I was at this restaurant when I saw this sign on a wall. Got me thinking of the perennial debates, discussions and controversy about services. Every product and service has a price tag, decided by the 3 factors. So what’s important to you? Good, cheap or fast? The sign says you can only pick two.

In a few hours, our studio will be closed for 10 days for the Chinese Lunar New Year holidays. Just want to thank all our clients for trusting us with the important moments of your lives & our fans for your following & support. We have never more excited about entering a new year.

At home, we start the new year with thanksgiving and forgiveness. Perhaps also good to do the same for the studio.

While we can plough the ground as hard as we can, unless God sends rain and sunshine at the right time, you don’t get a harvest. I learn that growing up around oil palm and cocoa plantations. Nobody succeeds alone and we owe ours to many. We won 3 more international awards in 2011: 1st & 3rd place at WPPI and winner of MPA’s open category. Proud to win major international awards five years in a roll…and being the only wedding shooter to achieve this makes it all the more sweeter. It is a testament to the commitment and dedication of the team.

While we always try our best, sometimes even our best isn’t enough. We want to say sorry on the occasions that we fall short. If you were in our studio, you would know how much every mistake stings us. We are a bunch of people that takes pride in getting things right and overachieving.

Rolling out a few major initiatives in 2012. We are implementing a tighter system and workflow that’s completely computerized. We have an on-time delivery of nearly 90%, in 2012, we are aiming for a perfect score! Louis Pang Studio will have a new home: both online and brick-and-mortar. We have outgrown our current outfits. It’s time to expand. You’ll definitely hear more of this very soon.

In 2012, we will engage with you even more. You’ll find out what a great thing it is to be our clients. Be prepared to be pampered, rewarded, inspired and wowed. We want to know more about serving you right, and you will know how serious we take that. You will see how we work, prepare your images, control quality, train the team. The album you hold in your hands and the prints you hang on your walls will mean so much more when you realize how each of them is painstakingly & professionally handcrafted for you.

Won’t be able to teach as much as I had in the last 3 years. The studio expansion & training of the expanded LPS team demand my full attention. I have two speaking engagements at Gulf Photo Plus in Dubai and in Creative Asia which I will honor. Despite the crazy schedules, I’m still in the forefront of bringing great education to Asia. More of that will be announced in coming months.

Never in a million years would I dream about being in the position we are in today, certainly not when we first started in 2006. Thank you for your support, love and encouragement. The best is yet to come.

Have a blessed, prosperous, fulfilling, loving, healthy & happy new year.

Before we get there, I thought it will be fun to have a challenge. Anyone who can guess the exact lighting recipe will win a 135-minute World Tour wedding photography instructional DVD which retails for U$100 each. Deadline is next Thursday, 15 December. Good luck!

updated 15 December 2011
This is how we did it…

At a wedding, I always have to improvise and work with mobile tools. For a reasonable good ring shot, it has to be focus and sharp to bring out the design, cut and colours. I have the SB800 & 900s, Lastolite softbox, 60mm macro, and a mirror of make-up kit from the make-up artist Always be nice to the make-up artists. They can be your ALLY!

I need to achieve a few things: background must be almost pitch dark, enough depth of field to show the details of the rings. And for these reasons, I couldn’t have used ambient light whether indoor or outdoor. It would have created a lot of spill. A softbox on the other hand, helps me to contain, shape and direct the light as I see fit.

Shot it at f11, 1/250, ISO200. The low ISO and shutter speed allow me to kill off most of the ambient light so I can get a near pitch back background. At f11, I get reasonable sharpness. It is still some distance from say a De Beers or Tiffany ad, which would require more powerful lights and lenses and camera with higher resolution for a pin sharp shot of the ring. Yet given the little time and limited equipment, I have to compromise between being as perfect as a commercial shooter and getting a good enough shot.

Many correctly predicted the use of a softbox from the left and wrongly assumed that I had a reflector on the right. From the early days of photographing small objects, I’ve learned that mirrors gives a more specular bounce than white or silver surface. This is helpful to bring out the details and colours of the sapphire.

