header image
 

walkabouts :: rustic

Had a lil photo walkaround with my friends, settled on the theme of rustic buildings/environment in Singapore.

Our first stop: Marina South

Faded Memories
I remembered going there to have bbq-steamboat sessions with my friends and stuff. most memorably before i enlisted. now it all lies faded and in preparation to be torn down.

All Gone
Along with the makan (food-indulgence) sessions, we would maybe bowl a few games. high-fives and celebrations, laughter and amusement.

Shattered Glass.. Shattered Dreams..
Once a thriving food and entertainment hotspot, now all that is left are the remnants. the empty shell of the place.

Stopped Running
Nothing seems alive, nothing seems to be running.

(author’s note: i missed a great shot just to the left of this >.&lt ;)

Next Stop: City Hall, Capitol Building
What's The Subject Here?
Capitol Building/Cinema was a landmark around the city hall area. it is scheduled to be sold at the end of this year. walking along the back alley and chancing upon a movie ticket booth. Happened that all 3 of us were shooting so thot it would make an interesting juxtaposition.

Last Stop: Lim Chu Kang, Sarimbun Jetty
The Jump
Had a friend jump off the jetty for this shot (just kidding!)

Honestly, it was a side of Singapore i’ve never seen. Reminded me much of a childhood trip i took to Tanjung Pinang when i was 8.

Boat in the Water
an idle boat sits in the water. once again, its not a sight one sees often, if at all.

Assignments: Alcove Media (Guinness 9 Ball Tour 2008: Genting)

Was up in the lofty heights of Genting Highlands covering the Guinness 9 Ball Tour 2008: Genting leg on assignment for Alcove Media which will be producing their new magazine, Break Clear!, in July so stay tuned for that!

Day 1:
DSC_1375

DSC_1726

DSC_1798

DSC_1821

Day 2:
DSC_1951

DSC_1989

DSC_2036

DSC_2039

DSC_2073

DSC_2118

DSC_2157

Day 3:
DSC_2326

DSC_2353

DSC_2359

DSC_2447

DSC_2509

Assignments: Jumpshot (May & early June)

Haven’t had the time to really breathe. Thot i’d update with just a few photos from the assignments from this month for Jumpshot. There’s plenty more so check my flickr stream for more frequent updates.

Lee Teng Interview:
_V5K1187

_V5K1190

_V5K1201

_V5K1247

Hwa Chong Basketball MVP and Coach:
DSC_2796

DSC_2778

Mark Zee Interview:
DSC_0316

DSC_0311

DSC_0302

DSC_0297

Hor Chim Or Interview:
DSC_0340

A Div Basketball Action:
DSC_0568

DSC_0546

DSC_0508

DSC_0495

DSC_0401

DSC_0379

walkabouts :: street & night

been awhile, feeling the need to destress and get some shots in. the deadlines are drawing nearer so no time to waste. feel free to comment and critique!

25 Mar 2008 - Walkabout at Bencoolen
Rather interesting place, lots to see and shoot. i think there’s definitely more to shoot than what i’ve shot. hopefully will get another chance soon.
_V5K0099

_V5K0111
“The busy street below..”

_V5K0138

_V5K0139

_V5K0143

_V5K0190
“Splash”

Whilst waiting for my friend..
_V5K0018

_V5K0016
 

11 Apr 2008 - Walkabout at Raffles Place
Met up with a friend for lunch and then went ard the area to shoot a bit. tried out a long exposure + hdr of the CBD crowd. prob will do another one soon.
_V5K0004

_V5K0024_tonemapped-1

_V5K0065
“Dozing by the river”

_V5K0069
“Need a ride?”

_V5K0089_tonemapped-1

_V5K0090
“In an emergency, i see red”

Spotted this sleek, mean machine on display at UOB Plaza
_V5K0041

_V5K0044

_V5K0050

_V5K0051

_V5K0057

_V5K0061

_V5K0062

And at the end of the day..
_V5K0107

_V5K0102
“Let sleeping dogs lie”

_V5K0100

_V5K0094

24 Apr 2008 - Walkabout at Night
Caught the Barca vs Man Utd game and on my way there decided to do some night shots for the SYPA competition coming up.
_MG_0786

_MG_0782
“Camera Zone - Is that for me or for the cars?” 

_MG_0779
“Where’s the bus now?”

