Category Archives: Life in General

In Progress

★ Posted on at 06:47 am ★

balloons

I need to shoot more with my equipment, and not just the lenses I feel comfortable with. I’ve been okay with blowing out highlights just to get the right exposure for faces and features, but haven’t been as comfortable putting stuff completely in shadow. Time to give that a try.

* * *

I’ve been spending a lot of time looking at images and reverse engineering the lighting behind it. I should be spending more time making images, although the only images I’ve been interested in making are those of portraits and people. Had an opportunity to shoot my cousin’s baby shower and I had little trouble fiddling with the flash as I could get exposures right pretty quickly (and any light fall off I had was subtle and could be fixed with Lightroom’s graduated filter really quickly).

I really like taking pictures (so I keep reminding myself) and I really want to get better. Heh, maybe I’ve bitten off more than I could chew in the last week or so. I’m just awed by what other people can produce, but I also need to remember that people show you only their best work, while I have to sit through everything I take a picture of.

There has been a gradual improvement of technique, in that when I pixel peep, there is less camera shake now. I’ve been using tried and tested techniques, but I also need to take risks while on assignment. Haven’t done that much but taking pictures is like driving. If you do it on and off, you get the basic gist of it, but forget about things you’ve been meaning to correct the next time you are on the road.

* * *

Heh, life is again on the slow lane with stuff I need to do but always get stuck when I’m not quite sure how to do it. One really needs to get out of bed inspired from the get go and I’m trying to bludgeon that into my brain again. I need that sense of urgency to get things done. Things around the house need attention and my to do list has been appended and shortened but those big ticket items still sit there and nag at me. So starting today I’m going to cross them off my list, even if I have to get all frustrated and have a headache in the process.

Starting February

★ Posted on at 07:20 am ★

20120131-0022

Got some good light from the 2 windows up the stairs and grabbed this picture of Alfie. Heh, he’s always keen to play ball so it’s not an uncommon sight to see the ball just wedged in his mouth.

* * *

So I decided to go for a run yesterday. The weather was good and I didn’t wait for my brain to conjure up any excuses not to go. Got into gear and walked out the door. The whole run lasted 5 minutes. Heh, it was a good speed, 0.99km in 5 minutes but probably something unsustainable over the course of a full run. I have signed up for the 2012 Run for the Kids and I don’t know what my expectations are this year and have a little under 2 months to get in shape. Heh, as long as I finish it around the 1 hour 40 minute mark I’m happy.

* * *

Booked a trip to Canberra sometime this month. My passport is expiring and the only Malaysian consulate that will do this is about 700km away. Was originally planning to go back to Malaysia as I baulked at the cost of going to Canberra which was nearly 2/3 the price of going back to KL. Managed to sort out a day trip there with car hire (based on recommendations as it’s difficult to get around in Canberra) for about $300. Heh, apparently there isn’t much in Canberra to see other than museums. I might have 3 or 4 hours after fixing up my passport to go look around a bit. Will plan this closer to the trip.

Heh, also need to get some passport photos out. Inkjet printers have improved so much over the last 10 years that you could pretty much do it yourself if you have the right lighting conditions. For me, a visit to the local craft shop to get a large coloured paper for the background is all I need to fix up a quick photo portrait.

* * *

Also got a link from a friend regarding the prices that wedding photographers charge. Will just note it here for future reference. Heh.

* * *

Had a thought about behavioural changes over the last few weeks. Heh, just trying to shake off prejudices I’ve had over certain issues about spending/budgeting etc. It’s just things I’ve grown up with and grown used to, but if you set a rational mind to it, you put out the pros and cons of such to work out what should work best for you. Finances were tight growing up, so I have an adverse reaction to spending money on things I don’t ‘need’. However, there have been times when I’ve purchased ‘want’ items and have found them to be beneficial to how I get on with daily life.

I’ve been seeking guidance on many things throughout life, and sometimes suffer from paralysis and indecision because I’m afraid to make mistakes. It’s a basic concept that requires a reminder to myself as I keep going back to old habits. Heh, it’s time to make positive new ones that will help me progress.

Light and Sound

★ Posted on at 09:31 am ★

20120125-0013

Was doing a little scouting with cousin to see her wedding venue. It’s small and cozy, and I was a little uncomfortable with the close proximity of things but after a while I warmed towards some ideas on what I could take.

* * *

I hardly use my big ass Nikon DSLR, but when I do, I realise how versatile it is in terms of quick adjustments and image quality. The weight is a plus and minus as it’s too heavy and bulky to carry discreetly and comfortably around. On the other hand, that hefty weight means I can jam it against my cheek bone and get sharp images as slow as 1/20s when I want to drag the shutter.

Have grown comfortable using flash in my photos, although these days I prefer to use it in manual mode, just because it gives more control. For events, I think exposure compensation is the best bet, unless it’s indoors and I’m not switching between drastically different lighting situations. Helped Vyanne take a passport photo this morning. Quickly put up the umbrella and took some sample photos of myself. There were some heavy shadows underneath my chin so I devised a quick lighting mod by getting some kitchen foil and asking her to hold it close to her just out of the frame. That helped soften the shadows a bit and the other unexpected plus was a little extra catch light in the eyes from the foil I discovered while post editing.

With learning stuff, sometimes you have to figure out the right questions to ask so that you can sort of resolve the puzzle to move on to the next level. I have some ideas on testing out lighting and I’ll probably need to try it soon to add to my arsenal of tricks.

* * *

Been also testing out 5.1 surround sound at home after borrowing some speakers. The effects are awesome, but I probably need to let the receiver do some adjustments to get the best output from the speakers. I’m re-watching some movies and I pick up all these little details in sound that were not previously evident as they were very subtle. At times I hear things and turn around, as if I heard something else in the room before I realise it was a sound effect from the movie itself. Heh, it’s just so awe inspiring listening to a soundtrack the way it’s supposed to be heard in a movie theatre.