TT @ Central Market

Yesterday, I attended a TT at Central Market together with the other Cinnabar members organized by fellow friend, Azrin. Unfortunately for me, I only managed to reach there about an hour after the appointed time due to the unbearable and unpredictable Kuala Lumpur bumper-to-bumper crawls. It was the best of times.

I arrived there to an impromptu outdoor wireless flash shoot with an unsuspecting friend of one of the members as the model. Here's a snapshot of the scene coming from my camera:

 

Unfortunately, this wasn't a very well taken photo by me (sorry about that) but my camera wasn't always in my hands due to my addictive Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* 24-70mm F2.8 attached to my A700. Here is an example of the model taken with my camera by someone else:

Unfortunately, the focus is off and the photographer using my camera was aiming at her necklace instead (I wonder why, hmmm...). The low depth of field of the 24-70 didn't help his cause either (her face was totally out of focus).

Finally, before heading off to another round of TT (and food), here's the obligatory group photo:

All pictures shot on an A700 with the SAL2470 attached.

I'm Back

If you read my previous post, here's a summary of what transpired during that time:

1. I took up the role as the Product Manager for Cyber-shot in Malaysia. I will still continue to oversee the Alpha business but as an advisory role.

2. My successor was just about to come in. 

3. I made some very bold predictions about the 2008 fiscal year.

Since then, here are some of the things to fill in the blanks:

1. I'm no more the Product Manager of Cyber-shot (after 5 months of handling it). I will move back fully to Alpha to focus on building the business. 2008 is THE most important year for the DSLR business and only by focusing on it myself 100% will it be able to grow.

2. My successor quit about a month ago. No particular reasons given.

3. My predictions about 2008 are starting to come true.

My most significant prediction was that Sony would become one of the 3 dominant force in the DSLR market. With the launch of the A200, A300 & A350, we've hit our highest yet in the month of April. Our market share started climbing (albeit somewhat slowly) since January and April will be a significant testament of our strength in the market. Based on our estimations, April sales is reaching close to the quantity of the no.2 player in the market and we estimate to exceed April quite significantly in the month of May. I won't comment too much on the share at the moment till we get actual data but suffice to say, confidence is at an all time high.

It's A Little Bit Funny...

... that after so many months of procrastination (yes, I've been a tad too busy than I would like to believe), I finally blog about my successor for the Alpha business. No, I'm not quitting the business and no, I'm not leaving the Alpha business entirely but rather I'll be overseeing it under my new role. At this moment in time though, I'm juggling 2-3 very taxing tasks which allows me very little time for sleep (and blogging) and this new person will help make things a whole lot better. Thankfully, after months of searching, he starts on Monday.

What exactly is my new role? Well, to update those who has yet to make physical contact with me (please, don't think of this statement in a 'negative' sense), I've recently taken up the task of managing the Cyber-shot brand in Malaysia and subsequently overseeing the entire camera business for Sony (Malaysia). No, this is not a post to brag or the like (it's more of a sideways movement than anything else) but rather to apologize to the community for the lack of personal attention these past few months. In fact, many have made aggressive comments in regards to this which I have noted and taken account of. Not to worry though because with the new member to our Digital Imaging team, I believe that we can bring Alpha to newer heights and enhance the quality of service that we provide to the community. In fact, our current team has been working to set certain things in motion (sorry but I can't say anything more than this) but rest be assured, we can only do better, not worst.

As we enter into the year 2008 (doesn't this statement seem like it has appeared in most publications and blogs...), I would like to make some predictions and goals for the team to aspire and realize.

2008 Top 10 Predictions
1. Sony will emerge as a dominant force in the camera industry as the no. 1 overall camera brand (in Malaysia at least).
2. Sony will establish itself as one of the primary 3 powers in the D-SLR market.
3. Prices of D-SLR cameras in general will reach a level where everyone can afford one with ease.
4. D-SLR users will become younger and younger (only partly due to the price erosion).
5. Malaysia's D-SLR community will become the strongest and most active in the region.
6. The level of art appreciation in photography would still be low (in global standards) but would gradually improve to a level that the international industry would begin to take notice.
7. The professional photography industry will become highly competitive with the emergance of numerous weekend warriors and the increase in the general user's skill level.
8. More and more online communities will establish themselves as the definitive voice in photography. The only problem they face is finding the right formula to make this happen.
9. Photography magazines will become more personal to their readers in order to expand and grow. Publications which continue to distance themselves from their readers will ultimately face extinction.
10. Photography will no longer be a niche market or hobby. :)

Pretty bold statements from me but then again, the trend is moving towards this change. I expect (or desire) a revolution in 2008 so let's hope this actually occurs.