I wish I have a smaller softbox. Lost too much power with the Lastolite 24″. A smaller softbox may help me gain 1-1.5 stop of light, and thus allow me to shoot at f16-18. Oh well, this is guerrilla lighting, not always perfect, but always mobile and effective.

Thank you for taking part in this. Since nobody made a perfect guess, I’ll bring the prize forward to the next recipe challenge. Cheers!

Putri kept leaping for three hours. When I was ready for a wrap, she chimed in on an idea. Glad she did. We pressed through and came away with four pictures I was pretty please about. What an honor to work with such a talented and professional dancer who carries a wide range of skills and expressions. We called Putri when our first choice model bailed on us 24 hours before the shoot. What a happy accident!

Technically, we used the Elinchrom BXRi500 lights, Deep Throat Octa, standard reflectors and grids for rim rights. Pretty amazing when you have all sorts of light shaping tools. I’ll be sharing a bit more about using these lights and the various light shaping tools.

Just wanna leave you with four pictures from yesterday…can’t wait to get back to the studio and work on another set of pictures.

Deep Throat Octa from the top and a mid size rectangular softbox from the bottom. BXRi 500 on both softboxes.

Deep Throat Octa as the main light from top right. Two 500w on standard reflectors, one of them with a 20 degree grid for the separation light from left.

That’s how we did it

Switched to white backdrop and put red gels through two 500Ws. Deep Throat Octa from the top, without the silk in front for a more contrasty feel. Putri must have jumped at least 50 times for this. Gotta respect her abilities and tenacity.

When I nailed the previous shot, I was happy to wrap up the shoot. Putri convinced me to work on this dance move. This was a tough one. Used a stripbox (130cmx50cm) as mail light and then two 500W on standard reflectors on both sides for separation light. We kept tweaking until we get it right. Again, couldn’t have done this if not for Putri’s determination. It is wonderful when you can get great talents in front of the camera.

Of late, I have turned to Elinchrom for my lighting needs. These powerful Swiss-made strobes allow me to shoot at f/16…something I couldn’t achieve with small speedlights. I am falling in love with the Elinchrom, using the small Quadra for all my wedding shoots. It is not the case of Nikon vs Elinchrom, it is different tools for different kind of work.

Back to Putri…here are some of my favourite pictures from this morning. Four hours just flew by when you are having fun with four different sizes of softboxes, beauty dishes, grids, reflectors. It’s like taking in pure oxygen when I get to play!

Well, I am at the half way point of my life, if you take the average life expectancy of a Malaysian man. I reflect on what I had done in the first half and more importantly what I should do in the second half.

“Today’s shit, tomorrow’s fertilizer.” Read a note from a friend some years back when I mired in the the lowest point of my life. When I was drowning in a pool of shit, the note did little to lift my spirit. Yet years on, I realize how true this is. Definitely learn more from my failures than my successes. I am such a late boomer. My grades soared in the last two years of university. I got into photography in my mid 30s…and it took me a few years to figure out what I want to focus on. A wise friend encouraged me with Bob Bufford’s book Half Time, “Louis, whatever the score is, the game is decided in the second half.”

There are three things I want to do better in my second half.

FOCUS. That means I will be saying no more than I say yes. Devote my time, energy and resources to what truly matters. Can’t chase 10 rabbits at the same time! As a creative, the abundance of ideas is both a blessing and curse. God, I need wisdom to reign in the creative juices. The focus of my early career was building my personal success. Now, I want to build a great & successful team so the ideals of Louis Pang Studio can live on after I am gone. It’s gonna be a lot harder than the first half.

FORGIVE. This is a tough one. Patience is never my strong suit. The people that truly matter are the ones who love me and want the best for me well after I cease being a photographer. Gotta rebuild the broken bridges and strengthen the ties with them. I should live and be the best I can be for people that truly matter, not getting easily offended & distracted by those who don’t.

