Sekolah Pondok Bustanul Ariffin.

Salam fellow readers, its been a while right? After receiving tons of emails and text messages, i've decided to find some spare time and update my blog. The past months, i was busy with my usual works, traveling here, traveling there. Meeting here, meeting there. It was a hectic month and its still is. Just for some general information, the hotel that i've been working on in Melaka which is The Quayside hotel is opening soon so be sure to get a room when they are opened later on to see my works in your hotel room ( lol ) . So yeah today i've decided to make an entry about my latest project that im working on with my fellow teammates, a documentary about Sekolah Pondok Bustanul Ariffin and their students.

I think most Malaysian's would know what is a Sekolah Pondok, its a special school which students there ranging from any age would go there to learn the ways to get closer and knowing Allah S.W.T by studying the Al-Quran and through story telling by their Ustaz and Sheikh. What makes this school different from other Sekolah Pondok's in Malaysia is that they don't teach how to read the Al-Quran in different Taranum's, instead they teach how to know Allah S.W.T, how to get closer to Our Creator and the proper way of life.

After interviewing some of the member and teachers of the school, i decided to walk around and get close with the students there. Since they were all male and most of them are still young, there were very playful but shy to meet us. It was hard to convince them not to run when i came closer but eventually, they came to me because they were curious about my camera so yeah. Success! 

I had the chance to interview one of the children studying there, i asked them how's life here, don't you miss your family? They answered, " Yes, i do miss my family but learning about my religion is also important and i want to make my family proud when i get back home later. " Even i am proud the children there, nuff said.  After that, i walked around, looking at their rooms and activities. We reached the school quite early so the children's there are mostly still sleeping and some of them are chilling around the block observing us. Some are very confident to stand in front of my camera while some are shy. 

There's nothing much that i can say but, wait for our documentary video soon. It was a great experience  knowing these children's even though some of them were shy but, its in their nature to be shy. I made some friends there with the kids and i will be going there again soon. Hope you guys like this entry and always, leave a comment below about it. Salam. 

Tweed Run

Hye there people, im back. Miss me? Okay cut the crap, as i promised in my last entry, i would upload the pictures of the latest photoshot the Tweed Run. I really don't know what more to type so lets just enjoy the pictures shall we. Oh and by the way, if some of you guys still don't know what is Tweed Run, be sure to google. We're starting a new trend here and i hope people would love it and join us the next time. 

Yup so there it is. Like usual, leave a comment below and tell me about this photoshot wether you liked it or not. Oh and before i forget, next week i'll be off to somewhere for a very long time and i won't be updating any new pictures as the place does not have internet. So until next time. Salam. 

Tweed Run Teaser!

Yup, you heard it right, Tweed Run! For those who don't know about Tweed Run, you could always ask mister google about it or even misses youtube. As the tittle says, i'll just upload some teaser's and hopefully you guys wait patiently aight.

Its been a while

Hey there people. Its been a while since i've updated anything on my blog and sorry for that. Had many stuff to do in this year and Alhamdulillah, everything is going smoothly. Also, recently i've created my own website ( yay me! ) for people, clients or anybody to view most of my portfolio in a more organized manner. I'll leave the link below later on. So lets talk about my projects recently shall we. Well, i had the regular portrait and fashion photoshot that was recently held in Shah Alam and also other places. I also bought this great great local clothing line t-shirt called " Sultan " that was originally created by the famous rapper, Altimet. I bought it at SSCS ( super sunday concept store ) near the bukit bintang monorail. Try check that out, they have other local clothing line aswell such as Kayu clothing, Kuku Besi Manipulasi, Harimau Malaya, Sultan and of course, Super Sunday. Okay, other than that, my recent photoshot was with an local clothing line also, but their focus was more on the mens clothing, suits and street wear. The clothing line is called " The Garment " and is created by Wak Doyok and also Mile Zahari. Im not suppose to upload the pictures by i'll just post some of the teaser just to tease you guys *evil laugh* . 

