AndyWana

Hi everyone, it's been a while since I wrote a journal update. As you probably have guessed, I've been busy lately with my life as a dad, a product designer and a photographer. My son is turning 3 soon and it's been amazing seeing him growing up. On the career front, it has been an interesting year as I left my old job of 6 years 9 months. I ended up having to stop teaching design at the college too (hopefully not for long) after a 3 year stint. They aren't bad news though as I actually landed my dream job at Sunbeam Australia, designing kitchen appliances for the masses for this stalwart brand. It's a dream job almost a decade in the making. 

On the photography front, I am doing well too. Been doing family shoots as of late (bread and butter) and not so much the conceptual/ art/ cosplay (milk and honey) since I want to learn the business side of photography. It's certainly more than just taking nice snapshots, it's all about relationships, professionalism and also expectations. So here's hoping all will be well in the future. In the mean time, enjoy my works and stay gold!

I was one of those people who were afraid to dream big.

I am sure this is a feeling that my fellow readers share with from time to time (if not all the time). Born in a small town in a developing country did funny things to my confidence and self esteem when I was growing up. It seems that life conveniently places roadblocks and detours along the path of my dreams. When I was a toddler, I wanted to be a fighter jet pilot. Only to realise that we don't even make our own airplanes! When I was in high school, I like to doodle and draw comics on the pages of my notebooks. Fellow students love them till my home room teacher found out about my secret doodling time one day. He tore up my book in front of everyone and that killed my comic artist dream instantly. Despite that, my dream to be a creative was too big to ignore and I insisted on doing arts and design after I graduated. Even then, the product of my upbringing still defeats me every now and then. Whenever I see great works by fellow artists and designers, I just felt deflated and empty. I thought that I'd never produce works of such caliber ever. Diligence and persistence did pay off at the end of my degree, I completed my degree with a distinction and found a job immediately with one of the local studios in Melbourne ... only to be laid off after 2 weeks because there weren't enough work around. I moved to Sydney with whatever money I have left, still feeling that the dream was all but over. The one time that I picked up all my courage and knock from door to door for a job opportunity, it paid off. I got an internship at a design studio and that's the beginning of my dreams. I did my Masters and won the top award for the student category at the Australian Design Awards (now Good Design Australia) and the year after, the industry category. This gave me the confidence that I have the tools I need to be good at this profession.

Fast forward 10 years later, I am still doing design as a living but now it's spread across 3 jobs! Product designing, teaching design and most recently, photography. Last year I came across a stunning fashion photograph on Facebook that just left me speechless. The background was very eerily familiar with something in my childhood. As usual, the people on Facebook are notorious when it comes to acknowledging or crediting works. Nevertheless, I searched furiously on the internet for a lead or clues to the creator of the photo. I desperately want to see the rest of the work that I dream (and hope) of doing one day. When I finally found the photographer in question, I remembered sitting there and feeling as if a heavy burden had been lifted. I feel free after all these years of toiling and trying to make sense of what I do (when no one else in my family and immediate social circle does it).



Nicoline's web page here: www.nicolinepatricia.com/

The photographer is Nicoline Patricia Malina. She's a fellow Indonesian who dreamed big and found huge success on the local and international stage. The photo was taken in Kawah Putih near my hometown of Bandung, Indonesia. The grass isn't greener on the other side, it has always been lush green in my own hometown. It's just no one is brave enough to show it off. Gone are the regrets and doubts of my childhood years. Proof that anyone with a dream big enough can make it no matter where they come from. Whilst I am doing nowhere near what she does, I have found my peace and my inner fire to stoke. In the past few shoots, I have always consciously set that goal to be where she is now (even though it's a vastly different genre). I always try to outdo my previous work and get all the feedback I can to make them better. I can honestly say it's very humbling and touching to hear the kind words from photographers and creatives alike about my work. Especially photographers that I look up to before! It validates what I do and I feel that I am walking one step closer to that dream.

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." – Eleanor Roosevelt

Woke up this morning to see my photo of Taff/ Pockami's Elizabeth being featured on the official Irrational Games and Bioshock Facebook pages. It's very humbling to see the kind words, likes and shares from the fans of the game. Taff also saw an extra 6000 views on her DeviantART page overnight (and counting). Thank you again to Irrational Games and Bioshock for showcasing our work! It meant a lot to us both. And thank you to you watchers and visitors of this page too.





Link to the photo can be found here: www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbi…



P.S. May the Fourth be with you

Those of you with keen eye for details probably noticed that I do a lot of my shoots with the same 2 lenses recently. I've been asked a number of times as to what camera and light gear do I use to do my photography. It's always been the same answer to date, I primarily use a Canon 5D MKII body with the Canon EF24mm f/1.4L II USM. The Canon EF85mm f/1.2L II USM and my trusty eBay reflector (white + silver combo) do come into play every now and then. I have a Sirui tripod + ball head that I've not used to date but will eventually do when I get back onto landscape photography.

