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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

Read more

Street Photo - Shadow Walker

Shadow Walker

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

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.

Read more

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.

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.