The World Through My Eyes

Nikon 35mm F1.8 DX lens on FX camera body

2011-04-24T17:38:00.017+08:00

I have a friend who has the nikon 35mm F1.8 (DX) lens and we were curious to know how it performs on a full frame(FX) camera, and whether the vignetting will be severe in FX mode. After testing it for awhile, yes, vignetting is indeed quite severe, though if shot at F2.8 and with the camera's in-built vignetting control set to "High", it can be quite acceptable, especially for close focus subjects. If you know the limitations of this lens on FX camera, I believe it can really take great pictures, especially it being a very sharp len. Its sharper I feel, than the 35mm F2(FX) lens due also to the very precise AFS focussing, and also has better corner sharpness. Using it at F1.8 or more than F8, however, creates the dreaded severe vignetting, so if you have full frame, using a FX lens is still more versatile. Here are some image samples from some casual snapshots with that lens, all shot at F2.8 and with Vignetting Control set to High. Pardon the uninspiring pictures, they were taken on a dreary and cloudy day, and were unedited straight out of the camera except for resizing.

Goodbye, My Old Friend, Nikon 50mm F1.4 AFD!

2011-04-10T21:34:00.004+08:00

After serving me for a couple of years and producing some of my favourite pictures, I have decided to sell my Nikon 50mm F1.4 AFD to get the newer 50mm F1.4 AFS last week! Initial impressions of the AFS as compared to the AFD were slightly slower focussing(not really a problem for me) but higher accuracy(important especially wide open where DOF is paper thin!) and hence higher hit rates per shot! Optically wise they are very similar, from the initially impression I got, just maybe a little bit sharper and with less chromatic abberations... All in all, its a worthy upgrade if you use the 50mm range a lot like I do. Stay tuned in the future for some image samples. Cheers!

Singapore's Local Dishes

2011-03-27T12:34:00.009+08:00

Walking along Arab Street, my friends and I tried out some of our local delightful dishes at the coffee shops along the road side. Yummy "Lontong" and Crispy Cracker "Gado Gado" with Peanut Sauce!

Murtabak

2011-02-28T10:52:00.012+08:00

Hungry? How about some tasty Mutton Murtabak at Zam Zam? Yum Yum!

Happy Lunar New Year

2011-02-01T22:24:00.004+08:00

Due to the dreadful rainy weather the past few weeks, I did not go to Chinatown for my usual street shoot around this time of the year, which is very close to the Chinese Lunar New Year! The recent barren spell was due to low morale induced by the heavy and continuous rains pelting down on almost the entire island, day in day out. No wonder minor floods were created and so many people are reporting sick at work! I'll update this blog with new pictures as soon as I get my creative juices flowing again. Anyway, I do wish that the Year of the Rabbit will give us reason to cheer this time. Gong Xi Fa Cai! Have a Happy and Prosperous Chinese Lunar New Year!

Front Lit Window Light

2011-01-02T18:51:00.003+08:00

While browsing through some of my recent pictures that I have taken, I decided to post another window light shoot, this time the subject would be front lit. The source of light is behind my shoulder and illuminating the subject directly. There was a spot light shining on the wall behind the subject, giving a somewhat "vignetting" effect that was not really planned but which I included when I spotted it in my viewfinder. Of course I did add a little additional vignetting effect on photoshop! Once again, this shot was taken with, what else, my workhorse Nikon 50mm F1.4 AFD lens. Cheers!

Just another photo taken with a 50mm prime lens

2010-12-19T22:33:00.003+08:00

The 50mm lens is what people usually consider a normal prime lens because it has a normal perspective similar to the human eye. Do not try to shoot too close to your subjects as the barrel distortion would be more obvious, unless that is the intention. I shot this picture with a very barebones setting, just window light, white bedsheet as reflector and my trusty old Nikon 50mm F1.4 AFD. Just add exposure compensation to blow out the highlights and you get a somewhat high key effect! Cheers!

Different Perspectives of the Nikon 50mm and the 180mm

2010-12-12T20:06:00.007+08:00

A lot of times I hear people saying that you can simply get the effect of the different focal lengths simply by going closer or further to the subject. Not only do you get different perspective of the subject, but for outdoors, the background perspective changes with different focal lengths. Attached here is just a casual sample of the difference between a Nikon 50mm F1.4 shot at F2.5 and a Nikon 180mm F2.8 shot at max aperture(f2.8). Even though the subject fills about the same area in the frame, notice not only the difference in subject perspective but also the background, where in the 180mm, the background appears more isolated, closer and also with less Depth of Field. That is the usual consideration I have when I think of focal lengths. Cheers!

Snapshots at the Hort Park

2010-12-01T08:06:00.006+08:00

Yet again, some random shots with the Olympus E-450 and Jupiter 37A 135mm F3.5 lens for your viewing pleasure... I was looking to take some flora pictures but took some fauna there that I saw for a change. If I am not wrong, they are the Common Gliding Lizard and the Malayan Whip Snake. These pictures were cropped as the creatures were quite tiny and I could not get close enough for a better shot. My manual focus skills is not very quick nor accurate but I make do with these pictures anyway. Cheers!

I had a little holiday in (Malacca) Melaka in Malaysia.

2010-11-17T21:22:00.004+08:00

Its been quite a long while since I last went on a holiday and since its close to the end of the year, I think I deserve a little break from work! Thanks to a friend who invited me to join his company's organised trip, we went for a little short trip to visit Malacca in Malaysia over last weekend. The journey was about 5hrs plus by coach, with a little stop over in between at Yong Ping in Johor Bahru. Everyone needs a little holiday away from home to destress and recharge from our usual work routine. We visited A'Famosa and Jonker Street during that short 2 days 1 night stay in Malacca. It was fun and very economical due to the currency exchange rates from (Singapore Dollars)SGD to (Malaysia Ringgit)RM. We tried some of their local delights, and their Durian Chendol is a must try! I brought along my Olympus E-450 as I just wanted some holiday shots and did not want to lug my heavy Nikon D700 which can be quite a drag due to its weight and bulk overseas, not to mention the fear of losing it, haha! I will post some of the usual holiday pictures, so if you are interested, good, but if you find holiday pictures a bore, don't say I did not warn you! Till the next post, have a great week!

More Jupiter 37A lens shots

2010-10-03T20:28:00.010+08:00

I like plants as they give me a sense of peace and serenity. I often go to a plant nursery(Thong Hup Gardens) around my area to destress from the hustle and bustle of work and for some gardening therapy. I went there after a casual meeting to have lunch with some colleagues and hence for not so critical photography, I would bring my Olympus E-450 out for snap shots. But what I realise and those who may not realise, it is the camera that you bring along for unplanned shots that often bring out some unforgetable pictures, just because you had the camera with you, rather than at home because you thought the camera is too heavy and bulky as is often the case with my Nikon D700 and its gears. I so happen to have brought along my Jupiter 37A lens since it itself is quite a light and compact lens to carry and took some casual close ups of the flowers at the plant nursery yesterday during the dying rays of the evening sun...

Random Jupiter 37A Bokeh Test

2010-09-18T21:52:00.012+08:00

Do you still remember the time when you bought your first camera? I remember when I was still a student and I saved up to purchase a Russian mechanical camera that was a Zenit in the M42 mount. It provided affordable bokeh that I loved and could not achieve with the compact cameras that were more widely used then. I decided to use the M42 lens that I still keep on the Olympus E-450 because unfortunately Nikon cameras cannot accept M42 mount unless I use an adapter with a correction lens to allow the camera to focus to infinity. The lens I used today for this casual walk about is the Jupiter 37A, a russian 135mm F3.5 lens that brings back fond memories of my early years in photography. I remember the time of film where I had to wind the shuttle release after every shot, metering the exposure manually and setting focus, aperture and shuttle speed myself. Then there is the anticipation of waiting to see the prints after the film is being developed. Things that most people cannot wait to do these day when everyone tends to look for instant gratification. But I feel one certainly feels more involved in the picture taking process when you do all the things yourself, more pride of ownership, I guess. Holding that compact piece of solid metal lens barrel in my hands, and manually focussing seems to transfer me back to memory lane. I took a stroll along Clark Quay during the Mid Autumn Festival, taking some pictures of the colourful lanterns along the way. Holding a 135mm lens which becomes a 270mm on the Olympus 4/3 system, and taking night shot picture handheld in a very crowded environment, what was I thinking?! I must have been crazy, haha! Here are some random pictures anyway! First impressions are great, nice colours and sharpness wide open, with nice circular bokeh.

