We decided on Jardin du Luxembourg instead of the larger ones like des Tuleries in the hope of getting out of the touristy areas. And we were spot on. Luxembourg had only locals there. With beautiful boulevards and gardens, and coupled with the cool weather, you feel that if you had to run, you’ll run forever without tiring. So much to take in. John and Yanleen were in casuals because we wanted to have a very lighthearted and casual approach to the shoot. Nothing fancy just have fun and be themselves. We had a great morning and saved enough time for a visit to the Louvre. Continue reading 'Paris Day 3'»
Shoot day. Bright and early we headed to Jaja’s place for preps. Weather looked great and we’re hoping to reach Sacre-Coeur before all the tourists do. One thing about shooting during the peak season, we have to share the place with about every foreigner in Paris. Yanleen and I headed there first and to our amazement, the place was empty! But fast piling up with bus-loads of tourists. The rest reached later and we managed to fire a few frames before the tide of people came. With a lot of excuse-mois and the universal taking-picture sign language, most people moved out of the way. The couple quickly became the center of attraction and quickly had fans taking their pictures and posing with them. Continue reading 'Paris Day 2'»
The first thing that went through my mind when I arrived at Charles de Gaulle airport was the size and how much it reminded of an airport in the countryside. quite charming actually but I thought it was rather small for a place like Paris. The metro, on the other hand, was the opposite. Lines snaking all over the place much like New York. The hotel we’re putting up in is located north of Paris and was near Montmartre. The first thing I had to eat was french pastry so breakfast was a quiche and totally by accident, an espresso. I don’t drink espresso. I need to pick up french immediately. Continue reading 'Paris Day 1'»
In preparation for a meeting to discuss photography for a Youth Olympic Games exhibition today, I looked through some of my images taken in the 2003 SEA Games in Hanoi to knock together a portfolio. Those images were shot with a Canon D60 and 10D, dinosaurs, compared to the 1D Mk II I use now for sports. And even that camera is old. In the Games, I was fortunate to have Canon support me with a 300mm F2.8 lens with a hood that looks like a white tin can. The lens doubled up as a weapon when fixed on a monopod. And in the hands of Iraq and Afghanistan-trained photojournalist from EPA, Reuters, etc, it made a very lethal weapon. Continue reading 'Images from SEA Games 2003'»
On the Paris part, we’re no longer heading to Versailles but just spending a couple of days in Paris, then Lydia and I will head to Bordeaux for a break and to scout locations. The TGV tickets were a bit more expensive than I thought, SGD$415 return for two but we haven’t been on one and so, what the heck. We’re putting up in Hotel Gambetta, not too near from the train station, Garre St. Jean, according to the maps that is. So the plan is to quickly book ourselves for the wine tours the minute we check into the hotel.
It’s been awhile since I’ve covered a nice, intimate wedding with a groom driving himself to pick the bride and only the sister stood between the groom and the bride. Come to think of it, this might be the first time for me! But this made the whole wedding so unique. Yesterday, with only about 40 plus guests at the buffet lunch, almost everyone knew everyone else and there was so much time to mingle and make new friends. It was also good to meet my old pals Biscuit, Mui Ling’s dog and Blackie, her 3-legged cat. The first time I met them was when I shot sister Mun Ling’s wedding. She works as a vet and is constantly looking for homes for her ‘patients’. So if you’re looking for a pet, give me a call and I’ll hook you up with her.
Mui Ling is a genius with handicraft and the decorated bottles as door gifts added so much colour to this wedding. I like the idea of tying the rings to a small bottle. And also her friend, Germaine’s idea of where the solemnization table should be. It’s the simple touches like this that made this wedding in a private room at Raffles Town Club so special.
Ignatius and Mui Ling’s pre-wedding pictures can be viewed here.
