A Bi-Annual Newsletter Of Safra Photographic Club February 2010

Transcription

1 A Bi-Annual Newsletter Of Safra Photographic Club February 2010

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3 EDITORIAL 03 Editor s Page Cover Photo by Calvin Ng Photography and travel go hand in hand. In the past, when travel was costly and inaccessible to most, images brought back from foreign lands showed people of different breeds, incredulous architecture and majestic landscapes. Doubtlessly, these amazing photographs fuelled the desire for more travel. With the ease and affordability of modern travel, the reason for purchasing many first cameras is to capture memories of an upcoming trip. 30th SAFRA Photo Club Committee (FY09/10) Mr Yip Hoi Kee Hon Advisor yiphk@singnet.com.sg Mr Foo Tee Jun Hon Advisor foo_teejun@yahoo.com.sg Cpt (NS) Dr Looi Hong Choong Advisor hclooi@singnet.com.sg Mr Eric Goh Wee Seng Advisor eric@ericgoh.com Mr Calvin Ng Weng Wah Secretary hangdog@gmail.com LCP(NS) Chris Wong Weng Keong Asst Secretary ahwongwk@yahoo.com Mr Edmund Low Meng-Yu Editor eddiction@gmail.com Mr Tan Kay Hian Member (Competition) takahi88@hotmail.com When a photograph is taken, we can relive that instance again and again, because that moment in time is embodied in tangible form, it belongs to us. We are able to hold our families smiles and that beautiful sunrise in our hands. In this issue, our members share their travel tales and the SAFRA Photo Club is organising a trip to Kota Kinabalu in Sabah, to provide travel enthusiasts with more opportunities to capture images of the great outdoors. This trip will be led by Raymond Chua, our instructor for travel photography. Do hope you can join us on this journey. Mr Raymond Chua Seng Chye Advisor scraysg@gmail.com Mr Bernard Teo Tiat How Advisor bteoth@starhub.net.sg Mr Victor Chick Wing Hang Chairman victorid@starhub.net.sg 2SG(NS) Guek Peng Siong Vice Chairman guekps@gmail.com 1SG(NS) Andy Lau Chiang Hwee Vice Chairman lau1810@hotmail.com Mr Bernard Luey Kwong Yuen Member (Activities) travel67@singnet.com.sg Mr Robin Ng Teck Hua Member (Facilities) wisdom_photography@yahoo.com CPL(NS) William Tan Wee Liang Member (Public Relations) willtan1972@yahoo.com SSG(NS) Desmond Teo Puay Chuan Member (Sponsor Relations) desmond.teo@rajahtann.com SSG Kashminder Singh Veygal Co-opt (Acitivities) kash42@hotmail.com For all our readers, if you need a venue to have a slideshow presentation of your travel photographs, please contact the club and we will gladly try to support the event on our premises. You can also thrill the world with your articles and images by putting them on our website Enjoy your travels! Regards, EDMUND LOW Editor

4 04 MESSAGE AND AWARDS Chairman s Message Victor Chick Wing Hang The last thing on my mind is to take over as Chairman, but here I am. Some may ask, why after so long? After all, I have been in the committee for close to 20 years. My belief is if you want the club to organise activities that you like, get yourself involved in the organising. An active group of volunteers will provide a vibrant club. But I guess the reason is no more important as we already have a few projects to get on with. No organisation can be in tip-top condition year after year. It is not easy to be number one and stay at the top all the time. Organisations all over face the same problem, because the same group of people will run out of stamina someday. So there will be a time to consolidate and a time to push on again. What can you expect from my team in this term? Some of the admin procedures have to be reorganised. At the same time, members interest must not be forgotten. We have rolled out the first of the bimonthly slideshows. Coming up next will be the first of the workshop series and the Photo Convention on travel photography to Kota Kinabalu. So let us see how members respond to these. Also in the planning are the Annual Members Competition and Photographer of the Year next year. We are in discussion with potential speakers for one or two more workshops, and also looking into plans to celebrate our 40th anniversary in 2 years time. For facilities, upgrading will be carried out to the darkroom and studio. What is lacking are a few more experienced volunteers to chair the many organising committees. So if you are keen in making your club a better place, do let me know your ideas. SAFRA Awards Nikon Singapore s support for the SAFRA Photographic Club was recognised in the 11th SAFRA Awards presentation held in September The Commendation Award was for Nikon s continuous support for the Photo Club s newsletter, the SAFRA Photographer of the Year competition and many of its regular events in the past years. Nikon s marketing executive Ms Sherina Liew received the award from DPM Teo Chee Hean. Another seven volunteers from Photo Club also received their Long Service Awards (LSA). Mr Foo Tee Jun, Honorary Advisor, was among the longest serving volunteer in this year s presentation. He was awarded the 35 years Long Service Award. The other advisors recognised for their long service are Raymond Chua (20 years) and Dr Looi Hong Cheong (15 tears). Those who have served the club for 10 years are Bernard Luey Kwong Yuan, William Tan Wee Liang and Desmond Teo Puay Chuan. Robin Ng Teck Hua was awarded the 5 years LSA.

