Not exactly the way I wanted to shoot it, but at least I still got the shot.
Oh boy, back home again. Roxanne and I really miss Hong Kong, seeing those bright lights for the last time on our way to the airport made us realize that reality is just around the corner.
So far, nothing much has changed in Hong Kong. Taxi cabs are still red, and neon lights are still, well, neon. But there are also some changes. The MTR seems to have more lines and stations now, including one exclusive for Disney. And prices aren't as cheap as I imagined. Or maybe I'm not really after anything that's why I say so.
Now for the bad news. My camera acted up again, thankfully I was still able to use it during our trip. Today, it has gone kaput and is back at the service center. It is really time for me to upgrade. I also realized how handy a small camera can be when traveling, so I'm also thinking of getting a small "prosumer" camera in the near future.
And now for the good news. They say a picture paints a thousand words. I'll let the photo below do the talking.
That's about it for now. I'll post more about Hong Kong soon, including the pictures from our trip.
Well, not exactly 50mm, since on a camera like mine it becomes 80mm (see crop factor). Sometimes I wish it could be wider, like Gelsen's Sigma 30mm f1.4.
Back to the story, yesterday I decided to bring my camera and nifty-fifty to work. Gelsen and I were supposed to do a photowalk on our way for lunch, but bad weather sort of changed our plans. We were still able to take some pictures, but to maximize my camera I just took photos of the things I saw in the office. Random stuff that is.
I'm beginning to love this lens again. It's really small and light, plus the bokeh and colors it produce are just awesome. I just wish it could be a bit wider.
Anyway, please check out my gallery here. I didn't bother do post processing, just resized and posted them right away. I feel like I could do more damage if I altered some of the settings.
View from Victoria Peak, circa 2005. I want to do this shot again, only wider.
It's November again. Every tenth of November Roxanne and I celebrate our anniversary, this year it's our second. So on Saturday, off we go to our country's nearby neighbor, Hong Kong.
I have been to Hong Kong twice already, but this one will be special since I will be with Roxanne all the way. It's also special because this is the first year I'll be out of the country more than once. Yahoo!
I'm excited to return to Victoria Peak, and probably do a redo of the photo above, well, maybe wider. I'm also excited to visit Lantau Island to see the giant Buddha, and if we're lucky, we may get to visit Macau.
So now I'm starting to pack my clothes, and use the remaining days before our departure to fix stuff at work.
And to Roxanne, happy anniversary honey. I love you so much.
One more post before the long weekend ceases.
Photographing children can be unpredictable. They move around a lot, but on the other hand they pose and smile whenever they see your camera pointed at them. It's hard but fun.
Last week Debbie celebrated her second birthday, and it was a chance for me to practice photographing kids. Having an external flash gun was a big bonus to doing this, especially when it communicates well with the camera (E-TTL II).
And I also had the chance to play around with Canon's Digital Photo Professional software. In a lot of ways, it's similar to the more expensive Lightroom, but does the job pretty well, especially for Canon RAW files.
So that's it for now. Tomorrow works starts again, but thankfully there's something to look forward to for next week. Stay tuned for that. For now, please see the rest of the pictures here.
I think Xantino's a better blogger than me.
Almost a month with no activity in my blog. Not that I don't have anything to say, it's just that I felt lazy blogging these past weeks. It seemed like sleeping and reading other blogs were much more fun that updating my own online journal, add to that work and the daily errands that I have to perform.
But of course, I always found time for photography. I've been trying to learn flash photography, and it's not as easy as it seems. Well, thank heavens for E-TTL II for making on camera flash a bit more bearable. But I really want to learn off camera lighting. People like Zach Arias and David Hobby make it seem so easy, yet I'm far from mastering the technique.
I'm also trying to find my own workflow in post processing pictures. Using Canon's Digital Photo Professional software (which comes free with every Canon DSLR), I think I'm on my way to achieving my own style, all I have to do is train my eyes more in correcting skin tones.
I realize that I still have a lot of pictures left unprocessed, some still from my US trip several months ago. I know I'm not really obligated to show these to the world, but what's the fun in photography if you don't share what you've done? It's a form of self gratification, and a way for me to see how my work has improved over the years.
