Mariam's Baby Shower! [25-2-2012]

Happy days! Thank you so much Rizal and Mariam, for inviting me to shoot Mariam's Baby Shower on Saturday, 25th February 2012. This joyous event was held at the Flora Cafe, Ampwalk building on jalan Ampang. It was a pretty nice place to say the least, with fancy chandeliers and soft lighting. Perfect place to celebrate her incoming little bundle of joy.

I have to say once again, their respective families are really lovely people - warm and welcoming. In fact they made me feel like I myself was family. You don't get this kind of warmth and sincerity very often these days, so I welcomed it. I probably worked even harder to get the 'emotional content' I'm known for in these kind of events. After all, in a happy event such as this, how hard could it be?

I hope you like some of the shots I'm about to post up. If you have any comments, please do leave a message for me here, in this photoblog itself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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For those of you who like statistics:

Vital Stats for February: 5 posts 67 pics

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Disclaimer: The views published in the above photoblog are the author's and the author's alone. If readers are not agreeable with the above views, well, you can bugger-off. All rights are reserved for the the photos and/or articles itself. This article may be reproduced with permission for the author or private or public usage, or other forms of general mayhem. Any unauthorized usage of the images and/or article contained therein is expressly prohibited and violators will be prosecuted with the full force of Malaysian law applicable. Thank you for reading this disclaimer.

Photography for Dummies, By Dummies: Episode 12

Ever had a question about photography you wanted to ask, but felt it was too stupid? Now you can feel stupid in private instead!

Disclaimer: The following graphics or photos found in this article are not my own, but acquired from easily available public forums of the internet and are used merely as examples of the concepts discussed in this article. I absolutely do not own the following images, nor do I claim to have personally shot the same. The following images have been copied and pasted directly from the internet with no editing or other forms of digital manipulation from me.


Here we go again! More photography myths. I love reading about photography myths for the simple reason that virtually all of us may have started with several misconceptions about phootgraphy. Certainly I was one of them. I was inspired to share this information by a close friend. He asked me about the price of cameras over the weekend as he wanted to purchase a DSLR. He asked about a lens that can 'do everything' so I suggested a simple 18-55mm with the Canon 60D - for price reasons, as well as the reasons below. He then decided he wanted the 18-200mm because he 'might want to zoom in on the subjects once in a while.'

Saying thus, it is fun to re-visit some of these concepts as we track our own progress up the photography food-chain.

1.         The Anti-Shake function in your camera does not mean that your pictures are guaranteed to be sharp.

Canon uses the term ‘Image Stabilizer’ (IS). Nikon has ‘Vibration Reduction’ (VR). Sony uses the term ‘Steadyshot’. Although manufacturers have a variety of colorful names for it, the system is the same – a vibration reducer. Many photographers deem this function a ‘must-have’ when using telephoto lenses. Even moreso if you are not using a tripod. At long focal lengths, a little vibration to the lens will produce multiple shake effects.

However, note the obvious – this feature does not reduce the movement of the object itself. This feature is used more to reduce the vibration coming from YOU. The most highly sophisticated anti-shake technology will not prevent your subject from constantly moving. You’re going to have to start developing better shooting technique then, as the anti-shake function is, at best, a nice thing to have, but certainly not a be-all, end-all camera function.

2.         A camera lens is better because it has a longer zoom.

That sounds just about right, doesn’t it? After all, the 18-55mm is way, way, cheaper than the 18-200mm. Wrong.

The fact is, a long zoom slows down the lens’ performance and can most definitely reduce the quality of your image. Over the past couple of years there are some pretty decent super-zooms in the market. Unfortunately, the best of the lot are not cheap. In fact, you could probably buy a small car with the price of some of the more luxury-class lens. Think RM 30,000.00. But for the ‘all-rounder’ lenses (super-wide to super-zoom), third party manufacturers like Tamron and Sigma have since come up with reasonably affordable lens. Arguably the quality of the images may not compare with the established brands, but what the hey.

If the above information does not make sense to you, you might want to read up on a few things you should know about your camera lens…

1. There are many elements within a lens. The more the elements, the more intricate the trajectory path of light and this will likely in turn decrease the quality and sharpness of the lens. This is why a zoom lens has a lower sharpness than a fixed lens, because of the many elements within the zoom lens. Even if there is a zoom lens with a sharpness that can match a fixed lens, the price will undoubtedly be very expensive.

2. Aberrations or distortions will always occur in wide lens (including the fisheye lens). That’s why wide lenses are not recommended for taking photographs of people’s faces because they will appear stretched and distorted. Also avoid using wide lenses for photographing straight lines.