My current gear choice was born out of the necessity to be as mobile as possible when I am shooting at conventions or outdoors in a public area. And to be honest, it's out of laziness too. I don't like the heft and bulk of a Speedlite on my camera and any off camera lighting will require at least a light stand as well. Troubling friends to hold onto a lighting gear can get old rather quickly (and probably frustrates them too if it takes too long). Having a set of fast prime lens took out the additional lighting problem out of the equation. Not to mention less hassle from security since I look like the odd tourist/ pedestrian with just a camera in hand. There are definitely limitations as I've found out with this set of gear (mostly to do with noise and image quality) and I am in the process of learning more about off camera lighting as we speak.

I had a 35L and 50L in the past (not altogether at once though, they are expensive ), both of which are stellar lenses but just not suited to my style of photography. The 35L and 85L II are pretty much the bread and butter combo for many wedding photographers out there and I had this set for a while. I did love the 35L but I found myself eventually wanting more of the background/ environment in my shots. People swear by the 50mm focal length because it has a similar viewpoint to your human eye (on a full frame sensor) but I am not one of them. Two of my good photographer friends take cracking shots with the 50mm - Beethy (www.facebook.com/BeethyPhotogr…) and Ecky (www.facebook.com/ecks.photogra…). Beethy also shoots with just a Canon 1000D and 50mm lens, he's living proof that it's not always about the gear at the end of the day.

So what's the upside to all of these restrictions? I found that I HAVE to get creative to bring out the best out of my shots. To bring out that point of difference to the other photographers, and to set my own signature look to my photos. The restrictions that I've set to myself did set my photography mindset free over time (not overnight, old habits are hard to break).

Derek Sivers (founder of CDbaby.com) said it best regarding restrictions in any creative work:

I say to you "Write me a piece of music.  Anything at all. Go."  
"Umm…anything?" you say.  
"What kind of mood are you looking for? What genre?"
There are too many possibilities. The blank page problem. How do you begin with infinity?

Now imagine I say, "Write me a piece of music, using only a xylophone, a flute, and a shoe box. You can only use four notes: B, C, E, F, and only two notes at a time. It has to be in ¾ time, start quiet, get loud, then get quiet by the end. Make it sound like a ladybug dancing with an acorn. Go."
Ah…your imagination has already begun writing the music as soon as it hears the limitations. This is easy!
Those of us in developed countries have a blank page. We can do anything. Anything we want. And that's the problem. We're paralyzed by the infinite possibilities.

In my case, these are how I've overcome some of the restrictions of my gear choice.

*No zoom lens meant I gotta zoom with my legs. You'd be surprised how much more you see when you move in, out and around your subject a lot more.
*Wide angle fixed lens meant I've got to compose my shots a lot more carefully. Distortion when shooting up close is my number one problem with the 24L II.
*Medium telephoto fixed lens meant space between me and the subject is critical. I usually have to be anywhere between 1-5 metres away when I use the 85 LII.
*No additional light meant I've got to pick the time of day and spots carefully. I always try to shoot early in the morning or late afternoon to avoid the harsh natural sunlight.
*When I do have to shoot with harsh light (i.e. the Ada Wong shoot), I picked an area with light coloured ground and metal surfaces to reflect light onto the subject. The reflector is super valuable too in this type of scenario.

The rest of the 'ingredients' in my photo are in planning and post processing. This is where I correct colours, add colours, clean the shots, add the drama and tell the story. You gotta plan your shots (even on the day itself is fine). Failing to plan is planning to fail in photography. So there you go, a little bit of insight into my photography. Hope you enjoy the read and do leave comments below. I do read them and reply to them when I get the chance to do so.

2012 has been a year of blessing to me. My son turned 1 year old in August and I was there when he took his first steps (something that I will always cherish), I celebrated 5 years of wonderful marriage with my wife (I've known her for 16 years), I have passed the 2 year mark of lecturing at Billy Blue College of Design (and hopefully inspire the young adults to achieve bigger and better things in life), I celebrated 10 years of being a product designer (creating innovative and exciting products for the masses) and I am happy with where my photography is sitting at the moment (it's been quite a ride so far with Cosplay Photography to date, which is why this dA account was created). I am blessed to have 3 professions that I truly love to do and I am always grateful for the opportunities and friends I have made along the way too.

In not so good news, my grandfather passed away too this year (which explains the lack of update). He was the last of my grandparents and his passing had made a huge impact this year. My priorities had fundamentally changed with the knowledge that our time on Earth is truly short in the scheme of things. In short, do the things that truly makes you happy and always always put family first. I would like to thank you visitors and friends alike for giving me the opportunity to share your passions, work and hobbies. Here's to bigger and better things in 2013. I'll look forward to catching up with you and do this all over again.