Hello there! Greetings! I am Callie Eh, a Switzerland-based Malaysian.
My travel ignited my love for photography, and what started as a hobby has now become an integral part of my life. photography was a means of truly expressing myself and finding order in my inner chaos.
I love to capture people in their daily lives and tell their stories through a blend of travel, street, and documentary styles. For me, photography is not just about creating memories but is a powerful tool for communication.
My journey in photography began when I moved to Poland in 2015. My photos were discovered by a cafe owner and later by Piotr Kaczmarek, the founder of Galeria AMI and a Member of White Light Collective.
One of the most significant moments in my photography journey was participating in a documentary workshop in Krakow, Poland, in 2016. The workshop was incredibly intense, and the pressure pushed me out of my comfort zone.
However, in the end, I came out of the workshop with a completely different perspective on photography, although I must admit that I had a breakdown during the workshop and cried almost every day, which was so embarrassing!
Looking back today, it was worth it. I am grateful for the experience because it taught me that sometimes, we have to go through challenging moments to come out stronger on the other side.
My first DSLR camera was a Nikon D3000 with a Nikon 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 G ED VR, and I later upgraded to a Nikon D750 with a Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 and Sigma 35mm f/1.4 ART lens.
I started taking photos during my travels, and my travel ignited my love for photography. What began as a hobby has now become an integral part of my life.
In 2016, I bought the Leica Q with a Leica 28mm Summilux f/1.7 lens. The 28mm fixed lens challenged me to step out of my comfort zone, get closer to my subjects, and learn how to get exercise by zooming in with my feet!
This began my journey into street photography, and my photography style has evolved significantly over the years.
While I used to love a zoom lens like the Nikon 24-70mm f/2.8 for photographing people and taking close-up portraits with a shallow depth of field, I now focus more on telling the whole story and capturing images with a large depth of field.
In 2019, I traded in all my DSLR cameras and lenses. I upgraded to a Leica Q2 with its newly developed 47.3-megapixel full-frame sensor, extremely fast Leica 28mm Summilux f/1.7 lens, and fast autofocus that captures richly detailed still pictures.
This has become my favorite camera so far. What I love about it most is that it is compact, practical, and reliable—the perfect camera for travel and street photography!
It takes image quality to a whole new level, and I’ve enjoyed using it ever since.
In 2023, I had the opportunity to collaborate with Xiaomi Global as a Xiaomi Creator and I’ve been using Xiaomi 13 Pro, which features a Triple 50MP Camera Co-engineered with Leica.
It has allowed me to take some great pictures with an iconic ‘Leica authentic look,’ offering bright exposure, nice colors, and good detail capture in both photo and video modes.
In addition, the camera could produce high image quality at close and medium range tele settings and record still images with a wide dynamic range, even in low light.
I’m proud to share a photo I took in Nepal with the Xiaomi 13 Pro’s impressive image quality that helped me win first place in the Open Competition Street Photography category and Sony Alpha Female Shortlisted in the Sony World Photography Awards 2024.
This photo was published in The Guardian UK’s “Smart Shot” article column.
Thanks to Xiaomi Global team support, I received the Xiaomi 14 Ultra; the triple-camera setup boasts a 50MP primary camera featuring a Leica Summilux optical lens with an impressive f/1.6 aperture.
The “Leica super dynamic main camera” has a custom 23mm equivalent lens with a variable f/1.42-4 aperture and optical image stabilization. It captures beautiful detail in low-light environments and delivers outstanding color reproduction, contrast, and resolution.
I also got the Xiaomi 14 Ultra’s photography kit, which includes a phone case and a detachable grip that attaches to the case. The grip features a two-stage shutter button, a zoom rocker, a customizable dial, and a video button.
The dial is set to exposure compensation by default, allowing for easy adjustment of image brightness without tapping around on the screen.
This is what turns this phone into a camera and makes it an excellent option for photography enthusiasts!
I’m thoroughly impressed with the phone camera’s quality and sharpness. It completely transformed my perception of phone photography and reminded me of the quote, “The best camera is the one in your hand.”
I prefer to travel light, so the contents of my bag are minimal – a Leica Q2, plus two camera phones, the Xiaomi 13 Pro and the Xiaomi 14 Ultra.
For software, I stick with Adobe Lightroom.
A photography journey can be as prickly as a cactus. But if you keep a calm mindset and find your inner strength like the Zen rocks, you can overcome any obstacle and capture stunning images that will last a lifetime.
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