azim.zainudin photography™ » misc

photo documentary – ari muyang

azim.zainudin — Sun, 26 Feb 2012 17:45:24 +0000

It’s astounding how much of the Malaysian culture is hidden from the public eye. Although I used to travel a lot outside malaysia, this is my 1st time to

experienced my own local indigenous culture by mah meri tribe. mah meri tribe are one of the tribe that used to live in Carey Island, situated about 140km

from kuala lumpur. Carey Island is a large palm oil estate that is owned and operated by the Malaysian palm oil conglomerate Golden Hope Plantation. If you

were hoping by the name that Carey Island was a white sanded beach with miles upon miles of clear blue waters, then you’d be sadly mistaken.=)

The main appeal of Carey Island is the indigenous tribe, the Mah Meri. This small tribe has managed to sustain its existence for almost a century. While the

world around it grows with skyscrapers and shopping malls, the Mah Meri has kept its unique traditions of wood carvings and self sustainable living off the

land. Though not adverse to changes, the Mah Meri are well versed in local Bahasa Malaysia and some of them can even speak English.

every year, mah meri tribe celebrates ‘Ari Muyang’, a unique celebration for them giving thanks to the spirits for all the good things that had been bestowed

upon the villagers. On this special day, they will have a ritual ceremony where a shaman uses rice powder based solutions, mixed with flowers and leaves to

mark the foreheads and forearms. After the ritual caremony, some of them will perform a traditional dance called ‘main Jo-oh’. the dance will be accompanied

by a ritual traditional songs and music perfomed by the older generation of the tribe using bamboo, viola, drum and guitar.

It’s astounding how much of the Malaysian culture is hidden from the public eye. Although I used to travel a lot outside malaysia, this is my 1st time to experienced my own local indigenous culture by Mah Meri tribe. Mah Meri tribe are one of the tribe that used to live in Carey Island, situated about 140km from Kuala Lumpur. Carey Island is a large palm oil estate that is owned and operated by the Malaysian palm oil conglomerate Golden Hope Plantation. If you were hoping by the name that Carey Island was a white sanded beach with miles upon miles of clear blue waters, then you’d be sadly mistaken. =)

The main appeal of Carey Island is the indigenous tribe, the Mah Meri. This small tribe has managed to sustain its existence for almost a century. While the world around it grows with skyscrapers and shopping malls, the Mah Meri has kept its unique traditions of wood carvings and self sustainable living off the land. Though not adverse to changes, the Mah Meri are well versed in local Bahasa Malaysia and some of them can even speak English.

Every year, Mah Meri tribe celebrates ‘Ari Muyang’, a unique celebration for them giving thanks to the spirits for all the good things that had been bestowed upon the villagers. On this special day, they will have a ritual ceremony where a shaman uses rice powder based solutions, mixed with flowers and leaves to mark the foreheads and forearms. After the ritual ceremony, some of them will perform a traditional dance called ‘main Jo-oh’. the dance will be accompanied

by a ritual traditional songs and music perfomed by the older generation of the tribe using bamboo, viola, drum and guitar.

next week we will be close for a month. a new road less traveled journey will begin.
wish us the best of luck.

regards, azim.zainudin

the best of 2011

azim.zainudin — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 19:29:39 +0000

at last, 2011 will end soon… its been a tough one for me. =/
a lot of things happened, but that’s life… its been a wonderful journey since i started travel in 2008.
3 years i have spend, a lot of money involved, and a lot of time have been sacrificed also.
insyaAllah i will keep continue doing this, after all this is what i love to do… =)
being on the road, meeting a lot people, learning about their culture and lifestyle.

these are some of my favorite from 2011 collection. =)
every picture have their own story, either its a moment, portrait or just a plain landscape picture.
hoping for a better year. 2012, please be nice to me.
maybe the last year before settle down? im not so sure. =)

all of these photos are from

- jakarta & bandung indonesia
- koh li pe island thailand
- hong kong
- macau
- bidong island malaysia
- tioman island malaysia
- penang malaysia
- cambodia
- fraser hill malaysia
- hatyai thailand
- north & south island new zealand

regards, azimzainudin.2011

mardiana + ilham

azim.zainudin — Tue, 10 May 2011 00:20:36 +0000

mardiana @ nat used to be my classmate back in utp. she helps me a lot with my study!
after 7 years together with ilham @ bro… finally they decided to settle down =)
2 days working in banting with the rest of ‘we’ teams photo n video… fun time shooting them!
not to forget the other members of so called ‘gazebo’ clan… ealya, yati, zie n aisyah
while waiting for the video highlight to come out… i think better i upload this one first.
just wait for the 2nd entry of their reception.

regards, azimzainudin.

photo documentary – a wet new year

azim.zainudin — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 22:03:11 +0000

April is not always the cruelest month, though Thailand in April can sometimes feel that way. It’s hot, hot, and more hot that month, but a special antidote do exist. It is called Songkran, or the Water Splashing Festival. Just as the name implies, at Songkran a lot of water gets dispersed =)
Songkran is a celebration of the Thai New Year, and historically the word “Songkran” is Sanskrit, and means “passing through”. The dates used to be calculated by an astrological calendar, but are now generally set to April 13th through the 15th.

