General Purpose Lens

Yours truly wants to buy another lens to replace the current kit lens EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS. (I have to use 'want' because after much consideration, I realized this does not quite justify to a 'need' *shrugs*).

I want a new general purpose lens because :-

1) I need to cover the gap for focal length 55 to 70mm

2) I need the lens to work better in low light

After much homework, the choice is narrowed down to Canon EF-S15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM. I may also consider third party lenses to take advantage of a bigger aperture at a lower price.

The other Canon lenses that were in my top considerations

EF24-70mm f/2.8L USM

Who wouldn’t love a lens with a f/2.8 aperture? But they involve bigger pieces of glass which makes them heavier and much more expensive. However, this lens does not come with an image stabilizer (IS). IS in the lens gives up to four-stop advantage and in my humble opinion, 4 stops is significant and it is a must to have an IS for a "walk around” lens.

EF-S17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM

This will defeat my initial purpose of getting the new lens. I need to close the gap between focal length 55 to 70mm.

It is important to know why we want to buy another lens. If my friends were to tell me about their dilemma on choosing lenses, I will also throw back the same question, "WHY do you need a new lens?"

Food Photography

I have a penchant to take photographs of food! When food arrives, the first thing I pick up is the camera, not the chopsticks. I can only do this when I am in the company of good friends; this is definitely a 'no no' for business lunches and company dinners.
While I understand that the best lighting for food photography is natural light because it reproduces the colors of the subject most faithfully blah blah blah. But more often than not, we are unable to get natural light. In restaurants that are dimly lit, I have no choice but to abuse the ISO in order to get a faster shuttle speed and we always ended up with grainy photos (who will actually bring along a tripod to dinner?)

Useful tips that I have picked up from the workshop
1) Positioning the light
One of the best places to photograph food is by a window where there is a lot of natural light (but not direct light)! Natural light is best in the morning or late afternoon.

NEVER use a direct flash.

2) Composition, "Rules of third" and Focus Point.
It is not necessary to capture a full shot of the dish. Try to free the background from clutters. Be creative, try out new ideas and shoot from different angles.

3) Color Temperature
Avoid fluorescent lights as they cast a blue color on the subject. Quote from Dr Leslie – nobody likes to eat blue food!

Lens : EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

Settings : f/5.0, 1/25 Sec, ISO3200, 45MM, WB Auto, Flash Off

IMG_2330, originally uploaded by Technical Tango.

The best encouragement is when friends tell me that they have a craving for this dish after seeing my food photos!

Happy Mummy Day!

Lens : EF-S18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

Settings : f/3.5, 1/10 Sec, ISO1600, 21MM

 

Singapore River

If it hasn't been photographed, it doesn't really exist.

IMG_2424, originally uploaded by Technical Tango.

Simply Peranakan

We needed a quick dinner before watching “Chicago”. We walked past this Peranakan restaurant at level two of Esplanade and there was no queue. It was 5.45pm and we were the only customers in the restaurant. There was another couple; they were waiting for their take-away. I was slightly surprised when I saw the menu. Although the name of the restaurant is "Simply Peranakan", they also have other cuisines like Thai pineapple fried rice and cereal prawns. Are these dishes considered Peranakan? The waitress did not give us any recommendations and she looked dazed. We ordered the Peranakan fried rice, Nyonya Ngo Hiang and sambal prawns. This serves well for two persons.  

We gave a thumbs up for the ambience and exquisite decor.

The crackers were deep fried and a tad too oily!

Peranakan fried rice - The two of us only managed to finish 75% of it.

Costs : SGD 12/-

Nyonya Ngo Hiang - dried beancurd skin filled with minced pork, prawns, carrot and big chunks of water chestnuts. This goes well with the sweet sauce.

Costs : SGD8.80

Sambal Prawn - de~shelled prawns stir-fried with chilli, lemon grass, ginger bud and sambal sauce.

Costs : SGD20/- for 4 medium sized prawns. (* "Medium-sized" is defined as one big mouthful or two bites). Given the high rental rates in the city, perhaps some of you may feel this price is reasonable. But we felt that this is over priced because the taste was only average.

I will recommend this restaurant to those who are looking for a quick meal. We did not have to wait long for the food to be served. We finished our dinner at about 6.30pm and the restaurant was then only 70% filled.

First of May

One of my favourite days in the calendar - First of May
One of my favourite songs from Bee Gees - First of May

Another nice video of First of May LIVE! performed by Robin Gibb http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CcojIeORo3o

The Lyrics written by Barry Gibb; Maurice Ernest Gibb; Robin Hugh Gibb

When I was small and Christmas trees were tall

We used to love while others used to play

Don't ask me why, but time has passed us by,

Someone else moved in from far away.

Now we are tall and Christmas trees are small,

And you don't ask the time of day.

But you and I, our love will never die,

But guess who'll cry come first of May.

The apple tree that grew for you and me,

I watched the apples falling one by one.

And as I recall the moment of them all,

The day I kissed your cheek and you were gone.

................................

My love hate relationship with White Balance

My second attempt at capturing sunset. This time I used "Cloudy" for the White Balance. This is the closest to the actual sky.

IMG_2061A, originally uploaded by Technical Tango.

Jurong Bird Park

IMG_1606A, originally uploaded by Technical Tango.

The light painters were at the Jurong Bird Park on Saturday. With the exception of the ferocious mosquitoes bites and a sudden downpour during the late afternoon, I had a good photography trip. (Updated - Lest that we get an overdosage of aviary, only the top 32 favourite pictures had been uploaded !)