Last weekend, I had the privilege of attending my first ever unconference, ShootFest 001: The Wedding. It’s also the first time that I have been involved in the planning and execution of a photography event. One of the things about unconferences is that it is not very structured, allowing programmes to be changed or even adding new ones to it. You can even decide to skip a topic if you like and have a cup of Starbucks just to relax and chill out with friends. Leading up to the event, I was given a very important task. One that can’t be ignored. Registration!

Thanks Edwin for the photo!

Here are a few things that I’ve learnt over the past few weekend.

1. Everybody is twittering! Yes, you can catch some gems from the many twitterers who twitted about #ShootFest at twittersphere. Phew…
2. Fiona made me think about what is really in my bag. Probably a Snickers bar wrapper still left inside. Gotta start thinking about what I should be bringing for my next shoot.
3. Realised that I didn’t get to introduce myself during the session that I lead about turning pro. After Edwin Tan introduced himself, people started asking questions. Next time, introduce yourself first!
4. Dennis and Kris taught me about smart partnerships and there’s so much that we can do together!
5. Kenneth’s topic on Photojournalistic Weddings was fantastic! Love his work and I really wished there was more time for him to finished what he wanted to share. There’s so much gem there!
6. Pecha Kucha was fun. This should be part of ShootFest’s permanent programme from now on.
7. Jon Low, what can I say. You da bomb, man! Now I gotta start pestering my wife about getting an iMac with a 30″ monitor! Ok, that’s not just what I learnt, I also learnt how to organise my work better. Still trying to find the best way for myself.
8. Mun Keat, please teach me everything you know! Photoshop God! *bows down and worships*
9. Cultural Weddings by Visithra, Johan, Jon and Kaz was amazing. I think I learnt the most during this session and probably I have to start looking for more weddings of other cultures in order to learn more. Anybody would like to hire me as an assistant?? I would love to get my hands on the slides to keep as reference.
10. Danny, Danny, Danny… thanks for making me your model. You still owe me lunch
11. Asther, thanks for making time to share about contracts. I learnt a lot that day, gotta go back to my contract and make amendments now.
12. Johan’s lessons on buying second hand equipment is invaluable. I’m gonna keep all these lessons close to heart…. so that I know when I sell stuff, what I need to hide from the eyes of the buyer. Bwahahaha….
13. Zach’s work inspires me! I have been spending the whole week doing nothing but looking at fashion ads, music videos and just everything under the sky that can help me generate some nice concepts. Oh, that song from The Ting Tings is on my mind the whole week. Bought the song from iTunes. Thanks!
14. Jenny’s voice is so soothing. I have a thing for Australian accents. Hehe. Well, there’s so much to process and there’s so much to think about in regards to my own branding. Thanks for sharing your insights.
15. Lastly, I learnt a lot from all the new people that I’ve met. Thanks for adding me to Facebook and Twitter. You guys rock! Hope to meet you guys again soon!

I’ve decided that at the next ShootFest, I would want to present at least TWO sessions. Yes, TWO sessions! I think I am so fired up right now that I am already thinking about the topics. Hmm, how bout, “How to laugh your way to success”. Boy, I think I’m well known as the clown of ShootFest after the event, someone left a message saying that I brought a lot of fun to ShootFest. I hope I didn’t make you laugh til you peed in your pants! *wink*

Day 1 Participants

Day 2 Participants

Mark laughing while twittering.

Mun Keat thinking about his session later in the afternoon.

Kee Sitt’s infectious smile.

The sessions lasted till evening and I manage to catch a shot of Paul Kong listening intently to Jon Low and Mun Keat’s session.

Jason mesmerised with the beautiful pictures from the speakers. Don’t you just love his pose?

Don’t you love unconferences? Fiona was a speaker-cum-participant. She was thoroughly enjoying herself throughout the sessions.

Johan Sopiee was showing us how to inspect lenses and how to buy second hand equipment. Kenneth Hiew was busy checking out if the lens had any fungus in it.

Screenshot of a screenshot. Jon Low was one of the many speakers who  spoke on Cultural Weddings.

Zach Chin was enjoying himself after a long session.

Crazy PhotoBooth! This was da bomb! Check back later for more pictures on Crazy PhotoBooth!