Actually I have nothing much to say about this, in photography terms and experience.
Just trying to be funny, I brought the Fuji Instanx since I ordered some film packs just weeks ago. Must say that I am impressed with the consistency and quality of the pictures that this toy can deliver :)
The pictures can be seen here.
Wednesday, 25 July 2012
Co-assignment of a family portrait
Finally have the mood to write a little again after a long long break, so I guess I will start with clearing my backlogs :)
I remember it was a humid afternoon, and we were kind of expecting a shower or something. The family was late too, and by more than an hour, if I recall correctly. A common trait among our locals, huh? Well, business owners usually don't have much choice and have to live with it.
Anyway, it was lucky that at least we had each other for company, and there was an outlet that I knew we could have some drinks and desserts.
Chatting and wasting our time away until about 6 when the father finally called my friend and announced their arrival. So I guess it was time to get our butts off and start working :)
Lesson learnt? Bring an assistant or friend in case of late clients :) Oh, and a long lens sure works almost flaws, provided we are getting a decent shuttle speed.
I remember it was a humid afternoon, and we were kind of expecting a shower or something. The family was late too, and by more than an hour, if I recall correctly. A common trait among our locals, huh? Well, business owners usually don't have much choice and have to live with it.
Anyway, it was lucky that at least we had each other for company, and there was an outlet that I knew we could have some drinks and desserts.
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| Just idling around and doing nothing. I remember there was another guy shooting with a Pentax K-01. Really looks like a toy! |
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| A portrait I did for my friend for fun. Black and white really brings quite a different mood and dimension :) |
Chatting and wasting our time away until about 6 when the father finally called my friend and announced their arrival. So I guess it was time to get our butts off and start working :)
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| My friend preparing his lights. I only used mine mounted on my camera |
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| The father in his suit. Wouldn't opt for this if I were him. See pictures below to see why. |
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| The family goofing around :) |
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| The little princess running around. Cannot remember what she was looking at. |
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| An informal portrait. Can only afford this if I am not the main guy :) |
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| See the sweat marks? I will only opt for a suit if I was indoors. By the way, is that tree distracting? |
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| My friend teaching the princess on posing her arms. Strange uncle :) |
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| My try shot. Black and white just works like magic for portraits, regardless of the skin tone. Even better is that I don't need to bother about colour casts from the grass or the sky |
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| Wow, such a huge crowd on a Sunday afternoon! |
Tuesday, 15 May 2012
Backlogs to clear later
This post is mainly to remind myself what to write later this month
- An co-assignment of a family protrait on 22.04.12
- Mersing trip on 28.04.12
- A blogshop shoot on 12.05.12
- A journal on a Make-Up Artist on 13.05.12
- A sports meet shoot on 19.05.12
- An co-assignment of a family protrait on 22.04.12
- Mersing trip on 28.04.12
- A blogshop shoot on 12.05.12
- A journal on a Make-Up Artist on 13.05.12
- A sports meet shoot on 19.05.12
Monday, 7 May 2012
Wednesday, 2 May 2012
Friday, 27 April 2012
Co-assignment #1
Finally got my pictures and can start writing about the assignment.
First of all, kids can be difficult subjects to work with, or at least, they need more time. Sometimes, it is just best to go with the flow and let things happen. Be an observer and take shots as things unfold. I may sound harsh, but that's what we are paid for, right?
Since my friend is the main photographer, I focused on how he worked instead. I must admit I am not good with kids, and still have a lot to learn. Maybe I should just avoid kids.
We started in the house, and make the sofa the main backdrop of the family portrait.
Later, we made our way to the playground. Probably a bad idea, since there was a passing rain. The kid wet his shorts and began throwing tantrums. I was tempted to stop the session, but I kept quiet since I was not calling the shots. An assistant should know his place and position.
First of all, kids can be difficult subjects to work with, or at least, they need more time. Sometimes, it is just best to go with the flow and let things happen. Be an observer and take shots as things unfold. I may sound harsh, but that's what we are paid for, right?
Since my friend is the main photographer, I focused on how he worked instead. I must admit I am not good with kids, and still have a lot to learn. Maybe I should just avoid kids.
We started in the house, and make the sofa the main backdrop of the family portrait.