For now, I'll share this: night shots of the Skyway here in Makati. I've always wanted to shoot this, but there's always something that gets in the way (usually the need to sleep, hehehe). Thankfully I had the chance to turn this plan into reality, and hopefully I can repeat this again (best if I do it with friends).
Please see the rest of the pictures here.
So I guess that's it for now. I'll try to post more pictures in the coming days.
My setup for my test.
It took me a long time before finally getting a flash gun for myself. Almost two years in the making, if I'm not mistaken. I have mentioned many times that I want one of these, but I only got one now seeing from my friends how useful these things can be.
I got myself a Canon Speedlite 430EX II from Digital Walker Zoom (thank you Sir Charlie and Sir Dickoy) last Wednesday. Their promo for PiPho members like me was just too tempting to resist. I also got myself two sets of Eneloop batteries from Watson in Hidalgo last Thursday. They say Eneloops (made by Sanyo) are great because of its ability to hold its charge for months.
Maybe one reason it took me a while before purchasing a flash unit is because I originally wanted a 580EX II, the big brother of the 430EX II. It has a stronger flash output, can act as a master device, and has more features than the 430EX II, but it comes at a price.
So why the sudden change of heart? I realized that as a beginner who doesn't make a living from taking pictures, the 580EX II may just be too much for me. If budget wasn't an issue, I would have gotten the 580EX II in a heartbeat. But since I have to manage my cash flow, the price difference can actually get me some much needed accessories: batteries, diffusers, triggers, and maybe a cheap flash for strobist work.
If I could start photography all over again, I think I'll get a flashgun first before upgrading my kit lens. Learning proper lighting can actually make wonders, and I have been to many events wishing I have a strong enough flash to cover them.
I did a little test to show the difference between built-in flash and a dedicated flash gun. Note that this test isn't scientific in any way, and that I still have a lot to learn about flash photography. I tried to use the same settings for all the shots.
In the fisrt picture, no flash was used. Colors turned out dull.
I used the built-in flash for the second picture, at normal power. Notice that there's some shadowing at the bottom of the bear, caused by the big lens I'm using.
I used the built-in flash at full power for this shot. It's overexposed and the shadow at the bottom is much worse.
For this one, I used the 430EX II, and it was pointed straight to the subject, normal power. It's almost the same as shot number two, minus some of the shadow at the bottom.
This time, the flash was pointed upward, also known as bounce flash. This is one of the advantages of having a dedicated flash gun. The beige hue was caused by our ceiling.
For the last one, it's the same as number five, except that I tried to diffuse some of the light by using paper towels. I wonder if it's the same if I buy a real diffuser.
I know, I still have a lot to learn from my shots. I still have to find the right mix, but I know with this purchase I'm headed the right way. I'll do more experimenting in the future, especially when I get my hands on a good flash trigger set. Now I'm on my way to becoming a strobist.
Power failure during Typhoon Milenyo, circa 2006. One of the first pictures to come from my 400D.
We haven't recovered yet from the onslaught of Typhoon Ondoy, and another one is about to hit us. Typhoon Pepeng is just around the corner, people have already started preparing (you should see the lines at the grocery this afternoon), and the whole nation tries to keep itself updated on what's going to happen next.
People kept comparing this coming typhoon, Pepeng, to super hurricanes like Katrina in the United States, and Milenyo three years ago. Come to think of it, it was exactly three years ago when Milenyo proved how devastating Mother Nature can be.
Ah yes, Typhoon Milenyo. I remember it was a Thursday, I was on my way to work when one of my office mates called me to tell me work had been called off. I couldn't believe it, it was the first time work was canceled because of a storm. How strong can it be?
Thankfully I got home early. It was surreal. You can hear the wind whistle its might. It didn't have much rain like Ondoy, but it certainly packed strong winds. By nine in the morning, power supply was cut off, we didn't have electricity until the next day.
But we were lucky. Other areas didn't have electricity for two weeks. I even had client calls postponed because their generator ran out of petrol.
And the damage was horrible. Metro Manila was like a war zone. Trees pulled out of their roots. Steel fences bent and destroyed. Some billboards along EDSA didn't escape its wrath. It was one of the worst storms I have ever experiences in my adult life.
And now another typhoon is coming. What a way to cap this stormy week of ours. I hope my next post is a positive one. And I hope everybody a safe weekend ahead.
Not exactly the way I wanted to shoot it, but at least I still got the shot.