Aspirations and Goals
1. Realize predictions 1 and 2 (trust me, they won't know what hit them)
2. Enhance the richness of our lineup for our existing users.
3. Improve the Alpha experience for our customers.
4. Some hidden agendas which I cannot name here (Can't let too many secrets appear in this blog now, can we? :) )

Also, I have some advice to the general populace and perhaps to some of the working professional photographers.

To the general populace:
1. Do not fear photography, photography is easy! You don't have to be good but you have to have a passion for it more than anything else. If you open your mind to learning, it doesn't matter if you're 15 or 50, you'll still get it regardless.
2. Aim for creativity, not purely to ogle at the beautiful women. Now I know this statement may anger many but let's face it, there's tons of people who purely only photograph beautiful women. Now, I'm not against the idea of photographing beautiful women. In fact, if that's your only interest at the moment (quite normal really), I say GO FOR IT! Take pictures of beautiful women. But at the same time, challenge yourself to take something extraordinary each and every time. Try different angles. Make them look engaging, inviting, exciting, powerful, divine, etc. Many just aim for sexy and more cleavage. Now, there's a fine line between tasteful and slutty which most people don't seem to break out of and if you want to shoot beautiful women, you gotta be a master at it. I believe that was how Jen Siow started as well (I remember attending a seminar where he mentioned something along those lines). I also remember him saying this which I believe is of upmost importance: Respect the model at the same time.
3. Don't do something just because someone says so, explore it yourself and try new things all the time, even though somebody says its wrong. There's no real right and wrong in photography and only by exploring yourself can you really learn what's right and wrong. Trying it yourself will also help you develop your own photographic style which would distinct yourself from the masses.

To the professionals:
1. For those of you who still think that photographic knowledge and skill is a secret you have to hide from the masses to 'protect' your daily bread, open your minds a little. Such thinking can't get you ahead in this modern digital age where knowledge is free and easily accessible. The truly successful professionals in Malaysia today happen to share their knowlege freely or (if you're a businessman) charge for it which provides their business additional revenue. Which comes to my next point...
2. DEVIATE! As mentioned before, work will become scarce as more people improve on their basic photography knowledge and more weekend warriors offering to do the work for a fraction of the cost. In this sense, to maintain competitiveness and demand in the market, you either have an amazing marketing plan for your photographic business (as they say, photography is 95% marketing, 5% skill) or you deviate or expand your business. Many have found new life in providing educational services to the masses which eventually earns them more money than their actual photography. I believe that such deviation is still currently untapped with lots of opportunity and I'm hoping to see it happen this year.

I believe I am ranting at this point but to me 2008 is an exciting year for all of us, I believe. I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a really amazing New Year and look forward to a whole new era of photographic entertainment (I have no idea how I can out with that sappy line...)

Finally Freeing Up Time...

...to actually UPDATE my blog after an absence of what... 3 months? My apologies to everyone regarding this, but then again, I doubt many keep track of this blog.

For those of you who didn't know, we had the A700 launch 3 days ago on the 2nd of October 2007. A historic day for the Alpha community as we give birth to the future of the system and the upgrade everybody's been craving about.

The launch was a huge success with great turnout in spite of the BRAVIA launch being about a week before this launch. The community members attending were fantastic and I believe everyone enjoyed the gallery of community work that we placed before them. I'm pretty happy with the prints, they turned out fantastic. A big thank you goes out to all the contributors and Azrul K. Abdullah for helping us to shoot the portraits of each contributor. His work is amazing, to say the least.

Media turnout too was fantastic and gladly, they left with positive minds and hearts about the product as I received a lot of favorable comments about the entire launch itself. 'A breath of fresh air' was one of the comments and I'm glad that we managed to give everyone something different for a change. Again, we embody everything Sony: like.no.other

A big thank you goes to everyone who attended and we look forward to your attendance for the next event.

Many have asked my frank opinion about the A700. Here's my quick and honest assement about the A700:

1. The first thing you'll appreciate about it is the performance. Quick, silent and responsive, the A700 is even a professional's dream. It doesn't need to shout its capabilities, it will just continue producing stunning quality images time and time again without question or compromise. The new Fn (Quick Navi) feature is also excellent, allowing you to quickly navigate and adjust all important settings quickly and with ease with the LCD instead of squinting at small monochrome LCDs or uncomfortable dials. Once you get used to it, there's no turning back.

