KUALA LUMPUR, June 2 — Vertical videos were once the mark of the amateur, made by people who had no idea they could take phone videos with both hands.

Who knew vertical videos would now be a thing with even Jennifer Lopez making vertical YouTube music clips?

It was inevitable the vertical video trend would make it to Malaysia and here are some fine examples of Malaysian Instagrammers celebrating the joys of Ramadan bazaars with some vertical video flair.

'Apam balik' goodness

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Instagram shooter Sufian Ghaffar took a video of one of Malaysia's most beloved street snacks: The apam balik.

His favourite Insta-tactic with the iPhone XS and iPhone XR is using the phones' wide angles for good wide open shots while using the Portrait mode for that always-in-style bokeh effect.

For the video, he uses both slow-motion and time lapse effects depending on whether he wants to capture the energy of bazaar crowds or, for stalls, capturing the little details of food preparation.

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Suffian's best tip, however, is to just get as close as you can to your subject. He also recommends the VUE app to crop movies that aren't already in vertical format into that perfect “one-handed video” look.

You can follow him on Instagram here.

 

Raya stall aesthetics

Not everyone is into video, though. Sometimes it's about that Instagram mainstay — the flat lay.

Even with the chaos and bustle of the standard Ramadan bazaar, with a little patience, you can get stunning results. Just ask Aazmeer Iskandar.

His shooter of choice is the iPhone XR and he took one to a bazaar in Terengganu where he met Anas Manas Malik Nasrullah Zulkepli, manager of Al Muttaqin.

Aazmeer's also a fan of Portrait mode, showing the polished results to the stall owner who was just as impressed by the photos of him and his stall.

As for apps, he says that too many apps reduce the quality of your shots — so best to be extra careful which you choose.

Aazmeer's Ramadan bazaar portraits are testament to what you can achieve with a good eye and patience. — Picture via Instagram/aazmeeriskndr
Aazmeer's Ramadan bazaar portraits are testament to what you can achieve with a good eye and patience. — Picture via Instagram/aazmeeriskndr

He prefers Lightroom mobile, a standard photographer pick or sometimes use the tools already built into Instagram.

His tips for anyone wanting to improve their #shotoniPhone (or shot on anything, really) game is to use different and unsual angles.

“It’s a really fun thing to play with angles as long as you still keep in mind rules of thirds and you might surprise yourself as well,” he said.

You can look up his Instagram portraits here

Here's to Instagram inspiration for your upcoming Hari Raya photos!