through the eyes of a madman

Slash and Stone Temple Pilots Live, 2010 & 2011

2011-10-25T01:33:00.002+08:00

Live footage from Slash's 2010 World Tour and Stone Temple Pilots 2011 Australia and Asian Tour.

Dean De Leo, Stone Temple Pilots (2011)

Scott Weiland, Stone Temple Pilots (2011)

Slash (2010)

Bobby Shcneck for Slash (2010)

Slash (2010)

Myles Kennedy & Slash (2010)

Slash (2010)

Muzo

2011-10-03T11:33:00.000+08:00

Once the only locally produced music staple for the last 50 years. the mainstream music industry in Malaysia is now faltering and on the brink of collapse.

The self-funded, passion-driven independent music scene however is steadily gaining momentum and following. Two of its brightest stars, Zee Avi and Mizz Nina have recently enjoyed US Billboard 100 successes.

This is my account of the birth of a new generation of music and musicians that is moving away from its sub-culture status to be the dominant culture of urban Kuala Lumpur.

A project commissioned by

The Asia-Europe Foundation

for Culture 360

2010

Christina Teng

2011-10-02T14:58:00.000+08:00

Commissioned work
Winner of The Ring Mission 2011

Hair & Makeup : Ler Wan Ning

© Vignes Balasingam
All rights reserved
www.vignesbalasingam.com

Portrait of Billy Ng

2011-10-02T13:33:00.003+08:00

www.vignesbalasingam.com

najwa - innocent soul - album design

2011-03-31T13:21:00.011+08:00

I worked on the art direction for Najwa's Innocent Soul album based on photographs made by another photographer. The entire design concept was based on the images and the music. I've never design an album based on someone else's photographs before so this was an interesting project.

You can check out previous album artwork I made for Estranged Remain Unknown, which won best album concept at the 16th AIM and the album artwork for Tempered Mental's The View From Here.

Check out her single Got to Go:

Credits
Music procuced by Rozhan Razman & Najwa.
Video by Ghaz Abu Bakar
Art Direction & Layout by Vignes Balasingam
Photography by Farhan Yassin

manwatching - part 1

2011-03-22T00:02:00.000+08:00

An ongoing project that shall develop as it goes along.

©Vignes Balasingam
www.vignesbalasingam.com
All rights reserved

Najwa & Thing One

2011-03-19T04:12:00.001+08:00

Hiran Benton (keyboards), Faz Aznam (guitars), Fook (bass), Najwa, Marques Young (trombone), Nish Tham (keyboards), Omar Ibrahim (drums)

Photographed after Najwa's album launch and show yesterday at Ecoba.
Check out her brand new single Got to Go.

martyn

2011-01-05T20:59:00.001+08:00

Visitations by an old friend almost a year ago...

www.vignesbalasingam.com

New work debuting at Mois de la Photo 2010

2010-11-09T01:51:00.001+08:00

I was recently invited by Centre Culturel Français and Cephas Photo Forum to participate in Mois de la Photo 2010. This work makes its debut especially for this wonderful festival. The work will also be featured on my new website soon to be launched.

The show is currently going on despite the recent eruptions of Mt Merapi. My thoughts and well wishes go out to my friends, fellow photographers, aid workers and especially the people of Jogjakarta. May you have a restful night tonight.

I regret not being able to be with you.

Poster : Ree-a

2010-11-02T13:39:00.001+08:00

Photoshoot for Rie Tsuji for her current 2010 Japan tour. Photo appears as poster, mini-album cover, concert ticket, postcard and flyer. Inset photo also taken by me.

© Vignes Balasingam
All rights reserved
www.vignesbalasingam.com

ZHAN : THE BAND

2010-09-29T18:13:00.001+08:00

Photographs of friends I made for the Penang Jazz Festival 2010. An amazing band you just have to watch live to know what they are all about.

© Vignes Balasingam
All rights reserved
www.vignesbalasingam.com

after a while you just dont remember

2010-07-16T12:36:00.002+08:00

plane after plane

flight after flight

airport after airport

the memories of my life become one single event

if not for the camera

a presence of being

2010-06-23T15:29:00.002+08:00

Updates

2010-05-24T18:59:00.001+08:00

© Vignes Balasingam. All rights reserved.

Hey people. I've not meant to leave this blog alone for this long but I've been really busy working on my personal projects as well as some commercial work.

As some of you may already know I got into a business partnership with Rahman Roslan and we co-formed The Republik over Christmas (2009) and new year. I never realised how much a pain in the ass keeping a business going really is till now. But with all things said this is an amazing experience that's opened all sorts of opportunities for myself and Rahman.

I'm working on a few personal projects. 2010 has been a slow start for me in terms of personal work but I think its all for a good reason as I've had the time to really think about what it is I want to do. Keeping my fingers crossed, lets hope that I have something to show by the end of the year. This doesnt mean that this blog is going to be dormant till then. I've got a project I have been meaning to post up for some time. So lets hope I get this done within the week.

Oh, and I've got a new work to be published and a facelift to my website soon. Just waiting for a dear old friend to find the time to finish it up for me. Well, that'll be it for now. Now you know that I've not been a lazy ass all this while.

ps: The above photo was taken on the day The Republik studios was officially open for business.

Sold!

2010-02-12T00:39:00.002+08:00

Sold my first piece at the Kuala Lumpur Dreaming exhibition. Am stoked. All photos are editions of five. The exhibition goes on till the 21st of February so please do me the pleasure of checking it out.

Edition of 5
C Print
Kodak Endura Paper
16 inches x 24 inches
RM700 each
Set of four images, RM2700

For purchasing please call Pang at +6012 305 1135.

Featured in Kuala Lumpur Dreaming Exhibition

2010-02-02T11:37:00.001+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR DREAMING
Group Art Exhibition

4th - 21st February 2010
11am to 8pm | Fri & Sat: 11am to 9.30pm
Annex Gallery, Central Market
Kuala Lumpur

We came to KL to dream big. To find and create opportunities. To start anew and to call it home. Kuala Lumpur is now home to 1.6 million dreamers and counting. Is it big enough for all our dreams?

Representing the visions of 30 artists, photographers, sculptors, as well as communities of Burmese refugees, orang asli and children affected by HIV, this exhibition shows how we imagine our little space in the city, find boldness in our expression, and appreciate each other's dreams.

Featuring music by High Winds ensemble (Encounter MPO) & “Suggestions For Lunch Time Activities In KL For Busy Government Workers: 4. Sleeping In An Art Gallery” by CIPAN & The Best Art Show In The Univers.
Refreshments served.

Admission Free

BUYERS' PREVIEW
Buyers interested in a preview of the artworks please come on Wed 3 Feb, 12pm-6pm. Or call Pang at 012-305 1135.

Nasi Baju Rumah | Gallery Opening & Book Launch

2009-12-08T00:57:00.005+08:00

Nasi Baju Rumah

Exhibition and Book Launch
12th December 2009
Central Market Annex
Kuala Lumpur

11am - Launching of exhibition
12pm - Open forum with photographers

works from:
Vignes Balasingam
Rahman Roslan
Adli Ghazali
Khairil "Torque" Jamain

agata

2009-10-16T18:19:00.005+08:00

Taken in Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur at the end of the Asia-Europe Emerging Photographers' Forum.

© Vignes Balasingam
www.vignesbalasingam.com
All rights reserved

Busker in Manali, India

2009-10-14T02:38:00.005+08:00

©Vignes Balasingam. All rights reserved.

She was a busker waiting her turn to take the stage up at the Peace Cafe in Vashisht, Manali. Lots of backpackers frequent this cafe for its music and lovely view of the Himalayas. He friend who came just to support her on takes a forty winks while waiting for her turn behind the mic.

