Committing Your Life to Photography

"I climbed the Empire State building antenna 4 times . . . split my scalp on I-beam . . . lost vision in my left eye due to tremendous amount of streaming blood at 1,500′ hanging in a harness from antenna."

"The worst animals are microscopic. I rarely come home without parasites, amoebas, and worms—both internal and under the skin. It takes weeks and or months to remove them from my body with toxic medicines that are very bad for your liver."

Ever tried opening your camera bag to find a viper? How about being in a helicopter tipped over a volcano?

The Photo Society is a group of contributing photographers for the National Geographic Magazine, all with at least one feature story published in the publication. These photographers come from all sorts of backgrounds with various specialties, but simply said all they do is narrate a story through photography -- and boy do they risk everything doing it.

This way, step-by-step they make the world a better place for everyone.

Read more at The Photo Society - Reality Check.



Source: The Photo Society

The Coolest Looking Camera Ever?

Its a work by PJ Linden, using 3D paint on a 7D and a 24-70mm. The same process was done on a series of other stuff like on a Lensbaby, a BlackBerry, an ashtray... ...

Look at an entire album of such stuff HERE.



From deviantART

So...

Happy Halloween.
 


Read more: Fully functional Halloween camera costume - created in a flash

An eye for creativity.

I saw this photo on my facebook wall, shared by a friend.

Nat Geo: Halfway through college, George Steinmetz bought a camera and took off on a "big wander." Hitchhiking from London to Zaire, he was captivated by the remote regions he passed through. He vowed to go back, to capture these strange, barren landscapes in a way that had never been done before. "It became my long-term dream—to find a way to photograph deserted places from above." Years later, the motorized paraglider became Steinmetz’s solution. The Sahara, Antarctica, and South America’s Altiplano are among the places he has since documented. "You see unique things from the air," he says. "Paintings, camel trails, ceremonial locations, little patterns in the early-morning shadows. In Niger we discovered pre-Islamic graves. You must find what is unique in each area, and figure out how to convey it visually," he says. "Driving across the Salar de Uyuni salt flats in Bolivia is like captaining a small boat on a vast white sea. When shot from above, a photo incorporating a vehicle will give the viewer a sense of scale."

While wind, sand, and ice shape land in different ways, all desolate places share a surreal, otherworldly quality. "You are stepping into other worlds," says Steinmetz, "so it’s best to seek advice from locals who know the lay of the land."

Needless to say, this photo was taken by George Steinmetz from the air. And if you haven't figured it out by now, the "camels" are actually shadows of their casters, which are the white figures on the ground. It was taken at sunset, hence explaining the shadows.

Moral of the photo: Always be on the lookout for different angles to take your photo from. You never know when you might achieve a stunning shot!

Cheers!

P.S. 11/12 exco, WHY YOU NO POST ANYTHING?!?!?!?!

-ChengBoon

The Real Hustle (UK) - Stealing Camera Lenses

MJC Openhouse 2012

Hey,

calling out to all photog seniors :D!
MJC will be having our openhouse 2012 (Ten@City) on 11 January 2012.

Photog would be holding our usual photo exhibition consisting of past year photos and new ones taken recently (I doubt pics from the Cambodia trip this dec can be printed on time though.. and YES we're heading to cambodia from 26th-31st dec.)

You guys will get to receive a Meridian Bear donning the PE t-shirt if you come back for friendly games, put up a performance or conduct activity for the visitors (bear given out only on first come first serve basis).
(please note that the above is merely an advert by the CGExecutive Board ^^ where almost none of the options given..apply.)
If you are interested in joining us on 11 Jan, pls do drop us a comment via the tagboard!

Thanks!

sheen.
-yeap promos are overr and its time to get back our results._.

More reasons why you should shoot film if you wanna improve your photography

Convinced? Need some advice to get you on your way? Approach your friendly Alumni senior today for a free consultation! :D
p.s. Elliot Erwitt of Magnum Photography is featured in the clip ;)

We Will Be Match Fit

Closer to the truth than it seems...

How to tell a good camera from a bad one

Wanna share this great film I saw last night.. Probably one of Japan's most prolific inventor; he has a very special way of telling a good camera from a bad one.. Shuffle along to 1:45 :D

p.s. A word of caution.. if you intend to use Dr. Nakamatsu's method of determining if our club's cameras are good or not.. Please make sure someone is next to you; to catch you when you faint.. :P

Inside Out Exhibition

http://migrantvoicesinsideout.wordpress.com/

Interesting project. I once thought of having an exhibition (photo-essay) featuring migrant workers (domestic helpers and construction workers) - their lives, their world - in the hope that their Singaporean employers will learnt to treat them better.

hm... is it feasible?

