Dreaming of a new camera

A new Nikon camera, D800, is announced - at USD2, 999.

Yes, it tugs at my heartstring.

I have been contemplating jumping ship to Canon because of the horrible after-sales service (or the lack of it) from Nikon.

Nikon products are good no doubt. But the after-sales sucks. They find all sorts of excuse not to do anything to your lens when they are problematic, probably because they don't know how to fix them in the first place. Then when you insist, they want to calibrate your camera to fit the problematic lens!

From others, I have heard a few stories of how their cameras were giving them problems, and when Nikon finally caved in to agreeing to repair the cameras, they charged exorbitant prices to make you back off!

What after-sales is that?

Apart from the absence of after-sales support, Nikon cameras are heavier than Canon's.

And the colour rendition from Canon appears to be softer and that adds a whimsical feel to the pictures.

It's a tough decision because cameras and lens are not cheap.

Once I buy into a full-frame, it would be harder than ever to make the switch.

But the new D800 looks very good. Weight is still an issue for me though.

My First Paid Maternity Shoot

My sister's friend whom I also am acquainted with asked my sister if I could help her take maternity pictures.

Through my sister, I made it known that I would have to charge her for it. I figured if I am doing it for free, I might as well spend the time sleeping, or spend it with my kids, or do exam revision with Coco.

But since I am not a pro, I charged her a nominal rate.

I haven't asked her for permission to showcase the pictures, so I am not showing their faces. She was in her 37th week when she had these pictures taken. A very beautiful bump I must say!

A photography lesson that was not meant to be

My third sister drove me to Fort Canning for a photography lesson on Sunday morning.

Alas! When we were about to reach Fort Canning, we were met with a traffic diversion! Apparently, a marathon organised by the army was going on and the starting point had to be Fort Canning!

We took a huge detour to another entrance and it was closed till 11.30am - the time my class would end.

I alighted and climbed the steep steps of Hotel Fort Canning, lugging my camera, flash and tripod along. By the time I reached the meeting point where the 'main building' (the instructor could not put a name to the building! I later realised that his 'main building' referred to 'Fort Canning Centre', while I had gone to Hotel Fort Canning), I was 20 minutes late.

To my utter dismay, nobody was there. The instructor didn't even have the common sense to give us his handphone number, or get our phone list from the office! I could call no one. No one could call me.

I called the office and apparently no one was in the office. There was only a voice machine prompting me to leave a voice message which I certainly could not at that point of time - the only thing I would be able to manage were vulgarities I assure you!

I'm so upset. It was a perfect weather for the class. I was so excited over the class. I skipped church and the time to spend with my kids for the class. I carried all the annoyingly heavy equipment all the way there.

But the instructor didn't even bother to check if Fort Canning was used for any event. He didn't even have the numbers of the participants and he didn't even have the common sense to give us his number when he knew that we would not station at the meeting point! It has been a long time I last felt so terribly upset. It was something that should not have happened just by a simple gesture of giving us his phone number, but it did because someone did not have common sense!

No doubt the instructor was helpful - I had asked him about stuff other than the lesson topics and he was nice enough to give me extra information and suggestions, but I am sometimes frustrated with the half-baked English the lessons are conducted in and the bomb was triggered by this outing that was not properly troubleshot.

Already, I had felt that I had not learnt much from this course despite paying the same amount of fees as the photoshop class which I had reaped much from, and now this had to happen. It takes a further knock on my confidence with Photographic Society of Singapore which has received at least one good review from a clubsnapper. The review had that PSS courses are better than the courses or workshops offered on Clubsnap. My experience is definitely the opposite!

My First Maternity Shoot & My Sister's Eventful Pregnancy

I did my first maternity photo-shoot with my fifth sister two days ago.

Right now, she is in labour at the hospital, in anticipation of her fourth baby - a girl, finally.

She had breezed through almost all three previous pregnancies. They were easy pregnancies except for the third one - she had chicken pox in the third trimester. Fortunately, she and the baby turned out fine.

(Even as I am typing this post, Coco showed me an sms from my sister's husband: Baby is out.)

But she had suffered quite a bit this time round.

She developed bad itches all over, especially her legs. They were badly scratched. She had trouble sleeping at night because of the itch.

