Sunday, November 16, 2014

Kodak Single Use Camera + Street Photo


Some time in mid October, I bought this Kodak single-use camera a.k.a. disposable camera at a neighborhood photo lab for $15.90SGD. I got an interesting and fun idea about using this type of camera, which I would not talk about it yet on this blog today. What I want is to share with you readers some of the "I-considered-good" street photographs I took using this camera. The photos will be posted here on this blog every Sunday morning 9:00AM (SGT).

Not in black and white but in color. So make the jump to see the first photo post.

Street Photos Published On Magazine

Excerpt from Inspired Eye eZine
A few moments ago I received an email from Inspired Eye in which I was notified that my street photos were selected and published in their magazine Issue #15 under Inspired Readers gallery section.

Two out of the three street photos I submitted are published as seen on the excerpt above. This is the one they did not select which I believe they found the above two photos have stronger visual impact. I wouldn't agree more.

It's always great to see my work published on foreign magazines. Inspired Eye is a monthly magazine on Street Photography, with subscription fee at a reasonable $4.95USD. I was surprised that they did include URLs to respective readers' photography website, perhaps as a token of appreciation for photo submission. It's great and helpful in drawing more traffic to my website.

Monday, October 20, 2014

Black and White Photo Challenge
Day #5
Mirror Selfies
Nominated by Jeff Foto to post a B&W photo for 5 days and to nominate a different person to do so for the next 5 days.

On this last day of the photo challenge, I nominate Luke Yeo to take up this photo challenge where he will post one B&W photo each day for the next 5 days. Over to you, Luke! May the Force be with you.

Photo info:
Accidentally discovered this elevator with mirrors on all sides except the elevator slide doors. I'm always drawn to the symmetrical patterns created by the stacked mirror reflections. At that point of time when I entered the elevator, I already knew what I wanted to capture. I took out my swing lens camera, Horizon Perfekt with a fixated wide angle lens of 28mm that covers 45° view angle top and bottom and a 120° horiontal swing, which is enough to capture this panoramic photo on Kodak Tri-X 400.

Sunday, October 19, 2014

Black and White Photo Challenge
Day #4

Nominated by Jeff Foto to post a B&W photo for 5 days and to nominate a different person to do so for the next 5 days.

It's 4th Day today. I nominate Jonathan Danker to take up this photo challenge where he will post one B&W photo each day for the next 5 days. Over to you, Jonathan!

Photo info:
All elements in this photo came together perfectly at the right place and at the right time. Elements of different shapes and sizes consist of the red circular board on top, rectangular white board, four triangular shapes formed by the subject's arms and the two biker's right legs (both in same pedaling position, forming a symmetrical pattern) and lastly the four circular wheels of the two bicycles. In fact, there are additional shapes formed by the tiles on the ground.

Nikon D70s on Tamron 17-35mm @ 24mm (36mm) | f/11.0 1/250 sec | ISO 400 Daylight WB Center-weigh metering | Post-processed in Photoshop.

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Black and White Photo Challenge
Day #3
Asian Mohawk
Nominated by Jeff Foto to post a B&W photo for 5 days and to nominate a different person to do so for the next 5 days.

On this 3rd Day of the photo challenge I nominate Robin Chua to take up this photo challenge where he will post one B&W photo each day for the next 5 days. Robin, over to you!

Photo info:
This Asian Mohawk guy was so engrossed in his phone conversation that he didn't realize I was taking his picture but his bespectacled friend behind him obviously knew. I didn't make any eye contact right after the shot and I just walked on. This is one of the techniques which I apply most of the time when I'm doing street phoyography.

Nikon D70s on Tamron 17-35mm @ 35mm (52mm) | f/10.0 1/250 sec E.V. +0.3 | ISO 400 Daylight WB Spot metering | Post-processed in Photoshop.

Friday, October 17, 2014

Black and White Photo Challenge
Day #2
Card Game
I have been nominated by Jeff Foto to post a B&W photo for 5 days and to nominate a different person to do so for the next 5 days.