5 PROFILES 05 Young Committee Profiles Andy Lau In 1991, I purchased my first SLR Camera with my vacation job salary, it was a Canon T60. It is still with me as it has captured many fond memories. Photography to me is about capturing those special memories that last forever. Constrained financially, my interest was sustained by reading just about anything to do with photography. It was only in 1998 that I attended SAFRA s Monochrome Course, and started appreciating the art of photography. I appreciated the smaller things in life and that was what drew me closer to nature and monochrome photography. A committee member since 2000, I assist in the planning and organising of photographic courses, events and competitions. Calvin Ng Calvin loves the outdoors, from rock climbing, running, adventure-racing to trekking. He added photography to the list, when he attended the Basic Photography Course at SAFRA in He has since attended more courses, served as a committee member for two terms, and has been teaching basic photography course students for two years. With Calvin s dedication and commitment, he will be our Secretary for another term. Chris Wong I started photography in 1998 with a F70 film camera. Being a novice, I would take snapshots to practise and improve my photographic skills. I enrolled in the Basic Photography Course at SAFRA Photo Club (PC) to expand my knowledge and continued with subsequent courses here. Hands-on opportunities were many and I learnt the fundamentals of photography. My passion lies with monochrome and studio portraiture. My niche area is in architecture and still life. Guek Peng Siong In 2001, with his first Digital SLR, Nikon D100, Peng Siong took up studio and outdoor portraiture courses at SAFRA PC. He currently serves as the vice chairman of the club, on top of being in charge of the club s website. He is also an instructor for the Basic Digital Photography Course at the club marked his third year in the National Day Parade (NDP) photography committee, where he serves as vice-chairman. With a busy schedule, he still manages to find time to coach aspiring photographers in Sony s Digital Workshop, Fundamental Handling of Cybershot. Robin Ng My first exposure to photography was at a friend s wedding dinner in Words cannot describe a couple s expression when their eternal bliss is captured, so I decided to pursue my interest. Taking up courses in SAFRA PC and subsequently joining the club s committee was the best decision I made. Since 2003, I have been serving as a volunteer in the SAFRA PC. Currently, I am in charge of the studio and outdoor events. This is my sixth year serving in the NDP s photography committee, representing SAFRA. As the chairman, I am proud to see the unity amongst Singaporeans in striving to make the perfect show. It gives me great pride to participate in this national event. My portfolio can be viewed at

6 06 BEST STUDENT WORKS Studio Portraiture Course Frank Chua Han Keng (SP64) Royce Seah (SP66)

7 BEST STUDENT WORKS 07 Outdoor Portraiture Course Georgeina Campus (OP13) Lee Jun Wei (OP12)

8 08 BEST STUDENT WORKS Basic Digital Photography Course Kharmia Binte Abdul Latiff (BDP26) Marcus Ng Teck Kuan (BDP24)

9 BEST STUDENT WORKS 09 Monochrome Photography Course Terry Tan Thuan Yaw (BW0802) Nature (Macro) Photography Course Patrick Peh Eng Choon (N20)

10 10 TRAVELOGUE Trekking in Nepal Text and Photos by Calvin Ng With the advancement in telecommunication, people are staying online and in touch almost all the time, even when they are vacationing. So, while you are supposed to be relaxing by the pool or by the beach, you are equally likely to be busy checking and replying to your messages on your laptop, your Blackberry or your iphone. In July 09, I went totally out of touch for a good long four weeks. It s not a matter of choice, knowing myself, I do not think I can resist the temptation to go online. The fact is, I was trekking and climbing in the Khumbu region at that time. It s a place where finding a strong enough mobile phone signal or internet connection would be the last thing on your mind. On this trip, I did the popular Everest Base Camp trek, the Gokyo trek, followed by a trekking peak Island Peak. It is called a trekking peak because it requires very little technical climbing knowledge. But trust me, it s not as easy as it sounds. Walking at 3000m above sea level, the air is so thin that you get breathless with just a little bit of exertion. And while there are porters to carry your backpacks for you, you still have to

