Quixotic Photography

Daniel & Evon's Engagement

2009-12-01T12:24:00.003+08:00

25th October 2009 saw the members of cell groups John 9 & 10 rejoicing at the engagement of Daniel and Evon, along with their respective families. Everyone was elated to see this young couple joining hands and committing their future before one another. Now I've known Daniel and Evon from church for a few years now, of which I'm under Evon's tutelage during cell groups. So it was a great honor to document this memorable day :) Oh...did I mention Daniel and Evon are talented musician and songbird respectively? *grin*

Love this candid moment, when everyone couldn't help but laugh to their hearts' content as Mia, Daniel's youngest brother, was goofing during a group photo.

Notice the picture of Daniel and Evon behind? I have no idea who came up with the idea, but the next few shots were of Evon's relatives trying to mimic the moment xD

Once again Mia took centre stage and made the peace sign, of which everyone followed suit :P

Siew Yian being her typical self hehe...

Evon: Daniel, tuck in your tummy so you'll look slimmer in the picture.

Daniel: *weird expression*

Mabul Day Trip

2009-11-05T15:56:00.004+08:00

Couple of Fridays ago, Brian, Steph and myself were lounging after lunch when we decided on an impromptu day trip to Mabul island the next day. It was a weekend break that I needed, away from all the work that has been clogging up my desk. So after placing our bookings and gathering a few of our best buddies, we headed out at 5am the following morning :P Our lack of sleep did not dampen our spirits as we chatted away the 1 hour journey. It is moments and companions like these that I know I’ll sorely miss when I leave good old Tawau in a few months’ time...sigh.

Clouds gathered and it drizzled a little but on the whole we were blessed with fair weather throughout the day. We traversed most of the island on foot, chilled out in one another’s company, played Monopoly Deal (an addictive card game where Steph got stumped thrice continuously by Mei Feng xD), and Brian managed some coral shopping. We ended our journey in the late evening with a trip to CJ’s Bistro for a good hot meal :)

It's just amusing to see Mei Feng trying to cover herself from head to toe with that piece of cloth to avoid getting sun tanned.

Andy & Jane's Wedding

2009-11-03T11:14:00.009+08:00

For the first time I was TOTALLY whacked out doing what I truly love. Shooting Andy and Jane’s wedding has been a personal record for me, clocking about 15 hours of shooting time in the span of 3 consecutive days and a month long of post processing. By the end of the 3rd day I was so physically drained that I slept for hours straight whenever I could. A month long of post processing thereafter made me a li’l less sane and VERY absent minded too. I’m sure those of you who have been with me for the past week can testify *grin* (FYI I don’t usually get acquainted with absentmindedness :P)

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not griping :) This has been an exhilarating and fruitful experience, and I treasure the fact that I know my strengths and limits better now. It was also a privilege to work alongside fellow videographer and photographer, Calven, from CDesign. After last weekend’s therapeutic rest (which involves proper rest, quality time with close friends, and HOURS of meddling on a spanking new Macbook Pro 13), I’m now back on my feet...hopefully...I haven’t had any episode of absentmindedness so far... :P

Here they are...Andy and Jane.

The expansive compound of Yayasan Gek Poh provided some nice backdrops, but we were thwarted by heavy showers on the banquet night.

Somehow this shot kept reminding me of the song 'Money Money Money' by Abba :P

The happenings behind this shot is best left to your vivid imagination xD

Nadia & Alvin's Wedding

2009-08-26T15:03:00.001+08:00

It was during a state pharmacy course few years back that I met this attractive, sociable and fast talking young lady Nadia. Yes...she talks at 100km/h and even more so when she's giving a presentation up front xD We cliqued pretty well after that...and sometime this year I got to meet her fiance Alvin, a practising doctor.

A pharmacist and a doctor, talk about being a perfect match :)

And on the 9th of June I was amongst the handful privileged to witness Nadia and Alvin's beach wedding at the opulent and chic Shangri-La's Rasa Ria resort in Kota Kinabalu. It was such a blast that I couldn't help reminiscing all the fun and laughter.

I enjoyed every moment throwing puns at and coaxing the kids for a shot, they're just full of emotions and expressions.

See...what did I tell you about kids and their expressions :)

More fun and laughter...