Random Picture

2010-09-14T21:24:00.007+08:00

Recently I had a stye on my eyelid and its preventing me from trying to take pictures. Oh well... In the meantime, just to share one of my random picture from some time ago. A backlit shot with the Nikon 50mm prime again. This was actually a candid! Cheers!

Olympus E450 DSLR first impressions

2010-09-09T18:23:00.011+08:00

Olympus? I know, most of you would be surprised to find me using an Olympus 4/3 system DSLR. But let me explain. I was looking for a compact camera for casual and holiday use when I came across an offer for a very compact DSLR, the Olympus E-450, going for the amazing price of SGD$480! That is roughly only about the price of a higher priced compact cameras! It was a no brainer and I got that camera to use for snap shot duties. But it turns out the 14-42mm F3.5-5.6 kit lens is no slouch! It is one marvellous kit lens that I am quite impressed with. The whole package gave me a very compact package with most of the dslr flexibility and performance. The only downside currenly I feel is that of the 4/3 system, due to the smaller sensor, has noisier pictures in settings higher than iso400. Its depth of field for the 4/3 format is also deeper than most APS and full-frame sensors of course, which can be a plus or minus depending on the type of picture you want. Its shallower than compact or prosumer cameras but not as shallow as APS or Full frame sensors. Another thing I gained through this system is my ability to reuse my Old M42 lens collection! I know Nikon systems can also use an adapter too but the problem lies with focussing at infinity. Nikon lens adapter require an additional lens correction element to allow M42 mounted lens to focus to inifinity, which somehow I feel would degrade the image quality. Did I also mention its weight? It is almost non-existant! What a joy it is to bring it along the whole day without suffering shoulder and backaches like when I carry my D700 gears! For sure the D700 is a vastly superior camera, but for its price and purpose, the Olympus has nothing to be embarrased and will definitely have a place in my camera bag, haha! Here are some of my first casual snapshots with the Olympus E-450. All the pictures were taken with the Kit lens except for the last 2 pictures which were taken with the Meyer Optik Gorlitz 50mm F2.8 M42 lens with M42 to Olympus 4/3 system adapter. Its good to revive back some of my cheaply gotten M42 lens, especially the Old European lenses which somehow have this creamy pastel and paintily effect that is often missing in modern optics.

It's Prime Time!

2010-06-03T20:39:00.018+08:00

I remember a friend of mine asking me why would anyone have the need for such high shutter speed in my camera, other than to freeze high speed subject, which I rarely do. Using me trusty Nikon 85mm F1.8 AFD lens this morning for a spin once again, this is another chance to show him why! If I want to shoot outdoors in very bright light conditions, and yet achieve a shallow Depth of Field by using a bigger aperture without the use of clumbersome Neutral Density filters, high speed shutter speed is my only option!

Anyway, another friend and I decided to scout for any new interesting locations for photoshoots. We arrived at the this new location a little later then we would like to and the weather was starting to be quite unbearably hot! This area, called the Helix Bridge, should look quite spectacular in the evening light. Here is just a sneak preview, more to come in the future...

Fancy a Fancy Cake?

2010-06-01T21:34:00.013+08:00

I went out with a friend to Ang Siang Hill where we tried out some cakes at Kki. She learnt about the cake cafe through blogs, where it seems to be growing in popularity. The cakes are rather pricey at $8.50 but you get what you pay for because you can see that these pieces of edible art are not just a piece of cake! They are baked with a lot of passion and tastes wonderful too, at least for the ones that I tried. "Little Red Riding Hood" is Sinfully coated in Thick Dark Chocolate and filled with Tangy Raspberry Jam and a Juicy Red Plump Raspberry on Top. The other great tasting cake that is also worth recommending is the delightfully sculptured, water chestnut flavoured Mont Blanc. Whatever it is, I can say you have to give them all a try, and perhaps, like me, you would want to go visit them again! In the meantime, there are many interesting shops around the perimeter selling Old Skool memorabilia, that is sure to invoke rose-tinted nolstagia of yesteryears in Singapore.

New Bloom!

2010-05-18T00:17:00.007+08:00

One of my succulents, a Huernia species, has bloomed this morning! I took a hurried snapshot with my Sigma 70-300mm before rushing to work! It's the first time that any of my Succulent plants that I currently have has bloomed. Time to buy the lottery perhaps? Haha! I am unable to identify this so is anyone able to identify this species of Succulent?

Subsequently, more blooms followed, but I was rather busy with work, so I only have this other snapshot to show.

Adenium Socotranum x Adenium Arabicum Dwarf Hybrid

2010-05-16T14:22:00.017+08:00

Guess what? I have rekindled another hobby and believe it or not, its indoor gardening and I am back with a vengence! Haha! In fact I have always liked flora and fauna but I was afraid I did not have the time to care for them. Luckily I realised that some plants require little attention and are very rewarding indeed. Here are a few casual shots with my Sigma 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 APO taken indoors at home. I got this little cute stubby fellow, an Adenium Socotranum and Adenium Arabicum Hybrid and other than bright sunny disposition, it should be quite a low maintainance and hardy plant. Sunny (and sometimes Scorching) tropical weater here should see it thrive indeed! What with all the Global warming, Political and Financial crisis, we all need a little Green Therapy indeed! Thumbs up for Indoor Garden Therapy! Anyway the last 2 pictures were taken while having a stroll in the Chinese Garden Bonsai Garden. I saw a couple of Adenium Species grown Bonsai Style. They look simply gorgeous with their ancient beauty and oriental porcelain pots!

Down with the Flu

2010-04-22T11:47:00.002+08:00

Hi people, it's been quite awhile and I haven't been posting, due to a persistant flu that I caught last week! I am still recovering but thank goodness I am better now. As a result I haven't been doing much photography recently but I will do so when I can asap! Guess you will would be surprised at how I got the flu in the first place. It's all thanks to my mini excursions to some plant nurseries/farms under the blazing mid-day sun, and then retreating to an air-conditioned shopping mall, twice! Till the next time, keep taking great pictures!

Recent Nikon 50mm F1.4 AFD shots...

2010-03-05T11:01:00.006+08:00

I cannot imagine not having my bread and butter lens, the Nikon 50mm F1.4 AFD. It was my first lens I used when I started out in photography, and I am loving it, especially with my full frame revivial from 35mm film format to FX DSLR! Cheers!

"It's a Crime to Ignore!"
A candid shot just for the fun of it!

"Dangerous Curves Ahead"

"Under The Bridge"

"High Key Leopard Print"

Loaded the Nikon D700 v1.02 firmware update!

2010-02-24T18:44:00.003+08:00

I was slow to know about the latest D700 firmware update v1.02 that was released last month! It claims to fix quite a few bugs and even enable the camera to use GPS timing with the right accessories but the most important update to me would be the improved Auto White Balance. The D700 is a marvellous camera except for the Auto White Balance that could be improved, and I am hoping this latest update would leave me a very happy man indeed. I loaded that latest firmware update today and initial casual testing reveals that the overly yellowish cast sometimes seen in AWB is much reduced! When time permits, its time for me to do some test runs! Prepare for Glory! Ok ok, I am getting overly besides myself now, till the next post, happy photo shooting!

