PhotoAsia Blog

Photo Credits: Song Jin Tek

PhotoAsia is collaborating with Media Storehouse to launch our first online print store featuring 500 stunning pictures of spectacular landscapes of rivers, beaches and waterfalls, colourful cultural dances and exotic butterflies, flowers and wildlife.

PhotoAsia’s print store is now open for you to select the perfect photo gift, framed or without, in canvas, jigsaws or a mouse mat. At the featured galleries in our print store, the pictures do all the talking because we believe that powerful pictures speak more than a thousand words.

So drop by the Store and check us out at http://prints.photoasia.com.my.

Use the tools available on the website to view your framed prints in different settings before you buy them!

PhotoAsia would be interested to hear from photographers who have stock images covering the following topics:

Kuala Ibai Mosque at sunset, Terengganu, Malaysia. Photo Credits: Arthur Teng

The Terengganu Goverment has declared 2013 as “Visit Terengganu Year (VTY)“, aimed at increasing tourist arrivals in the state by 20% from the previous VTY 2008 campaign.

1. Tourist attractions – Tasik Kenyir, Gunung Berembun, Chemerong Waterfalls, Hulu Dungun and Mt Berembun Green Challenge, an annual event
2. Turtles in Rantau Abang
3. Famous islands – Pulau Redang, Pulau Perhentian
4. Fishing villages in Marang
5. Landmarks of Terengganu, like Kuala Ibai Mosque

If interested, please contact Christopher Tvärne at chris@photoasia.com.my.

Close-up of a young couple celebrating Deepavali. Photo Credits: PhotosIndia

When it comes to shooting stock, it’s important to plan for the upcoming holidays, festivals and events at least 3-4 months in advance. Art buyers and creative directors will generally start selecting their images at least three months ahead. So if you’re submitting your latest Deepavali images in late October, it’s unlikely we’re going to make any sales the same year. To get the most of your stock photos, you would have to submit them to us in June. This would greatly increases your chances of a client selecting your pictures for the said festival.

To kick start your stock photo sessions, we have prepared a list of photo opportunities for you to plan ahead based on the events that will be happening in year 2011.

NOVEMBER (Chinese New Year)

Decorating homes and making traditional Chinese new year cakes, performers doing lion dances, family eating together for reunion dinner, holding oranges, parents giving ang pow to young children, red lanterns, fire crackers, red Chinese New Year banners with Chinese calligraphy, children holding red packets, portraits of Chinese families or children, welcoming/entertaining non-Chinese guests in their homes.

DECEMBER (Islamic Lifestyle)

Photos of Muslim men and women in shopping malls, working at the checkout counter, customers paying with credit cards, Muslim family picnic, relaxing in the sun, kids playing in the park etc. For more details on what to shoot, check out our blog post on Islamic Lifestyle images.

JANUARY (Mother’s Day)

Affectionate moments between mothers or grandmothers and children, spending time together, such as crafts, playing, outdoor activities like gardening, picking flowers, cooking etc., portraits of young, mature or senior women bonding.

FEBRUARY (Father’s Day)

Same as Mother’s Day, but for fathers and grandfathers, portraits of young, mature or senior men bonding with their children, playing games, working together on hobbies, sharing some quality time together.

MARCH (Mid-Autumn Festival)

Photos of children playing with lanterns, eating mooncakes, shopping for colourful lanterns, portraits of Chinese families or children, still life of lanterns together with mooncakes, teapot and cups.

APRIL (Ramadan and Hari Raya)

Photos of oil lamps, ketupat, lemang, variety of Malay cakes displayed Malaysian style, Ramadhan food, such as curries, rendang, etc, in endless varieties, multi-racial people celebrating together, Malay families with children visiting grandparents in kampung setting, children asking for forgiveness, lighting oil lamps with kampung house in background.

Mooncakes for the Lantern Festival. Photo Credits: Discpicture/PhotoAsia

MAY (Hari Merdeka and Malaysia Day)

Photos of Malaysian flags, theme of 1Malaysia, multi-racial Malaysians waving flags together, working together in office, in discussion, meetings, National Day Celebrations, portraits of multi-racial groups in traditional costumes (Malay, Chinese, Indians, Kadazans, Iban) interacting.