American Girl in Italy - 60 Years Later

In line with our Monochrome theme... except that this was shot 60 years ago. On the 60th birthday of the photo, the model was interviewed...

‘American Girl’ photo: American Girl in Italy, 1951 © 1952, 1980 Ruth Orkin / Courtesy of …

Read the article here

The photographer only took TWO shots of that street and one of the shots become the most iconic of all time. Who knows, one of the photos you take when you're just horsing around or during your travels may become famous one day =)

World Photography Day

Yesterday was World Photography Day... I didn't even know haha

http://www.worldphotoday.org/

Monochrome

The kids put up their exhibition today... again... cos some of the boards dropped on Monday and they had to make some minor modifications to the set-up.

Sorry I only had my i-phone with me (my 7D has been getting heavy of late >.<|||) And I'm too tired from marking assignments, timed practices and quizzes to edit the photos =.=

So deep in concentration =)

Guess who...

Looks awesome ^^ woots!

Follow me on a journey through Japan!!

Wow.. its been nearly a month since the blog was last updated.. (kids, you really should learn to use the resources available to you to their fullest potential..)

In any case, I'm flying off to Japan as you are reading this. Why you might ask.. Well, you can find out more over at my blog.. Basically I will be updating me blog, hopefully everyday through my 5 nights there posting as many photos I can of me journey..

If you are busy mugging, no need to read the gibberish that I write.. just stare at my pictures:p (Just don't stare too hard.. they are shy :p)

Enjoy!

http://analogdigitization.blogspot.com

The Negative Effect

Heys.. I came across this short preview of this unknown film on the net that follows this group of Malaysian Lomographers and explores the foundation of their love for Lomography and perhaps in a broader sense, film photography or just photography. I know that some of you are very into this lomo thingy and stuff.. though I'm not exactly a huge fan about such a concept..

But if anything that makes me like this short trailer, is that even in the pursuit of technical excellence, it reminds us that we need to keep in our minds that we need to keep photography relevant to us and more importantly, fun.

Interesting blog about Singapore of yonder years

Hi guys,

This blog serves up some interesting locales and themes for future photoshoots.

http://remembersingapore.wordpress.com/

Regards,
PPC

Exhibition matters

Hello! I hope all of you have come up with your submissions for the exhibition. Don't forget, submissions close on the 10th of July!

Remember why we organise an Alumni exhibition every year, on College Day? Us seniors understand how proud your parents will be when they see your works hanging on the walls of the college grounds when they visit the school for College Day. And for seniors who have already graduated, we just love to show off some of our awesomeness, right? Do not underestimate the number of fans of the Photography Club we have out there, so, give it your best shot!

For this year's exhibition layout, we'll be moving away from the black mounting boards and will be hanging up all our entries on wooden frames. The Alumni Exco had went through a lengthy discussion and consideration before coming to this decision. We would all love to see our exhibition each better than the last, right? And we promise to deliver and exhibit your hard work in the best presentation possible. In order to ease the budget strain on the club (and on the Alumni's non-existent funds), I'm sad to say that you will be required to pay $20 per entry.

However, at the end of the exhibition period, you will be able to bring your entries home and hang them up at home!

How to pay:

Participants can choose to either pay via
1)funds transfer or
2) direct payment upon submission.

For 1) please transfer to posb savings 050-63816-2. Please revert to Xiuqi at 91117369 with your name, transaction number and time of transaction asap after payment.

For 2) xiuqi will be free to meet at Tanah Merah MRT Station on the 10th July to collect the payment. Please contact her at 91117369 to fix a time.


Submission reminders:

Submissions must be made to mjcphotog.alumni@gmail.com by July 10, 2011 under the subject title '(your name) - Objet Trouve'. Package each body of work in a ZIP file, which should contain the following:

· Photographs (maximum of three allowed)

· Text file containing: title of work, description of work, photographer, current occupation of photographer, previous class in MJC

Technical issues

I noticed people highlighting that the blog was viewable only to "invited readers" yesterday. I'm sorry that this has happened, our blog is viewable to the public and will never restrict access to any group of viewers.

As far as I am concerned, there are many people alumni, members alike that have admin access to the blog. Please refrain from playing with the core settings of the blog so things like this do not happen again.

