Pets 2

I took Boi from the top view. See the differences between eye level and from the top? The first one (refer post : Pets 1) is more life like and definitely much better!

Settings : f5.6, 1/30, ISO 3200, WB @ Auto, 55MM

(Demonstration)

Settings : f5.6, 1/25, ISO 3200, WB @ Auto, 55MM

(Demonstration)

Pets 1

Taking photos of pets can be very challenging. Sometimes they just refuse to 'cooperate' no matter how you try to get their attention. Or, they are too hyper active and the photos will probably end up blur.

I like to take photos of my dog when he is in a relaxed mood, ie lazing around the house. I usually do not use flash as I do not want to startle him. I also try to zoom in more on him as this helps to reduce the Depth of Field ie subject becomes sharp and background is blur.

Last but not the least, shoot from eye level!! It really makes a difference. I lay down flat on the floor just to take the following pictures of Boi. And I am pleased with the results.

Settings : f5.6, 1/60, ISO3200, WB @ Auto, 43MM

Whatever that interests you

One of my favourite quotes :-

Nothing happens when you sit at home. I always make it a point to carry a camera with me at all times…I just shoot at what interests me at that moment. – Elliott Erwitt

I saw this stray cat on my way home and it was coincidental that I had my DSLR with me in hand. Isn't it cute? This shoot is totally unplanned for.

Settings : f5.6, 1/8, ISO 3200, WB @ Auto, 55MM

And I have started to add a signature to each photo (:

Trimmings

Date : 24th Jan 2010

Location : East Coast Parkway

Lens : EFS18-55MM. f3.5-f5.6 IS

A little cropping helps when there is a limitation to the zoom from the kit lens and when we encounter fast action subjects.

I have already maxed out the focal length of 55MM but the subject still appears very small in the photo. We had chanced upon the water skiing sport and I was not prepared with my telephoto lens. The subject was also moving very fast; I did not have sufficient time to focus on the composition, rule of thirds and stuffs.

When obtaining shots of actions, I focus the camera on a particular spot where I anticipate that the action will take place and wait for the subject to enter the frame. Another suggestion to avoid the delay, is to press the shutter button halfway, hold it and press down when we are ready to shoot.

I also used a faster shutter speed to prevent blurring. A faster shutter speed freezes action. A slower shutter speed can better demonstrate movement but it also means there will be some blurring of the subject as it moves. I think this is just a matter of preferences ; what is the story that you want to tell?

Settings : f5.6, 1/640, ISO 100, WB @ Auto, 55MM

Original

After first trim

After second trim

It also helps that I am taking the photo on a high resolution (image size from 8M to 15M) . With each trimmings, the photo size is compressed. The original photo has an image size of 3456 X 2309 pixels. After the first trim, it was reduced to 2764 X 1843 and after the second trim, it is now only 2212 X 1474. Using a high resolution has the advantage when you want to extract interesting parts of the image without losing much quality.

Settings : f5.6, 1/1250, ISO 200, WB @ Auto, 55MM

Original

After

Settings : f5.6, 1/1250, ISO 200, WB @ Auto, 55MM

OriginalAfter

The Art of Observation

Date : 17th Jan 2010

Location : Wessex Estate and Villa Frangipani

Lens : EFS18-55MM f3.5-f5.6 IS

The Art of Observation - finding something interesting out of an ordinary place.

I had chosen the shooting mode 'AE' ie aperture priority and set the aperture between f5 to f5.6. This is helpful as it lets the camera decides on the faster shutter speeds and ensure a sharper photo. If I had used the Manual mode, I will have to keep adjusting the settings when I move around - in a building, car, under the shade, etc. The AE mode helps to compensate for changes in sunlight, indoor light and other different lights. The aperture has a big impact on the Depth of Field. If we want a shallow Depth of Field (Focus is sharp and background is blurred), we need a large aperture eg f/1.8. Smaller apertures have bigger f-stop numbers, so a f/1.8 is infact a larger aperture than f/22. Sounds confusing yah! But after awhile, this just come naturally to the head.

