A BI-ANNUAL NEWSLETTER OF SAFRA PHOTOGRAPHIC CLUB May 2009
Editorial 3 Club Operating Hours: Mon Fri 9.30am 12.30pm 2.30pm 5.30pm 6.30pm 9.30pm* *Not available on Fri Sat 2.00pm 5.00pm Closed on Sun and Public Holidays Club Staff Andy Tay Tel: 6377 3681 Email: tandy@safra.sg Editor s Page Whenever I come to SAFRA Photographic Club (PC) at Mount Faber, it eases my mind and makes me happy because of two primary reasons. Firstly, I will be doing something photography-related, be it meetings to plan projects, doing studio shoots or printing black and white images in the darkroom. Secondly, the surroundings are unparalleled. Which photographic club is located in a clubhouse with a swimming pool, bowling alley, gym and billiard room? There is a Japanese restaurant, Potter s Café and Ya Kun Toast at the ground level too. SAFRA Club at Mount Faber is a cheerful yellow building located at Telok Blangah Way, five minutes drive from Vivocity. It is a dream premise for our members! SAFRA PC is also the best-equipped club for people taking up photography. Black and white purists have two rows of enlargers to print their images. The studio s ceiling is two-storeys high and fully-equipped with a variety of softboxes. After you are done with your shoot, feel free to proceed on to the digital room with a host of computers and software to enhance your pictures. The only thing you need to add is your creativity. And guess what is the best part? We are a non-profit organisation and the prices for classes and use of facilities are very affordable. Our instructors here are so passionate about photography that they teach on a voluntary basis. It will be so much fun to meet up with fellow photography enthusiasts! Do visit our clubhouse at Mount Faber and expand your photographic skills. We welcome you to be part of the club! Check out the newly-launched SAFRA portal www.in2it.sg, where Photo Club's activities and much more can be found! See you soon, Edmund Low, Assistant Editor Cover page photo by Danny Kwan Sai Hoe 29th SAFRA Photographic Club Committee Name Email Appointment www.safraphotoclub.com CPL (NS) William Tan Wee Liang Mr Desmond Teo Puay Chuan MSG Joseph Lew Yeow Koon Mr Bernard Teo Tiat How Mr Raymond Chua Seng Chye Mr Eric Goh Wee Seng (PBM) CPT (NS) Dr Looi Hong Cheong 2SG (NS) Guek Peng Siong Mr Victor Chick Wing Hang Mr Tan Kay Hian Mr Bernard Luey Kwong Yuen 1SG (NS) Andy Lau Chiang Hwee CPL (NS) Robin Ng Teck Hua 1SG (NS) Calvin Ng Weng Wah 2SG (NS) Felix Tan Thiam Kim Mr Edmund Low Meng-Yu CPL (NS) Stuart Giam 3SG (NS)Then Chih Wey CPL (NS) Victor Yeo Thiam Huat LCP (NS) Wong Weng Keong LTA (NS) Pher Chi Khing willtan1972@yahoo.com desmond.teo@rajahtann.com stealth@starhub.net.sg bteoth@starhub.net.sg scray@starhub.net.sg binsingm@singnet.com.sg hclooi@singnet.com.sg guekps@gmail.com victorid@starhub.net.sg takahi88@hotmail.com travel67@singnet.com.sg jubilee@pacific.net.sg wisdom_photography@yahoo.com hangdog@gmail.com photophilosophy@yahoo.com.sg ledmund@hotmail.com nikeiansg@yahoo.com ceramic@hotmail.com victory@pacific.net.sg ahwongwk@yahoo.com chikhing@gmail.com Chairman Vice-Chairman Vice-Chairman Advisor Advisor Advisor Advisor Secretary Editor Member Member Member Member Member Member Assistant Editor Member (Co-opt) Member (Project) Member (Project) Member (Project) Member (Project)
4 Competition Champion 9th SAFRA Photographer of the Year Competition The biennial SAFRA PTY Competition has successfully ended another season. This time we had 139 participants with 1244 photographs submitted. SAFRA PTY is the first local competition to incorporate the requirement of having a set of 4 images from selected different themes and yet be presented as a coherent set of images. SAFRA Photographic Club is also known for its open-door judging policy, where the public can be present to view the entire judging process. All winners are announced on the spot. This year s winner is Mr Danny Kwan. Danny s first motivation to take up photography was the exhibition of an international photography competition held at Raffles City many years ago. He was so intrigued and impressed by the photographs that he signed up for a course at SAFRA Photographic Club, which he considers as one of Singapore s reputable photographic clubs. Since his first monochrome course at SAFRA PC in 1988, he has never stopped challenging himself to try different photographic genres. Danny persistently reflects on new concepts and perspectives in the art of his photography. The key element in his winning prints is the concept of motion versus tranquility.
