Karlos

Aleem's 1st Birthday 30.06.10....

2010-07-01T20:56:00.012+08:00

I cant believe it has been a year since our baby boy was born. Time flies as they say. Six months ago this baby boy underwent an open heart surgery and thanks to all the prayers and well wishes from friends and relatives he is here to celebrate his birthday with us!

He is a very determined little boy and gets what he wants most of the time. Hmmm....I wonder where he gets that from? :p Anyway enough said. Pictures please!

Miri Sunset using Cokin Filters...

2010-07-01T20:41:00.007+08:00

Just sharing some wonderful sunset's from Tanjong Lobang beach in Miri. I bought some Cokin filters a few months ago and never actually had the chance to use them until one day my buddy Pete dragged me out for a sunset shoot. Well the picture speaks for itself as no editing was required except crop and resize. Cokin filters are awesome! I used a Hoya ND8 filter, Cokin ND8 Graduated and a Cokin Graduated blue filter for both these shots.

Family...

2010-02-28T20:21:00.006+08:00

Took some casual photos of my family at Tanjong Lobang last week. It was also Aleem's first time to the beach so he was confused and a bit scared I guess.

Random shots while in KL...

2009-12-15T10:26:00.009+08:00

Just sharing some random shots while I was in KL.

Running out of bright idea's! hehehe...

Big Bike Photo shoot...

2009-11-16T19:56:00.011+08:00

Had fun shooting Big bikes last Saturday. The weather was not so good but at least it didn't rain. Anyway like always i'm not a man of many words so enjoy the pics and leave comments if any. Cheers!

Daphne in Brunei...

2009-10-14T11:51:00.008+08:00

It's been a while sinced I've updated my blog. Been busy with family matters. Anyway I managed to do some casual shooting in Brunei with Daphne, Pete and Daphne's friend Rachel last week. Left Miri at about 1.30pm and met up with my long time fellow photog friend Mr Ali Rahim from Brunei who also joined the photoshoot. Shots below were taken at Empire Hotel. It was cloudy and only an hour or more into these shots, the clouds opened and rained on us! All were soaked but we had fun. Cheers!

Larry & Olivia....

2009-09-08T08:28:00.017+08:00

I promised my friend Larry a few months ago to do a couple photoshoot and after procrastinating for sometime, we finally decided to just do it. We decided lambir waterfalls for the venue. There was hardly any water from the waterfall! Maybe the dry season? Well anyway it was hot, humid and flies everywhere but most of all fun and managed to take some good shots. Enjoy...

Edited for some "Retro" look

Daphne in technicolor...

2009-08-13T09:41:00.010+08:00

Yup! It's sweet Ms Daphne again! Photoshoot organised by Pete on the 09.08.09. I decided to use this Technicolor action on Photoshop to exaggerate the colors and make it more retro-ish. I think I like-ish it! hehe....

Candidly Carol...

2009-08-12T09:29:00.008+08:00

Decided to do some street candid style shooting with fellow photog Dickson and Carol. If you noticed some inconsistencies in the skin tone its because i'm using different Photoshop actions for some of the pictures. Hope you guys like it.

Photoshoot at Piasau Boat Club...

2009-07-29T07:01:00.012+08:00

Photoshoot organised by Shawn at Piasau Boat Club on 26/07/09.

HSE Family Day 2009....

2009-07-25T21:27:00.029+08:00

This year our HSE Family Day was held at Eastwood Golf & Country Club. Venue was great and shaded. Thank god for that. Anyway some pics to share of the event. Enjoy...

Nikon zoom Lens comparison...

2009-07-14T21:44:00.012+08:00

I did a small comparison between two iconic Nikon zoom lenses. The 70-200vr f2.8 and the older 80-200 AF-S f2.8. The comparison gave me mixed feelings about the two lenses. The newer 70-200vr's bokeh (out of focus area) is much more pleasing and smoother while the older 80-200 AF-S seems rougher. I'm a sucker for bokeh! But the 80-200 AF-S seems to perform much better on an FX camera like the D700 or D3.

On the 80-200 AF-S vignetting is less at f2.8 while it's younger brother the 70-200vr is quite noticeable at 70mm wide open at f2.8. 70-200vr performs much better on a cropped sensor.Nonetheless both lenses are very good in capable hands. I just take crappy pics. After going through my hardrive I managed to find some pics for comparison below. You be the judge!

Pics above taken with 70-200mm vr f2.8 (sold)

Pics above taken with 80-200mm AF-S f2.8

Fisheye on Miri...

2009-07-12T20:03:00.008+08:00

Tried taking some shots of Miri town with my fisheye lens. I must admit it's damn fun to use! I purposely over saturated and over sharpened the pictures for impact. Otherwise it will be just plain and boring. Anyway enjoy. I know I did!