Chinatown 2010 from Dawn to Dusk

2010-02-14T09:59:00.014+08:00

Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year, and I wish everyone a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous Year of the Tiger! Strangely that reminds me of the character "King" that I play in the arcade game Tekken. The character in the game is a Mexican Professional Wrestler who dons a Jaguar Mask by default. Maybe I would be able to play the character better this year? Haha! Anyway I recently went for a walk in chinatown to soak in the festive atmosphere, and its a refreshing change from the daily routine of my day job. I decided to share some of my casual pictures of chinatown from dusk to dawn, with my trusty Tamron 17-35mm F2.8-4.

Dawn

To Be Continued with Dusk...

My plate of "Hokkien Mee" for dinner before I continue with the evening shoot.

Happy Lunar New Year 2010

2010-02-13T11:59:00.003+08:00

I would like to wish everybody a Happy Lunar New Year 2010 in the Year of the Tiger! I have not been updating my blog lately but I promise there would be more to come soon... Cheers!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-02T08:38:00.003+08:00

Its the New Year 2010 and I really hope its a better year for all of us! What's your New Year Resolution? Whatever is important to you in life, I wish all of you the best!

My little nephew, Baby Brandon during X'mas, coming to 2 months old.

Tokina 28-80mm F2.8 ATX-Pro

2009-11-17T20:52:00.012+08:00

Guess what? I just bought a 2nd hand Tokina 28-80mm F2.8 ATX-Pro after selling my 2nd hand Nikon 28-105mm F3.5-4.5 zoom lens! The reason was I got it at a great price and I felt that I still needed the F2.8 in a standard zoom. Reviews of that lens has been rather mixed, but I decided to bite the bullet and just get it because of the attractive price. Initial testing seems to show a lens that isn't too shabby! Comparisons with its newer and very popular 3rd party lens competitor, the Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 would surely abound. I happened to own that lens before and I feel that the Tokina has a vastly better built and feel, it balances great on my D700, and the AF collar doesnt rotate when focussing. Sharpness wise, the Tokina loses out a bit to the Tamron, especially at the 80mm end, but not by a lot. The Tokina is definitely sharp enough for me even at wide open. Both have nice bokeh, but the Tokina seems to have higher contrast and saturation then the Tamron. It also focuses a bit faster than the Tamron. All in all a very decent walk around lens that I can finally put to use in my next event shoot! I went to the Chinese Garden for a trial run this morning so stay tuned for the uploads in a few days time!

A tree can symbolise Life on Earth. Here I try to showcase textures, perspectives and Bokeh.

A Portrait of this Handsome Young Man, taken indoors where the wide aperture helps. The AF was fast enough to capture kids who tend to be in constant motion!

Congratulations to Ben and Qinpei!

2009-11-01T23:24:00.011+08:00

I would like to congratulate my cousin Ben and his wife Qinpei on the safe delivery of their baby boy Brandon today! I am very happy for them and that makes me officially an uncle now! Haha! These pictures are especially poignant as they were taken almost exactly a month before the delivery!

Nikon 35mm F2 AFD

Nikon 50mm F1.4 AFD

Wide and Tele showcase

2009-10-26T18:04:00.023+08:00

The Nikon 180mm F2.8 AFD lens is able to churn out really shallow depth of field portraits, thin enough even to isolate full body shots!
Nikon 180mm F2.8 AFD: "Walk On By"

Nikon 180mm F2.8 AFD: "Lost in Bokeh"

Nikon 180mm F2.8 AFD: "Are you feeling Hot Hot Hot!"
Now we are talking about full body isolation and bokeh!

Nikon 180mm F2.8 AFD: "Sweet Smile!"

Nikon 180mm F2.8 AFD: "Wild Thing!"

Nikon 85mm F1.8 AFD: "Moderate Tele: Standing Pretty"

Tamron 17-35mm F2.8-4: "Mutabak Meal"

Tamron 17-35mm F2.8-4: "Graffiti"

Tamron 17-35mm F2.8-4: "Me and my Canon 5D"

Low Light Shot with Nikon 28-105mm F3.5-4.5 AFD

2009-10-17T11:44:00.007+08:00

Brothers chilling it out and having an afternoon siesta in the kitchen after a hard day's work of following the groom.

With the Nikon D700 low light capabilities, who needs VR? Just kidding! Here is a shot taken in an extremely dimly lit restaurant setting of a wedding dinner. I was using the superb Nikon 28-105mm F3.5-4.5 AFD and Nikon D700 with ISO 1600 at least, taken hand held. No VR! Stunning low light performance by the full frame DSLR that I can never dream to achieve with the previous crop factor DSLR(D200) that I had.

Window Light Portraits

2009-09-18T20:42:00.010+08:00

Having done quite a few high key window light portraits recently, I had the chance to try out during this rainy weather, a more subdued lighting for a more melancholic mood. This time I have only the side walls to bounce light and the dim indoor lightings as a small source of fill light. I did not bring my Nikon 50mm lens outdoors this time, but luckily the Nikon 85mm F1.8 I had was sufficient to do full body shots in the cramp conditions. Auto WB performed surprisingly alright here. Here is a sample shot, more to be added when I have the time. To be continued...

Nikon 28-105mm F3.5-4.5 AFD

2009-09-13T18:40:00.006+08:00

I bought a 2nd hand 28-105 F3.5-4.5 lens in excellent condition very recently. I took it out for a test run today. It is indeed a great walkaround lens for full frame DSLR, just like a swiss army knife of a lens. It even has a 1:2 macro mode that is very versatile. I did not feel it has any real flaws, other than that I wish it could go a little wider, and perhaps be a constant F2.8 but that is asking too much for such a budget lens! Sharpness and focussing accuracy was quite impressive in real world situations, colours are nice and neutral and this lens has very little distortion that I can detect for a standard zoom lens. The location I went today was at Bollywood Veggies around Lim Chu Kang area.

Sleepy Head

2009-08-24T23:13:00.007+08:00

This shot was taken in D2XMode1 with Pre-set WB taken off the white sheets. Due to the cramped conditions I was using my favourite Nikon 50mm F1.4 AFD lens. Another of my favourite High Key shot.

Welcome Back! Save The Trees!

2009-08-07T17:45:00.015+08:00

Now that I have got your attention, welcome back! Not the Haze, though... The hazy weather is back, thanks to the forest fires in Sumatra I guess... Keep an eye on the PSI readings, because the air quality may not be so healthy for outdoor activities. How can I do my shoots at Sentosa then? Haha! Anyway, here are shots taken there, with what else but my trusty Nikon 85mm F1.8 lens.

Stop man-made forest fires! Save the Trees!