Then when she was approaching her 36th week, she had facial palsy overnight!

Facial palsy is a paralysis of face, usually affecting half of it. The facial nerves are beyond the affected person's control, such that he is not able to move the affected side of the face. So when she smiled, only one side of the mouth was upturned while the other side remained unmoved. She even had problems drinking and eating as one side of the mouth was not able to move. She could not close the affected eye entirely when she slept either. Her gynae 'assured' her that he got one or two such patients every year and they recovered after they delivered their babies.

We are hoping that the same will happen to her.

A Fruitful Experience Sharing Session

I went for a free business sharing by this apparently popular guy, Hart, on Clubsnap forum. I wouldn't really call it a 'business sharing' though. It was more of sharing about experiences in photography business.

He does offer a course in business sharing, teaching you how to set up a photography business step by step, but I am not sure if this is really what I want and have doubts about how useful a course like that is, so I jumped at the chance at this FREE sharing - to see the sensitive and new age guy in person as well as to have a glimpse of how the paid sharing might go.

It was in a fairly small one-storey shophouse.

I was about 5 minutes late and when I tried pushing in the door (because the gadget that looked like a doorbell failed), the guy just opened the door and there the audience and main sharer were, seated in a couch and chairs right at the doorstep, because that was how small the studio was.

The session started at 7pm and was slated to end at 10pm. The sharer spoke and shared so much about his own views and personal experiences that it went on to 11pm and had not ended yet! I would very much love to stay on, but on top of being a little tired (my day started at 6am and work ended at 5.45pm), I had unreceived calls by my mother, a friend and William. I didn't want them to get too worried about me not picking up the phone. So I had to be rude and interrupted the sharing so that I could go.

The characteristics of a successful photographer

It was a fruitful trip nonetheless. I am intrigued by the Indonesian-Chinese sharer. He looks and sounds similar to Sean Lau, another photographer I took up a package with. They both speak softly, even-tonedly, phlegmatically, and are good with words.

For the record, he charges at least $1000 for a photoshoot and does not sell soft copies. He has 300 clients every year. He dumped every dollar he earned in his first 10 months in Singapore into a studio, and covered the $2k monthly rental for the whole year within 1.5 months. That is $24k in 1.5 months, on top of his other family commitment. How do you like that?

How he started out

He said he didn't have anyone asking him to take pictures for. He was the only one who liked his own pictures. He shared about how he used to work as a retoucher. He had only 5 hours to learn to retouch and after that he was on his own.

He was required to come to work at 8.30am and submit the finished product at 12pm. He came to work at 4am instead to do his work because he was unfamiliar with the work at first. Then he gradually came to work at 4.30am, 5am, 5.30am, and eventually, he came to work at 8.30am and finished by 10.30am.

The bottomline of the story was: go beyond what your employer expect of you. Do more than what is required.

He came to Singapore end 2007 knowing not a single soul, and started out shooting outdoor. A year later, he acquired a rented studio, but he still shoots outdoor mostly to date.

His image

He is very insightful and sensitive with his words. Like a thoughtful female inside.

And he knew just how others look at him. There was an outing organised just for him. He went. And the crowd was surprised to see how he looked like, because everybody was expecting a tall, blonde, handsome, well-built guy, but he looked every bit a Singaporean guy - short, fat (in his own word), capable of speaking Singlish just like everybody else.

He explained that his ability to converse fluently in Singlish was due to the time spent with Singaporean friends during his overseas studies in Sydney. He spent 12 years in Australia and roots himself in Singapore since 2007 after his brother's death.

He is concerned with even his online image. He would read what he wants to post over and over again, before he actually posts. I guess that really works, because most people who attended the sharing wanted to see him for who he was, and that included me.

His fall-back plan

He shared that he did not have a fall-back plan.

He told his friends he wanted to do family and children portrait, and wanted high-end customers who pay at least $1k for his service. They told him no one had ever done that and it was impossible to survive as a children photographer.

He did it anyway, because he believed that he could do it. And he did.

He shared the drawbacks on having a fall-back plan:

1) When you feel tired and have a shoot the next day, you tell yourself you have a full-time job anyway and don't have to be so hard on yourself.

2) When a client is difficult or unreasonable, you tell yourself you have a full-time job and do not have to take this kinda nonsense.

