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| Also on my flickr 1/40sec at f/2.5, ISO 1600 |
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| Also on my flickr 2.5sec at f/2.8, ISO 200 |
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| Also on my flickr 10sec at f/8.0, ISO 200 |
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Photos taken on the 15th - Ampang Lookout Point
Here they are folks, some of the ones that I found good enough to post online! These were shot with my D700 + my brother's 70-200mm.
New photos coming soon ! Will be uploaded tonight
I have some new photos I have been saving up (for a week!) to upload online. Due to some reasons, I'm not allowed to upload those photos until after 7pm today. Why, you ask? You wouldn't believe it if I tell you. One of the photos is a long exposure taken with the Zeiss 2/35 attached on the D700, up to 20 seconds if I remember correctly. The situation allowed me to test my Jusino tripod, which fared really well. To me, it was as sturdy as my brother's carbon fibre Manfrotto tripod. Considering that the Jusino is made of Aluminium and cost only half of what my brother paid for for his Manfrotto tripod, I was beyond satisfied with my purchase. Which tripod am I talking about that made me so high on bragging rights? This one.
I'll upload those photos after dinner tonight, should be up online on my flickr and this blog by 9pm.
I'll upload those photos after dinner tonight, should be up online on my flickr and this blog by 9pm.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
reaching a thousand visits!
Okay that's a small matter, but still an achievement to say the least! I've had a very unproductive week so far this week, photography-wise. All those ideas are stuck in my head but I'm not doing them any favours by going to work almost every single day and not having my camera when the light is just sublime *smacks head*. Anyway, that's the challenge anyway right. To have things not going your way and to be strong enough to fight off anything that gets in your way. I'm gonna try and do some food & product photography this weekend, since I have a couple of days off from work. What I'm not looking forward to do is buying all those backdrops, I really don't have a clue where to start. That is when I'll be more thankful to the internet! I'm also not looking forward to making the food and having them ruined cause of me.... surely nothing can go wrong....
Anyway, to sort of celebrate the upcoming one thousand visits to this blog, here's a picture I took recently on the same day I took these :)
Anyway, to sort of celebrate the upcoming one thousand visits to this blog, here's a picture I took recently on the same day I took these :)
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| f/8.0 at 1/640sec, ISO 250 |
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Lost in the modern era
With all the new gadgets and technologies introduced recently at CES 2011, are we spoilt for choices? Are we too greedy? Do we really need the best of everything? Shouldn't we focus on being a better human being than developing better robots and computers? You might argue that most of us need those gadgets for work, but there's already enough out there that are better than what we require them to do. I'm using a 2 year old Sony handphone, simple phone that I only use for calls, texts and a bit of gaming. Having said that, I am thinking of getting the Google/Samsung Nexus S. Simply because I'll need those widgets as those Android people call it, like Google Maps for example - I'm bad with directions! What's more is the ability to surf the web when I'm not at home, and who wants to bring a laptop when you're out at dinner? So, technology drives men nuts. But is it good or bad? Depends on what you're gonna do with it, I'd say.
Okay back to the photography side! I know I've been quite recently. So what has been going on? Well, I received my first paycheck on Saturday - January 15th worth RM200 as my salary for December. That was a welcomed event, cause I was running out of cash! I didn't hesitate on spending 'wisely' though. Yesterday I brought an ND & an ND Graduate filter (both ND4s) as well as the adapter and the filter holder. All I've done since was experiment with both filters and learn how to use them properly. So far, the results have been alright, not spectacular. But I know that will come with good practice! I'll use them more as days go by, hopefully I'll master it before February!
Earlier today I went out around the neighbourhood and took some shots. All were taken with a Nikon D700 and Carl Zeiss 2/35 attached.
Okay back to the photography side! I know I've been quite recently. So what has been going on? Well, I received my first paycheck on Saturday - January 15th worth RM200 as my salary for December. That was a welcomed event, cause I was running out of cash! I didn't hesitate on spending 'wisely' though. Yesterday I brought an ND & an ND Graduate filter (both ND4s) as well as the adapter and the filter holder. All I've done since was experiment with both filters and learn how to use them properly. So far, the results have been alright, not spectacular. But I know that will come with good practice! I'll use them more as days go by, hopefully I'll master it before February!
