Picturesque: Blog

A Son’s Photo Journal of His Aging Father

Fri, 15 Oct 2010 00:10:23 +0800

Great photographs do not need to be complicated, it does not always require a deep philosophy or a complex idea; before it could be worthy for capture.

It just needs a heart.

Days With My Father, is a photo documentary by Phillip Toledano where he “records his father’s final years with unflinching honesty and a sense of humor”; as what TIME magazine would commend it.

Let the photographs speak for themselves to see if they are right. I was so touched by it myself that it made me update this blog of mine after a long while.

Click here for TIME magazine’s

Click here for the original website

A day with a photojournalist

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 00:28:59 +0800

This is Jonathan Yeap, a photographer whom I met briefly for a few hours in a work shadowing programme organized by Lian He Zao Bao’s Student Correspondent Photographers’ committee.

Hoped to gain some experience by trying to tag along side by side with a local media photojournalist, but Jonathan was right when he told me, “Wrong event to shadow, man....” Indeed,the assignment we were covering was slow, calm and expectant. Didn’t really gain much out of the shoot.

But it was really worthwhile to meet a photographer like him, who is as excited about photojournalism as I am. It was a joy talking to him and asking him about work life as a photojournalist in the local news media. It seems like the challenges he faces each day as a photojournalist at work is almost the same as the challenges I face when I shoot for citynews.

The challenge of trying to capture enough relevant shots that are print-worthy is constantly pounding in every photographers’ head. Sometimes, even the writers themselves do not have a picture that they want in mind and we as photographers have to make smart decisions in our choice of shots. We are always constantly asking this question, “If there’s one photo that would speak of the entire event, what would that photo be?”

The next day I went to purchase a copy of Lian He Zao Bao to look for the article photo posted and compared it with my shots. The shots I took were quite similar I must say.

Hope to work with him again by any chance. You can view Jonathan Yeap’s works at http://www.jonyeap.com/ , you’ll see a different side of him out of his working life.

The Asia Conference Experience

Tue, 1 Jun 2010 01:49:13 +0800

Shooting for a wedding or an event takes no effort at times when you’re shooting alone. The concept is simple; compose and take good photographs and hand it to your clients.

But when you’re shooting for a large conference such as Asia Conference, it takes one to be more than just a photographer responsible of taking photos. Spanning a period of 5 days, you need more than just 1 photographer to cover an event that has 14 mains sessions and 6 workshops. You need a team!

I am blogging this to share my thoughts and experiences that I have taken from this 5-day long huge conference that involves more than 50,000 people. First of all I am deeply honored to be able to take part in this event as a photographer. Though my main responsibility is to take effective pictures to publish it to the media for the masses to see, I would say that much more effort is being done at the backend rather than the frontline. In order for photos to take into effect, there are a lot of processes in between the time when the photographer snaps the photo and the time when the photos are published. Here are some learning points I’ve learnt in this conference:

Teamwork:
Face it, shooting in an expo hall requires more than just a photographer. There are more things happening beyond the stage in order to capture a complete story of the happenings in a main session. Crowd shots are needed to document the attendance of the conference. Expressions of the audiences have to be taken down to show engagement and not forgetting the activities that are happening on the stage itself. Unless you’re omnipotent, it is not possible for you to be shooting the pyrotechnics and then be shooting close-ups of the performances on stage. Team work is important if you need to get the job done; team work happens when each and everyone knows what types of photos they are suppose to cover. Trust in your fellow crew members is equally important so that you’ll have an ease of mind while shooting.

Proper Workflow:
The data flow of digital images is the core backbone of the entire photography system. Once a bottleneck at a certain point of transfer happens it is most likely that the photos will be delayed and publishing becomes difficult. Hence it is important to have a proper storage and filing system that is straight forward and organized. It is useless to take the best photos and have them uploaded all over the place in your hard drive. Besides hundreds of photos are churned out after every session and it is essential to have a proper filing system so that you can find any specific photo you need anytime.

Effective Communication and People Handling:
Taking photos is one thing, being able to handle a team of photographers well is another. Ultimately, the photos are shot by people and they need to be properly managed and well taken care of. That means they need rest and most importantly their welfare is being taken care of. Communication skills must be clear and concise; people know what to do and they do not do it wrong. Having a good skill knowledge on photography is not enough, one needs to be able to think ahead and have good situational awareness because anything can happen in the conference and by missing the moment could mean that you’ve missed a very important shot. Ultimately people needs to feel appreciated for their effort and time taken to be shooting for you.

