"Bridges"... a DPS Weekly Assignment

Thoughts

"A bridge is a structure built to span a valley, road, body of water, or other physical obstacle such as a canyon, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle. Designs of bridges vary depending on the function of the bridge, the nature of the terrain where the bridge is constructed, the material used to make it and the funds available to build it."

Simple DIY Gel Holder Version 2

DISCLAIMER: As with any Do-It-Yourself (DIY) project, unfamiliarity with the materials, tools and processes can be dangerous. Posts here should be taken as theoretical advice and you perform these DIY projects at your own risk. The author will not be held responsible for any injury or equipment damage arising from any DIY project posted on AroFarMeR.

Quickleen-S Product Shoot... for F.O.F.

Got a call from a friend asking if I'm ok to help his friend Peter take some product shots on goodwill. Peter want to use it for some brochures, emails, and possibly some blow-ups. Well... decided to do it as a favor to a Friend Of Friend (F.O.F.) and these are the results... 

"Learning"... a DPS Weekly Assignment

UPDATE:
My entry for the week got first :) Thanks for the well wishes and here are the judges' comments as well as the first and second runner-ups: Learning (12 ~ 18 Sep 10)

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Thoughts
Many people all over the world are now learning the Chinese language to enable them to get on board the mega China economic train. Jim Rogers, the successful international investor, even said that "China is the only country that can dominate the 21st century" and he relocated his whole family to Asia (here in Singapore) in order for his young daughter to learn mandarin.

"Cars"... a DPS Weekly Assignment

This is my attempt for the Digital Photography School weekly assignment and the topic for week 25 Aug ~ 8 Sep is "Cars". Again, many interesting posts by other forumers and some are very good.

"Books"... a DPS Weekly Assignment

UPDATE:
I'm very glad that my assignment got a 3rd placing. To see the First, Second and judges' comments on the three works, click HERE. Thanks for all the compliments and let's work towards being better photographers!

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Took this picture for the Digital Photography School weekly assignment. The topic for week 18 Aug ~ 1 Sep is "Books". Browsed through the postings by other forumers and many are very interesting. I looked to my bookshelves to see if I have any interesting book to feature and "The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying" written by Sogyal Rinpoche caught my eye.

Sonia Optical Slave for Canon 580EX II

I want to use my Canon 580EX II flash unit to light up a backdrop, or as a fill light, in conjunction with my Alien Bees studio lights and was wondering if there is any way to trigger an off-camera 580EX II (manual mode) via standard optical flash.

A Really Simple DIY Flash Gel Holder

UPDATE:
There was a design flaw with this DIY gel holder and I sincerely apologize. See Simple DIY Gel Holder version 2 for the flaw description and updated design.



DISCLAIMER: As with any Do-It-Yourself (DIY) project, unfamiliarity with the materials, tools and processes can be dangerous. Posts here should be taken as theoretical advice and you perform these DIY projects at your own risk. The author will not be held responsible for any injury or equipment damage arising from any DIY project posted on AroFarMeR.

I got myself Rosco's "The Strobist Collection" 55 piece Cinegel Filter Kit and I need a gel holder for my Canon 580EXII flash unit.

Rosco's "The Strobist Collection" 55 piece Cinegel Filter Kit

Below is the book that got me interested in the world of flash gels. Its by Joe McNally and is a very very good photography book. Here's a review by Strobist David Hobby - Joe McNally: The Moment it Clicks (Verdict: Awesome)

Head On by Cai Guo-Qiang 蔡國強 @ National Museum of Singapore

Went to the National Museum of Singapore and in the Exhibition Gallery 2 at the basement, I was greeted by an impressive sight... 99 life sized wolves leaping up through the air towards a gigantic piece of glass in an all black gallery room...

Dear's Last Wisdom Tooth

This... is my Dear's last wisdom tooth :)

She wanted a pic of it so she can post in her facebook. It had been a very very very long time since I took any pictures and decided to have some fun shooting this small subject and posting it here.

Samui Swai Mak Mak!!

Spend 5 Days & 4 Nights over at Koh Samui staying at Chaba Cabana Beach Resort and had such a wonderful time!!

2009 River Ang Bao

Finally got the time... and mood... to go down to River Ang Bao held at the Marina Bay Floating Platform. Brought only my 50mm. Yes... only tat with my 40D. No wide angle, zoom, flash or tripod.

Golden Cross-Back Dragons

Had a chance to view these beautiful golden dragon fishes (arowanas) up close in two very big glass tanks and wasted no time in capturing their grace : )

Sunset @ Seletar Reservoir

A hot and sunny afternoon at the seletar reservoir ends with a fascinating perfect sunset...!!

