Kai Yuan and his sister Wen Yu fight to blow out the cake's candles

Whether you’re four or 60, birthdays are special, as all of us can relate to. Even when we feel down and out because of a flu bug, we want to make the most out of that special day. Kai Yuan here was somewhat unlucky to have gotten the sniffles for his big day, but in the bigger picture everything else was perfect.

His parents had arranged for a special one-hour magic show performance at his kindergarten school, and they invited all his classmates to be the audience! What’s more, Kai Yuan’s sister also studies at the school, and so she was a definite, automatic inclusion. After the cheers came the cakes, and everyone had a slice of it (well except me hah)!

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I couldn’t ask for more than two adorable kids to shoot. They’re not the easiest bunch to photograph (always running round and never listen) but they have limitless joy in their appreciation of things and the world. On his 60th birthday, I hope Kai Yuan and his sister can look back on these photos, and smile.

What’s it like to go through your 40th birthday? Your 50th? I’m still a good few years from even my 30th birthday, so I can’t contemplate the experiences, trials, and tribulations someone of Mr Tan’s age has encountered. And yet, on April 17, 2011, Mr K.C. Tan celebrated his 60th like a wild child who is still in touch with his youthful side.

It was a reunion of sorts as well, held at the historical Spring Court restaurant in Singapore’s Chinatown, for Mr Tan and his extended family. More than 50 showed up in a private floor reserved just for this occasion. The cause was grand, yet the proceedings were simple: feast on good Chinese food, reconnect with old friends and family, and be happy.

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Myself, I was comfortable enough with two bodies and a number of prime lenses. I shied away from using flash at the dark areas of the restaurant and I didn’t want it to spoil the ambient light of the place. The nice, thin depth-of-field also narrowed focus while making the images more dramatic. I’d even rented the venerable 85mm f1.2 lens for this occasion, which you can see in some of these photos. The only thing to watch is when taking group shots – it’s important to increase the depth-of-field to get people in focus.

Despite it being a short and sweet affair, I think the significance behind this 60th birthday celebration really makes it special. Seeing everyone talk on old times and see each other after a period of absence is an eye-and-heart-opener. Will I have a similarly successful celebration when I turn 60? It’s way too early to say, but I can only hope.

The live bidding begins on charity gala night!

This was shot back in 2009, but I had to wait for the release of Access magazine in December before I could post photos, and when the time finally did come, I had completely forgotten to do it. Now the best selects are up, and they give a good, brief recap of what happened that day.

Every year the Ann Arbor CIL hosts a charity auction for items donated by various supporters of the non-profit. Their aim is to raise money for future projects and also to keep assisting people cope with their disabilities. The cause is noble and the event is always a grandiose blast.

With hanging lights and the help of the caterers, they converted the warehouse into a large banquet hall. Almost 300 turned up for a wide selection of food, while taking part in a silent auction held in the adjacent two conference rooms. But the live bidding was the big event. Everyone cheered with every bid, and I was even floored by how willing some people were to shell out good money for a good cause.

Photographically, I found the warehouse tough to shoot because of the dim lights and the weird mixture of lighting types. My 40D (now gone) was also struggling with noise in the image but we work if what we have. Thankfully,  post-production came to the rescue. Next time, I might set up some wireless room lights to solve the noise issue, and use more primes (if money permits)!

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Someone could have mistaken this year’s Halloween theme to be Chinese. But none of the estimated 450 participants of the China Entrepreneur Forum 2009 were dressed to shock. More like they were dressed to impress.

Held in the Ross Business School’s Blau Auditorium, this annual event’s focus is always on China, its future, and how those who are concerned — citizens or not — can be a part of it. The day started surprisingly early (considering it’s a Saturday) at 8:30 a.m. and keynote speeches, panels, and networking lasted the whole day. That’s how the Chinese do things – hard and furious!

I wasn’t the only photographer there, but I was for sure the most experienced and most focused. Others took a few shots here and there, but I was the only one running around the entire day. The Blau Auditorium is in the new wing of the Ross Business School, so lighting was quite good for a lecture hall. It was also the first time I used the Canon 7D for a real shoot. It performed marvelously.

Although I have good things to say about the high-ISO performance, what really blew me away was the improved focusing system. Now there’s the luxury of using other focusing points apart from the one in the center. And the point-expansion (the system I use) really helps in locking on. Even in an indoor setting, the focusing speed was near instant. Now I know how the 1D users must feel. After using the improved auto-focusing system of the 7D, it’s hard when I go back to the 5D (and every model below it).

Here’s a selection of the photos you’ve been waiting for! Many were shot with the 7D. Feel free to leave comments!

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First time covering an event endorsed by a movie star! Dwayne Johnson (The Rock) was one of the producers of the documentary movie Racing Dreams, which premiered in the Tribeca Film Festival on April 25th, 2009.

Total shooting time was almost 10 hours. The start was the toughest, shoving and jostling with other photographers trying to snap at Mr. Johnson as he made his arrival. After the premiere (which last about 90 mins), the cast and crew moved over to Cain Luxe at Chelsea for some drinks and partying.

Everyone was generally nice to me and open for poses, and I have to thank my former professor Rob Bennett for pointing the opportunity in my direction. Take a look below for the day’s best images, which will be added to my portfolio.

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From a photographer’s perspective, the concert was a blazing success because I got over 400 decent photos, thanks to good illumination from the stage and spot lights. Of course, the 5D’s remarkable high ISO performance gave me a hand.

However a neutral person will probably think differently, since the small auditorium wasn’t even half-filled, and there were certainly times when the 5D’s impossibly clunky and chunky shutter sound pierced the immaculate acoustics in the room. If I wasn’t trying to act professional, I’d been embarrassed out of my skin.

To put some blame on myself, a true professional shouldn’t be shooting during the real performance, so it’s something I definitely have to keep in mind for future concerts. This event was shot for free, since it was XR who opened up this opportunity for me and he was already doing it as a personal favor to a friend.

I’m hoping the photos from this will serve as calling cards for future assignments. If more people like them, and start passing them around, future opportunities should open up. Then that would more than make up for this pro bono session.

Anyway, come look at 60 selected photos from the concert at the organizer’s Flickr page.

Below you can see an even smaller selection that will go into my portfolio.

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