When you don't have a fall-back plan, you have to make things work, do or die.

How he designed his package

He said he took out whatever he himself didn't like in his package:

1) number of people
2) amount of time

He said he had people asking him how much he charged for extra people and he thought it strange because it does not make a difference how many people there are. He thought about why other photographers do that, and he could only derive at the answer that it was to earn more.

Someone asked how he cut off the time with a client if he does not put a cap to the time spent with a client.

He gave an example: He tells his client,"9am would be too hot for your child. We will start at 8am."

The dense me didn't understand - some people actually don't mind the heat, you know? He elaborated that the customer himself would start asking,"Are you hot? Do you want a drink?" at 9am and beyond, and the child would start to be restless and uncomfortable. The customer would want the photography session to end anyway.

I am not sure if that really would work for me, someone who doesn't talk well.

A People Person

He is very communicative and is very good at linking ideas. He said that he is a people person, and it is easy to see why. He just has this very relaxed and no-intention look about him and his tone when he talks. I don't know how he does it.

He said that he had a friend who told him this,"Every word that comes out of your mouth is negative. Change it."

His take was: if someone bothers to tell you something for your own good, you better shut up and listen.

From then on, he changes his speech, his words and naturally, his thought, eg. instead of using the word 'problems', he uses 'challenges'.

I thought it a wake-up call for me too. I was surprised to hear that from a positive thinker and speaker. How can someone who oozes positivities be someone who spoke negative? Can this be possible?

People Photography

He and another veteran photographer shared that of all photographies, children photography is the hardest.

They cry all the time. Refused to be photographed etc.

I hear that all the time, but haven't tried it yet. Of course, the only ones I take pictures of are my kids and nephews. I cajoled Baby with a tiny teddy and threatened my nephews with 'no play' so that they let me take their pictures. Threatening sure won't work with others' kids. Haha ...

He said that teenagers are the hardest to take pictures of, especially the seventeens, because 'they want to look beautiful, but do not want to talk to you'. I thought,"Isn't that just what they are - want to look beautiful, yet aloof to others outside their world?"

I had a whale of a time listening to the rich experiences and sharing. I was just like a sponge, totally doused, and immersed in an environment I enjoyed.

A five-week babe

A friend gave birth in January and by the time I had the time to visit her, even though she lives in the same vicinity, the baby was already 5 weeks old. Rashes were forming on his cheeks.

I used 'Filter', 'Blur' and 'Suface Blur' (Threshold and Radiant were adjusted to between 20 to 25) to smooth out the skin, and exposed the pictures quite a fair bit as the baby was quite dark-skinned. It's a wonder to us because both his Chinese National parents were fair and were born in the North side of China.

I wished I had the courage to handle the baby. My friend handled and positioned the baby instead.

Princess and the Pea

Isn't she cute?

Had a go at baby photography and find that it's really not easy. I was scared stiff to handle the fragile baby!

The tiny mattresses did not hold well. We had to stuff a stuff toy at the back to prevent the 'mattresses' from tipping over.

It was no doubt fun though, my friend, the baby's mother, was also excited about the baby on the tiny bed and took photos herself.

The bed structure was cumbersome to bring along, but I was sure glad I did.


Was experimenting with the different effects and decided that a diffused glow looks soft.

Having Fun

I am having fun with my strobes.

I dressed Baby up yesterday and got her to take pictures with a tiny bear. She was reluctant to take pictures alone, but was totally herself with her new friend.

Girls love pettiskirts!

Loving it and Hating it

Clubsnap is a local photography forum that offers a wealth of information about cameras and photography.

But often, I wish it can be be friendlier.

I feel that many photographers, professional or not (by 'professional', I mean those who earn a living by photography), are arrogant while others are selfish.

Honestly, it is the most hostile forum I have ever been to.

Any question you ask, in any section, can trigger a verbal war, especially a newbie question like "Which camera should I buy?"

Many will say crap like 'It's not the camera. It's the photographer'.

Then tell me why top photographers use expensive gear, and usually top-of-the-range bodies and lens? Ask them to use a compact digicam lah. Or disposable camera. Even better. It's the photographer, right?