FAMILY. When I started shooting weddings five years ago, all I wanted were going places. What better way to announce how “successful” you are than being busy and on the road all the time. Why should I be obsessed with impressing people? Today, I crave for more time at home & in the office. I love working with our team of fabulous people. We inspire each other to go further. You have to be in my office to see how amazing this bunch of people are. Work has brought me to many beautiful and luxurious places, yet after a long day of shoot when I lied in bed staring at the four walls, I long to be home, on my bed with my wife.

The clock is ticking and the second half has just started. Not sure how well I’ll do, so help me God!

So many of our wedding clients have nudged us to photograph their babies, kids, family. Thank you for the push. We finally got our act together and ready to launch our portrait service. Our shoots are high energy, fun, vibrant and unforgettable. Our images are clean, high impact and breathtaking. That’s how we want to tell your stories. We also work hard to make sure we have something for EVERY budget with products ranging RM315 to RM4000.

We have very limited slots in 2011 as we have to juggle with heavy traveling and shooting schedule. We are rolling out as many slots as we can. If we can’t accommodate you, we’ll place you on our priority list so you would be the first to know our next available date. Are you ready to tell your beautiful stories? Please follow these steps:

STEP 1: Book a shooting session (RM300 per session). Call us 088-243030

STEP 2: Have fun during the shoot

STEP 3: Choose the images that you wanna transform into art pieces on your wall

Our phone has been ringing off the hook since we announce this on Facebook this morning. Here is a list of FAQ which should be helpful.

What does RM300 include?

This is a special introductory price. The regular fee is RM500 per hour. It gives you a voucher for a one-hour of professional shoot by Louis Pang at our studio. The voucher is valid for three months from the date of purchase.


What happens after the shoot?

Think of where you should display your portraits at home. A week after the shoot, you will view the pictures at our studio and choose what goes on your wall.


How much does your picture, frames or product cost?

We have product for every budget, ranging from RM315 to RM4000. With over 50 products of different sizes and combination. Too many to be listed here. Just drop by our studio and have a look. 


Can I choose not to buy anything after the portrait session?

You are under absolutely no obligation at all to buy anything. However most of our clients end up buying more than they planned after viewing the images. Don’t be surprised to find your stories captured through our creativity to be irresistible. My challenge is to tell your stories as beautifully as I can; your challenge is find enough wall space to display them.

Who is Louis Pang?

He is a dictator in the office, a romantic guy at home, a goofy chap with kids and a creative genius behind the camera. 

He is ranked amongst Asia’s top 3 wedding and portrait photographer. He is the only Asian on Wedding & Portrait Photographer International (WPPI) winners list for five consecutive year (2007-2011). 


When do I do the shoot?

Any of our available slots in 2011. If you need dates for 2012, give us a call, we will place you on our priority list. You’ll be the first to know of any available slots. 


Do I get the soft copy?

When you spend over RM2000 in products, you’ll get all the digital files (4”x6” size) of your order. For example, you ordered 5 pieces of canvases for RM2000, you will get the digital files of those images.

I have more questions and they are not covered here.
Give us a call at 088-243030. Jasmine, Mabel and I are happy to help you with your questions!

Is it a bad thing that some of our dreams died? Must we hang on to all of them at all cost? I had many dreams dashed too.

Dream #1
I aced my Form Three government exams. Entering into form four and five, the school would stream students to arts or science stream. “Smart kids go to science stream” was the general perception then. A panel of teachers would decide whether you ascend to the coolest and smartest class a.k.a the only science class in school or be cast to the one of the four lowly arts classes.

I wanted to be seen as smart so off to science class I went though I had no idea what it was all about.

For the next two years, I struggled to pass Additional Maths (or advanced maths) and Physics. I went from a top student to a mediocre one in weeks. Worked extra hard to keep up with my classmates. Despite hiring a tutor and spending 3-4 hours on these two subjects everyday, I barely passed them. Grades for other subjects dropped as well as just didn’t have the energy and time for them after grinding on Maths and Physics. I had never done worse or been more depressed in school. I passed form five, but just barely.

I wasn’t wired to be a science student but that didn’t mean I was dumb, just that I was smart in other areas like languages and history. Yet the obsession to be seen as a smart science class student just blinded me. Yes, BLIND. How often we cannot see what is real because we see only what we want to see. Desperately believing the lie we tell ourselves. I wished someone had the courage to yank me aside, straighten me out and save me from two years of misery.

