IGOTW: @Bboyrice On Having A Breakdance Background And A Fascination With Faces
In this week's IGOTW, we feature 26-year-old freelance photographer and videographer, Jeremy Choy aka @Bboyrice on Instagram. Famed for his portrait shots, we compile some of his best photos and had a quick chat with him. Read on to find out why he's our IGOTW!
By John Lim — 13 Jul 2015, 04:01 PM
There's nothing like a great portrait. They tell a story at first glance, they accentuate the soul of a person for the world to see. Portraits are quite possibly the hardest style of photography.
Why? Simply because you're shooting a person, not an object. It is about building a rapport with the person whom you're shooting - something that @Bboyrice has spent years mastering. The freelance photographer specialises in shooting portraits varying from celebrities to normal folk - we chat with him over the weekend and curated some of our favourite portraits:
SAYS: Hello there! Tell us a bit about yourself, Jeremy.
Jeremy: Hi! My name is Jeremy Choy, I am a 26-year-old freelance photographer /videographer. I have been doing this for about six years and I hope to keep the fire going till I die. Besides that, I spend most of my time talking and getting to know new people! For sports, I recently got into basketball.
Why @bboyrice? Do you break dance? :D
Good question! The nickname 'bboyrice' came when I was dancing professionally before I started college, 'bboy' stands for guys who breakdance, and rice came from "几粒米" (pronounced as Ji Li Mi in mandarin) which means a few grain of rice. I'm still keeping this identity because that's how people recognize my name nowadays.
Why photography?
It started out as a hobby that turned into a passion, then a passion that turned into a career. I started taking photos for my blog when I used to have one, then moved on to portraiture photography when my friend suggested me to take some photos of her. A couple of years down the road, with some help from my good friends, it transited into a career!
Your stream of photos captures portraits really well! Could you share with us the tips and tricks to a perfect portrait?
I personally don't think there is a formula to take a PERFECT portrait shot, you just have to strongly believe in what you capture with your camera. During my shoots, I always emphasise on communication and comfortability, I love taking candid shots! Most of the time, I'll be talking to my subject, and always ensure that they are at their most comfortable state so that the artwork could produce a very chill and relax vibe, if you get what I am saying.
Do you prefer to shoot with a camera or phone?
For me, it's my trusted DLSR camera. Despite how technology has evolved so rapidly and there are all sorts of cameras that could produce high-quality images, I still love how a DSLR works and the steadiness it gives to a photographer - that's something you can't find in a phone camera.
Could you share with us some of your favourite photos?
That Time - A mini fashion editorial I shot for my stylist friend in Penang.
Tuning - It's not just still in motions, it's about capturing the soul and feel.
Dragon's Breath - This was taken while we were waiting for the other talent to arrive on set, just one ceiling light and a vape.
Jeremy has over 8k followers on Instagram. He uploads photos throughout the week, with an average of 500 likes per post.
Also, help us find the next Instagrammer that we should feature! Feel free to tweet us or drop us a message on our Facebook page.