EVER since he took up photography in 2008, Khairel Anuar Che Ani has always wanted to photograph ethnic people in the country and from around the region.
Despite the challenges of getting to the remote places where these tribes live, the interest to learn more about them has always been his dream photography assignment.
The former contractor from Rawang, now a full-time freelance guide photographer, says there are many things the public do not know about the local aborigines or Orang Asli.
“These include how they look, where they live, their life, etc. I hope the photographs I took shed some light on our ethnic diversity in the region,” says Khairel, better known as Perakman in the photography community.
After a few years in photography, he found his niche in taking portraits, specifically that of aborigine and ethnic communities. “I looked at the many photos I have taken and realised that portraits are my strength.
So I decided to focus on that and learn more about it,” says the 45-year-old father of three teens.
Taking a snapshot of a person and taking a good portrait are two different things. “There are certain techniques that one needs to master to make a portrait stand out,” he says.
Khairel learnt some of the professional techniques from renowned Indonesian photographer Rarindra Prakarsa.
He travelled to Jakarta and followed Rarindra to several places for photo outings.
His efforts quickly bore fruit. In 2011 and 2012, he won several awards, including third placing at Digital Camera World’s Photographer of the Year 2011 in the Travel and Documentary category;
October winner for The Cazenove + Leica Travel Photographer Competition 2011; PhotoMalaysia 4th Annual Photography Exhibition October 2011 Best of the Year — 39 Photographers; Air Asia Inflight Magazine — Travel 3Sixty Pix of the Month, January 2012; and DiGi WWWoW Internet for All Awards 2012 photo journalist winner.
HOW IT STARTED
Khairel’s venture into ethnic photography started with the Jahai tribe. He had to travel deep into one of the oldest rainforests in the world, Royal Belum, in Perak.
“What I wanted to do is to photograph the tribe in the most unique manner and share my works via Facebook, Flickr and 500px page,” he says
The journey to the tribe’s settlement in the Belum forest in August 2010 wasn’t easy. He was accompanied by a few friends who worked at the Fishery Department in Tasik Banding as they knew the Jahai tribe and their habitat.
Said to be connected to the Negrito ethnic, Jahai is one of the Orang Asli tribes that still maintain the traditional style of life.
“They live by the river in small bamboo shacks and hunt for food,” says Khairel, adding that the Jahai people are friendly but shy. He was in the jungle for three days, for the ice-breaking session with the Jahai tribe.
Although, he didn’t take any pictures, Khairel became friends with the tribe.
He also brought with him basic necessities like clothing, rice and tobacco to be donated to the Jahai.
RETURN TO BELUM
About a year after his first visit to the Jahai village in Royal Belum, Khairel decided it was time to return, now fully equipped with photography equipment which included a full frame Canon 5D MkII camera, professional lenses, flash, remote trigger, and lots of spare batteries.
He spent a few more days with the tribe, blending in with the community and had plenty of time to take portraits.
Khairel wanted to give impact to the Jahai portrait photos, so the technique he used in taking the pictures was more unusual.
Instead of mounting the flash on the camera, he held the flash with his left hand and pointed it to the side of the face. The remote trigger would fire the flash as soon as the shutter was pressed.
The effect is different from taking pictures with a flash on the camera. It gave a unique lighting effect that makes the subject looks more arresting.
Khairel is hoping to work with the Perak State Government to further educate the public on the Jahai tribe based on the many pictures he has taken. “This could make good eco-tourism and educational material for tourists as well,” he says.
MOVING ON
The interest to capture the faces of different ethnic groups also spurred Khairel to travel to several countries in the region like Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia and Nepal (in 2011 and 2012). Travelling alone, he roamed these countries in search of various ethnics.
Despite the language barrier and the difficulty of moving from one remote place to another, Khairel managed to brave through all the challenges.
Among his unforgettable experiences — taking pictures of the ethnic Tengger people of Bromo in 2010 as a volcano erupted, of a spiritual leader in Nepal named Sadhu, the Padaung women in Myanmar with long necks, Buddhist monks in Myanmar, Nepal natives and Sea Gypsies in Mabul, Semporna.
With all his experience, Khairel organises small group photography tours. These include trips to Mt Bromo in Java, to Myanmar and Borobudur.
He’s in the midst of planning a one month trip to India to discover more unique faces. “It’s niche photography, which tells stories of people and the way they live,” says Khairel.
His works can be viewed at the Perakman Facebook page, Flickr and 500px. New Straits Times