At the Slim River market, Sabri the grocery shop owner, is doing his accounts. His daughter Mina, 5, is doing her kindergarten homework alongside him.
I wanted to capture a candid of both concentrating on their respective work but the kid does what she does best upon seeing a camera. Automatically pose without prompt. What a sweet smile.
Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 100, f8, 1/100 sec.
So thanks to Mokhtar, I ended up in this strange cowboy town known as Slim Village. The shops are erected in a horse-shoe pattern and the street sign says Taylor Road. It is really remote and I love it.
Expecting a tumbleweed to roll out anytime or someone to challenge me to a fight, I walked cautiously in the middle of the main street. Wait. There is only one street.
I ended up in front an Indian restaurant. The head waiter came out and stared at me instead of asking if I want to eat or drink. A group of Orang Asli guys inside the coffee shop were also staring at me.
Two nasty Chinese gangster-types eating outside dropped their cutlery and started staring at me, too. The tension was thick enough to fry on the roti prata pan and the silence deafening.
So I stared back as aggressively and took a picture in between. That was the moment the angry-looking cook behind reached for his knife. Since I am facing imminent death, I might as well ask for one last drink.
I asked: “Aneh, Fanta Grape atau Kickapoo ada?” (Do you have Fanta Grape or Kickapoo soft drink?) .
Luckily for me, it turned out be an icebreaker. The unblinking man replied: “Ada Fanta, boss. Mau ais?” (Got Fanta, boss. Ice to go?) .
Suddenly the Chinese gangsters laughed, the cook laughed, and the Orang Asli people laughed and all was cool. Phew!
Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 125, f4, 1/250 sec.
Mummy has more errands to run and the boy is not allowed to follow.
I must commend the mother for not letting the kids run to the shop on their own, even though it is just a short distance. She waited until the busy father came out to get them.
Too many times, we see a driver letting kids wander to the doorsteps on their own because it is near. A curious child can run towards the middle of the busy street instead. Or in this case, run after the bike.
Photography Tip: When composing (or cropping) for a news, documentary or candid type of shot, select the visual elements carefully even when the moment is fleeting. If you can’t think fast, shoot a wider shot and crop later.
Emotional cues can move the viewer on a subconscious level. Firstly, get down and shoot at the child’s eye level.
It is easy to be drawn to the teary face and go for a close-up. I decided to include the face of the sister behind, as she shows empathy.
See how the boy’s hands (as part of body language) are flung out indicating helplessness and resignation?
The father’s hands are both restraining and comforting; conflicting in a way.
Taken as a whole, it is all such elements that make an image more powerful.
Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 100, f4, 1/320 sec.
Still in Behrang, I walked into a vintage Indian grocery shop to get a soda. Met a friendly and sweet old lady there. She’s the proprietor, is in her seventies and operates the shop by herself.
The surroundings seemed deserted and she appeared delighted to see a new customer. Delighted not so much for the sale but for a chance to talk, I guess.
After the initial chat, I asked if I can photograph her as we speak and she agreed. Glad I asked because she was very natural in front of the camera. Depending on the subject we broached on, her facial expressions changed quickly from that of amusement, fear, excitement to sadness.
We spoke about the decline of Behrang town, the floods that hit her shop and life in a small town. I asked about her children. She turned her eyes away and paused for a little contemplation.
With a heavy sigh, she explained they left for the city a long time ago and no longer stay in touch.
Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 1600, f4, 1/250 sec.
At a coffee shop in Behrang, two polite gentlemen asked to share my table. We introduced ourselves, chatted and ended up becoming friends; exchanging phone numbers and all. They even invited me to their village to eat durians.
They are Orang Asli of the Semai tribe (aboriginal people) from nearby Kuala Slim. Sal (left) was busy writing lottery numbers to place bets on. I asked him if I can go to his village to ask for lottery numbers from the tree spirits. The Orang Asli are traditionally animists.
Mon (right) told me to drink up and the numbers will come. Haha. The Cap Rusa (Deer Brand) Chinese ‘Rose Road’ herbal liquor is potent stuff with alcohol content stated as 20%. Not clear if it is measured by proof or volume.
At extreme left, is waitress Vivian originally from Surabaya in Indonesia. It was her cooking that lured me into this shop. I caught whiffs of enticing ‘mee hoon kueh’ boiling when I was on the street outside.
Such wonderful and friendly people, all of them. Listening to their life struggles, stories and beliefs is humbling and enriching at the same time.
Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 2000, f4, 1/60 sec.