2. Magnesium alloy is just heavenly and if you compare it with competitor models in a similiar range & price point, you'll notice that ours feels tougher yet lighter at the same time. Having the weather seals and anti-dust feature is just icing on the cake. Even the vertical grip is made of magnesium alloy with weather seals and FULL functionality at the same time. This is not something many competitors provide. I have yet to use one such as this.

3. For the pixel peepers, noise control is excellent and you'll find yourself using ISO 1600 a lot more often than usual. I've never used my flash so little as compared with the A100.

4. The enhanced Super Steady Shot Inside just works. All my lenses now get an upgrade in terms of stability and that is enough for me to be hooked, for life. This is what I've been trying to tell people all this while but now that it has come to fruition, I believe, I get the last laugh.

5. Its great software package is wonderful especially for those looking to work in their own studio. Direct control of the settings is a breeze using the USB cable to the PC and it's great for shooting still life. I would probably use the other software less but if you want to work on the RAW files (or cRAW files), the provided software gives you the best results and it even has D-range Optimizer and Creative Style capabilites much like those built in the camera.

All in all, the A700 was never made to be flashy but to provide a solution that produces one thing each and every time: results. Since I picked it up, I have yet to let it out of my sight (unless I have to) and I can't wait to see what else we can keep coming up for our customers. Needless to say, I can't wait.

Walking Through The Past Year

The year has been an interesting one to say the least. I've learned a lot since my transition from magazine technical editor to product manager (so-called, I'm only ranked as a Senior Executive at the moment but nonetheless) a year ago. I started about July last year and quite frankly, my life took a dramatic U-turn when stepping into the 'corporate' world.

Let me explain a little bit about myself. I started life as an unknowing toddler who actually hated photography. After going through school (which I failed most of the time) and college (which wasn't so bad, at least I was on the council), I still did not develop any interest in photography. To me, photography was a boring (and sometimes weird) hobby exclusively for the strange and sinister (you know what I mean). But then again, during that time, I had the creative interest of a mule so I guess that couldn't be helped.

Before my stint in CHIP, I went through various jobs although I never really lasted past 2 months. I worked mainly in direct sales such as typical promoter jobs (yes, I was a much-hated roadshow promoter), credit card salesman (another great evil) and even as an assistant retail manager for a fashion boutique (no, I wasn't a confused child). What really introduced me to cameras formally was my promoter job where I was a part-time promoter for Sony Cyber-shot and Handycam during my college days. That must be my longest running job as I stayed with that for about 2 years.

After graduating, I got my job at CHIP Photo Video digital (through my brother who was working there as an editor at that time) and I never looked back since. To be frank, when I started that job, my knowledge was relatively limited to product specifications and digital compact cameras. However, as you can already guess, the job required me to learn about digital SLRs and for the first few months, I lied my way through. Naturally, I did do a lot of research and most of what I lied during that time was correct just not 100% my ideas.

However, the amount of research I did really changed the way I look at things today. It was the research that encouraged me to get involved in local online forums which opened my eyes to PHOTOGRAPHY and I had to bold that because to me, it's no longer just a geeky hobby but a way of life. Being involved heavily in a forum is great because I get to meet a lot of diverse and interesting people which teach me everything I know about photography today. I've never had a formal class and quite frankly, oftentimes you get to learn a lot more from your peers than certain professionals. Of course, I had to learn how to filter out wrong information as well which is where my prior research helped a lot.

As photography evolved into MY way of life, I decided to look elsewhere to expand my creativity. Also, work conditions at that time wasn't encouraging enough to stay. My first dream was to be a full fledged photographer. But me being anal about quality, till today, I can't really consider myself as a photographer due to the fact that I don't consider myself on par with the professionals yet. I can judge photos well enough but personally, I believe I have a long way to go before I discover that personal style that differentiates me from the rest. Only then can I consider myself a true blue photography professional. Also, being a photographer doesn't really put a secure plate on the table unless you've build a reputation for being good.

Thus, luck came my way (some might consider it otherwise though, given the workload) and an opening came up in Sony to handle their new high end cameras which I already knew about as I was following the developments of Konica Minolta & Sony during that time. Naturally, I applied and I've been here ever since.

Instead of the carefree life of media, I'm now struggling everyday to make the Alpha a mainstream product. The first year was tough though as the A&P budget made available to me at that time was scarce and I had to make do with whatever I had available. Thankfully, my efforts paid off for the first year (Sony's fiscal year ends in March) and I've been given full support by regional and Tokyo to make dreams happen in its second year of existence.