Homelessness Project revealing in Dec 2009

2009-10-09T09:29:00.003+08:00

A coffee table book project on homelessness, in collaboration with Food Not Bombs Malaysia and Amnesty International Malaysia. Book launching on the 9th of December 2009. More details to follow soon.

This photo essay and other submissions for the book will be uploaded here in conjunction with the book launch so please stay tuned.

SIPF 2010 | Call for Submissions

2009-10-05T02:24:00.004+08:00

In 2008, the Singapore International Photography Festival (SIPF) attracted a whopping 6,600 public submissions of photographic work from photographers around the world. 12% of the total submissions were the most outstanding prints, which were shortlisted and exhibited across Singapore. The submissions were not restricted to any fixed subject or theme but selected works were grouped according to various themes by the Festival’s four curators.

Now, the 2nd SIPF 2010 commences with two categories for open call. The open-ended theme category continues with the purpose of unearthing new works and talents. This year’s festival incorporates a brand new themed category titled, ‘HUMAN:NATURE’ to address universal concerns faced by the world. The duality in the theme can be freely interpreted either as ‘Human Nature’ or ‘Human & Nature’. The ‘colon’ represents a relationship and a balanced ratio between Human and Nature. Thematically, this category is an ambitious call for creative interpretation on HUMAN:NATURE.

SIPF 2010 prides itself to be the platform for Southeast Asian photographers to showcase their photography works alongside their international counterparts. For the first time, a solo exhibition will be dedicated to a prominent Southeast Asian (SEA) photographer and audience can expect a showcase highlight of a prominent SEA photographer each biennale.

SIPF programmes & exhibitions will stretch over 30 days from 10 / 10 / 2010. Besides the crucial SEA Emerging Artist series for professionals, SIPF continues to broaden the public appreciation for photography with free public talks, seminar, forum and more.

For the latest information, visit www.sipf.com.sg. Please be reminded that the deadline for open call submission is 31 / 03 / 2010.

* as posted by An Urban Explorer on Flickr

Street portrait taken today

2009-09-25T05:45:00.003+08:00

Taken today on the sidewalk of Jalan P.Ramlee, Kuala Lumpur.

© Vignes Balasingam
www.vignesbalasingam.com
All rights reserved

More than just blog updates

2009-09-21T13:12:00.007+08:00

Kiko and Sada ©Vignes Balasingam

Hello everyone. I thought it may be valuable to point out that if you shift your eyes to the top-right of this page, you'll notice that there are more updates here from me via Twitter.

I've taken much effort to roam the web picking up interesting articles on photography as well as pointing out some pretty good work. Much of what you find in the side bar here is probably not stuff I'd put on the main blog entries, but fits perfectly well up in this corner. You should find lots of good stuff there almost daily. Do feel free to pick up articles, reviews and some great work by some of the most gifted people behind the camera here.

Hope this adds value to your time on my blog. Also if you would just like to read what I've found directly via Twitter, you can always add me up here. Have fun and hope to hear more from you lot.

Cheers!

©Vignes Balasingam
www.vignesbalasingam.com
All rights reserved

the queen of bubbles

2009-09-19T11:57:00.007+08:00

Portrait taken from a party I didnt even plan on going to. This is just a priceless moment. One of those photos that'll bring memories rushing back...

©Vignes Balasingam
All rights reserved

Of Fan Pages and Other Things

2009-09-09T11:45:00.004+08:00

I've always been apprehensive about embracing the latest fad on the internet. After giving it much thought, I've decided to give myself a Fan Page (god forgive me) on Facebook. Though I really wished Facebook called it something other than "Fan" page, I've decided that it may be a good way to communicate with people who use Facebook as their main interface of communication.

I'll be updating everything about my photographic work, whereabouts, news and other bytes on this blog and a newsfeed will also appear on the "Fan" page. Please do add me on. I really look forward to hearing from you and communicating with you.

Now, click here and be instantly transported to Facebook Nirvana!

© Vignes Balasingam
All rights reserved
www.vignesbalasingam.com

Photo Essay : KL Public

2009-08-25T04:38:00.005+08:00

Photograph © Vignes Balasingam

The following works is work-in-progress. I worked on this project to document people and their relationship with space within the public transport system in Kuala Lumpur. As commuters dash back and forth from one place to the next, the idea of public transport is intermediate, uninteresting and fleeting. These photographs seek to reveal all that is lost in the blitz of human traffic, to peel and see beneath the chaos.

Please click to play slideshow

©Vignes Balasingam
www.vignesbalasingam.com
All rights reserved

Vignes Balasingam wins Golden Scarf Award at Foundry 2009

2009-08-15T12:36:00.011+08:00

It came as quite a shock to be honest but yet I was chuffed to have been awarded the Golden Scarf Award at the recent Foundry Photo Journalism Workshop held in Manali, India. A big big thanks to Ron Haviv for your invaluable advice and continuing guidance. Also a big thanks to Jared Moosey for the discussions, points of view and discussions.

Special thanks to Eric Beecroft for the support and this amazing opportunity to attend the workshop. To all the judges: Ron Haviv, Michael Robinson Chavez, Ami Vitale, Tewfic El-Sawy, Henrik Kastenskov, Andrea Bruce, Adrianna Zehbrauskas, Kael Alford and Guy Calaf, thank you for your belief in me. And to Anastasia Taylor-Lind, I love you!

**The winning works Jadugar will be showcased here once I finish the re-edits. Will also be featuring the other winners as well as other interesting works from the workshop. Stay tuned!

©Vignes Balasingam. All rights reserved

Ron Haviv's Class at the Foundry Photojournalism Workshop 2009

2009-08-15T12:11:00.009+08:00

©Vignes Balasingam. All rights reserved

This is our humble little class. Well, I'll just not be so humble right now and say that of the 5 awards at the workshop two of them were clinched by our class. A huge huge thank you to Ron Haviv for his invaluable experience and guidance and knowledge. Its safe to say we've all walked away from this one better people and photographers. Also a big thanks to Jared Moosey for the extra magic throughout the workshop.

My work at the workshop will be featured on the blog just as soon as I'm happy with the edits. I'll also be showcasing works from other photographers from the workshop here so please stay tuned.

Back row: Albina Lebedeva, Rahman Roslan, Anthony O'Brian, (yours truly), Ron Haviv, Syahrin Aziz, Mike, Jared Moosey
Front: Jane Stockdale, Ayush Ranka, Swoan Parker, Samantha, Gianni Giosue, Martyn Aim
Lying down: Mackenzie and Stacey Freudenberg

To the Himalayas

2009-07-09T17:49:00.013+08:00

As monks would journey to Manali for solace and learning, so shall I on my voyage to this holy land to seek learning from the great masters. I will be packing my bags and heading to Manali, Himachal Pradesh in India to attend the Foundry Photo Workshop.

Sitting 7000 feet on the Himalayas, Manali bore witness to the path of the Buddha's teachings and later, the onslaught of Alexander the Great's in 326 BC. It is a land of great beauty and history. Himachal Pradesh neighbours Indian Kashmir to the north, Nepal to its right and Pakistan to the left.

With most of the major details worked out, I've only got the minor bits left. Packing light would be a challenge. My stories for Manali are almost done and I hope that with the last emails coming from my contacts there I'll be able to leave Kuala Lumpur with a good idea of what is in store for me photographically. As for the workshop, I'm not going to anticipate too much. I am very excited to meet my teacher Ron Haviv and I am sure I'm going to come back home with a wider view on things.

I will hope to update the blog with the latest happenings while I am there. I hope to share some of my adventures through photographs and words but I'm not sure if I'll have any time to do so. It may be easier to instead twitter to update my status while I'm on the workshop. But rest assure, there'll be some fantastic posts once I get a bit of time to myself so do stay tuned. If funds are sufficient, I may stay on and take in a little more of this vast sub-continent. I will see you all when I get back.

ps: There is an update on my Twitter messages on the side-bar of this blog. Do keep an eye on it.