Joel & Alicia's Wedding

2009-08-25T10:26:00.006+08:00

This is a waaaaayyyy overdue post...sorry guys :P If you remember Joel and Alicia's wedding back in the end of May, this is the official post that I promised. Despite my efforts to post it ASAP, SESB (Sabah Electricity Sdn. Bhd.) failed time and again. By the time power was restored, my pc decided to throw a tantrum and just wouldn't turn on. After sending it for service twice, I only found out yesterday that it was my UPS that gave up on me (it isn't a surprise when you're having 2-3 power cuts in a day, for the duration of 1-2 weeks). Hence my pc is operating normally now, minus the UPS. I must be sounding like a grumpy old man now :P Enough griping.

On the day of Joel and Alicia's wedding, the makeup artist was wondering out loud "Where are the videographers and photographers who should be here snapping away happily already?" while donning the makeup for Alicia. Truth to be told, by the time the videographer and I reached Alicia at our appointed time, she was almost done with her makeup. Imagine our faces when we thought we were late!!! xD Apparently the schedule was moved ahead and it just slipped the couple's mind due to the hectic pace that we had to be informed as well. Nevertheless we still had some decent shots.

Alicia is a natural in front of the lens :)

"Let's see if the guys have this much lose change."

The groom teasers nowadays xD

Brian belting out his song, which gained lots of acclamation :)

Daniel strutting his stuff too.

This was all I could get out of the cake shot before the kids landed their grubby paws on the cupcakes. Just picture yourself in the midst of a hungry pack of wolves...I'm sure you catch the drift :P

Joel & Alicia's Wedding - Sneak Peek

2009-05-31T23:28:00.004+08:00

Have you ever loved somebody so much...

That your heart is filled with tenderness and delight at the mere thought of them?

That when you think of them, it makes you smile?

That's exactly how I'd describe the chemistry between Joel and Alicia. A lot of us were privileged to witness the holy matrimony between this capable, charismatic young man and this sweet, demure young lady. And I'm most honored to be covering this auspicious day. I'm sure all of us had an utmost enjoyable day, from the downright cheeky groom teasers, the church ceremony, the heart warming songs done by Brian, David and Daniel...down to the amusing stuff we did at the banquet.

Here are some sneak peeks to quench your curiosity =) It's a mix of happy shots and serious work. Unfortunately it's only part of what I intended to post, before my pc and streamyx gave up on me last night. Talk about perfect timing. Give me a few days and hopefully you'll be seeing some decent posts this weekend alrite. Cheers.

I have no idea what Brian was trying to do xD

'X' marks the spot!

Paul, Ivan and Jedidiah rapping...

The Tawau contingent.

And the Kota Kinabalu contingent...

Joel's wedding banquet also featured a brand new band i.e. 'The Apostles'!!! We had so much fun using the yellow backdrop to come up with this series of band posters =)

Paul the drummer.

Jedidiah the guitarist.

Alex at the bass.

And Brian the vocalist.

We chilled out at Veda Blu right after the banquet. The following pictures are courtesy of Paul. I thought he did some pretty decent job. Keep it up Paul.

Stef could very well be the next ambassador for Coffee Bean or Starbucks don't you think?

Ladies Portrait Session - Continued

2009-05-26T22:21:00.005+08:00

After much delay, here I am with the complete series of pictures from the portrait session =) The things that I learnt from this session is that practice makes perfect. I have to admit that I'm not exactly the shutter bug I was years ago, where ideas come in a continuous influx as I shot alot in those days. But I'm glad that the touch never quite left me. Yes...it was somewhat awkward at the start of the shoot, however it progressed smoother and easier over the hour.

Allocate more time for a large group or work with a smaller group in the allocated couple of hours. I was ecstatic to have everyone in the session, the more the merrier rite :P But it was also a mistake, as I could only squeeze out 20 shots or so for each person in the limited 2 hours of daylight left. I promise the next one would be in small groups of 3-4 so that I can give everyone my undevoted attention equally without compromising on quality xD

Last but not least, it's been a joy to work with all of you ladies, I do hope you like your individual shots. Brian and Gary, how can I forget your tremendous help =)

Cressida, these are for you.

Here you go Yee Fun.

And congratulations to our very soon to be bride, Alicia, who's getting married to our dear brother Joel this Saturday. Looking forward to witness your holy matrimony =)

Dramatic skies and ethereal effects in black & white...this is my favorite shot.

Official Post for Ladies Portrait Session

2009-05-18T09:26:00.022+08:00

I know it's been two full weeks since I last posted the sneak peek for our ladies portrait session, sorry for the delay, but it's not unjustified though =P I was feeling absolutely crappy and lousy for the past week as I was assaulted by an array of medical symptoms: first it was food poisoning after lunch at a certain place (apparently I was the only one affected :/); then the intense abdominal pain (that woke me up at 3am almost everyday) followed; and last I caught this bug that gave me such an eye sore and rendered my right eye like it's been punched swollen. If I hadn't known better I could swear the superbugs in Tawau are out to get me with a vengeance.

