Ask And You Shall Receive

A hectic day today was, hopping from one shoot to another. Shooting events are usually less exciting than weddings, but then, once in a while, someone throws u a bone. I always believed in asking, and as photographers, if you don’t ask, you don’t get. The concept is pretty simple. The chance of getting a good shot dips to absolute zero, zilch, nil.

I must’ve appeared to be somewhat of a nut today, asking if I could take a picture of Serena C at an event I was shooting for. Wait. Isn’t that a given? Of course! But not if I was holding the camera, aimed at myself with her next to me. I expected nothing less than a question mark in her response. She was more than willing, and was extremely pleasant and friendly in the process. Thoughts crossed my mind, what if she says no? What if, what if what if? It’s just a photograph, so just relax. I discovered that people are usually more than willing to be helpful when it comes to being photographed. Besides, what could be the worst thing that could happen? The other person says no, the sun still rises the next day. And then sets after that. To top it off, I got her email address. She wanted some of the photographs I took of her. Praise God for a good day today, and everyday.

Below: Taken with Canon EOS40D, EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM @ 1/100sec, f/4, ISO800, 10mm (16mm equiv), +0.3EV, with mounted 580EX ll flash.

note: all images are copyright protected of shutterbugs photography. The photographer retains the copyright to all images. It is illegal to publish, copy, reproduce, reprint or post in any form or manner without prior consent of the photographer.

A Photographer? Perhaps. Perhaps Not.

Have you ever wondered what makes a photographer, well, a photographer? I have, many countless times. Is it just because of the fact that I can shield my face with a camera and a lens the size of my arm and the weight of a leg? Is it because the shutter goes click every time my trigger finger squeezes down? Wait. Can’t a five year old do just the same? Granted, the results may differ slightly. Many people ask me what do I do. My answer, photography.

Suppose someone the likes of W. Eugene Smith walks up to me (which is unlikely since the man is dead, and I say this with all due respect for the man) and asks me, “What do you do?” Would my answer still be the same? Would my answer still be the same but with a little bit of hesitation and a hint of stutter? I suppose the latter would be likely.

I always wondered what it would be like to travel and shoot images that would land on the cover of magazines. And I don’t mean your Cleo’s or Travel Destination Weekly. I am talking National Geographic, Life, Newsweek to name a few. These guys have been through it all. War zones, watching starving kids die, blood and broken bodies that would put horror movies to shame, persecuted, kidnapped, being aimed at, being shot at. You name it. All these to get just that one image that would make your jaw drop at the possible expense of their own lives.

So am I a photographer? Well, I love taking pictures. And there is a sense of true satisfaction when someone other than me is pleased at what I took. So, yes. I suppose I am a photographer. Just a little different. Someday however, I might just have that chance to fulfill this desire of traveling and taking pictures the likes of these guys. But then again, my wife might just kill me first for trying.

I leave you with this picture, taken by Pulitzer Prize winner Oded Balilty. It is a picture that has impacted me the moment I laid eyes on it, and till this day, it is my utmost favourite. Perhaps one day, I will take a picture like this.

© Picture taken by Oded Balilty

The Moment It Clicks

It’s almost religious, that every single time I step into a bookstore, my built-in guidance system would lead me straight to the photography section (followed by the baking section-yes, it’s true). It’s automatic. It’s instinct. It’s uncontrollable. As I stepped into Kinokuniya today, I found a book so captivating that it (or rather I), blew almost 200 clams off my wallet.

I absolutely love bookstores. There’s just something about it so calming, so reassuring, that you will no doubt see me in one every time I set foot into a shopping mall. That being said, I have opened countless photography books, with every valid advise, comments, suggestions, and ideas spewed out into pages and pages of salient and truly proven facts and figures, but none seem to surpass what I read today.

Joe McNally – The Moment It Clicks. For those with a love for photography, open it and breathe it in. His words make you look beyond the rules of photography and perhaps, behind what you always thought photography was all about. It challenged him. Perhaps the time has come for us to challenge ourselves.

