3rd try, no major improvements

Taking a break off the post processing of photos from my 3rd wedding assignment, held at Fullerton. I was better prepared than before, in terms of equipment as well as exposure. However, as i looked through the files i brought back, it struck me how little i improved. Perhaps I was not properly briefed on what's going on, perhaps because there were pros around and i did not want to get in the way, perhaps the lighting condition was so bad my cheapo equipment could not cope, perhaps.... the usual 101 excuses. Now for the debrief...

Biggest changes since the previous assignments:

1. Better flash control. This is no doubt due to the more powerful (and expensive) SB800 being deployed, able to light up the whole room. Also because of more experience with flash during my SYD assignments, I was able to make the flash look more subtle.
2. More ambient shots. Fullerton hotel was so grand, the interior so well decorated that I couldn't stop myself snapping away at little details and textures. These pics work well for "fillers", but are not the money shots.
3. Natural light. I'm lucky to have a borrowed D50 body with me. Its iso1600 produces much richer and cleaner pictures than my D70 noise machine. I realised that I never went below iso800 for the whole of the assignment! However, this is still not enough to capture natural light shots during dinner reception. A check with the pro showed that he is shooting ISO 3200 (on a canon 40d), at F2!!! That is a wopping 2-4 stops of light ahead of me. Pro tio si pro... got money to buy fast lens and good bodies. Perhaps one day when i get a d3...
4. More closeups. Yes, the bazooka is out again. It got me lots of smiles and expression shots that i could never achieve before. However, even the bazooka is not fast enough for the damn dinner room.

I learnt a big lesson: No matter how up ur skills can be, equipment matters! I also lack the experience, unable to anticipate moments of rich expression. The pro (ckuang from 39east) was ALWAYS there when people were smiling, laughing and shaking hands. Call him a psychic. Patience... Now i have to quickly finish my processing, and prepare myself for the 2nd wedding reception shoot in Penang, by the same couple. I'm feel honoured to be flown overseas just to shoot, and it'd better be good.

A photo worth bashing for?

Deep in the fields off edge-field plains, there lies a large lalang cluster...

Together with a friend, we spent 30 mins bashing through the thick foliage only to find that most of the lalangs were unripe. Just as I felt pretty contented with a couple of closeups (shame...), I turned my head and spotted this grand rainbow. Phew... I knew this picture will save the day!

Tips for anyone else willing to venture to this spot: Wear long pants/jeans. If u are NSman (yes i am!) or NSF (hang in there!), go ahead and wear your combat boots. Thank god I did, else you'll have a nice chocolate shoe for dinner.

Wordless Wednesday

The park I grew up with

This is the park I frequent from when I learnt to walk, to run, to cycle, to skate and now - to drive. It is a place I cherish, for it brings back fond memories of the countless times I visited.

Twenty years since I first set foot on the greenery, west coast park has undergone so much renovations that hardly any area was left untouched. The shores reclaimed, the playgrounds built and upgraded, even the birds come and go. Fortunately, the gleeful laughter from children never left. It's such a joy to watch them play.

Ups and Downs

Life's Like That!

Yes, this stunning bokeh can only be produced by one lens in my current arsenal: The bazooka. Went on the first walkaround in the playground with my new weapon, and my intention was to train myself in freezing the fleeting moments of joy on young faces. I learnt a big lesson.

Walking around with the "big black thing" seems to have the same effect as strolling with an M16 in a civilian world. People stare at you. Even kids can feel it's presense. It's hard to be discrete, harder to get the shot without people turning away. Singapore is still a very conservative society.

Wife pastry

Find me a wife as sweet as this...

I'm so glad I'm finally getting better in lighting up food. Many people use window/natural light for such shots, but I had to resort to artificial lighting given the cloudy/rainy weather these days. My tripod isn't serviceable enough for long exposures as well.

This shot is a combination of 3 great "projects" i made recently. The first being the umbrella system, which consist of a cheap $2 umbrella i've been using all the while (without noticing the silver interior till a few weeks ago, shame...), mounted to my dying tripod using cable ties (talk about DIY). Shadows casted were very close to natural light, given its super large surface area in relative to the subject.

The second is my light tent, made from toys and tissue. Cost me nothing. Delivers studio-quality light.

Third is my soft box, a 4.5 x 6.5 inch contraption made from mooncake box packagings (yes, including the translucent grease proof paper). Doesn't make a difference for portraits, but a hell lot of improvement for food sized stuff.

Here's the final setup:

Anyone wanna sell stuff online?

Clearing off before my long awaited ORD date, I find myself with lots of free time for some handicraft. I've always wanted to try a little product shoot, taking pictures of little things around the house. The best way to achieve even lighting would be a light tent. One can either buy a ready made one, or if you are game enough, DIY one. It costs me nothing for this light tent, maybe just 2 hrs of construction. (i admit i made use of old toy sets, so i'm not exactly starting from scratch)

I'm currently obsessed with snapping stuff around me. Will be trying some creative lighting effects too. So anyone wants to sell items online can look for me to put ur stuff in the best light =)