Thanks,
Quentin

Canon Lion City Cup 2011

It has been a while ever since the previous post, and since I happen to have the time, I have decided to breathe some life back into this blog. :)

Alright, I know the Lion City Cup has came to an end roughly a week ago with CR Flamengo winning the title, but I still want to share the action captured during the first two matches of the Cup. 

This is the premiering match, featuring Newcastle United Under-15 versus Singapore Under-15 (in blue). Singapore won with a score of 4-3, putting in the winning goal within the last minute of extra time.

CR Flamengo Under-15 (in red) managed to scrape a 1-0 win against Everton United Under-15. Although CR Flamengo was undeniably more aggressive, Everton stood their ground and fended off the majority of the attacks.

It was a great honour and an awesome experience shooting for the Cup, since it was of a scale bigger than most school events. I also have some tips for anyone who might have the chance to cover such sports events:

1) Always remember to bring a tripod, or a monopod if you can get it, especially if you know that you'll be using big lenses like 70-200mm f2.8L. Otherwise towards the end, your arms will be so tired you won't even feel like shooting.

2) Bring a stool (or something to sit on comfortably), else you will find yourself struggling with an aching back after 3 hours of sitting there unsupported.

There you go, this blog seems much livelier already. Keep it going people! I shall go get ready to book in now. =S

-ChengBoon.

VOTE for Eunice Chan's photo blog

When I entered my blog for the contest, I didn't have any hopes of joining the list of finalists who would ultimately vie the title of Best Photography Blog. I'm a photographer who loves to take pictures and share them with the world. I'm a photographer who loves to take pictures so much that I am willing to do anything to get a good picture. But ironically I'm not a photographer who loves joining competitions; I love to take pictures for leisure and have people admire them without having the pressure of winning a title for myself. I am that kind of laid-back photographer, who just loves to chill in front of the computer and type away about my experiences.

To me, my blog was just a little platform to share about the little bits of life I have experienced. This year, I spent five months in Nepal, a world so vastly different from life as we know it in Singapore. Through my blog, I hope to share more about the outside world.

To my delight, I had attracted many readers outside the Singaporean audience. My photos were viewed, shared and reblogged on others' blogs. I was also asked to join a Nepal group on Flickr. Nepalese residing overseas sent me messages saying that looking at my photos make them miss home, and they even sent me advice on how to assimilate into the Nepali lifestyle! That's what I loved about my blog — the global audience — and though I did not know who my readers were, but somehow getting that feedback made me feel so warm in a foreign country.

By joining Singapore Blog Awards, my little wish was just to widen my readership. As I have shared about Nepal, I hope to in the future to share about Singapore the same way, and every other country I will visit.

If you truly do enjoy what I post on my blog, please vote for me. You may vote for me here, everyday, once per day till 3rd July.

Do also read my featured article Remember Nepal.

Vote for me, NAO!

This my first time joining Singapore Blog Awards, and I was pleasantly surprised today when my blog was selected as one of the ten finalists for the Best Photography Blog category. I pride my blog in sharing about the places I have been to with the blogsosphere, and this year you'll find a huge number of posts on Nepal because well, I lived there for five months.

If you frequently follow my photography posts on my blog and truly enjoy looking at my photos, please vote for me! Voting closes on 3rd July, and you can vote once per day, everyday.

Please go and vote for me! VOTE FOR ME NAO.

Farewell

FAREWELL
31st May 2011
1830-????
Pasir Ris Park
Pit 36
Cameras please.

For those who are arriving by BMWs, Mercs and Ferraris etc please abandon them at carpark D.
For those by foot...
just walk.
^^

see you there!

LTC 2011

Hello J1s!

As some of you already know, LTC 2011 is coming up on the second week of June (6-9th June). LTC 2011 will be held at MOE adventure campsite. If you have signed up to be a photographer at LTC, good news! Kingston and I will be playing mentors to you guys to guide you to be better sports and event photographers.

We will be there for all 4 days (or most of it at least) to be coaching you guys.

If you have been confirmed as one of the photographers for LTC, please email me at eunicechan.photo@gmail.com just to let me know and I will hold some e-briefs for you.

If the application is still open... Apply away!


Alumni president back in action,
Eunice

Basic Photography Course by Canon Imaging Academy and MJC

Hi guys,

Another new initiative by both Canon and us is the Basic Photography Course.

This is basically a 12 hour course spread over 6 lessons comprising of both theory and practical.

Canon actually offers this course over at their Habourfront training studio but the rate is $280. However as we are collaborating with them to reach out to students, the rate is $180. Equipment is even provided for those who do not have a DSLR.

