Back in April, I headed down to Malacca to get some updated images for Soon Wei’s family’s printing business. Mind you, this was no ordinary printing business as they’ve been in the industry for 70 years and one of the original printing outfit is still running in the historical city.
The Royal Press which is near Jonker Street was the main subject for the shoot and we also took the opportunity to get some profile shots for Soon Wei.
I must say, I was impressed by the fact that almost everything at The Royal Press still remains as it was 70 years ago – the letterpress, the machines even the supervisor there ;) a lady who has been working there for, if I recall correctly, 40 odd years. We started off with capturing details around The Royal Press and the second half of the shoot were profile shots of Soon Wei.
Soon Wei, thanks for sharing your family’s history with us. Sure hope that the plans of preserving The Royal Press and sharing it as a museum with the public goes through. It was definitely an eye opener to see how much effort was put into printing in the olden days!
The place is very antique and classic, nice! And can I say that he’s cute? Coz he is! :)
(September 9th, 2010, 10:45 am)hi Anna, i’ve been your fan and avid blog reader for a long, long time now and i dont usually comment, just silently admire ;)
but i have to comment on this one….like WOW! photography skills and the preservation of such wonderful and timeless beauty of The Royal Press….im so taken aback by it. and Soon Wei, if you’re reading this, please please take this family legacy to higher levels in the future! my gawd….im just amazed….
p/s: and yes Eudora, he is pretty cute ;) i like the last two pics…very “taukeh” looking and hence matches the business
(September 9th, 2010, 11:02 am)Gals out there, this cute “taukeh” is still available!!! *wink at Soon Wei*
(September 9th, 2010, 11:22 am)By the way, good job anna.
Absolutely lovely imagery and a beautiful record of history! This place looks lost in time man. Saw a glimpse of these images when I visited Soon Wei’s shop in DJ some months back.
(September 9th, 2010, 12:32 pm)love the old buildings/ setting/ history behind it… n he’s a cutie too! :D
(September 9th, 2010, 1:31 pm)he’s cute!!!
(September 9th, 2010, 2:11 pm)its simply amazing that not all is adopting IT..my kudos to the family who is maintaining this culture ..keep up the good work.
(September 10th, 2010, 9:02 am)And Rina, pictures do tell more than a million words sometime.
i love the classic feel of the photo…and the guy is cute! haha=p
(September 10th, 2010, 7:59 pm)Great serie of shots!
(September 10th, 2010, 10:47 pm)Thanks Anna for capturing timeless moments of the Royal Press for me. Seeing it come to life anchors a visual milestone for me. I knew I made the right choice! :)
To the others, this is indeed a labour of love sorta project and it’ll take time to materialize, just like you, I hope to keep the legacy and focus of preserving the artistry of print in some way. My blog will chronicle updates to the project. Stay tuned over there.
And Anna, I clearly owe you lunch + pints + etc because you overdelivered the results. haha!! :p
(September 14th, 2010, 11:25 am)Wow Anna- I have never seen anything like this. Fascinating stuff. I like the shot with him holding the blocks in his hands. Keep up the good work me ol’ housie!
(September 27th, 2010, 1:54 am)WOAH!!!
(October 6th, 2010, 11:28 pm)i like da classical place n that guy is cute!
:XD
*speechless*…. Awesome photos of a beautiful place. Is the Royal Press still running? I hope the plans to preserve this wonderful legacy of the printed word go through…. and not just as static exhibits, but a living heritage… thanks for sharing this…
(October 20th, 2010, 11:16 am)Beautiful work! I really love the time you spend on the details, as well as the selective focus. It is a great ‘editorial’ piece, that I hope will be seen in a magazine somewhere.
(October 21st, 2010, 6:07 am)..what a shot. everything is captured beautifully. I would love to visit the royal press to feel what it is like to be in the 1930′s. Not born yet. That guy is kinda cute like a button, too ! ha-ha
(October 29th, 2010, 5:34 pm)everything’s so vintage! i love!
(October 30th, 2010, 11:10 am)