All is Amazing: The Night Before

By Alif Omar Mahfix  •  in Design
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source: All is Amazing

Jokes aside, the existence of All is Amazing gave KL nightlife a much needed photographic evidence that, yes, we do have kickarse parties. Party photography here hadn’t evolved since the first time JUICE came out in June 2002; lifeless with stilted emotions. Paul’s photos, on the other hand, are animated and in the moment, you could almost feel the experience there. And that’s exactly what he is attempting to do, to paraphrase him, if you can convey the emotions that were in the party, then it’s a good picture (“It has to be damn good focused picture too!”). There’s a reason why Paul would surprise snap you while you least expect it, you can’t get a captivating picture just by making punters pose for it while the loud din of club music is blasting in the background and hundreds of others are pushing you from all angles.

“Good picture comes to you when you engage yourself in the moment and emotion with the subject you’re photographing, only then we might expect something magical to happen. It’s not about settings, it’s not about lens, it’s not about flash diffusers, it’s about you, the photographer, being one with them, the crowd.”

Whether party or slice of life photos, Paul applies the same goal to all of his works – “to make people feel happy and positive while [looking at their pictures].” Elaborating on his belief in photography, he finds it immensely powerful how pictures don’t just create memories, but act as an archive of time that can be traced back visually (albeit static).

“I enjoy the process of capturing images, as much as I enjoy eating delicious meal,” he told us.

Beyond the artistry of the finished image, Paul believes there’s an art to the actual act of capturing the photo itself. There’s something ineffable about the skills involved in having someone’s photo taken without the person noticing you as a photographer that appeals to him. The hard work required to pull it off, and seeing the results coming from it, are just “super rewarding.”

At this point of the article, you’d think his skills are better suited for something more than just nightlife photography. But Paul’s reasoning for choosing this is twofold – for one, currently nighttime is the only time he can go out, then there’s the need to show that “[KLites] are indeed truly beautiful while they are having fun.” The opposite of Vice-esque manifesto in capturing the debauched, he doesn’t go out to shoot couples making out, guys puking, scantily-clad chicks, and whatever ignominious situation that would make someone regret the night before.

“I shoot people like you and me sinking deep in music and dancing together with their friends and forgetting about their daytime worries, all becoming one – happy people,”

That might sound a little trite to the jaded, but having had experience with Paul, JUICE is more than convinced that he was being genuine. This is the same person who would go out to snap amazing pictures of an event, and focus only on that (not partying), with or without being commissioned to do it. It’s really a true blue passion for him, you could almost call him a party expert by now. With his experience, we thought it would be interesting to find out what makes a party works in his opinion. “It’s not that much about the music you play, not about how you dress on stage, it’s all about how you engage with the crowd,” opined Paul. Continuing that if you were able to look into their eyes and communicate with them, they’d go wild, even if your playlist didn’t hit all the right notes. Citing our 10th Anniversary featuring Major Lazer as an example of the best party he had been too, Paul rhetorically asked us; “Do you even remember how many of their original tracks were played?”

Answering his own question, Paul said they only played ‘Get Free’ for about 2 minutes before going to a mix of “’80s stuff.” Yet it was wild regardless, because Major Lazer and company had stage presence and an actual performance on stage, which is something Paul is already seeing happening in KL. “There are performers and DJs who control the crowd and fill them with good energy, I wanna see more and more of it,” he exclaimed, animated as ever.

But what about the secret to becoming a good party photographer, you asked?

“With a passion, smile, courage, camera, and some cash for the taxi back home later.”

Find All is Amazing on Facebook at www.facebook.com/allisamazing, alternatively you can find him at www.allisamazing.com as well.