www.VanLigutom.com

Photographer. Blogger. Social Media Guy

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How To Activate eSIM for your Compatible Device

eSim or electronic SIM cards are slowly being added to new mobile phone devices. Some of the new ‘mobile phones that are eSIM capable are the iPhone XS, XS Max, XR. I am currently residing in Malaysia and as of this time in writing, Maxis is the only local service provider the offers eSIM to its subscribers.

If you want to know more about eSIM and its benefits, please check out further details here .

As a Maxis customer I checked their website and found out that they are now accepting eSIM activations for few models only. Please see 2 pictures below with an overview of the steps on how it is done.

I went straight to a nearest Maxis centre as this will require you to go to one. Right after confirming my account, the customer support lady told me that she will be providing me eSIM activation kit.

Indeed after 2-3 minutes, she handed me over the activation Kit. It consists of the card itself and some instruction.

Important Notice: 

Before you do the steps please make sure you are connected to a wireless network. They will deactivate your existing sim so that the new eSIM will work once you activate it. Activation requires your phone to be connected to internet.

All I had to do was, go to my Settings> Mobile Data and click “Add Data Plan”. Then the phone will ask you to scan the QR code (ash shown above).

Then after 5-15 minutes after activation, your phone should work like normal. 

Hope this short article helped you in some way. Did you have a different experience activating your eSIM? Do let us know at the comment section below. 

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Olympus Touch & Try With The OMD-EM1X

The photography world is buzzing around this newly released camera from Olympus, the OMD-EM1X I must admit it’s gorgeous.  

Olympus Malaysia did a good job to do their touch and try sessions at Most Fun Gym to really show the capabilities of this new camera. They were not only showing but letting us test it. I think Motocross sport itself really is a challenging sport to shoot and if your camera is not capable enough, the accuracy of your shots will suffer.  

Olympus is confident enough that this camera will not disappoint us. 

There were two touch & try sessions on that Saturday. One in the morning and another one in the afternoon. Luckily I signed up in the morning as the field is so hot. The conditions are really right to test the new camera. I can feel the camera and lens getting warmer as I shoot. I think that was because I was shooting under the heat of the sun. It didn’t affect the performance though as I was able to nail more in focused shots than I would normally do with my OMD-EM1.

Olympus staff facilitated the event together with my friend Olympus Malaysia visionary Robin Wong. 

The camera has AI Autofocus that identifies subject as they are seen from the viewfinder and keeps tracking it for better result. In this case, once the camera detects the motorbike, it will show a white box then tracks the face of the rider. I find it still needing a bit of improvement because when your are 90% straight from the motorbike where the front wheel and the rider can be seen first, it tends to have difficulty in identifying the subject. But once it identifies it, it tracks and focuses correctly. This is just about AI Autofocus. I haven’t tested the normal single point and AF area autofocus for this event as we have limited time. I just enjoyed holding the shutter and hearing the clicks as it goes through.

I did notice that the shutter tends to be a little bit quieter even without using the silent shutter modes. The shutter sound just feels more robust and compact if that makes sense.

Also tested to do panning shots. Good thing Robin was there to give us tips on how to shoot panning shots correctly. we had to shoot on a pre-configured settings because using the camera for the first time will definitely need a lot of getting used to. Although I am used to the Olympus UI from my OMD EM1, they look the same but  there are just a lot of other settings and buttons  to deal with. I could easily learn to use them in time but not definitely for just few hours of shooting.

The camera is really aimed towards professionals who are mainly into action sports. Me upgrading to this camera might be an overkill just because even though I shoot sports once in a while, i don’t do it all the time. Plus it is very expensive rocking at RM13K.

I do believe that this camera can really bring great performance and accuracy to photographers most specially to the pros who are already invested in micro 4/3 lenses.  There are a lot of online comments asking why Olympus made the battery grip built in and would defeat the purpose of having a small micro 4/3. I think it’s because as I mentioned, earlier, it is geared towards professionals who are invested in the ecosystem that are looking for more serious professional camera that keeps up with time and set new standards in the photography world, most specially in the micro four thirds area.

Do check out the video I made during the event that sums up the event.  

Leave your comments and thoughts regarding this camera in the comments section below. 

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Boran - A Classic Thai Street Food Restaurant

Me and my friends Jo, Jill and Belle were hungry one Saturday so we went out to eat. Jo and Jill brought us to this place in Sea Park, PJ called  Boran, a Thai street food restaurant. Like I always do when I go to a certain restaurant for the first time, I tend not to judge the restaurant before I have eaten their food. This one is no exception.

The name is really catchy. At first, I thought it is some kind of a Russian name but if you read it more, it tells us they are a classic Thai street food restaurant. 

Off we went inside and what brings your attention easily are the decorations and the different signs on the walls. The ambiance is really good and it's not too crowded. It could be that we arrived at a not so busy time but I have to go there again to prove it.

One thing that stands out from this restaurant than others is that they care much for their customers. For example the parking, they have monitoring screens showing the cars parked outside so the owners who are inside know if someone has been blocked by their cars or if something else is happening. This is a brilliant idea in my opinion.