Water and Songkran is very synonym. Thais driving by in trucks dumping buckets of water on anyone in their path. Children with their water guns, drenching each other. Elephants fill their trunks and spray the crowd. In this event also occasionally chalk or talcum powder is added or mixed into the water. If you don’t want to get wet or chalky you should probably lock yourself up inside your hotel room.

Songkran is a Public Spring Cleaning Day, supported by the religious belief that anything old and useless must be thrown away or it will bring bad luck to the owner. That’s why they are using the water!
During the afternoon of the 13th, Buddha images are bathed as part of the ceremony. Young people pour scented water into the hands of elders and parents as a mark of respect while seeking the blessing of the older people. In ancient days, old people were actually given a bath and clothed in new apparel presented by the young folks as a token of respect for the New Year.

This is my first time experienced Songkran. I choose Hatyai as my destination because of the easy access (and of course because of the tight budget) If u guyz really2 want to experience Songkran, Chiang Mai and Bangkok is other destination that offer awesome celebration! This year, Bangkok celebration itself have made a new world record as the biggest water festival in earth so far! I cant imagine myself!
But Hatyai does not disappoint me. The midnight celebration was so cool and crazy! people started to get wet as early 8pm before the Songrkan day itself and party all night long non stop for 48 hours!
Seriously Thais in Hatyai really knows how to celebrate it… with a lot of fun and cool event like parade… muay thai show… concert… and the best part is the foam machine! haha!

I decided to documented this event with 100% black and white! I really dont have a fix reason… its just that i feel like BNW is perfect for this. Trillion thx to naqi for the fish eye! wohoooo!
and not to forget my travel mate man, eman n doc for this awesome trip! remember what happened in Hatyai will stay in Hatyai. lol~!

Travel tip – the most important thing… book your accommodation at least a month before event! seriously there’s no such thing as walk in as a backpackers when it comes to Songkran festival. the rate will be double! damn!
Do make a preparation to wrap up your camera if u are a photographer! using underwater casing is one of the option.
bring extra cash as backup, and enjoy the event! hehe =)

next year Songkran… Bangkok or Chiang Mai! anyone with me? =)

**this documentary is part of the ‘live.laugh.celebrate’ project by azim.zainudin.

regards,
azim.zainudin 2011

tamimi + syifa | maldivu

azim.zainudin — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 01:29:08 +0000

this is maldives!
perfect location for honeymoon…
this is paradise!

its been a wonderful journey and experience for me to cover their post wed shoot (photo & video) at the same time.
its a tough one… to deliver the best picture… with a limited time…
all i could say… this is the best place ever!
here are only a few shots… i really cant choose which one to upload because i love all the photos! T_T
looking foward to come n visit maldives again.
i miss maldives so much! warghhh!

regards,
azim.zainudin
maldives october 2010

photo documentary – Hawa

azim.zainudin — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 16:32:10 +0000

seriously i don’t know how to take pictures of a model. if i do take, it will turn out to be very horrible.
i guess i didn’t have the talent in fashion / model art photography.
last weekend we have a small session with the clan to do some model photo shoot. the main purpose is to try out our new MUA, so we did call some of our frens to be the experimental tools. lol.

inspired by the RUPAJIWA portrait collection entitled ‘rahsia rasa-perempuan’, i decided to make my own personal collection from this session shoot. Hawa!

photo: azim.zainudin
make up: adee raffaeyl
model: ad, dd, naza & mar
location: ‘We’ home base studio, wangsa maju

regards,

azim.zainudin

photo documentary – the ‘undisturbed maeklong’

azim.zainudin — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 20:21:41 +0000

Situated on the south west of bangkok in a province called samut songkhram, theres a small market that have been in existence for decades. It remained relatively undisturbed until the later creation of the Maeklong Railway. But those creation of Maeklong railway has turn out making the Maeklong market one of the most exotic market in the world.