Food for the Soul

2009-07-11T22:46:00.007+08:00

Music is Food for the Soul to me. Other than great photography, I enjoy great music too. Both can evoke emotions so deep, and rekindle memories that they seem to bring you to another place, another time. I listen to a wide range of music, from Bach to the Beatles, from Jamiroquai to Diana Krall, and even from Prodigy to Pantera, depending on the mood. My old Marantz amplifier of about 10 years finally sang its swan song recently and so I decided to update my system, which is almost a decade old. First up was the excellent Monitor Audio RS1 bookshelf speakers. These handsome speakers were in rosewood finish and they sound fantastic to my ears at their price level. Detailed and extended treble, a very transparent midrange and a wonderful tight bass, perfect for my smallish room. For the amplifier, I got the Creek Evolution 1 after auditioning a few amps that I shortlisted with in my budget. It trounced the other similarly priced amps that I considered, so it was a no brainer. With that I knew I have secured the engine of the system. Besides being rather long in the tooth, my Rotel RCD-951 is working fine after all these years, and I have no other reason to upgrade it, other than to make myself broke! Just kidding! But its a great piece of equipment to be able to last as long as it did. If it did break down, I probably would not hesitate to get another Rotel CD player! I also changed my corroded interconnects with the Van Den Hul Integration. I wonder how it would compare with my old resident interconnect. It gave my many years of musical enjoyment, and it was the best sounding interconnect I could afford at that time, some many years ago. I thought I would let the VDH Integration burn in a bit to have a fair comparison. The moment I plugged in the VDH Integration, it has stayed there ever since. There was absolutely no fight. A wealth of detail begain to swamth me, and the awesome yet precise soundstage seemed to extend way beyond the boundaries of the speakers and walls. I described the holographic images as "ghosts", so errie was the midrange presence and transparency. These holographic imaging, especially percussions at the foreground, gave me a few scares while listening to music late at night, so realistic was the reproduction! Tonal balance remained quite similar with the old interconnect, but with a slightly more powerful and tighter bass and a bit more forward presentation. But as far as soundstaging width and especially depth, detail levels and separation and layering of vocals and instruments, the VDH Integration is my new top dog. Isn't it great when you can enjoy your music to the next level, where every music you play is a sonic journey and you can have your live performance right in front of you in your room or hall? It makes every CD I have worth so much more. Music is Food for the Soul. With a budget hifi, you can have good food everyday! Haha!

Over the Weekend...

2009-06-29T21:37:00.015+08:00

A busy but satisfying weekend. I had fun taking these pictures. Quite different from what I usually take, but interesting nevertheless. A Babe(a friend actually, haha), Two Dancers and A Roomful of Toddlers. What can I say? This hobby really allows me to meet new and interesting people indeed!

Nikon 50mm F1.4 AF-D and the Tamron 17-35mm F2.8-4

Bokeh on a rainy day!

2009-06-15T23:42:00.004+08:00

I did a casual photoshoot with this lovely lady I just met over the weekend. The weather was so downcast when we met up that I asked her if she wanted to continue with the shoot. She was fine with it and we took a few shots before it started to rain and we had to cease. Perhaps another day. Just to share a few pictures of her using my fastest ambient light lens, the 50mm F1.4 again, at wide open, no reflectors to balance out the shadow areas though. Thanks for reading anyway! Cheers!

Sneak Peek of Derek and Susan Wedding(3rd and 6th of June 2009)

2009-06-10T20:22:00.011+08:00

My first wedding shoot. It was quite an experience. We all travelled from Sg to JB for both days. Shooting conditions in the cramped, crowded and low lit restaurant was quite a challenge for me at least, haha! I had with me my D700, a Nikon 24-85mm F3.5-4.5 and up the ISO from ISO 800-1600 mostly for these shots! Congratulations anyway for this lovely couple, and also to both their families!

Outdoor Bikini

2009-06-06T09:34:00.003+08:00

Could she be Tarzan's Jane? Hehe!

Weekend at the HortPark

2009-05-25T21:21:00.005+08:00

I took a stroll at the HortPark with an online photo hobbyist friend. The weather nowadays is almost unbearable, scorching sun and extremely humid at the same time. I felt after my excursion to the HortPark, that the HortPark can also be known as the HotPark! Thank goodness that there are air-conditioned educational stationed areas around the entrance to cool down.

I spotted a rather "Shy" photographer amongst the greens, targetting a bunch of delicate white flowers through her viewfinder. I am sure that in her current cool attire, she would most defintely produce splendid pictures for her own keepsake.

Just For Laughs! Haha!

Some Fun Shoots over the weekend...

2009-05-25T20:09:00.005+08:00

Nikon 50mm F1.4 AF-D. What more is there to say? Haha!

Here is another fun shot of her just being wacky! Constipation causes people to do crazy things, I presume? Hahaha!

Pretty In Pink

2009-05-21T17:59:00.006+08:00

This is another shot using side window lighting of the same lady in the same location, but with the excellent Nikon 50mm F1.4 AF-D instead. I manually set the White Balance, not wanting to rely on the D700 Auto WB. Isn't she looking Pretty In Pink? Cheers!

Nikon 35mm F2 backlit shot

2009-05-18T16:09:00.010+08:00

A moderately wide angle lens like the Nikon 35mm F2 is seldom used for portraiture unless its to show a bit of the environment the subject is in, hence we would need to be careful of distractions in the foreground or background. Again its flare resistance proved invaluable in this backlit shot, using nothing but available window light and the natural reflector effect of the white sheets under the subject. Care has to be taken to avoid putting the subject too close to the edge to prevent barrel distortion from showing up on the subject, which can prove unattractive. I took a Manual White Balance reading from the white sheets for this shot, using what I can in that location. Cheers!

Kranji War Memorial

2009-05-10T22:34:00.017+08:00

My first visit to the Kranji War Memorial. Its quite a tranquil and deserted place, and also beautiful in a serene and dignified manner. I went there in a hurry as the weather was scorching hot and I had to get to another place in awhile. Here are some of the snapshots I took.

I was surprised this was also the resting place of Singapore's 2nd President, Benjamin Henry Sheares, as can be seen from the picture below.

D700 Picture Control D2XMode1

2009-05-02T23:31:00.011+08:00

After figuring out that the main reason for the weird skin tones I tend to get was due to the inaccurate Auto White Balance, I decided to do a shoot based purely on manual White Balance settings where I keyed in manually the colour temperature in Kelvins. Auto White Balance seems to be rather inaccurate quite frequently and darker skin asians tend to have too much of a reddish hue, not so much a problem with fairer skin though. I took some trial pictures in Picture Control D2X Mode 1 with my Nikon 85mm F1.8 AF-D as usual, to see how skin tones fair. I would say that it does look less reddish indeed. Whether that is desirable would be up to individuals but to me the pictures do look more neutral in my humble opinion.

A Snapshot with my Nikon 35mm F2

2009-04-19T23:00:00.021+08:00

I know a lot of people saying that there is not much nice scenery to take in Singapore, and to a certain extent I seem to agree with the general consensus. Therefore those living in this island city state will have to make do with what we have got and play around with different focal lengths to get the effect we want. Shown here is a rather interesting and also expressive snapshot taken in an outdoor natural setting! Taken at F2.8 aperture, the gem of the lens exhibited great flare control and allowed me to use a fast shuttle speed to freeze the subject in motion, in this backlit green patch of the beach. Moderately wide, the 35mm F2 would make a nice environmental portrait lens. The D700 Auto White Balance worked surprisingly fine in this case, though I have to say not always in cases like very warm evening sunshine or in shaded forrested areas. It would help a lot, but no reflectors were used in this shot, though the sand helps throw back some reflected light onto the subject. Its a snapshot anyway!

Just added another recent snapshot update: Too lazy to create a new post. Took this picture while strolling along Arab Street on Labour Day. Hat's off to the 35mm F2! Cheers!

Another Natural Light Portrait with the Nikon 50mm F1.4 AF-D

2009-04-13T10:28:00.010+08:00

What do I like about the D700 and the Nikon 50mm F1.4 AF-D combo? They make up a very useful natural low light combination that is great for on location portraits, maintaining some sense of the surroundings. It also provides closer interaction with the subject for better communication and feedback with the photographer. Many people think that the 50mm focal length is a boring lens, but for me, I feel it closest replicates the eye and hence is the most honest of the lens without distorting reality for dramatic effects. A very general purpose lens that can give stunning results under the right hands. Lens are tools to be used like the brushes of the artist on a canvas anyway.

Backlit Portraits with the Lovely Nikon 85mm F1.8 AF-D

2009-04-06T23:28:00.010+08:00

Here are samples of two backlit portraits with the Nikon 85mm F1.8 AF-D and Nikon D700, with nothing but available light. No lens hood was used and this picture was taken at aperture F2.8 for a nice balance of Depth of Field and Bokeh. Surprisingly the lens did not seem to flare in this sample at such a big aperture setting. Full frame is the way to go for 85mm focal length in my opinion, giving good subject and photographer interaction, and lessening the distance for portraits, hence producing shallower DOF while maintaing a decent level of sharpness at F2.8 as these examples show.