Inaugural F1 @ Singapore... Nite Race!!

We went... soaked in the vibe... witnessed drama... and became part of history...!!

Mid-Autumn @ Singapore Chinese Garden... Kitty Land!!

Haven't been to the Singapore Chinese Garden for many years (like 20yrs?) and only very little trace of childhood memories remained...

Mid-Autumn @ the central

Heard from dad that there were many nice colorful lantern displays lining the banks of Singapore River on the side of the central shopping mall. Decided to go with my girlfriend and enjoy ourselves ; )

Gone To Seed

Gone To Seed... that's the topic chosen by last week winner, Fay, for this week's Creative Minds Photography Contest. Well... here's my upload:

It was the mid-autumn festival last weekend and mooncakes was one of the many festive goodies. Sweet, rich, dense and baked in the round shape of the moon.

This one is vegeterian and full of seedy goodness... almond seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds etc. Gone to seed... gone to stomach : )


Shooting Notes & Details:
Camera Body: Canon 40D
Lens: EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro with Hood
Mode: Av @ 11
ISO: 100
Focusing: Manual
Tripod: Manfrotto 190XPROB
Ball-Head: Slik 800 Quick Release

Found this little red seed alone on the ground... scratched and bruised yet still vibrantly red. Most probably travelled a long way from its mother plant... and fulfilling its destiny one day. Ain't we the same?


Shooting Notes & Details:
Camera Body: Canon 40D
Lens: EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro with Hood
Mode: Manual - Av @ 11, Tv @ 125
ISO: 100
Focusing: Manual
Flash: Canon MT-24EX Macro Flash


Hope I get first and then we can all play Black&White!! (My suggested topic for next week) :D

Mid Autumn @ Chinatown

Had a fun evening walking along Chinatown with my girlfriend and snapping up the brightly lit Mid-Autumn Festival decorations along the streets...

Lost Beetle

It came crashing onto my keyboard... in the wee hours of the morning. i was going through the many pics i took at chinatown last weekend with my girlfriend.

Dazed and disorientated, it tuck its feeble wings, steadied itself and started to explore its surroundings.

My SG F1 PaSS!!

"WoW!!"... that's my first impression after i opened the envelope and starring at the little black box...

Operation Smile - WAFF Carnival

Everyone should be gifted with a beautiful smile... : )

How The Blind Take Photos

The news header caught my immediate attention as i was doing my usual news header "surfing" of a newspaper yesterday.

The Blind... taking photos? Hmmm...

Blessed with the gift of sight, i guess i will never be able to fully comprehend the blind world, not to mention how a blind can actually take photos with a camera.

As i read the news story, i was touched by the effort of Mr. Hiroshi Suga (an award winning Japanese photographer) and how the blind students developed their own methods to overcome their disabilities. i can imagine the many possible doubts, rejections, scepticism or maybe even cynicism when this whole thing first take root.

"Eyes of the Heart"... these kids have it and its time i start to discover my own eyes within my heart. So often we see with our eyes but not with our hearts, speak with our mouths but not with our hearts and hear with our ears but not with our hearts.

Gotta use my eyes of my heart the next time i shoot... join me :)

First Attempt At Commercial Shoot

Finally back from my 3 weeks Call Of Duty to the nation and here's the pics that i shot for a friend's herbal drink stall (located at Holland Ave) a few days before entering in-camp:

Shooting Notes & Details:
Camera Body: Canon 40D
Lens: EF 100mm Macro f/2.8 USM
Mode: Manual - Av @ 16, Tv @ 250, ISO @ 100
Flash: Canon 580EXII + Canon MT-24 Macro
Diffuser: Gary Fong Universal Cloud
Mode: ETTL

This is the first time that I used the 580 + MT-24 flash combo. Spent quite a fair bit of time trial & erroring. The 580 was mounted on a monopod stand off-camera above the subject, with the MT-24 on camera providing fill & shadow play.

All the product ingredients were painstakingly cleaned out & arranged, and were shot over a few days. Some were rejected by my friend and were re-shot. Submitted all to istock but only got 2 accepted - The rest did not meet their lighting requirement. Will learn from this and improve along the way : )

As for my friend? He's a happy customer when he saw the final printout result (slightly larger than A0 size). I haven't got a chance to see it myself but according to him, passerbys were asking where he got the pics when he's carrying the printout home from the printers... i'm happy : D