3. Sharpness differs in lenses. Sharpness will lessen when the lens is opened at its widest aperture or its narrowest aperture (lens diffraction effect). Zoom lenses also decrease in sharpness when positioned in its farthest zoom. For the best sharpness use wide to normal focal lengths, and use a mid-range aperture (also known as the sweet spot) of around f/5.6 to f/8. Below is test done on sharpeness by Ken Rockwell.

4. The center part of the lens is always sharper than its borders. A good lens has a somewhat even sharpness between its center and its borders, while a bad lens’ sharpness severely decreases in its borders. This decrease in sharpness is called corner blurriness. But considering that the object of the image is mostly at the center of the composition, fortunately, people often times ignore the borders of the photograph.
5. The maximum aperture opening of a zoom lens can change depending on the focal it is set on. To avoid complex lens designs, the zoom lens has its own peculiarities with different maximum apertures at different focal lengths. Pay attention to the inscription of the lens. For instance, the lens 35-105mm f/2.8-4.5 means that at a wide focal length of 35mm, its maximum aperture is f/2.8 and at its most telephoto zoom or 105mm its maximum aperture decreases to f/4.5.
6. The super zoom lens has endured a lot of compromising. At the beginning, there is no lens that has an extreme focal length that can accommodate the needs of a 26mm wide to a 520mm telephoto zoom in one single lens. But due to demands in the market and the tight competition between brands, manufacturers are forced to create an all-in-one lens like the Olympus SP 570 with a 20x zoom. This type of lens has shot through the boundaries of theoretical optical physics, by sacrificing quality and sharpness, to meet the goal of being dubbed the all-in-one lens. A super zoom lens with a zoom range of 10x to 12x is fairly balanced between the telephoto capabilities and its output quality. While the 15x, 18x and 20x zoom lenses seem a bit forced and should be left for those highly ambitious in owning an ultra, ultra zoom lens.

To view other post in the Photography For Dummies Series, please click on the hyperlinks below

Episode 1: You want to buy a DSLR?

Episode 2: Lighting the way

Episode 3: The Rule of the matter

Episode 4: To RAW or not to RAW

Episode 5: How to shoot weddings

Episode 6: Image Stabilizers

Episode 7: Lighting technique and methods

Episode 8: Photography myths
Episode 9: How to keep your memory cards
Episode 10: Bad Habits of Photographers
Episode 11: Leading The Viewer

Thanks for viewing!

For those of you who like statistics:

Vital Stats for February: 4 posts 31 pics

Vital Stats So Far: 136 posts 5,401 pics

Disclaimer: The views published in the above photoblog are the author's and the author's alone. If readers are not agreeable with the above views, well, you can bugger-off. All rights are reserved for the the photos and/or articles itself. This article may be reproduced with permission for the author or private or public usage, or other forms of general mayhem. Any unauthorized usage of the images and/or article contained therein is expressly prohibited and violators will be prosecuted with the full force of Malaysian law applicable. Thank you for reading this disclaimer.

Cutest Babies in the World

I've got that thing about me where I insist vehemently that I do not like children. You know, they're loud, they smell, they're un-behaved. Such is the complexities and mysteries of our existence that ever so often, I keep coming across little children or infants who absolutely make my heart melt, turning me into disgusting goo. This is my small and latest collection of such rapscallions ever to grace my camera lens.

"Father asked us what was God's noblest work. Anna said men, but I said babies. Men are often bad, but babies never are." ~ Louisa May Alcott ~



Look at those eyes! You can get lost in them!



Pre-Liftoff meditation always helps. Always.



Megan, yer cheeky bugger, you.



Time to wake up!



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For those of you who like statistics:

Vital Stats for February: 3 posts 31 pics

Vital Stats So Far: 135 posts 5,401 pics

Disclaimer: The views published in the above photoblog are the author's and the author's alone. If readers are not agreeable with the above views, well, you can bugger-off. All rights are reserved for the the photos and/or articles itself. This article may be reproduced with permission for the author or private or public usage, or other forms of general mayhem. Any unauthorized usage of the images and/or article contained therein is expressly prohibited and violators will be prosecuted with the full force of Malaysian law applicable. Thank you for reading this disclaimer.

Chinese New Year 2012 Through My Squinty Eyes.

Disclaimer: Dry humour and worse photographs ahead. Please view at your own risk. The author bears no liability whatsoever for lost appetites, severe migraines and other health risks of reading my lame-ass jokes.