JUNE (Deepavali)

Photos of couple and family working on kolam design, still life and close-up of oil lamps, praying and offerings flowers, family in traditional costumes celebrating deepavali, couple exchanging gifts, family holding deepavali gifts, family arranging deepavali lamps, lighting deepavali lamps together, close-up on deepavali decorations, close-up of row of burning lamps, portraits of Indian families or children.

JULY (Education)

Photos of multiracial students studying together, in discussion, attending college, walking outside and in campus, in classroom, writing, studying in library orinteracting with students & lecturers, multi-racial group of graduates in their robes, students using laptops indoors or outside, portraits of multi-racial students working together.

AUGUST (Christmas)

Family decorating a Christmas tree, excited adults and children opening gifts, family having Christmas dinner, father carving turkey, family singing carols together around the piano, in the living room, children on the lap of Santa Claus.

SEPTEMBER (Food and Drinks)

Photos of popular Malaysian food, such as Nasi lemak, Satay, Char kway teow, Nasi kandar, Asam laksa, Cendol, Ice kacang etc.

OCTOBER (Valentine’s)

Photos of couples holding hands, hugging, exchanging gifts, man giving flowers/chocolates to lady, romantic dinner, dancing

PhotoAsia would be interested to hear from photographers who have stock images covering the following topics:

Hari Raya is the main festival for Muslims in Malaysia, marking the culmination of Ramadhan. For a sample of what we are looking for, take a look at our special Hari Raya Gallery. With Ramadhan just around the corner, we’re looking for the following images:

1. Practising silat – demonstrating moves, group or single person
2. Lifestyle – family celebrating Ramadhan, breaking fast, preparing traditional cakes like ketupat, visiting parents in kampung setting, lighting oil lamps
3. Still life – close-up of oil lamps, ketupat, etc.
4. Entertaining non-Muslim guests, serving traditional cakes/food

If interested, please contact Christopher Tvärne for more details at chris@photoasia.com.my.

PhotoAsia successfully recovered damages for copyright infringement from a client who sheepishly confessed that they have used our images for commerical use without authorisation. After five weeks of negotiations the client finally agreed to pay RM127,790 ($38,438.83) in damages for the use of 30 images from 18 different photographers represented by PhotoAsia. The 18 photographers have not been contacted yet but they should be getting their share of the damages by the first week of April 2010.

What caused the client to confess this infringement? We found out later that another library has sent them a lawyer’s letter for copyright infringement for an image. This started a chain reaction and the client decided to do some housekeeping, digging out all their projects that used images to see whether they have all been paid. To their horror they discovered that the staff in charge of these projects have not paid for the reuse of many images or renewed the licence to continue using some of the images. According to the client the staff has already resigned sometime ago and her inefficiency has only now been uncovered.

This particular client has been a regular and loyal client and we have no reason to doubt that this was an oversight on the part of one individual staff and not a deliberate desire of the company to infringe our copyright. In view of the fact that they themselves came forward to make retribution, we were happy to reduce the penalty and charged the client only three times the normal rate. They even came to hand us the cheque personally and I have to say that this is the easiet settlement that we have experienced and without the aid of a legal counsel too!

Red Chinese lanterns display at Thean Hou Temple, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia during Chinese New Year celebrations. Photo Credits: Wong Sze Fei

The Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year is the most important annual festival for the Chinese community and is celebrated all over Malaysia. The first day of spring in the Lunar Calendar this year falls on the 14th of February 2010.

Marking the first day of the first new moon, Chinese New Year is traditionally an occasion to settle old debts and begin the year with a clean slate. Prayers and offerings are made. New clothes are bought and plenty of food are prepared. Although the festivities continues for fifteen days, the main festival is celebrated on the first three days. On the eve of the Chinese New Year, the family have a joint family dinner to welcome the New Year. Younger ones of the family visit their relatives and get red packets of lucky money known as ang pow as gifts.

PhotoAsia would like to take this opportunity to wish all our friends, good fortune, good health and a prosperous new year!