Prizes: Champion $1000 Cash, Nikon D300 Epson Stylus R1900 Bali 3D2N Hotel Stay Gitzo Series 2 Tripod 15mins GP PowerBank Charger 4pcs 2700mAh AA Batteries 5
6 Competition Merit 1 2 3 4 5 1 Leow Kah Chuan 2 Low Soon Leong 3 Ng Ching Poh 4 Tan Choon Wee 5 Tay Sui Kok Prizes: 5 Merit $200 Cash, Nikon CoolPix S550 Epson Stylus R290 Tamrac 3380 Aero 80 camera bag GP ReCyko+ Fast Charger 4pcs AA ReCyko+ Batteries
7 Consolation 1 2 3 4 5 1 How Seow Hong 2 Lester Koh Meng Hua 3 Michael Ee 4 Steven Tor 5 Teo Yong Kang Prizes: 5 Consolation $150 Cash, Nikon CoolPix S210 Epson Stylus R230 Tamrac 3350 Aero 50 camera bag GP ReCyko+ Fast Charger 4pcs AA ReCyko+ Batteries
8 Members Competition Colour 1 2 4 5 3 6 Winner 1 Danny Kwan Merit 2 Liang Huan Chuan 3 Low Soon Leong 4 Tan Choon Lai 5 Koh Wee Liam 6 Tan Choon Wee Prizes: Champion $500 & Canon Selphy CP770 Photo Printer Merit $100
9 Black & White 1 2 5 3 6 4 Winner 1 Yap Kim Hock Merit 2 Bernard Poh Lye Kiat 3 Danny Kwan Sai Hoe 4 Liang Huan Chuan 5 Tan Choon Wee 6 Toh Say Jen Prizes: Champion $500 & Canon Selphy ES30 Photo Printer Merit $100
10 Members Competition Alternative 1 2 3 4 5 6 Winner 1 Low Soon Leong Merit 2 Toh Say Jen 3 Liang Huan Chuan 4 Bernard Poh Lye Kiat 5 Danny Kwan Sai Hoe 6 Tan Choon Wee Prizes: Champion $500 & Canon Selphy CP760 Photo Printer Merit $100
Thinking Aloud 11 It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent that survives. It is the one that is the most adaptable to change. Charles Darwin (1809 1882) I m not sure about you, but one thing I know for sure is that I am beginning to feel the pressure of this new digital age. When I first took up photography about 10 years ago, I could only afford a humble film SLR (single-lens reflex). Little did I realise that within only a matter of a few years film photography was already moving towards the direction of the morse code and latin. The days of film photography was already in its twilight years, and ushering in is the dawn of the new era in photography the digital age. From compact cameras to DSLRs, I, for one, do not really know what s the fuss is it all about digital photography. But that said, I do own a DSLR and it s not just the price that matters, but also the convenience of it all. It definitely saves time and money spent on rolls and rolls of film before getting that perfect shot. Plus, no more long hours fumbling in the dark and then reeking of chemicals just to develop a print. Furthermore, as one who teaches photojournalism, I feel that it becomes almost essential, and inevitable, that digital photography is part and parcel of the changing curriculum and the photography landscape, especially when time is of the essence. When digital photography was in its infancy, many were merely fascinated by the megapixels that the cameras can produce first, it was 2.0, then 3.1, then 5.0 and the numbers simply grew. But in those early years, very few were aware of digital cameras or were even able to grasp the impact it would make. But the boom time for digital cameras, especially for those longing for an SLR, only really begin in 2003, when the very first consumer-oriented 6-megapixel D-SLR was introduced into the market, pricing way under US$1,000. The race has thus begun. From compact cameras to entry level D-SLRs; from semi-professional ones to 50-megapixel professional medium format cameras the madness has begun. But just when we think that this has brought digital photography to a whole new level, we ve now got a D-SLR with a movie function. The new 12.3 megapixels Nikon D90 that puts a whole new meaning to digital imaging. Possessing the world s very first D-SLR movie function the D-movie it can select from 320 x 216 pixels, 640 x 424 pixels or 1,280 x 720 pixels in AVI format. This certainly has redefined the concept of digital photography and changed the fundamental notion of what an SLR camera can do. Well, it sure seems like the competition has just gone a notch higher and tougher. But I still stand my philosophy it s not the tool, but the one handling the tool that matters. But this, then, is the new era in photography the new digital age. This is evolution my friends, and it is only beginning. And we certainly haven t seen the end of it just yet. "I do own a DSLR and it s not just the price that matters, but also the convenience of it all." So, have I become a convert? Well, call me a purist, but I am still waiting for one that is able to match up to the quality of film maybe one that has multiple infinite megapixels that we can easily select for various subject(s). Text by Felix Tan 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. And yes, he owns a film AND a digital Single-Lens-Reflex (SLR). You can view some of his pictures at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/90277731@n00/