Wooden chairs and tables compliment the modern stuffs hanging on the wall. I like how clean this restaurant is.

Their walls are decorated with these nostalgic ads from decades ago. 

Don't forget to try this Thai milk tea. 

SS2 and Seapark are really home of great and innovative restaurants. Just at the back of this is MyBurgerlab which I had the pleasure to taste my first gourmet burger. Do check it out too. I will keep on exploring new or famous restaurants particularly in SS2 and Seapark and take as much pictures as I can to share it to you guys.

This is it for now, please share and add your email address to the mailing list to be the first to know when posts like this are out.

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Other Wise Cafe

Disclaimer: This is not a food nor coffee review but just mere sharing some photos of this wonderful cafe that a friend of mine discovered. You will see more photos of how the place looks like and a bit of an idea of the ambiance. 

The outside part of the cafe already looks different. It immediately grabs your attention. From the logo on top, to the letters displayed on the glass window showing their name. The rustic look and feel of the metal on the door and the wooden tables and chairs that compliment it.

With a glass window just in front of the cafe, lighting is not a problem on the front part. This means your food and selfies will look good for Instagram and social media posts. 

I didn't have much photos of the food we ate as I arrived late and my friends were already finished eating their food. Anyways, this is not a food review so expect not much food photos.

All I can say is that their food and coffee are priced reasonably average. Not expensive and not that cheap. The ambiance and variety of instagrammable spots on this place will surely speak for themselves and mind you, you will even forget you had a cup of coffee.

A true testament of their numerous satisfied customers, they put up instax photos of their customers way back when they started. They pasted it on a wall. On the picture below, they even kept a table napkin with the kind compliments from their customer. This only shows not only customers liking the place but also customers really love their food.

Do check out Other Wise Cafe and experience a whole new hipster/instagrammable cafe if you are in Petaling Jaya or neighboring towns. They can be found at  No.6, Jalan SS 4d/14, Ss 4, 47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor and opens Mon, Wed & Thurs, 5pm-10pm; Fri, 5pm-11pm; Sat-Sun, 10am-11pm

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This Newest Hipster Cafe/Bar/SPA Is Old Town Phuket's Heritage

My recent visit to Old Town Phuket did not go to waste as I discovered the newest spot that will blow your minds away.   As I was desperate looking for a massage in Old Town Phuket because I had to leave back home in few hours, I came across this fancy signage pointing to a foot massage. So I followed the directions and ended up in an old Sino-Portuguese building in Dibuk road. We all know that most of the buildings in this part of Old Town Phuket are Sino-Portuguese but this one is different it bears the sign: Eat, Drink & Massage. I was like what? This is awesome. So I headed on to know more about it. At that time, around 11:00 am, it looked they just started their day and not a single customer yet. I was so amazed how the building looks like so I took pictures of it. The place is called Tantitium. Sounds futuristic and classy. This is a hipster cafe that has a bar and you can have a relaxing massage when you feel tired. Sounds like a great combination for me. 

They have a red colored swing in the middle of the  path heading to their bar inside. The path has tables and chairs that matches the look as the building which I find very comfortable to hang out at.

I didn't know what to expect considering I have been roaming Old Town Phuket by that point was my third hour of just plain walking. Yes, I walked from my hotel to Old Town Phuket. Just a secret, I thought it was near but it was not. So I walked for almost an hour just to get to  Old Town, Phuket. Imagine how far? Hahahaha. The walk led me to see the beauty of the town. It was hot though. I was sweating, but it was worth it.

Far more I realized that it was really worth it right when I saw the inside part of Tantitium. I was greeted by Mike and he is the owner of this cool place. He was so welcoming, humble and said that they just opened for the day and that I am welcome to hang out and check out the place. Right there, I immediately thought about doing a tour of the place and since Mike was so kind enough to show me the whole place. 

 Then Mike called me up and pointed to an alley at the back of the bar and it was leading to their massage area but before reaching the massage area is the courtyard where customers can use to hang out also if they don't want the front area or probably when it is full. What's great about the courtyard is that you can see more plants and the ambiance is more relaxed. He told me that at night, there is a portion there (first photo below) where it has glass roof where water flows and well lit at night. This is the best spot in this bar in the evening.

They are actually a cafe, bar, restaurant and a spa all in one so basically, you can do many things under one roof. You can have a massage, then eat and drink and party. How cool and convenient is that? According to Mike, the owner of this place, this place has existed for a long time, around 98 years so it has been part of Old Town, Phuket's history. Then they renovated but remained some key parts of the building and turned it into Tantitium. He told me that they just opened few weeks before I was there.

(Above) This is where foot massage customers wash their feet prior to having a foot massage done 

At this point, I'm already in love with the place, I haven't even experienced it at night. Then Mike said. "But wait there's more..." pointing upstairs. Well, it just got better and better. He brought to the 1st floor of the building where the SPA is located. The ambiance there is so different and calming as you would expect for a spa. But this is not just an ordinary spa. 