Dream #2
Smarting from my secondary school disaster, I’ve learned to steer clear of the sciences. When I entered the University of Toronto, I wanted to do a double major in English and History. My idea of English is writing some essays & read some books. U of T’s English is about Chaucer, Shakespeare, literature and sonnets which sound like alien talk to a boy from Borneo.

To say I did badly in year one was an understatement. An English professor told me that he couldn’t see how I could do well in English literature given my lack of training and exposure to it when I was younger. I was bitter and angry. “How dare this old white man say that to me? He is racist and judgmental.” That meeting was a turning point.

The following year, I dropped out of English literature and enrolled in a Minor in Professional Writing. Met Dr. Guy Allen, a passionate teacher and brilliant writer who had a background in teaching English as a second language. From getting Ds, I was getting As in Professional Writing. My short stories were aired in a literary radio station. Even read a short piece at a writers’ festival. My overall grades went up. Guy Allen was my John Keating (Robin William’s character in Dead Poet Society). Just as instrumental was the old professor who told me to quit wasting time in English Lit.

The death of one dream makes way for a the birth of a new one. “Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new.” Steve Jobs couldn’t have said it better.

My previous post wasn’t meant to put down anyone who couldn’t make it in photography. It is to put a point that excelling in photography is a big price to pay. Not everyone could pay that price; not everyone should pay that price.

For those of us who couldn’t and shouldn’t, I hope you will find happiness in doing something else more fulfilling yet continue to enjoy photography however, wherever, whenever you can. For those of us who are full time in photography, the challenge to sustain this passion. As Steve Jobs put it, “Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work.”

“Louis, I want to work for you. This is the best studio Sabah and I want to be part of it. I don’t want to be anywhere else. I love photography and I want to put my life into it.”

“Good! Let me see your work.”

“This is not bad. I’ve seen a lot of work of the similar quality. Please tell me why I should hire you over another person.”

“My friends say I am really good in photography. I will work hard for you.”

“Your friends…who are they? Are they full time photographers?”

“No, just people I know.”

“This pictures you showed me here, how many of them were shot during a commissioned shoot? I mean people actually paid you to shoot them.”

“None.”

“Hey, I think it is cool you want to learn to be a full time photographer. Let me tell you my life as a photographer. I shoot from 6am to 12 midnight. I shoot anyone who walks in: tall, short, small, big, light and dark skin tone and everything else in between. I shoot whether I feel like it or otherwise. I have to deliver everyday to every client. Do you think you can do that?”

Silence.

“Do you know how to use flash or strobes?”

Shook his head in silence.

“Do you know how to pose people or direct them so they look good in photos?”

He shook his head in silence.

“Have you got your work accredited by professional body like WPPI or AIPP?”

Again, he shook his head in silence.

“So what makes you think you are very good in photography?”

Long pause followed.

“It will take a lot of training and sacrifices to get to a top level. I can teach you however are you willing to work hard for 3 years with low pay so that you can learn the craft?”

Another long pause.

“Listen. You come to see me and I give you my honest assessment. You have potential but there is a lot that you need to learn. I will you give you an answer next week, is that ok with you?”

“Ok.” He replied and left my office.

Eight hours later he texted me and said he wasn’t keen on the job anymore. It is probably a good decision. There are many prospects besides photography.

You may not agree with my shock and awe interview approach, but I have seen photographers with much greater talent who struggle to put food on the table. The chap needs a reality check. If you want to build a house, you must count the cost. It is not impossible to rise from obscurity but there is a big price to pay. You don’t get to the top by singing “kumbaya” around a camp fire. You work your socks off. You bleed, sweat and cry. You get knocked down and got up again.

With Facebook, Flickr and blogs, every other picture is “COOL”, “You rock!”, “AWESOME!”, “Masterpiece!” Everyone is entitled an opinion. Does every opinion carry the same weight? If you need a heart surgery, should you listen to my opinion or that of a cardiologist who has been practicing for 20 years?