12 Travel Tales The Ati Atihan Festival Mother of All Mardi Gras Known as the Mother of All Mardi Gras, the Ati Atihan Festival in Philippines aptly deserves this moniker, as this year is the 797th celebration! It is held annually during the third weekend of January, in the quaint town of Kalibo. This is one of the major festivals in Philippines. There are a few differing accounts of the festival s origin but here is the most popular one. In the year 1212, ten Datus from Borneo crossed the sea to escape from the unpopular rule of Sultan Makatunaw and landed in Panay Island in the Philippines. They brokered a deal with the indigenous race of Aetas. In exchange for the plains of Panay, the Aetas retreated to the hinterland and was also presented with a golden salakot (wide-brim hat), brass basins, bales of cloth, a long gold necklace and the harvest for one summer of the sea. The grand celebration to seal this deal was the first Ati Atihan event. The Malays, in their effort to show sincerity and assimilate with their dark Aetas friends, smeared themselves with soot to look like the Aetas. The term Ati Atihan actually means to look like the Aetas. The religious aspect of the Ati Atihan was infused in 1750, when Fray Andres de Aguirre, a Basque priest accompanying explorer Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, came to Madyanos, and baptised 1000 locals in one day. This eventful day is celebrated with religious fervour and often associated with miracles of healing. Throughout the day till night, the streets are filled with dancing people, and the atmosphere is filled with thunderous and rhythmic drumbeats. Groups of people form tribes and don on their homemade costumes. The costumes are elaborate and colourful, mostly hand-made from nuts, shells, leaves etc. It is truly amazing that the people of this small town has so much energy, creativity and music in their blood. On the last day, groups representing different tribes compete. The highlight is a dance procession of tribes and devotees carrying bamboo torches and different images of St Nino (Holy Child). The contest winners are announced at a ball on Sunday evening, which officially ends the festival. Quoting from my friend, As I joined the tribes in dance with the streaks of charcoal on my face, I realized that I blended perfectly into the party of the people of Kalibo. I finally understood the saying that goes, at the Ati-Atihan, there is no audience or tourists, everyone is a participant! Text and photos by Edmund Low Editor s note: Another big festival in the Philippines will be the Lenten Crucifixion Rites during Easter. Check out www.safraphotoclub.com for the coverage. Cebu Pacific has regular flights to Kalibo from Manila. Flight time is approximately one hour. For more information, visit www.kalibo.gov.ph
13 Boracay A different kind of paradise on earth The bangka docked at Boat Station 3. I yelled Salamat! to my friendly boatmen, and gave them a huge smile for dropping me off at paradise. I had just arrived at Boracay, a national treasure of the Philippines. Exhausted from a week-long carnival of raucous dancing at the Ati-atihan festival in Kalibo, located on the adjacent Panay Islands, I looked forward to having a relaxing time at Boracay. The White Beach, a long stretch of white sand on the west coast of the island which shimmered with sparkling water. There are various sports ranging from kite-boarding to diving and para-gliding. However, I decided instead to try the All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV). The ATV was a rugged open-air 4-wheel drive for a single rider. After a 10-minute crash course on a small roundabout, I took the ATV up the winding roads and to the peak of Mt. Luho, the highest elevated viewpoint of the island. The view of Boracay at the top of Mt. Luho was worth every bump of the way here. Meanwhile, Crystal Cove, a tiny island 10 minutes by boat and south of Boracay, was also another must-see. Once you find enough courage to creep down the winding and steep rocky steps, you would find a fascinating sight of emerald green waters gushing through the opening of a cove, big enough for a small party. The island boasts a rich offering of cosy restaurants and pubs. From the