I hereby want to thank all the photographers who gave their time and effort to cover this huge event. I want to thank all for the early mornings and late nights, the effort you made in every shot. You were the difference that made the photography crew as who we are today.

You can view our works here at this website.

Photojournalism: Simple yet Difficult

Fri, 21 May 2010 16:10:40 +0800

The latest violence in Thailand had recently came to a temporary conclusion with the Red Shirts protesters being dispersed out of their encampment by the government who is trying to regain stability in the kingdom.

But this is not my main talking point. The reason why we are kept aware and knowing of the happenings of Thailand is because of the international media’s ability to broadcast news to other nations. The media plays a very big part in being the informant of world.

Photojournalism is one of them.

Here is a look at a documentation of the situation in Thailand by one of the greatest documentary photographers to date, James Nachtwey.

View the photos here and here.

Look at how close James Natchtwey engages his subjects, giving the viewer a sense of a first-person experience in his photos. In my own opinion, it is was almost as though I was in the midst of the fight. This is what photojournalism can do, being able to document and use images to invoke reactions and opinions to the masses. It has so much potential that governments try to regulate them, using it to their benefit.

Photojournalism unlike other forms of photography is raw and direct. You’ll see that the images are seldom or even not at all manipulated digitally. It is taken as it is, printed and published straight into the newspapers. Even in terms of composition, the photographer is very careful in choosing his subjects to take, how he angles and frames his images. I have even heard that photographers try to refrain from using wide lens so that they do not distort reality in their images. That is why 35mm or 50mm lens and above are preferred.

And the best part about photojournalism is that you do not need any pre-requisites to start out. Just step out of your house and start taking pictures to document almost anything you want, be it the happenings in the morning of your neighborhood or even document night life in the busy streets of town areas. If you are a person who loves to capture moments of birthday parties, weddings or even simple outings with friends. Try to do something different by observing your surroundings around and try to come up with more interesting subjects to capture a better essence of what’s happening. It is that simple.

Here is the hard part, anyone can take a picture, but not everyone can take an effective picture. So do not be dismayed if your photos do not end up the way you want them to be, just take it as a form of practice. Who knows one day you’ll end up documenting in the front lines of a conflict zone?

Happy Shooting!

Malacca

Fri, 14 May 2010 17:40:31 +0800

These photos are long overdued since my trip to Malacca last year. Didn’t had time to look through them in a proper manner till now. What I really loved about the place was its laid back lifestyle, old architecture, friendly people and of course not forgetting the great food they serve.

Selected some photos which I think are more memorable to me. I wonder if the pictures would speak the same to you too but if it doesn’t, it means I have more to work on.

The photo above was the only photo that I’ve deliberately edited and pieced out of 6 photos. The gated doors were the first things I noticed when I was strolling along the streets of malacca. Each and every door seemed to have it’s own characteristic and appeal which left me wondering what lies behind each and every door I came across.

The Power of a Photograph

Tue, 11 May 2010 15:54:35 +0800

“Images themselves don’t change the world...Images have provoked reactions in people and those reactions have caused change to happen.”

“We bring to each image our own values, our own beliefs systems and as a result, the image resides in us...”

-Jonathan Klein

I want to create that image that provokes....

Film: Not Necessarily a Secondary Option

Sat, 8 May 2010 23:56:33 +0800

I am finally done with my exams and its time to post. =)

Lately, the thought of using film to take photos has been fleeting across my mind. Very tempting...

When you start to open your eyes to explore what photography as a medium can do in expression and in the realm of creativity, you’ll start to see the various options it provides to express creativity and thoughts. I used to think that digital photography was the only way to go in the 21st century and that film is starting to fade away as an inferior medium. My friend, Shawn who is a film fanatic used to convince me to show how awesome film can get. But of course his words didn’t change my opinions on film. Until when I had experience it myself.

Sometimes, it doesn’t take a person to change your opinions. It takes experience to let one change his mindset.

Chanced upon an interesting type of film a week ago that set me thinking. Fade to Black Film is a type of film that fades after that film is exposed to light. Shortly after taking the photo, it drifts through different colour schemes before it finally fades to black after 24-hours. Wow, a photo that will never remain constant but fades into darkness. Here are some examples taken from this website.

