azim.zainudin photography™ » travel

photo documentary – welcoming spring with colors

azim.zainudin — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 21:08:15 +0000

Hey guyz! im very sorry for the late update from india. its been more than a month already since i came back from india.
this time i wanna share the story about holi festival.
people in india and other countries with large hindu populations celebrated Holi, the Festival of Colors. Holi is celebrated as a welcoming of spring, and a celebration of the triumph of good over evil. what that translates to in action is an enthusiastic dropping of inhibitions, as people chase each other and playfully splash colorful paint, powder and water on each other. people also attend bonfires to commemorate the story of Prahlada, a hindu figure and devout follower of lord vishnu who prevailed over his father and the demoness holika with the power of his devotion.

After about 2 years collecting all info about this superb culture celebration, finally i manage to capture it with my camera. im not gonna tell all the details, let the pictures tell the story. hoho. we did spend about 4 days in mathura n vrindavan area to get the exact info about this event. i might say that this event is one of the toughest coverage ever. u got to be prepared. seriously well prepared… not only your gears but mind and body also. we traveled to the most remote place in india so that we can get the most original event, no tourist, only just a few traveler and some local photographer.

all the shots above are originally from my camera, just a lil bit of cropping and leveling.if u do like the story, pls do share it with ur frens and family. i love to share my picture to all… as this is the way im expressing my self to the things that i love to do… and i will continue to do it so as long as i got money and time to travel. the more u travel, the more u will learn and the more u will appreciate ur life. trust me on this one… till next time! =)

regards,

azimzainudin, india march 2012

photo documentary – kushti wrestlers

azim.zainudin — Sun, 25 Mar 2012 22:25:59 +0000

Kusti is India’s traditional wrestling on soil. This ancient sport used to hold great importance in Indian societies of the past, its popularity over the recent years however, has dwindled tremendously.

At present Kusti is only practiced in a handful of pockets around India. Even in these places the future of the sport is uncertain. The government constantly pressures traditional Kusti schools to abandon ways of the past, embrace international wrestling standards and win medals at the Olympics.

Kushti is India’s traditional wrestling on soil. This ancient sport used to hold great importance in Indian societies of the past, its popularity over the recent years however, has dwindled tremendously. At present Kushti is only practiced in a handful of pockets around India. Even in these places the future of the sport is uncertain. The government constantly pressures traditional Kushti schools to abandon ways of the past, embrace international wrestling standards and win medals at the Olympics.
A practitioner of this sport is referred to as a Pehlwan, or a Pahalwan, same to our Malaysia hero that we called ‘Pahlawan’. while teachers are known as Ustad or Guru. The undefeated champions of the country will hold the title Rustam-i-Hind, meaning “the Rostam of India”.

In Kushti, physical training is meant to build strength and develop muscle bulk and flexibility. Exercises that employ the wrestler’s own bodyweight include the ’surya namaskara, shirshsan and the dand, which also found in Yoga, as well as the bethak.

In New Delhi, this Kushti wrestlers continue the rigorous schedule of waking up at early morning six times a week and practicing more than 6 hours every day in the morning and evening. They live together in one small room near the arena and their only belongings are a blanket, and a few items of clothes. They have been compared to holy men because of their dedication to this sport.

regards, bob.

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

photo documentary – ramadhan in the kingdom of wonder

azim.zainudin — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 10:49:01 +0000

Ramadhan will come to an end. soon we will be celebrating hari raya aidilfitri. 2011, was the toughest ramadhan in my life. i was in cambodia for 17 days. gaining a new experiences, learning new things every single day, getting to know my muslim brothers and sisters in cambodia.
These are some of the collection from the road less traveled cambodia – 2011. i manage to capture the activities of the muslim community here in cambodia in ramadhan. Muslim is just a small group in cambodia. u can hardly find them in other part of cambodia except in phnom penh, kampung cham and kampung chnang.

“Cambodia is a strange and beautiful land. The majority of Muslim here live in extreme poverty….. yet regardless of the hardships they face, they are perhaps the most smiley people I’ve ever met”

best regards,
azim.zainudin.

sum + sara

azim.zainudin — Thu, 26 May 2011 21:02:32 +0000

another awesome destination wedding shoot!
this time im proudly present to all of u, sum & sara.
the 2nd reception (majlis bertandang) was held in a small town called La-Ngu, satun, south thailand.
fyi, satun located about 2 hours drive from hatyai. most of the locals here are muslim.
it has some superb island like koh lipe, tarotao n koh kai. a must visit paradise if u coming here!
me n ’sizree’ having superb fun time shooting them.
they really know how to pose… so it was very easy for us to get the job done!
another new experience for me this time, to shoot a local thai wedding. the people, the setup, the surrounding was very nice. not to forget, the food! haha.
here are some shots from the event, a million thx to sum n sara for the hospitality while we were there.
i’ll definitely will come again… =)

regards, azim.zainudin

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

alya + faris portraiture | jakarta

azim.zainudin — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 17:09:52 +0000

greetings from jakarta!
the photoshoot was held around ‘kota tua’ jakarta indonesia.
i just love the combination of their dress with the bike.
the old skool environment… perfekto!
happy browsing! =)

more weddings and portraiture entries coming up soon!
finally the blog is updated! =)))

regards, azimzainudin.

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