Photographers takes us on picturesque adventures and encapsulate the life of the places they travel to in captivating images. Our Marksmen this series is Khairul Azwari goes by the name @keywai. At 21 years old, he is currently pursuing engineering studies while juggling his passion for photography. His curiosity for photography began back in 2014. Since then, he’s done justice capturing the beauty of Malaysia through his lens.
What camera and lighting are you currently using?
“I’m using my Canon 6D together with Samyang Lens 14mm and Sigma 35mm. This is my 2nd Year using these combination of gears. For the lighting, I’m using Canon 430 EX II, but most of the time, I prefer using natural light in my shots since I shoot outdoor the most compare to indoor.”
How did you get into aerial photography? When did u started drone specifically?
“It’s been a struggle to access rooftops in Kuala Lumpur. I think all the spot are risky. So, I decided to change the game. I started to do some research about aerial photography. I found it was cool and worth to try out. I am only 2 months experienced in drone pilot. I’m still working on controlling it, youtube is the best reference to know the tricks and proper skills to fly the drone and to do aerial photography.”
What drone gear and setup do you use? Have your drone fail or crashed before?
“I’m currently using Dji Phantom 4 with nd filter (nd4 – nd8). I’m planning to change to Dji Mavic Pro since Dji Phantom4 is quite hard to carry around while the Mavic Pro is portable to bring anywhere. I have yet to experience a drone crash since I’m always cautious and make a safe checklist before any flight.”
How would you describe your style or vision for taking photos?
“I’m more into urban and architecture photography. I love finding new perspective and always try my best to avoid cliché shots. The tones and style are more into dark themes and less saturated. But actually, I don’t stick to one style only, I try to vary my style and tones. I would describe my style as “free.” As in there is no set style for me. I’m at a point where I’m still trying new things and figuring out what works best for me. I will say that a lot of the time, I’m shooting some type of urban photography that consists dope look concepts.”
How do you find shooting landscapes compare to shooting people?
“I love to shoot both. But, I prefer shooting landscapes of skyline and the city especially during sunset or sunrise. I think that’s the best time to capture the cityscapes. I travel to Bangkok this early year and Singapore last Christmas. During that time, I shoot landscape the most but only starting to shoot street style photography. I love the streets element in Bangkok, the colours and the vibe.”
What do you like to shoot the most?
“For now, I love aerial photography. I can unlock new perspectives that I’d couldn’t before this especially aerial view of the city. While I’m still improving my drone skills and knowledge about the signal and interferences. There are a lot of factors to be consider whenever I plan to fly somewhere to shoot. I need to take a quick check on the surrounding, the weather, and so on. Other than that, I also like to shoot night photography especially long exposure, starburst and motion blur.”
Is photography a hobby or are you looking to pursue a career out of it?
“Actually, I split my time equally. I am freelance photography during the weekend while weekdays, I stay focus in my engineering studies. My plan right now is to balance both, photography will always be my backup plan.”