"The thinker"

New family member...

2009-07-03T19:51:00.007+08:00

Introducing the newest member to my small family. Abdul Aleem, born 30 June 2009 at 10.03am.

Aleem & Azeem

Sweetness....

2009-06-17T20:56:00.009+08:00

Sharing some pics taken last Saturday at a photoshoot organized by Irene. It was a hot day and having a sweet model like Daphne did not help cool the situation hehehe! Especially for the other guy photogs namely Jason, Ng, Alex, Dickson! There were only two female photogs, Cync and our very own organizer, Irene. Thanks Irene! Most of the shots were taken wide open at f1.4 with my 85mm. Anyway, here are just some for your viewing pleasure.

Portraiture session with Marlene

2009-06-02T08:51:00.017+08:00

I was lucky to be invited to this photoshoot by Christine (check out her beautiful work here www.alleysun.deviantart.com) and Mr El-Buddy Pete (www.peterngcs.blogspot.com).The model is Ms Marlene and she is so easy to work with. She is a superb model and very beautiful too! Well enough talk and here are some pictures. Hope you all like them...

My current stable...

2009-06-01T10:43:00.003+08:00

My current photography gear. Nothing to shout about, no more big zoom lenses! I feel the current setup is just right although a Nikkor 180 f2.8 prime will make it a complete set for me. will add that lens later once some money decides to come my way. Looking forward to more photo shoots and hopefully better pictures! LOL! Cheers...

Updates for the sake of updating...

2009-05-28T20:55:00.005+08:00

Decided to skip my Jazz festival post altogether. Too many pictures to edit. Kind of lazy these days. Furthermore the Jazz festival was not up to my expectation. Very weird! Even had a group playing bangra music! WTF!

Anyway, went out for dinner at Marriott with my family and decided to take some shots of our future model just for updates sake. Looking forward to the long holidays and to all celebrating Gawai, Selamat Gawai and don't drink and drive....cheers!

Azeem reading his new book...

Ben 10 pose...

MIJF 2009

2009-05-09T16:11:00.004+08:00

Cameras, Lights, Action! Some updates on the Miri Jazz Festival soon!

Mysterious lady in the forest portraiture session...

2009-05-06T12:38:00.013+08:00

Who she is might be a mystery for others...for some she is a friend. I'll just let you guys out there guess ok. Pics were taken on 02.05.09. Wanted to do some vintage feel to the pics. Hope it's acceptable to the pro's out there! Thanks to Pete for joining us for this shoot. And to the gorgeous model, well done!

Two weeks infected by the photo bug...

2009-05-04T21:47:00.019+08:00

After some harassment from my buddy Pete, it was time to update my blog. I had a tiring but fun last two weeks with the photo gang. Somehow I managed to catch a cold and made me wonder hmmmm.....which friend who's name starts with the letter P passed me his germs?

Big thank you to Ladybird for joining us at Bungai outing and to Carol for being so patient with us! Anyway after going through Pete, my4to and Kingston's pics. I realized mine were like so so only...damn! Need to learn more lah or maybe eat more spinach!

Now I'm shy-shy pig (malu-malu babi) to post the pics I took. Well...here goes...mixed pictures from our first to last or last to first....whatever! Enjoy and be kind people OK.

Motocross Action

Carol at Bungai Beach

Carol at Curtin University

Kingston!!

Private photoshoot with Ms. E....

2009-04-12T19:31:00.012+08:00

It's been a while since my last post. Been so lazy!Anyway just like to share some pics from a private photoshoot organized by my buddy Terrick at Hawaii beach and City fan...enjoy!

Miri's Earth Hour???

2009-03-28T23:31:00.009+08:00

Went with some friends to Petroleum Museum just to see if Mirian's are supporting Earth Hour...after looking at the pictures, what do you think? Yup, bright as day! Kwang ..kwang...kwang!

Impromptu photoshoot....

2009-03-22T21:47:00.002+08:00

Some pictures taken at Bulatan Park on 21.03.09. Forgot the model's name but I will only upload these two picture for now.

Miri Sunset....

2009-03-22T21:19:00.004+08:00

Just like to share some pictures of Miri's sunset.

Photo outing with the gang...

2009-03-20T22:35:00.013+08:00

This post is rather late but what the heck better late than never right? Anyway the group was small but the usual suspects were there.

Benze, Apaibujang, Tuansaga, Bunyimanok, Terrick and IER a.k.a steady Eddie.Here are some pics from the outing.

The sunset was not as good as we anticipated as you can see below...

