HOW I STARTED PHOTOGRAPHY

Welcome to my first blog post! Are you as excited as I am? I have been wanting to have my own website since as long as I can remember but I never got around to that. Now that wedding season is winding down, I thought it’s the perfect time to get on it.

So, let me get straight to business. Never in my mind have I thought I would end up being a photographer, specifically wedding photographer. I had my first camera, Canon 600D, gifted by my parents just few days before SPM (national examination taken by all fifth-form secondary school students in Malaysia), hence you could tell that I barely touch the camera unless for creating leftover memories from my high school days. Until I got myself in Vanderbilt University, I started taking photos during my semester break trips but I never took it seriously. That was when I picked up my first portrait lens, Canon EF 40mm f/2.8, when I started learning about bokeh and and that fun stuff.

On my senior year, I discovered the beauty of wedding photography in America and I remember looking at those photos and think that “I want to be able to shoot and edit like that”. So I spend a lot of time trying to figure out what gear do they use, the settings the use, how they shoot, how they edit their photos from their websites, webinars and free courses. That was another moment that sparked to me that they put real commitment in this; Photography isn’t just a hobby, it’s a real business. From all those time I spent reading and learning, I knew that most of the photographers use Canon 5D Mark III but when I looked at the price, I was reluctant to spend that much of money on a camera body. I was still hesitant wether I want to really invest in that or just stick to my crop sensor camera which was not bad at that time.

Being an impulsive person that I am, on one fine day, I took a deep breath and finally decided to press the buy button on eBay after months of searching for a good deal. It felt so good but at the same time I knew I’ve add another burden on my shoulder (not just my pocket). I knew I had to commit to this and make it worth the money.

I still remember feeling beyond excited when the parcel arrived. I took it to my workplace and had a little unboxing video on my Instagram stories because I finally got the dream camera. It was the most expensive thing I ever bought for myself after the Macbook Air I bought a year before. A few months after, I also bought the Canon 50mm f/1.4 as it was the most basic portraiture lens every photographer need to have.

So I’ve been using the camera proudly and been loving it so much considering jumping from crop sensor to full frame, you could really see the difference. I also started learning how to edit photos “professionally” on Adobe Photoshop from Youtube videos. At the same time, I made friends with a few photographers in Malaysia because I know that I would be coming back soon and having connection is very crucial. One of them was Hambali Asri. I am so glad I knew him because he is the most humble, funny and helpful person on earth. When I told him I wanted to be a wedding photographer, first thing he suggested was to learn how to use Adobe Lightroom. It was so hard at first but he made it easy, we even had editing class via FaceTime! Mind you Nashville was 13 hours behind Malaysian time but he stayed up for that. I owe him my whole career.

After I came back from the US, I couldn’t sit still. I was hungry for opportunities and experience. So, there was a night when I was swiping through Instagram stories, I saw a post saying "Anyone interested to join a wedding shoot in Kelantan tomorrow?” at around 12am and without even asking my parents’ consent, I replied “I want!” to that guy, a total stranger. I only told my mum after that and lucky enough she hadn’t sleep yet. So a few hours later, I packed my bag and jumped on a ride with that guy, picked up another 2 guys and went straight to Kelantan.

That was my first ever wedding experience and it was nothing like I imagined. You really need to be on top of your game the whole time, always thinking on what kind of settings need to be used for every light condition, giving clear instructions and have control over the event while giving way to the couple and their families to have their moments. After that wedding, I tagged along in shooting a few more weddings until I landed my first wedding job on my own a few weeks after. I realized that every weddings are different and I still have a lot to learn, even up until now. And up until now, I still cannot believe that I am doing what I love for living, apart from being a dreadful engineer in a national car-making company.

I talked about this previously on my Instagram post and I was so overwhelmed by the amount of feedbacks I get from all of you. Never in million years would I thought I inspired others on my journey but Alhamdulillah on this talent and perseverance. I hope to continue doing this and be able to share my knowledge to others iA.

I don’t know why I get emotional but it still feels surreal to me.

Anyway, have a good midweek everyone. I had 2 meetings in between writing this post (talk about time management) and as usual, I am always looking forward to the weekend!