Malaysian Photog Shares What Life Is Like Shot on iPhone

By Danial Martinus • 30 Mar 2026 in Features

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(source: Muhd Hidayatullah / Provided by Apple)

This year’s Ramadan wasn’t just a spiritual reset for Malaysian photographer and filmmaker Muhd Hidayatullah.

It quietly morphed into a visual diary stretching from Kuala Lumpur all the way to banks of the Mekong in Cambodia.

It began, as most Ramadans do, with anticipation

“I took a photo of the clock showing exactly when we could break our fast that first day,” he recalls. “You know that feeling when you’re watching the minutes tick by, anticipating that first sip of water.”

But things were a little different in 2026, with Chinese New Year falling within the same period. For Hidayatullah, also known as Dayat, it was the perfect opportunity to document the rare cultural overlap.

Back home, however, his work turned more intimate thanks to a modest portrait studio he set up, inviting family, friends, and neighbours to be photographed in traditional Malay attire. No grand production, just soft lighting and sincerity.

“Watching them light up when they saw their own portraits? That was the good stuff,” he says. Among the many frames, there’s one that has a special place in Dayat’s heart, a close-up of him and his wife. “Nothing fancy. Just us.”

Then came Cambodia.

A last-minute humanitarian assignment brought him to Kampong Cham, where Ramadan unfolded against a totally different backdrop. Instead of the KL skyline, he saw the Mekong River. Instead of the usual crowd, he was surrounded by a bunch of unfamiliar faces.

But the essence remained unchanged, with his photography finding meaning in the quiet exchanges, focusing less on spectacle and more on sincere connection.

“We couldn’t always speak the same language, but we shared meals as the sun went down over the river.”

And throughout it all, he documented the journey on his iPhone 17 Pro Max. You probably think that a professional photographer might be more inclined to use a dedicated camera, but the iPhone wasn’t a compromise for Dayat. Quite the opposite, really.

Its triple 48MP camera allowed him to move fluidly between scenes, from sweeping river landscapes to tight, emotional portraits, all without a drop in quality.

That consistency matters for a lot of photographers. Instead of the friction that a big camera might bring with it, the iPhone 17 Pro Max felt more instinctual and out of the way.

If you want to emulate his style, here are some tips you can keep in mind:

1. Stop overthinking gear: When every lens delivers the same level of detail, focus more on timing and emotion.

2. Embrace simplicity: Try not to overcomplicate a photo. A plain backdrop, natural expressions, and honest moments will do just fine.

3. Play around with Photographic Styles: Go for Original if you prefer realism, Mono for something more timeless (especially in portraits), and Black and White if you want to get rid of distractions and let feelings take centre-stage.

4. Photograph what matters, not just what looks good: That aesthetic flatlay might look really good on a magazine cover, but let’s be real, it’s overdone and frankly quite boring.

At the end of the day, as they say, the best camera is the one that’s with you.

Keep up with Muhd Hidayatullah’s work here.