I don't expect you guys to sign up for this course as you would have enough advice from your seniors, alumni, Ms Koh and me. This course would be more for your peers and your juniors from your secondary school.

The course will be held on Fridays and Saturdays over a 3 week period from 15/07 to 30/07. Refer to the posters for more details.

We will be publicising to the schools via email but nothing beats you spreading the word to your juniors in your secondary school. Remember if your juniors comes to MJC with a certain firm foundation in photography basics, this would only mean one thing for Photography>MJC, ie we will be soaring higher than ever. :-)

Please contact me or Ms Koh if you/your friend has any queries.

Spaces are limited.

PPC

Soccer Photography Seminar with Canon + Workshop + Coverage of Lion City Cup matches

Hi guys,

In case you do not know, but Lion City Cup is back after a 2 year hiatus. This time round, the tournament has some of the best youth teams like Flamengo, Juventus, Newcastle and Everton, coming to pit their skills against each other and with our Singapore Cubs.

So in conjuction with this soccer tournament, we have partnered Canon to organised a Soccer Photography Seminar. Yes and that's why your dear Papa Cheng has not been around since you guys (JC1s) have taken over from your seniors cause I was simply so busy with all these and nary a chance to sit down proper and share with you guys the details.

Here's the poster... acutally I self created this, so pardon the lack of asthetic sense. Did it in < 1 hour so that I can print out something for for distribution to the JC1 classes.

This seminar is particularly relevant to us since we will be covering next year's school sports events and also a good time to reflect what we could have done better for this year's sports coverage.

Details of the seminar
Date: 4th June 2011, Saturday
Time: 10am to 1pm, Registration starts at 930am
Venue: Joyden Hall @ Iluma, Level 7
201 Victoria Street S(188067)

Attendance is complusory for JC1s.


Though we are helping with the organising, we will still need to register so that the participants' details will be capture. So Stefanie, can you please help to register for the JC1s at the
www.canon.com.sg/clcc_soccerphotographyseminar


Lucky participants will be selected to attend soccer photography workshops which covers theory and practical. Even luckier ones will get to cover the soccer tournament. Imagine, covering the event with the pros from the media. Don't worry about the equipment. Canon will be loaning for the coverage. So don't miss this wonderful opportunity! (Refer to the posters for more details about the workshops and tournament coverage)

PPC

Speakers' Bio

Mr Suhaimi
Suhaimi specialized in sports and travel photography.
His love to document stories in their unguarded moments, have won him many accolades.
Unraveling the beauty and ugliness around him through that still image, Suhaimi constantly seeks to create an image that is fair and accurate representation of stories they depict in both content and tone.

Suhaimi has his fair share of international sporting coverage, like the 2009 Sea Games in Laos, 2010 World Cup 2010, 2010 Youth Olympic Games 2010, 2010 AFF Suzuki Cup, 2011 Asian Cup to name a few.

Suhaimi is accustomed to working within tight deadlines in a rapidly changing environment. He is flexible in his approach; committed to the satisfaction of his client and feels his talent would be ideally suited to the challenges of a high pressure environment.

http://www.sportsshooter.com/suhaimi


Mr Ray Chua

Ray is an Executive Photograher with Singapore's leading Chinese newspaper, Lianhe Zaobao. He is also the photography consultant for its subsidiary paper, Comma, reaching out to students and cultivating young photojournalists.

Over the years, Ray has discovered that his interest and passion in Sports photography, particularly in capturing the decisive moment during football matches. Ray finds it a real challenge in those intense, action packed 90 minutes which keeps his adrenaline pumping and always on high alert , anticipating the crucial moments, eyes glued to the view finder, tracking the speeding footballers, armed with a " big-white " ( 300 mm/2.8 ) and fingers ready to trigger.
Nothing beats capturing a great moment in a football match, the sense of satisfaction and achievement always bring a smile to ray whenever he shares his work.

