LIFE HAS BEEN UNEXPECTED FOR JOHAN SOPIEE. SARAH REES CAUGHT UP WITH HIM TO FIND OUT WHAT TOOK HIM FROM ACCOUNTANCY TO WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY VIA COSPLAY, DUBSTEP, AND A RENEWED APPRECIATION FOR ADRENALINE.

"Scary'' is a word that Johan Sopiee uses a lot. He describes his first wedding shoot as "scary,'' his first time visiting Batu Caves during Thaipusam as "scary,'' and even admits to being a little terrified when he accompanied his 12-yearold daughter to a cosplay (costume play, her latest hobby) event - "It was so uncomfortable, especially in a costume'' he grimaces.

And yet fear doesn't perturb this genial 43-year-old, and he laughs delightedly when he recounts the activities listed above, recalling his squirm of anguish when he got sprayed with something resembling blood during Thaipusam with an easy smile - "I get such a high from doing things that scare me!'' he says.

FILLING THE FAMILY SHOES
Bravery didn't come naturally to the young Johan, who grew up in Bangsar in awe of his academic father and slightly terrified of his Headmistress mother, in a home environment he described as "stressful.''

That isn't to say it wasn't a home filled with love and support around, and Johan explains that, even though his Dad was so busy, "he always wanted us around, and he would insist on family dinners. It seemed awkward when I was younger, but now I am older I realise how important that time was.''

What he also never realised as a youngster was that a creative potential lurked within, waiting for the right opportunity. "I wasn't creative,'' he says of the younger Johan. "I was pretty conservative. I liked things that were simple and structured - that's why I chose to do accountancy.'' That decision was also prompted by his parents' expectations for him to do something reliable - "It was law or accountancy, and there were fewer books to read for accountancy,'' laughs Johan - and he recounts his early years of corporate jobs with little enthusiasm.


FINDING HIS PASSION
He is transformed, however, when he starts talking about his photography and, in particular, the human catalyst who threw him from the stuffy world of meetings to the liberation of life behind the lens. "My daughter is the centre of my world,'' Johan says with touching pride, "and I picked up a camera when she was born because I wanted to capture every moment; she was changing so fast!''

Those early shots make him laugh - "I was useless!'' he declares with amusement. "I had invested in a dSLR, because a bigger camera means better pictures, right?'' he asks hopefully, with a chuckle. "I ended up buying more and more ear, as that seemed to make things look better.''

The quality of his new toys became somewhat less important, however, when life dealt him a cruel blow. In 2005, his father became terminally ill and the family rushed to his side. "We dropped everything and went to be with him,'' Johan explains, visibly somber at thinking back to those difficult months.

With nothing to occupy himself with, and yet determined not to leave the family home, Johan found solace in his camera. "There was nothing to do in the house, so I would escape to the garden and shoot leaves and water droplets. I lost myself in that world, and that's when I became passionate about photography.''


TAKING THE PLUNGE
After his father's death, Johan complemented his passion for photography by throwing aside the conservative, sensible nature and beginning to take risks. "I realised that life is too short,'' he explains, "and decided to start taking photos professionally.

Like many budding photographers, he found himself in wedding photography after successfully snapping for some friends, but it was to be something of a baptism by fire. HIs first paid gig was none other than covering the high profile wedding of actress and TV personality Aishah Sinclair, and he cringes at the memory.

"I messed up big time!'' he proclaims with a laugh, "but she was such a nice person that she was happy with everything.'' Johan's idea of messing is probably a little overdramatic, as from that moment onwards his demand as a wedding photographer has risen steadily, and he now enjoys steady work with a photojournalism outfit who specialise in wedding photography - Stories by Integricity.

"I joined Stories because I like the way they work. We invite the couples in here,'' he explains, waving around at the office in which we are seated, "chat with them, get to know them. Then on the day we all feel comfortable with each other, and we can get the shots we know they want.''

Weddings can be, as any who has attended one will know, complicated, especially in terms of familial relations, but Johan is skilled at putting people at ease, doing his research, and getting the results - the photographs he shows me are stunning. "All I want to do is create pictures that the couples enjoy looking at, and pictures that they want to show their family, their friends, their grandchildren,'' he explains.

He also, once the needs of the client are met, enjoys the opportunity of a challenge. His quest? Capturing that one true moment of togetherness that he often glimpses as he does his work. "Weddings are stressful for the bride and groom but there is always that moment when they think no one is watching, that they look at each other and are together, in love,in their own space,'' he says, smiling. "Its elusive, but that's the moment I want; its real.'' He doesn't always succeed, but it is the challenge that keeps him going back, and he is visibly bouncing with delight as he describes the various weddings he has attended - he clearly adores what he does.

FINDING HAPPINESS
"I have learnt so much! I grew up in a conservative Muslim household, so my first experience of a Chinese wedding was overwhelming! And a Sikh wedding! It went on for five days, and there was so much dancing! Amazing!'' His face lights up as he takes me through those special moments that he is fortunate enough to be present at, and how much he has learnt, not just about his craft, but about his country, too. "There are so many cultures in Malaysia, it is so interesting!''
While his work satisfies the creative streak he never knew he had, his emotional joy is provided by his daughter Nadia, who he mentions with a proud flush. "She is everything,'' he says with a smile, "and I am so fortunate to have her.''

Nadia briefly showed an interest in photography ("To make me happy, I think,'' he recounts with a laugh), but her creativity is coming out in other ways: she is interested in cosplay and, more recently, in dubstep, the mixing and creating of music. No matter what interest she has on the go however, Dad is there to share it. "I am helping her mix some tracks of her own,'' he explains, "and we have recently bought a Novation LaunchPad and it's super awesome fun!''

To hear the man who started life as a selfdescribed conservative and straight-laced boy effuse on the excitement of dubstep music is to realise how far he has come. His thirst for life and new experiences seems insatiable. It seems photography, and the emotional link it has to both his daughter and his father, has unlocked something that was long hidden.

"I always used to play it safe, but with photography I take risks. Photography has given me the chance to become who I am.'' Fearless and yet contented, Johan is a man to envy.

Johan Sopiee is a resident photographer with Stories by Integricity (www.Stories.my). Johan invites you to connect with him via www.facebook.com/JohanSopiee