Sony Alpha Convention 2008!

I should have blogged about the Sony Alpha Convention approximately a month ago! Was busy studying for the final term exams (kononnya la tu..) so I end up posting now instead. The α Convention 2008 was the first convention for Alpha users ever and it was held at Le Meridien, Kuala Lumpur. For this convention, Sony invited 8 distinctive personalities to talk about various topics such as fashion, architecture, portraiture, automotive photography, unique compositional tips, digital workflow and even tips on building your own wedding photography business and handling the everyday life of a professional photographer.

Places were limited to 400 participants only and I was lucky as i registered early enough to secure myself a place. Once again, just as any other Sony events, this was also free of charge, not to mention that the 400 of us received a Sony Alpha Shooting Vest which makes you look like a suicide bomber when you're wearing it. Besides that, 1000 laptop sleeves were also given away to everyone (including walk-in customers and even foreigners who were staying at the hotel) who completed and handed in the survey forms which had about six super easy questions. Sony went to great lengths to set up the Convention hall and display booths and you would be surrounded by black softboards highlighted by an orange alpha logo as you take a walk along the corridor of the Convention hall. Sony also launched its flagship DSLR model - the A900 and that very much explains the elaborate decor. 3 shooting booths, 3 superbikes plus models (2 Harleys and 1 Ducati) were set up for us to shoot. It was my first time shooting models by the way. Be patient as the pictures might take a while to load. =)

The Place:

The crowd, getting themselves registered.

A view of the stage from outside the convention hall.

George, right before the launch of the Alpha A900.This was during the launch of the Alpha A900. These poster-sized (25m by 5m) were taken with the Alpha A900 and printed using an Epson printer.One of the many showcases which had products from the Sony Alpha line-up.

Following pictures were taken at the shooting booths:

The 3 shooting booths.

Models and Bikes:

The Red-hot Ducati:

The not so hot, somewhat uncle-ish looking Harley:

Pictures of the first model with a Ducati 1098S:

Pictures of the second model with the Harley:

Lots of "buayas" trying to get a good shot of the models and bikes.

Pictures of the third model with another Harley:

Shots of FOOD!:

The following were taken at Al Nafourah
(A middle eastern restaurant located on the 6th floor of the Hotel):

Some kind of dessert. For your info, this was taken with wireless flash and it somehow darkened the top part of this picture where people were actually having their lunch. (Cool eh? XD..)

This was just outside the restaurant, right beside the pool.
The same picture again, taken with a slower shutter speed this time.
(The lack of tripod explains the blurry pic and i regret not bringing one)
Me, stalking couples! LOL!

The following pictures were taken at the hotel's very own restaurant:

(A buffet lunch set for an adult would set you back RM72!~
However, all the meals were sponsored by dear SONY!)

Alpha kakis who were on the same table with me.My dessert. Marshmellows dipped in white and dark chocolate! Mmm.. Yummy!
(No flash was used and that explains the slightly blurred out pic)Some kind of dessert, taken with wireless flash.Some kind of dessert once again, taken with wireless flash.

Automotive Photography - Hands on Shooting session with Darren Chang:

This is the only shot that i showed Darren and he described it as SPOT-ON! (Yay! Haha)

Different angles of the Harley.
The Harley Is really Huge, and i mean HUGE!
The Harley has a curvy fuel tank.The Massive Engine on the TERROR-ON-WHEELS!Just in case you're wondering, the 1250 means that it's 1250cc!
Classic looking front.
Huge Twin-Disc Brakes at the front.Shots of the SEXY exhaust pipes.The Harley is belt-driven.
Shots of the rear of the bike.
The bike has a really FAT rear tire.

It was the best convention (the very first that i have ever attended in my life). Had lots of fun, learnt lots of new things.I didn't regret a single bit for not being able to study for my exams the day after. Anyway, i hope to be able to join future events held by Sony! and not to mention being able to afford the Alpha A900 which costs a whopping RM9999!

~The End~