I was blown away when he asked me to go inside the massage rooms. So clean yet elegant. You will really feel relaxed even by just getting inside the room. Since this is a newly renovated place, expect everything to be in pristine condition. The hallway is not that wide but can easily fit 2 people walking in both direction and the good thing is, shower and toilet are well maintained. 

I haven't even tried the Spa and hang out at night at this cool place but I'm already loving it  just based on how friendly the staff and how wonderful the place is. I will definitely visit this place again to eat, drink and have a relaxing massage.  Based on what I saw, I definitely recommend Tantitium for anyone looking for a hipster cafe where you can relax and have a good time all under one roof. 

Thanks to Mike who was very hospitable and who showed me everything that this place has to offer and for trusting me as a foreign customer to photograph the whole place. See you next time I visit Phuket.

Check out their details:  Tantitium 84 Dibuk Road, Talat Nuea, Phuket, 83000 [phone]:00 pm - 12:00 am https://www.facebook.com/Tantitium/ [email protected]

From www.Phuket.net "Tanti Eat is a fine-dining restaurant focusing on Phuket and Thai Cuisine. Here, you can enjoy Phuket’s signature and recommended dishes including Crab Curry, Dried Shrimp and Chili Paste and Deep Fried Salted Pork.  Tanti Drink is a cafe & bar providing a great selection of your favorit drinks and classic cocktails. While Tanti Massage brings you an indulging massage and spa treatments." Opening Hours Tanti Cafe: 7:00 am - 4:00 pm Tanti Eat : 5:00 pm – 10:30 pm Tanti Drink : 5:00 pm – 12:00 am Tanti Massage : 1:00 pm – 9:30 pm

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Which Mall In KL & PJ Have The Best Christmas Decors

I have established on this blog that Malaysians are passionate about their Christmas decors in malls and that is based on a personal project I did on December of last year. This year, I'm doing the same thing but only this time I am letting you guys decide which is the best. I made sure I take more time taking the photos as much as I can so I will give justice to their efforts.

Note: These are only based on the malls I have been to within the period that I had.. There are still other malls within PJ and Kl that I have not been able to take photos of their Christmas decors so whichever decision we come up is purely based on the pictures that I have below. Vote for the best Christmas decors you think will win based on your own criteria. Comment your votes below and I will gather the votes and update the result by the end of December 2017.

 Suria KLCC - Enchanted Christmas

Suria KLCC Mall is one of the busiest malls in Kuala Lumpur as this is the usual destination for tourists. This  year, themed as "Enchanted Christmas", they built a log cabin right at the middle of the mall surrounded with pine trees with Christmas decors. On Christmas day, they had a choir singing Christmas carols all throughout the day. A gigantic Christmas tree was displayed outside facing the KLCC park in which people love to take selfies with.  I must say this is better than last year good thing they finished the glass elevator construction in time for Christmas.

NU Sentral - Magical Christmas Kingdom

I always get excited when I go to this mall, they always show something creative and different each time there is an event. This Christmas was not an exception. They built a magical Christmas Kingdom where imaginary characters are more realistic and the atmosphere really feels magical.  Check out the rest of the photos below.

One Utama Shopping Centre - Whimsical Winter Wonderland

Whimsical Winter Wonderland is the theme for One Utama Shopping Centre. To be there and see it personally is much overwhelming. Definitely insta-worthy and the theme is carried out all throughout the mall from old wing to new wing.  Well thought concept and properly executed. I love to see the gifts floating in the clouds as they look more real. Feast your eyes with the rest of the photos below.

Paradigm Mall - Christmasville

Although the space is quite small, they were able to incorporate Chrismasville at the center point of the mall. I congratulate them for a job well done. It's just a shame that Paradigm mall is only packed during weekends because they have done a great job with their decorations. Although this concept has been used before, it's good that they continuously play Christmas songs loudly to get the Christmas vibe going.

Sunway Pyramid's Tudor Christmas

The concept of Tudor Christmas was about a period in time where tools are set aside and work are forbidden between Christmas Eve (24th December) and Epiphany (6th January to keep women from their chores. It was customary to put their homes with decors and spinning wheels with flowers. This is along the 16th century period where gadgets and internet were still not invented. Sunway Pyramid is a tricky place to put decors on in my opinion. It has four different corners where you can easily go crazy about when it comes to variety of what you can do to decorate this huge place, and that's what they did. Each corner has different variety that revolves along the main theme, "Tudor Christmas".  Mattel had their own Christmas exhibition with all the toys for the children in one corner.

Pavillion - Christmas Is In The Air

This year's theme is "Christmas Is In The Air". I must say that the team behind the Christmas decors in Pavilion are so blessed to have this wide and enormous area to play with inside the mall. Aside from that, they still have the outside part in the main entrance that they can add to the vast area for them to decorate. It's challenging but I think having a wider area is much better than a limited one if you have almost unlimited budget to spend with. Pavillion Mall is another touristy mall in KL and the mall goers here are just pampered with all things huge, colorful with a class of its own. 