Okay, that's all i can upload for now. If you want more, you have to wait for their launching which is probably two weeks from now. haha. Okay, lets put that aside. Other than The Garmnent, my latest project is with a hotel in Melaka, Quayside Hotel Melaka. I was assigned to shot something that resembles Melaka and my pictures will be hung up in every single room in the hotel. Pretty cool huh. But its a tiring job coz I'm doing all this by my own. Its about time for me to search for some crew. All the camera equipment is just to heavy for one man to carry. So yeah, that's just about it. There's plenty of more photoshot that i've done by I'm to lazy to upload em' now. Maybe later i'll make a full post about it. Hope you enjoy this post, and share it if you like. Salam. Have a nice day. uzairismail.wix.com/ishootwhatilove

2013

Years to months, months to weeks, weeks to days, days to hours, hours to seconds. An old acquaintance of mine once said, the best teachers all time is our past. Learn and change for better good. 2012 left us with a surprise. Running errands here and there makes us unaware of time. Now its 2013. How time flies. What 2012 taught me is , people are different. Each individual has their own identity, trademarks, with their own specialty. I've met many fresh, young, talent people in 2012. Loads of them. Bit by bit, they influence me and i hope i've influenced them too. Some are positive , some negative. 

In the past, i was a very shy person. Didn't talk much, didn't ask much and never seem to cared much. When i do things, i just do. Ignoring people surrounding me. What people say, let them be. It dosen't matter. I was in my own world. Only people who are close to me could only understand. But slowly, i began to open myself. Random chatting with people, becoming more friendly but i learned, being nice to people has limitation. Some people just want to watch the world burn. They kill kindness with stupidity. They act like stupidity is a act of cuteness. I wonder, how can they live knowing that they are doing something stupid? Which is obviously wrong. Pardon my words but thats reality. 

2012 was the year of struggling. I've faced many challenges; academically, mentally, and spiritually. In the fight to survive, i relise, being yourself is the number one priority. Be original, be unique, dont be something common. Become something rare. People may say its a waste of time, your not going to get benefit from this, your to young. Be true to yourself because only you yourself know your limitations and how far you can go. Kill us with words, kill them with proof. The road may be bumpy, but fight it. Face the challenges, accept the challenge, and claim the reward. The starting would be bitter as hell but in the end, your just eating the sweetest candy in the world.  

All things living, one day will die. That's the nature of things. Not one soul/being can escape death. Death teaches us to be prepared 24/7. Can you predict death? If you die, what would people remember you for? What legacy did you leave behind? I think about that every single day. Enough fooling around and make something useful, be something, be someone. Time is something that we cant see. Time is something that is beyond our reach. Can we stop time? Can we even see time passes by? If Allah S.W.T gaves us the ability to see time pass by, how scared would you be. You posses the ability to see time pass , but not the strength to stop it nor to slow it down even a bit. What is done , would not be forgotten. 

Life is something that is full with surprises. Sometimes it brings happiness, sometimes it brings sadness. Some are colourful, some are mono. Design your life how you want it. Plan ahead. Make changes, change for the better good. Good things wont last forever but the path leading to happiness, is always colourful. 

2013, here i come.

Fraser's Hill Trip

Salam. The past three days, i went on a trip to Fraser's Hill. Even though it wasn't a relaxing trip, but i had a great time walking around taking some photographs and enjoying the cool breeze. It was really-really cooled there at night. The temperature at night was 4 degrees Celsius! So now im back in Shah Alam, back to my daily routines, classes and work but, i want to share my pictures with you guys.

Dizzy bus ride to the top.

  We started our trip early in the morning, we rode a bus and yes it was dizzy like hell. The road was winding and winding curving and curving up and down sideways plus the hump through out the road, it was a dizzy and sickening bus ride. Didn't say much, i just stayed near to the window and hoping to reach the destination quickly. Unfortunately, it didn't end quick. After all the rides, throw ups and everything ( i didnt throw up ) we reach our destination. We stayed at Silver Park Resort apartments and the room was generously good, i got the fifth floor apartment and this is the view from my apartment.

Breath taking view from my apartment.

Even though it was foggy all the time, i managed to capture this photograph before the fog came. The coldness too. After we checked in, kept our bags, we head to the cafe for some hot coffee and lunch. That hot coffee really hit the spot, warmed up our stomach and gave us warmth to explore Fraser's Hill.

Fad enjoying the hot coffee on a cold evening. 

So we went around, took some pictures with friends around the block, but the fog was really heavy, barely visible. Even seeing something ahead of us was difficult. But what my eyes couldn't see, my camera can. So i continued taking some photographs in the heavy fog and continued to walk around.

Some heavy fog. 

i just love taking random photographs. 

Really love the mailbox surrounded by the greens.  

My Professer , Prof Mustaffa Halabi. 

Some attempts to do macro shots. 

Twilight photographer .

Thats some of the photograph i took while i was at Fraser's . I'll try to upload more in the mean time, if im not busy with work. That trip really cleared my mind but i didn't relax much, i walked a lot and im still exhausted until now. Really looking forward for the next upcoming trip. Where to, im not certain but insyaAllah, ada rezeki i'll travel again. Goodnight.