Got to get one of these....

Thu, 8 Apr 2010 11:41:15 +0800

Think the beige color looks more exciting than the black one. But I am wondering if the beige color fits my style and matches my clothing. Camera bags should look trendy too. I am quite tired of bringing the same old boring black bag. It’s looks too squarish and dull, furthermore it does not have the capacity to store my bible and my notes. Whenever I need to bring my camera I have to tug along another bag to place my notes to school or to church. Ugh, it seems to me that I keep bringing alot of heavy and bulky things.

Saw a few of these models of herringbone bags at cathay photo. Oh man! So going to get one of these!

How to Capture Street Portraits: Learn from a packet of Muah Chee

Fri, 2 Apr 2010 01:27:01 +0800

Had a craving for Muah Chee a few days ago and I went to the nearest stall to get them for gastronomical pleasure. Memories started to bring me back to the time when I met a young girl selling muah chee in the streets of Malacca. She caught my attention as I noticed her shouting to the passerbys to buy her Muah Chee. It was a rare sight for me as a Singaporean to see a young girl mending a Muah Chee stall by herself at such an age. Children in Singapore are pretty much pampered nowadays as they have the luxury of time to have fun and isolate themselves from work life. Here this young girl was trying to make a living by selling Muah Chee.

So I decided to take a photo of her and the stall along the street:

The Post to Address Them All: Getting the Best Camera

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 01:18:27 +0800

Many of my friends who are thinking of buying or upgrading to a new camera always ask me these questions,

“What is the best camera to get?”

“Should I get a DSLR?”

“What lens should I buy?”

“Nikon or Canon?”

Bla bla bla..and the list goes on...

I have known of friends who go into depression by just making a decision on what camera to buy. I’ve seen people in forums switching between camera brands like they are changing their clothing's. It’s not common to hear about the “BBB” Syndrome in Singapore where photo enthusiast are “Buying Buying and Buying” camera equipment; thinking that by pocketing that one lens would assure them a better photo.

Here’s the truth: Getting better equipment doesn’t improve the quality of your pictures. Spend time and effort on thinking how to create better images than to ponder what kind of cameras to get.

Now it is of no surprise that a good amount of photo enthusiast could not phantom this fact. “Doesn’t resolution play a part in image quality? What about Dynamic range? It makes a photo look more vibrant doesn’t it?”

Look, legendary photographers like Ansel Adams who produced tones of magnificent landscape photographs did not have to worry about HDR. Well known sociologist and photographer Lewis Hine did not mind the slow equipments that he had to make do with then and still could produce powerful photos to alert his society about abuse in child labour.

Better cameras don’t make better pictures, they just makes things easier for us to achieve that image we want to make.

Renowned online reviewer Ken Rockwell who earns his living by reviewing camera equipments does not mind hurting his readers’ feelings (and his income) by posting THIS. Chase Jarvis, a professional commercial photographer, took pains to publish a book that displays awesome photos taken by just using an iPhone. That proves to show one thing, you don’t really have to spend big bucks on big cameras to get wonderful pictures! Composing a good photo needs to be developed in the mind and changing the way of seeing things. Taking photos is suppose to be enjoyable and purposeful. But of course, it doesn’t mean that heavy equipments such as DSLR and Medium formats should be thrown off the shelves. What I do suggest is that we should put hold that thought of buying the new camera for a moment and start to think what kind of photos you want to take.

So in closing, a few takeaways for photo enthusiasts who are looking for a new camera:

Work within your budget, do not overspend on what you’ve intended. A compact camera under $200 could well be a pretty decent equipment to take some impressive pictures.
Even if you have loads of cash, don’t go into a buying frenzy, because you’ll be overwhelm by all the equipments you own. Instead make do with one lens if you’re buying a DSLR, start taking pictures and get use to it.
DSLR is not a must if you want to take nice photos. DSLR only makes the photographer’s work easier in getting their pictures taken. They are normally recommended when you need to often take on situationally demanding assignments which require fast reflexes or under low lighting such as sports, concerts or photojournalism.
The money saved from not buying a $1000 DSLR could well be spent on a good holiday or a short backpack trip in south east asia. Where you get to experience different cultures and have more opportunities to grab nice photos. What’s more you pocket not only photos but also a whole lot of great experiences with the world out there. Alternatively you could spend the extra cash by signing up for basic photography courses to get your fundamentals right and beef up your skills. Courses such as THIS could get you involve with professionals who are capable of mentoring you. What’s more, you’ll get to meet up with like minded photo enthusiast whom you can share and learn from.
I know this could sound extreme to some. But to some serious photo enthusiasts out there who really want to seek to improvements in photography: Don’t buy a DSLR...Start with film! It trains you to really think about your shots before you decide to press down that shutter button!