The Gardens Mall - Dreams of A White Christmas

Their concept is "Dreams of a white Christmas" which will always be appealing to us here in South East Asia as where we haven't experienced white Christmas, at least applicable to most of us except those who have experienced it somewhere else.  The decors have a class of its own as it should be as being the mall for high end middle class to the elite people of society on this part of KL/PJ. The attention to details are well taken into consideration and they stuck to the theme all over. It's refreshing to see this concept as we all know Christmas decors are often recycled from the previous years.  Kudos to the team who put up these decors, they are definitely something memorable to me in terms of their creativity and well thought concept. The photos below are clickable and you can cycle through them easily. Check them out.

MIdvalley Mega Mall - Christmas Train Station

Midvalley Mega Mall's Christmas concept revolves around the idea of going home for Christmas. Back in the day where the only mode of transportation is a train, it touches each and everyone's heart remembering the feeling of being anxious to get board of the train just to get home in time for Christmas. Or even having to spend Christmas on the road and still you want to go home to spend more time with the family. Even writing this reminds me the feeling of wanting to go home during Christmas. I have so much memories being away from my family during this time.  Great choice of concept and story for the team who conceptualized and made this concept into a very meaningful one. It only shows that putting up Christmas decors is not just about putting it just for the sake of having one. The story is what makes the decors touch everyone's heart and it becomes more meaningful.  Who doesn't like to hug those giant teddies? Yes there are a lot of them scattered in every corners of the mall.  Feast your eyes with the rest of the photos.

Sunway Putra Mall - Santa's Toy Factory

I was not expecting that this mall has Christmas decors but as it turned out, I was surprised by how well crafted and not just your normal Christmas decors they have put up for the public. It revolves around the theme of "Santa's Toy Factory. It really looked like a toy factory. If only this place was bigger. Check out the rest of the photos.

Berjaya Time Square -  Enthralling Christmas              

Berjaya Time Square's theme this year is just irresistible for kids and young at heart. The adorable characters with the huge minion character at the center. I was blown away by how these characters are so huge and and colorful. It brings back the kid in me. Although taking picture with this giant minion at the entrance of the mall itself is almost impossible as it is always flocked by mall goers. It's more packed during weekends. Enjoy the rest of the photos below.

Now that you've seen it all, it's the time to vote. Choose your best Christmas decors, tick the box inside the captcha to prove you are not a robot and hit submit. 

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Slide The City with Gopro

Gopro, as one of the sponsors for Slide The City Malaysia in Setia Alam, Shah Alam, organized a free Gopro Experience and Training which involved getting to know the features of the new models and how to create videos using the Gopro Quick app. 

The first part after registration was an introduction of the Gopro lineups and their features led by Mr. Sangeet Sing. He discussed the new features and technology of the latest Hero 6 model compared to the older models the Hero 5 and the Hero 4. 

We were divided into groups and each group much experience each activity within slide the city and record it with the Gopro. It was nearly mid day so the sun was so hot but we managed to go to each activity and record. Admittedly, the most fun was the big slide which was the feature of this activity. We were allowed to do it as many times as we want so we had more opportunity to get the video we want.

Gopro athletes in Malaysia, Leona Chin (above) and Peter Davis (below) were present as part of Gopro family.  Having them with our videos makes it more interesting. With their real world experience using the Gopro units and accessories, they are the best person who can give tips to us.

  (Photo below) A good friend of mine Sangeet whom I met during my first Gopro Hero4 training is the person in charge of the training and with his team, they organize events for Gopro in Malaysia. 

During this event, I met few participants from the previous training that I attended and was introduced to new fellow Gopro users who are very passionate in making videos with the Gopro.

Gopro did decide to throw out some prizes for selected videos created after the deadline. We had to make a short video of the footage we took from the activity and make a quikstory video using only the Quik app for mobile. Thanks to them who are generous for providing such prizes. The video above won 2nd prize for our group. 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Gopro Malaysia for organizing this event. This shows that Gopro is committed to do after sales support and made sure they engage and listen to the community. We were informed by Sangeet Singh, the key person in charge for the training that they will conduct more and more of these training. I'm encouraging Gopro users here in Malaysia to support Gopro and its effort to educate customers and make use of this great tool to its full performance.

To all Gopro users in Malaysia, let us support Gopro's events and activities for them to continuously provide training, contests and many more. Do check out their facebook page and instagram to get updates. Note: Gopro is having a weekly contest at the moment which entitles winners of Rm1,000 worth of Gopro accessories. Do check their Facebook page to know more.

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Ho CHi Minh City, Vietnam - The Adventure

Travelling to a another country is great. Travelling to another country with 10 of your friends is awesome. I have not been with this big of a group doing travel so when they invited me to join their trip, I did not hesitate to book a ticket. Our destination was Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. 

Ho Chi Minh City is known for its rich culture and food and that was our goal, to experience their culture and taste their food. 

I was surprised they even have Grab bike. This shows how motorcycle is a big thing there. Almost every one of them has one.  For us coming from a country where cars, buses and trucks are  more prominent, it's just joy to see more motorcycles as we can see on the streets. 

This trip was my first drone flight out of Malaysia where I live. I was hesitant because of what I have heard about how strict Vietnamese authorities regarding flying drone in the country. Managed to fly the drone in 2 key places of our trip. One was a place near Mekong River and the other one as shown in these photos, from Notre Dame Cathedral at the center of the city.