Nathalie Belayche writes on ASEF Photographers' Forum

2009-07-01T10:50:00.013+08:00

Photo ©Nguyen Thanh Hai @Maika

I've managed to find Nathalie Belayche's write up on the Asia-Europe Emerging Photographers' Forum that went on in May of 2009, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I could write a thousand things about it but I thought it was interesting to be able to see the project through the eyes of one of the facilitators/curators first. I'll begin my thousand word essay on ASEF as soon as I can.

Her post on Food for Your Eyes is here

Nathalie Belayche
Nathalie Belayche is the founder and curator of Food For Your Eyes's photo projects. She also works as a picture editor and collaborates on photo book with publishers and artists. As an agent, she collaborates with selected photographers on specific projects for funding and exhibitions opportunities as well. She could offer consultancy and advising photographers on editing and marketting their work. Nathalie Belayche participates on several portfolio- review and jury including Rhubarb-Rhubarb, Thessaloniki Photo Biennale, Month of Photography in Vienna, Photolucida's Critical Mass, Px3.

24 KL Photo-essays from KLue's Urbanscapes

2009-06-30T12:40:00.013+08:00

I recently curated 24 Hour KL, a full multimedia photography showcase for KLickr at KLue's Urbanscapes 2009 art festival, at the Kuala Lumpur Performaing Arts Centre (KLPac). The participation from this project were exclusively non-professional photography enthusiasts living in Kuala Lumpur.

The objective of the project was for each photographer to document the lives of other KL-ites at work. The outcome of this project was to bring a greater awareness and appreciation to the lives of countless city dwellers who's trades and professions often go unnoticed and whom without, KL City would be less vibrant and eventually grind to a halt.

24 Hour KL is a project about KL-ites, by KL-ites. It is a social-photo-documentary project which encourages public participation within their society through photography.

Watch the video in full screen and by clicking the Full-screen button (the one with the four arrows pointing outward). Allow for the entire video to finish streaming before watching for an uninterrupted experience.

Credits
Curator: Vignes Balasingam
Writer & Multimedia: Shafina Sheridan

Participating Photographers:
Ahmed Arup Kamal, Adi Arfan Mikhail, Shafina Sheridan, Raja Indra Putra, Nagendran Sandraprakasam, Azalia Suhaimi, Izwan Karim, Magnus Azami Rahman, Faz Kamaruddin, Prakash Daniel, Javad Tizmaghz

Old Dog, New Face

2009-06-29T13:53:00.009+08:00

©Vignes Balasingam

After having this blog for ages I've finally gotten down to giving it a well overdue facelift. I hope that the new look and feel gives you a better viewing and reading experience. As this blog is RSSed to my Facebook account and many of you read my posts via Facebook, I am hoping that the new blog layout would entice you to come directly to the blog and experience the posts sans the crappy job Facebook does with recompressing the photos.

More than just cosmetic surgery on this blog, I'm going to be writing more here from now on so do keep your eyes peeled for updates via RSS or Twitter. And of course, I'd love to hear what you have to say so do post your comments and I'll try to reply as best I can.

See ya soon!

A Conspiracy

2009-06-29T03:12:00.009+08:00

©Vignes Balasingam

I always knew there was a little more to my life than what had been revealed to me.

Follow me on Twitter

Long Live the King!

2009-06-26T08:45:00.003+08:00

It brought me great despair to be woken up this morning by an SMS from a dear friend which read: "26/6 Mulitple award winning pop giant Michael Jackson, 50, dies in LA hospital". This is the guy I grew up listening to, wanting to be, in a lot of ways formed a huge part in my musical wealth. I think what saddens me the most is that I feel it was this world that wore him out; all those horrible things said by many- me, you and the media. Many people will not have the chance to reconcile with him and themselves now that he's gone. Hopefully the media may have taken its last bite out of the poor fella now that he's gone. I hope in his passing, he will really be left alone in peace. Hey but still, there is still money to be made from milking out this story.

Michael Jackson is to me what he was to every kid who had the opportunity to remember the 80s. He was a legend, an icon, he was what was played on our radio, tapes, and when those were silenced, he played on in our heads and hearts.

You will be sorely missed.

Image is a direct link from Magnum Photos. ©Hiroji Kubota/Magnum Photos

Twitter Me!

2009-06-11T12:12:00.006+08:00

Hey people, I've succumbed and given in to the Twitter fever. Am mainly gonna post up photography related stuff, weblinks, etc. So this would be a good twitter to follow if you want to know what's going on in the world of photography.

click here to follow me on twitter

.

AIM 16 : Best Album Cover : Remain Unknown, Estranged

2009-05-02T10:41:00.012+08:00

Me and the band right after the award ceremony. Rich couldn't make it as he was back in Kota Kinabalu getting used to being a daddy. Congratulations, mate!

Clinched the Anugerah Industri Muzik (AIM) (Malaysia Music Industry Awards) awards for Best Album Design last night during the technical awards presentation for my work on Estranged's latest full-length studio album release, Remain Unknown.

I would like to thank Estranged for giving me this opportunity to work with them and the creative freedom to realise this album. You have been great to work and hang around with. Its been good fun! Also special thanks to Vinder Singh who also was instrumental in getting me to work on the album. You believed in me, man! Thank you MC for all the liaising, phone calls, reminders, technical work, etc. To Marjorie Gabriel and Corrine, thanks so much for 'fixing' me with Yam Kokok and the Temuan people of Kampung Pertak. Dhiya Izwin for your creativity and hard work on the band's makeup and wardrobe. You are magic!

To the Academy, thank you for taking a 'risk' with my work. I know its not the 'safest' piece of work in the local music industry but I'm glad that you support the cause and the message in the work to have awarded me this!

Thank you Nathrah for believing in me, and standing by me through thick and thin. No person has been more fortunate enough as I have been. To my family- my parents, Ramaesh and uncle Padma, thank you for your support throughout my life. For my mother who has given me everything and more in life. I wont be half this man if it was not for you. I love you.

This album artwork is dedicated to the Temuan people of Kampung Pertak for their long hard struggle to keep their identity and way of life. May we take steps forward with our own two feet to work towards a One Malaysia, where we will all be treated equally, with equal rights to enjoy the bounty of this blessed land.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Sincerely,

vignes balasingam

[edit] Here are some photos from the main event!

With Estranged at the after event party

Backstage with Fly, Nur and Nat

Hunny Madu!

With Amir Hafzan and Benny

Obama!

2009-04-30T14:08:00.005+08:00

This image's original source is here.
© of this image is owned by the owner of this photograph.
Used under the CC License.

The ASEF 2009 Photographers Announced

2009-04-20T22:34:00.009+08:00

©Vignes Balasingam

Hello everyone. Its finally out. Here are the 20 odd photographers shortlisted for the Asia-Europe Creative Economies Forum. Yours truly included!

TAMMY DAVID - Philipines
SIDDHARTH JAIN - India
ANASTASIA TAYLOR-LIND - United Kingdom
IVOR PRICKETT- Ireland
JÖRG BRÜGGEMANN - Germany
RAFALEA PERSSON - Sweeden
FERNANDO IZQUIREDO - Spain
AGATA MARZECOVA - Slovakia
ASSADA PORANANOND - Thailand
ERNA DYANTY - Malaysia
ZIYUAN WANG - China
VIGNES BALASINGAM - Malaysia
AGUNG NUGROHO WIDHI - Indonesia
KERSTIN DUELL - Germany
ZHOU RENHUI - Singapore
AMIT MADHESHIYA - India
ANGARAG DAVAASUREN - Mongolia
ALEX WONG - Malaysia
NGUEN THAN HAI "Maika" - Vietnam
MARKEL REDONDO - Spain
ADAM ADAMUS - Poland
AHMET POLAT - Netherlands
THY HEANG - Cambodia

To see the entire list of photographers and with their biographies, click here

©Vignes Balasingam. All rights reserved. For use of this image please contact the photographer directly at www.vignesbalasingam.com

.