So here are the highlights of the shoot.

Introducing Stefanie Chin the bank teller :)

Stefanie Chin the lawyer :P Yeah both of them have the same Christian name and surname.

I love the country side feel to this picture.

Here's our bubbly li'l friend Siew Yian...

I thought Siew Yian gave a nice sultry look here, but she thought otherwise.

For some reason she likes this pose very much xD I'm putting this one up just to appease her.

This is Evon...

No...I haven't forgot about you three, Cressida, Alicia and Yee Fun :) I haven't managed to work on your shots due to time constraint since I'm heading for Semporna this afternoon till Thursday. Please be patient with me and stay tune this weekend alrite :)

Cell Group Ladies Portrait Session

2009-05-03T12:36:00.012+08:00

We had a long weekend this recent Labour's Day. So I thought what's better than organising an outdoor portrait session for our lovely ladies in cell group John 9 & 10 :) After some emails, calls and arrangements, we finally managed to pull it off. I was both excited and jittery coz' this was my first assignment with so many ladies, that I didn't want to disappoint them, not after the effort they went through to doll up themselves. Here's a sneak peek of what's more in store.

My 1st contribution!!

2009-04-25T21:51:00.011+08:00

Here's a photo from our Mabul-Sipadan trip as well. It was conceptualized as a postcard

More good times

2009-04-22T12:25:00.003+08:00

The group pictures are rather small, so please click on them for a larger view. Somehow scaling them decreases the quality of the thumbnail. Do advise me if you have the technical know-how to upload high quality large thumbnails :)

The normal us...introducing Tam (2nd from the right on back row) and Leong (4th from the right on back row), the latest addition to our clique back then.

Us trying to look sad.

Us in crazy mode :D

Since Chiew Yun was the only birthday girl, we made her feed cherries to the birthday boys.

On the left is Yui Ping's birthday card...his head on a body builder's figure :P oh and they were supposed to mimic the pose.

Kah Jin mimicking his rather gay-ish picture...pardon the pun :)

Chiew Yun in her supermodel pose.

Kah Jin doing an even better job at the supermodel pose.

The good old times

2009-04-22T12:12:00.005+08:00

After a rough week previously: having my shooting schedule messed up; falling ill at a 4 days motivation camp in Tenom; going through the arduous schedule the camp facilitators put us through (we only caught 2-3 hours of sleep daily!!!)...I'm absolutely thankful now that the storm has blown over. For starters, the June event in Tawau has been postponed to middle of the month, which means I'm free to shoot my friend's wedding! :) Truth is I was elated when I heard the news, that I literally shouted my friend's name (online that is :P) to tell her the good news. She in turn was equally glad and enthusiastic. To perk things up, the June event might just be held in Sandakan instead, which means I could be off the hook...no need to crack the poor coconut head of mine coordinating the event.

So here are some happy snapshots of Chiew Yun, Kah Jin and Yui Ping's birthday. This is the one and only time that all of us were gathered together. Boy...I missed those times hanging out with this bunch of crazy fellas :P

Yee Huey

Kah Jin (left) & Yui Ping (right) enjoy making funny faces at me :)

Joe (left) & Jimmie (right)

Pou Wee & Say Wae

Amy (left) & Siau Yong (right)

Samuel

Chiew Yun (I was after the water color effects you normally see on the front cover of Chinese romance novels)

Two crazy weeks it's been...

2009-04-14T08:10:00.005+08:00

Now the question that's been bugging me for the past week was 'Soo Jin, how come I don't see that many pictures on your blog?'. Well truth is I've been swamped with office and prep work as well as meetings for these two weeks...to make matters worse, everything seems to be working against me this week.

To start off my week where Murphy's law seems to have kicked in, my leave in June was withdrawn by my superiors!!! I was supposed to shoot a friend's pre-wedding photos and her actual wedding in June. And it was the exact same dates that my superiors decided to hold an event in Tawau. Of all times and places!!! Being the host meant I'm bound to remain in Tawau during those dates to coordinate the event. I was exasperated, frustrated, disappointed, you name it... After what planning and promises I've made since January, everything went down the drain.

To rub things in, there'll be a beauty fair in Tawau this Sunday, and my department has been invited to showcase our exhibition along with other beauty saloons and healthcare providers. A makeshift indoor studio will be available for customers who'd like to have their portraits taken after a makeover. The photographer in me was screaming 'Yes!! I might just be able to get some portrait shots of visitors.' Then the bombshell was dropped on me...I had to attend a course in Tenom tomorrow which stretches through next Monday. Again and again I've been denied.

