Steven Leong’s Blog

Avillion Port Dickson stands for the calming wonders of water. It is a place that brings forth an invitation to reawaken the senses as it endlessly draws the splendor of the sea…

…it was really a location I have been dreaming about to do a photoshoot and as such, as soon as I got the confirmation for an editorial shoot for a leading Bridal Magazine in Malaysia, Bridal Guide, I really nearly fell off my chair.

The assignment this time was to shoot 8-10 bridal gowns and with a elegant and classy look. Due to some unforseen circumstance, we had to work twice as fast as normal as we had only 3hrs plus before sundown to complete the shoot.

Why complete the shoot before sundown? If you shoot in Avillion and you miss the sunset, you might consider yourself having NOT shot at Avillion at all… the sunsets there are gorgeous and our luck did hold out… I got a gorgoeous sunset and got all the shots that me and my client wanted.

Did I succeed or did I fail? Take a look at these photos and tell me what you think.

If you want more photos, go grab a copy of Bridal Guide Issue 11, it has been on the shelves since early June.

Japan GT or more accurately, Autobacs Super GT is back in Malaysia at the Sepang International Circuit. The race at SIC is Round 4 of the 2009 Autobacs Super GT, Ronnie Quintarelli and Hironobu Yasuda from HASEMI TOMICA EBBRO GT-R won the race.

Despite the light rain right during the Start Procedure, the race proved to be a completely dry race which can’t be said of any of the earlier support races or even the qualifying round.

Quitarelli lead the race comfortably in his maroon Nissan GT-R all the way till he switched drivers with Yasuda close the midway point through the race. Yasuda had to claw his way back from 4th position after the pit-stop but otherwise again led the race comfortably all the way through to the finish.

The battle for the 2nd and 3rd positions were more heated however, exchanging positions between Keihin NSX, Arta NSX and Rayburg NSX multiple times and lasted until the finish.

The result was KEIHIN NSX driven by Toshihiro Kaneishi and Koudai Tsukakoshi coming 2nd while ARTA NSX came third with drivers Ralph Firman and Takuya Izawa.

Does Steven Leong even shoot product photos?

I heard that quite a few times after having a discussion with some potential partners… they were polite not to say it in front of me but well… somehow, I have given the impression to everyone that I only shoot weddings.

Nope, I don’t just shoot weddings and here is some proof for those who needs them.

Just take a good flip through the latest edition of Bridal Guide, a premier bridal or wedding magazine in Malaysia.

Check out the name under “photography” in those sections with products as well as theme setups… yes, you will find my name down there.

Sorry I can’t really post up all the pages that my shots are in but do go out and grab a copy of the mag if you can.

It is well-worth its price especially for those of you who are interested in looking at bridal gowns and/or are planning to get married soon.

The Cyberview Lodge Wedding Fair held at Cyberview Lodge Resort & Spa on the 7th June 2009 is on The Star newspaper today at the Star Metro section. Lots of interesting offers will be available and there is a nice twist for any couples visiting the fair.

Cyberview Lodge Resort & Spa is a 5-star Tropical Boutique Resort set in the heart of Malaysia’s technology hub, the MSC.

There is a total of 38 MUST-WIN prizes for the first 38 couples who registers; no lucky draw and there is no need to wait, you walk in, you register and you will win something if you are among the first 38.

And of course, Steven Leong Photography shall be offering some crazy discounts and my own version of the lucky draw… everyone who visits will get something. Wanna know how and what are the prizes? Drop by and say ‘hi’… and just a hint, the lucky draw prizes at my booth alone is worth more than RM10,000.

Right… hope to see you guys there~!

Cyberview Lodge Wedding Fair Details
Venue : Cyberview Lodge Resort & Spa, Persiaran Multimedia, 63000 Cyberjaya, Selangor
Date : Sunday, 7th June 2009
Time : 11am to 5pm

Although amateur golf tournaments happen around the year here in hot or rainy Malaysia, it seems most are bunched up at this time of the year; thanks to my loyal clients, I was again asked to shoot some of those tournaments.

Yes, I am not photographing seasoned professionals from the PGA Tour here but shooting amateur golf has its own rewards. Being completely unpredictable, it is an utter new experience shooting every single amateur tournament and a completely different experience for each as well. Amateurs are also less particular about when and where you can photograph them, besides machine-gunning right beside them before they putt or tee-off, pretty much everything else is ok; that allows me to exercise as much creativity as I like during the session.

Of course, it carries its own unique hazards as well; you will never know if you run into an inconsistent player that sends the ball in a direction nobody thought possible. Some photographers kid that they need to wear full-face motorcycle helmets to amateur golf tournaments and in truth, they did exaggerate but not by too much.

Of course, when I look at the prizes (even the lucky draw prizes) always make me want to learn golf and compete…. well… maybe next year… maybe….

Tournaments that I have covered so far (note all images on these pages were shot by me):
Prudential Astro Masters 2009 on Astro’s official website
Maxis Team Golf Tour 2009 on New Straits Times