Creative Economies, Asia-Europe Emerging Photographers' Forum

2009-04-04T10:26:00.008+08:00

I've been selected to participate on the Asia-Europe Emerging Photographers' Forum for 2009. I'll be working alongside 20 photographers from all over the world on the theme of Creative Economies. Most of the forum will be online beginning very soon and there'll be a week-long series of lectures and workshops in KL between the photographers and speakers Peter Bialobrzeski, Photographer and Professor for Photography, University of the Arts, Bremen, (Germany), Shahidul Alam (Bangladesh), Director of “Chobi Mela” - International Festival of Photography, Alex Moh (Malaysia) initiator of the Kuala Lumpur International Biennale and Yee I- Lann (Malaysia) multimedia artist and many more.

More information about the on-goings will be published here so stay tuned!

©2009 Vignes Balasingam
www.vignesbalasingam.com
All rights reserved

nomination of "best album artwork" at the 16th AIM!

2009-04-04T10:10:00.008+08:00

My photography and album design/concept for Estranged's Remain Unknown has been nominated for the category of Best Album Artwork at the 16th AIM (Malaysian Music Industry Awards) for 2009. Everything about the album artwork and my story with Estranged can be found at this post. Stay tuned for the results!

©2009 Vignes Balasingam
www.vignesbalasingam.com
All rights reserved

exhibition : six degrees of separation

2009-04-04T10:03:00.005+08:00

I've been a part of a small exhibition at Cap Square in conjunction with the KL Design Week 2009. Six of my photographs are showing at Cap Square till the 4th of April 2009 alongside 11 other photographers. Come see!

For those of you who miss it, there will be an online presence coming soon here: http://klickr.org/sixdegrees/

©2009 Vignes Balasingam
www.vignesbalasingam.com
All rights reserved

remain unknown : poster

2009-02-10T09:54:00.000+08:00

Estranged's Remain Unknown

2008-10-18T01:57:00.018+08:00

Estranged's second studio album Remain Unknown hit the stores on 13th October 2008. This is probably the only place you will find access to the photographs and information on the concept and formulation of ideas that led to the visual direction of the album. Hello, my name is Vignes Balasingam and this is my work with Estranged.

I have been photographing Estranged for the last two and a half years and its been nothing short of exiting. Shooting everything from publicity material, behind the scenes footage and of late material for the album as been a creative process in making photographs which said something about the band but at the same time find new and creative ways of doing this.

Remain Unknown
The creative process of this album came in many shapes and forms. There were so many sketches, ideas and research material that was spent on coming up with a solid concept that would compliment the musical direction as well as the band's vision and personality.

The first thing I ever did on this album was to sit down to find out what sort of ideas the band had for the album. It was basically a set of discussions and interviews to gather ideas, visions, key words, exchange image ideas and photographic concepts. We also spent a lot of time listening to the music for it was really in the music that the entire concept would reside. I told myself that the concept was already there, I just had to find it.

Ideas
Once we had looked through a bunch of sample photographs and had pages of words and sketches, we had a rough direction to work toward. However it was just a creative spurt that got me linking the works in the album to the visuals I saw in my head.

The plight of the Orang Asli has always been something that has been a part of my earliest memories as a young adult. The case of the Sungai Selangor dam and how it unjustly displaced two villages of Orang Asli was one of my first lessons in learning about social oppression and selective justice.

Very quickly I realised that this was a great opportunity to highlight a huge social issue that plagues our nation- the rights of the indigenous people, or better known as the Orang Asal* of Malaysia. I shot the idea across to the band and they loved it very much as it sat with their social consciousness and the musical direction of the album.

*the term Orang Asal refers to the collective indigenous peoples of Malaysia which include all the Asli tribes of the peninsula and its accompanying islands and the indigenous people of Sabah and Sarawak.

The Concept
Having a clearer direction, I began to develop the idea of the plight of the Orang Asal. I needed an iconic figure that represented the oppression these people have suffered over hundreds of years as well as a face that stood bravely against this oppression. Then one man I knew little about was the ex-Batin of Kampung Pertak; a man called Yam Kokok. I began researching deeper into his life through the world wide web and through people who knew him.

I had sketched out my album cover ideas and presented it to the band. The ideas were tossed around for quite a bit until we were sure that this was going to be it. The concept was to basically photograph Yam Kokok with the Selangor Dam in the background. I had also decided to do things very differently from how a music album is shot. I wanted the photography to be a piece of conceptual art that was shot in a journalistic style. I really wanted to stay away from clean images, glossy finishing and the other disgusting elements of commercial work. The band couldn't agree more. We were gonna have textured paper...!

The valley which the Selangor Dam was built upon was the ancestral land of the people at Kampung Pertak. They had been evicted and the entire valley that was theirs for eons was dammed up and flooded with fresh water. The land which defined who they were was submerged in water. Their ancestral burial sites, hunting grounds, all the local knowledge they amassed over generations, way of life and their very identity was gone in one clean sweep.

Unfortunately for me, when I went on my recce for the shoot I was told that my protagonist would not be available for various reasons. Cutting back on my losses, I went to visit another young man who agreed to work with me on the album. We set dates and a time that he will be free. I'd have to make that 1.5 hour drive back here again in about a week. Things were looking great and I was happy.

As luck would have it, he never showed up on the day of the shoot as he had to be at work. I was in a fix and had to sort this issue out the best I could. Two friends who live near the village and who are friends with the people there helped me out and sooner than I expected, they had gotten Yam Kokok to agree on being photographed. "Come back at 2pm", his wife said. He had gone out for the day. I looked up at the 11am sky and was wondering what would this mean for me. Changing light as the sun fell. I should've had a backup location! Damnit...

Yam Kokok showed up right on time and we spoke with him. He agreed to do it. My initial plan was back in effect. We took a quick drive to the location and my worry became even more real. The location that I planned to shoot at became severely backlit with the falling sun and I had to quickly find another spot along the dam to make a few frames before the light became less workable. I found a location a few kilometers down the dam where we'd get some wicked side lighting and began to set up. I took some meter readings and shot on my digital camera for framing and also looking at how the light was going to look like.

I quickly set up the film camera and loaded the backs with two types of film: Ilford XP2 black and white film at ISO 400 and Fujifilm Velvia 50 transparency film. The transparencies were for my personal work. I was shooting the album cover in B&W.

I found an interesting part of the landscape to place Yam Kokok against and made about 48 exposures. All I needed was one strong image. We wrapped up the shoot within the hour and we were off to the banana leaf restaurant in town for some icy cold drinks. Shooting on film is unnerving in the sense that if you didnt get the shot there is no way of knowing until the material got developed. Its also fun in that way...

Expanding the Ideas
After getting the photos back from the lab and deciding on the photograph for the album cover I had to expand the other ideas and concepts of the music and lyrics to more visuals. I came up with a great visual idea and some interesting examples for the album inserts, CD tray, album inner and band photo.

The next thing we shot was the band photo which was done underwater. Surprise! There is a strong correlation of this photograph to that of the album cover. I'll just let you decide on what that may be. Dhiya Izwin did a great job with the makeup on that shoot. We used this compact camera in an underwater housing. The external strobe had broken so we just had to go with the built in flash. It turned out pretty well. Its unfortunate that it doesn't show up very well on the album artwork as its masked by the CD tray.

The four album inserts were the hardest to produce. I had gone into an extended creative blank and that process just seemed to take forever to materialise. If there is a lesson to take from that experience is never give up trying even in creative dead zones. Something will eventually give if you push hard and consistently enough. If not for the everyday slaving on paper, I don't think I would have gotten anything out in time for the album release. Hanafi played a crucial role at the point of my bleakness. He came up with some great ideas that I contracted to make it fit the time, resource and budget limits we were working with. The four cards have very similar ideas put across to the listener and viewer. It would be interesting for the band and myself to see what you take away from all this.