I once stumbled upon a Caucasian photographer's blog and she said that she and her husband, who partnered her in the photography business, started out with a D90. After their business started becoming profitable, they switched to D700. She said that there was no problem shooting with D90, but her clients deserved something better because D700 offered better colour and quality. They were instantly wowed by D700's pictures the moment they saw them.

I trawl through tons of pictures now and then and all the awesome pictures are taken with at least a semi-pro camera like D200 or pro series like Canon Mark I or II. What does that say about the importance of a good camera?

I always try my best to give Coco the best tools in whichever area she needs: the piano for music, the roller-blades for skating, the squrriel-fur brush for painting, the Japanes-brand poster colours, even her colour pencils. I am a firm believer of tools having a significant effect on the product delivered. Having good tools also affects the user's self-esteem and confidence in the related art.

So saying that 'It's the man behind the camera, not the camera itself' is total crap.

Okay, I am still at the first question: Which camera should I buy?

Some forumers try to be helpful and suggest a brand. Then a new war begins: the brand is not important. All brands are good.

Stupid.

How do such answers help a newbie?

Then some will give even worse reply: Don't expect to be spoonfed.

Isn't this supposed to be a forum where people share their knowledge? If people already know the answer, why should they come to the forum at all? Forums are supposed to be great for ready, if not quick, answers.

Many users also like to quote threadstarters or other users out of context and argue non-stop just to show that they are knowledgeable.

Many users are condescending in their replies. Even if they really teach you something, it's like you have to pay with it with your pride by thanking them for an eternity to show how grateful you are and typing out your ignorance as opposed to their infinite wisdom.

I am not sure if this has got to do with it being a male-dominant forum. Singaporebrides and Singaporemotherhood are not like that. You can ask the same question a thousand times and no one will say,"Please do a search on the forum. This question has been asked many times."

If I wanted to do a search, or knew how to search for the information I needed, I wouldn't be here asking a question using a new thread!

Has it to do with men thinking with their certain body part and not brain?

If anything, Clubsnap has shown me the ugly side of men. Most men I know or meet in reality are nice and polite. They help you when you are ignorant about something. They don't laugh at your ignorance and channel their energy to showing how idiotically ignorant you are. They are seldom rude or condescending.

But in Clubsnap, under the cloak of annonymity, many men have manifested their true form - rude, arrogant, unnecessarily proud of dunno what, reluctant to share or help, condescending, ride on knowledge high horse (coined from 'moral high horse').

I am not saying everyone is like that. But the fact that it took me four years to post my first thread tells you how daunting it is to ask a question there. I had tons of questions, but hesitated for so many years before I finally mustered my courage to post it. And true enough, it invited hostility from the unhelpful ones.

Recently, I expressed displeasure over the quality control of my strobes. A user actually 'investigated' the matter by checking out exactly what happened with the company which distributed the strobes, and queried me about the need to clarify the matter further rather than shooting down the brand and run away, when I was not in Singapore at all for just a few days!

I think that's kinda scary. There are two ways to look at it: 1)the person is a die-hard fan of the brand and wants to defend it badly. 2) the person had nothing better to do, got too much free time on his hand and wanted to help the concerned company 'reinstate' their reputation, when nothing tangible is at stake.

If he is doing it for money, I can understand, just like how an online photography shop owner probably did a search for my nick to track down my queries on strobes and answered them accordingly. I can see where he was coming from since there would be money made in his case, if he closed the deal that is. But for someone who is not even an employee of the company to 'investigate' something that is so trivial? I am perplexed to say the least. Shocked even.

Of course, I have learnt alot of things from this forum. If not for this forum, I would still think that modelling lights are continuous lights, only flashlights can flash, and that every flash is directed at the subject's eyes and it will make the subject uncomfortable.

I appreciate the wealth of knowledge it offers and know that whether I like it or not, it will continue to be around for a long time.

There are users who are helpful without being condescending. If only Clubsnap can have a majority of such users, cut out all the 'don't expect to be spoonfed's, then it will be one of the best forums indeed.

First Home Studio Pics

I spent my birthday rushing down to Profoto to check out my faulty light and buying other studio lighting equipment.

The strobe fired the first time, then it stopped working altogether. I concluded that it was faulty. The cracked protective cap of the strobe increased my suspicion that the light was spoilt.

