5th September 2014: Crinkle Cut at Table 23 featuring Kevin Ong.

It’s also the return of the band, who was busy recording.

Ashley, through the infrared-modded Sony Alpha NEX-5 with flash.

Grace, the key bassist.

Frances, the vocal manipulator.

Kevin Ong, filling in for Melissa on guitar.

She does three things in the band:
1) play keyboard
2) play bass (on keyboard)
3) make like a Dutch lady

A hilarious moment ensued when they were jamming to Musiq Soulchild – Just Friends (Sunny) and Grace and Kevin were swapping solo lines from keyboard to guitar to bass to guitar to keyboard to… you get the idea.

Peace. Always the preferred option over violence.

Flare, thanks to the lovely Mitakon/ZhongYi Speedmaster 50mm F0.95 Dark Knight Pro Edition!

A bonus picture that I forgot to upload earlier, at No Black Tie, which was why I was in the area primarily. It’s the ghost of Jenn!

I also walked to Bakita nearby.

Kelly Siew!

She grooves.

Vicky’s on keys.

The guitarist looks a bit Adam Levine-ish.

More infrared alternate universe goodness.

On the walk back. Interesting shop name!

5th September 2014: Fazz & KissKillMary, at No Black Tie.

This is Fazz. This is what pre-gig setlist planning looks like.

This is what No Black Tie looks like, through the silent shutter of the Sony Alpha 7S and the Sony E 16mm F2.8.

I also brought my infrared-modded Sony Alpha NEX-5.

All shots from it set to maximum desaturation, for that monochrome look.

The A7S and its high ISO performance, like this one at ISO25600, allowed me to shoot at 1/160th of a second with the Minolta 70-210mm F4.0 beercan, and the LA-EA1 adapter.

Real tight shots from far away!

Just the Sony E 16mm F2.8 pancake.

The crowd, at ISO3200.

Kevin brings us his brand of cabaret tunes.

Gotta have a double bass for the sound.

Next up: Kiss Kill Mary. I want that synthesizer so I can play exactly that synthesizer sound.

Dance rock band! They did an awesome cover of One Republic – Love Runs Out.

Featuring Megan Teck…

…filling in for a sick Jenn. So she’s not Jenn.

…yup.

Boy wonder Sani.

I think I forgot to bring the infrared pass filters, giving the hazy look that is signature of visible light and infrared light focusing at different wavelengths.

From the balcony.

Megan Teck is as good as the real thing.

Speaking of switcheroos, here’s the drummer…

…and the guitarist.

Do you want to take a selfie?

4th September 2014: Moonshine: Upcoming ft Froya, Ray Cheong, Saturday Afternoon & Fazz / September 2014 Edition at Laundry Bar, The Curve. Here’s emcee and organizer Reza Salleh!

First up: Saturday Afternoon!

You can guess it right.

Sounds like their band title.

Flare courtesy of my new Mitakon/ZhongYi Speedmaster 50mm F0.95 Dark Knight Pro Edition!

Sometimes I occlude backlight with the subject, giving a nice pop.

It does well for people in low light.

Fazz!

This Southeast-Asian mix of merry music makers includes half a Thai…

…a full South Korean… (would that count as half of Korea, then?)

…and a Langkawi chap of unknown origin (his Facebook profile pictures make me wonder which planet even) and a Chinese guy from Kajang.

Oh, and a coffee-drinking stegosaurus.

Socks help with bass sliding.

Daft Punk helmet…

…without the needed volunteer helmet wearer, who was outside before the gig but did not stay to don the helmet.

Joshua, you should’ve.

Shaneil in the back.

Fazz’s new band manager. I love this shot because despite the spotlight not being on her, it is clear who the subject of the picture is. I like how the shadow of the table forms a globe that aligns to the hand of the person on the right as well. I love the color, the moment, the alignment of the people in the picture. Oh what luck!

Fariz and friends/fans.

Ray Cheong, acoustic fingerstyle funk blues rocker.

A different lineup today!

Depending on who is free to keep the groove.

More familiar faces.

More flare.

Got back to the table and there were more selfies to be taken.

Last act of the night, Froya.

Ivan in alignment.

A different kind of buzz cut.

Not sure which is shinier, Michelle’s eyes or the light.

29th August 2014: SOUNDSTRUCK : LIVE! (AUGUST EDITION) at The Bee, Jaya One. Here’s Amrita Soon!

But first, I bumped into Jonathan Yip outside…

…who I also photographed with my infrared-modded Sony Alpha NEX-5. This is without the infrared pass filter, so it is visible plus infrared light.

Yau Hui, without flash, for that infrared-eyed look.

Back inside, organizer and emcee Daniel Wong.

Playful Talitha Tan was next!

Super cool lap cajon. I don’t know what the proper name for it is.

Come sing along!

Through the infrared.

Farouque on guitar.

Guest vocalist Nicholas Ng.