Earlier today I went out around the neighbourhood and took some shots. All were taken with a Nikon D700 and Carl Zeiss 2/35 attached.
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| f/2.8 at 1/500sec , ISO 250 |
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| f/4 at 1/400sec, ISO 250 |
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| f/3.2 at 1/800sec, ISO 250 also on my flickr |
Thursday, January 13, 2011
is the CZ 2/35 fast enough for (my) cats?
A couple of days ago, I was rather bored at home so I decided to take the CZ 2/35 out for a spin in the cat house. Somehow, my cats seemed intrigued at the lens, much more so than when I used the Nikon 50mm f/1.8. Hemm maybe cats have good taste. Anyway, I entered the cat house, they seemed very sleepy (as always!). Once I got in, they got hyper! I don't know what sort of vibe the Carl Zeiss lens brought, but it worked! My cats were running around, reaching for the roof, and biting my foot, typical. I fired off some shots and surprisingly, have a few keepers. Sure there wasn't as much as when I used the 50mm f/1.8 but remember that the Zeiss has no AF, so I had to rely on manually focusing the lens, as well as searching for the perfect spot to focus on through the viewfinder. The other problem I encountered was when my cats were moving (as you'd expect by using an MF lens), the difficulty in focusing back and forth is very annoying and frustrating. Though once my cats stood still, it was all natural, focus point on the eyes, and boom - nailed the focus. That may be down to the smooth focusing ring of the 2/35, or the bright viewfinder of the D700, or both.
So, would you want to use an MF lens when shooting animals? My advice, avoid it. Unless you're really patient and understand the typical behaviors of those animals, you're gonna have a hard time keeping up with where to focus, and ultimately producing a sharp, focused image. For me, I wouldn't mind using the 2/35 again when I take pictures of my cats, since I have a good relationship with them, and most of them would pose for me (you'll see what I mean!). I also know how to make them relaxed, or make them lose it and go nuts. For example, my cats have a habit of going hyper once I touch their back and belly - they'll start running around as if there's a race!
That's my opinion, of course I'll take more photos of my cats when I have the time (and their time as well!). Do you have any other way of dealing with focusing when it comes to animals or fast moving subjects? Share them if you will, by writing a comment :)
Enjoy the photos and let me know what you think of them :)
So, would you want to use an MF lens when shooting animals? My advice, avoid it. Unless you're really patient and understand the typical behaviors of those animals, you're gonna have a hard time keeping up with where to focus, and ultimately producing a sharp, focused image. For me, I wouldn't mind using the 2/35 again when I take pictures of my cats, since I have a good relationship with them, and most of them would pose for me (you'll see what I mean!). I also know how to make them relaxed, or make them lose it and go nuts. For example, my cats have a habit of going hyper once I touch their back and belly - they'll start running around as if there's a race!
That's my opinion, of course I'll take more photos of my cats when I have the time (and their time as well!). Do you have any other way of dealing with focusing when it comes to animals or fast moving subjects? Share them if you will, by writing a comment :)
Enjoy the photos and let me know what you think of them :)
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| this is also on my flickr |
Monday, January 10, 2011
DRC 2010/2011 - photos
As I mentioned on Friday, I was going away on a trip to participate in a Rotaract event all the way in Hulu Langat. Long story short, it was a memorable trip! On Friday itself, we were divided into 6 groups, I was in the Red group (GO REDDDD!). That night, we had a treasure hunt. From what I can remember (I just had 9 hours of sleep!), there was an obstacle course, and a bunch of other group activities. Oh, the highlight of the treasure hunt was when the groups had to find a type of fruit in an open space, and break it open without destroying it, eat it, and then combine the pieces back together. For my group, we had a watermelon - I found it :D, and ate it clean! We opened it up with a door key, and everybody were eating like a colony of monkeys! After that, we had supper..... yes after the watermelon was finished completely....
