Photoblog: Tadau Kaamatan - Sabah Harvest Festival

First at all, I’m a chinese and not kadazan. It is hard for me to explain what is in the meaning of Tadau Kaamatan or the Harvest Festival. If you want to know more about that festival, there are lots of information you can find in internet. So, I just want to let you all know that the kadazan people celebrate their Tadau Kaamatan on today and yesterday although most of the kadazan and dusus people are not planting any paddy anymore. Well, today it is just the matter of celebration, tourist attraction and also the identity of the Kadazan and Dusun people.



I managed to plan some time to go to KDCA (Kadazan Dusun Cultural Association) hall to see the celebration and take some photo shots. Primary plan of taking some pretty girl on the annual beautiful competition known as Unduk Nagau was canceled as there are so many people and I’m not manage to enter the hall. So, I have to settle of outside shots of some traditional dress girl and guy the represented their own sub culture.



I have some difficulties on taking a good shot because there are lots of people cramming in a small little bamboo house. Luckily the house built well to withstand the payload. Nevertheless, I managed to take some few shot that I myself considers good among the 385 pieces of photo I took. It means that I have to give more exposure taking photo and get familiar with this very technical DSLR camera.




Even thou the weather are hot on the morning, its raining on evening. It has been like this for past few weeks because of the changing monsoon wind on the middle of the year. Don’t understand? Take back your SPM geography book and start reading. Then its raining even till the time I typing this post.



A cultural event is the ideal time to practicing my photo skills because there are so many things to see and happens. Thinking that a photo journalist covering some important event. He needs to know in advance of what will happen next and plan for a good location to get a good angle shot. I never like journalist photographer because they are so rude and most of them I meet are so rough when taking some shots. Well, I think they just doing their work and mean no harm although there is one time this fellow step on my shoe and go away without apologize.



There will be some more practice for my shooting skill during my friend’s wedding. Again I hope to see some traditional costume on there as my friends are having a kampung wedding.

Who is really the winner? Malaysia U-20 or MyTeam.

Reading posts about the football game between Malaysia U-20 and MyTeam in Project Petaling Streets Portal makes me wonder is MyTeam really lost to Malaysia U-20 ? Indeed, they lost to Malaysia U-20 team but overall they won. The reason is that they are actually amateur player compare to Malaysia U-20 that practice in steady basis. Mr. Shebby successfully proves his point because he can put in any team and give a good fight to Malaysia full time player team.

MyTeam was suppose lost to Malaysia team because of the little period practicing time play as a team where Malaysia team is a special breed, money funded and resources provided team. So, technically MyTeam should lose to Malaysia U-20 team by comparison and should win more goal point instead leading only one goal. Although the Malaysia U-20 won the friendly competition, I can see that they struggle to maintain their phase and tempo. MyTeam weakness point is just the coordination and team play spirits where everyone wants to be the best player and win the motorbike. Sadly, this is the typical mentality of Malaysian.

Again, I give MyTeam a good clap as they only play together for 3 weeks and can hold the same standards and give a good challenge to Malaysia U-20 team. If they train for longer time period and with the spirits of playing the game, they certainly can beat all the state team and sure Malaysia Football team.

A busy week

Last week was a busy week. I got two projects to finish and it only for my profile. I’m not earning well as I didn’t receives good some of amount. Still, I hope all the best after that and starts to earn a good and steady income. I learned lots of things about photographing through the manual professional DSLR. I also found out that I lack of many skills and understanding on getting a good photo. There are lots of thing to consider when taking a good photo with the manual professional base camera.



I’m not complaining but certainly at the beginning level I lacked of some accessories equipment for photographing such as a suitable camera tripod which I substitute it using my expensive sort of Sony Remote Control Tripod. Expensive tripod that turns useless when using with the DSLR camera, but I still manages to got hold of some good pieces with some editing on Adobe Photoshop and looking at some others people works in Photo Malaysia website.

Money always a problem for me in what am I doing. I see and heard lots of people earning some good money over what I do now. Still I’m not really experience it or shall I say it is too early to make a final conclusion. I am doing video graphing for almost 3 years and I still not really earning much. One big problem for me is that I have only few customers and again of my lack of some equipment I find it difficult to maintain my old aging equipment especially the computer. It makes it so difficult to plan for future about the business that I will venture professionally as what many does.