I got the test roll I mentioned here developed and scanned with the Epson film scanner. Besides the dust spots (and there were plenty!), what worried me was a fungus-like spot on the top left part of a few images, especially image 3/10. Upon closer inspection of the 20mm lens, the glass looked clear and unlike digital images, I had no idea at which aperture they appeared visible. Usually for spots in a digital image, if you use a smaller aperture, say f16 and smaller, you might notice dust spots. Continue reading 'Images from Pullman, Putrajaya'»
This is a list of photography blogs listed by Invesp Consulting based on 20 different factors. My favourite ones in the list are Strobist, Chase Jarvis and Luminous Landscape. Really great material in there. Will definitely check out the others.
I took my Contax Aria with me to KL this time. Loaded a roll of cheap film and just wanted to check if the camera is working fine. This was THE camera I had when I seriously got into photography many years ago. My first camera was the Yashica FX-3 which could fit Contax Zeiss lenses, so naturally the next camera I got after that was a Contax. I love the Aria. Continue reading 'Oh the joy of film!'»
According to director Doug Pray, “Art & Copy is a film about advertising……not just advertising, but the greatest advertising in the last 40 or 50 years.” It’s a documentary about 11 people behind the ads that affected our culture but have remained anonymous. Like who came out with the phrase ‘Just Do It’? Or took the images for Apple iPod’s campaign. Art & Copy goes into these people’s minds to trace their creativity, what goes on in their minds, what turns them on and what motivates them. It made it’s way into Sundance 2009. As creative people, we always look out for ideas, getting ideas across, different way to do things and overcome problems. As captured in this trailer, “I think creativity can solve anything, anything!” This movie is for every one into photography, film, advertising, creative or artistic direction. Look out for it in the cinemas, I think it’s definitely worth the wait.
The one thing I stress a lot when I teach is the importance of a good backup process when dealing with so many images after a shoot and organising images in the computer. For a professional photographer, his livelihood depends on processing the right images, knowing where his images are, backing up his work, etc. For an amateur, it’s good practice to have a standardised workflow to make sure those precious pictures of junior don’t go missing after a few months. Continue reading 'Backup, backup, backup'»
Oh how I just love Malay weddings. Nothing is more exciting than the beat of the ‘kompang’ drums to keep your adrenaline racing, the vibrant colours that demands the attention of your eyes, the numerous ‘mas kahwin’ (gifts) from the groom, the intricate details of the ‘dais’ for the couple to greet guests, the fragrant smell of the nasi minyak and briyani, and not forgetting the spices and thick creamy rendang curry to soak your nasi. All your senses are engaged at the same time! Dzuhri and Norimah’s wedding last weekend was no different, starting with the Nikah ceremony on Saturday and ending with the Persandingan (wedding ceremony) on Sunday. A great weekend indeed…a beautiful couple and a beautiful ceremony.
Just bought a new camera and wished you know what’s happening when you press the shutter? Well, I am conducting another round of workshops starting in August for beginners. Class size is limited to 6, with a minimum of 4. My workshops are very informal with a lot of time spent shooting and learning hands-on since practice makes perfect. I’ll share a lot about both technical and creative aspects to kick start your journey into photography. The creative part should be in your hands and not with the camera, so the course is designed to help you do just that…..to reduce your reliance on fully auto modes and crossed fingers.
The information you need is here but do let me know if you’d like to customize a course for instance, shooting products, kids, etc. So get a group and sign up or just let me know first and reserve your place.
I came across Martin’s site when I was listening to the Lightsource Studio Photography Podcast. If you haven’t heard of this podcast, check it out. A lot of good info on photography and lighting. Anyway, Martin’s work is pretty impressive. Check out his creative portraits…great use of outdoor lighting, especially those in which he balances with bright sunlight.
If you only have time to visit an exhibition these days, don’t miss Reflection at the National Geographic store in Vivocity. I was awed by the images exhibited. And to think the photographers are just school students! From primary school to JC. Where was I in primary school man? I was actually quite impressed with this picture of a rubber ducky upside down. This secondary school student mentioned he wanted to demonstrate total internal reflection his physics teacher taught him. Continue reading 'Reflection 2009'»
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