For the past 5 years, Ray has covered numerous S-league matches together with some international matches played in Singapore and he is always looking forward for the next football match he is going to shoot, to feel the ground, to hear the cheer and drum-beat of the supporters, to witness the actions, joy and sorrow and of course to capture the peak of the action and turn them into history.
The following are some other credentials:

1. RMIT, Melbourne, Bachelor of Arts in Photography ( 2003-2005 )
2. ACMP Award , Australia Commercial and Media Photographer of the year ( Graduation Class of 2005 )
3 Canon Asia Pacific , Honorable Mention / Great Eastern " Life is Great " Photo Contest , First-Runner-up.
4 Executive Photographer, LianHeZaoBao , Singapore Press Holdings. ( Current )
5. Teaching experience in Temasek Polytechnic as an adjunct lecturer (2007).
6. Speaker at photojournalism lectures in secondary schools and tertiary institutions.
7. Picture Editor for Singapore Youth Olympic Games 2010 Host News Agency (2010)
7. Adjunct lecturer, teaching photography at Singapore Polytechnic (2010 - Present)

Studio Days 3

Ever wondered how...
correctly exposed, prettaye!, kawaii~, ehhh coooool, naisee studio shots came about?
we can prevent our studio lights from collecting dust any further?
YOU can be the next studio photographer?

If you did, then...


Join us.
In the clubroom. Featuring

Studio Days 3.
1-3 June 2011
Wed-Fri

1400-1830

Yes yes it's back. Calling out to all Alumni, Seniors and members. It's time for you to show off your creativity, prepare the stage and trigger your shutters! Studio Days 3 will provide you the chance to venture into the world of studio photography and just simply...

shoot what you want to shoot (with lights).^^

Be it teddy bears/angry birds/miniature cars/flowers/IKEA swedish meatballs/hokkien mee, bring them down to our very own clubroom on Studio Days to see them turn out pretty! Our very own Alumni (for those J1 Fans of Kingston out there, yes he will be there that day) will be down on these few days,despite their busy schedules, to give you FOC tips and hints on how you can get your shot. Don't know how your shots will turn out to be? Scroll down, look right, then stop, at the labels for 'Studio Days' to have a better idea of how things will be like.

we will focus on a theme for each day:
1st June (Day 1) - Still Life
2nd June (Day 2) - Portrait
3rd June (Day 3) - Food & Beverages

with each day having 3 slots.....:
1400-1530
1530-1700
1700-1830

Bring your:
camwhoring skills
Your significant other - Cameras
and props - Dresses/sunglasses/whatnot

**So, if you're interested...
Do come as a pair (if you're lonely&single also cann no worries!) and drop us an email at meridian.ps@gmail.com with the following details:
1. Name(s)
2. Day ? & Slot (timing) preferred which will be convenient for you

NOTE: a maximum of 2 slots can be chosen for each pair.
NOTE: our white backdrop is currently...ahem not available.

Based on first come first serve basis.Only 3 pairs can shoot in each slot onlyyy!! Create, invent and shooot.Grasp this rare/once-in2-years opportunity and email us naoooo^^ and most importantly, be part of our photog family!~

(we'll tell you if youve got your slot!)
sheen.

The Joy Of Photography Experimentation

The Joy Of Photography Experimentation

by Peter West Carey

One of the great aspects of writing for DPS is the large audience it entails. One of the great challenges of writing for DPS is the large audience it entails.

This post will not be for everyone and I do apologize. Not every post can be. For those who are set in their ways and only wish to see absolute perfect exposure in every single shot, ever, then you can skip this post. I’m going to talk about messing up and getting things wrong, on purpose.

In this post I want to encourage those of you starting out in photography. I want to encourage you to try for two things; 1) Learn the basics. Understand the basics. Become well versed in the basics of how light is captured and presented in the digital realm and in print. Knowledge of the basics will allow you to create art you enjoy seeing. 2) Experiment with abandon. Don’t be afraid to mess up. Don’t bother asking others “What would happen if I forced a higher shutter speed?” Just do it and learn from it.

The joy of experimenting with digital photography is instant feedback (via a camera’s display and histogram) and hopefully instant understanding. “When I do this, this happens.” Photography, for all its glory as an art form, really isn’t all that exciting from a discovery standpoint. It follows certain laws of physics in regard to what light does. From experimentation I know just how much darker my exposure will be if I increase my shutter speed two stops. It’s not like I discovered a new species of plant in a rainforest or a new galaxy in the night sky. But it is still just as valuable from a learning standpoint.

Experimentation is what you do after you get out of the classroom (as a photography instructor, I of course believe starting with guided explanation of the fundamentals is important). You will read about what you should and shouldn’t do and most people’s intent is in the right place. They are trying to help you learn without you having to spend the time and expense of doing it yourself. In the days of film this was very helpful indeed because experimenting always had an out-of-pocket expense for film and development.

In the age of digital photography, after the initial expense of a camera, lens and memory card, that barrier is gone. Reading websites and books can still be a shortcut to learning (and an eyeopener to ideas you never even thought about) and shouldn’t be totally dismissed. Alongside that learning, though, you will gain more from doing than from reading and this is where experimentation comes in.

