Cliff Choong

Portrait, Wedding | Last Updated: February 9, 2021

Hello fellow ShotKit-ians!

My name is Cliff Choong. I’m a destination wedding and portrait photographer based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

I am also a husband to a smart and beautiful wife (Brenda), and a father to 3 playful and sometimes mischievous children (Elion, Giovanna and Raphael).

My digital photography journey started around the same time as my first child was born and now he is almost 10 years old! I didn’t set out to become a full-time photographer, but my wife persuaded me to take a leap from hobby to professional career.

I thank her for that because photography has not only become my passion but also the main income for my family.

I love capturing the genuine moments of couples be it in a wedding or a portrait session.

I rarely pose the couple but only give some direction of where they should stand for better lighting and composition. And then I’ll play some music or songs from my Spotify playlist with my Ultimate Ear Bluetooth speaker to set the mood and throw in some games and questions to let the couple interact with each other.

Then I will be ready with my camera to photograph the natural and authentic moments when they happen.

I love working closely with the couples nearer to their wedding day to create more intimate images.

When the couple look back at the photos, they can feel like they were at the scene again.

Here is a list of my go-to gear:

Canon EOS R: My recently upgraded main camera (1 month old) and it’s my first mirrorless. I’m still at the stage of getting used to it. However, after a few assignments with it, I’m impressed with what this camera can do in low light and I especially love the electronic viewfinder which helps me see
light differently.

Plus I found the focus on the EOS R is way better than on the 5D Mark IV and I’m especially loving Touch & Drag Auto Focus where I can just touch and drag the focus point to the particular place I want it to be.

And that’s why it has become my main camera body. Hopefully, there will be another firmware update soon, because there are still some faults going on here and there.

Canon 5D Mark IV: My secondary body now but it was my main camera body for 2 years until I got the EOS R. My first full-frame DSLR was a 5D Mark II as my main camera and 5D Mark IV as a second body for 6 years. But now they both are retired.

Canon 50mm f/1.2: My favorite lens. Most of my works were shot with this lens.

Canon 16-35mm f/2.8: This is used on the secondary body most of the time, especially during the pre-wedding, fetch-the-bride game, group photo, or a wide scenery shot.

Canon 85mm f/1.8: Recently added to the family. I use it for portrait and some candid shots during small receptions.

Canon 135 f/2: This is the longest lens I have now. I use this during the march-in session and some candid shots during the wedding reception. I used to have a Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 but it is too heavy to carry around so now it is sitting on the shelf.

Canon 600EX-RT: I rarely use flash for wedding assignment because I prefer natural light unless the surroundings are really dark. However, I use flash for indoor group photos and portraits.

Pentax 645 75mm f/2.8: I picked up film photography a few years ago and ever since I am obsessed with it. Especially in love with the medium format. This is one of the cheapest medium format cameras but yet with very high image quality. It is called the poor-man Contax for that exact reason. Despite what it is called, I love it. Although it is a bit heavy compared to my DSLR and mirrorless, I love to shoot this for couple portraits but only when time allows.

Rolleicord IV: Another one of my favorite medium format cameras, because it looks cool. I always take this with me on my trips, because I’m invisible when I’m doing street photography with it. ^^

Nikon FM2 50mm f/1.4 Ai: Love this old school camera, it is classy and timeless. Also, it is fully mechanical which means I don’t have to worry about the battery lifespan. I use it for my traveling photos and sometimes for street photography.

Canon 5QD: Bought this film camera because I can use it together with all my Canon EF lenses. I use this when my client couple request to have some photos shot on film and only for portrait or fewer movement sessions because shooting film is slow and weddings are a very fast pace. (The camera is currently sent for servicing, hence not shown here.)

Film Stocks:

Here is a list of films that I normally shoot with. I send all my color films to the lab, but I develop and scan all my black and white films myself.

Color – Portra 160, Portra 400, Ektar 100, Pro400H & Provia 100
Black & White – HP5 Plus, TriX 400, Arcos 100 & Fomapan 400

Sekonic Studio Delux L-28c2 Analog Light Meter: Use it together with Rolleicord IV because it doesn’t have a built-in light meter.

YongNuo E3-RT Wireless TTL Trigger: Got this because it is 1/3 the price of a Canon. I use it for off-camera flash and when I shoot portraits or group photos.

WONDERBOOM blue tooth speaker by Ultimate Ear: I carry this to every wedding assignment and portrait session. It is to play my Spotify song list with during my shoot. It is like a little pixie to me, it brings magic moments to the scene.

Cameras:

Canon EOS R

Canon 5D Mark IV

Lenses:

Canon 50mm f/1.2

Canon 16-35mm f/2.8

Canon 85mm f/1.8

Canon 135mm f/2

Speedlite:

Canon 600EX-RT

FILM cameras:

Canon 5QD