Happy Chinese New Year

If there are one major event that Chinese shouldn’t miss in their entire year, if will be 年三十(direct translation will be year thirty or we called it new year eve) it is the major time that as a family far and near gather together and have a big feast dinner. While this year we can’t really gather the whole family members since my brother one in Ireland while the other one in New Zealand, those of us are here in Brunei continue with this tradition of feasting.

Then during the night, we played a few fireworks to keep the kids happy and excited and blasted a 36shot firework canon!

First day of Chinese New year, spend the whole morning trying to setup and capture some family portraits. Using 2 flash as strobe with umbrella, I got a decent result with studio lighting. But the whole scenario was frustrating to me in a way that the 2nd flash didn’t fire most of the time, due to slow recycle speed and it eat battery like crazy. Simple term : unreliable!

Then the second issues I have is the backdrop, the background that I have at home wasn’t suitable for a full family portraits so the result wasn’t as satisfying as I want, gonna need to do some photoshop or retaking if necessary if I want a better result. 

   This is one of the technique that I learned during my times in KL, this is actually shooted with one flash as a strobe gelled with a full CTO (orange color) filter to give a sunset look. It was taking around 12plus pm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But other than that I have plenty of fun shooting them, knowing that whatever it is, I manage to capture a memory and moments of our family history.

Tattoo

I just came across this particular photoshop tutorial from How to make a Typographic, Retro, Space Face by psd tuts+ 

I been wanted to do some snap shoot yet it have been raining pretty heavily lately, so I decided to give this tutorials a try. Here is the self portrait original photo taken with one strobe on the camera left, ISO 100 Aperture 10 and shutter speed of 100. I know I know, this is a pretty common and dull shoot.

And now here it is with the photoshop image.

While nothing spectacular compare to the original tutorials, but this add some spices to the original photos. Of course, this are not those kind of technique you should use it for every photo, but it is always fun to add some more stuffs under your shelves.

What to do when you are bore with the same old thing? Twist it!!!

Personally I believe that whatever you can think of, somebody sure have either already thought about it or already done it. But that doesn’t mean that you should stop you for trying something new.

When it come to photography, I always amazed with their skill with composing, technique or PP (photo processing) while I got myself stuck with the same old things. Then I read online on how some of them got stuck with the same old locations while amazed with their local photographer, I know that I wasn’t the only one. Recently I have a chances to go Berakas foresty, honestly I have been there quite a few times and have shoot quite a few sunset shoot over there; so I was really puzzle how should I go with it this time.

For the photo above, I will usually either stick with the original colour while enhance the contrast and saturations. For this case I decided to change the colour temperature to a cooler colour and make it look lonely.

 

I also decided to go with cooler colour for the photo on the left, I always like some of the photographer portraits  with those old ages blue hue look. Still can’t replicate that kind of style and colour yet :\

The one on the right all I did was using a flash on my left and flash it onto the water and enhance the colour saturation and contrast.

Nothing much need to say about the last one should I? >W<

Mary Khiu Birthday Dinner

Our way of birthday celebration, has been getting more and more grant and creative that it always put me to awe whenever I am there. This time we are celebrating Mary Khiu birthday at Mary place, while it is not her actual birthday so it is more of an advance celebrations for her.

While we always said simple meals will do, but deep down we always appreciate good foods, especially when when couple it with good friends and great times. We have an assumptions 4 + 1 course meals, sayang I miss my opportunity  to take some of the foods photo since I am too focus on eating them.

When it come to celebrate his wife birthday, I can really see Terence work and plan it in such a ways that it will amazed you, and this time he even planned cat walk and a so cal led Academy Awards to spice the nights up. 

Since the dress code is formal, our ladies take their chances to dress their best for the night, and it come to our responsibility that we have to take photo for them. Using the wall as backdrop, I decided to use 1 camera flash mounted to a tripod with a white umbrella partly bound from ceiling and diffuse through the umbrella. To be honest, I am pretty please with the result, I do wish I can use 2nd flash for fill light, too bad that I didn’t bring enough battery for the job. So it is important to check your stuffs before you perform your duty. Of course technically I am not working for this instance.

Then the most important is of course the husband and wife for the night!!!

and here is my favourite snap for the night

Plain, simple yet it contain something that I cannot describe how much I love this photo over all the others.

Then here is some photo of me with others, since I always got complain that my album hardly got me inside, but how to get yourself in the frame when you are the one holding the camera? :p

Then a group snap, but some of them already left. Since the whole things actually carry on all the way til 1 plus am . . . .