Want to see what a scene looks like overexposed? Go for it. Think a picture needs far more blue saturation when viewed on a PC? No problem. Think you can make a great macro lens out of two extension tubes and a reverse mounting ring? More power to you.

Chances are most of your shots will not come out to your level of satisfaction. But some might. Some might look very, very cool to you. A shot might even ’speak’ to you. And that is the heart of art. Connection with an image. Emotion stirred. If it works for you, don’t worry too much what others, including me or any other fancy writer on a website, might thing. It doesn’t have to a literal rendition of a scene nor does it need to be tack sharp in all corners.

Chances are at some point in the future you will look back at shots you took 10, 20, 40 years ago and they will either still speak to you or you will think they are horrible. “What was I thinking?” is a phrase often spoken with regard to photography, fashion and haircuts. But without experimenting, without trying new things, without learning for yourself, you will not progress towards your own vision and creating art you enjoy.

You will read over and over about what you ’should’ do in photography. There is a great amount of learning to be had from those who have taken the time to learn and offer their wisdom. Alongside that learning, experiment. See for yourself what happens when you do X or Y.

Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. They are a great teacher.

And if others don’t have a strong interest in helping you learn, don’t pay much attention to what they have to say while you are experimenting. You’re not doing it for them, anyway.

Have fun and keep shooting.

Read more: http://www.digital-photography-school.com/the-joy-of-photography-experimentation#ixzz1MxriGRsu

Galactica

 

Hi photog seniors! This is Wendy.
Are you guys interested in getting our photog t-shirt? Hehe do let us know! Tellmetellmetellme.
Please help to spread the word amongst the other photog seniors ok! This is important *Drops huge hint
HAHA OK SEE YA GUYS AROUND IN SCHOOL :)

Leica

Getting lens from eBay?

MISSING!!!

HI All MJPHOTOGGERS!

How are u guys doing so far? PW still being a pain in your butt(s)? Anyway, I've got a "missing" item report! Has anyone seen or accidentally taken my Canon EOS bag by mistake? I left it in the clubroom a couple of weeks back and it mysteriously disappeared! Anyway, to identify it, I've got some belongings in it:

1) A pair of movie tickets left in there
2) A post-its pack from a bank in the side pocket
3) An MJC Elysium ll Official tag in the bag zip pocket.

Kindly post in the tagboard if you have seen it or currently have it with you! Thanks!

A photo of the bag:






KTHXBAI
Csquaredme

Just sharing...

Okay some days ago I had to cover the college's drama production - Vanity Victorious Virtue Vanquished! at Alliance Francaise de Singapour. Just sharing a small portion, others can be found on Facebook.

- Jx

Montage 2011 Photo Story !

Still thinking of how to produce that Award Wining Photo Story

for

Montage 2011:"What if?"

Here's some examples taken by the Organizing Committee themselves:

So what are you waiting for ! Grab your cameras (and your team) and tell your stories!

Submission deadline: 15th May 2011

@

http://montage.sg/2011/photo_story

Starting Photo:

Handover

CCA handover today. :'(

Last meeting for us, but it's not goodbye.

Goodluck for the 11/12 EXCO and members.

PHOTOG! ♥

Travel Series (I)

I’ve taken a little time out of my hectic schedule (5 articles due by the end of this week!) to write a little bit on travel photography, in time for all of you to sharpen your skills in the coming June holidays!

“What is the easiest form of photography for you?” I have had some people ask me that question before.

My answer?

There’s no such thing as “easy photography”. Taking photos is no easy matter. I can tell you what I love shooting best, and what I’m good at doing, but neither of them is “easy”.

I love doing portrait photography. I love doing landscape photography. I love doing nature photography. I love doing adventure photography. I love doing documentary photography.

Tell me, which one sounds “easiest” to you?

Portraiture involves knowing how to pose models, place them in the right light (or place the right light on them) and knowing how to capture their natural selves. Landscape photography involves waiting minutes, hours and sometimes even days for the right light to fall on your particular landscape. Sometimes we have to sit out in the cold just to be disappointed by bad weather, or sometimes we have to wake up at the ungodly hour just to capture a few shots before running back into bed. Nature photography, again, involves heavy equipment and tones of patience. Adventure photography? Ever tried sitting on a speed boat veering left and right and your hands are preoccupied with taking photos that you have no way of holding on for your life? Documentary photography; do you have the physical and mental strength?