This year's Chinese New Year celebrations were horrid. For the first time in my living memory (not counting that time I 'died' for 3 minutes) my beloved family did not return to their respective hometowns. Balik kampung so to speak. Besides the obvious lack of ang pows the other obvious thing was the lack of things to do. So Munning and I decided to swing by Melaka for a spot of makan-makan and jalan-jalan.

Just as we arrived in Melaka, Munning and myself drove out to meet Emily in town. As we were waiting for her to finish off her errands, Munning and myself decided to explore the restored and renovated surrounding area beside the Melaka River. There we found a quaint little Buddhist temple, which is known and popular with the locals, along with other pleasing sights.

This is a picture of a rusted gate of an abandoned home. Nothing more. I just though it a little creepy with those 2 little stools behind the gate.

Lost time. I don't know why I am drawn to strange things, like I was drawn to this watch on the floor.

The Melaka River Cruise in full swing. Did you know Datuk Shah Rukh Khan was invited on one of these cruises during his historic visit to the state of Melaka to personally accept his Datuk-ship? At least I think it was this kind of cruise. Anyways, I'm sure Datuk Khan (from the epiglotus) had a swinging good time rolling on the river. Cue Creedence Clearwater Revival, Bollywood style.

A corner of the Melaka River from where I was standing.

The remaining concrete columns of a demolished and abandoned building. I put this one in black and white because I was trying to make it look like some long forgotten monument of a civilisation's glorious past. Alas, it still looks like concrete columns of a demolished, abandoned building.  

I like this one. An ambitious shot of the sun setting behind an abandoned carnival, which, as I was told, was a failed entertainment project by the Melaka state authorities. That roller-coaster did look pretty cool. Wonder what happened... 

We don't need no education. We don't need no, thought control. No dark sarcasm in the classroom. Hey terachers, leave those kids alone! All in all, you're just another brick in the wall. Thank you Pink Floyd, for showing us the way. On a side note, it also looks like a scary clown's face, or a vagina. With a little more marijuana, you can either see Homer Simpson, or Jesus Christ, depending on the stock of weed.

The doors of an abandoned cinema. Why did I take a picture of a set of doors, you ask? Well, I don't really know the answer to that one.

I find myself spookily drawn to this picture I took. I opened the above creepy doors and I peered in, half-expecting to find a fanged-clown to say hi to me. However, all I found was darkness. Only the cold, and unforgiving darkness. Then... SUDDENLY... Light.

A shot of Emily's lovely and accomodating mother. Smile for the camera auntie!

My travel partner and driver, the affable Mr. Munning. Take a bow Mr. Munning!

Our lovely host, Emily. Thanks for your hospitality (again). We appreciate it!

A few sights in and around Jonker Walk. Since photographers have shot Jonker Walk to death, I walked around looking for something different to shoot. I couldn't find much to be honest, since Jonker Walk was kinda closing when I got there. However, my sly eyes still found something quirky to shoot.

Need wide shots, but no Fisheye lens? No problem! We'll improvise.

I saw this psychedelic pattern caused by the reflection of some yellow Chinese New Year lights on a stainless steel hawker stall.

Ahh... an ancient curio store. Fancy that? I was just wondering where to go if I wanted to buy some ancient curios.

No, I am not interested in Dodol with Gula Melaka, which coincidentally are free from preservatives. I just noticed the pattern of the steel gates with that rectangular sign, under the maroon neon light.

One of the cats that Emily's mother feeds and cares for at their home. This photo is edited in black and white as well as to show extra grain in my attempt to imitate the texture found in old film photos.

Daisy, one of the bestest friends Emily could ever ask for, currently staying with Emily's mother in Malacca. Daisy is well-behaved and adorable.

We paid a visit to a newly established automotive museum in [  ], with an adorable collection of antique cars and motorcycles. With so many vintage vehicles in one place, do you really think my entire set of photos here would be in color? More practice and tests of my black and white processing ability.

Thanks for viewing!

For those of you who like statistics:

Vital Stats for February: 2 posts 27 pics

Vital Stats So Far: 134 posts 5,397 pics

Disclaimer: The views published in the above photoblog are the author's and the author's alone. If readers are not agreeable with the above views, well, you can bugger-off. All rights are reserved for the the photos and/or articles itself. This article may be reproduced with permission for the author or private or public usage, or other forms of general mayhem. Any unauthorize usage of the images and/or article contained therein is expressly prohibited and violators will be prosecuted with the full force of Malaysian law applicable. Thank you for reading this disclaimer.