End Note
The band and I have decided that we shall not be discussing much about the other content of the visuals at this point. It is very important to us that you to listen to the music and decide what the other photographs mean to you. Each photograph has been carefully chosen to render ideas on certain issues. Its really up to you to decipher what is going on with them. From the information that I've released so far about the issue of social repression and injustice represented through the album cover, one can safely say that the rest of the images lean toward your own quiet introspection.

Cover Analysis

I superimposed a plot of forest to the bottom left of the album cover which tries to evoke a sense of what the Temuan people's ancestral land once was before the Selangor Dam project. The land that was robbed from them by the powers that be. This addition is the only element that takes this artwork out of the photojournalistic criteria and into the scape of art.

Special Thanks
I'd like to extend my special thanks to Marge and Corrine for all their knowledge and help with the logistics of the shoot. Poon Pok Lii and Lee Chung Ming for their time to drive me up and down and wait for me tirelessly as I worked. Alan Ng for all your expertise and knowledge in and out of the darkroom. Nadirah Zakariya and Evelyn Lim for your artistic talents, ideas and keen eyes. Yam Kokok and the people at Kampung Pertak for their courage and resilience- you are model citizens to us all. And finally to Estranged, Vinder and MC. You guys take the cake as the maddest and best people to work with. When I started this project I had no idea that my work was gonna be encapsulating such an amazing record. I'm even more pleased now that it has. See you on the road!

News

Excerpts from a letter by Batin Bida Chik to the Prime Minister
2005
Courtesy of Aliran Monthly Vol 25 (2005): Issue 5

Weblinks
Please visit these websites and find out how you can do your part to support:
• Centre For Orang Asli Concerns
• Jaringan Orang Asal Se-Malaysia

Related Links
• Estranged's blog here.
• My website at www.vignesbalasingam.com

©2008 Vignes Balasingam
www.vignesbalasingam.com
All rights reserved

Vote for me on JPG mag ! ! !

2008-09-22T11:20:00.004+08:00

I've submitted another image to JPG Mag for their Issue 19 on the topic of Faith. If you like to see this photograph on Issue 19 of JPG Mag, please vote for it and give a comment. Its the only way its gonna make publication. I thank you in advance!
This is the link to view and vote: click here

About the photograph:

Thaipusam is a festival that has its roots in Hinduism. Many devotees fast for an entire month, eating nothing but fruit, vegetables, milk and water. Devotees stay away from onions and garlic as it is believed to have mild aphrodisiac qualities.

This man here is being restrained by sex men at the other end of the ropes. Stainless steel hooks pierce his body as part of a vow he has made. People in this state of trance seem to display super human ability to withstand pain and acquire great strength. Thaipusam in Kuala Lumpur attracts as many as 2 million devotees and visitors a year. It is really something to behold.

©2008 Vignes Balasingam
www.vignesbalasingam.com
All rights reserved

I'm on Spotlight Seven

2008-09-15T15:31:00.009+08:00

Dear friends,

I've been recently invited to the prestigious Spotlight Seven as a featured artist photographer. There is also an interview about myself and my points of view there. Please follow the link here and go over to my feature online gallery and interview on Spotlight Seven.

Do leave a comment there (or here if you dont have a Flickr account)

Cheers!

interview and curator: Eamon Lane

©2008 Vignes Balasingam
www.vignesbalasingam.com
All rights reserved

estranged : the remain unknown sessions

2008-07-17T12:23:00.010+08:00

sakura drops : at the fiddlers elbow, london

2008-01-10T02:46:00.000+08:00

Man, its been a while that I shot underground show. And how I miss that raw energy just compacted into a small venue. This set is the most recent gig I went for. The band: Sakura Drops. They played a 45 minute set alongside 4 other bands. Headlining the show were none other than Psychedelic rock band Ahymsa (I'll be posting some stuff on Ahymsa later on).

Both bands are based in London and played awesome sets at the Fiddler's Elbow. I cant seem to remember the names of the first and third band that played, but man were the third band super annoying. Put together mommy's boys wannabe rockers with a lot of cash to load off on gear and a mule trying to stuff its head up its own arse and you get that band! That dreaded third band. For the record, Sakura Drops played second and Ahymsa played last.

OK, enough jabbering. Enjoy the photos.

The links to both bands have been embedded with the band names so make sure you click em and find out more about them!

www.vignesbalasingam.com

one night stand

2007-12-03T03:32:00.000+08:00

Hey folks, here's yet another set of photos taken under a week ago at the Rozhan Razman : One Night Stand gig at Bangkok Jazz. As whenever Rozhan comes back from Berklee, he always puts up a show. This time was no different yet it was unique. His girlfriend, Rie Tsuji, a phenomenal keyboardist played with him at the show. Unique because this is the first time he's playing with her in Kuala Lumpur. Onstage with him was the mighty John Thomas on drums and funkmeister Wan Gigi on the guitar.

And another interesting bit of trivia is that this is one show where I almost took nothing digital. Everything posted here was taken with the FM2n on Ilford HP5+ and Kodak TMax 400. The shots from the rehearsals were on the HP5+ at normal ratings. Everything else was pushed to ISO 1600. All film was develop in Kodak's D76, a standard developer that has been used for decades. The approach to this set of photographs had a very personal approach to it as well. Rozhan is like one of my best buddies. John and Gigi I've known for ages and have become really good friends with. And Rie is someone I've just met and already she's grown on me. These photos are really photographs of a great band and a document of one hell of a show. At the same time, these photographs are also a document of people I've grown to love and have in some way or other helped define the person I am. Here's to concert photography and a salute to friends.

©2007 Vignes Balasingam
www.vignesbalasingam.com
All rights reserved.

the otherside orchestera : a chromatic experience

2007-11-14T23:46:00.000+08:00

Here are some photographs from a gig at the Annexe just last weekend. This set showcases a band that's got me really excited about the underground scene again. They call themselves the Otherside Orchestera. From swirling sounds and lights, vocals which soared over the music and music that just made me feel like I was spinning round in a 70s discotheque, this band knows how to trip you out. My advice is for all of you who have not checked them out to do so. These fellas are awesome. And clearly, the music of this wonderful band had influenced how I photographed that evening.

developing balck & white film

2007-11-14T22:34:00.001+08:00

The following material is the intellectual property of Vignes Balasingam. All rights reserved

Hello all, here's something for all you fellas out there who are thinking about developing your own black and white film at home. Is it posssible? Sure it is... Here are a few quick steps to getting what you want done. Its no definitive guide to anything but just how I get my B&W negs out.

OK, Picture numero uno shows the development tank. Here is where all the chemicals are poured and mixed with the film to produce film that is developed. I have numbered the suckers so it'll be easier for you to understand:

1. Development tank
Here is where the film is loaded, sealed and the chemicals is poured into, mixed and poured out again

2. Tank Lid
This lid has to be closed after the film is loaded onto the reels while still inside the changing bag. Once this lid is screwed in the tank (with the film inside) can be removed from the changing bag. The magical thing about this lid is allows chemicals to be poured in through the top BUT doesnt let any light enter. It is truly a magical lid, no?

3. Agitation Lid
This lid goes on so that the chemicals dont spill out when the tank is turned upside down during agitation of chemicals. More on this later.

4. Reel Holder
The reels are loaded onto this holder and lowered into the tank. It holds the reels in place. There'll be a pic of the loaded reels later.

5. Reels (also called spirals)
Film is loaded onto the reels in the changing bag. The film is basically threaded throught the wheel so that the surfaces of the film dont make contact with each other and allows the chemicals to flow on the entire surface of the film uninterrupted.