The market doesn’t sell any unique products, and it’s not the oldest, or largest market in the world, but it does have a train running through it 8 times a day, and that makes it unique. Because Thailand has no laws requiring markets be moved, if a railroad is built in the area, Maeklong Market remained in place even after trains began passing through it. Vendors simply remove their awnings, and shoppers step off of the track that serves as a walkway, long enough for the train to pass, and then it’s business as usual, as if nothing happened. To locals it’s just routine, but to foreigners it’s one bizarre display.

The Maeklong Railway from Bangkok opened in 1905 and has a total of 18 stations in small villages and towns from beginning to end. The railway, which receives relatively little use compared to those in major cities, is regularly threatened with closure – though it seems that may never really happen. The Maeklong Railway has only one track, making it difficult to operate more than two or three trains at a time. The only time two trains can pass each other is if they are resting in one of the terminals.

The journey to the maeklong market have been a though one for me and my travel partner, amri. It is because u will be using a lot of public transport to get u here, and the more far from bangkok, the more difficulties u will find in communication especially.
There have been an issue that they want to remove this market at least 2km away from the railway. It is because of the safety purpose.
For me, it is cool to let this market operates as it is. For the locals here, Maeklong is their home and they were there first, the train came along later on. This will be one of a kind in the world, so just let the market be there.

Let the ‘undisturbed maeklong’ being undisturbed forever.

regards, azim.zainudin

brand new year

azim.zainudin — Fri, 31 Dec 2010 16:57:06 +0000

salam.
this will be my last entry in 2010.
what a year…
i think 2010 are the best year in my life.
finally i can do what ever i want… whenever i want…
freedom… just with my photography and travelling…

ingat lagi kt entry pembuka 2010 dulu… ‘work hard n travel more’
alhamdulillah… lebih dari separuh matlamat n cita2 dah tercapai…
betapa susahnya nk dptkan sume tu… time dapat tu terasa die punya nikmat!
time xdpt tu plak frust menonggeng… tp itu bukan alasan utk jatuh…
Allah maha adil… dia ganti kan bende tu dgn sesuatu yg lebih baik…
aku selalu percaya bende ni =)
yang penting tiap2 ape yg kita buat tu kene ikhlas n buat sungguh2…

misi 2010 boleh dikata kan 3/4 dah tercapai… alhamdulillah…
akhirnya dpt gak saya keluar tgk tempat org… learning new things everyday when travelling…
understand the lifestyle…
dan xlupa jugak trip2 pendek to so called paradise. yes i do love beaches! whenever i feel strees dgn kerja2 yg belambak2… lari lah kejap ke tempat2 cmni… tgk2 ikan… dgr bunyik ombak… hilang segala kekusutan!

here are the summary list of my 2010 traveling route

january :: bangkok – ayutthaya – damnoen saduak – surat thani – krabi – koh jum – phi phi – hatyai (center thailand)
february :: hatyai – krabi – hong island (south thailand)
march :: mabul – sipadan – kapalai – omadal (sabah)
april :: siem reap – pnhom penh – ho chi minh city (vietnam, cambodia)
may :: perth – lancelin – pinancles – margaret river – bunburry – fremantle (western ausie)
june ::
july ::
august :: perhentian island
september ::
october :: maldives – male – villinggili – conrad ranggali (maldives)
november :: chiang mai – chiang rai – golden triangle – chiang dao (north thailand)
december ::

im hoping for a better year in 2011. more things to see…. new things to learn… a lot more to discover!
indonesia, india, philipines, myanmar, new zealand, china, korea n japan!
insyaAllah all in 2011!

in photography… byk pembaharuan dah dibuat… shooting style… editing style… im trying my best do deliver the best for all my clients… xkira lah in weddings, portraiture n travel photos…
partnership with mimota studio juga adalah satu titik permulaan utk 2011…still photo n cinema!
moga impian nk jadi lonely planet photographer n contributors akan termakbul… insyaAllah… akan cuba sedaya upaya =)

selamat tahun baru 2011 pada semua!