It's Day 2 and I nominate my friend, Lee Chin Sheng to take up this photo challenge where he will post one B&W photo each day for the next 5 days. Over to you, Lee!

Photo info:
I was walking along Chinatown's flea market towards the famous Sri Mariamman Temple when I saw these two young Caucasian children playing card game, in contrast with that Indian gentleman sitting behind them on higher steps. Well, nothing peculiar but I just found it interesting to snap it.

Nikon D70s on Tamron 17-35mm @ 35mm (52mm) | f/7.1 1/250 sec E.V. +0.3 | ISO 400 Daylight WB Spot metering | Post-processed in Photoshop.

Thursday, October 16, 2014

Black and White Photo Challenge
Day #1
Walking On By
I have been nominated by Jeff Foto to post a B&W photo for 5 days and to nominate a different person to do so for the next 5 days.

So on Day 1 I nominate Arron Teo to take up this photo challenge where he will post one B&W photo each day for the next 5 days. Over to you, Arron!

Photo info:
I was trying flashlight street photography in Little India. Well not really Bruce Gilden's shooting style which can be intrusive. OK I saw this old man with white beard walking on by. I couldn't resist to take photo of him but I took just one single shot with my Nikon D70s on Tamron 17-35mm @ 35mm (52mm) with SC29 sync cable connected to a Nikon SB-800 Speedlight, fired at 1/4 power. Black and white conversion in Photoshop with those usual Dodge and Burn darkroom techniques to enhance the photo.

It was fun shooting flashlight in the street and perhaps some day I should really try shooting like Bruce Gilden but in a different way or approach.

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Black and White Photo Challenge


This morning I received a nomination call from a friend on Facebook for a 5-day Black and White Photo Challenge i.e. I will take and post one black and white photo per day for 5 days consecutively. I also get to nominate a different person each day to this photo challenge. How interesting!

I'm taking up this challenge starting tomorrow and I will post the photos here and on Facebook. So do come back here to check out my photos. Cheers!

Sunday, October 12, 2014

Photo Printing with Canon SELPHY!

Canon Selphy C910
Last week I went online shopping at Qoo10.sg for this portable printer Canon Selphy C910 bundled with 2 packs of 4' x 6' size (100mm x 148mm) photo paper, all for just under SGD$235. Good bargain right? Yes indeed it was. The retail price for the printer is SGD$179. Each pack of photo paper costs SGD$42.90, two packs cost SGD$85.80. Total cost is SGD$264.80. I saved about 30 bucks!

This afternoon I had a wonderful time printing some of my favorite street photos. Well, I did a few rounds of test printing where some slight adjustments on Photoshop for more contrast and brightness. Below are the black and white prints I made.


Photo printing is part of the creative process in photography. It's the final product which photographer is able to judge and evaluate how good their photography and/or Photoshop skills are. These prints do not have to be perfect in tonalities but truly serve as visual reference for editing and layout, in preparation for a photo book.

Talking about making a photo book, I am planning to do so for my street photographs as well as for my night photography. I believe both projects will take up lots of my time and require my full commitment and concentration. Photo editing is a skill which curating, editing and sequencing photographs to better communicate the photographer's project intentions and narratives, or as a mean to refine their personal photographic voices.

It's a skill that can be learnt but self-editing is a great challenge for me with which I have yet to learn and develop. With that said, I need a huge body of work in order to begin. Approximately a range of 30 - 50 photographs or even more. Only when editing work is completed, should I consider seeking the right vendor to print and make them into photo books. In turn, these photo books serve as my personal portfolio which I can present to book publishers or gallery curators. Well, I wouldn't take any huge steps for the time being, but small steps instead for steady progression.

Until then, I would carry on doing more street photography with this photo book project in mind. Thank you for reading. I hope you have your own photo book project too or may be considering doing one for yourself. It'd be great if you already have one or more to share with our readers here. Just leave your comments below with links to your work or website. Cheers!