Saturday started early (too early for some!), the first activity was a morning exercise. The stretching, the bits of dancing, aahhh it was too much! We were then treated with a wonderful breakfast, 'nasi lemak'. Please don't directly translate 'nasi lemak' in English, I'll feel bad !! Afterwards, a Rotarian came in to talk about how he led an unconventional life. He has been a Rotarian for decades, and he has clearly won the hearts of many at the conference. After that was another talk, this time by a former model, who is now a terrific food blogger. You can follow her blog right here. Of course, being a model, a lot of guys didn't hesitate to try a shot at her! In the end, she was asked (more like forced!) to do a catwalk. Soon after, a bunch of guys also joined in! The pictures will show you what I mean. Next was the jungle trekking. The hike got us up to the waterfall. A breathtaking waterfall with freezing cold waters was the perfect place for all of us to have some fun and enjoy with nature. The walk back down was a little easier, thankfully! Then we were served with a barbecue dinner back at the cafeteria. I had some of everything! - chicken, sausage, fries, rice, coleslaw. I was thinking of having a go at it again, for the next round, but I was too full after that! After everybody had clean up, there was a plenary session/forum back at the hall. The District reviewed the activities they've done last year, and brought up some new ones for the year! I have to say, I'm not a member of any Rotaract club yet, but all the activities look spot-on fantastic! I can't wait to be part of it.
On Sunday, the day started off way too late for most of the participants. By 8.45, including me, there was only about 10 people having breakfast at the cafeteria! I guess they were all tired, most of them didn't sleep on Friday so it was understandable. After breakfast was the revelation of the guardian&angel game. Basically the guardian is supposed to take care of his or her angel. Everybody had one of each. My guardian was a good guy, he made sure I was okay the whole time, really appreciated that! However, I wasn't much of a good guardian myself. I knew who she was, but I guess it was weird having an older angel to take care of. On Saturday night, I told her that I'd get her supper. I didn't see her at all until the revelation of the game on Sunday morning! For most of the participants, it was a good way to get to know more of some of the others. Next was the final talk, to me, the highlight of the conference. Jason Lo - yes a local musician, and now the CEO of Tune Talk was the speaker. I have to say, I am now considering to switch to Tune Talk! As for him, he was hilarious! Musicians are known to be funny, but he was out of the ordinary. I've been looking up to him for bringing the local music industry to new heights, and now for being so honest about how the mobile service works. When he was done, a bunch of us took photos with him! Being a superstar here in Malaysia, he was natural in front of the camera. After that was the closing ceremony, the committee did a good job with the farewell video. Brought back the 3 day event into media form, to remind us of all the fun we shared. We then had lunch and head home.
I have to say, the people I've met from the last 3 days were very inspiring, and bring a lot of positives into my way of thinking. Are they naturally like that or Rotaract has helped them along the way? I think it could be both. Some of them are from Penang, way up North in the map of Malaysia, and some are from Johor, the most Southern part of Malaysia. They all came for the event to simply meet new people, gain new experiences, and learn more about Rotaract. Simply, the whole trip has made me want to change. And I'm ending this post with new resolutions for the year (its never too late!) ; to be more matured and talk more!
All of these were taken with a D700 and CZ 2/35 and sometimes SB-600
And with that, enjoy the photos! :)
Saturday started early (too early for some!), the first activity was a morning exercise. The stretching, the bits of dancing, aahhh it was too much! We were then treated with a wonderful breakfast, 'nasi lemak'. Please don't directly translate 'nasi lemak' in English, I'll feel bad !! Afterwards, a Rotarian came in to talk about how he led an unconventional life. He has been a Rotarian for decades, and he has clearly won the hearts of many at the conference. After that was another talk, this time by a former model, who is now a terrific food blogger. You can follow her blog right here. Of course, being a model, a lot of guys didn't hesitate to try a shot at her! In the end, she was asked (more like forced!) to do a catwalk. Soon after, a bunch of guys also joined in! The pictures will show you what I mean. Next was the jungle trekking. The hike got us up to the waterfall. A breathtaking waterfall with freezing cold waters was the perfect place for all of us to have some fun and enjoy with nature. The walk back down was a little easier, thankfully! Then we were served with a barbecue dinner back at the cafeteria. I had some of everything! - chicken, sausage, fries, rice, coleslaw. I was thinking of having a go at it again, for the next round, but I was too full after that! After everybody had clean up, there was a plenary session/forum back at the hall. The District reviewed the activities they've done last year, and brought up some new ones for the year! I have to say, I'm not a member of any Rotaract club yet, but all the activities look spot-on fantastic! I can't wait to be part of it.