I brought it down to the office at Bishan. After that, I bought a zoom reflector from the office after the technician showed me how the zoom reflector worked. It can help to zoom the light in on the subject or spread the light out from the subject. I bought the older and cheaper model as it was the type that I always saw on brochures. I bought it mainly to cover the strobe light up when using a reflective umbrella. I feel that the light tube may be too bright or glaring for the naked eyes.

After that, I went down to Cathay Photo at Peninsula to buy my sync terminal adaptor, attachment ring and softbox. It was a good thing I googled for alternatives to Pocket Wizard or Phottix Atlas. These radio transmitters would have cost me anything from $300 to $500. For those who are unaware, radio transmitters are devices to synchronise the camera with the strobes so that they fire or flash as the shutter is pressed. Although the strobes came with the sync (synchronisation) cable, I was horrified to realise that my camera did not have a sync cable slot! It did not occur to me that a DSLR would not have it. I had to get something else to sync my camera with the strobes.

There is an alternative called Infrared Red transmitter. However, that would also cost $50 and is not as effective as the radio transmitters. I did not want to spend a $50 on an IR first, then subsequently spend another $300 on a radio transmitter.

I googled hard on the internet for my problem. In the end, I came across a webpage where someone had exactly the same problem with the same camera. I saw the adaptor being mentioned and called Nikon. Unfortunately, the sales guy asked me to go buy a radio transmitter. But fortunately, I searched for the adaptor on Nikon page and found it. I thought really hard on where could possible sell it and 'Cathay' came to mind. That was how I arrived there. I bought the softbox that I was eyeing all the time together.

I got the lights up and running finally. And I also realised that the problem of the light not firing was actually because of the multi-purpose plug that appeared to have a faulty plug.

Only using the softbox on the camera's left

Only using the reflective umbrella on the camera's right

A photo-enthusiast shared with me that a reflective umbrella will allow you to reflect only about 65% of the light back onto the subject.

Using both softbox and umbrella

I bought the backdrop cloth in Malaysia for the short trip I went on. It cost just RM34 (S$13.60) for a 4m x 1.5m.

But I quickly realised why studios use paper backdrops most of the time: cloth creases at the slightest shift.

My studio lights, finally

I bought the strobes!

Profoto Compact 300.

The proprietor was one of the few dealers for Profoto. I had called him a couple of months ago about the lights, but he did not provide me with the correct information. He said that the kit only consisted of the lights and lightstands. Other distributors who were selling it at a higher price included a pair of umbrellas.

I had to think very hard about whether I should buy the kit with the umbrella, or save a couple of hundred bucks for the softboxes.

It took me about two months to finally decide that I could go without the umbrellas. When I called him again at 5.30pm, he listed the items in the kit, and they were exactly what other dealers would have!

I immediately told him I wanted it and got my sister to drive me all the way down to Outram to pick up the set.

The two lights

A strobe with a zoom reflector (the dome-shape disc) and reflective umbrella

Softbox and attachment ring

I almost died fixing the softbox

To insert the metal sticks into the attachment ring, you need to force them in. I didn't know you need to have the make of a bodybuilder or weight-lifter before you can be a studio photographer.

The interior of the softbox

Between Coco and Me

I was trying to create space for my dream home studio.

I deliberated on how to shift the whole living room set-up onto the platform, and Coco was trying to give me some advice.

Me: The TV console is too long for the platform.

Coco: You can move the TV console here (using her hands to draw out the imaginary placement of TV console along the windows).

Ma: Oh ... but I also like the curtains flowing in the wind. If I put the console there, then I will lose the look of the curtains in the wind.

Coco: ... Ma, are you crazy?

A Rudimentary Experience

Riding on the encouragement of at least three persons, today I post the pictures using the newly acquired backdrop system with confidence.

They do have room for lots of improvement where studio photography is concerned, but considering that these are done using just the backdrop and an off-camera flash alone, the laymen find the pictures pleasing to their eyes.

The two rolls of paper backdrop
Setting the first one up

The shots:

Most of the shots are taken using my kit lens so they appear dark. I am still on the lookout for good and relatively affordable strobes. I am sure they will do wonders to the pictures I am going to take.

Backdrop system is here

Today, I moved my piano into the supposedly baby's room - it has a cot, complete with a beautiful Fisher and Price Rainforest hanging mobile, and welcomed my two backdrops and Crossbar system to support the backdrops into my living room.