The Tours

I always thought that guided tours are waste of money because of my impression that they charge much and give very little value to what we pay. It turned out that it was very great experience. We took the usual Chu Chi tunnels and Mekong River delta tour from The Sinh Tourist travel agency. This was a day tour including transportation and lunch. Do check out their site to know more about their tours. We started at Chu Chi Tunnels and it was not bad. I thought it was all boring and it turned out that I learned much more about its history. There were so much more we didn't know about Vietnamese history than what we were taught in our history classes back in the Philippines.  The war really changed their lives and they survived with the tunnels as their main protection.  I couldn't imagine how difficult it was. When I tried to go through a tunnel, a very short one, during 1-2 minute mark, I was grasping for air and wanted to go back which I couldn't because someone else was behind me. I'm not claustrophobic but it felt like anything more than 2 minutes inside the tunnel, I immediately wanted to come out for fresh air. 

The tour guide was really helpful. he speaks at least 3 languages and knows his history.  Next was Mekong river. From Chu chi tunnels, we headed to Mekong river which was 3 hour away.  Activities in Mekong River Delta tour (half day): 1. Ride boat to a seafood restaurant for our lunch. Food was great and free as included for the tour fee. 2. Visit a local coconut candy factory which also has other by products of coconuts from bags to decorations kitchen utensils and more.  3. Rode horse driven carriage from the coconut candy factory to a local cultural show where  traditional renditions performed by local singers in their own language. Got to taste pure honey from a honey farm. 4. Cruise back to the bus through boat along Mekong river.  

Wandering around the city is possible as the tourist spots a re just near with each other. For one or 2 people, Motorcycles are always an option if you don't want to walk. A 7-seat Grab car is also available for bigger groups of 5-7 each car.

Upon knowing that our favorite Filipino fast food chain Jollibee has 2 branches near the place we stayed, we allocated time to go and eat our favorites. All of us are living in Malaysia and Jollibee's nearest branch is in Singapore. So we missed the food a lot. I can't believe I did not see any filipino crew from that one Jollibee branch we went. It just doesn't make sense not to have one since most people who will come are expected to be Filipinos. Anyway, I think Vietnamese people also love the food from Jollibee as I saw some locals also bringing their family and eat there. I just wish a new Jollibee branch will open in Malaysia.

The whole experience was great but i have to admit, there was not much time to go to each places we have planned. Three days, 2 nights is not enough to be able to wander much. We have tasted the some local food, not all and experienced a bit of Saigon's night life.  I recommend going to the Saigon night food market that happens every weekend night with live band and cheap yet delicious and wide range of food from street, seafood to exotic ones. And oh before I forget, night life in Bui Vien street is great. Do check it out. This place is also known as the backpacker street in Saigon.

I hope you enjoyed this blog post and for those who are planning to go to Ho Chi Minh City may have a little insight of what to expect when you go there. Do check out the video I created for the whole trip. Enjoy!!! Do comment, like and subscribe to see more of these type of blog posts and more.

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Julius & Bevs - Malaysia Pre-Wedding

I had the opportunity to shoot them for their pre-wedding photos. This shoot is special to me as a photographer because the groom-to-be is my friend and my previous house mate. 

KLCC

KLCC was our first stop. We drove early morning  and arrived while just the sun came out and started at these not so common spots within the vicinity of the KLCC Park.

The KLCC Park has so many trees within the vicinity and I used those to our advantage for the shoot. I really love color of the clothes that they wore in this location and had taken several shots for them to cherish forever.

It really looks like from the photo above that I was alone doing the shoot, but It was not the case. I was helped with the couple's two closest friends Mayeen Adornado (also helped with make up and styling) and Mhel Dimanzana. I had their help for example when I needed someone to hold the flash or reflector. They were such big help. 

The above photo is special to me. There was some kind of a man made waterfall in this area but I guess because it was still very early, the water is not yet flowing. So all we got was this area which looks like a fish pond, all boring. Then I thought of using the reflection to my favor and came up with this shot. One of my favorites for this series. 

ACME Bar

I chose this place because of their interesting interiors and great lighting, not to mention great food. Thanks to my photographer friend Robert who showed me this place.  (Click the photos to see an enlarged version and cycle through them)

The first floor was a great photo shoot location for themes like this. We took several and went on with it. 

Cerbjaya Condo & Swimming Pool

We ran out of options as the rain came by. So we headed to the condo in Cyberjaya where Mhel lives to take a rest and shoot afterwards. But the weather did not cooperate so we decided to shoot at a nearby pool.

It drizzled persistently, i'm so lucky I was using my Olympus Camera and lens that I didn't have to worry about rain getting into my gear. Finally, the camera feature got its money's worth.  Weather sealing in both camera and lens is a big plus for this kind of situation.

Then, the condo had a viewing deck at the top in which the view was amazing. we played with our shots and had some very ones. I played with the light as I used to bounce it over the big white wall. The result, a cleaner and crisper photos. I love the colors on the photos below.