11 TRAVELOGUE 11 carry your personal daypack that is packed with water, raingear, and other personal stuff such as sunscreen. Being a photographer, obviously I would want to take the chance to capture the beautiful scenery that greeted me every day. But trekking is very different from a photography trip. In photography trips, I only have to carry my photography equipment, but when trekking, I do not have the luxury of having my full gear which will weigh me down severely. So I borrowed an all-in-one lens to bring along with my DSLR. Even then, the trek is so tiring that I took less than 400 photographs throughout the trip. That is less than 100 photos each week! Anyone could have easily taken 100 photographs in just one day! I would love to say that it s the quality that counts, but the truth is that I am just too tired to take more photos, seriously. Given the chance, will I trek again? You bet! Trekking in a place like Nepal, you encounter beauty and the simple life every single day. So, even as I ask myself each day of the trek why do I torture myself on a tiring walk like this, each day I find many new reasons in the photos I capture that will bring me back for more.

12 12 TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY 2010 Kota Kinabalu Photo Trip (Travel Workshop) for SAFRAPC Photos by Raymond Chua This Travel Photography Workshop to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, is lead by Raymond Chua our advisor and course instructor. Expect heavy shooting from dawn to dust throughout the 4D/3N trip. Subjects covered includes nature landscape photography, birds & wildlife, floral close up & macro as well as street photography. TOUR ITINERARY (DAY 1) 4/3/2010 THUR Arrive KK 1pm, after lunch, check in to hotel in Gaya Street, afternoon beach shore bird shooting, and sunset shoot in KK Beach, after dinner return to hotel. (DAY 2) 5/3/2010 FRI Early check out 4am leave for MT KK sunrise shoot, whole day shooting in MT KK nature park, after dinner, stay in MT KK hotel. (DAY 3) 6/3/2010 SAT After sunrise shoot in MT KK, return to KK, a whole day shoot starts till sunset, after dinner, return to hotel. BOOKING DETAILS (DAY 4) 7/3/2010 SUN Morning sunrise shoot on the big bridge, after breakfast, return to Gaya Street for Sunday market, 11am checkout, back to Singapore. 04/03/2010 Thur Jetstar 3K525 S pore to Kota Kinabalu /03/2010 Sun Jetstar 3K526 Kota Kinabalu to S pore CLOSING DATE 15 DECEMBER 2009 Air ticket: Approx.S$ Land tour cost include all transport, accommodation, meals and tour guide s fees, approx. S$ (Minimum need 8 person. 2* star hotel standard twin sharing) Additional night stay per room S$70. Photo equipments require DSLR camera Standard wide angle zoom lens for landscape Long telephoto lens ( 300mm+) for birds and wildlife Macro and close-up attachments lens for flowers and plants Tripod. Workshop will proceed as soon as 12 persons sign-up. For members who decide to sign up after the closing date, he/she will have to secure air tickets on their own before registration with the Club. For more details, please call Andy at SAFRA Photo Club or to Secretary@safraphotoclub.com

13 EVENT HIGHLIGHTS 13 Activity Snaps Photos by Photo Club Committees Regular outings are organised, alternate with an indoor studio session every month. Members of Xin Ying Wushu Training Centre displayed their skills in front of the cameras. Studio Portraiture Sessions are popular and held every other month. Various theme and subjects are arranged for members to practise lighting effects. In the picture are dancers from Belly Dance Discovery, posing for members. Earlier this year, a special arrangement was made with SAFRA Jurong for an exclusive photoshoot at its swimming pool before the club was open to the public. Basic Photography Course having a field trip practising all the basic camera controls. Due to a large number in this group not owning a DSLR, Canon Singapore loaned them the cameras for practice. At the Mid-Autumn Festival gathering, friends and members were treated to a sumptuous buffet and slideshow by Guek Peng Siong. Prior to that, course assessment was conducted for the various batches of students.