Interpreting my portraits (2)

Salam. Sorry for the late entries, i promised each week a new entry but it seems i failed due to the assignments and work. With that explained, i would like to interpret another series that i have done which is a journal that i did on the previous Hari Raya Aidilfitri. The past Raya, i went to Terengganu, i really love Terengganu. The scenery, landscapes, and the people there and mostly, the food. Kerepok lekor is a must every time i go to Terengganu.  I actually didnt plan to shot or anything since its was Hari Raya, but i always bring along my camera with my trusty 50mm incase there's something interesting to capture. My instinct proven right, it was on the 2nd day of Raya, after celebrating, chit-chatting with family and cousins, i went for a walk near Terengganu's Pasar Payang and i was surprise, even though it was Raya , people are still selling goods such like a normal Pasar would and i cant help to question myself, why aren't they with their families? Why aren't they celebrating with their family and having fun on a very special day in Islam. Thinking wouldn't answer my question so i approached  them, took some photo's and had a brief interview. Here's the picture. 

" Penarik Beca " Pasar Payang, Kuala terengganu - 2012

This old man ( photo above ) is a trishaw man aged 65 with three children. Even though he is old, he still has the man power to cycle his trishaw. The story of this old man is, his family is poor. He told me, Raya or not, its the same. His income per month is as low as RM200 per month and he has a family to feed, if he doesn't work, his family would have nothing to eat or drink. He also claimed that he is terribly ill, but he is willing to sacrifice his health for the sake of his children, to make sure that every day there is food on the table for the family. Let his family celebrate raya with happiness and let him work to keep them alive. Looking straight into his eyes would tell you everything, what has he been through, the suffering, and his love for his family. It really hit me hard. Such sacrifice a father would do for his family. I thought in the Millenium Era, there wouldn't be anymore poor people since the Government had done many projects to help the poor but i guess the help didnt reach everyone. After the interview, i walked down the road leading to a small Jetty infront of Pasar Payang. There was a man sitting there reading newspaper infront of a bot. Couldn't resist to take a picture a interviewed him. Here's the picture. 

" Pak Mail " Kuala Terengganu - 2012

This is " Pak mail " . He is a boat driver, in the background is his boat . He provides a service of showing tourist the interesting sights of Terengganu though the waterways. He has done this job for more than 20 year.  But sadly, he also has the same story with the trishaw man, working to feed the family. Working long hours, hard labor at his age and health state, it is truly a father's sacrifice to take of the family. He offered me a ride on his boat, i couldn't resist the offer so i took a cruze on the boat. 

The interview still was going on, he told me that he has children and a family to feed. Without him, the family would survive. They depend on the earning of Pak Mail to sustained their daily spending on food, fees, clothing and such. So Pak Mail is working very very hard for his family. Pak Mail rates are RM50 per ride, which is a 30 minutes cruze along the river passing several interesting places and breath taking landcape. Since the his working on a public holiday, i asked him wether he doubles his charges ( which is a normal thing to do in the city ) but he simply reply, no. " Why trick the customer with doubling the charges, i dont care wether it is a public holiday or what, in Islam, lying is a sin and i am an honest man working to earn Halal money to feed my family " . Such a great man. 

These photograph carry the emotions, feelings, deep meanings and i captured those emotions so that it would remain as a reminder to everyone, the sacrifice of a father. This is a real event, real words, real emotions. The value of these photographs are priceless. If someday, i sell these images, i would donate some of the money to them InsyaAllah. Let us all pray to Allah S.W.T to give them good health and to reward them Syurga for the sacrifice they have made for their loved one. Amin. 

Interpreting my portraits (1)

Peace be upon you. First of all, i would like to thank the reader who have interest in the meaning of my pictures. As i said in my Facebook profile, i will explain and interpret some of my portraits that i have shot through out this year. I didn't shot a lot of portraits this year due to the everyday life stuff and also my studies. Okay, before we start to interpret my images, lets check ourselves, and ask ourselves, how do we actually appreciate an image? Is it by simply looking at the image? Or, by judging or debating about wether the images are RAW or edited? Or you just dont know, and see the image just by the surface. Now, thats where most people are wrong. Every image, has its own message, its meaning. So what the image is edited? Editing is a process just to simply ENHANCE the image, not manipulating. Manipulating has its own category, Digital Manipulation. The pictures are beautiful not because of the editing or retouching, it is beautiful as is where is. Have u ever try to edit an underexpose image or even a ridiculously image? Yes you can edit it, but the end result is still horrible. A good pictures start from the RAW image, if the RAW image is good, plus the enhance the images will become superb ( Enough debating wether it is edited or this/that guy isnt talented, the pictures are good because of the editing. For some people who think like that, you are such an dumbass. Seriusly. ) A good image is a good image. Enough said. Haters gonna hate but let them be.