Many other problems are still nagging at me. The hollow shell of what's left of me would just have to settle whatever I can today, get things ready for my trip tomorrow, and hopefully matters will blow over by next week. So yes...enough complaining...more pictures coming up next week when I get back :)

More of Mabul

2009-04-02T14:26:00.003+08:00

Here's a few more pictures of Mabul Island's denizens. As we wade through the small village, kids were running everywhere, clad in next to nothing if not naked. They were tourist friendly though, smiling readily at the sight of a camera. It's unfortunate to see that many of these kids had bloated stomachs...a sign of malnutrition or worm infestation. We wished we had the thought of bringing some albendazole along to be distributed.

*If you're the squeamish kind, refrain from reading what's next :P What we witnessed was definitely 18SG stuff.*

As we made a move back to the resort for dinner, we saw two kids by the shore grabbing a greyish blob out of the water. The identity of the object eluded us at first, but it dawned on us as we saw it struggle in the kid's grasp. It was a squid the size of a football. Nice catch...we thought. Then the kid started punching the squid, like what a boxer would do to a bean bag, in an effort to kill it. As the squid started to go limp, the kids proceeded to 'clean' it inside out. They were soon in a puddle of seawater stained black by the squid's ink, after which they carried their catch of the day away...most likely to be laid on the dinner table.

Mabul here we come

2009-04-01T13:02:00.004+08:00

That morning I leapt out of my bed with much more enthusiasm than I'd normally have at such an hour. It was 5.30AM and I was geared to embark on our 1 hour journey to Semporna whereby we'd catch a boat to Mabul Island. As I dropped by Pou Wee's place to pick the 4 of them up, I was met with 3 pairs of panda eyes XD which I was told the reason later that the guys were up all night choosing songs for Ron...for some reason that made me chuckled in amusement.

Nevertheless we went over to Wen Jiun's place and piled into her Unser which we used for our road trip. I was speeding at 110km/h along the way to Semporna. When I say speeding, I mean it, coz drivers in Sabah tend to crawl at 20-30km/h on an empty road. Besides that, what they call 'highway' here in Sabah, is what we call 'road' in peninsular. People who know me would know that I vehemently abhorred the traffic in Sabah for these very reasons :P

We had half an hour to spare when we reached Semporna. Our stomachs were already growling in protests (despite the amount of junk food we consumed en route) but no food outlet was open yet. So we stomached it and headed for Mabul Island on our boat.

We explored the island on foot. By noon, the restaurant echoed its gong. Boy were we glad that we could finally have our first meal of the day...and to top it off, the food was decently good. I think Pou Wee had 2 and a half beef burger besides the other food :P We could have attributed that to our rumbling stomachs, but the food was consistently good over the next 2 days.

Our snorkelling session at the house reef yielded some rather huge reaction from us. Donning the mask and flippers, I plunged in right by a HUUGGEEE school of fish. I was stunned for a moment by the intimidating sight before I started backpedalling to a safer distance. Say Wae plunged in at the very same spot where I started. Imagine the surprise she had...she literally scrambled for the safety of the jetty XD

I loved every minute of this trip. Here are some shots.

The eatery

Chun Keat

Ron & Wen Jiun

Pou Wee & Say Wae

We lived on those chalets right there

Prologue

2009-03-31T22:26:00.006+08:00

First and foremost let me extend you a warm welcome to Quixotic Photography :) Thank you for visiting and I do hope you find this blog every bit as informative, charming and intriguing as you'd hoped for. Comments are most welcome so that I know I'm on track with my work.

That said, I suppose a wee bit of introduction is due on my part :P My name's Alvin, though I go by the name of Soo Jin for most people. I'm a freelance photographer currently based in the small suburbs of Tawau, Sabah, Malaysia, though I originally hail from Muar, Johor. Photographers that I aspire to be?? The likes of Signature Photographers such as Louis Pang and Jenny Sun...though that's gonna be a long way down the road.

Here on quixotic-photography.blogspot.com I'll be sharing my work as well as bits my life, adventures, journeys, escapades, excursions, outings or what not that you'd like to call it :P If you happen to like my work and would like to sign me up for a job, do drop me a line at rattrapp185@hotmail.com.

Here's a shot attempted by my friend Ron during our trip to Mabul Island in September 2008. It's one of the rare occasions that I'd actually get a satisfactory self portrait, which I'm sure photographers out there could relate to :D