Forget Me Not

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 02:20:17 +0800

Lower Pierce Reservoir

Tue, 23 Feb 2010 23:49:41 +0800

On Assignment: Terence & Cheryl

Wed, 17 Feb 2010 15:25:06 +0800

Lately I’ve been engaged on paid shoots and freelance assignments. It’s been a busy week trying to sort out the photos and edit them for clients and for citynews. This was one difficult assignment not because it was challenging in terms of photography but because I was sick. It’s tough to stay alert to think and shoot. But at least I managed to pull through for the entire day.

This assignment was a little different from my previous assignments because I was given the chance to take some posed outdoor shots as the videographer wanted to do a shoot for the wedding video. It was an eye opener for me because the videographer was experienced, he did most of the posing for me. He taught me where to place my subjects and he taught me how to engage the bride and groom in conversation. This shoot was worth more than what I was getting for photography fees.

Never had I got the chance to have so much time to do up a good shoot where I can pose my subjects. It was a mark of a breakthrough again. If I could have more freedom to express myself, more space and ability to compose my pictures in which ever way I want. Maybe it’s time I should veer away from situational photography and into themed photography whereby I am free to compose a set of pictures which I can express myself and not base my composition on client’s requirements. For example like the set of pictures I took at Jalan Alor or even better.

I guess it’s about time I should find a mentor or even mentors to guide me in these areas of photography work.

ONE.ONE

Sat, 6 Feb 2010 02:33:41 +0800

Thank you all who came and supported the exhibition. Nothing feels as good as having your photos framed up and exhibited for the public to see. It was surely a worthy experience to be able to work with photo enthusiast and professionals. Hope to experience it again sometime soon.

Well for those who are reading and dreaming about taking great pictures of your own. It’s a jolly good time to start being active and get yourself trained up and gain invaluable learning experiences from photography courses. Just start somewhere , even if it means getting yourself familiar with your camera first, it’ll be a good start to even sign up for a basic photography course. In early March, my teacher, Jim Orca will be conducting a basic photography course for photo enthusiast. Get up and out to start shooting regularly and you’ll soon find yourself falling in love with taking pictures.

For more upcoming courses conducted by Jim Orca, visit, www.wowfotogallery.blogspot.com

Time to get yourself off that chair

Mon, 25 Jan 2010 23:25:35 +0800

This is my second attempt on architecture photography. Architecture photography was never my forte, I do not know if this picture meets the aesthetic requirements of architecture photography. But I do like the reflections and lines present on the exterior structure of ION Orchard.

I’ve been moving around with my camera tugged along with me lately. And so far I’ve been pretty satisfied with this habit lately. Chase Jarvis once said this, “Beautiful photographs are everywhere, right here right now, there are at least 10 nice pictures around you.” He encourages practice, he encourages people to keep seeing and snapping in order to train oneself to be sharp and intuitive when a great picture was to come by. We just need to get off our chairs and stop reading forums and ogling at other people’s photos. It’s about time we make some photos ourselves.

I did not even plan to come to take pictures in orchard road. I just happen to pass by the place after a photography assignment with citynews. But one thing I planned was to constantly keep an open eye to seek for a nice shot everywhere I go and I happen to find it at the most unexpected moment.

“When ONE seeks, ONE will find”

First Group Exhibition: ONE.ONE

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 03:07:51 +0800

I am so excited to announce my first upcoming exhibition that will be held at City College Gallery!

ONE.ONE comprises of photographs taken by a group of individuals who were in search of a fresh perspective & expression of their new found hobby, photography. Over a period of 4 days, these people explored the streets of Malacca and Kuala Lumpur in search of things that were once passed by so conveniently in our lives.

