For those of you who don’t know, Shazni is a world traveller. She has been everywhere, and she is also the face of our national carrier..
I started off as a photography student in UiTM. Then after I graduated, I worked as a cabin crew.
Actually I wanted to become a lecturer, or somebody working within the photography industry. During my studies, I learned a lot about photojournalism, which needs you to travel for your assignment. At the time, I was photographing KL quite a lot. So I kept on telling my mum that I wanted to travel.
Then suddenly one day, my mum told me about the Malaysia Airlines’ open interview. At first I was surprised. The idea of wearing kebaya and heels - it was totally not me! I used to wear t-shirts, sneakers, and jeans with my camera gear. But I passed all the interviews - and got to travel the world for free!
So your mum was the one who suggested you to become a stewardess? That's quite a key thing that has helped you a lot in your career and travel journey - supportive parents.
Yes, she’s very supportive.
What are the challenges that you face travelling as a stewardess? How much time do you have to travel and take photos?
Our layovers are usually two days. We have to follow our roaster and we are unable to extend our trips. Sometimes we have to sacrifice our rest period, just to explore the place.
As for the photography - it depends on my mood. I would have to plan the journey, especially with the photography gear as it’s heavy. I also bring my laptop in my backpack because I love to do editing straight away. I’ll prepare by doing research on the journey times, location and other details.
That’s a good travel photography tip. You have to know the shots that you want, where you want to go, so that you don’t waste time.
Yes! When I was in Beijing, I had very limited time. At one point, I travelled longer than the time I spent at the place, which was the Great Wall of China. The journey was 3 hours one way, but I was only there for about 45 minutes, then I had to go back.
But did you get the shot?
Not really.
Fair enough. It happens. Sometimes you go all the way there, and you just don’t get anything. What are some of the other challenges you’ve faced?
I was in Nepal. A young boy approached me, said Namaste, and offered to bring me around. I said, I don’t need a guide, I just want to walk around and take photos. But he replied saying that he doesn’t want anything from me, that he just wanted to learn English. So I said alright, you can follow me. But it ended up that he took me around, as he indicated some places weren’t good to go. At the time I wasn’t scared yet, as I knew that I could shout, and I believed in myself, that I was stronger than him. Then at one point I just stopped and said, Dear, can you bring me back to the place where you found me? Because I think you are lying to me. Then straight away he admitted that he actually wanted me to buy something for the family. So we went to this grocery store, bought some things, and he just left me there.
That was when I realised, if I had not been upfront, or less aware, I might have been brought somewhere else (more dangerous).
Thank god you were aware and straightforward, which a lot of people are quite scared to do when they’re travelling alone.
You have to have situational awareness. You cannot expose yourself wearing very bright colours or jewelleries, designer bags. Especially if you’re alone. The hardest part about travelling alone is that you have to be independent. You have to be ready for whatever might come. It's not easy because there's no safety cushion.
I completely agree. But some people do it for the gram. How has social media affected how you travel? Do you feel any sort of pressure to take good photos?
Not really. I think because I studied photography. I think what we post plays an important role in showing who we really are. To post travel pictures is something that I love, because I love to share things.
At one point you just go back to why you’re doing it. For you, photography was your first love. Sharing it on social media is just a bonus.
Exactly. At first I was down because I really wanted to be a photographer. But then my mum said, since you can travel through work, you can take photos, build your portfolio, and join competitions.
With photography, like a lot of art forms, you just have to keep doing it.
You can’t stop.
I think that’s a good tip for aspiring photographers - follow people you admire, keep photographing, and just explore. Eventually you’ll develop your own style and people will notice it.
Exactly.
Your blog provided us valuable information to work on. You have done a marvellous job!
ReplyDelete