Stroll in the Chinese Garden

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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