This trip really opened my eyes and taught me that buying new gear doesn’t mean it would improve my photography. Photography is a way of seeing and if you want to take better pictures, just keep shooting. When ONE seeks, ONE will find. Make painful errors and learn from them, keep seeking and taking till you get it right. Almost all of my pictures are taken using just one zoom lens and one DSLR body. I really hope that I can have a chance to go for another such trips some day with Jim. He’s such a good teacher. I’ve really learnt numerous lessons from him, just by learning how he sees things and compose them. It’s really nice to have him around. Thank you Jim! This exhibition’s impossible without you!

Photography requires hard work and you can never escape from this fact.

The Big Day

Sat, 23 Jan 2010 02:03:38 +0800

It’s great to be able to be equipped with photography knowledge and experience to be able to document a time like this. I can’t put myself to imagine that in a few years ahead, I might most probably be helping my closest friends in documenting their wedding day. Being able to capture a frame-worthy picture that would be placed on people’s desk for a long time to come, that’s so exciting!

That’s why I find photography so rewarding, to be able to take pictures for people to keep as memories that would only happen once in their life. It was one of my very first reasons why I started picking up a camera and kept snapping until now.

What is your reason for taking pictures? Maybe it’s about time that we should put our cameras down and start to ponder about our purposes of finding that “perfect picture”.

I was editing wedding photos to upload into my portfolio. As I began to plow through numerous photos to select, I chanced upon this photo. It dawned upon me that someday I might be walking on a similar walkway, saying my vows and dedicating my life to the girl I love. But until then, I know that I am not even ready to be in a relationship, let alone getting married.

A Travel Documentation of Jalan Alor

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 18:40:03 +0800

This was my first attempt at shooting with a proper theme in mind. Usually I would just wonder aimlessly to shoot at anything I see. I would end up with photos that don’t mean anything to me most of the time. But it was different this time when I was touring in Kuala Lumpur.

It started to rain when I was dining at the street of Jalan Alor. A famous place for outdoor local dining, business was affected whenever the rain comes. People started to open their umbrellas, customers were caught unaware, they carried their unfinished delicacies and headed into the stores for shelter. Tables got wet with rain, hawkers folded their arms in despair.

Suddenly, what seemed a plain street became one with so much life and activity to me.

Hence I decided to document down the event happening at Jalan Alor when the rain comes.

Do take a look at the photos here.

More About This Site

Mon, 11 Jan 2010 12:43:35 +0800

To the visitors and readers of this website,

For a start I guess it’ll be appropriate if I give a short introduction of myself and this website.

Basically I am just a person who likes to travel, meet new people and take photos. I fell in love with photography when I was 14. Started out with my first digital camera, a Sony-P2 to just take photos of my friends whenever we hung out together. My love for the medium soon grew stronger and I started to often go on strolls to just take photos.

Right now I am still searching opportunities where I can continue to practice to take more photographs and explore my creativity. That’s why I am currently taking freelance photography jobs and I take on assignments as a student correspondent photographer once in a while. But what’s the use if I take photos and nobody sees them to critique them? Inspired by Chase Jarvis, I’ve decided to create this website with a blog so that I can “create-share-sustain”, or even better, “create-share-improve-create”.

Ultimately, I hope to get feedback from readers (if any) on my photos to see if I can improve on them. So, feel free to look at my freelance works on the “portfolio” section if you wish to seek for my photography services. Freelancing is just a way to get by my spare time to earn extra cash. The real deal’s at the “picturesque” and “blog” sections, where I share more about my views on photography, photos and inspirations.

Do remember to drop a message before you leave!

-Sen

Lessons from Photography

Thu, 7 Jan 2010 21:13:54 +0800

Throughout my 7 years of pursuit in photography, I realized that I’ve learnt so much more about the medium for the past 1 year than the previous 6. This shot which was taken just last month in Malacca taught me the art of patience, communication and connection. I forgot how this uncle and I started a conversation but what I remembered was that we had an interesting chat about his work and profession as a goldsmith.

This picture immediately brings back memories of the short relationship I had with him between a visitor and a local countryman. This picture reminds me of his smile, jokes and hospitality. I began to realize how powerful a photo can bring to impact me. Hopefully I can take a photo that impacts the people around me and society.

Till that day comes, I’ll just keep shooting.

“I do believe strongly in photography and hope by following it intuitively that when the photographs are looked at they will touch the spirit in people.” - Harry Callahan

From the Rising of the Sun

Fri, 1 Jan 2010 00:00:58 +0800

A brand new day, a brand new start. Good bye 2009 and say hello to 2010!