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| The light setup |
Later, we made our way to the playground. Probably a bad idea, since there was a passing rain. The kid wet his shorts and began throwing tantrums. I was tempted to stop the session, but I kept quiet since I was not calling the shots. An assistant should know his place and position.
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| My on-camera flash was too harsh. The colours were washed out and a hard shadow was casted. |
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| Apparently, the kid was feeling uncomfortable with his wet pants. But portraits shouldn't be just about smiles and laughters :) |
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| Need to keep a watch on my flash in future |
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| Probably the best of the day? |
Sunday, 15 April 2012
First Photo Competition
Got called by a friend to join a wine tasting(!) event at a community event, co-organising a photo competition with the theme "Gems" of that neighbourhood.
The day started with congestions along those filter lanes on the road. Makes me wonder how badly our road system is designed, if our public buses are also trapped by these lanes!
This was then followed by a heavier drizzle, and slight hunger, since we had little since the morning. Sat in a 1.5 hour experience sharing by 2 judges, one a nature photographer and the other a wedding photographer. Some nice photos, though I did not get my question posted to them, which was "if writing can improve what you will take". I believe it does, so maybe taking a poetry class helps :)
I must admit that we did not really try hard to get the photo, since his aim was the wine and mine just spending time with some of my oldest gears. We even had a not-so-short lunch before moving out! Nevertheless, I had a venue in mind (due to the weather).
On walking towards the venue, we came across a small shop selling some Polariod stuff. I got myself a pack of PX100 Silver Shade. Hope this is a better stock.
Where's my venue? Right under the nose, I mean the roads: the underground train stations :)
While I had a venue, I had no design. The friend came out with a design to be shot as a passer-by, stepping towards the lens. Fitted the fisheye, off-camera flash, and full manual mode with the remote. Tried a few exposures to get the correct shuttle speed (for the ambience) at 6sec, closed down to f/22 and ISO200, laid the toy on the floor and supported by the lens cover.
Results:
Of course, we had to submit the original JPEG from the camera. This shot took us about 10-15min :)
The rest of the day was supplemented by a tea break in a Japanese style confectionery, followed by the buffet dinner and a glass of wine (so much for the tasting :). Fun, if you asked, and there are really some nice photos relevant to the theme (though I still cannot understand how some get selected, maybe it's because they were taken by iPhone??).
My takeaway from the experience? Take a writing or poetry lesson (probably it will enhance your creativity), and I finally know there is a Chinese cemetery in that neighbourhood.
The day started with congestions along those filter lanes on the road. Makes me wonder how badly our road system is designed, if our public buses are also trapped by these lanes!
This was then followed by a heavier drizzle, and slight hunger, since we had little since the morning. Sat in a 1.5 hour experience sharing by 2 judges, one a nature photographer and the other a wedding photographer. Some nice photos, though I did not get my question posted to them, which was "if writing can improve what you will take". I believe it does, so maybe taking a poetry class helps :)
I must admit that we did not really try hard to get the photo, since his aim was the wine and mine just spending time with some of my oldest gears. We even had a not-so-short lunch before moving out! Nevertheless, I had a venue in mind (due to the weather).
On walking towards the venue, we came across a small shop selling some Polariod stuff. I got myself a pack of PX100 Silver Shade. Hope this is a better stock.
Where's my venue? Right under the nose, I mean the roads: the underground train stations :)
While I had a venue, I had no design. The friend came out with a design to be shot as a passer-by, stepping towards the lens. Fitted the fisheye, off-camera flash, and full manual mode with the remote. Tried a few exposures to get the correct shuttle speed (for the ambience) at 6sec, closed down to f/22 and ISO200, laid the toy on the floor and supported by the lens cover.
Results:
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| Original exposure. Completely forgotten to correct the white balance and correct the flash gel |
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| Post processed. Corrected the white balance and adjust the contrast. Luckily the flash didn't turn out to be too blue. |
The rest of the day was supplemented by a tea break in a Japanese style confectionery, followed by the buffet dinner and a glass of wine (so much for the tasting :). Fun, if you asked, and there are really some nice photos relevant to the theme (though I still cannot understand how some get selected, maybe it's because they were taken by iPhone??).
My takeaway from the experience? Take a writing or poetry lesson (probably it will enhance your creativity), and I finally know there is a Chinese cemetery in that neighbourhood.
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