The final shot on this location was multiplicity technique which I learned during my early stages in photography. The view from where we were was great but the place where we are shooting has few interesting things which I already shot as above. So I thought of doing the shot below just to make something different from the rest. 

Looking back on this day, I realized we were shooting for more than eight hours. All of us specially me enjoyed the shoot so much that we didn't realize how long we have been shooting. 

I would like to thank the couple Julius and Bev for the trust in making me part of this memorable pre-wedding shoot.  Mhel Dimanzana for our transportation and place to rest and being my lighting assistant. Last but not certainly the least, Mayeen Adornado for helping Bev with her makeup and styling and also my lighting assistant. This successful photo shoot would not be possible without the mentioned contributions above. Thank you!!!

Do comment below if you have any questions or suggestions for a next photo shoot location or anything related to this post. For booking inquiries, please contact me.

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Shooting Into The Woods With Ara

I always wanted to photograph her and that has become a reality last August. Her name is Ara, a colleague of mine. With the right planning, we were able to go on with the shoot even with some minor set backs.

Location 1

We shot the photos in KL Lake Gardens and were so amazed how huge the place is and there were so many places to shoot. This first location, we found a huge tree with its trunk and roots simply lying flat on the ground then slowly raising up. The moment I saw it, I know we would do a couple of shots there. 

Location 2

The second spot was on an uprooted tree just near the first one. It turned out to be a "Tinker Bell" look which I really liked. Had this shot and moved on to the next one. We still had to walk at least 10 minutes to the next one so we went on.

Location 3

We found trimmed shrubs like this below in a nearby playground. So I asked her to pose and did the shot below. 

The shoot was on a Saturday afternoon and surprisingly, there were few people at the Lake Gardens. It used to be overcrowded during weekends.  Totally loved the result on this one.

Location 4

This looks like the 3rd location but it is not. This was initially our first shooting spot but when we parked at a different entrance of the Lake Gardens, we had to make use of the nearby shooting spots before going to this one just to make sure we don't waste any time as it was getting darker and darker. 

We arrived at the location around 5:00PM and we had little time to shoot before the sun goes down.

Location 4

Right beside the 3rd location,  was a wall of flowers and shrubs so we shot her against those flowers. I always wanted to add some beauty shots and the above photo is one of them.  It turned out really great and those shots are one of my favorites for this series. 

Another successful photo shoot for Van Ligutom Photography and the team. Well for this instance it's a two person team. Kudos to Belle, my makeup artist for sharing her talent to us and assisting me during the shoot. Ara, great job for being such an easy model to pose with no complaints during the whole duration of the shoot. Big shout out to Mardie (Ara's BF) for the trust in allowing us to shoot Ara and for our transportation, not to mention the overwhelming moral support.

Do comment and subscribe to this blog to get the latest updates when I post new blog entries. Don't forget to check out the social media accounts for the people involved during this shoot. Give out some love by liking and adding them in social media.

Model : Ara Bautista Hair & Makeup: Belle

For collaborations or if you want to hire me as photographer, please contact me

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A Night Of Lights, Fireworks & Cultures Rising Together - 29th SEA Games 2017Opening Ceremony

I have waited for this for two years. With so much anticipation and dramas in social media, it all doesn’t matter now as the 29th SEA Games is officially open. 

As a sports enthusiast myself, I wouldn’t let this pass. Watching the highest level of competition in South East Asian region is a dream come true to me and watching the opening ceremony is a great start and i think a once in a lifetime experience. 

  To give you a background, the host for this year’s SEA Games was supposed to be Brunei but they declined and said will not be ready at this time so it was passed on to Malaysia. The Malaysian organising committee did not hesitate to accept the offer as they are well aware that the facilities here are up to standards and with few adjustments, they will be able to host the event successfully.  Here we are, fast forward from two years ago after Singapore hosted the last one.

The opening ceremony was held at Bukit Jalil National Stadium with the capacity of 84,000 seats. They did some renovations on the stadium and this was my second time to go there, definitely there were changes.  

Getting there so early was a very good idea. I left from where I live at around 2:45pm with the aim to reach by 4:00pm. The show was announced to start around 8pm but the public was urged to come early as traffic jams are expected. Roads leading to the stadium were closed and the only way to go in and out was through public transportation mainly through train and dedicated public buses. 

By 5:00pm I was finding my seat inside the stadium. It was free seating so those who were early had the chance to choose seats accordingly.  At one point, I tried to sit down from seats on level 2. I noticed that they installed led lights on the back seats on levels 2 and 3 stand. They used it for the show. When I was seated at the 2nd level seats, I noticed that there is no wind coming in as it was all covered at the back and it was hot. So I moved down and found my seat at the bottom level. 

There were a lot of empty seats when I arrived so I was doubting that the stadium will be full but I was wrong. After the rain stopped, people flocked the stadium and it was indeed a great turn out. 

The ceremony did not start on time as it rained an hour before the expected time to start. When the ceremony officially started, the crowd in the Stadium was pumped up thanks to the DJ who kept the beats going. 

The cultural presentations featured cultural diversity in Malaysia showcasing panglipur lara, Chinese, Malay and Indian drum shows, dondang saying, joget and the terinai dance.