The Verdict ?

What say you on the allegation about MENJ controversial blog over political and religious issues?

Absolutely is GUILTY as charge.

He is responsible over his blog reader reaction.

He is blameworthy because he is the blog’s executive editor.

He is accountable over every post published in his blog.

He is at fault that make minishort so piss off.

He is on the other side of the law and might get him arrested maybe not today but someday..

But..

He is innocent because he doesn’t know the truth about Jesus Christ.

So, forgive him as Jesus always teach us about forgiveness. Click here and here to learn about forgiveness. Many more if you google it in internet.

"You have heard it said, 'Love your neighbour and hate your enemy, but I say to you Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be the sons of your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:43-44

"Let you who is without sin cast the first stone" John 8:7

Dying to Live Life or Live Life to Die?

I always aware when a day passes, death draws nearer for one day. No one can be exempted from it as it is the finish line for our grand journey of life. Having to experience life no matter it is bad or good is a great blessing for everyone, but most of us never aware or recognize the significant of it by saying that life is miserable.

Exactly one month ago, I fetch my friend to see her former schoolmate at the hospital. She says that it is his last stages of cancer and as expected that death is coming. Still, there is some hope within the hopeless but it not true. True or not he died 2 weeks ago according to my friend who wrote it in her blog. I know less of this person but what stuck me that he is so young and not really yet fully experiencing life. So sad to think about that as I experience lots of things and it still not enough. As person who greatly consider GOD do exist, I pray for him and knew that his time is near. Thank God that his sufferings end.

Death is an unknown area for everyone. Some do say that they experience death and live to tell about it. A very bright light shines from the sky and slowly you float to the source. Although dying is a traumatic experience, death it self is an extraordinary experience. Not saying I looking forward to experience death or some how advance it, I do believe that that is the way plan for us to go.

The paranoid and fear of death draws many to create ways to avoid it. One of the usual things we do is to live life healthy. Yes, we need to live life healthy because we want to experience the wonderful life no matter is sad or happy, suffer or relax. One experiences it all and it included the packages to whoever wants to live life. Our mortal life is short to learn most of the experience that exist for us in LIFE. Scientist are searching ways to be immortal but what worth of living for so long when learning is part of life stops. Then, we need to set the time to end it or let the nature decide.

Thou this is not an ideal post for me or everyone to read, I feel like writing it and would like to dedicated it greatly to this unknown friend.

Career Path as Wedding Photographer

I went to KL few weeks ago for my old friend’s wedding and took lots of photos about 400 pieces. If you want to see some of the photo, please look for my photo album link and if you like the work I done, don’t hesitate to email me and ask for my services. A little bit promotion on my own blog needed as I want to venture into wedding photographing. Previously, I do video graphing and editing for nearly 2 years and recently I bought a digital SLR camera as I explained on previous post.



Wedding photographing and video graphing are basically the same. The differences are the movement of the moment captured. Photographing takes still picture and video takes moving picture. Both of the medium need some expertise in photo and video editing skills. I got lots of things to learn although involving this field for 2 years. New software comes out every year and I am slow in learning all the function available in it.



Sometimes, I wonder how important the wedding photo or video is. Indeed most of married couple say is the most important of all. Wedding Day is the most important day for a married couple, but strangely most of them don’t want to spent more money on it. They choose to cut most of the cost on it and take the risk and let friends take the wedding day photo to save money. At last, most of the photos captured look bad although most of us now have a high tech digital camera with high mega pixel on it. Still, camera is not the factor of creating a good photo but more on the person who have what it need to capture that special moment.



So, how much we willing to spent on having some professional taking our wedding day photo? Recently, I meet Louis Pang, a well know full time wedding photographer. He quite good and most of his work charge are up to 3000 ringgit. His skills in wedding photographing was recognized by the most well know Wedding Photojournalist Association that only accept real good photographer. No jokes when only 3 Malaysian periods accepted as the member.



At the moment, I’m still struggling on creating my own portfolio on video and photographing. It is not an easy path to walk as many competitors around with better skills and equipments. The only thing that separate most of new breed photographer is the creativity and skills on manipulating light and capturing a special and rare moment. Building a career path in this field is quite challenging and luckily I like it and if not I quit on doing that long time ago.