding gifts, traditional wedding garments, tea ceremony etc etc.

"Si Dian Jing" for the bride..

The front of a typical rich Peranakan home from the olden days.

Some of the other photos I took at the Museum (other than the actual photo exhibits).

Interior of the Museum

The 3 LCD panels are moving-still shots - meant as publicity for Voom Portraits

One of my fav shot of the day!

Gravity-defying chairs

Another of my fav!

Attempt at a different framing

I wanted to evoke a ? kinda feeling for this photo. Like how was this photo taken?

Disclaimer: No photoshoping was done to add in the various subjects....

PROJECT RUNWAY wannabe: Ladie's Avant Garde Army style

If this exhibition piece was to make it to Project Runway, i think it would be the episode where designers have to design Couture wear for ladies to go to war in. Hehe...

Frankly, at 1st glance, I almost thought it was just another army-wear. But when I looked at the detailing, it's actually incorporating some really feminine style into Army prints- corset-cut, scrunged-up 3 quads, 5" heels... But definitely not for the military...

VESPAs!

I love Vespas!!! If I could drive a Vintage 20 yr old VW Beetle, I would!!! But in Singapore it just doesn't make sense. Same reason why it doesn't make sense to buy a fast speed convertible only to ride it at 60km/hr on normal roads, breathe in the fumes during rush hour in the CBD and pay double the road tax for a vehicle that seats half the no. of passengers.

That's just my POV (Point Of View) anyways... :P

Framing for this shot inspiring by Yyn!

Sharon's Maternity Slideshow!

2008-12-22T00:53:00.021+08:00

X'mas is reaching in 3 days!!! And I'm crazy busy, wrapping presents, attending weddings, X'mas parties, planning food items for our X'mas eve party!!! But it's definitely a time I lurve....! Coz as a Christian, it's an annual time for me, personally, to appreciate the true meaning of X'mas, reflecting on the paradox of having my life saved through my Saviour's sacrifice on the cross...

In the midst of the busy busies, I've finally caught some time to do up the slideshow for Sharon!!!!! Here it is! Enjoy this photoshoot enveloping the theme of industrial ruggedness...

Feel free to comment!! Thx!!!!!! :D

Sneak peek- Sharon's maternity shoot!

2008-12-15T12:03:00.009+08:00

Another maternity shoot for the busy month of Dec! Shooting mums are quite a time critical affair. You can't postpone the photoshoots, coz the baby can't wait!

For this mama, I wanted a rugged, industrial feel to reflect her personality and short-cropped haircut! Sassy!

Here's a sneak peek at some of my fav shots of sharon's maternity pics!

Statement: Baby Nadine's in there...

I call this a Road-hogging shot! When we finished shooting this photo and Sharon got up from the road, we turned ard to see 3 cement trucks and a few cars queued just right behind us. The driver was so nice and didn't honk us. He just stopped his truck behind us and watch the spectacle. Haaa...

Moving to her softer side... The florals and nature that she likes...

A camera-shy mama! But I think she looks fab!

Watch out for the complete album soon (when I get the time to start on it! :P)

Me & Alpha - behind the scenes

2008-12-14T16:40:00.007+08:00

When I first started this blog abt 2 months ago, I said I was gonna take a pic of Alpha (my new dSLR cam). Thanks to my dear sis, she took a pic of me and my cam during one of our recky trips to a very interesting location (which we went 2 days back for my 2nd maternity photoshoot)... It was 5 mins before it poured heavily which explains the dark clouds..

So here it is, a pic of me & Alpha......

Will be posting some sneak previews of the maternity shoot soon!

Meantime, here's some of the behind-the-scene (unglamourous) shots taken by my sis of the shoot.....

Check back soon for the sneak peek of the photos!

(Disclaimer: Special thanks to Yyn for taking the photos in this post)

Lee Pheng's Maternity shoot!

2008-12-02T02:01:00.006+08:00

Here's the slideshow of the maternity shoot! Click on "view all images" to take to you another window if you want to have a better look!!!

LeePheng's maternity shoot

2008-12-01T22:31:00.013+08:00

Here's a sneak peek at LeePheng's maternity photoshoot!!!

The pretty mama said that they will be stopping at two, meaning that she's not intending to get pregnant again... Isn't that a bigger reason to capture the memories of her happy belly!

And guess what?! The gender of the baby is still a mystery!!! Isn't that exciting!!!!!!!

The mama with the bright dress!

Her first born.....

If being pregnant isn't becoming sexier, I dunno what is....... Kudos to the mums in the world!

Candid shot! Au naturale....

Inspiration for this shot provided by my sis!

The pair of feet that carries the extra weight!

It was so much fun to shoot them! There were just too many shots that I wanted to upload!!!! I'm in the midst of preparing a slideshow for the pics that was taken... Check back soon!!!!!!!!

My beloved 3

2008-11-14T15:27:00.023+08:00

I happened to have ALPHA with me that day when I was at my fiance's place (his mum was having a tupperware party of sorts) and I decided to grab some shots of my two fav soon to be nieces-in-law...

The one on the right is my youngest niece-in-law, Belle. The girl on the left is her new found friend....

Belle is such a friendly kid, she has the natural flair to make friends with anybody!

Both of them are such easy subjects to pose! They listen to instructions!

She's only 3 yrs old but absolutely has the mannerism of an adult!

And this is Laura, the elder sister... She's been quite happy to have lost her two front teeth!

That's Laura giving her uncle Randy a piece of her mind... tough luck trying to play cute with a kid!

Hoping to bring them out to the zoo soon for another photoshoot!!!