It was an evening of fireworks, lights and cultures rising together but the highlight of the evening I should say was the lighting of the huge SEA Games cauldron. It started with the small torch which has been passed around from Singapore to several states in Malaysia. The torch bearers were legends in their own sports from past generations and present. The Games cauldron was so huge as it rose through the stage, then the torch bearer was Malaysian diving star Nur Dhabitah Sabri. She had to be raised up so high to be able to light up the cauldron through the torch. That symbolism in these kind  events is so important as it signifies the official start of the overall competition. The cauldron will be kept lighted until the games are over on the 30th of August where a closing ceremony will be held on the same stadium.

Malaysian legends who made history worldwide were part of the ceremony. They were soccer legends Datuk James Wong, Datuk Shukor Salleh and Datuk Santokh Singh, sprinter Datuk Rabuan Pit and bowling star Shalin Zulkifli.

The overall event experience was great. I had high expectations as I love watching opening ceremonies of the Olympics. I know it wouldn’t top any Olympics opening ceremony but at least for the region, it’s at par with the previous SEA Games opening ceremonies. 

Right after the ceremony, I knew it will be packed as the only way out was the train station. I wandered at the vicinity near the stadium where food trucks, entertainment and SEA Games merchandises were sold. There were also big tents where the public can enjoy watching live events and some fun stuffs prepared by the organizers.

This event, as any other sporting event shows the power of sports that unite different cultures and races. As this year’s slogan goes, “Rising Together”. It is expected that the games will not only bring out the best in the region but will foster friendship and stronger ties to each participants not only raising the level of sports  competitions in the region but uniting the region in general.

There are 400+ gold medals to be won for the 11 participating countries and the 29th South East Asian games is scheduled to end on the 30th of August, a day before Malaysia’s Independence Day celebration.

Well done Malaysian Organizing Committee headed by their Youth and Sports Minister Khairy for putting up a great show.

Do check out the video I took during the opening ceremony. So comment your thoughts on this event below.

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Happiest 5K On The Planet

After 3 long years, The Color Run is back in Malaysia and I was lucky to be part of it.  I can still remember everyone's enthusiasm for this event way back May 2017 when they started announcing the registration. Me and some friends immediately registered knowing that the slots will easily get full since this is a very popular event. Indeed I was right. 

I understood that this is not for those hardcore runners, I am not one. But this is for those who are still new to running. Even though this is 5K, it is still a run to go specially if you haven't joined this before.

It’s understandable for me that some did not join just to improve their 5k but just to be able to enjoy running with friends and music in a colorful way. I noticed during today’s event that more younger generation runners joined.

I also can see why the organizers did not make this as 10k. It would be such long way to go and that would mean more color stations plus more water stations whick equates to more expenses from the organizers. ​So I guess that 5k is really a sweet spot for this type of running event.

Kudos to the organizers and sponsors of this event for making it such a successful one.​

 It culminated with few hours of music, games and lots of color throwing. I had fun and so my friends. This is an example of what makes running so addictive. The joy within the community and young and new runners enjoying every step they can. Enjoy the video I created and experience being there.

Please make sure to comment and subscribe.

[vanligutom]

Sophie Portraits In Siquijor Island

It's not very much often that I travel but this was during my vacation back home. Months of preparation for the vacation, but did not expect to have a photo shoot. A friend of mine who lives in Poland who does make up, was also going home. She lives in a town next to where I live and has not been home for a while like me so both of us were eager to meet family, friends and relatives.

My friend's name is Kate (Farrah as what her family and friends call her). She met Sophie on a beach resort and noticed her beauty so Kate asked her if she could be our model. With her father's approval, she agreed. Sophie was with her father and girlfriend at that time who were also enjoying their vacation. They're from Germany who just came to the Philippines to travel.

The Location

The location was in Coco Groove Beach Resort, one of the famous beach resorts in Siquijor Island, in a town 20 Km away from my place. With me were my wife and daughter and Kate's husband and son were also there. We decided to do the shoot within the vicinity of the resort since there are a lot of great locations to shoot within the resort. We started past noon, Kate did the make up first. 

We wanted to make sure that we show some of the wonderful areas in the resort most specifically the trees, beach and plants. The second location is some kind of a garden still inside the resort, which I noticed to be more interesting. The picture below shows how intriguing those leaves crawling by the trunk of a tree. The colors of the background really compliments the colors of her swim wear. Thanks to Kate, she brought swim wears for the model to use.

Once again, a big thank you to Kate for making this shoot possible. Also to her husband who supported us during the shoot. Thanks Sophie for being such a great model for this shoot. It was a pleasure working with you guys.

Model: Sophie-Victoria Andreas Photographer:  Van Ligutom Hair & Make Up/ Wardrobe: Kate Asok-Południewska Location: Coco Groove Beach Resort

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Urban Photo Shoot With Aki - Ticked Off One On Her Bucket List

Went out for a photoshoot with Akiko.  This time my make up artist was Belle. This was the first time I worked with Belle and Akiko and I commend them for their professionalism and dedication for the shoot.  