14 14 FEATURED PROFILE Photographer : Edmund Low Text by Felix Tan Photos by Edmund Low Edmund Low has been a professional photographer for over five years. In the beginning, most of his work consisted of documentary and event photography. Edmund s experience with documentary photography has, in part, honed both his technical skills and has also helped him to realign his photographic perspectives. One of the most significant projects that he has undertaken then was spending a year covering the NUS dragonboat alumni team, Kiyah. The series was shot on black and white film and hand-printed by himself. In the following year, Edmund was pleasantly surprised to see photographs from that series winning prizes in two public competitions. The pictures were also published in To Singapore With Love, a commemorative book to celebrate Singapore s 40th anniversary. The project was organised and headed by Mr Kwek Leng Joo, in which about 330 images were selected out of a nationwide submission of 8400 images. His recent work has also since moved on to commercial photography, which has been mainly used by corporate clientele s marketing and public relations. Private clients have also engaged Edmund to take images of lifestyle and portraiture. The assignments that he liked most were those that requires him to travel abroad. In Edmund s own words, being able to experience so much more of our world is one of the biggest perks of the job. He could also vividly remember that one such assignment was to do production stills for an Italian movie, shot in Singapore and abroad. His role then was as the stills photographer and he had the freedom to decide on his own pictures. And having the opportunity to travel and being able to watch the behind-the-scenes movie production work, was, according to Edmund, definitely one of the most interesting assignments he has had experienced. As the saying goes, If you love what you do, you will not work a single day of your life and that is the motto that Edmund Low lives by and, furthermore, being able to create images is still what makes him want to wake up in the morning. As Edmund would say, it feels great to be able to indulge in something that one like, and, most of all, despite the demands of work, it is still so much fun! To view more of his work, please visit Edmund is the new Editor of CLICK magazine. He is also a PADI scuba diving instructor with Master Scuba Diver Trainer (MSDT) rating and teaches underwater photography as one of his specialty skills.

15 FEATURED PROFILE 15 Black-and-White Photography : The Digital Age Profile of Nick Ng Text by Victor Chick Photos by Nick Ng Can you imagine a photographer with two Associates and four Fellows distinctions in black-and-white photography actually shooting in colour? And the photographer who produced images so strong in tonal range have not shot in film or processed a single roll of monochrome film? That photographer is Nick Ng. His first camera is a DSLR, a Canon 20D and it s just the hassle of getting a proper darkroom for (busy) people like me. Film photography may be alien to him, but Nick loves filmbased black-and-white photos and he always try to have that effect in his digitally processed black-and-white photographs. A dentist by profession, his first camera was meant for the occasional shooting of his patients progress, and was collecting dust. His interest in photography took off in early 2007, and by the end of the year, he started working on his distinctions preparation. His most remarkable achievement was passing the Associates and Fellows distinctions of the Royal Photographic Society (A.RPS and F.RPS) in the same year, a feat many seasoned photographers think impossible. Getting distinctions or what is commonly known as photographic titles is not the goal, but a driving force for Nick to work towards a portfolio. Distinctions are important because it makes you work towards a portfolio, a purpose in your photography and how far you have improved yourself. That was his answer to the purpose of his photography. Beyond distinctions, photography workshops like the one he is giving, upon the invitation of SAFRA Photo Club, is another avenue to pushing himself forward. He had spent three evenings on a project specially for this workshop. Nick likes to photograph people in their natural environment. How he approaches them is key to capturing them at their best. Don t just shove your camera in front of them and start shooting. Mingle around, talk to them, and after a while, you ll be amazed how freely you can photograph them. Getting to know your subject firsthand will get you pretty far in photographing them. In the interview with Nick, he has given me new inspirations and directions in photography.