The reels set on the reel holder and sitting in the tank

The Magic Lid- Once secured the lid prevents any light from going in but allows for chemicals to be poured into its spout

Putting It Together
So now you know how all this works I'll take you back to how all of this is done step by step. First one needs to pull the leader bit of the film out of the film cartridge. How? Simple. By using a film picker. A film picker slides itself into the cartridge and pulls out the leader. Something like a piece of film is inserted into the cartridge. Then slider 1 is pushed in (the direction of the red arrow). Then the spool of the cartridge (A) is wound till a click is heard. Then slider 2 is pushed in as well. Once that's done, both sliders are pulled back revealing just the tip of the film. Clever huh?

Film picker and a fully-wound cartridge

With that done, we now need to fill the Changing Bag with the tank and all its components, film to be developed and a pair of scissors. The film has to be coaxed into the spool. Once its in, the spool is twisted back and forth. This action sends the film through the grooves of the spool. Once all the film is in the spool, the film is cut off from the cartridge.

This is the changing bag. Its basically shaped like a huge tee shitr. You load the gear throught the double zips and slip your hands into the "sleeves" to start working on loading the film into the tank

This is a view inside a changing bag. Once the film is loaded on the reel it is cut off at the extreme edge. The reel is then loaded onto the reel holder and sealed in the tank. Only after its sealed in the tank can the tank be removed from the changing bag

Small ball bearings are set in tiny grooves which helps thread the film in and disallows the film from reeling back out

So, once the film has been loaded on the spirals and sealed in the tank, it can be removed from the changing bag into normal light. The next thing that needs doing is the mixing of chemicals. Essentially there are 3 chemicals that need to be prepared for the mixing process. They are:

1. Developer- this is the chemical that develops the film- taking it from its light sensitive form to a medium that reveals the photos you have taken. This chemical is mixed acording to the size of the tank. Its always 4 parts water to 1 part developer.

2. Fixer- Because the elements which form the image on the film base is metal shavings, a fixer is required to "fix" the metal and protect it from oxidation. The ratio for this chemical to water is also 1:4.

3. Wetting Agent- Once the developing and fixing process is done, the film is hung to dry. As you can imagine, water trickling down the hanging film can cause water marks and will appear when the film is scanned or developed into photos. To solve this, a wetting agent is used. It basically speeds up the drying and doesnt allow water to form streaks or droplets on the film. This chemical is mixed with water 1:250. Yes, very little of this chemical is used.

From left to right: Wetting Agent, Fixer and Developer

The Process
Now you know the functions of different things, here's how the processing is done. I'm writing it in point form so that I dont lose you.

Preparation
The size of my tank is 650ml. This means that I have to fill 650ml into 4 parts water and 1 part chemicals. I use measuring cups to measure this. One measuring cup will have my developer/water mix and the other measuring cup will hold the fixer/water mix.

These chemicals need to be cooled to 20˚C before the process can start so I dip the measuring cups into a tub of water and ice till I get the right temperature. This usually takes about 15 minutes to achieve. Once the temperature is right, the developer gets poured into the tank and sealed.

Measuring jars, thermometer, syringe and red ice cream tubs used to cool the measuring jars with ice and water

Development
Development for each type of film will be different than the other so do please check the film box for recommendations. For example, development time for Ilford HP5 Plus (ISO 400) film is 9 minutes. The tank needs to be agitated every minute for 10 seconds to make sure the water and chemical mix is even. Once this is done, the developer is poured back into the measuring jar and the tank is rinsed till all traces of developer is gone.

The same process is repeated for the fixer but this process only takes not more than 5 minutes.

Once that is done, the tank is flushed with water to remove all traces of the fixer. The film is then lowered into the wetting agent and rinsed casually and then its hung up to dry.

All chemicals are disposed off into the toilet where the sewerage management system breaks it down into harmless byproducts. I'm still skeptical about this though...

After a couple of hours of thorough drying the film is cut into strips of 6 frames and slotted into a sleeve. And that's that, people. Hope it wasnt too technical. Its actually quite easy. It was just something I wanted to share with you. Just so you know it took me much longer to get this post done than it was to develop 2 rolls of film :)

Hope you have a good time trying this out. Remember, the development times and agitation times can be modified to suit your taste in the final outcome. This will take some pracitse and know how. You will learn what works for you and the sorts of film you use. Keep experimenting with that and you'll get some pretty nifty results. Cheers!

©2007 Vignes Balasingam
www.vignesbalasingam.com
All rights reserved

beyonce : live in bangkok

2007-11-04T13:39:00.001+08:00

Hey people. I know its taken me quite a while to update the blog. My apologies. Its just that things have been rather manic over here the last month or so. Photography has been great nonetheless. Because of the abundant work, I've been unable to attend quite a few shows locally. That's been a real bummer.

But on the upside, I made a trip up to Bangkok, Thailand to check out Beyonce's concert at the Impact Arena. I'll be honest here, I've never been a Beyonce fan. I had some other matters to look into which is why I went in the first place. And as the value of contacts go, I had landed myself a free ticket to the show. Little did I know that the ticket I was given was a front row seat. I was estatic! And as things seemed like it was rolling smoothly along, me and my nikon DSLR got found. I had to ditch it before entering the arena. Bummer! Major bummer.

These photos were taken on a Panasonic point and shoot camera. A kind friend who managed to smuggle it in passed it to me and I made like 100 photos before the battery died. And that was halfway throught the show. I was gutted. The good thing is that I had already made some great photos before tragedy struck. Here are just some of them. Hope that will keep you folks busy for a while.

Confession: The moment Beyonce took stage I knew I was going to become a fan. She has a magnetic personality and her virtuosity cannot be overlooked. Beyonce is really pure talent. Now I know why she gets the hype she gets. She is really a genius with a face of an angel.

I'd like to extend special thanks to Rie Tsuji for getting me the amazing amazing ticket. You are all hearts, Rie. Have fun on the rest of the tour and I'll hope to see you soon :)

Also thanks to Apsara Menon for the camera for without it these photos could have not been made :)

©2007 Vignes Balasingam

©2007 Vignes Balasingam
www.vignesbalasingam.com
All rights reserved. Any use of these photographs are prohibited entirely

richeal of estranged

2007-10-15T12:27:00.000+08:00

Portrait of Richeal Gimbang. This shot was taken during a recent band photoshoot commisioned by Estranged. This is not a posed shot, rather something I took while the band was taking a breather from a very very hot morning shoot. Richeal seemed in a contemplative mood and rather unaware of me. I was able to sneak up and just trip one exposure. Magic!

The rest of the photos will be uploaded here once the band is comfortable with my selections so please keep watching the blog for the updates. For more infromation on the band you can search here and here

Mamiya 645, 85/2.8
Ilford HP5+
Kodak D76

©2007 Vignes Balasingam
www.vignesbalasingam.com
All rights reserved.

rendra zawawi : bangkok jazz

2007-10-15T12:12:00.000+08:00

After a few times eyeballing Rendra at parties and other gigs (and even watched do some street-magician tricks), I finally met him at Bangkok Jazz for the first time over soundcheck at his show. I was doing the sound for him and sneaked in a few shots of his band during rehearsals. One of the unique things about being a photographer and a sound engineer is that I have access to band practises and sound checks. These are moments when the musicians are really themselves. Its also very likely that I get some real unique shots of the band as well as most photographers only get stuff when the band is performing. This is one such photo.

Taken on Ilford HP5+ film, this shot is a photo of the band rehearsing after the soundcheck. I just love the raw feel of film and how it translates expressions, emotions and light. I'm using a really old film scanner which doesnt seem to handle highlights too well thus the image is blown severely. Oh well, thats just that till I get a better film scanner.