It takes more than just little surges of passion to stay in photography. It is a marathon. Guess that is true if we want to accomplish anything significant in life.

Just fired up myself this morning by re-reading Nick Nichols’ article on how “To be a National Geographic Photographer”. Do you think you have what it takes? Read on…

Got the good news on Tuesday via an email. This picture just won first place in WPPI’s first half competition, the 10th time we’ve won 1st, 2nd or 3rd place. In case you wonder what the hoopla is all about. WPPI is the world’s largest organization representing wedding and portrait photographers. Over 14,000 photographers attend WPPI’s annual convention in Las Vegas. I am part of this as a participant, speaker and judge. It holds 3 competitions every year all of which I take part to sharpen myself as a photographer. Always believe that competition can only improve us.

This is the 10th WPPI award. Honestly, it was a surprise because it is getting harder and harder with higher level of entries from around the world. I am also surprised this entry won because it was not my favourite entry.

This one here, was and still is my favourite entry. I love its beauty and simplicity. Corsages on a silver platter, a bunch of bold ties…and the clincher, a tiny camera at a corner. I moved the table to be flushed against a glass door, the only light source in the room, so I could get as much light as possible. Climbed on top of a smaller table so I could shoot it over the top. Here you go, an “aerial shot”. Different perspective when the camera is moved to a different place. I have a strong bias for this photo because I worked extra hard to nail this picture, all the moving, climbing. Shot at f/6.3, 1/100.

My next favourite is this one. I enjoy the exquisiteness of the jewelry, dress and a woman’s body–all in one frame lit with yummy window light. Just a hint of ambient light to separate Julia from the background. Shot at f/5, 1/60.

The winning shot was done on the 125th floor of Ritz Charlton Hong Kong. I saw the interplay of the rings, necklace, veil, lips and wedding gown. Tried to put the lips, and both rings in the same focusing plane. That’s where I want to call attention to. Chose to exclude the rest the face to bring a sense of mystery. Again, like the previous photo, I want to show exquisiteness, luxury, taste and a hint of sexiness.

All three pictures share a connection: a visit to the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam in May.

The Rijksmuseum is one of the TOP museums in the world. It showcases some of the best works of Dutch portrait paint masters from the Golden Age like Vermeer, Rembrandt. That’s what I wanted to see right away. However the museum is curated to wet my viewing appetite. First I walked through rooms after rooms of still life paintings. Never a big fan of still objects. Painters like Willem Claesz however proved me wrong. How Willem and his peers could make a table full of bread, food, wine, silverware look so lively, vivid, and engaging was beyond me. I was drawn to how detailed the paintings were. I felt like I was in the scene, that I could almost reach out and touch the objects in the painting.

There were a lot of depth in them, very unlike the shallow depth of field shots common amongst wedding photographers. We are so used to shooting at shallow depth of field that we instinctively reach out for f/1.4 when there is a ring, shoe, wedding favors to be shot. Tight shots with yummy bokeh became rule of thumb or cliche. Remember, all cliches were once an original idea.

As I moved along to in the Rijksmuseum, I see similar techniques applied to portraits. Often people were painted in great details, along with their garments, uniforms, jewelry (for women), settings (an office, working desk, stationeries). These details give us insight into who the person is. Had they been painted with a f/1.4 kinda depth, all these details would have been lost. Vermeer’s Kitchen Maid is a perfect example.

It was an epiphany for me. I have been guilty of stripping away personality, and details by reaching for f/1.4 all the time!

That’s the most important lesson I learned spending an afternoon at the Rijksmuseum. Since I have been steadily cranking up my aperture where it deems fit.

You can visit the Rijksmusem and other top museums around the world virtually via Google’s Art Project.

Fifteen photographers huddled for 2 days, doing nothing but light. That’s dedication. Some drove 4 hours to get there, some flew for 3 hours…honored by the presence of these hungry photographers. Is two days enough? I’ve been shooting for almost ten years and still find light an adventure. There is always something to be discovered about it. I took a one-week lighting workshop with Joe McNally, and then worked with him for a month on this teaching tours. Still it was not enough to cover every facet of light. I encouraged photographers to think of learning light as a learning how to swim. It felt downright weird to be in waters. You can’t breathe. Coordinating my strokes and breathing pattern was a constant battle. After 15 minutes I was gasping for air. “This ain’t right for me!” I protested.

