Marina barrage

we were given a project... anything

so I drove to Marina Barrage at about early evening to try getting some great shots. Would really want to wait for magic hour but we had a dinner appointment and I had to be home early to get ready. As a mommy, I can't get off to do this often.. so this was my only available time.

The project needed a theme.. but I didn't really think through it... So when Ken asked me what is was, I was like "eh SPACE" keke *hantam only lar*

1) I was asked "what is this related to your theme?" me: " its the coverpage lar!!"

2) he didn't comment on this... so I think pass
3) He says this has no focal point.. I should have found something for the eyes to rest on.. which is true but then again what should the focal point be?

4) Nice dutch angle but should have crop it to a panorama
5) He didn't understood what I was trying to achieve.. but I didn't know how to achieve what I wanted. After much explaining, all I needed was to have a bigger aperture *duhz* so that my fingers will be clear and it will look like I'm pinching the wheel. Okie I admit my skills are not there yet to think of this... keke but now I know
6) Wanted to do frame within a frame.. but he feels that I should have blurred the circular frame and focus on the wheel instead of the other way round.. but I like it this way leh (so did my classmates lol)

7) 5 of us loved this but him! *argghh* he says there is something not right about the composition and a focal point will be great. But like nice right? Maybe I should have waited for a child to play in the fountain... but the photo may not look as serene as it should.
I learn alot from this project, coz it makes me think what we want from a certain location and shoot. From that plan we know mentally how we can approach certain objects.... eg we can do colours, faces, smiles, lovers etc. Then the collection of photos will be more happening than just nice photos :)

Chinatown

today was field trip to Chinatown

There was the downpour which kinda dampened the moods a little.. coz the rain didn't do any justice to the weather. Ken split us up into 2 groups to take our "version" of Chinatown.

We needed to capture the chinatown spirit but me and my "partner" didn't quite enjoy what was there. Mainly we felt we were too spoilt with our travels overseas to find something that will interest us haha. No Eiffel, no Big Ben... There wasn't a certain landmark that made Chinatown pop.(to us that is) But of course we were wrong as the streets were already iconic enough to make it "Chinatown"

after many wide angle shot.. this is my favourite. it has lead in lines with a angle view.. bringing the focal point to Pearl centre

We need to take one shot with our partner with something we considered as a landmark. So to us Chinatown MRT seems cool enough as it took them so long to finally decide to built a station there. This photo however has a very interesting angle shot with shophouses behind the subject, but one thing I fail to notice was that my partner's head was hitting on the signage... haha. That is a grave mistake.. never allow your subject to bump/hit on something, at all parts of his body.

I took a fair bit of photos but where not pleased with them. This time round, Ken brought us out.. which was great as he was there to guide us. No longer lost like just now.

He brought us to the temple and wanted us to explore taking with the red doors of the temple. Loved this part cause I didn't see the doors as something so darn interesting to take!!!! love my photos btw...


He guided us through the few streets to show us how to do great compositions and how to take nice portraits with the landmarks. I didn't take any of those that he shared coz its in my head. Me however will try out another day and blog it down. Here are a few of things he mention that I casually took down just to remember.

Night Photography

we met at 7pm for our night field trip

Armed with my tripod, reading up on exposure compensation and how to use my self timer. Totally different from day but damn fun! This place is near the parliament house for those who like me - never knew this place exist *hangs head in shame*

We took our cameras out and took some shots on how we wanted our composition.

this was my 1st test shot

but decided on this cause I like the reflections and the fence at the left hand side

Set up the tripod,set it to aperture 4 and waited to take a photo of "Magic hour" - the ambient lights (sun/moon) and the artificial lights are of the same contrast. Every photo is on self timer.

you can see that the lights are almost the same as the sky... this magic hour is only available for mere seconds or minute. this by the way... after 1930 coz no more ERP .. keke

one minute after

and the magic is gone... fun right?!

the sky is getting dark now

adjusted the exposure compensation to allow more light.. but don't quite like it.. that by the way was my last shot

It was off to explore the other parts of the bank and be back by 15 minutes. So I walk around and blur me didn't know how to go the other side but instead found the bridge and the road. So I stylo mylo wanted to "F1 photos"... with my so damn bloody limited skills.

After like damn many shoots, I managed to get 2 nice ones. Cause got to wait for traffic light lar, then the shutter speed wrong lar, then shutter speed took so long just to snap one and by the time the car drove away.. you know the gist lar.. 1o mins was up

moved my tripod a little to find this.. swee!

then it was back to the bank, while waiting for the others to come back, tried a few shots

After like spending 45 mins there trying to capture "magic hour" and 15 mins of random shooting, we walked over the other side to learn about shutter speed and its effects with water.