*to her… happy new year to u too… may 2011 will be a great journey for us together =)

reagrds, azimzainudin 2010

alfatihah

azim.zainudin — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 20:29:01 +0000

salam.
entry kali ni aku buat khas utk share sesuatu.
dah lebih 40 hari arwah taufiq shariff pergi.
tetibe teringat kt arwah…rindu… terus aku terbuka hati nk tulis entry ni.
fyi, arwah taufiq shariff adalah seorang photographer yg mempunyai bakat yg sgt besar.
merupakan juga salah seorang sifu, rakan dan sumber inspirasi ku dlm photography.
mula mengenali nama taufiq shariff pada hujung tahun 2007 thru dlm flickr.
pastu jumpa pulak dalam fotopages. (ni sgt ol skool)
masa tu aku kaled n fifi mmg obses sgt dgn gambar2 arwah. hari2 mesti tgk if ada update.
tahun 2010 baru jumpa arwah n start jadi baik.
jarang jumpa kat kl… tp tiap2 kali kalo arwah ada keje kat trg kompem dia akan buzz aku utk ajak teman dia.
lepas pada tu most of his trip to terengganu kompem aku akan ikut kalo xbz.
skarang dah xde dah trip bersama t.s…

teringat lagi time pergi menuntut ilmu freelensing dgn bahar n fariz kat kuantan bersama t.s…
trip pegi jalan2 cari gambo kt pantai kemasek semata2 nk tunggu org tarik bot…
time musim buah bwk arwah g makan durian kt kebun abah… arwah mmg minat durian… siap tapau bwk blk kl.
xlupa jugak janji ngn arwah nk upgrade kamera d700 sama2… tp xkesampaian.

ramai yg terasa kehilangan arwah… mostly pade yg lebih rapat ngn arwah. harap tabah kan hati.
dunia foto malaysia dah hilang seorang hero.
tentu akan rindu pada hasil2 karya arwah… gaya t.s sampai bila2 akan menjadi pujaan. =)
hes truly a legend.

jika ada yg xkenal arwah, ini website nya http://taufiqshariff.blogspot.com

ni adalah salah satu gambar karya arwah masa aku mula2 mengenali nama taufiq shariff.
yg bwh ni pulak gambar saya buat pada awal tahun 2008, ni la yg berlaku pada mula pembabitan dlm foto…
byk style2 design2 arwah yg sy ciplak sikit2. dah nama pun sifu, mmg dah jadi sumber rujukan…
ni baru sikit… byk lg yg buat jadi rujukan… kalo korg perasan mesti tau punye lah! =)

taufiq shariff 1983-2010
sifu, rakan & sumber inspirasi.

al-fatihah

photo documentary – among amazing float

azim.zainudin — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 21:23:15 +0000

In november some may wonder what is going on in thailand when one sees travel magazine ads and posters at hotels showing thai girls dressed in traditional thai clothing with beautiful floating objects. This simply indicates that Loy Krathong is on its way. In Thai “Loy” means to float and “Krathong” means a circular floating object with decoration of banana leaves, flowers, a candle and incense sticks. Loy Krathong does not occur on the same date every year. Instead it is based on the full moon night of the twelfth lunar month, which usually falls in November. In 2008 it was held on November 12, in 2009 it was held on November 2. In 2010 Loy Krathong Day will be celebrated on November 21. People look forward to going out and launching Krathongs together to predict their romance future by the direction the Krathongs float.
The floating of a Krathong is signifies floating away ill fortune as well as expressing apologies to Khongkha or Ganga, the River Goddess. Some believe that the ritual is meant to worship the Buddha’s footprint on the bank of the Narmada River, while others say that it is to pay respects to Phra Uppakhut, the Lord Buddha.

As my journey to the north part of thailand, which is Chiang Mai to documented a story about this loy krathong festival. In Chiang Mai, loy krathong is celebrated in their own style n in a bit different way.
It is called Yi Peng Lantern Festival.
Most people usually make banana-leaf cups to float them onto the river. However there are exist some uniquely different aspects in certain communities. In this Yi Peng Festival in Chiang Mai, a balloon like ‘Khom Loi’ lanterns, ‘Khom Fai’ – a fire lantern and ‘Khom Khwan’ – a smoke lantern are flown into the sky as a symbol of worship to Phrathat Chulamani in heaven. Making a Khom Loi will need a lot of artistic skills as well as scientific techniques, just like the ones used in balloon making.

I was there to witness this awesome, beautiful event. Thousands of so called the ’sky lantern’ are floating into the sky of Chiang Mai. After a year of planning about this trip, with a very little information i still manage to come and witness it with my own eyes and captured it with my camera. I must say this the one of the awesome things i ever seen in my life.
If u guyz wish to come and see this event, please do so! Although i manage to capture and share it with all of u, but u guyz gotta see and witness it ur own.
Another great backpacking journey to the north part of thailand, Chiang Mai do offers a lot of cool places and activities!
Chiang Dao, Pai, Mae Hong Soon and Chiang Rai are some of the must visit places when u are in the northen part of thailand.
A great trip to close 2010 year with thousands of traveling memories. Im hoping for another great backpacking journey in 2011. more time, less cost and a lot of places to discover!

regards,
azim.zainudin
chiang mai nov 2010