Raychell... Up Close and Personal.

2009-02-17T23:00:00.014+08:00

Introducing the bubbly and frisky Raychell, up close and personal in these headshot portraits with my trusty Nikon 50mm F1.4D prime! Under natural light conditions of course! Pardon my inconsistant post processing as I did them in a hurry, even though its basically only some minor contrast and curve adjustments, followed by resizing! Raychell has been great to shoot with because she is very comfortable in front of the camera as can be seen in these pictures. The camera using the 50mm lens was quite close to her but she remains very natural. Furthermore not many people I know can pull it off looking good doing closeup headshots portraits, but I think she managed great!

A late afternoon stroll in the Hort Park

2009-01-19T19:09:00.006+08:00

Armed with my Sigma 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 APO and Nikon D700, I took a stroll with my cousin Ben who was so kind as to give me a lift in his car to the Hort Park. He himself is armed with his recently aquired Nikon D90 and the tack sharp Nikon 18-135mm F3.5-5.6 kit lens, his first foray into DSLR photography. This was our first time in the park, and as he soon found out, nature photography does require some patience and luck. We were being exposed to the elements like the recent scorching sun and windy condition that seems to plague much of Singapore this coming "Spring" and Chinese New Year. Macro photography needed precise focussing due to the shallow depth of field and not only stable hands but also windless conditions to prevent blurry pictures, unless that is what you want to achieve. You can always say you were trying to achieve some arty fartsy picture should it turn blur! Jokes aside, I really dig the beauty of the natural outdoors, and of course appreciate the tranquility and serenity the park provides, away from the pressures of work and information overload. I have always had a softspot for nature.

2009 Chinatown Walkabout with Nikon 24-85mm F3.5-4.5

2009-01-15T11:54:00.016+08:00

I took a short walk around Chinatown with my friends KK and Rachel. Rachel had just rented a lens(Nikon 17-55mm F2.8 DX) around that area for a wedding shoot she was going to help a friend do the next day. I brought along a simple Nikon 24-85mm F3.5-4.5 lens for the short walkaround. The pictures taken here are from 2 different days but of the same lens. Its a nice basic kit lens to have on a full-frame body.

These Shoes are Made for Walking

Along the main road of Chinatown

Waxed Chinese Sausages and Ducks on the Wall

Eye in the Sky

KK over seeing from the Sky: Does he look like a Prison Wardon or a Detainee? LOL!

Mechanical Cranes in the Sky
Desolate windows of a HDB residence from a bygone era.

Gloom is the order of the day...

2009-01-14T23:25:00.003+08:00

Having heard the retrenchments and restructuring of my company, with the replacement of the company's top management, things doesn't seem all rosy for the year 2008. Overtime has been cut to zero, and paycuts are expected from whatever measily amount that I am getting. The upside is that this has given me more precious time to reflect on what are the important things in life, such as family and friends, and what I want to do with my life, rather than mindlessly follow the daily routine of work that eats up into so much of our recreation and social life. If I do get retrenched, maybe I should take this opportunity to do all the things I want to do but did not have the time recently, like reading and photography, and maybe get another education to upgrade myself and learn new skills. In this economic downturn, strangely I have started collecting coins from the Singapore Mint! It's another hobby that I had been interested to try but have not started untill now. I would be showing some of the coins here when I have the time. Chinese New Year is coming soon, and its the Year of the Ox come 2009. Let's hope for a Bullish trend out of this recession and full economy recovery, and an Ox-picious(Auspicious) Year soon!

Hello 2009, Goodbye 2008!

2009-01-01T22:33:00.004+08:00

Once again, its me wishing all of you people a Happy New Year for 2009! Lets hope that this would be a better year as compared to 2008, which has been the year that has quite a few events, both local and abroad. There were some positives like the first F1 Night Race in Singapore but unfortunately mostly negative financial and health crisis and also man made and natural disasters from what I can recall. Lets hope for the winds of change to provide us with a better year this 2009!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-25T09:59:00.003+08:00

Its the time of the year again, and I want to you all a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! How would you be spending your holidays? For me its propably a chance for friends and family gatherings, and those important people aroud you. A lot of catching up to do! How time flies as we begin to bid farewell to the year 2008 and welcome, hopefully, for a better year in 2009! Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year!

Cheers!

Bokehman

She

2008-12-17T00:14:00.006+08:00

More to be updated soon...

Customised Megatron Transformer

2008-12-13T13:15:00.007+08:00

All shots taken with the Tamron 90mm F2.8 DI Macro lens.

Customised Transformer

2008-11-24T12:58:00.006+08:00

Transformers... More than meets the eye... Transformers... No money to Buy! Haha! Just kidding. I helped a colleague take some pictures of his transformer toys that he customises and will be planning to sell online. Here is a simple set up shot I took with the Nikon SB-800 flash in Wireless Mode. More of his artworks can be seen here.

Nikon D700 Picture Controls

2008-11-09T12:53:00.004+08:00

Tested out the D700 Picture Control "D2XMODE1" mode with friends as subjects in the evening sun yesterday, similar to the Chinese Garden conditions taken a few days ago. What a difference the mode makes! The colour rendition is like of a different camera altogether. No more "Cooked-prawns" or "Drunken" reddish hue in the evening sunlight, even in Auto White Balance! Just lovely warm and natural looking sunlight and skin tones. I seem to see more blue now in the colour histogram. It seems like my favourite Picture Control mode for portraits on Asian skin tones now. I am unable to post some sample picture as my friends are rather shy!

Prime Time stroll in the Chinese Garden

2008-11-07T22:00:00.005+08:00

Today was one of the few days recently where it did not rain in the afternoon. I took this opportunity to have a short photoshoot with my prime lens, starting off with the Nikon 85mm F1.8 at F2.8 aperture for these shots. I followed up with the Nikon 180mm F2.8, all shot at F2.8 full aperture. It is one of my rarely used lens but since getting into full-frame, it can hopefully see more light of day. I ended the day using the Nikon 50mm F1.4, a lens that I felt tended to flare when used at full aperture. By the time I shot with it though, the sky was slightly dull and overcast, hence I used it at full aperture and it performed better than I expected. No worries at all! I used "Portrait" Picture Control setting, and it looks good, though I found that the white balance during the warmish light of the evening sun tend to make pictures taken using Auto White Balance rather reddish. Its a learning experience for me and my new camera, so I would have to explore more to use this camera more effectively.

Thoughts on the Nikon D700

2008-11-06T21:58:00.003+08:00

Having been busy with work as usual the past few weeks, I did not have much time to try out my new camera and find out its strenghts and weaknesses. My initial impressions were that full frame lens now suffer more from vignetting due to light fall off in wide/big aperture settings. Focussing is much improved, being both faster and more accurate, even in low light! Lens calibration function is a God-sent to me. Details are great and of course not forgetting the class leading low light performance as of now. Colours are punchy and accurate, except for the reds which I find too saturated for portraits of Asian skin. I need to post process the colours for asian skin tones to make it less reddish and magenta. I do not know if its the white balance setting which I set to Auto but I doubt it, because the white balance seems to be quite accurate most of the time. I have read online about the reddish hue due to the more saturated reds. For portraits I needed to set to "Neutral" Picture Control Setting to get more accurate skin tones. Even at "Standard" the skin tones are too reddish for my liking. But I believe I have the solution to this inconvenience. I just downloaded from the Nikon webpage the Picture Control Curves for "Landscape", "Portrait" and the various "D2XMODE" to replicate the colour balance of the Nikon D2x. Initial tests around the house shows promising results, having a more pleasing colour balance in my opinon. I would be doing more personal thorough testing of these promising Picture Control options soon. Its like having a new camera everytime you change with the different settings!