_MG_0777
“Zooming Past”

_MG_0775

_MG_0768
“Speed of Light”

_MG_0767
“An Empty Playground”

_MG_0765

_MG_0761
“Night in the Heartlands”

Last but not least, my messy desk and my constant work-mate (:
_MG_0757

_MG_0753
 

walkabout :: keppel marina

was kinda discouraged so went down to the keppel marina, near harbourfront to take a look-see and shoot some. weather was rather good for walking around, wished there was a bit more cloud pattern (owell can’t have them all ;).

trying out HDR for some of the pictures, didn’t have my tripod so had to make do with single-frame HDR for now.

 

 

laphroaig & asics :: 35L

was kinda bored so set up a 2 flash (master-slave) set up and shot some rather ordinary items. 

_mg_0633.jpg

_mg_0637.jpg

_mg_0640.jpg

_mg_0644.jpg

_mg_0647.jpg

_mg_0666.jpg

_mg_0671.jpg

_mg_0687.jpg

candids :: 35L

Of late, this lens has been sitting at the front of either my 1D or my 5D. its perfectly placed and has a nice reach for me.

Here’s some of what it can do ;)  

_mg_0397.jpg
“Uncle” Ben
iso800, f2.0, 1/320

_mg_0409.jpg
Empty Cup
iso800, f1.4, 1/500

_mg_0428.jpg
:rolls eyes:
iso800, f2.0, 1/250

_mg_0435.jpg
Laughter
iso800, f2.0, 1/250

_mg_0436.jpg
“i talk with my mouth full..*chomp*chomp*”
iso800, f2.0, 1/250

_mg_0448.jpg
i love the look of surprise when the shutter goes ‘click’
iso800, f2.0, 1/250

_mg_0466.jpg
“i just love looking retarded” ;)
iso1000, f2.0, 1/200

_mg_0475.jpg
in between draperies
iso1000, f1.4, 1/500

_mg_0474.jpg
discussion over dinner
iso1000, f1.4, 1/1250

_mg_0479.jpg
“oh the camera’s pointed my way, better pose” ;)
iso1000, f1.4, 1/640

_mg_0482.jpg
sisters 
iso1000, f1.4, 1/640 

_mg_0486.jpg
“hmmm what was i thinking of?”
iso1000, f1.4, 1/500 

SIM 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament :: E-Fei’s Picks

Was kinda bored so decided to go down and spend two days shooting the tournament (and also at the request of the organizers)

Quite a fun shoot in all, managed to experiment with the different angles i will prob use in future basketball coverage along with the experience of a totally different camera system from what i’m used to.

Also got a friend, E-Fei, who’s a writer with Jumpshot! to pick his favorites. Feel free to comment and critique!

_dsc3622.jpg

_dsc3669.jpg

_dsc3671.jpg

_dsc3692.jpg

_dsc3693.jpg

_dsc3742.jpg

_dsc3751.jpg

_dsc3825.jpg

_dsc3867.jpg

_dsc3883.jpg

_dsc4075.jpg

_dsc4110.jpg

_dsc4135.jpg

_dsc4157.jpg

_dsc4405.jpg

_dsc4416.jpg 

review :: Nikon D3 + 24-70 f2.8

Over the weekend, i shot the SIM 3-on-3 Basketball Competition. To shoot it as well as the YF retreat in my church, i rented an excellent camera, the latest from Nikon, the D3. Along with it, i rented the most recommended lens for it, the Nikon AF-S Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8 ED G. 

_v5k1555.jpg

Upfront, i have to say that i am thoroughly impressed by the spec sheet for the D3. Full-frame (FX Format) with a maximum of 9 FPS (Frames-per-Second) in FX mode and 11 in DX mode, weather-sealing, high ISO control of up to 25,600, all the latest must-haves like 3″ LCD, Live-View. 

_v5k1561.jpg 

- First Impressions -
The D3 felt very comfortable in my hands. Although i am a Canon user, i managed to figure my way around the controls and menus fairly quickly, such is the ease of use of the D3 (however, further reading of the manual is essential to get the best out of such a great camera!) Bringing the large viewfinder up the eyes was very natural and comfortable. The viewfinder with all the info needed for shooting was also a good thumbs-up.
The mechanical sound of the shutter had a nice resonance and clang to it (which i liked) but may be a tad too noisy for use in a quiet concert hall or church. Once again ergonomics comes to play as the camera and control fitted very nicely in my hands in both portrait and landscape modes.
The lens was also another masterpiece. Incorporating the SWM (Silent Wave Motor) meant the focus was quick and quiet. i felt it was a perfect fit to the D3. 