I must admit I feel a little regretful for wilfully moving the piano into the room because the parquet in the room is ruined. There are lots of wheel marks and dents in the wooden strips. I feel so sorry for the state the flooring is in. I had laid rubber sheets and cardboards on the floor, but unfortunately, they could not save the flooring. The 100kg object made its marks all over it.

The crossbar system is wide. Very wide. I had underestimated the length - I thought it would just be nine feet, but I forgot to include the stands which spread out in three prongs each way!

For some reason, I thought all would be well with the backdrop system and my 'best flash in the market' would suffice. I must admit again that I was disappointed with the pictures. I was hoping to see some professional-looking pictures - I certainly have underestimated the power of strobes. In fact, I am so disappointed I don't feel like uploading the pictures. They are not terrible as per se, I guess I had unrealistic expectations. After all, it's not the backdrop system that makes the difference.

I feel sort of ... sad ... (?) that I had sacrificed the parquet flooring to do something that disappointed me.
When I feel better about it, I'll post up the pics.

Buy buy buy

I have been reading up on strobe lights.

Ever since the workshop guy said that only 600w strobes can fill the entire 4 x 3ft softbox, I have been looking at the different brands that offer 600w lights.

I have 'narrowed' them down to 3: Jinbei, Elinchrome and Profoto.

Jinbei is a China make. But according to the workshop guy, the 600 series is top-of-the-range product and a good imitation of Profoto.

I was advised not to get Elinchrome D-Lite as it is made in India.

Profoto is a tad too pricey I thought. I am not sure if I want to plonk so much money on something that I am not so sure about, especially when I have not even mastered my camera or learnt how my flash works.

I find that once you start buying a DSLR, all of a sudden, your visual world starts to widen as well. You start to be critical of your pictures: want more sharpness, more light, better colours, faster shutter speed, nicer bokeh ... the list goes on. And it doesn't seem to have an end from where it starts.

I am also starting to think about more lens ie. 50mm and 24-70mm.

And a short-range lens like 24-70mm proves to be much more expensive than I thought! $2500 for a lens? That's even more expensive than my camera together with all its freebies and warranty and extended warranty!

Goodness! Now I understand what they mean by 'Buy buy buy' virus once you get into it. For a scrooge like me, spending hundreds on flash, lens and potential thousands on studio lighting equipment? Unthinkable!

Studio Lighting Workshop

I went for a $55 Basic Studio Lightings Introduction Workshop today.

It was all the way at Geylang. Took me 1 h 15 min to get there in the morning. It struck me that I could hop on the Circle Line when the MRT voice-over announced,"Bishan". I got out of the train, had a quick glance at the clock and saw that it was about 9.05am. I thought I would be there at 9.30am. I was even picturing how early I was at the studio and feeling so pleased with myself for being an early bird.

However, when I reached Aljunied, I was shocked to read the time on the clock that it was already 9.40am! And I had just hit the platform!

I had to ask for the direction to the correct bus-stop from the MRT staff.

Then, I alighted a stop early, upon seeing a 7-eleven, since the workshop confirmation email mentioned that I should alight at the stop where there is a 7-eleven and Watson's store.

It turned out that there were quite a few 7-elevens at that stretch of road. So I had to walk in to the nearest 7-eleven to ask if there was a Watson's around.

The staff confirmed that it was 'further down', so I had to take another bus, panicking all the time while waiting for it.

When I finally alighted at my desired stop, I went round those shophouses trying to look for the studio.

My only consolation was I managed to find the studio on the dot!

It was quite a dingy studio, almost like an attic - it really had an attic roof structure, very high ceiling.

However, the session was rather fruitful although I must say I already knew some of the things the guy mentioned since I have been reading up on lighting stuff diligently. The 2 or 3 guys running the studio were very helpful. It was supposed to be a 3-hour workshop but they allowed us to stay back to make loads of enquiries ie. what kinda softbox to buy (the dimension, the brand), what kinda strobes to buy (how many watts for children photography, full-length portraiture, the reliable brands), whether Elinchrom D-Lite series is worth the bucks, what are the alternative cheaper strobes etc.