Nikon FM2n, 35/2.8
Ilford HP5+ at ISO1600
Ilford DDX

©2007 Vignes Balasingam
www.vignesbalasingam.com
All rights reserved

shakti : a journey of mind, body and soul

2007-09-04T10:21:00.000+08:00

I have been a huge fan of Mahavishnu Orchestra since I began music college. There was always something etheral about what they did and how they did it. After going through all the albums, I found out about John McLaughlin's solo projects and eventually Shakti. I had gotten the live album with Zakir Hussain, L. Shankar and Tikku. It totally belw me away. Shakti was really what got me into Indian Classical music. Later on I've had the opportunity to research on various styles of this genre of music and got really into stuff from Ali Akhbar Khan and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. I never looked back since.

The above concert was at The Putra World Trade Centre on the 13th of June 2007. Of course photography was disallowed but this one's for my personal collection. A reminder to myself of the most amazing musical experience of my life.

Onstage: Zakir Hussain, U. Shrinivas, Shankar Mahadevan, John McLaughlin and Selvaganesh Vinayakram

Taken with a Nikkor AF-S 70-200mm f/2.8 VR lens on a Nikon D200

©2007 Vignes Balasingam. All rights reserved.
www.vignesbalasingam.com

auburn : album launch

2007-08-29T18:53:00.000+08:00

This are a few photos from my archive. I was invited by Izuan of Auburn to their showcase and album launch at KL Jam Asia. As I had never heard the band play I had no idea what to expect really. I arrived just as their show started and realised I had missed Plush who opened for them. I had no idea that there was an opening act. Armed with just one camera and lens I began to quickly realise the lack of spread on a 50mm at such a intimate venue. But as always, limitations are the catalyst of new ideas. I ended up with a collection of photos with severe cropping of heads and what nots. Very cool!

After listening to Auburn, I must say that I love the sonic scapes that this band cleverly churns out. I'm almost convinced!

Visit www.myspace.com/auburnangels for a listen.

©2007 Vignes Balasingam. All rights reserved.
www.vignesbalasingam.com

Izwin : Magician Extraordinaire

2007-08-21T03:38:00.000+08:00

There's been a lot of talk about this lady on my blog. She's the one that makes my ideas come true. And when ideas on my end are dry, she always has some to spare. This is the talented, creative and awesome Dhiya Izwin- make up artist and stylist extraordinare!

I've been working with Izwin only recently and I must say its been a great experience. A great sounding board and inspiration. You will be seeing more work from her on my future shoots so stay tuned. We've already got some slick work planned in the pipeline. Do check her makeup and styling blog out here: www.xanga.com/dhiyaizwin She's got all the styling and makeup details of the Tempered Mental & Estranged shoots there so go take a read. Awesome stuff for sure!

©2007 Vignes Balasingam. All rights reserved.
www.vignesbalasingam.com

Shooting The Underground

2007-08-19T23:14:00.000+08:00

I just had a request through my myspace site by a girl who wanted some tips on shooting a live concert. I told her instead of a reply, I'll post something up here for her and whoever that may find some use from this writing. So here goes.

As with all things, lets start with objectives. Big qusetions: Why are you shooting this show? What will it be used for? What do you want to capture? These are things that need answering first. Once you know why you are shooting what you are shooting then the next thing is to find out a little more about the venue. You will need to know a little about the lighting of the stage, available areas to stand and shoot. What will the crowd be like?

With that you will need to decide what you want to take. There are many different aspects to a gig. You could photograph the band on stage, during preparations backstage, autograph session, the roadies, the gear, fans, the mosh, lighting, the environment, expressions and the list goes on. Decide what different things you want to shoot and which areas gets most emphasis. It would be a good idea to know the the bands and their songs. Going to a couple of their other gigs to learn about their stage and off stage habits will help.

Once you know what you are going to shoot, you'll have to decide on the kind of gear you want to use to shoot these shows- from cameras to memory cards. My advice is to get a couple of fast lenses- these are lenses with large apertures. For small venues, I use a wide and a standard prime. For concerts, I always carry a 200mm lens with me. I carry one speedlight and 5GB of memory cards or loads of film. I need a lot of memory because I shot RAW files. I shoot about 3 rolls of film per show. Plus lots of battery. Its best to pack light as you will be having to squeeze in really tight spots at time.

You will be shooting in low light conditions make sure that you select high ISO settings or film. ISO800 should be a good film for live shows with a lot of stage lights. If you are shooting at venues like Paul's Place, you may need to go to ISO1600. You must also think about white balance. Use both daylight and tungsten-balanced films and settings. These render different effects and you will need to experiment to get it right.

As for cameras, any (d)SLR would work. Rangefinders are also great for small gigs. Compact cameras (P&S cameras) are not ideal but workable with some creativity. Best luck is with compacts which give you shutter and aperture controls.

Knowing the concert promoters, venue owners and bands will get you into the front row faster than you can say Dave Mustaine. These people are important and working with them is a big part of concet photography.

Do observe the things that you should not be doing. Firstly do not obstruct the crowd when shooting. They are all big fans of the band and came to have a good time. Dont spoil it for them. Secondly, as much as possible, do not use flash photography. I have played onstage before and having the flash from photographers in my eyes wasnt quite as fun. If you have to use flash, make sure you are using high ISO speeds so that your flash will only fire small amounts of light. Still, keep flash work to an absolute minimum. Third, you may be shooting with other photographers. Share your space and angles with them. Everyone is trying to get a good shot. Share your space and others will share with you. Dont be a camera snob. Dont intrude onstage before asking the band. The stage is theirs, not yours. You may trip on a cable and disconnect their guitar cable or fuse their power amp. They will hate you forever and never let you photograph them. Number four: dont "machine gun" a show. Shoot only what is necessary. That way you wont be in the way of the band & crowd and you will have enough memory/film to last you the whole night. I'll let you work out the rest. As a guide, dont be an asshole and you'll be fine.

Finally, the most important aspect of shooting anything is creativity. To be creative you will need to know your camera well. You will need to plan, prepare and let your imagination go wild. Look at lots of concert photos taken from the 1940s- 1980s. Learn from the great photographs taken by folks like Ross Halfin and Robert Massie.

There's an interesting article written on the same topic here: http://photo.net/learn/concerts/mirarchi/concer_i
Also check out this fella: http://www.gratefuljoe.com/

©2007 Vignes Balasingam. All rights reserved.
www.vignesbalasingam.com

Retrospect : Estranged Photoshoot

2007-08-14T11:22:00.001+08:00

©Vignes Balasingam

There are very few song that has managed to glue itself in my head faster than Itu Kamu. You gotta respect any band who can belt out a good metal tune and at the same time write a wonderful pop ballad. One other band is Extreme. You know?... the guys who wrote More Than Words? Not the bloody boy band that sang it later.

Point is, I like these fellas. They are who they are and aren't snooty Rock & Roll posers. Doing what you have to is never easy. Hats off to these fellas for being themselves- that takes some real guts!

When Hanafi approached me to do a promo shoot for the band I was as happy as a puppy! I came up with a concept and presented it to the band and they were happy with it. After all the discussions, we ended up having a lot more ideas for possible shoots in the future for Estranged. Nice!

Dhiya Izwin is agian the lady with the style and ideas. I basically said I wanted to feature Din in the center of the frame sporting a singlet and a ciggie. That was it! I hadnt thought about anything or anyone else. It was Izwin who made the visualisation happen- from concept to end product. But then again, I explained the art direction to her and she knew how to work it. Trust is very important. Izwin also worked the makeup and hair. Yes, everybody wears makeup for shoots- and we're just not talking about Mötley Crüe and Alice Cooper here!

I handled location as well. I had previously been to this part of Taman Tun Dr Ismail and remembered it for its clean and non distracting background. Plus its quiet and we'll be left alone to do our thing. The band arrived and Izwin started to work on the makeup and hair while a bird thought it would be fun to take a shit on me. I had to leave to find a place to wash up. Who ever told you that being a photographer was fun? Its not. But I like it.