- Working It -
Whilst it didn’t take very long to learn the basic controls of the D3, some differences between Nikon and Canon popped into my mind. Little things like turning the zoom ring left-to right on a Canon would cause the lens to zoom in, and the opposite on the Nikon, like the Continuos/Single focus function would be on the body of the Nikon while Canon has theirs in the camera menu itself. All just a matter of getting used to it. 

_dsc3646.jpg
iso400, 70mm, f2.8, 1/1600 

_dsc3750.jpg
iso800, 70mm, f2.8, 1/1600 

_dsc3955.jpg
iso1600, 70mm, f2.8, 1/60 

_dsc3976.jpg
iso2200, 24mm, f2.8, 1/60 

_dsc4598.jpg
iso3200, 155mm, f5.6, 1/500  

As you can see, the pictures are quite clean even all the way up to iso3200. From there, it becomes a lil bit more grainy but still usable. i am getting good shots all the way up to Hi-1 (iso12800) which i feel can be printed (though not too large) and i feel Hi-2 is still usable for the net.
Colour came out accurately as well. Metering was generally spot on so I left it on A most of the time only switching to M when it got darker or when i needed to play with the exposure more.
Surprisingly, the 2 batteries i was supplied with gave me around 1,200 shots instead of the specced 1,000 per battery. Reasons were probably the amount of ‘chimping’ and initial set-up of the camera, “instant review of shots + illumination of LCD” were partly the cause to low battery life.
i loved the huge 3″ LCD, it was bright (320,000 pixels, 640×480) and very clear. ‘Chimping’ or zooming in was a joy because straightaway you can tell if its sharp or not. The amount of clarity and clearness is something i welcome.
The dual CF card slots were also another point i liked. i did not need to worry if i were to overshoot the card limit and start hunting for another card, i was free to keep on shooting. Whilst the 1D’s has something similar (CF+SD instead of 2xCF) i feel the need to get a spare SD card and reader as more troublesome, since all my cards are currently CF.
What i didn’t particularly like was the more mechanical structure of the camera, with the focus function set on the side of the body, there were times i missed shots because i didn’t know what it was before i started shooting. Also the selection of modes (S, CL, CH, L-V, Mup) was made slower and difficult by the wheel used.  

- Conclusion -
The D3 is an excellent camera with very good features. Thoughtful points like the huge and clear LCD, dual CF card slots, high FPS and ergonomics are really points that stand out to me.
However, the lack of lenses available means that D3 users will have to wait sometime for Nikon to release more lenses. Things like the small little things that i pointed out may irk new users.

Points I liked:
- Dual CF Card Slots
- Bright Clear LCD
- Large ISO range with very good IQ at high ISO
- FX Format
- Good Ergonomics 

Points I thought could be better: 
- Overly Mechanical Structure
- Variety of Lenses
- Short Battery Life 

Here’s a few more sample shots:

_dsc4029.jpg
iso800, 50mm, f4.0, 1/200 

_dsc4110.jpg
iso200, 24mm, f8.0, 1/800 

_dsc4198.jpg
iso200, 29mm, f5.6, 1/1600 

_dsc4247.jpg
iso320, 24mm, f5.0, 1/800 

_dsc4439.jpg
iso400, 62mm, f4.5, 1/640

Finally in the News ;)

Was interviewed recently for an article involving students who specialise in wedding photography. It came out in a Chinese daily the day before (Lian He Zao Bao, 04 March 2008, ZB NOW) so i made a scan so you could see it (:  (yes that’s my ugly mug in the corner - the big spread is mine though ;)

lhzb04mar2008b-s.jpg

In the article, i was highlighted as saying,
Apart from the fact that it is relatively easy to solicit business, there is much emotions and sentiments in doing a wedding shoot.  First year Singapore Institute of Management Business Studies student, Joel Lim (24 years old), claims that the ability to capture special meaningful moments are what drives him in sacrificing sleep over weekends.  He derives much satisfaction from seeing happy customers.”

and further down,
Joel Lim feels that one should never appoint a photographer base on the type of equipment and hardware he owns.   An excellent photographer is one who communicates clearly and the ability to draw stories from the images.

Owells.. there was a chance i would have had another interview but it got canned so heh, this will do ;)