As for my 2012 portraits that i have done, if you notice, all of the images i took are all in the jungle or woods or thatch ( lalang ) . I was doing a series of " Mother nature " . You may ask, if im doing a series of Mother Nature, than why put a model in the middle? Let me explain, the tittle speaks for itself, " Mother Nature ". "Mother". Nature is always associated with women because of the nature is beautiful or pretty etc so what i did, i place an female model in the shots to represent mother nature. Okay now that is clear, another thing, why mother nature and why model in a forest, thatch and such. Well than, all of my photo-shoot location for this series, i did it in the city of Shah Alam. Yes, i repeat, Shah Alam. You think i love to enter the forest, hiking and such? Nope. But why, why i choose the location to be in Shah Alam? I think everyone knows that Shah Alam is a city, but it still has some forest-tree-looking-a like places and they do have really beautiful landscapes. But unfortunately , building will rise, forest will be cleared, no more beautiful landscapes. Thats what i did, i capture the forest before it was demolished. And guess what, it is demolished right now. Sad but true. Lets look at the image.

Nina -  2012, Seksyen 10 Shah Alam. 

The image tittled " Nina " above was shot at seksyen 10, Shah Alam. The image was shot at dawn, i used an speedlight attached to the umbrella to fill in the light. The mood of the image, is gloomy. I purposely wanted the image to be seen in a gloomy mood to create a message. The model in the middle represent mother nature, the sad expression, how the hair falls, the clothes that she wore, it is all related to mother nature. The message that i wanted to convey in this image is that, the mother nature "nina" is sad thinking about the forest's fate in the future. What would it be left for the future. Will people still appreciate the forest and its beauty or just simply demolished them for building more buildings. The model face and eyes are to stare at the future, thinking about their fate and seeing the humans destroying the forest, heartlessly, without thinking, killing the tress. What can a tree done rather than sit there, watch, and waiting to be  killed. The model hand is holding the tree as if the model can understand the feelings of the tree. The hair, makeup, lipstick is to represent the beauty of mother nature, the beauty of landscapes. The clothes that the model is wearing is to represent the time that i shoot, which is at dawn, mother nature had just woke up from bed ( lol ) . The role that was played by light was to represent the morning sunrise, to create a mood in the picture. Lets look at another portrait of mine.

Nani - 2012, seksyen 8 , Shah Alam. 

The image of " Nani " is about the tress are calling for help but the tress do not speak, the cant speak, so they just sit there, helplessly, crying in silent for help. As you can see in the image, the branches are sort of like reaching out to someone or somebody, asking or pleading for help to save them. The model in the middle is to represent the helpless beautiful mother nature that cant do anything but to just simply stand, and wait for something. Simply put, the model is the representative for the braches. I created a face, a expression, a subject matter, showed the emotion of the forest and put it in the form of a human being. The color i use in this picture is sorta like a soft pink. Pink is always related to women as the color pink characteristic is soft, beautiful, gentle, love and passion. Lets look at the last image.

Risa - 2012, Kuala Selangor. 

The last image is not shot in Shah Alam, its in Kuala Selangor but the message is the same. Here you can see behind the model is some dying, burned out, decaying tress and the model is the representative of mother nature or goddess, is sad looking at the tress that are dying. This picture was taken in the rain because i wanted to make it look like as if the goddess was very sad, and her tears is to show her sadness. But what can nature do rather than sit, helplessly waiting to be killed.

Thats all for this post, i hope you read it and understand know what my portraits are about, the message behind every picture. I will right another entry about my other portraits, but i cant promise when. If you would like to share this, feel free. But, please inform me in advance and please do not steal the image and claiming that it is your. Please do not plagiarise. If you want to use it for educational purposes, please contact or inform , ask my permission first. I hope you like this entry and i'll be writing again soon. Peace. Salam. 

Aimi & Abu Solemnization.

Salam. This is the wedding of Aimi & Abu at Klang that was held recently. I really had a pleasant time photographing their most special event of their life, the couple was funny and sporting! We had some challenges with mother nature, as we all know, its the raining season but Alhamdulillah, it didn't rain heavy that day. I would like to remind that our promotion is still up, thank you for those who have booked their special date with us, any inquires feel free to email me at sriazu@yahoo.com or contact me directly for quotation and such. Credits to Wana for being the second photog. Peace.