Unfortunately for you, travel photography seems to be a mishmash of everything put together. Definitely you’re going to be shooting some people, some landscapes, documenting some of the local’s daily lives, shooting some of the natural landscape and animals in the area, and maybe if you’re into adventure, you’d have to do some of that too.

But no problem.

I’m here to offer some tips in this travel series part one.

1. Learning to smile and look friendly.
This sounds almost mundane and stupid. Why do photographers have to learn how to smile and look friendly?

The simple reason being your photographed subjects are actually mirrors of your personality. If you project a good positive outlook, your subjects feel natural and at ease for your shots. But if you look uncertain and scared, there is very reason for your subjects to feel tensed up and scared as well.

Also, people won’t want to let creepy and scary looking people take photos of themselves. Friendly and outgoing photographers tend to let people feel that they are not posing for some pervert. Of course, don’t be TOO outgoing. That’s gonna creep people out too.

2. Get a feel of the local scene.
In some cultures, it is really rude to touch somebody’s head. In OUR culture, we may feel that it is all right to ruffle a kid’s head of hair, but you do not want to rub the locals in the wrong way. Knowing what might upset the locals is very important, and in the event that you know you have accidentally done something wrong, offer your sincere apologies.

Nepal is a very poor country. Not many people own a camera, or have their photos taken before. More than once I take photos in a village area, the villagers will crowd around to take a look. Being a Singaporean, we hardly get that sort of response that it almost feels threatening to us. But understanding the local scene will also let you know that these people are just plain curious. Befriending them will actually help you get even more portraits of the locals.

3. Learn how to say “Hello” and “How are you?” in the local language.
How difficult is it to learn saying hello and how are you? No matter where you go, it is just sheer common courtesy to ask before taking a photo. Saying hello and how are you will show that you are not just some rude foreigner who doesn’t know any manners.

Usually, this will garner friendly responses from the locals, and they’ll be more than happy to pose for you.

That’s all from me today, I will be posting more when I have time touching on the other parts of travel photography.

Over and out-
Eunice Chan

--


A little about the writer:

Eunice Chan is a third-year undergraduate studying in NTU’s Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, majoring in Broadcast and Cinema Studies. Although she loves photography and film making, she also has a strange liking for suffering. Currently she is serving a five-month journalism internship in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Eunice didn’t know how to take photographs before she joined MJC Photography Club, much less know how to use a DSLR. Before long, she won her first DSLR upon graduation from Meridian in a competition, and was on her way to becoming a press photographer. She has covered stories and issues relating to NTU and also the Youth Olympics last year.

She hopes that through her blog posts in this little space, she could continue to inspire youths today to become better photographers.

Read her photography blog and musings at http://eunicechan-photo.tumblr.com/

SUPERMOON!!!

Hey All!

Haven't been posting regularly due to JC hahaha(what's new, right?). Anyway, I'm sure most, if not all of you have heard of the recent Supermoon nights where the moon looked really bright/creamy/smooth/clear and just pure brilliant. Well, fortunately, the club's 200mm f2.8 prime lens was with me so I decided to capture some shots of the moon with it! Although it's not very up close(due to me not having club's tele-converters), it's pretty reminiscent of Cheng Boon's post on the blog of his shot of the moon! :D Enjoy!

JC2 SGC CCA Verification

To all members, please click my name MS ANN KOH for CCA so that I can go in and verify.

Photojournalist Killed

Sometimes, being a photographer means risking your life...

Screen-shot of cnews
Read more here.

Singapore My Home competition 2011

Hello all you,

Here's the annual NDP photo competition. Take part and have a chance to win a D300s!

Below's the link-
http://www.singaporemyhome.sg/

Call for ideas for Alumni Exhibition 2011!

Hello all, I think this post is long overdue, but we still want to hear some of your suggestions.

The annual exhibition organised by the Alumni is round the corner once again, in July. Last year, our theme was Lofi, and we accepted all kinds of submissions that have been edited to look like photos taken with toy cameras such as Lomos and Holgas.

We'd like to hear some of your suggestions for what the theme should be this year. Everyone, including J1s and J2s are also included in this exhibition, so you guys can also chip in with your suggestions!

We also came up with some kick ass layout for the exhibition last year, so if you have any ideas how we should put up our prints this year, also please do tell us! (To see the layout of The Lo-fi Project, click here and here. Strangely not many pictures were taken of the final thing cos all energy was spent on setting up the exhibition itself...)

To share your suggestion, just click on the "comment" button below and just share your ideas with the FB app.

Thank you very much!


