People always ask me, who is my favourite photographers. There are just too many good photographers out there. People always talk about Steve McCurry, Russell James, Mattias Klum and many more. To me, I always believe there are many home grown talents. And I also believe they are as good as anybody:
Eddieputera - http://eddieputera.net/
Eddieputera has given me the deepest impression throughout my photography journey when I first started out as a newbie. When I post my first portrait in a local forum, he is one of the first who commented on it. His comments are straight to the point and oftenly harsh. A lot of times before I start to share my work, I always worry what is he going to kill my photos with his comments. Many times I fail to produce a decent shot that able to meet his expectation as worry has eaten up my confidence. Then I stop posting my photos and review back all his comments on my photo. I realize that I overlook all the details that he was trying to point out as I was blinded by anger particular the negative comments from him and my perception on him is wrong. Quitely I check out all his work. I was spellbound by his photos. I like his portrait approach. It's very direct with all the details written in every single shot. I rate Eddieputera as one of the best portrait photographer around.
Maxby Chan - http://www.photosafari.com.my/
I call him the Jedi of Black and White photography. My first perception of Black and White is that whenever I screwed any colored photos, by converting to Black and White, it can save my day. Maxby Chan have prove me wrong. Black and White photography is not as simple as 1,2,3. In fact it's much more difficult than color photos. If I take any of his photos, it's a definite gallery quality. From time to time he will share his knowledge via photoshoting trips. He is definitely a household name for Black and White photography.
Liew WK - http://liewwkphoto.com/
When I first saw Liew WK's landscape photos, I was like..."Damn... how the hell this guy manage to capture such an awesome scene!". I can stare at his landscape shots for minutes trying to figure out how he do it. Via his photos, viewers can taste how beautiful the nature really is. This man has a very level of self expectation. In order to take a good landscape, he make sure that he stress his gears to the max, wake up early in the morning or jump into the nature with kilos of gears. Liew WK is a true hardcore landscape photographer. Which landscape photographer that I normally look at? For sure it's Liew WK.
Tung Tong - http://www.flickr.com/photos/tungtong/
In order to be a good street photographer, there must always have something special in embedded in the photographer himself. This special thing is what I call CONNECTION. Tung Tong is one of the kind who can connect to any strangers anywhere. This is Tung Tong's strength to develop stunning street photography photos. On top of that he is also a well known art painting artist. I met him once during my visit to his exhibition and I'm honored to meet this man in person. The best part is he still able to recognize me and say "Oooo... you are AhXiong, my facebook friend...". Nevertheless Tung Tong's kind of street photography is something that I always looking forward to.
Andew JK Tan - http://mentorgraphy.shutterfly.com/
Andrew Tan is a multiple award winning photographer. If you Yahoo! or Google his name, you'll find his work everywhere. I remember I found an interview whereby he mention that he always recognizes good photos regardless who is the photographer. I'm very impressed by his humble comments even at his level. Andrew Tan is an all rounder photographer as well. He shot portraits, landscapes, streets, sports... etc... you name it, he got it! Actually I met him once during a workshop. During that time, we are queuing up for lunch. He was standing in front of me. I saw him and wanted to greet him, but at that moment I was not sure if that was Andrew. Anyway, if I happen to meet him again, I'm gonna flash a huge HELLO to him! Maybe I could steal some award winning tips from him!
Tay Chin Whei - http://www.taychinwhei.com/
Tay Chin Whei is a rookie and yet very talented wedding photographer. I engage his service through a recommendation via a friend. I'm very particular if I would like to engage any photography services. I decide to meet Tay in person to understand more about his work and his overall opinion on photography. The meeting end up almost an hour. After the meeting, he manage to convince me about his work and I finally sign up a package with him. I'm glad that this is one of the best decision that I ever make. To be able to engage a good photographer and also make a new photography friend. Even though he always tell me he is new, but my gut feeling tell me that one day he's gonna be as good as anyone.