Rediscovering the Nikon 50mm F1.4

2008-10-24T19:31:00.006+08:00

Today, as usual for the past few days, has been a rainy day. The song by Guns N' Roses "November Rain" is starting to fill my head! Unable to scout my usual haunts to take pictures because of the weather, I decided to try taking some pictures around the area I stay. My online friend has been most obliging by actually agreeing to be my model for this gloomy and downcast day! I am most grateful for her accomodating nature. As there was practically nowhere to shoot because of the rain, I did some closeups under the HDB blocks around my area. All these pictures were shot with the unassuming Nikon 50mm F1.4 lens. Here are a few of the pictures taken at either apertures F1.8 or F2 from today's limited number of shots. Cheers!

Outram Park

2008-10-18T22:40:00.004+08:00

First test shots last saturday!

2008-10-13T22:02:00.009+08:00

This is the first time I am using a Full-Frame DSLR! Pardon my amaturish skills, hope you can bear with me these shots taken using the Nikon D700, and the Tamron 17-35mm F2.8-4 and Tamron 90mm F2.8 Macro DI lens. As usual, cloudy weather was the order of the day! All taken wide open at F2.8, hence testing the lens at the most extreme aperture and condition! The tamron 17-35mm F2.8-4 exhibits quite prominent vignetting, so I guess I will have to step down to F4 next time to try it out again on full frame. Should be able to solve it in photoshop too though I am too lazy to try it out just yet. The tamron 90mm F2.8 Macro is just wonderful even at F2.8 on full frame, I have no issues with its sharpness or colours at all! The last 2 pictures , taken the day after, were of my buddies horsing around! Anyway both lens were very sharp even at wide open, thanks to the ability for me to self calibrate the lens on the camera body.

Salutations!

2008-10-12T00:19:00.002+08:00

Hi People! I have not been writing for some time now, the reason been that I have said goodbye and sold my Nikon D200! But no worries, during that time, I was saving up for the D700, and the time has come, the time is now! Hello Glorious Full-Frame Glory and Low Noise High ISO Picture! Of course, picture will be posted as and when they are ready. Hope to see you people soon. Have a Nice Day!

Bokehman Down On The Bollywood Farm

2008-06-28T23:31:00.007+08:00

Derek and Susan ROM 16th April 2008

2008-04-18T01:10:00.016+08:00

Here are some of the shots from my ROM(Registration Of Marriage) shoot of Derek and Susan on the 16th of April 2008. I seldom do event shoots but I did this anyway. Susan is my former colleague from a couple of years ago and my first tfcd model. She looks absolutely radiant and I am glad that I was able to cover this event. Lens used are the Nikon 16-85mm F3.5-5.6 AFS VR, the Nikon 50mm F1.4 and the Nikon 85mm F1.8. The ROM room was very small and cramped but what a day! What can I say? These pictures say more than I could ever hope to write in this blog entry. What a beautiful couple and what wonderful friends and family they have indeed. Congratulations to this lovely couple!

Oriental (To Be Continued)

2008-04-13T23:26:00.019+08:00

Some Outtakes of Sugar and Spice

2008-04-07T21:40:00.004+08:00

What are these two up to? Do we always have to have a reason? Just two gals acting crazy, making silly faces and having some fun! And making no apologies doing just that! Not to be taken seriously. Just for laughs!

Sugar and Spice

2008-04-05T23:15:00.010+08:00

It may come as a surprise that I do not have any real walk around lens except the cheapo Sigma 18-50mm F3.5-5.6 lens that is a bit short of range for most event shoots in my opinion. I usually borrow the Nikon 18-70mm F3.5-4.5 kit lens from a fellow colleague to cover such photography when the need arise. After a couple of event photography that I got requested to do, and to stop inconveniencing my rather generous colleague further, I bit the bullet and decided to splurge on a Nikon 16-85mm F3.5-5.6 AFS VR lens! That is, not after sacrificing my Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 by selling it away to fund that purchase. The Tamron was a wonderful lens to have, but I decided to trade it off for the flexibility of the Nikon, since I have enough Prime Lens to cover my mostly portraiture shots taken with that lens. Stay tuned for my amatuer test run with the Nikon 16-85mm lens in awhile. In the meantime, enjoy some of my recent shots taken a few hours ago with my evergreen Nikon 35mm F2 and 85mm F1.8 lens! Kudos to these fine young ladies who remind me of the term Sugar and Spice. They carried on with the shoot inspite of a creepy stalker spying on us from both near and afar! That creep actually had the audacity to lie himself flat and belly down on the ground while spying on us from behind a nearby wall! I did not know whether to kick that creepy stalker or laugh out loud at his absurd behaviour! The strange things that people do. When they see Sugar and Spice. And all things Nice. Haha!

Stroll in the Chinese Garden

2008-03-31T10:13:00.010+08:00

I took a morning stroll in the Chinese Garden two weeks ago, checking out the venue for possible photoshoot sessions there. Still a little groggy from getting out of bed not too long ago, I scouted the area for suitable Bamboo, Bonsai, Pagoda and such oriental architectures. Its a nice place to destress, conveniently located in the heartlands. I used my Tamron 28-75mm F2.8 DI for the first 2 shots and the Nikon 85mm F1.8 for the rest. Both lens were shot at wide open or close to wide open (F2 to F2.8) for your viewing pleasure.

Timex Automatic Watch

2008-03-24T15:35:00.011+08:00

I recently purchased a Timex Automatic Watch, model T2M517. The watch caught my attention the moment I laid my eyes on it and I knew I was in love. Being quite affordable for an automatic watch and the fact that I was able to get it at a discount, I knew it was a matter of time before I would possess it! The funny thing was I did not know much about Timex. I thought they only produced sporty or fashionable battery operated "indigo backlit" watches which was actually quite appealing, but which I never took seriously. Untill now. The specifications are usually on those of a much more expensive watch, like those costing more than $500!

38 Jewel Automatic movement with exhibition window at 6 o'clock
Fly back date hand at 9 o'clock
40 hour power reserve indicator at 2 o'clock
Stainless Steel case with enamel top ring
Stainless steel bracelet
Screw down crown
Water resistance: 100m

This quick image of the watch was produced with my trusty Tamron 90mm F2.8 macro lens and direct flash.

Window Light Portrait

2008-03-19T22:56:00.008+08:00

Window light portraits does not require expensive equipment or elaborate setup, yet they often produce evocative images. Since its done in the shade and sheltered from the elements, it can be done on a scorching mid summer afteroon or on a gloomy downcast or rainy day just the same. Here is a simple such example of a downcast day from that single light source, done not even with a reflector.

Candid Nikon 85mm F1.8 Wide Open Shots

2008-03-08T23:13:00.008+08:00

I went to the IT fair yesterday, but I bought nothing there. My pockets are shallow these days and I have to tighten my belt! In the end, I left the place and took some candid outdoor snapshots of this young lady and her friend who went to the IT fair too. Here are a few of the pictures taken with the Nikon 85mm F1.8 wide open at such a close distance for maximum bokeh effect just for the fun of it! I am still impressed with the sharpness acheivable!

Spiral Stairway

2008-03-05T22:18:00.007+08:00

Here, to complete the series and for your viewing pleasure, are some of the earlier shots taken with the Nikon 35mm F2 this time.

Nikon 85mm F1.8 wide open

2008-03-01T22:05:00.015+08:00

I covered a friend of a friend's Registry Of Marriage this afternoon, where I took photos of the young couple legally unite to become Husband and Wife. I am not one who have much experience in event photography, but I tried my best anyway and I feel happy for them. Following that, however, I met up with another TFCD model nearby, where I can use my 85mm F1.8 again! I tried shooting at F1.8 and here are some of the images made with this lens wide open. Here are the effects for full length body, half body and head and shoulders portraits. Once the focus is locked on correctly, even at full aperture, the sharpness leaves little more to be desired.