Here’s a break of normal color, with the Sony Alpha 7S and Mitakon/ZhongYi Speedmaster 50mm F0.95.

All shots were without the infrared pass filter…

…mainly because I forgot to bring them. Here’s Jee!

His music is so fresh if his jokes were fishes they’d still be flopping on the table. Here he plays guitar and keyboard at the same time!

SelfIR time.

Amanda Love.

ISO4000 on the A7S is super clean. I just can’t get over this, remembering how it was with previous cameras. There’d be a pinch of noise and its color and tonality wouldn’t be as nice.

Bleached hair always turns out bright, reflecting plenty of infrared.

The only regrettable thing about not bringing the infrared pass filter is that infrared and visible light focus at different wavelengths, so when it is mixed either one will be slightly out of focus.

I took a toilet break and walked past Malone’s to discover another band!

I have seen some of these faces.

Wanted Symphony.

It was around this time that I discoved my beloved Mitakon/ZhongYi Speedmaster 50mm F0.95 had a bit of play in the focus ring, and my attempt to nudge and tighten it back made it worse, with it ending up being unable to focus anything further than 50cm or so.

I’ve since sent it to the dealer who sent it to the factory, and topped up for the Dark Knight Pro edition of this lens. The factory says they just tightened some screws and readjusted infinity.

And so, all my shots from here onwards are with the Sony E 16mm F2.8 pancake, because that’s the only other lens I brought.

Jamie Chen.

So yes, I’d have to make do with cropping pictures from a wide-angle lens! Fortunately, the NEX-5 was an APS-C camera and gave me more reach.

One acoustic guitar, please!

A Taylor! Sweet.

Nicholas Ng guests again.

Forever In Atlas.

Cool shirt yo.

This KissKillMary shirt, too, was cool, with letters that puzzled Joshua and I. Can you figure out what it means?

If a self-portrait is a selfie, is a group portrait a groupie?

26th August 2014: Feedback Open Mic ft The Impatient Sisters & Chirin Chirin @ The Bee Publika / August 2014 Edition. Here’s Jon Liddell!

The Sony A7S with its limitless ISO would let me bring my Tamron 200-400mm 5.6…

…with a shutter speed of 1/200th of a second…

…with no worries of noise or motion blur. I didn’t catch this band’s name so pardon the filler text!

Back2Basixx.

Even though the A7S has no sensor stabilization, at 1/200s it was not an issue.

The vignetting is caused by my Sony LA-EA1 adapter, meant for APS-C sensors, that I adapted by removing the rear baffle.

Apparently, the vignetting only appears on longer focal lengths like this.

I brought the LA-EA1 instead of the LA-EA4 because the LA-EA4 had a translucent mirror, allowing for auto-focus with screw-driven lenses, at the expense of light.

Ariff AB.

First featured act, Chirin Chirin.

The unfortunate downside of a fast shutter speed is when shooting in flourescent lighting…

…it bands slightly.

Second featured act, The Impatient Sisters.

Most of these pictures were at 400mm F5.6…

…to see what an extreme closeup would do for composition.

The Tamron is not great with backlight.

The Bee notably doesn’t have the drummer way in the back of the stage, so they are equidistant.

Xylophone!

Didn’t catch this guy’s name either.

Reza Salleh, emcee and organizer.

Friza, I think, from Indonesia.

I like her swag stance.

Sharon, in the back, crying away.

Ariff Danial, who has some interesting tunes.

Nope, didn’t catch his name.

Fikri Azam.

More unnamed open mikers.

I love Idzwan‘s rock guitar tone.

That sweet, sweet, classic Gibson tone.

Meanwhile, here’s a face to the name – my name – Albert, the photographer who is sometimes unrecognized. I recognize the photographer of this picture, Wai Fon, though. Not with the Tamron, but the Mitakon/ZhongYi Speedmaster 50mm F0.95.

Calico!

Can you imagine Yvonne’s voice at this point? I can.

Faz hides.

Yvonne in full diva mode.

Faz the rock star, with videographers all documenting her going full… rock star.

It was one of their most entertaining shows, ever.

Mostly, because it was Faz’s birthday!

David Ling’s farewell, as well, as he’d further his studies in the prestigious Berklee College Of Music.

And so, this was Tabloid.

Selamba Adriane.

More pictures here:
Infraredback

21st August 2014: Rock is Dead?, at Laundry Bar, The Curve.

But first, some self-promotion…

Nightshift commissioned me to make a collage of their band and for licensing to use on a poster (I charge if pictures make it to prints or posters.) Always nice to see my work up somewhere!

First act of the night: Flying Pan.

A Malaysian J-Rock band!

This shot was taken with my Sony A7S with the Mitakon/ZhongYi Speedmaster 50mm F0.95 lens.

Same lens, but on my infrared-modded Sony Alpha NEX-5. I did not put the infrared pass filter on the lens, so it is both visible light and infrared mixed in.