On Sunday, the day started off way too late for most of the participants. By 8.45, including me, there was only about 10 people having breakfast at the cafeteria! I guess they were all tired, most of them didn't sleep on Friday so it was understandable. After breakfast was the revelation of the guardian&angel game. Basically the guardian is supposed to take care of his or her angel. Everybody had one of each. My guardian was a good guy, he made sure I was okay the whole time, really appreciated that! However, I wasn't much of a good guardian myself. I knew who she was, but I guess it was weird having an older angel to take care of. On Saturday night, I told her that I'd get her supper. I didn't see her at all until the revelation of the game on Sunday morning! For most of the participants, it was a good way to get to know more of some of the others. Next was the final talk, to me, the highlight of the conference. Jason Lo - yes a local musician, and now the CEO of Tune Talk was the speaker. I have to say, I am now considering to switch to Tune Talk! As for him, he was hilarious! Musicians are known to be funny, but he was out of the ordinary. I've been looking up to him for bringing the local music industry to new heights, and now for being so honest about how the mobile service works. When he was done, a bunch of us took photos with him! Being a superstar here in Malaysia, he was natural in front of the camera. After that was the closing ceremony, the committee did a good job with the farewell video. Brought back the 3 day event into media form, to remind us of all the fun we shared. We then had lunch and head home.
I have to say, the people I've met from the last 3 days were very inspiring, and bring a lot of positives into my way of thinking. Are they naturally like that or Rotaract has helped them along the way? I think it could be both. Some of them are from Penang, way up North in the map of Malaysia, and some are from Johor, the most Southern part of Malaysia. They all came for the event to simply meet new people, gain new experiences, and learn more about Rotaract. Simply, the whole trip has made me want to change. And I'm ending this post with new resolutions for the year (its never too late!) ; to be more matured and talk more!
All of these were taken with a D700 and CZ 2/35 and sometimes SB-600
And with that, enjoy the photos! :)
Friday, January 7, 2011
A weekend with the CZ 2/35 out in the jungle!
Hello!
I decided to join a trip out to the middle of nowhere (I hope not!) with some Roteractors. Its the District Roteract Conference 2010/2011 ! Having been part of the Interact Club in secondary school, it was inevitable that I would join Roteract once I leave school, and Rotary further on. It sounds like a fantastic event, I'm looking forward to it! Though I'm gonna miss the things and people I'm already used to :(
Oh, I'm ONLY bringing one lens for this 3 days 2 nights event, the CZ 2/35. Its already attached to my D700. Lets see how well this lens copes with the harsh conditions (not too harsh, please!) out in the wild. Let mother nature run its course!
Since I'm attending this event, I won't be online for a few days. I'll be back on Sunday. Hope for some refreshing portraits!
Have a good weekend, folks!
I decided to join a trip out to the middle of nowhere (I hope not!) with some Roteractors. Its the District Roteract Conference 2010/2011 ! Having been part of the Interact Club in secondary school, it was inevitable that I would join Roteract once I leave school, and Rotary further on. It sounds like a fantastic event, I'm looking forward to it! Though I'm gonna miss the things and people I'm already used to :(
Oh, I'm ONLY bringing one lens for this 3 days 2 nights event, the CZ 2/35. Its already attached to my D700. Lets see how well this lens copes with the harsh conditions (not too harsh, please!) out in the wild. Let mother nature run its course!
Since I'm attending this event, I won't be online for a few days. I'll be back on Sunday. Hope for some refreshing portraits!
Have a good weekend, folks!
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
My favourite images from 2010!
2010 was certainly a memorable year for me, in all aspects, it made me grow. One of those aspects are photography, and my way of seeing things have changed and I look at subjects differently now. I also approach subjects that I never did years before. So here's my pick for my favourites of 2010 !
Hopefully I'll take better pictures this year!
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