Street Photo - Inversion

Inversion
Water reflections are pretty common in street photography and to take really good and interesting shots is a great challenge for most street photographers. It's all boiled down to the photographer's perspective, composition, and patience for the right subject to appear at the right time at the right spot. In addition, creativity plays an important part too. Instead of showing the upright image, inverting the photo can present a whole new perception with a little surrealism.


Sunday, October 5, 2014

Street Photo - Shadow Walker

Shadow Walker
Vivitar PN2011 on Kodak Portra 400. black and white conversion in Photoshop without crop.

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Pano-Street Photo: I WAS HERE

Click on image to enlarge.
I WAS HERE. Or rather I was there at the Singapore Art Museum in 2006 when I took this panorama shot using a vintage Russian made swing-lens panorama camera, Horizon 202 - the predecessor to my modern Horizon Perfekt. I do not own the Horizon 202 which belongs to a friend who is kind enough to let me played with it.

Read more after the jump.

Sunday, September 21, 2014

Street Photo - Sidewalk

Sidewalk
I was taking shelter at this location when it was raining. After some time, it drizzled and many folks walked past along this sidewalk or pavement with umbrellas. I took many shots of them and after some editing, I find this particular shot more outstanding than the rest.

Look closely and carefully for the shape of the umbrella in comparison with the curved white painted arrow on the road. That's it! Just these two simple shapes that are not related but somehow, to me, makes this street photo a little more interesting than just merely a mundane shot. Yes it's subtle. That's how I tried to connect them together.

Photo info:
Seagull 205 RF on FujiFilm Neopan 400. Developed in 1:1 Kodak D76 for 500 seconds and scanned on Epson V700 with minor contrast adjustment in post.

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Street Photo - Seeing is Believing

Seeing is Believing
Seagull 205 RF on Kodak Tri-X 400. Developed in 1:1 Kodak D76 for 500 seconds and scanned on Epson V700 with minor contrast adjustment in post.

Tuesday, September 9, 2014

Finding Vivian Maier At A Design Film Festival 2014


Last week I got the chance to watch the documentary film Finding Vivian Maier at the local A Design Film Festival 2014. ADFF was conceived in 2010 as a film festival dedicated to architecture, fashion, photography, street art, motion graphics, technology and the subcultures of design.

More after the jump.

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Street Photo - Undercover

Undercover
Seagull 205 RF on Kodak Tri-X 400. Developed in 1:1 Kodak D76 for 500 seconds and scanned on Epson V700 with minor contrast adjustment in post.

Sunday, August 31, 2014

Street Photo - In-grown

In-grown
After all these months of posting my street photographs in black and white, this week a color street photo is featured.

I came across this in-grown plant that grows right out of a concrete wall covered with algae. It must have been there for many years as its leaves are richly green and part of its roots is growing outwards hanging by the wall. It shows the power of Mother Nature. Look at how tough this plant is and they are capable of growing out from any surface of the Earth.

I approached this plant with a fine-art style of shooting and by showing the plant and the so-called decayed wall and surface textures, and a small patch of grasses, I want to show the living condition that supports its growth as well as a sense of scale.

Street photography doesn't necessarily involves human subjects, architectural buildings a.k.a. concrete jungle, still found objects, etc etc. It involves landscape as well. As a usual practice, I converted this color image into black and white with added warm tone. In some sense, warm toned images have this 3-dimensional effect on them. It works well on this image too.

In-grown (warm toned)
Samsung S3 on default mode except WB set to Daylight. All post-production processed in Snapseed.

Before I made the above image, I visited this place at night a day before and made a few exposures with my Nikon D70s. Below is the edited one.

In-grown (at night)
Nikon D70s on Tamron 17-35mm @ 24mm f/3.5 1/2 sec E.V. +5.0 AWB ISO 1600 Center-weigh Metering.
This shot was exposed for half a second handheld, hence it looks slightly blur which has this soft painting effect but flat without shadows. I would have mounted my camera on a tripod and do some light-paintings but it's best to make the shot under natural ambiance lighting. Personally I prefer the warm toned version shown above. However the main purpose of showing these images is to explore with different lighting condition at different time of the day and see which works well.