Below: Taken with Canon EOS40D, EF 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM @ 1/15sec, f/5,6 ISO1600, 95mm (152mm equiv), -0.3EV, Ambient Light

Gone Might Those Days Be…

Through all the stresses of work and pressures of life, I suppose there comes a time when one would always look back to the days when there was just that hint of carefree-ness. I find myself yearning for those days when I was studying abroad in a quaint little place called Adelaide. Unfortunately, during that time, photography was not on my list of things-must-do. The gorgeous buildings, the scenic parks and lakes in the middle of the city were missed photo opportunities.

Thinking back to the time when my two feet landed in the breathtaking grounds of Fennes, just an hour away from London, evoked those same feelings of years gone by, when problems just seemed miles and miles away. When Maria sang on the rolling hills, with the Von Trapps trailing behind. Well, close anyway. These photos do not justify, not within a mile, of how spectacular this place truly is. The air was crisp. The grounds were as green as it could get. Temperature was a gorgeous 18°Celcius.

Below: Taken with Canon EOS30D, EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM @ 1/1000sec, f/3.5, ISO400, 10mm (16mm equiv), +1.7EV, Ambient Light

The trees and shrubs were manicured to perfection. The trees especially, looked like something off a Lord of the Rings movie. They were gargantuan to say the least, with even the widest lens I possess, not being able to take it all in.

Below: Taken with Canon EOS30D, EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM @ 1/8000sec, f/3.5, ISO400, 10mm (16mm equiv), +1.3EV, Ambient Light

Perhaps it was the sheer beauty of the grounds itself. Or the surreal feeling of being somewhere too beautiful for words to describe, but believe it or not, the image below is actually their ‘backyard’. It seemed endless. If you stood where I had stood, endless would probably be an understatement.

Below: Taken with Canon EOS30D, EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM @ 1/5000sec, f/4, ISO400, 10mm (16mm equiv), +0.0EV, Ambient Light

Don’t you just wish that everyday was a day where you could just lived carefree. Is that really too much to ask for in this day and age. I suppose it truly is. Let us hope it’s just not gone forever.

note: all images are copyright protected of shutterbugs photography. The photographer retains the copyright to all images. It is illegal to publish, copy, reproduce, reprint or post in any form or manner without prior consent of the photographer.

All Time Favourites

Doing wedding photography is always heaps of fun, exhausting as it may be. Not too sure about the ‘others’ out there, but I reckon’ everyone has a few favourites out of the thousands and thousands of images burnt into their CDs, DVDs, HDD, etc. I didn’t really have to go through my collection to find my favourite few, or rather favourite two. While I was doing a mind sweep, it didn’t take long before it brought me back to a couple of images, this time, obviously burnt into my brain.

This picture was perfectly timed, as I was gambling between perching on the left or the right of the couple. Thankfully, they decided to face this side. To many, the subject appearing across the bottom right of the image might appear to be a slight obstruction. However, after close scrutiny, it is actually an individual entertained by a crack made by the groom. The individual is actually the bride’s brother. That, with the expression on the bride’s face coupled with the amused look on the groom’s face made this frame one of my all time favourites. [Click to enlarge the photo, it helps to appreciate it more]

Below: Taken with Canon EOS30D, EF 50mm f/1.8 @ 1/100sec, f/1.8, ISO100, 50mm (80mm equiv), +0.0EV,Ambient Light, No post-processing

The picture below is self-explanatory. Whenever I look at it, it just puts a smile on my face. Images of kids or babies smiling puts an ‘awwwww’ in your mouth and a squint in your eyes. There is just something about this smile and the expression on her face that makes me glow. I suppose it could be the grinning teeth, the fact that you can’t even see the whites of her eyes, or simply that expression of a hint of embarrassment behind that smile while receiving the ang pow, or maybe a combination of all the above (so maybe it’s not all that self-explanatory).