thinly crusted yet doughy pastrami pizza at Aria, to the Saganaki, a flaming cheese dish personally served with a resounding Opa! by the chef at Cyma. Pubs like Hey Jude, Summer Place and Juice Bar along the White Beach are popular with celebrities who visit Boracay. If you take 15 shots consecutively at Cocomangas Shooter Bar, your name and country will forever be inscribed on the Cocomangas Wall of Fame for Still Standing after 15. After 3 short days at Boracay, it would be hard not to fall in love with the genuine and friendly people on the island. I read before I came that Boracay was one of the most beautiful islands in the world. Standing here with the waves gently splashing against my shins, I could not agree more. Text and photos by Kathleen Ng Useful Information: Boracay is reachable via a 15-minute boat ride from the Caticlan Jetty Port, and the port is a 1 1.5 hours minivan ride away from the town of Kalibo, or a 10-minute minivan ride away from the town of Caticlan. Cebu Pacific flies from Manila to both the towns of Kalibo and Caticlan. For more information, go to www.boracaybeaches.info
14 People Eric Leong still remembers vividly how this underwater photography love started.. Before I took the plunge with underwater camera in tow. I was a sport fisherman trying to catch a fish... something which I never accomplished. Those fishes that I tried to bait and hook never seemed to get the idea that they were meant for that fate, and that fate only. Instead, I would always end up with an empty hook. The only way I could determine how they always contrived to steal the bait from under my nose, was to simply dive in and find out for myself. Some kind of bug bit me and it was the Photo Bug. Instead of catching them (fishes) what if I could capture them on film? Yes, at that time (2000) film was still the only affordable way to go. In no time I decided that underwater photography was for me. From that moment on, if I did not have a camera then I would not dive. Murphy s Law I seemed to encounter the best fishes when I did not have my camera. Darn!! Finally and reluctantly, I have stepped into the dark side of photography digital photography 2007!! Do not get me wrong, I did not give up my film photography. As this passion deepened, an opportunity came along in 2005 and got me started on a travel agency with a few good friends. We are proud to call the company OCEAN2U (S) PTE LTD meaning we bring the ocean closer to you with wonderful images taken from the underwater world.
15 Low Soon Leong has always shown a deep interest for the arts since school days, namely oil painting. As he entered into the workforce, time constraints led to the joy of painting becoming too intermittent. In 1988, he ventured into photography. The fruition of labour can now be instantaneous, a clean slice of time delivered just the way he wanted it. With his background in painting, Soon Leong had already developed the masterful approach of studying his subjects and compositional elements. In the period of 1990 to 1992, photography became an obsession. His weekends hardly saw the light of day. Everything that he saw was in black and white. In his private darkness, experiments were recorded and done repeatedly, endlessly. The objective of every week was a perfect tonal range and contrast. 21 years have passed since Soon Leong picked up his first FM2. His exploration in photography has been rewarded with prizes from local and international competitions. What is his motivation? For the sake of beauty. A consistent quest to seek beauty in life. Of his large collection of images, his favourite is street photography, where the spontaneity, beauty and human factor are as one. For budding photographers, Soon Leong hopes that they will learn to appreciate their pictures frame by frame. Study the subject in detail first before shooting. To take their time and train their eyes to capture images that are of a different perspective from the normal view. Most of all, strive for more art in photography. As for his personal direction, Soon Leong still hopes to continue teaching photography. One of his greatest joys is to see his students win prizes in competitions and progress beyond his expectations. Continue to experiment and take more beautiful pictures! Soon Leong will be leaving to work overseas for a period of time soon. He is a shining example of our dedicated instructors at SAFRA Photographic Club. We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavours and may he return to teach at the club.