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Street Photo - Wonderful Childhood

Wonderful Childhood
A mother and her child are seen here in this street photo, walking down the stairs. I first noticed the little kid's printed T-shirts followed by that robot toy he was holding. I don't see many kids these days holding their favorite toys while,they are outdoors, not to mention playing with them. I can say this was a rare scenery. Look at their hands. The mother was holding her child's hand so tightly as they walked down the steep stairs. I guess the kid is about 8 or 9 years old. Or even 10. I'm sure he can walk down the stairs all by himself, couldn't he? It goes to show and proves how much the child's mother loves her child and pampers him with toys.

I was standing right at the foot of the stairs when I saw them walking down. As my camera has had set accordingly and pre-focused, I quickly turned towards them and took the shot. By then they were quite close to me. One moment, one shot and I nailed it down. Lucky shot? Yes it was.

Seagull 205 RF on Fuji Neopan 400. Developed in 1:1 Kodak D76 for 500 seconds and scanned on Epson V700 with minor contrast adjustment in post.

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Street Photo - On Reading

On Reading
Seagull 205 RF on Fuji Neopan 400. Developed in 1:1 Kodak D76 for 500 seconds and scanned on Epson V700 with minor contrast adjustment in post.

Sunday, August 10, 2014

Street Photo - Personal Hygiene

Personal Hygiene
Seagull 205 RF on Fuji Neopan 400. Developed in 1:1 Kodak D76 for 500 seconds and scanned on Epson V700 with minor contrast adjustment in post.

Sunday, August 3, 2014

Street Photo - Suspicion

Suspicion
Seagull 205 RF on Fuji Neopan 400. Developed in 1:1 Kodak D76 for 500 seconds and scanned on Epson V700 with minor contrast adjustment in post.

Sunday, July 27, 2014

Street Photo - Artist At Work

Artist At Work
Seagull 205 RF on Fuji Neopan 400. Developed in 1:1 Kodak D76 for 500 seconds and scanned on Epson V700 with minor contrast adjustment in post.

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Street Photo - Rodeo Shopping Time

Rodeo Shopping Time
Seagull 205 RF on Kodak Tri-X 400. Developed in 1:1 Kodak D76 for 500 seconds and scanned on Epson V700 with minor contrast adjustment in post.

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Street Photo - Hoody Lady

Hoody Lady
It was mid day sun as I walked around this busy street in downtown area, keeping a constant look out for interesting characters. As I was walking towards the bus stop, I saw this old lady with her head covered with a floral patterns scarf. She kept her head low with her eyes fixated on the ground and walked at a slow pace, which allowed me to have enough time to halt, lift up my camera to focus and click on the shutter.

Here I used the Sunny 16 rule i.e. aperture set to f/16 at 1/300 seconds which is Seagull 205 rangefinder camera maximum shutter speed. As i was shooting on black and white film and with the super hot and strong sunlight, f/16 is good enough to expose for the shadows. During the film processing, I was able to control on the highlights development. So in this street photo, the old lady's face is still visible with enough shadow details, especially on her eyes.

I was focusing on her alone and after I scanned the negatives, I noticed the word "WANTED" on the bus stop advertisement panel in the background. Somehow the subject in this photo can be misinterpreted as a "fugitive". Well all by accident. I didn't notice the bus ad when I took the shot. If I knew, I would have changed my position and perspective where the subject's body shape would cover most part of the bus ad leaving the headline "WANTED" right on top. That might make this street photo more interesting and humorous, I hope.

Photo info:
Seagull 205 RF on Kodak Tri-X 400. Developed in 1:1 Kodak D76 for 500 seconds and scanned on Epson V700 with minor contrast adjustment in post.

Sunday, July 6, 2014

Street Photo - Shadow Shifter

Shadow Shifter
Seagull 205 RF on Kodak Tri-X 400. Developed in 1:1 Kodak D76 for 500 seconds and scanned on Epson V700 with minor contrast adjustment in post.