Brother and sister smiling. Photo Credits: Panorama Media

To those who have finally decided to take the plunge – shoot lifestyle images – here are a few tips to help you along. Assuming that you have never done this before, that you are a non-professional photographer using friends or family members to be your models, take note of the following points before you shoot:

1. Prepare well for your shooting

Check that your models are properly and smartly dressed for the activity/situation you have planned. For example, they should be in sporty tennis outfits for a tennis shot; casual outfit with an apron when posing as a housewife, correct school uniforms for children in primary school, etc. It will be a shame to have a beautiful shot rejected on the grounds that the attire is not appropriate, too loud, dirty, etc. If the model is a young child or baby, check that the diaper, T-shirt or shorts is clean and dry, preferably not showing the logo or brand name. Many a time, I have seen images of beautiful, smiling babies flawed because the attire is wet or dirty. The bottom line is that all your shoot has to be planned and created to look natural, candid and spontaneous! It is almost rare and near impossible to get a perfect candid shot of a child or baby without forethought, planning and conscious effort with the camera all set and ready to aim and shoot at a split second. Take a lot of breaks when dealing with a small child, and make sure you bring a few toys for them to play with. The more comfortable the child is, the better the images will be. Here’s an excellent article on photographing children.

2. Check your backgrounds

Portrait of a family looking at camera. Photo Credits: MIXA

Check the background and lighting. If the shot is taken in a bedroom, living room, kitchen, etc., check that the place is neat and tidy and there is enough light for a good shot. Very often clients are reluctant to spend money to replace the background of an otherwise good image because of poor lighting. So to avoid rejection of your image, check the lighting before you decide to go ahead and shoot. If the shot is taken outdoors, watch out for litter on the ground, rusty steel bars or broken swing in a playground, garbage in a market place to name a few.

3. Shoot the same view from different angles

Create a few different shots during one shoot. Change the situation, the activity or the outfit if possible. For instance, if the child is wearing a cap for a few shots, take some without the cap. If the child is playing with a toy, you can change the toy or get the child to do a different activity like reading, drawing, drinking, etc. At the same time don’t forget to shoot a few close-ups of their faces while they are concentrating on their activities.

Portrait of a girl holding a hat on her head. Photo Credits: RedChopSticks

4. Pay attention to your models

Be alert for funny and interesting facial expressions. Always look at the face closely and wait for the moment to click – the mischievous smile, the smiling eyes, the dimples or the cutest antic of the child. And while you are watching the face, especially for children and babies, watch out also for the drool, the runny noses and any indecent exposure! Those are things not to shoot as stock images.

Don’t be discouraged if your first few attempts resulted in a lot of rejects and no sales. It is not easy to meet the high standards of art directors who are always looking for that one elusive, perfect shot when it comes to lifestyle images. Keep on trying. You will improve when you keep at it long enough. The old cliché that practice makes perfect is true in this case.

Chinese Opera, Hong Kong. Photo Credits: Oriental Touch

Come August 31 Malaysia will be celebrating 52 years of independence. While I ponder on this I can’t help thinking of the things I missed and the happy childhood memories that will never be revisited by the children of this generation. I read with nostalgic despair in today’s papers a news item that gleefully announced that the traditonal Chinese opera is going high tech – they are using fogging and snow machines in their back drops! Very soon we will only be able to watch such stage shows in huge LCD screens in air-conditioned theatres in cool comfort or in dinner shows where you have to pay an exorbitant sum for such performances.

Fifty years ago you can watch such performances for free but you would have to bring your own seat, usually a wooden stool, to sit in front of the stage or stand and watch whenever the show was in town to perform in celebration of a religious festival. Such stage shows may still be in practice in some small towns and if you know of such a place and you are a photographer, professional or otherwise, I would seriously suggest that you capture this moment in time not because the images will sell but for posterity, for your children’s children.

None of us can stop the rapid rise of technology but before we totally lose sight of all traces of the good old days, make an effort to look out for such scenes and capture them on film. Fifty years ago when there were no television or computer games, we cycled to the beach, to a river to catch fighting fish, made simple kites to fly on a windy day, climbed trees, played hopscotch and played all kind of games, mostly of our own invention and imagination. Remember these scenes?

While I applaud the the progress of our country on one hand I cringed at the way society wants every thing quick, fast and immediate. To me the greatest loss is to lose the appreciation of the beauty of a language, the joy of communicating with words. I truly despair at how prevailing the use of text messaging in our lives today not only by handphones but in emails and chat as well. It really pains me to receive an email that reads “C u b4 3 pm 2day when you could easily have written “see you before 3 pm this afternoon”!

Happy Merdeka, everyone!

Two boys cycling in the rain, Malaysia. Photo Credits: S K Chong

Children flying kites, Sabah, Malaysia. Photo Credits: Pang Piow Kan

Children sitting on the coconut tree, Malaysia. Photo Credits: Arthur Teng

Children playing ball in the river, Malaysia. Photo Credits: Pang Piow Kan