The Return Of The Nikon 50mm F1.4 AFD

2008-02-18T23:00:00.014+08:00

Let me continue from yesterday's post, the rest of the picture in that series. I had more space to manoeurve outdoors, so these are all shot with the Nikon 50mm F1.4 AFD, mostly at F2.2 aperture. I was lucky the weather was fine, and I had the warm evening sunlight glow to play with my subject. Ideally I would have a reflector and such equipment, but doing this shoot solo, it was not very feasible. I have always liked big aperture lens, and the 50mm F1.4 being the only affordable F1.4 lens for me, is one of my favourites. Most lens start to perform well 2 stops from their largest aperture, and that lens being F2 at 2 stop from its F1.4 aperture, gives me a lot of shallow Depth Of Field to play with, without sacrificing sharpness. Here are some of the picture samples. What can I say? Bokeh Okay! Why worry if it is made in China, like many people I know do. Go out and take pictures, because the Nikon 50mm F1.4 AFD ROCKS!

Nikon 35mm F2 Natural Light Portraits

2008-02-17T21:31:00.020+08:00

I have always had a softspot for the 50mm focal length, since the lens that started me off in photography was a 50mm lens on a mechanical camera for 35mm film. Since most afforadable DSLR have crop factors of 1.5x like my D200, the closest I can get in angle of view would be the Nikon 35mm F2, although it would result in a slightly different perspective. I did a photoshoot with both the Nikon 35mm F2 and the Nikon 50mm F1.4 and I am glad to say that this lens is a solid performer too. It does not have to feel embarassed in the company of its more well known brother. Included in the Nikon 35mm F2 shots are the usual window front and side lightings, and the slightly more difficult backlit shots. Some of the backlit shots exhibit slightly greenish flare, but not that much to distract from the main subject. Its flare resistant and contrast is quite exceptional considering I was shooting backlit subjects at aperture F2.8 straight into the light, without a lens hood. Here are some sample pictures from today's shoot. Believe it or not, all these were shot at a stairway! Cheers!

A Walk In The Park With The Nikon AF-S DX VR 55-200mm f/4-5.6G IF-ED

2008-02-09T21:05:00.002+08:00

With time and a Nikon AF-S DX VR 55-200mm f/4-5.6G IF-ED in my hands, I decided to pay a short visit at a park around my vicinity. Recently purchased at a surprisngly affordable price during my recent trip to Chinatown on the 29th of Jan this year, this is my only lens equiped with AFS for fast and silent autofocus and VR for slower shutter speeds. It has a plastic mount, not metal, but it seems well contructed and has the advantage of being light for a telephoto! All very useful points for a telephoto lens indeed! My early experience with this lens is that AF is fast and accurate, images are sharp all round and its flare resistant especially with the supplied hood on. The only downsides are its tendency to underexpose a little at the telephoto end and contrast is good but not vibrant, both which are easily rectified in camera and photoshop respectively. At this price, its many plus points which gives a higher success rate per shot are already worth the reason to get this lens. At this price range and class, it has no competitors in my humble opinion. I hope you enjoy some of the trial pictures taken with this lens.

Studio Photoshoot With Nikon 35mm F2 AFD

2008-02-08T00:13:00.010+08:00

My friends and I did a photoshoot in a relatively cramped studio around the boat quay area last month. Being newbies at studio photography setups and with time contraints a factor, we made do with a few simple ones through trial and error. All of us have a full time job, so finding a schedule which fits all of us was not easy. Used in these samples are images taken with the Nikon 35mm F2 AFD, a nice little compact prime lens which provided me with tack sharp and relatively undistorted half and full length portraits. Most of the aperture settings were set between F8 to F11 for the lens performance sweet spot. Bokeh in this case is not very important as the backdrop is plain and undistracting. My Nikon D200 performed well under Auto White Balance setting throughout. My ex-colleague was kind enough to model for us for this shoot. She did a great job on her makeup and poses, even though she may not be a professional model or have any makeup artist with her! As you all may know, I mostly do natural light photography, and I am very inexperienced at studio photography due to the numerous planning required, (such as theme, makeup/hair artist and studio bookings for the photoshoot), and the prohibitive costs involved. I thought I would like to share a long delayed picture from the rare studio photoshoot I did anyway. Cheers!

Happy Lunar New Year To All!

2008-02-07T11:40:00.000+08:00

The 7th of February 2008, which is today, is the Year of the Rat in the Chinese Zodiac. I would like to wish everybody and their families A Happy, Healthy and Prosperous Chinese Lunar New Year!

Regards,

Bokehman

Chinatown Streetshoot

2008-01-30T09:16:00.001+08:00

The Chinese New Year is fast approaching and the streets of Chinatown are teeming with shoppers, tourist and photographers alike, soaking in the festive atmosphere. I ususally do not feel comfortable in crowded areas, especially around this time of the year in this part of Chinatown, but it was still manageable, as it is still quite a couple of days before the Lunar New Year. I actually went there twice with 2 friends on 27th(Sun with Rachel) and 29th(Tue with Trevor) to have dinner at the abundant mouth watering and gastronomically savoury delights at the various roadside stalls, eateries and restaurants. Of course being photo hobbyists, we did go there to take some pictures of the biggest yearly event in Chinatown, which is the Chinese Lunar New Year. Chinatown is a place with good food to eat and great photo subjects to take, beautifully blended in a marriage of contrasting old world charms and modern convenience and technologies. More pictures can be viewed on this walkabout by fellow blogger Rachel, who has some great pictures of her own here.

In Loving Memory Of My Late Grandfather

2008-01-26T20:30:00.001+08:00

Weekend Botanical Stroll

2008-01-12T23:42:00.000+08:00

I spent the lazy saturday weekend taking a short stroll along the flora and fauna of the Singapore Botanical Gardens, armed with my cheapo Sigma 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 APO Macro, as promised earlier. For those seeking solace and a place to unwind, away from the hustle and bustle of citylife or the demands of work, the tranquility and quiet beauty of the Botanical Garden is the perfect antidote. Many people may not know that in spite of my many portrait shoots, I still DO like nature and macro photography. Anyway, I started out mostly with nature shots during my early days. It feels great to connect with nature again! And like a very close and good old trustworthy friend, it feels great to connect to my roots again too!

The Gunnery

2007-12-20T11:33:00.001+08:00

Yesterday morning, I met up with 2 bubbly and fun loving gals for the first time to have a TFCD(Time For CD) session with them. They basically have not done a photoshoot before and wanted to try one out for the experience. To those who may not know what TFCD means, it works whereby the model poses for the photographer, and the photographer gives the model a copy of a CD/DVD for her time. This is usually the case for models and photographers who want to built a portfolio or have more practice. We went to Chinatown(Yeah, I know, always the same place, but how big is Singapore, haha!), and we started off taking some pictures along Keong Saik Road when we were watched closely by "Curious" Ah-Peks(Old Man), eyes glazed and in a daze as usual, and a friendly elderly British man from one of the budget hotels who tried to strike a conversation with us. Anyway, we moved on a little distance away after awhile, and very unexpectedly, a Caucasion man, from one of the shophouses there invited us to take pictures at his music/pro audio/software production house, "The Gunnery". He shortly introduced himself as Ben and showed us in. What a show of commendable hospitality! We accepted his very generous offer and good will! As I was not prepared for any indoor shoot that day, I did not bring my external flash and shot mostly with my inbuilt camera flash or without flash. We shot at the cosy and stylish lounge, air-conditioned and with a great sound system to play music to set the mood. Without the proper equipment for an indoor shoot, I tried my best to take some pictures with what I had. My apologies if the pics are not up to standard. For those who are wondering more on the technical side, I used a Nikon 35mm F2 for all the pictures posted here. No external flash was available for me at that time. We all had a great time and I thanked Ben for giving us the opportunity to do so. Thats one of the reason why I love my hobby Photography so much. It gives us the opportunity to meet up with new and interesting people and personalities! Thanks to Ben, Samantha and Adelyn once again.