Given that the NEX-5 is APS-C a minor telephoto portrait effect is achieved.

This time, with the infrared pass filter.

Guest vocalist from Japan! Mixed visible and infrared light.

Another mixed one.

Then came the band I hadn’t seen in a long time…

Dragon Red!

Some personnel changes – Brandon moved from guitar to drums.

Slyde and Camero still on rap and bass respectively.

Adam on full freak vocals. Oh, and infrared (with the infrared pass filter, allowing only infrared.) This, with flash, on the Sony E 16mm F2.8 pancake.

Since I only brought two lenses it should be obvious which is which…

…plus the wider view, but not a wide-angle view, is probably that of the full-frame A7S.

Infrared gives a very interesting look to the eyes, when flashed.

Awesome screamer!

…not so screamer!

Another screamer!

Then came these boys…

…hard-rocking Blister!

They go from blues rock to heavy metal.

AC/DC, Led Zeppelin…

…and a whole lotta Gibson love.

Awesome glass slide!

Meanwhile, outside, Jyorin through pure infrared.

Then came progressive rock band Black Lightbulb.

I’d call them instrumental, but singing with them that night was Hameer Zawawi.

Simmy the Celtic Waver!

I’m sure she likes this picture.

Ashwin on drums, as always.

Zaim always gets a glamorous light.

Meanwhile, Amil of Dragon Red is watching the musical geniuses in admiration, his head slightly… paining.

Hameer, then, on guitar.

Raja Farouque, on a big speaker.

Here’s Black Lightbulb with one of their songs!

The awesome 50mm F0.95.

Last act of the night…

dazedgarden!

These guys were actually from Japan…

…and they knew how to get the crowd pumping.

The automatic white balance usually gives a more purplish tinge, but I pulled the green/magenta slider all the way to the green side when processing the RAWs.

20th August 2014: ALLEYCATS LIVE @ BACKYARD PUB KL.

But first, an actual alley cat in the alleys of Sri Hartamas!

Nazaruddin Abdullah on guitar.

Prawing Aroonratana blocked by a wall of keys!

Jimie Loh with a mischievious 25-year-old’s smile, on bass.

Vocalist Glenville Charles Salay…

…and of course, the iconic David Arumugam!

Here’s another shot of Prawing, using my infrared NEX-5. This is the mixed color look – where it’s infrared and visible light together, because I didn’t think of bringing my infrared pass filters.

Backyard Pub’s tungsten lights are rich in infrared, giving an interesting look!

David John on drums, also shot on infrared, with the red and blue channels swapped.

The Sony A7S, meanwhile, conquered the dark.

Happy Beer-day!

No really, it was their birthdays.

To hear David say “terima kasihhh” in the flesh, is an awesome Malaysian experience.

He’d also play percussion sometimes.

They would weave in and out of rock classics like Creedence Clearwater Revival – Have You Ever Seen The Rain (video above) and Cream – Cocaine, as well as their own classics, Layang-layang Terputus Talinya and Jika Kau Bercinta Lagi. I’m sure there were more, but I only stayed for one set – when Backyard Pub gets very crowded (as when a legendary band like Alleycats performs) my eyes feel a little teargassed by the end of the night.

The A7S with the Sony E 16mm F2.8 pancake! F2.8 barely makes it for the dance floor. EXIF is included in all pictures.

All obviously non-wide shots were shot with the Mitakon/ZhongYi Speedmaster 50mm F0.95. So you get an idea what it looks like on the full-frame A7S as well as the infrared + visible light APS-C sensor NEX-5.

18th August 2014: BALLSY! An Open Mic Show #11, at Page 2, Publika. Here’s host and emcee Shaneil Devaser setting up the mike…

…for the first act, Az Samad & Kirsten Long!

She sang something about cats and misbehaving and valentines.

Benjamin took this picture.

This is new!

All pictures taken with my new Sony Alpha 7S and Mitakon/ZhongYi Speedmaster 50mm F0.95 without flash, and usually wide open. EXIF is also included so you can inspect the high ISO performance!

Shavkat.

He hails from Tajikistan!

Ian Tai fills in for Sufiz who was missing. Interesting how his face and the character on his shirt are equally round.

Jes Ebrahim.

Bullet Murugan!

Alex Subryn (also featuring Bullet!)

Meanwhile, in the back, I spotted red, green and blue.

Bullet Murugan.

Ian Tai in his proper slot, Rick Roll-ing us.

Kim Lim, double-tapper. She covered Az Samad – Latah Setinggan with her own inflections!

Maha Jeffery.

A little blues and a cover of Jimi Hendrix – Red House. Yeah!

Shaneil Devaser ends the night.

14th August 2014: I wandered into Bricks & Barrels, Desa Sri Hartamas…

…where Kelly Siew was playing!

I like how each of these pictures has a different color, all from the UNO card set.

Unfortunately though, as I had a story to tell a good friend, I had to run off early.