Category: Project

Light Painting with Fire

Matsuda MashimaruLeave a comment
MYS_6642-Edit-Edit
Lake Gardens Taiping, Perak at wee hours

I was with my three (3) other travel companions last weekend playing with lights at Taiping, Perak. A short weekend outing to start off our new travel team (we called us the #gengbajetravel). We planned to travel together since God knows … very long time ago …  but it always canceled at the very last minute. Excuses after excuses …

Then, we decided to make it happened, by hook or by crook. The weather forecast said that it’ll be raining the whole weekend … oh boy! there goes our plan for sunset, sunrise and Milkyway. We had our backup plan though … if everything failed then we’ll experimenting steel wool photography instead.

We were at Lake Garden Taiping, Perak, Malaysia as early as 4 a.m, praying for a clear sky to shoot Milkyway …but the sky was too cloudy.  It was not possible so we headed straight to Plan B, light painting with burning steel wool. I was excited to try something new …

MYS_6614-Edit-Edit
The making of Dorayaki

It was fun, experimenting new technique with good companions while listening to the frogs’ orchestra performing live background music. Always … always … always surrounded with good people, am I blessed or am I blessed, alhamdullilah.

The four of us are super crazy. Well, crazy in a good way lol… crazy seeking for something new to uplift our skill. We are very competitive towards each other but our sense of humanity are still strongly intact. I adore friend like that.

People said that your friends are the reflection of you and if that is the case, well … I want to be my friend :-p  <— perasan kan?

MYS_6611-Edit-Edit
The Cinderella carriage
MYS_6610-Edit-Edit
Rain on fire

Steel wool photography is not as hard as I thought it would be. It’s easy to learn. I love the dramatic and artistic effect too and I am officially curious to explore more on this.

MYS_6629-Edit-Edit
Circle of fire
MYS_6652-Edit-Edit
My sunrise landscape

I set my camera on manual mode, the speed at 10-15″ and ISO at 250 to 400 accordingly (for those who are curious about the camera setting). Trying to incorporate “ring of fire” onto my landscape in future … just to feed my curiosity on how my landscape image would look like with this additional art.

 

Gotta go! Cheerios …

MM

 

ps – …

It’s better to know how to learn than to know ~ Dr. Seuss

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Same Old Same Old

Matsuda MashimaruLeave a comment

 

mys_7405
Class 6 of Sri Pintar Subang Jaya for the year of 2016

I always reserved a day of my time in October and a day in November each year for a group of children from Sri Pintar Subang Jaya school’s class photo and their convocation day.

It was a nice feeling of seeing the same group of children growing a year older each year.

The ‘same old same old’ moment with a reality that life moves on regardless of how sweet or bitter the ‘same old same old moment’ was at that particular time.

nep_4548
Children of SRIP Subang Jaya 
nep_4555
Children of SRIP Subang Jaya 
nep_4581-edit
A little angel sitting beside me during the event
nep_4590
Another little angel trying to steal my attention

The idea of death being interlinked with photography caught my attention too. Most of us viewed photography as a method of freezing or capturing a moment in life but few of us regarded photography as the death of a moment.

The death of a moment captured and instilled into a photograph.

I am now … recuperating from hmmm whatever that bothering my life, here at my mom’s home. Sleeping … eating and enjoying the rain before going back to my nest again soon.

Bye

Cheers

MM

 

 

 

Portraiture around Me

Matsuda MashimaruLeave a comment
MYS_2893-Edit-2-Edit
PokNik, a farmer that rears hundreds of cattle, sheep and goats

August  is always an exciting month of the year as we celebrate Malaysia’s 59th Birthday (Independent Day). Malaysian flags could be seen on the streets and business premises everyday in August. The best time to go out and capture the ‘flag’ moment around the street corners.

Again this year, I have the opportunity to contribute some photograph for the Merdeka day photo exhibition. This time around Yaman Ibrahim’s exhibition photo theme is on Faces of Malaysia.  As I dug out my HD storage for any Malaysian portrait that can qualify me to join the exhibition. I realized that I have none … hu hu hu

I have been traveling and taking photos of faces around the world and … I have nothing in my HD storage that could portray the faces of Malaysian. Shame on me …

So I decided to open up my eyes and my mind towards my surrounding and attempted to capture faces of Malaysia around me in a short period of time. Talking about working under pressure … and wallah! … I managed to capture some beautiful portraits of Malaysian and as always I have my own private story for each photo that I took … lesson learned story that drove me to capture their moment <— dreamers statement 😛

MYS_3006
Pak Musa, a carpenter for 34 years that I met at the farm

I was at a Chinese Opera show in Sentul, Kuala Lumpur hunting for a backstage moment with the actors and the actresses. Then, I spent a few days at a private farm (cattle, sheep and goats) in Kuantan, Pahang to capture some moments with the animals and the shepherd.