16 Trick & Treat Getting the blurred image While camera shake is not welcomed, a coordinated movement of the camera can produce interesting pictures. Panning is the most common technique, where the moving subject remains sharp in the frame while the background is blurred. It is often used in sports photography and other fast-moving subjects. Painting with lights is another technique for night photography. When the camera moves with the shutter open, the light source will form a streak of lines on the frame. Whichever method and shutter speed, the camera will have to be held steady. Text & photos by Victor Chick Have you tried spinning your camera on a tripod while shooting a night landscape shot? A tile and pan tripod head is needed for this action. Ball head will not work because it spins in all directions at the same time. To be able to see the building sharp in the final image, the camera must be kept still for at least half the duration of the exposure. For this picture, I started the exposure with the camera in the vertical position. As the shutter is opened for a 20 second exposure, the camera is rotated clockwise. When the camera is at the horizontal position, I let it stay still for about 10 seconds, after which I continue to rotation the camera till as far as my tripod head allows. Zooming during an exposure is a common action we like to play with. The idea is to get an explosion effect. As with the technique above, depending on how sharp and clear you want the subject to appear, you vary the still time during exposure. You must have a distinctive subject right in the centre of the frame to have a clear effect. For a 5 second exposure, the camera was rested against the window frame of the bumboat. As the boat changes its course, lights from the shopping mall in the background form streaks of lights. Lanterns and window frame of the bumboat remains sharp. Be careful though, that the bumboat (or any vehicle you are shooting from) is not having a bumpy ride, or the lines with be bumpy as well.
Activity Snaps 17 PTY09 Course outing Sentosa outing model Sentosa outing bird Singapore Young Photographer Award (2008) Discussion Final Round of Judging
18 Activity Snaps Monthly Photo Shoots Course Assessment
Review Nikon D90 DSLR Review 19 Nikon said it "represents a new era of digital SLR fun and creativity". Resembling the D80 with an output to match its big cousin, the D300, the D90 comes with a newly-designed 12.3M pixels DX-format CMOS image sensor supported by the comprehensive EXPEED image processing technology, similar to a D300. What attracted my immediate attention is the very bright and clear 3" LCD monitor with 920,000 dot high-resolution LCD monitor, as used in the D300. This is a great aid for the Live View and other functions. Camera settings can also be displayed on the LCD monitor. This is handy especially when the camera is mounted on an elevated tripod and you cannot see the top display. However, the display will turn off the moment you press the shutter-release button. It will be nice if the info is still displayed until the time a photo is taken. Focusing is done on the screen with three different modes: normal area AF; wide area AF and Face Priority, which detects up to five faces and focus on the closest. Through the viewfinder, an interesting focus mode is the 3D 11-point AF system. It begins with focusing on the subject with the centre point. As the subject moves, or your camera moves for framing, the 11 points are activated to locate the new position of the subject and maintain focusing on the subject. Useful for sports as well as kids. Live View is also the key element for the first-ever movie from a DSLR. The motion JPG format is shot at 24 frames per second at 3 levels of resolution, including high definition at 1280 X 720 pixels. Advantage is the larger sensor in the DSLR versus the sensor on camcorder. There is also the support of the whole range of Nikkor lenses to use. One drawback is that focusing is totally manual on movie mode. The first negative I want to note here is the relatively small handgrip on my averagesized palm. My thumb seems to out-reach some of the buttons on the right back. Creativity on the D90 goes beyond taking quality photos. The big, bright LCD allows a good view of images in playback. If you are into post-processing manipulation of images, you will like the extensive palette of incamera Retouch Menus. There is a total of 13 main selections with some sub-selections, including converting and adjustments of RAW files. There are more in the camera waiting to be explored! Another review was done by photojournalist Then Chih Wey. The focusing is fast and responsive. What I love about the D90 is the wide ISO range available and the ease of use. This was especially useful during the night shoot, where I shot without the use of flash, at ISO1600. The noise was acceptable, especially for newspaper publication where the resolution is not as high as other forms of publication like magazines. Text and pictures by Victor Chick and Then Chih Wey