16 16 THINKING ALOUD The Paradox of Mobile Phone Cameras Text & Photos by Felix Tan The mobile phone camera phenomenon has indeed taken the world by storm. From almost every street corner, one would be able to see people snapping pictures proudly with their latest mobile phone. And this has partly been driven by easy accessibility of the, by now, default camera technology installed in their mobile phones. So, one begs the questions are mobile phones, first and foremost, a phone or, is it a camera? Helped by a minimum 5 megapixel (and counting), autofocus camera, and some with Carl Zeiss lens no less, a mobile phone has been drastically transformed into a camera. But how has mobile phones been transformed into a new photographic craze? From giggling kids snapping away of themselves in the bus and train rides; to party goers taking shots of themselves in the dimmest of clubs and pubs; to just about any other person taking a potshot at any random subject anytime, anywhere. Simply put it, anyone who owns a mobile phone can now become an avid photographer (or an imaginary Cold War spy) no training required. Plus, with this convenience literally at your fingertips, no longer is photography seen as a niche market, but one that is now available for the masses. So, why get a DSLR when a mobile phone camera can work just as good if not better? In addition, it is portable, small, and slim and just about captures the important moments in our lives quickly; hassle-free, and then uploaded with such ease into the internet for all to view in mere minutes. And surprisingly, this movement has found its way into the photographic world, breaking down barriers of what we have come to regard as photography. And in 2007, National Geographic launched a book titled The Camera Phone Book: How to shoot like a Pro. Needless to say, the world has also adopted this strategy of reportage by introducing citizen journalism welcoming just about any pictures snapped by these handy mobile gadgets that tell an interesting story. In a nutshell, if you see something that captures a fleeting moment in life or some weird event that s happening around your neighbourhood, but forgot your trusty camera, no worries there s always your mobile phone. Whip it out, position, focus and snap. And voila, there you ve got it a snapshot of a funny/ sad/ happy/ angry/ shocking/ tragic moment amidst the mundane humdrums of life. And in no time, you can plough through the gamut of social network sites and upload them effortlessly for all to view. Well, although I am still an old-school photographer lugging my trusty DSLR and numerous lenses but for now, I guess, I m opened to giving this new craze a try after all, it works just as well. Felix Tan is a committee member of SAFRA Photographic Club. He lectures photojournalism at the School of Film & Media Studies, Ngee Ann Polytechnic. Felix is also a freelance travel writer for MediaCorp s TODAY paper. He is currently pursuing his doctorate (PhD) at the University of Melbourne. You can view some of his pictures at:

17 CAMERA REVIEW 17 Nikon D300s Text & Photos by Victor Chick The Nikon D300s is considered the updated version of the two-year-old D300. Many features in new cameras after the D300, like virtual horizon from D3 and movies from the D90, are added into the D300s. The major feature that separates this flagship update from all others is in the small memory card chamber. This semi-pro camera accepts both CF and SD cards at the same time. To make this dual-card system more appealing, the user can define how these two cards are used. To separate RAW and jpeg files, or movies and stills files, use it to save an additional backup, or simply use one after another. In fact this camera resembles more to the D700 in control features. My first feel of it was like, Wah, heavy stuff which is good for a steady grip and balance with the heavier ED lenses. The 3 LCD monitor is bright with very good colour contrast, even when viewed in daylight. It does fit into my average-sized palm nicely, all shooting control buttons within reach without having to get my eyes off the viewfinder (of course you must first be familiar with which buttons are for what use). There are just too many things to learn to be able to fully handle this camera, even for a seasoned photographer. (Clockwise) Shooting action shots in low light with continuous AF. Great details on subject with the aperture fully opened. Overall contrast is slightly increased at higher ISO, but noise may be a problem at ISO1600 or higher The 51-points focusing system allows the user to select the focusing point to use via the multi-directional dial at the back, while the eyes are still on the viewfinder. This is most useful if the subject changes position and you do not want to change the composition. It will come in handy when focusing on unwilling subjects. The D300s is not only a feature-rich camera. It is also a fast camera. Its buffer can take up to 100 jpeg shots when firing off at 7 frames per second, the fastest among the semi-pro class cameras. The shutter is tested to 150,000 counts, so no worries of shutter count. AF is as fast, with 15 of the 51 AF points able to detect in the horizontal and vertical axis.

18 18 TRICKS & TIPS Travel Photography Frame within a Frame Text & Photos by Andy Lau One of the easiest ways to have interesting and creative travel photographs is to compose your subject with a frame around it. The frame acts as a border to direct the viewer s attention to focus on a point of interest that you want to show in the photograph. Frames can also help to create perspective and show depth in your photograph. Tips for framing your photographs: Think creatively of any object around the subject you are shooting as a possible frame. Some examples include trees, branches, windows, tunnels, door, shadow etc Anything that lets you see through to your subject might make a good frame. Do use a symbolic object for framing your subject, so that it will create a meaningful relation to your subject. You can use depth of field when working with a frame on your subject. Adjust the aperture to control either the frame or the subject to be in focus (bigger aperture) or both in focus by using a small aperture. Emphasise your subject. Framing will be the best method to let you direct your viewer s attention to the subject. Spain_Barcelona. The century old Sagrada Familla framed with branches, the gate and with fallen leaves and flowers in the pond over its reflection. USA_Las Vegas. Using a fisheye lens to make the building as a frame for the night scene Egypt, using the shadow to frame the columns of the Ancient Egyptians (Far left) Belguim_ Bruges. The Burg was framed up using a fish eye lens

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