Chinese opera in Sentul, Kuala Lumpur
Chinese opera in Sentul, Kuala Lumpur
Chinese Opera in Sentul, Kuala Lumpur

And, a few days after that I tagged along with my JanjiFly buddy for his Paramotor MBOR training at Tekah Airfield, Taiping, Perak. Yes … I believe I can fly hu hu hu and I captured  some moments with the Commando Vat 69 team on parachute training that day. Talking about luck … this is what I called durian runtuh hu hu hu

Commando Vat 69 during his parachute training
Commando Vat 69 during his parachute training
Commando Vat 69 during his parachute training

Well … it was tiring but worthy. My moment of learning to find beauty … at every imperfect moment presented to me by the All Mighty.

The good news is … my two(2) images below are currently exhibited at Yaman Ibrahim #OrangMalaysia (people of Malaysia) photo exhibition together with another 59 photographs. 33 photographers and 61 photographs …

Caught a moment with PokNik with his goats at the farm
Caught a moment with En Basri, a member of the Commando Vat 69 while the team was having a parachute training

Do come and visit the 61 selected photographs of ‘People of Malaysia’ on display now. Details are as follows:

  • Theme: Yaman Ibrahim #OrangMalaysia Photo Exhibition
  • Venue: MaTic Gallery, Malaysian Tourist Center, Kuala Lumpur
  • Date: 15th August to 17th September, 2016

I am moving on to the next project … 🙂 … next please ….

Bye,

Cheers

MM

ps – “Between what is said and not meant. And what is meant and not said. Most love is lost”~ Khalil Gibran

 

 

Photo Exhibition with Yaman Ibrahim

Matsuda Mashimaru2 Comments

 

A Hamar tribe of Ethiopia, Africa ~ photo credit to hana
Me and my ‘A Hamar tribe of Ethiopia’ photo ~ photo credit to hana_mujahidah

There is always a first time to everything … and, this is my first time joining a photo exhibition.

It is an honor to be selected as one of Yaman Ibrahim & his Mutual Friends #Kolektif 1  photo contributor.  Yaman Ibrahim is a very talented and famous photographer here in Malaysia. A simple, humble and down-to-earth artist that I find easy to work with. 28 photographers (from Malaysia and Brunei) exhibited 78 pieces of travel photograph around the world during the exhibition period. Do come and have a look at our photos on display at MaTIC Kuala Lumpur. Admission is free.

Detail information about the photography exhibition:

  • Event: Yaman Ibrahim & his Mutual Friends #Kolektif 1
  • Location: Matic Art Gallery, MaTIC Malaysia Tourist Center, Kuala Lumpur
  • Date: 3rd September 2015 to 30th September 2015

Honestly, I felt weird seeing my own photos on display and a bit awkward when people start to ask questions. Reason being … when I shoot my photos I was totally in my selfish mode. I love the moment and I wanted to capture and keep the moment to myself. I want to look at my photos and be reminded of the feelings that I had while capturing those moments. And this is totally new to me …well, there is always a first time to anything, right?

But, seeing it being printed and hang-up on the wall triggered an excitement in me. I want to have more and more of my photos printed out on beautiful papers for my personal keeping or maybe once a while I want to share it with public through photo art galleries. I want to be an artistic photographer … a fine-art photographer maybe. Hmm what a dream huh?

And, these are my photos exhibited during the photo exhibition.

I learned a lot from this experience and I need to reassess my photography direction … again and again. So much to learn, so little time.

Ok. I gotta go now. Need to pack my gears (and my crazy COURAGE)  for my next adventure 😛 ,  a cross-country (xc) expedition via paramotor ride from Tok Bali, Kuala Besut, Terengganu to Batu Buruk beach, Kuala Terengganu. It is going to be a long ride … will update the outcome here for sure. Bye now ….

 

Cheers

MM

p/s Credit: The IG photo of me and my ‘A Hamar tribe of Ethiopia’ photo is from hana_mujahidah Instagram account

 

Playing with colors through beading

Matsuda MashimaruLeave a comment
Revisiting my old passion with confidence
Revisiting my Old Passion

After 10 years (yes! I know … I am old but I have a very young heart), I decided early this year to revisit again my old beloved passion on beading. Did some intense traveling around the globe these past few years just to figure out what I am made off and I figured that life is short, why wasting time wondering either I can or can’t do the things that I wish that I want to do.

This is my first post in this blog.

Trying to link my passion for photography, traveling and jewellery making into one ultimate masterpiece. For a few months, I did some intense read up on jewellery making particularly on beading and attended a silversmithing course in Jogjakarta, Indonesia reason being to brush up my jewellery making skill and at the same time trying to boost up my confident level before I decide to totally jump into doing this for a living.

I had completed some bracelets and necklaces for GayaIzzah.com first jewelry collection targeting for young women last month and alhamdullilah the respond was quite encouraging.

I am currently working on the next set of jewelry collection from the remaining beads that I have in stock coupled with various color of freshwater pearls from Sabah. The next collection is targeted for completion in September 2014. Fyi September is a very special month both for me and for GayaIzzah.com team. So my dearest readers, wish me good luck yeah for my next upcoming creation.

Cheers

MM