 This photoshoot also serves as a celebration of Aki's 23rd bday. Yes she's just 23. 

As her choice, she wanted to have Urban Look portraits so off we went to the streets of Kuala Lumpur and took some shots.. 

We found the above location on a side walk. I love the gritty look of this one. 

While we were about to change outfit, we passed at this cool place on a shade with lots of pipes good for the theme we are shooting. So we shoot there for at least 30 minutes and got the shots we wanted. 

The wall above coincides with our theme. You would not know that this was just a wall fro some kind of a water tank near central market. Even after 3 shots, the security guard told us we were not allowed to shoot so we stopped. But it was alright because we had the shots we wanted. 

While on the way to our main shoot location, we managed to take some shots while inside the train.. We had utilized the time properly and so happy with the results. 

After the shoot, we headed to a great place to eat. We were so tired that we forgot it's past noon.  

Great thanks to Belle for doing the hair and makeup. You can follow her and see her works on her Instagram page. Aki for such a good sport during the shoot. Check out Aki's instagram and follow her too. Do comment on the comment section below. Overall, I liked the outcome of the photos. Even before post production. This means we will have another project with Aki and Belle as a collaboration soon.  Do subscribe for our newsletter so you will get updates on new posts or projects that I am working on. Enter your email on the field provided at the top most right part of this page to subscribe. I can also be found in social media as @vanligutom.

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A Portrait Photography Workshop With Nadirah Zakariya

Another claps and praises to Huawei and Leica for organizing another successful event and bringing more value to owners of the Huawei P9 (that includes me). To me as a customer, this proves that both companies are true to their partnership and building that relationship to customers, making us loyal to the brand thus more purchase for them.  But loyalty is earned long term so let's not talk about that for now. 

Huawei and Leica brought Nadirah Zakariya to teach us about portrait photography and indeed, she delivered with high marks in my opinion. She is Malaysian born  who has been working in New York and lived in Texas, Georgia and Japan. Her experiences living in different cultures, helped shape her style in photography.

Avenue K (Leica store, where the workshop was held) was the perfect place for the workshop as we didn't need to go out of the mall to simulate available light as the top floor of the mall has a large auditorium like area which has an open glass above.

We teamed up with another participant (2 each team), and had a chance to shoot each other as what Nadirah taught us for few minutes before we headed out. 

Cant wait to attend for other workshops in the future.

[vanligutom]

9th Annual Scott Kelby's Worldwide Photo Walk 2016

It has been a tradition at least from my own self that I join this annual event. It ignites my passion for photography just when I needed it from too many distractions. Another thing I like about joining this event is I meet new and old friends who share the same passion. There is nothing more exciting than talking to people who share the same passion but gain different experiences and share them together while capturing photos or hanging out in between the walk. 

This is the 3rd time I joined Ripi (Raja Indra Putra) as the leader for the annual photo walk. So far, I can say that it is well organized, planned well and the most attended in whole of Malaysia. I have done one in Georgetown, Penang in 2013 if I'm not mistaken. 

There are still so many good places to walk and shoot in KL and you can even go to the same route and get different shots because of the diversity of culture here.

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Scott Kelby himself will choose the winners on this event and it will be posted on November 15th. It would seem very unlikely that I win in this event but at least I made new friends and free ignited the sparks to my passion in photography. 

Congratulations to the winners. Good job Scott Kelby for another successful year.  

[vanligutom]

The Master Photographer Meets The Print Master

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Sept 3 and 4,  2016, workshop participants were in for a treat from the historic city of Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia.That's because it was not just an ordinary photography workshop you see every now and then.  It was in my opinion the best collaborative workshop in photography that makes sense. Photography does not end after you edit the photos and post it on social media and get some likes. There's another aspect the we tend to not dive into as it requires years and years of experience and technical skills and that is to print the images you shoot. This doesn't mean that you just have to send your finished photos to the printer or to a photo print service,  the process is way much complicated. To be a good print master, you may need to spend more time printing than doing photography. This workshop doesn't only teach you how to improve your photography, it teaches you the ins and outs of printing your photos and understanding what the print master wants to get it right and save more time.

Organized by A|B Creative Works Productions led by Anthony Barlan, The workshop instructors were Erich Caparas who has more than 30 years of experience in photography teaches photography from posing, the technical aspects of lighting and post processing. His editorials appeared in almost 100 fashion magazines. His works were also featured National Geographic, Discovery Channel, and Smithsonian Institution etc. He is now named as Fellowship at Master Photographer Association, a UK based photography organization. To learn more about Erich, head to his bio page. 

Mark Liau on the other hand, is the print master teaching about the printer side of things.  He owns The Print Studio and they have been printing photos for particiapants of WPPI, WPPM, MPA, Professional Photographers and of course everyday enthusiast photographers since 2009.

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The Workshop Location

The location was well picked by our organizer Anthony Barlan of A|B Creative Works Production. Aside from the known fact that it was held at the historic place of Georgetown, Panang (World Heritage Site), the Eyedear Studio was perfect for such a big workshop not to mention their complete and sophisticated equipment.

The Participants

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The Models

Here's a simple video I created for the event.