For me, the photo appears in my head before I take it. All the preparations that are made for the shoot is to satisfy that vision in my head. Once I have captured the shot and look I want, we experiment with other things. Some experiments work and other experiments dont. In the case of this shoot, the experiments sucked!

A couple of hours on the set and we were done. I had a few hundred images to choose from. After the shoot we found ourselves a Burger King, plugged the photos into the laptop and the shortlisting had commenced. I usually do shortlisting with the band and makeup artist as they have a say in whats a sure NO-NO. As to which one is in, thats all up yours tryuly.

The post production work is the same: I'm basically recreating the photograph in my head when editing. So the final product that you see is really from that visualisation. In post I also had to remove a few unwanted elements in the photograph, namely the rubbish bins in the background, facial blemishes and sweat streaks. You wont believe how hot the day was! It was scorching! I was topless most of the shoot... After layers and layers of work and over different 'looks', I had found what I liked. That's the photo you see above.

The next photoshoot for the band is in the pipeline. We're just waiting for a few things to fall in place first. Keep your eye on this blog and you'll know when it happens.

©2007 Vignes Balasingam. All rights reserved.
www.vignesbalasingam.com

Aug 2007, Moonshine

2007-08-12T03:12:00.000+08:00

Moonshine for those who live under toadstools is a musical stage for singers and songwriters that happens on the first Thursday of the month at the Laundry Bar. This is the initiative of talented singer/songwriter Reza Salleh- one of the few Malay musicians I know who actually has a real name (or part thereof) as opposed to folks like Joe Wings, Salim Iklim and Amy Search. Oh, you didnt know those werent their real last names? Easily mistaken, lah!

On the bill that night (in sequence) were Otam (yes, I spelt that correctly), Mia Palencia & Band, Reza Salleh & Band and Hujan. All four acts belted out some great music to a magnificient vibe, but one band outshone the rest: Hujan. They really brought the entire yard with them. They remind me of a real hard hitting American rock & roll band who just happen to speak and sing in some funny foreign language.

The weakest performance of the night was Otam. He just didnt do it for me. His music was nice but seemed to be all over the place. If only he could somehow glue all the pieces and get rid of some of the unwanted elements, he too would be as fine as the other three. But really not bad for a new kid lah. He had guts, grit and was really diggin down somewhere deep inside as he sang.

Mia was great. I somehow tend to think she has more fun singing her own stuff with this band than she does singing those jazz gigs or playing with Double Take. You dont need to be a Buddhist monk to sense her aura when she's doing her own stuff. Her band was really awesome when you consider that for two of them it was their first show with her.

Reza and his band were phenomenal! With his regular drummer Stephanie Chan not around, John Thomas fill in the seat behind the drums that night. Really, when John got on the drums, he really made it sound like a million dollars. Hanafi (lead guitar) delivered streams of textured sounds that really took Reza's writing a step higher. The man himself was in his element; hammering down chunky chords and delivered a class vocal performance. You could tell he was having fun; jumping and stomping on stage.

Laundry has just lovely dynamics for such a performance (I'm not referring to the sound of course). Its got a great vibe for intimate shows, be it loud or soft. But I think Hujan got the better of the management and the venue with their crowd of body surfing and stage diving fans. It was a great atmosphere full of energy. The laundry staff had a hard time keeping the fans off the stage and away from Hujan. Some of the fans even went as far as shoving the singer aside and grabbing the mic to sing a line before getting thrown off stage. The chaos was so much a part of the show. There was no way the tiger would have come to the show without its stripes.

As for the photography, I went in there with a film and a digital camera: head-first and no flash. Yes, I actually left the stupid flash at home. Why? Well, why fucking not? Flash has a place and time. That day, its place was to serve time at home.

After shooting NOFX a couple of months back, this show was a nice relief. Even Tempered Mental's The View From Her was pretty hectic. Moonshine was really a wonderful shooting experience. I had time to think about my shots. However a couple of times I felt like really shooting a few of the other photographers. Especially the ones who stood in front of me with a flash diffuser that kept going off right in my face! What were you thinking, dude?

Shot most of the show on HP5 (ISO 400) rated at ISO1600. Two and a half rolls were spent that night. The digital camera saw a lot less action compared to the film one. I shot the digital camera at ISO 800. As the film is still being processed, I've only uploaded scenes from the digicam. I'll remember to post a few shots taken on the HP5 when I get them done.

But for now here are some of the other shots I like from Moonshine- Aug 2007.

All photographs are ©2007 Vignes Balasingam. All rights reserved.
The use of these images in full or part must be permitted through written consent by Vignes Balasingam. Vignes Balasingam can be contacted at www.vignesbalasingam.com. All text written by Vignes Balasingam and cannot be published in any way whatsoever without written consent by the owner. My views are personal and must not be taken for hard fact. It is merely my own views on things and some opinions penned are satirical in nature and written for the sake of the article.

Start here!

2007-08-12T02:41:00.000+08:00

This is a blog on my photography and me- an attempt for me to tell you a little about what's going on with me and my work. I'll be featuring various facets of my photography and adventures. Do take note that this blog is an informal me-in-my-undies take on my work. For the more farty work go check out the official site at www.vignesbalasingam.com. That's where all the real stuff is.

Retrospect : The View From Here

2007-08-11T19:57:00.001+08:00

Tempered Mental's album cover photograhy : The View From Here

The View From Here was launched on the 4th of July 2007 at the Laundry Bar in Kuala Lumpur. This was Tempered Mental's first full studio album. The band released Honsetly, their first EP a couple of years prior to this album with great success. The EP boosted listener confidence and prooved that they were here to stay.

After a long wait, Tempered Mental finally got the album on disc and got this absolutely awesome launch together. Produced by Greg Henderson, the album seems to lend a slight departure from the band's live sound.

I got in from the start as I was commissioned to work on the album photography. Looking back, I was also involved with the photography for Honestly as well as the live photography for them over Rock The World VII. By the time the album work for The View From Here came about, I had crerated a lasting relationship with the band, especially Melina. We kinda understood each other quite well and working together seemend to be quite organic. The wonderful makeup and wardrobe for the album shoot was orchestrated by Dhiya Izwin, a talented makeup artist and singer rolled into one. The album would not have achieved its look without Izwin's artistic input.

Here are some of the photographs from the album shoot:

This was the original shot taht was supposed to make it into the album. I managed to talk the band into taking the one below instead.

The album cover concept was the first graphical element that was conceptualised but last to be implemented. The idea was mine from day one. I decided it had to be a guy standing on a roof of someplace screaming out to the world after listening to the rough mix of the album. The album translated a feeling of being above everything and looking down. Funily enough, the title for the album was coined by one of Melina's friends who probably felt what I felt after listening to the album. Coincidence or has music a more prominent part to play in our sub-conscience.

However the final look of the concept came through Menina's & Azhar's (album graphic designer) ideas. I merely worked the photo editing software under their direction. It was completely opposite of what I was looking for but after it was done I realised how well it actually worked. The wardrobe selection and concept for the album cover was done by me.

The location work for the cover and rear of the album were done by me and Melina. The location will remain a secret.

With the shooting and post processing of the album done, I was busying myself with other things. I was called again to photograph the launch. With most gigs I photograph, my gear is kept to the bare minimum and to the essentials. A camera, 2 fast lenses, flash, cards and batteries. The following photographs were taken with the gear mentioned.

All photographs are ©2007 Vignes Balasingam. All rights reserved.
The use of these images in full or part must be permitted through written consent by Vignes Balasingam. Vignes Balasingam can be contacted at www.vignesbalasingam.com. All text written by Vignes Balasingam and cannot be published in any way whatsoever without written consent by the owner. My views are personal and must not be taken for hard fact. It is merely my own views on things and some opinions penned are satirical in nature and written for the sake of the article.