My Sigma DC lens is just precious when zoomed in at 200mm.

You can see my pores, pimples, scars, and dry flaky skin patches so much more clearly!

Of course, I strategically removed all those, thanks to Photoshop! And contrast! And levels!

It’s not a bad thing to like a better version of ourselves.

Have a good weekend, lovely boys and girls!

Sorry, no fancy outfit photos today.

Instead, I bring you a snapshot of myself in my normal GEEKY state. I will not discuss who I work for, but some entails coding for websites. It’s a problem solving activity with which I have a love/hate relationship.

Coding requires lots of brain power, eye power, and intense focus.  Because my eyes are like this O_O I don’t blink, and therefore my contact lenses dry out and I get aggravated.

I’ve gotten used to coding on a MacBook, but sometimes I wish I had a gimungous monitor/display to hook it up to. I know they’re not that expensive these days, but I’m very weary about picking up the wrong piece of equipment and regretting it later on.

Whale, that’s about it. Have a good weekend, everyone!

What better way to beat the study blues with an impromptu photo shoot?

As you might already know, I’ve been MIA in posting due to end-of-term tests, projects, presentations, and whatnot, all the while preventing myself from getting sick x_x Although I still manage to Tweet the heck out of my Twitter account because my fleeting thoughts need some kind of outlet!

Still, I find the time to do impromptu photo shoots with myself, by myself, because that’s the only way I will stay sane. There is something balancing and therapeutic about photography. My mind is constantly racing around with ideas for a photograph, and I can’t seem to keep up with it.

One of part me says, “No, you can’t do any photo shoots until you’ve done your readings!!” and another part of me says, “Screw mergers and acquisitions! Corporate finance can wait, your crazy photo ideas cannot!” This time, the latter won the battle.

Okay, back to reading about Mergers and Acquisitions! Sexy stuff!

School is getting the best of me (completing my 2nd year of my 4-year university program) and term-end projects + final exams need my 101% attention.

If you don’t hear from me for the next week or so, you know why D:

LOVE YOU GAIZ!!

oh oh oh I didn’t draw this, but this is what happened to me some time ago…

I took these photos back in November 2009, inspired by Yulanda Yee, but at the time I didn’t have a proper blog to share them on. These were taken using very old hotshoe flash from the 1970′s and my Canon EOS 350D (Rebel XT) camera.

It was only until Karo posted his flying Vans on his blog that I decided to post these:

No coffee was hurt in the shooting of this photograph; I look so nonchalant but I was just caught at half-blink.

Of course, the ultimate inspiration comes from Salvador Dali and his flying cats:

Oh, memories!!!! More random photos I took and dug out from my external hard drive.

99% of my photos were taken with natural light or undirected lighting. I want to take a lighting class this summer and possibly invest in some box lighting. Or umbrella lights. But…. I don’t think I have ceilings that are high enough If I had my own place, I’d make sure it had 9+ foot ceilings….even if it’s a bitch to heat all that empty space.

That’s me! Hahaha..

These were taken circa June 2007. Right after going to the beach (Woodbine Beach), my best gal friends and I went to see Transformers. I thought it was the most awesome movie at the time, and then when I saw Transformers 2 last year I was sorely disappointed. Sigh.

I don’t like to call myself a photographer (yet). I feel that it’s a title reserved for those who are in the profession…professionally.

I am someone who likes to use photography as an art form, and I understand the elements of colour, composition, and direction of subjects. But saying that in real life is just too fussy so I just say I’m a photographer to keep it simple.

I’ve had some opportunities to work with my friends as models. Even though they are my friends, the relationship doesn’t make the event easier to photograph.

There are plenty of articles and tutorials out there that talk about lighting and composition, so I’m going to take a personal approach to this.

To me, the ingredients to a successful photo shoot are:

1. People. At its basic level, photographing people is about knowing how to talk to them and put them at ease. Talk to them. Ask them about their clothing. Comment about the weather. Try not to talk about school or anything depressing like that (haha).
2. Environment. Look around you: focus on things that you would normally not concentrate on; look for lines, colours, frames, and words.

I find photographers invest too much time on makeup, wardrobe, and styling, and they assume that it will speak for itself.  That couldn’t be farther from the truth.  It takes more than a pretty model, or the latest photography accessories, to create a beautiful image.

Here are some scenarios which I’ve shot and my take on them:

1. Concerts. I enjoy shooting these the most because it is so challenging — and I want to get better at it.  In a club/concert hall, the lighting changes so fast. In split seconds you have to focus on your subject properly, select the right shutter speed, and post-process as little as possible to produce a true result.  The subjects (the musicians) are also full of energy and spilling with emotions — no direction necessary.
2. Portraits. Clear verbal direction is mandatory.  You have to be a “people person” or at least work toward becoming one.  This is another type of photo shoot I find extremely challenging, yet rewarding.  It tests your ability to communicate instructions.  Because my models are usually non-professional models (my friends), I have to be extra clear and patient with my directions.
3. Events. Conferences, parties, etc.  This is tricky.  You want to capture the event, the happiness shared by the people in the event, etc. But there will always be people who just hate cameras.  They have this … tendency to just shy away from them or cover their face or say “OH MY GOD A CAMERA IS IN MY FACE. LOOK AWAY!”  In these moments, I need to always ask permission to take a person’s photograph, and it becomes so … cumbersome.  I only enjoy photographing these events if every person attending is okay with it and welcomes being photographed.  Otherwise, it just gets frustrating that half my memory card is filled with people looking away from the camera.
4. Animals/Nature/Products/Still Life. I like to take pictures of the insides of fruit. Sliced berries, kiwis, watermelon, that sort of stuff.  But because it’s still and you can move it anyhow you like, it’s kind of boring.

My photography is primarily driven by emotion and people, and I always strive to put that on an image.  I want to have more experience with narrative photography — telling stories through pictures.  I don’t care much for a brand new lens, flash unit, or expensive lighting kits.  I’m in it for perfecting my communication with people, and the photographs are a by-product of that effort.

In your opinion, what makes a good photograph?