Below: Taken with Canon EOS300D, Speedlite 580 EXll, EF-S 10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM @ 1/125sec, f/5.6, ISO800, 10mm (16mm equiv), +0.0EV, ETTL Flash

Romantic pictures to me are great. Brides or mom of the bride or groom (and the extremely rare groom himself) shedding tears are must-captured-moments. But my all time favourite are always the smiles. I guess I just like being happy, and seeing it too……

note: all images are copyright protected of shutterbugs photography. The photographer retains the copyright to all images. It is illegal to publish, copy, reproduce, reprint or post in any form or manner without prior consent of the photographer.

Shooter’s Block, Shooter’s Blues

I decided to head to KL last Thursday with a Garmin, my full gear and my sweet new EOS baby (wait… let me rephrase… my ruggedly built, ferocious EOS kid). I came face to face with the dreaded Shooter’s Block!!! Armed with a brand new EXTREME lll – 4gig CF card to add to my ammunition, not a single shutter click, not even the inconspicuous beep of the AF point focusing could be heard. With petrol prices going through the roof (and to make it even more painful), commencing on the day I decided to make a solo road trip around KL, and coming back sans photo, the even more dreaded Shooter’s Blues befell me.

I saw sights worthy of print and paper, but something was holding me back, something was pulling my hands down. As I looked at my gear comfortably seated next to me, only one thought came to me: “I’ll be back, and I’ll getcha next time, I’ll shootcha next time….”

For those who wished we were in another country, in a foreign land because we just seem to suffer from a lack of photo-ops, you are missing out on a lot…….

Do You See What I See?

Most of us, myself included, find it frustrating when we are unable to ‘find the picture’ in a scene. Sometimes when we do, and we hit the bullseye, it can be very enlightening. This picture was taken in a restaurant in Damansara Perdana at around 9pm. While sitting across from the dining hall, I immediately realised that there was a potentially nice picture to be taken here (nice to me anyway). I saw this picture in my head before I had even taken it, before I had even walked over to compose this shot. And sensing that the picture could be further improved by giving it a nostalgic look, I set the camera to Picture Style – Monotone.

Some of you may be wondering why would I set the camera to shoot in Monotone when you can easily do it in post-processing and have the picture in colour as well. Why not have your cake and eat it too? It was simply confidence. I was very certain that this picture would not have looked good in colour, or conversely, that it would look great in b&w. This is due to the fact that colour will draw away the mood and focus that this image and subject is trying to set.

Below this image [to be inserted soon] is the comparison image which was taken where I was actually sitting when I ‘found the picture’. You can see what I mean by comparing these two images. No post-processing was done for these pictures.

Below: Taken with Canon EOS400D, EF 100mm Macro f/2.8 USM @ 1/800sec, f/2.8, ISO1600, 100mm (160mm equiv), +0.0EV, Ambient Light, No post-processing

Below: Taken with Canon EOS400D, EF-S 17-85mm f/4.0-5.6 IS USM @ 1/50sec, f/4, ISO1600, 17mm (27mm equiv), +0.0EV, Ambient Light, No post-processing

Below picture was taken when i realised an oh-so-slight oddity with it. The hanging shade in focus was actually just slightly higher than the rest, making it more outstanding, especially when it was the focal point of this picture. Should the shade be in-line with the rest and focus was on it, the impact might not have been all that great. The light-spot above the shades was there unintentionally, but was a pleasant addition no doubt. Again, the image below it is for comparison purposes.

Taken with Canon EOS400D, EF 100mm Macro f/2.8 USM @ 1/4000sec, f/2.8, ISO1600, 100mm (160mm equiv), +0.0EV, Ambient Light, No post-processing

Below: Taken with Canon EOS400D, EF-S 17-85mm f/4.0-5.6 IS USM @ 1/50sec, f/4, ISO1600, 17mm (27mm equiv), +0.0EV, Ambient Light, No post-processing

This picture was taken simply because it was just screaming out for it. The position of the flatware just barely visible made an interesting detail in the image. The position of the rear lamp was deliberate as I tried to compose it at the far upper-right hand corner. This allowed the second lamp to make the image more interesting but at the same time not taking the ‘light’ (pun intended) away from the main subject of focus.