I kept hitting the pools. By the third week, the strokes & breathing have become easier, more intuitive & enjoyable. I suspect, learning to light is the same. You set your ambient light exposure; you set the power of your lights; you set up one group of lights at a time. How can something creative be so regimental? It seemed almost counter creative. Yet, if we embrace it, we will find the beauty of the discipline; joy and intuition will begin to flow. The discipline is the foundation upon which our creativity and expressiveness is built.

Here are some highlights from the workshop. Cheers!

Deployed the Octa Bank…

Fifty to eighty percent of small businesses fail within five years. I consider us blessed and fortunate that we are celebrating our fifth anniversary. Certainly in reflective mode lately as we think about the last five years.

“What comes to your mind if you see a turtle on top of a wooden fence? You know that someone has helped it get up there. Likewise, nobody succeeds alone.” I wrote this a few years ago. Our studio certainly owe it to our clients, fans and amazing team in the office. Too much attention and credits are given to me, the photographer. It is unfair and wrong to attribute the success to one person when it takes so many people to build a team.

I can’t emphasize enough the backroom team of Jasmine, Kah Yee and Mabel (who joined us recently). They are the bedrock of the studio. They work their socks off to get every album perfect and delivered on time. They produce slideshows, prints and amazing fine art prints. They take note of every tiny details and requests, and make sure we take care of it. They make sure every email is answered promptly, every supplier paid on time, every question answered… They are the reason I look forward to entering the office every morning. Their energy, creativity and dedication is infectious. They own up to their mistakes; they are honest; they are real, warm and loving people. Without them, there is no Louis Pang Studio. Without them, I can’t.

I want to pay tribute to the Angels of our studio. I wouldn’t swap them for anyone else. Jasmine, Kah Yee & Mabel, this post is dedicated to you.

Just wrapped up a 2-day celebration last weekend at KK’s premier shopping center, Suria. We setup a mobile studio a.k.a the white chamber, and photographed anyone who would walk into it for FREE. “What’s the catch?” many asked. Ermm…you get a free photo? Over 500 walked into the open air, mobile studio, got a free portrait shoot and collected the image within 10 minutes.

Special thanks to ProArt and Le SaFran (KK’s top French restaurant) who sponsored prints and complimentary food/drink vouchers to our celebration.

We barely had a break as wave and wave of people turned up at the mobile studio. So many asked for a portrait package…we’ll be launching it soon. Stay tune. For now, check out this video compilation of the portraits we shot last weekend!

If you think free portrait shoots is a good deal, what do you think of free portraits and a free 8″x12″ framed picture? The deal just got better right?

Everyday, five lucky winners will get that right on the spot. Special thanks to ProArt who sponsors the printing, and our amazing multiple award-winner artist, Kah Yee…five lucky winners each day will get the framed picture within minutes after the shoot. Just come by our 5th celebration showcase at Golden Screen Cinema Suria, 8th Floor, Suria Sabah. When you queue to have your portraits taken, you will get a shot at winning this by dipping your hands into a glass bowl.

See you there!

Thanks to your support, we are able to create a premium brand. What a blessing to do what you love, and love what you do and being rewarded for it. The downside being premium is that we are out of the reach of many locals. Speaking at a seminar, a gentleman pointed out, “Louis, you came from humble family background. With the fees you charge, how are you helping out the ordinary folks?” That sounded like a rebuke. How can we make a premium brand more accessible without compromising the value of brand?

For two days (20-21 August) we will be providing bridal packages starting from RM3988. That’s 60% off our bestselling packages. This is a once-in-a-five-year offer, available only at our celebration at GSC Suria, Kota Kinabalu. If you are out of town, you can make your bookings online. Mind you, we the online link is only valid 20-21 August. The only catch is the shoot must be done in KOTA KINABALU, my beautiful home town