Tv/s 4 gives us fierce angry water

Tv/s 20 however gives you smooth calm waters... but DAMN long to take a photo

an example of lead in lines

Tv/s 4

tv/s 20

Notice my composition in the 1st photo has a straight horizon. But Ken wanted us to take another with a Dutch angle (7th rule) means slanting the horizon a little. He helped me adjust my camera and we got more waters than buildings, giving it more depth and didn't it just made my picture pop?

after taking so many shoots of the boat going up and down.. I caught a great photo... don't you just love it! awwww photography.....

Night photography is a whole different ball game. Half the time I was struggling to use my tripod, mainly because I'm more comfortable holding the camera and felt really uneasy placing on a tripod fearing it will topple or that I didn't tighten the knobs enough to cause it to drop.

Although it seems simple enough with just a tripod, a camera.. its to me a waiting game, a game you can never control well enough like in the day where there are more variables to play with..

But nevertheless, I totally loved it... its fun and very in fact testing one's imagination.

Shutter speed

Today I learnt about shutter speed…

TV(canon)/S(nikon) = Shutter speed (its like your eyelids)… means it controls the movement

Slow Tv/s slows movement

1000

500

250

125 [120]

60

30

15 [16]

8

4

2

1

Fast Tv/s freezes movement

1″

2″

4″

8″

15 “[16]

30″

60″

125 “[120]

250″

500″

1000″….

” =seconds (nikon)

s= seconds (canon)

then you ask what the bloody difference? if its with the ” means its is in seconds and when there is no icon means its a fraction of the second – 1/2, 1/4 of a second shutter speed.

So I got home and tried, was advise to always put it at TV/s 4 and this is what I got

tv/s 4 - slows down movement

tv/s shows speed

Rules of composition

I was taught the 6 rules of composition…

Fresh from class and I had only 1 hour before the day ends to catch the sun. So I walked around Chinatown armed with my LV speedy, 1 folder in one hand, 1 camera bag sling across, 1 camera hung around me neck, my snack in another.. damn klutz damn difficult lar…. coz I was hungry .. okie I was greedy, You know Chinatown and their goodies right?

Then I kept looking at the notes in the folder coz I can’t remember the “laws” while trying to focus on what composition to take .. plus I was dying for a nice cup of bubble tea, no thanks to the ken’s assistant who was drinking it while I departed from the studio which made me pining for a nice cold cup.

1) Rule of the thirds: Dividing the picture into 3 parts (fail coz the 1/2 is not prominent)

2) Panorama: Wide angle shot (fail I shouldn't have zoomed in but take a wide shot and crop the top, bottom)
3) Barrier : Having a barrier before the subject, subject have to be clear while the barrier is blurred or out of focus
4) Angle view : Using a different angle to shoot the subject
5) Frame within a frame: Using something else to frame the subject (fail as it looks more like lines)
6) Lead in lines: Using lines to lead into the subject

So I think it was not too bad for a 1/2 hour’s job though it was rather slipshod as I was rushing to go home cause my parking tickets was expiring. But this how I learn, through mistakes that I make and now I have a urge to walk around to do another round just to master it.

Nevertheless, Photography IS a learning process

Photography

I like photography but don’t know how to go about doing it properly. Reading the manual ain’t going to make me all an expert you know. By the way, the manual sucks coz its so technical, Then when you ask other peeps, they shot you with the jargons that are way out of this world. I freaking don’t know aperture, shutter speed, F stop, exposure or whatever. I only know how to point and shoot, arrange it a little aka to have a better composition.

But there is so much you can discover for yourself and fiddling fiddling it without any knowledge ain’t going to make me any smarter. I’m no “I learn everything by myself one and I’m waiting for you to say I’m a genius” (rolls eyes 360 degrees). Plus my iphoto can only help me this much to edit my photos and though I really need to learn how to Photoshop (but thats another story altogether)

So I chanced upon Black Box Photography’s webbie, Ken by the way is the photographer (recommended by friend) that we engaged for Victoria’s birthday party. We liked the way the photos came out and all agreed that ken is an awesome photographer. So what better person to learn from and I didn’t even do my homework by researching or so. The price was right, the person was right, I need to learn an so…

Totally loved the classes coz it cleared up alot of the clouds and then those questions that I never knew how to ask (deeming stupid ones) finally had an answer. Though there are still clouds but its the light fluffy ones, those that makes the blue sky pretty type.

So I have started a blog to write down my thoughts and post my photos for all to learn, admire. Coz its not fun to learn photography without interaction and comments that makes one better. My mind can only work this dimension while everyone can give me many dimension that I can’t see.

So this is my blog…