Feast of blue

THE pandemic is bringing out the best and the worst in many people, and the artistic side in some.

Naqib Jamaludin decided to explore the Malaysian love affair with food, with his camera.

“Street food sellers are struggling to survive during the lockdown,” said the 25-year-old, who has been freelancing as a designer and photographer for three years.

“I thought these pictures would be a fun way to promote local delicacies.”

Famous fish-based dish Laksam (rice noodles with fish gravy) and Apam Beras Kukus (steamed rice cakes) are depicted in their appetising flavours.

In one picture, he superimposed three people practising social distancing from one another.

In another, he showed bread being broken torn to pieces as a reference to panic buying during the lockdown.

Other mesmerising images depict Raya and Ramadan moods, such as the cakes and cookies in a Ramadan bazaar and fireworks.

“I like to tell my stories through my images,” says Naqib, who has a diploma in Graphic Design and Digital Media and a B.A. (Hons) in Graphic Design and Digital Media with an advertising major.

“Photography gives me the freedom to create what I visualise.”

He had his first camera at 16.

“You could say I am a self-taught photographer,” he says.

He pointed out that his love for images runs in the family.

“Like me, my father (a project engineer) loves to take pictures,” he says.

One of his signature trademarks is the use of blue in all his
images.

“Blue is my favourite colour,” he explains.

He believes it makes his works more vibrant and gives a certain cheerfulness.

His blue images are getting positive feedback from his social media followers. In fact, he has clients from United Kingdom, Italy and Singapore.

“It encouraged me to keep creating the same kind of content,” he says.

Naqib hopes to lecture abroad about his artistic vision and his love of blue.

He points out that some people believe you need to have an expensive camera to create beautiful images.

He says: “I do not agree with this statement. What makes your photograph stand out is your conceptualisation and the idea behind your image. Spend more time building up on these.”

To find inspiration, he mingles with other creatives, such as movie-makers and painters.

“If you want to be creative, you need to surround yourself in such an atmosphere,” he says.

Hobbies such as cycling and jungle trekking are also ways to stimulate the imagination.

Friends have told Naqib that making people want to talk with him is one of his gifts.

“Making conversation sparks creativity,” he points out.