Busy Days Ahead

2007-12-04T22:01:00.000+08:00

Starting in the month of December, up till around 2 months later, busy days are scheduled ahead of me due to work, OT and RT commitments. Photography would have to take a back seat during this exhaustive period. Sometimes a little break could do me good, and I hope I take this opportunity to find inspiration and redefine certain aspects of my photography, and go full steam ahead when I am free of my other duties! Which reminds me... The current year 2007 is coming to a close. How time flies. How the years just go by when we start working. How I must feel when I take a look at my blog(if it still exists then, haha!) a few years or more later, especially in chronological order. Snapshots of time brings back Precious Memories that can Evoke our Emotions. Photography does it all. So that we can embrace Life.

Prime Time

2007-11-24T00:10:00.000+08:00

The story behind what happened during the taking of this half face portrait in Chinatown Area is quite hilarious! As some people may know, Chinatown has its Red light districts and some freelance hookers roam the streets there trying to seduce lonely and usually older men with too much time in their hands, hehe! I took this picture of her along a busy and crowded bridge there, knowing that the freelancers usually come out during the evening time along that area, but I didnt care, as it is a public area.

We both soon realised that there were quite a number of Dirty Old Men pausing in their tracks along the bridge to stare and ogle at her, haha! It was so abrupt and the way they stared was like they have never seen a young lady before, the desire in their eyes full of perversity! Haha! There was even one TeeKo Peh(Dirty Old Man) who literally stepped forward quite close to us with his eyes almost popping out and mouth open, as if he wanted to eat her there and then! I joked with her that maybe he should take out his hanky to wipe his drool... I kept an eye on him and the rest in case they tried to do anything funny, haha! It was quite an eye-opening experience for both of us with all these unwanted attention on a crowded Friday evening.

Beach Party Pic with Sigma Lens

2007-11-17T01:20:00.000+08:00

I seldom take event photography, but there was quite a spectacular fire dance performance that day at Sentosa, hence I decided to try out for a few photos. I used my first nikon mount telephoto zoom lens, the cheap but versatile, sharp and contrasty Sigma 70-300mm F4.5-5.6 APO for these shots to isolate the performers and not get too close to the flaming performers. Sharpness is a little bit off at the extreme telephoto zoom end, and corner sharpness could be better, but I do not think you can get much better at this price range, hehe! Excellent value for its price.

More pictures by this lens to be added soon... Stay tuned...

Nikon 50mm F1.4 AFD

2007-11-12T01:32:00.001+08:00

I used my fastest lens in my arsenal, the nikon 50mm F1.4 AFD yesterday. Cloudy weather was the order of the day as usual. Many a times the decision to choose between the 50mm F1.4 or F1.8 had tormented me, but I bit the bullet and went all out for the bigger aperture lens, since I use the 50mm focal length relatively frequently. I have never looked back since. It has better built. It is slightly prone to flare wide open but reasonable sharp. DOF at that aperture is almost paper thin so focussing accuracy is very critical. It is sharp and contrasty at F2.0 onwards and for F2.8 onwards, it is just faultless. The picture of this cute girl with the sweet smile was taken at f1.4 and the bokeh at this distance and aperture turns the background and even anything behind her face plane to turn to smooth buttery cream, without sacrificing usable sharpness! Bokeh Heaven! These two frisky and leggy gals are seen here leaping into the air, and it might not have been possible to do this in natural light during the cloudy weather without a fast lens! The 50mm F1.4 does the job well at f2 and shutter speed of 1/1000th second. They are fast and nimble, but nothing the 50mm f1.4 cannot catch! Special thanks to these two gals for their spontaneous energy in helping to create these images. More pics taken with this lens can be found here...

Nikon 85mm F1.8 AFD Casual Field Test

2007-11-03T21:33:00.000+08:00

After a brief hiatus, I am back with some more Nikon 85mm F1.8 pictures from yesterday's casual photoshoot. As they say "A Picture Speaks A Thousand Words", so maybe I have a few thousand words to say today! Haha! Jokes aside, we had dreary drizzly weather that day, but that did not dampen the spirits of my online friend, who showed great patience and enthusiasm to model for me. From my experience, I feel the single most important element in a portrait photoshoot would be Chemistry between the Photographer and the Model. Since we have only recently just met, I believe we can only get better as time comes along. Selecting the correct tool for the photoshoot for today's gloomy weather is also important, and of course the 85mm F1.8 is a fast prime lens that is suited to low light environmental portraits. You can opt for a little fill-flash to open up the shadows a little, or use a reflector for softer fill in effects, but I did not have an assistant to help me out.

I am always a sucker for greenery because maybe I like nature in flora and fauna. The lens performed very well at F2.8 for half body shots, giving a very nice bokeh effect for both foreground and background interest. No evidence of the harsh bokeh effects as stated by some internet reviews. I have heard about a redesigned 9 bladed rounded aperture version. Maybe that makes for smoother bokeh. Whatever, judging from my current real world samples, I am pleased because I find my lens bokeh okay! Hehe!

As mentioned before earlier, the 85mm focal length provides sufficient isolation of the environment for full body shots, but leaves enough clues to make out what the background is like, rather than blur out the background beyond recognition, which I feel defeats the purpose of environmental portraits. Here I dialed in a touch of flash from my built in flash, set at minimum output manually, to counter the backlit subject. I did not use any external flash or reflector cause yes, I tend to be rather lazy at times, haha! Aperture was set at F2 since the full body shot requires me to stand futher from the subject, making me compensate for a bigger aperture to still achieve sufficient degree of bokeh. You won't believe the difficulty we had in getting this shot on a friday evening when everybody is starting to knock off from work!

Here is a picture taken wide open at F1.8 with highlights in the background to test for the rendition of bokeh highlights. ISO was bumped up to 800 and like above, a touch of fill-flash was added to lift her face up a little from the shadows. The bokeh is quite neutral in this image, and the circular highlights were rendered beautifully as expected. Its Bokeh may not be as beautiful as a specialised portrait lens, but at least it is still quite pleasing and not at all offensive as compared to some lens. Its a big thumbs up for me!

Another Nikon 85mm F1.8 AF-D Sample Image

2007-10-24T01:25:00.000+08:00

Have been rather busy with work lately but managed to try out a little bit more of the lens. Found out that focus has to be accurate, and if you have any front or back focus issues on your camera, the images will show very readily. The shallow depth of field from f2.8 and less onwards requires me to use the corresponding AF points rather than centre AF point only as I used to do the last time. Have heard about the harsh bokeh of the Nikon 85mm f1.8 in mixed reviews via the internet but my shots so far have bokeh that is very pleasant, at least at f2.8 aperture. When I have the chance, I would try it out on pictures with more background highlights to determine if it really has harsh bokeh as reviewed by some. But up till now, I have no complaints with this lens whatsoever.

Nikon 85mm F1.8 AF-D

2007-10-16T17:36:00.000+08:00

Recently I aquired the Nikon 85mm F1.8 AF-D and I am loving it! It has a decent price and compact construction, and although the 85mm focal length on a 1.5 crop factor DSLR is a little bit too long for full body portraits, it is still manageable. For outdoor location portraiture, the focal length is still able to capture parts of the scenery in relation to the subject. I found it very sharp and contrasty from F2.8 onwards, with quite decent performances wide open. Here is a sample of a recent picture from my newly purchased lens. Watch out for my next posts for more samples. Cheers!