Yakitori Yeah!

The first dinner in Tokyo is Yakitori. It is a local Waseda University haunt. The old gentlemen behind are lecturers. You cannot see it, but we are sitting with a table of students.

The best Yakitori I have had in my life. Ella and Zul agree too!!

At the Airport

At the airport at 4.30 in the morning waiting for a 6am flight. It is surprising how quiet this place is. I am ususally here when the airport is bustling and all the shops are open.

Well. Ella and Zul are following me on this trip. I hope they enjoy it.

Taking a break

The journey from wedding photographer to commercial portrait photographer that started about a year and a half ago is finally beginning to pay off. To be honest, every year since I became a photographer in 2000 has been an exciting year. But the last year has been particularly significant. The decision to stop shooting weddings, the internship with Paul Elledge in Chicago, the investment in photographic and computer equipment, the new team. All this has been the biggest leap of faith since I started out as a photographer. My nerves were sorely tested between the English New Year and Chinese New Year when the only job I had was a one hour shoot for NUS. Then I went in for two weeks reservists.

But things really changed when I came out. I have done work for NUS, NTUC, Deutsche Bank amongst other clients. I have been asked to be the resident photographer for Singapore Dance Theatre. In fact, I just did a series of Zo Cards for SDT to promote their entire year's programmes. And I am getting some interesting enquiries too. The important thing though, is that I have the confidence, equipment and team to do the work. Things are looking up.

And for the first time I will be promoting myself in a major way. I have put together a portfolio brochure which I will be sending out to agencies and magazines that I want to work with. I am quite excited about this and it should generate even more work.

However, the true icing on the cake is not that the career seems to be taking off. The true icing on the cake is that I now have time to do personal work and continue pushing my own personal photography. This was one thing that I was so sorely missing as a wedding photographer. The business was viable, but it was way too labour intensive for me to be a creative as well. Now I have been shooting a lot of dancers. I hope that my next solo exhibition will be a dance one in January next year. And if all possible, I will be publishing my first book, also on dancers.

The journey continues, but I am taking a weeks break. I will be leaving for Tokyo this Friday and I will be back next Sunday on the 8 April. I have an assignment on the 9 April.

This is turning out to be a really exciting year. I wonder what new adventures it will bring besides the ones I have already planned.

Linux vs Mac vs PC

Don't know whether to laugh or cry. But I sure as hell am not installing Linux and Gimp anytime soon in my office.

1 Room. 1 Love - A Singaporean Story

My friend Pei Yee pointed out this story by a Photojournalist to me. I cannot put up an image because it is copyrighted. But follow the link and take a look.

Olivia Lufkin - A Little Pain

I bumped into my friend Randy at the Rachel Yamagata concert. And he recommended Olivia. I am not sure if this is the correct Olivia, but the MTV looks interesting.

Great Masters of Indian Classical Music by Raghu Rai

Till 8 April 2007 at The Jendela, Esplanade Theatres on the Bay.

I think it is probably hard not to notice that there is the Music Mosaic Festival going on at The Esplanade if you live in Singapore. And it is a great music festival. I have enjoyed Yo La Tengo and The Album Leaf. But there is a photographic gem that may have slipped pass your attention. Magnum photographer Raghu Rai, has an exhibition of Indian Musicians on. I was there tonight looking at the exhibition before my concert, and it really blew me away. Raghu Rai's work is technically understated. All of it was in black and white. But Rai's eye for moments and his use of framing is masterly. His images of musicians immersed in their music is simply beautiful. And the black and white prints are glorious. If you love black and white photography and moments of drama captured on film, you should not miss this exhibition.

The Adventures of Ella and Zul

Ella and Zul seems to have been my most endearing heroes but I could not keep them on my web site permanently. I have given them space on Flickr instead. You can find them here, The Adventures of Ella and Zul.

The Secret Lives of Cows

The Secret Lives of Cows

I guess some people may be wondering how I can talk about Prima Ballerinas and Super Cows in the same blog. But I am the guy who watched the opera Carmen and Jacky Chan movies in the same night. Enough already, don't be cowered, look into the secret lives of cows by Glen Wexler. It's hilarious.

And I love Important Fact about cows #9

Cows fart a lot, but they actually burp more. In fact, cows are one of the main contributors to global warming. Apart from CFC, the biggest culprit is hydrocarbon emissions from cars, and cows. Cows cause the hole in the Ozone to increase by releasing some 100 million tons of hydrocarbons annually, by passing gas.

Polina Seminova

Wesley put me on to this video. I must be out of the dance scene for too long. I have not heard of her before, but this MTV is cool. Sighzzz.

alec soth - Portraits and mug shots

alec soth - blog » Blog Archive » Portraits and mug shots

I am a commercial portrait photographer. But what is a portrait and who is in control. This is an interesting comment by Alec Soth on Richard Avedon's observations. I still find it hard to describe what a portrait is and why I take them. I think that I have to give this more thought.

Assistants at work

Akif Hakan

Hakan Photography. Fashion, Glamour,Travel,Mood,Expressive Photography. Japanese Models. Akif Hakan Celebi, photographer from Miami, Florida

I guess that a lot of my heroes in photography have a more classical bent. But I came across Akif Hakan and like his edgy work. Maybe it is because of the Japanese models he uses. :P