Random stuff found on the beach at Tanjung....

Benze and IER a.k.a steady Eddie and Tuansaga chilling out on the broken jetty.....

Damn...i'm hansome pose...
Terrick in action...

Terrick with his usual candid "i caught you" moment...

Here, after hours of pleading to the gods of photography for some inspiration, steady Eddie finally got an answer from the gods...in a form of everlasting light....the light of righteousness....the light of....nah..actually what he got was a torch light...meaning go home it's getting dark already.

KK trip...(updated)

2009-03-17T19:28:00.011+08:00

Been in KK Sabah since 15 March. Today is the last night in Sabah and we're staying at a mountain resort called Celyn Mountain Resort. I took loads of sunset and flower pictures but here are just some for starters.

This and that..

2009-03-10T10:46:00.008+08:00

Have been busy lately with stuff both at home and with friends. Just felt like posting ramdom pictures taken throughout the week. Enjoy!

Taken at home...

Tanjung Lobang..

Miri...

Killed a Cobra!

2009-02-15T22:47:00.004+08:00

I was just minding my own business at my car porch when suddenly from the corner of my eye I saw something move and to my amazement it was a Cobra! It was struggling to move on the slippery tile surface. So I took out my trusty slingshot and shot the damn thing!

First shot hit it's back then it raised it's head! Bad move! Gave me a bigger target. The following shot hit straight at it's head and it did not move much. The final blow came from my gardening hoe. WHACK! Died! To all my friends, please do not try this at home! Hehehe...

Happy Valentine's Day to all lovey dovey couples....

2009-02-14T21:28:00.001+08:00

Location

2009-02-09T21:09:00.004+08:00

Thank god for some sunshine! Nearly a month of gloomy rainy days and my camera in the dry box....frustrating. Anyway last weekend I cruised around Miri to different locations in search of good locations for picture taking and came across an area near the old police station. Nearly got my car stuck in the mud but it was worth it. Here's a teaser pic and more to come.

CNY Fireworks from home..

2009-02-01T13:46:00.008+08:00

Took some shots of fireworks from my house during Chinese New Years eve. It was all out war of the neighbors! It was drizzling and as time went the rain got heavier! My camera was soaking wet after these pics were taken! Had to retreat to my house porch but the power cables were in the way. Rain.. rain... and more rain..fingers are itchy to take more pics already.....

CNY Night market...

2009-01-24T19:46:00.007+08:00

Went to the CNY night market in Miri town with some photog friends from Photoborneo Miri. A lot was happening. Singing, dancing, lion dance and dragon dances. Not my piece of cake but hell, I was just itching to take photos that night. But sadly most picture came out like shite! Managed to capture these few pics but still not happy with the outcome. Anyway will be busy these few days visiting friends.

Wishing a Happy and safe Chinese New Year to all!

Photog friends

Dragon Dance

New toy...

2009-01-17T17:59:00.003+08:00

This is my new toy! The Acer Aspire One. Very small and light but not small in looks. The specs are ok for normal web browsing and I even installed Photoshop CS3 on this baby! Runs fine and here is a run down on it's specs,

Intel Atom 1.6ghz
1gb ram
160gb hard disk
8.9 inch bright LCD sceen
Window XP
1.3mp web cam
6 cell battery runs for 6 hrs!..tried and tested!
3 usb ports
2 card slots (doubt that I'll use it!)

Pretty cool setup I must say. In fact I'm blogging this from it! For Rm1,499 you get this small and cute machine!

Photoborneo Miri Gathering #4 on 15.01.09

2009-01-16T13:59:00.015+08:00

Last night we had a gathering at Miri Cafe & Bistro for our Photoborneo Miri group. 15 photographers attended the gathering and we had the honor of having Mr Alvin Leong from Kuching. He's a proffesional photographer and you can have a look at his profile at www.alvin leong.com. I also invited Nazri and David Tan who are from Photomalaysia to join our gathering.

Lim & David Tan (from Photomalaysia.com)

Handsome boy Terrick Shutter god himself...Ng @ my4to!

Lim @ Lim Pek...dreaming kah?

The mystery man revealed! Mr Kong A.K.A stupidhead at Mc.net

Bro Kingston telling it to Chris & David

Irene our very own camera queen and part time Photoborneo gathering model!

Eric..wah why so serious leh?

Eddie the steady! He's a cool dude!

Chris & Nazri giving pointers..

Alex looks lost..

Chris & Huasing having a very serious conversation..
Guest of honor Mr Alvin Leong

2008 event photos

2009-01-11T01:25:00.014+08:00

Just like to share some event photo's taken last year. Damn tiring. Lucky for me most of the pictures were ok since the lighting for most events are mostly lit by spotlights. The challenge is to get the best exposure time and the right angle. All pictures below are at iso2500 to 3200 at f2.8. Pictures taken during my company's dinner.

