Andrew Biraj: A Bangladeshi Photojournalist

For those who don't know, I am of Bangladeshi origin(a very small country in South Asia, next to India). When I lived there I didn't have much idea about documentary style or journalistic approach to photography. I didn't even know there are schools for photographers in Bangladesh focusing on photojournalism. Over the time, I have learned and grown as a photojournalistic wedding photographer. But, a real photojournalist is Andrew Biraj from Bangladesh, who recently won the first prize in the 'Best of Photojournalism 2008' contest organized by the NPPA (National Press Photographers Association). His images tell heart breaking stories of real people in our society; visit his site to learn more.

Here is an image from his winning gallery(Environmental Picture Story). More to be found here

Copyright protected by Andrew Biraj

"11 year old Hasan is suffering from diarrhea on the hospital bed. With the monsoon floods every year, thousands of children are diagnosed with diarrhea and other waterborne diseases. Many are admitted into hospitals like this, the ICCRB in Dhaka; those in outlying and remote areas usually don't have available medical care."

My first KISS ;)

So long I've been waiting for it, now I finally have it and the feeling is incredible!!!! It is my first KISS after all :)))

I ordered the album a couple weekends ago. I needed it soon, so I had to RUSH it. The moment I saw the books at OSPW2, I knew I found the perfect match for myself. So I went ahead and ordered it. The simple minded director Kevin was promt to start the process and he, along with the book babe and the helpful hottie, kept me posted everytime the book moved up to the next step.

I was half asleep around midnight on Thursday but decided to check my email anyway. I was surprised to see Kevin's email at that time of the day(the email was sent at 2:30am Indiana time); he was letting me know that something happened during the process, so they couldn't get the book out in time. They took care of the issues and returned the RUSH fee. It was almost morning there and he was up on his computer taking care of the business!

The book arrived today and I picked it up on my way back from work. I have to tell you - it looks HOT!!! The colors are vibrant, the pages are smooth, the fabric book cover is just beautiful - it is everything I thought it would be and my expectations were really high! It's been a great experience so far.

Here is a quick look at what I've got -







Kevin and the crew - thank you so much for the KISS :) You named it just right and you do it really well :)))) I am very happy with how it turned out and how you handled the issues. It was worth the wait.

I don't eat chocolate much, Ferrero Rocher is the only kind that I simply love and never get tired of. I thought it would be nice to have a photo session with my favorite Ferrero and my new fave Red Hot KISS album. I think they look realy cute together, what do you think?

It's here, but I am NOT at home

I ordered my first KISS Wedding book sample and I've been expecting it anytime today. For the past two days I have checked the delivery status in every 30 mins! USPS guys were taking ages to update the info. I just checked the staus now and it's finally here!!!! But I wasn't at home to receive it, so the book has gone back to the postoffice. I just want to leave work right now and run out to the post office to pick up my package. Can't tell you how excited I am to see how it looks!

Stay tuned for my KISS update, the juicy details that I'm sure you wouldn't wanna miss :)

WPPI

All the photographers I know(well almost all) are in Vegas attending WPPI. For those who don't know, WPPI (Wedding & Portrait Photographers International) is the biggest trade show in professional photography. Every year the photographers from all over the world meet in Vegas to trade, network and learn from each other. Obviously I couldn't go this year :( hopefully next year will be my time to be a part of it :)

I'm waiting to hear the stories from fellow photographers, I'm sure they are all having a blast! Everyday I realize how much I enjoy photography than writing software. While coding has its own charm, photographing moments seems much more colorful and glamorous to me from every aspect. I guess it's all about how our brain works, sometimes(and most of the time now-a-days) my right side of the brain is more dominant :)

Sample album

I have been thinking of updating my portfolio and putting together a sample book with some of my recent works. I finally did it..yayyy! the book contains images from bridals, engagements and a wedding. Here are a few design spreads from the book -featuring Stacey & Patrick's beautiful wedding at Vizkaya in the downtown Sac. Your thoughts and inputs are appreciated.

If you don't know how to create Swirls

Swirlies are invading the design world!!! Websites, blogs, cards, backgrounds, weddings books - they are everywhere! I like a little bit of swirly too, but I don't really know how to create them. Thanks to the internet, there is nothing that you can't find through a google search.

I came across this cool blog where you can find a two-part tutorial on how to make swirls. There are tons of swirls and other designs, photoshop and illustrator brushes available for purchase at very reasonable price. To make it even more attractive, the owner of the site Silvia has freebies for your download. Thanks Silvia for being so generous towards people like me :) I now know how to make swirlies, soon they'll be all over me!

Here is a link to the site - http://graphics-illustrations.com/

Potluck at the Stewarts'

Last Thursday Jen and Chris Stewart had a potluck party at their place. It was nice to see Mark and Kerri again. Beth came by with her special brownies(I want the recipe Beth!) and Rebecca Linh joined us from Houston while visiting Sacramento for a wedding. Here are some snaps from the night.

Rebecca, Kerri and Mark -

Chris & Jen's little boy Aiden sure knows how to work the camera :)

Mark is enjoying the brownie while Beth and Jen(& baby Bella)are watching the show :)

Jason and Bryan discussing some video game theory -

At the end Chris was showing us the usage of Jing and I was trying show off my 4-channel off camera transmitter-receiver(Model: Chris Stewart)

Of course, no photo sessions end before capturing the juicy details -