 

Thanks to Terence for organize a fantastic night for his wife, and Happy Birthday to Mary Khiu, and we will see what Terence have on his shelves for next year >w<

非禮勿言,非禮勿聽,非禮勿視 (Speak no Evil, Hear no Evil, See no Evil)

 

It has been raining everyday in Brunei for the last month if not mistaken (or more), so I have been quite limited with my outdoor photography. Can’t really take that as an excuse anyway, more like just me being lazy to go out :p

So today I decided to try this technique of putting multiple shot into one frame together with using one single strobe light. I actually can go with 2 light, but decided to go with one instead.

And naturally my nieces is my subject of experiment, and she obediently listen to my instructions for the shot. I actually wanted to do self portraits, it is really tough to get it properly focus and compose and some more outside is raining. . .

I definitely will try out a few more variations with this kind of methods in the future. So stay tune on that, and feel free to comment or critics this.

Toys Adventure Eps 8: Captain Mike save the day

Uncle Blue is on his way after work without realising Mr. Bad guy is waiting for him right at the corner.

Mr Bad guy: “MONEY OR LIFE!!! CHOOSE ONE NOW!!!! Or I gonna shoot lah”

“No so fast” said Mike

“What the!!!?” said Mr Bad guy

“Captain Mike!!!” said  Uncle Blue

Uncle Blue: “Thank you so much! Captain Mike”

Once again Captain Mike has saved the day.

To be continue…

PS: Somehow after I done this, i feel like I think and though like a kid! Is my intelligent dropping? XD

Toys Adventure: Back with Light

 

After a long vacations, Captain Mike has once again show up!!! “Back with light years ahead!” said Captain Mike.

Miri Trip Part III

When it come to photography, one of my favourite is candid shoot. It is always those spontaneous moments that peoples are strip off their self defense against the camera and being true to the situation around them (I’m not saying peoples always fake infront of camera!!!) And it also one of those moment that you get it see some kind of faces that you don’t usually see.

  It is especially nice to candid the family moments, I think it is one of the essences that video cannot capture. While video can capture the whole things / story but sometimes photo just leave so much for you to imagine the story.

This one was totally unplanned, I didn’t even realized that I left my off camera flash there while testing the shoot, but what I like about is how the light spread. It actually some new ideas with regarding using light, so it is a worthy mistake >w<

So is this all for my miri trip? Nah, I actually got a totally un plan event that await me without me knowing it!!! So stay tune ~~~~

But at the mean time, feel free to check out my FB for the rest of the pictures

Miri Trip Part I

Once again, I have my annual Miri Trip and stay at Park City hotel. What make this year difference to my last year is that I now have a DSLR with me compare to all my previous year!!! So more photo’s taking session!!!

My first ever sunset shoot at Miri!!!

Then we went to Starbucks @ Bintang Plaza(Thanks to James for being a driver), and we saw quite a huge crowds gathering in front of coffee bean to watch the World Cup 2010 live on a big screen.

I actually wanted to order a Dark Mocha Frappucino, too bad there didn’t have it. Right after starbucks we gather together near the beach, and I show some of them what it mean by light painting. And they are pretty excited once they saw the first example.

And here are some of the stuffs done by them

Of coz a group shoot after all those tried out. Was fooling around with my wireless trigger and flash through an umbrella. For some interesting weird reasons, they are some spill light that caught on left side. Wondering how it happen, and I quite like the effects.

One of the very few photo’s that I am in the photo >w<

Happy Birthday Dad

Last sunday, we have a BBQ session to celebrate advance birthday for my dad, what made it special this time is that my 2nd brother Vincent & Sis in law actually made a surprise come back all the way from UK. So it is a pretty interesting night, as usual wonderful foods. Especially the lamb!!! >w<

BTW, thanks to Karen for the photo taking, and Michelle as an assistance holding the umbrella & flash for this strobist shot :p

Eps 6: Welcome Ezekiel Emmanuel Tan Ngee-Ern 陳義恩

My 3rd brother Victor & Sis in law Edith just born a son on friday night!!! It is the first born son for my 3rd brother and all of us are rejoicing and exciting about this new born child. So for now I have 3 nephew and 4 nieces, and I believe the number will continue to grow!!! >w<

Once Captain Mike heard the news, he is so excited that he wanted to do something about it. So he made a red egg which Chinese usually use it for birthday and also mean to symbol a new life. Welcoming Ezekiel Emmanuel Tan Ngee-Ern to Tan family and also to this world. Pray and believe that you will have a wonderful, blessed, and fulfilling life under the care, maturing of Victor Tan family.

Congrats and well done to Victor & Edith \(^w^)/

Random Strobe

A totally unplanned and random strobe after we are done with the practice and waiting for everyone to be pick up.