Dayang

Ning BaizuraAtilia Suki

The Russian, Swiss and Japanese

2009-01-10T22:46:00.002+08:00

The Russian, Swiss and Japanese watches. I have a thing for watches. Not necessarily expensive watches but good solid timekeeping machines. Bought the Russian Poljot Mechanical watch early last year but it got lost in the mail. The one in the pic (right) is a replacement after about 9 months of bureaucracy from ebay and the German post office. The Tag Heuer is the most expensive of the lot. Love the orange dial and also Alonso wears one. The Seiko, I bought as an anniversary gift for myself. All the watches are chronographs! Just love the complication.

Fisherboy

2009-01-10T22:30:00.007+08:00

Fisherboy pose

Azeem and his grandfather or atuk ayah scanning the surf for fishies

Waiting for the "Big" one

Finally, the I had enough pose.

Azeem's first day at school...

2009-01-05T19:48:00.012+08:00

Today was Azeem's first day in school at Sri Mawar. Woke up so early as he had to be at school by 6.50am! As usual the morning rush with the kiasu parents, deaf and dumb drivers oh..almost forgot to mention retard drivers. Yup..some have the mentality of a used piece of toilet paper. Driving and stopping as and when they liked as if blown by the wind.

Anyway, Azeem was quite cool about the new school and of course with mum and dad around made it sweeter for him. Didn't realize how fast kids can grow. Wish I was in primary one again...

Troops being ushered to class..

Last years sunset

2009-01-03T14:31:00.004+08:00

The last sunset of 2008. Taken at Piasau Boat club 4 hours before my jamming session. Lots of good things happened for me and my family in 2008. Looking forward to 2009. Like everyone, they all hope for the best this year. For me i'll just enjoy one day at a time and try not look to far ahead trying to analize what the future holds. Hopefully take better photos too!

My Dream Camera Nikon D3X

2009-01-02T21:09:00.012+08:00

This is the mother of all DSLR's! Nikon D3X. 24.5 megapixels bla bla bla and the list goes on. It only cost about RM28,000+!! I had cramps just typing the price! Phew! Any rich Datuk dudes out there with too much money, donation required here please!

For the moment this is my baby. a Nikon D700. Very good cam! I mean very very good cam! Just love the ISO range. From ISO200 to a mind boggling ISO25,000! Yup! At ISO3200, you can still get small details like hair and even moles on your face! So far I've done 13,000 shutter actuations on this baby. Had it for about 4 months now.

My Wife's Birthday..30 Dec 2008

2008-12-31T10:41:00.004+08:00

Celebrated my wife's birthday last night with some friends at Marriott. It's a joy to see my wife happy and children minding their own business with their games. Love you sweety and thanks to Lina and Family!

Model Shoot

2008-12-31T10:24:00.008+08:00

My first stab at model photography. The model is Carol and she's a newbie at modeling. My photog buddy Terrick invited me for this shoot and I must say some shots were not bad.

Crash Boom Bang!

2008-12-30T15:21:00.001+08:00

This was my worst nightmare come true! One fine rainy day as I was driving down to work, some old fart driving a Pajero suddenly decided to count the pebbles on the road and stopped at the jucntion in front of Parkcity Hotel.

Smashed right into the M***F**cker's front bumper! All I could remember was waking up and see one of my ex colleague from Marriott knocking on my driverside window. Hurt like hell! There goes all my hard work with Larry modding the civic from nice civic to turbo charged CIVIC! Shit..

Big snail but bigger waste as I spent quite a bit buying the upgrade kit! Damn..Only the turbo and wastegate survived..oh and me too.

Music Gear

2008-12-30T13:35:00.004+08:00

Actually my mom, dad, aunties and uncles were all musicians and singers. Growing up listening to them play and the music they played was fun. Started playing guitar way back in primary school. Dont remember what year. My dad bought me an old acoustic guitar (brandless) and that started the ball rolling with my music. Grew up listening to Deep purple, Dio, Iron Maiden and all that shit. You've gotta love their guitar riffs. I've had several dozen guitars (bought and sold) during my band playing days in Brunei

My main axe currently is an IBANEZ PGM paired with a Line 6 Spider Valve Tube amp. Beautiful combination I must say. Changed the bridge pickup to a Bill Lawrence humbucker. Damn!! sounds so good! Still play these days with my band in Miri. Playing this new years eve at Piasau Boat Club. Not my favourite venue but heck who cares as long as we get paid. $$Kaaaachinggg!$$$