After all the talk, the studio guys are prepping the place for a practical session

The hair lights

The backlight

Trainees trying out the light meter and adjusting the strobe light knob to suit the metering

Adjusting the softbox - "The subject must stand in the centre of the softbox."

High key with pure white background

High key with played-down white background

Mid-key for a moody feel

Changing the set to a low key setting

"The suit blends into the background."

The problem was solved by using a honeycomb to light up the background

The softbox was shifted in such a way to light up the guy's face on one side only, supposedly for a 'Terminator' feel, but I didn't fancy it.
Overall, I thought the workshop was quite educational. I was glad I didn't buy any lightings without going for a workshop as the lighting kit I was eyeing was, according to the workshop guy, not as great as people make out to be.

At least now I know the dimension and brand of the softbox I want to get ie. 80 x 120cm Photoflex, and 600 watt strobe/s.

I feel that I still have some things to read up on and make comparisons on the product and prices before I make up my mind to invest in a set of system. Already, I am starting to wonder if Nikon had been a good choice after all. I notice that most professional photographers use a Canon, and 5D at that. However, I need to remind myself that the weight was the first thing that mattered to me, and it still matters to me now. D90 was THE camera for me because of its lightweight. Even if I want to change the system, I should wait till I really have a business up and running before I do just that.

I hope that my dream home studio will really come true soon.

Planning for an escape route

Ever since the thought about leaving teaching occurred to me, I have been thinking about what I can do besides teaching.

I made a mental list:

1) Teach at a tuition centre
2) Develop my photography skills, take lessons, hone the skills, and hopefully become a children photographer
3) Become a blogger, as reminded by Coco
What she meant was to make it really public. Monetise it, serve advertisements etc.
(but I'll have to first remove my posts on my marriage first, I think. Too much dirty laundry.)
4) Conduct private tuition

I am really more keen on No. 2 though.

For some strange reason, as much as a technophobic that I am, I get excited about acquiring new gear for photography. Just a few hours ago, I bought a Nikon external flash, SB900, for $650.

In all sanity, I ought to feel my heart ache when I parted with my money for an equipment I am not sure how to use to its fullest advantage, but I actually feel 'fulfilled' when I finally received it in my hands. I have this whimsical feeling about having it now, like I am about to explore the other side of photography ie. flash photography. Somehow, I know I will eventually know how to use it anyway. It's so unlike the 'what if it becomes a white elephant? I am a technophobic you know?' me.

I consider about setting up a home studio. We have the space to create one in the living room, thanks to our ingenuity in deciding to get an Executive Apartment when we first registered for a flat. Of course, William and I fought over whether we should sell the flat to get cash to settle his debts, but I was quite adamant about keeping it so that I could give studio photography a shot. So buying the flash is an essential first step. I wouldn't know what I can achieve if I never buy that flash.

I thought about the possibility of teaching at a tuition centre next January while honing my photography skills at my would-be home studio. I would need some stable income to fund the lightings and the backdrops. I am not sure if that will really happen. I am just brainstorming what I can possibly do if I lose my current job out of my reluctance to live with a miserable grade.

In the past, all these are but luxuries that I should stop at dreaming about. I never thought about quitting teaching no matter how tired I felt. I always thought that teaching was an iron rice bowl until the recent spate of events. I always thought that perhaps one day I might quit, but not in the near future. Suddenly, I find myself thinking about what I can do if I really quit, and how I can get my plans up as quickly as possible since time may be running out for me.

Adding Vignette Easy

I found a quick way to vignette pictures here.

Basically, these are the steps, really simple:

1. Open a picture that you want to add vignette to.
2. Apply the vignette filter to the picture.
Filter >> Distort >> Lens Correction…
3.Mess with the “Amount” and “Midpoint” sliders in the “Vignette” section.
4.Press “OK”, and now you have art!
5. Save the picture under another name so as to keep the original.

I cropped the above picture to remove the unwanted clutter using the 'Crop' tool.

Then I used the the 'Lasso' tool (3rd icon on the left vertical row) to circle the oily and shiny cheeks.

Went to 'Filter' on the horizontal tool bar above, 'Noise', 'Dust and Scratches' to adjust how much I want to blend the skin tone and thus removing the shine.

After that, I added in the vignette as above.

Ta-dah! A technophobic at work with Photoshop!