Last year, we managed to bring the Alpha into third position ousting the no.3 at that time (for the half year duration that we were in anyway) and it's a neck to neck struggle with them this year undoubtedly. Currently, in terms of quantity they're slightly ahead based on the latest GFK data results (GFK is the organization which tracks retail sales performance for consumer electronic products) but we're on par in terms of sales amount. I would prefer to not comment too much about my competitors as I have too much respect for them. However, my target this year is to attack my 2 large competitors to a level that it hurts them bad. However, I can tell that such a task is not going to be easy and they are definitely not making it easy for me to attack them even now. Nonetheless, I can not fight this battle without you, my honored customers, and I believe that after we've crossed this rocky period, you can see us shine with the higher echelons soon enough.

In terms of product, we have (or will have) all the necessary ingredients and now is to get people to believe in us. Many fear that our product will fail after 2 years but if you know what I know, you'll know that we're not only here to stay but we want to bring new innovation to this competitive industry and bring quality photography to the masses. We bring more than product, we bring passion, education and community which is something I believe that our competitors have tried to provide but with no soul behind it. This industry is not about making money but it's about growing together with our consumers.

Lastly, I would like to end with this last statement: Expect greatness from US all.

Revisiting The Word Called Service

Many people I have met questioned my intentions when setting out to do what I've been doing for the last few months. More often than not, the question running around the minds of people I meet is this, "What's the catch? There's got to be a catch somewhere". It's almost as if nobody (in Malaysia anyway) believes in customer service anymore. I guess they've been given just cause for being skeptical but still, it does bother me after awhile.

Naturally, being in the position that I am, I do want to generate more sales, let's face facts. But unlike others, I'm not going out to just sell you a product. To put it simply, an incredible camera in the hands of the uninitiated or the misinformed eventually ends up becoming a very expensive paperweight. I simply believe that the best way to improve my sales is to teach as many people as possible how to use their equipment that they have invested in and most importantly, enjoy the entire experience while they are at it.

Surprisingly, many find this difficult to believe. In fact, it's such a long road to additional sales (not to mention the amount of effort that needs to be invested) that most would rather just throw the price in the market which (I strongly believe) depreciates our customer's heavy investment way too quickly. Imagine this, a customer invests heavily into a digital SLR hoping to get 2 full years of service only to find that the price has been slashed by 30% within 3-4 months. I've been there myself, it's no great feeling.

The Malaysian market is first and foremost, price sensitive. One dealer can offer a million benefits but if the dealer down the street offers RM50 less than what is being quoted by the first dealer, who gets the sale? Even if the first dealer offered excellent customer service and education, chances are most would rather just save RM50. In spite of this stark and depressing situation, I contradict my statement by focusing on providing a fulfilling photography experience which is usually related to customer service. Why do so?

One word: Service.

Unlike what most people believe, Sony isn't in the business of consumer electronics. In actuality, Sony is in the service business. We provide unique solutions to fulfill desires and expectations that consumers may have. As our previous slogan: If You Can Dream It, We Can Build It.

We don't sell you a camera but a unique photographic experience. We don't sell you a lens but (combined with our workshops) the best way to achieve the images that YOU desire. We don't sell accessories but a solution to overcome limitations in achieving great pictures. We offer free workshops, monthly competitions for images and articles and forums to enhance the photographic experience through learning and sharing through our peers. We offer a direct communicative channel to our customers because in a service industry, consumer opinion matters most and your opinion to us is invaluable.

Lastly, providing such service brings a warm and fuzzy feeling inside because, I love photography.

The Bare Complexities of Roadshow Construction

For those of you who do not know what DI means, it actually means 'Digital Imaging' which is the umbrella that Cyber-shot, Handycam and Alpha is directly under. We've been conducting our roadshow here in Penang now for 3 days thus far (tomorrow is the last) and boy are we exhausted! The first 2 nights were terrible affairs as we got next to no sleep due to all the setup that we had to oversee.

Unlike what most may believe, roadshows aren't exactly a whole load of fun. Even observing can be a terrible chore as we ensure structures are built to deliver the image and message that we desire 100% (or close to it anyway). And, to top off, the current ongoing DI Roadshow is probably the most difficult to setup.

The amount of preparation that goes into building the structures is immense. Our overall layout consists of one large T-shaped stage, 4 large structures for all the 3 categories and about 4 minor setups for smaller displays. It might not sound like much but if you factor in the amount of time needed to prepare the props and handmade POPs, that's a lot of work to finish under the 6 hour timeframe provided to us. Thank God our agency is one of the best we can find in the market.

So why am I saying all this? Well, 1) I would like to invite any Penang users to visit me at the roadshow and 2) I'm just tired and ranting at the moment. I shall continue this irregular post on a later date....