Taken with Canon EOS400D, EF 100mm Macro f/2.8 USM @ 1/500sec, f/2.8, ISO1600, 100mm (160mm equiv), -2.0EV, Ambient Light, No post-processing

note: thanks to Charles Boey for lending me his camera and lens in the absence of mine.

note: all images are copyright protected of shutterbugs photography. The photographer retains the copyright to all images. It is illegal to publish, copy, reproduce, reprint or post in any form or manner without prior consent of the photographer.

My First Epiphany About Photography

WARNING: Sort-of-technical terms used. For those suffering from Severe Boredom Syndrome are warned to avoid.

My first epiphany about photography is a concept I believe some might know, and obviously some might not. Uncertain of whether such a concept has yet been named, your guess is as good as mine. Anyway, here it goes. I call it The Infinite Spherical Vantage Point, or at other times, The Infinite Sub-Spherical Vantage Point. Gee.. what’s with the fancy name you might wonder. Who the heck knows. When I first thought about it, that was what came to me.

The concept is pretty simple. When taking a picture, a beginner might snap a picture with the subject dead in the center, standing directly in front of it. Simple? Yes? Objective achieved (to capture part of- or entire subject)? Yes. Interesting? Not really, perhaps only to the subject or shooter.

Now to make things a little more interesting. Trying to understand the concept. Firstly, as the name suggests, the distance required to capture the subject can be near or ridiculously far, hence the distance is ‘Infinite’. ‘Spherical’ sort of speaks for itself. But just in case – ‘Spherical’ means that you can be at any position in relation to the subject you are capturing. Up, down, left, right, back, front, top and bottom would still seem sort of two-dimensional in comparison to a position anywhere along a sphere. So by imagining a sphere around the subject and knowing that you can shoot from any point of this sphere, makes it limitless when coupled with distance.

For certain situations, where you can’t get below the subject, for obvious reasons such as that it might be illegal (think skirt and a camera at the bottom) or for the fact that you just can’t be below the subject unless you start digging, there exist the term ‘Sub-Spherical’ .

With this simple knowledge, and the power to discern, you might just start capturing images you never thought possible. There are times unfortunately, that a subject looks better from the back than the usual front.

I suppose the idea behind this is to not only simply think outside the box, but also more around a sphere. Break all the rules of photography, because hey, there ain’t exist a photo-cop and no arrests have been made – so far.

Talk About Antique

Talk about old cameras… My Lubitel-2 ( circa 1938 ) and Kodak No.1A Pocket Kodak Series II ( circa 1925 )

I have yet to discover how to actually use one of these babies. According to the seller, it’s still good to go (It’d better be! Considering I had to lug it halfway across the globe!). Should [ever] that problem be solved, where the heck am I going to get the film for it. Is it still available? Is it more expensive than replacing the oil in a beemer? Will the pictures that come out of these cameras be worth all that effort? Who knows.. In time, I hope to meet someone who fancies antique cameras and can teach me a thing or two.

Taken with Canon EOS40D, 70-200mm f/2.8L IS @ 1/40sec, f/4, ISO400, 95mm (152mm equiv), +0.0EV, Ambient Light

note: all images are copyright protected of shutterbugs photography. The photographer retains the copyright to all images. It is illegal to publish, copy, reproduce, reprint or post in any form or manner without prior consent of the photographer.

I Guess There Is A First Time For Everything

I have decided to start blogging, less insight into my personal life, erring more to my insight in photography. Fearful of all things tabbed, thumbnailed and tags, I am going against my better judgment of ‘technologizing’ my insights into a blog rather than a papered journal , but hey, how else can I share my love of photography on such a scale if it were ‘papered down’. Blogging here I come…

I guess there is a first time for everything.