Settings : f5, 1/1600, ISO 400 and WB @ Auto, 18MM

Settings : f5, 1/1600, ISO 400, WB @ Auto, 30MM

Settings : f5, 1/250, ISO 200, WB @ Auto, 34MM
Settings : f5, 1/2000 ISO 200, WB @ Auto, 24MM

Settings : f5.6, 1/100, ISO 200, WB @ Auto, 55MM

Settings : f5, 1/60, ISO 400, WB @ Auto, 39MM
Settings : f5, 1/500, ISO 400, WB @ Auto, 36MM

Settings : f5, 1/640, ISO 400, WB @ Auto, 32MM

Settings : f5, 1/125, ISO 200, WB @ Auto, 39MM

This is my favourite for that day. I saw KK taking a photography of the 'No smoking' sign and quickly snapped this from behind him.

Settings : f5, 1/20, ISO 100, WB @ Auto, 18MM

Ballroom's Light

Date : 7th Jan 2010

Location : Shangri-La Hotel, Island Ballroom

Lens : EFS18-55MM f3.5-5.6 IS

Settings : f5, 1/30, ISO 3200, WB @ Auto, 24MM

Settings : f5.6, 1/60, ISO 3200, WB @ Auto, 48MM

I made a big mistake at Mr Mole's wedding dinner. I should have adjusted the White Balance and not had used the auto mode. As a result of the blunder, the pictures that I took inside the ballroom came out blue-ish. I had chosen not to use the flash. Without a flash, the shutter speed was slow so I 'cheated' by using a higher ISO. But by setting a high ISO, I will risk getting noise in the pictures.

The options of White Balance that is found in my DSLR - Auto. Daylight (5200K), Shade (7000K), Cloudy (6000K), Tungsten Light (3200K), White Fluorescent Light (4000K), Flash and Custom.

Artifical lighting has low colour temperatures and outdoor natural light sources has higher colour temperatures. We can warm up the picture with yellows and oranges and cool it with lower colour temperatures. Most of the time, setting the White Balance to Auto should be sufficient. In this case, I should have tried out WB @ Tungsten Light.

First in Year 2010

Date/Time : 1st January 2010 at 0000
Location : The Sail, Singapore

Lens : EFS18-55MM f3.5-f5.6 IS

Settings : f4.5, 1/13, ISO 1600, WB @ Auto, 24MM
(Trimmed) Close up of the streaks

A smaller aperture creates slim streaks while a bigger aperture will create chunky streaks. I took the above picture with a bigger aperture. All the fireworks photos were taken with a tripod and I merely clicked away. Occassionally I would zoom in/out a little to get a different composition.

Settings : f4.5, 1/13, ISO 1600, WB @ Auto

Focal Length : 32MM
(Demonstration)

The best time to take photos of the fireworks is when the event had just started. After that the black sky became very smoky (as above).

Always use a tripod! Because you will need a longer shutter speed to capture the movement of the fireworks.

I like the photos that I took of the fireworks. But they looked a little flat though; lack of the 3D feel. It could be due to the view that I took it from - face to face.

Arts and Craft

If Photography is an Art, these are my crafts!

The body - Canon EOS 500D

Photo Credits : http://www.canon.com.sg/

EFS 18-55MM IS
This is the kit lens and is suitable for general photography. The function of Image Stablizier (IS) compensates for camera shake and helps in saving shutter speeds up to four stops.

EF50MM f/1.8II
I am using this for portraits. This is a standard lens ie with no zoom and is suitable for photo enthusisats using entry level EOS DSLR out looking for a fast prime lens "Inexpensive yet sharp"

EF 70-200MM f/4 USM
Telephoto L-series lens that stays at a constant f/4 maximum aperture even when it zooms. Tried and tested - images are beautifully sharp

Photo Credits : http://www.the-digital-picture.com