Your Alumni President,
Eunice Chan

Math Awareness Month Photo Competition

Hi JC1s and JC2s,

Do go to facebook and like the MJC Ignite page. Then you can submit photos that answer the question: Where is MATH? and win points for your house!

Ms Ann Koh

Some facts of Photography > MJC

J1s, did you know...?

1. We broke away from then Multimedia Club and Photography Club was formally created in 2005. Our first Chairman was Benjamin Tan and Vice-Chair Alex Zhang.

2. Photography Club's 2nd EXCO in 2006 only had 4 people.

3. Created in 2006, Photography Club's first logo was Photography >> MJC, with two arrows rather than one.

4. At the same time, we launched our motto "Your Moments, Our Calling". I believe that was the first club motto in MJC's history, to which Papa Cheng proudly emailed the entire MJC teaching faculty.

5. There was a call for MJC motto ideas shortly after.

6. Photography Club is the only club in MJC to have their own fully air conditioned room. The old clubroom was also equipped with a CISCO alarm.

7. At that time, we were only equipped with two Nikon D100, one D70 and a handful of lenses.

8. On 6th December 2006, we earned our first $278.

9. Papa Cheng was named thus in 2007, over an excited phone conversation with three of his cheekiest EXCO members to date. (We used to have a phone in our clubroom.)

10. Our first inter-college photo exhibition, Expose, was held in 2007. Hosted by MJC, the exhibition lasted four weeks in three colleges - MJC, VJC, TPJC. In 2008, Ms Lai gave praise that MJC's photos had taken a great leap in creativity, and was (to be politically correct) comparable to the prints submitted by VJC, which has a rather established Photography Club.

11. This blog was started up in late 2007, and had undergone many tweaks in design till today. The blog was started up by 07/08 EXCO Quentin and gang to better involve and inform club members.

12. In late 2007, plans for starting up MJC Photography Club Alumni began. By July 2008, Alumni Society of MJC Photography was formed, with our very first Board of Directors. Till today, the Alumni is still silently supporting the main club.

All this seem to be ancient history. There are many many other hallmark events over the years, each one the fruit of labour of different batches of EXCO and their members. But this is to remind you how much our club has grown ever since its inception. Now J1s and J2s, the history is for your to make.

I DUN WANNA BE AN OLD BIRD!!

Roughly 2 years ago, I participated in Camp Aperture as a member. Approximately 1 year ago, I helped to conduct Camp Exposure. 4 days ago, I saw the closing of CAM(P)ERA as an alumni. This made me see the long way (relative to myself) I've came in photography.

I entered the club 2 years ago knowing literally next to nothing about photography. You may as well speak Spanish to me than to tell me about things such as ISO, aperture and white balance. But slowly throughout my time in Photography > MJC, I went from a zero to, well, not so much of a hero, but at least i knew my basics as a photographer.

I just want to tell the new faces in the club (I hope you people visit this blog) that the only way to improve on your photography skills is to shoot, Shoot, and SHOOT again. Even if you are shooting the same subject over and over again, don't stop until you've got the shot you are satisfied with by playing around with the settings. Believe me when i say that good photos are rare (but I do admit that Photoshop helps A LOT!). It might be due to my picky-ness, but there has been times when only 10% of the original count are left after i finish filtering through my photos. Then again, good lenses and bodies help too! I used to use a 350D and 18-55mm f3.5-5.6! Now you people have all the L's! There's that fisheye and I even heard that there's a 24mm f1.4L! 0.0

With that said, I must still emphasise that it is the man/woman behind the camera that really counts. You could have the most expensive equipment out there, but without practice, someone with a kit lens could produce better photos than you. So grab every opportunity that the exco offers to you, such as covering of events, outings, etc. If you think that that's not enough, go for a stroll at a nice place with your camera around your neck. You will never know what to expect.

That's all I can think of right now, so all the best to you photogers out there, and for those who wanna run for exco, good luck! And to the 10/11 batch, CONGRATS and GOOD JOB for successfully carrying out CAM(P)ERA!

Photography > MJC has found a place in my heart, I hope it will find one in yours too. PHOTOG!

P.S. If you j1's who cant match my name to my face, I'm that botak NS guy in a black shirt with camera prints in the first photo of 'Random shots of CAM(P)ERA' by quent.

-Cheng Boon (09/10 batch)

Random shots of CAM(P)ERA

Hi all! 

If you don't know me... 

too bad! 

BOTAK GANG 

(spot the fake botak)

PPC Poses... 

LIKE A BOSS 

Xingquan yak yak yak dadada yak yak 

Atikah presents... 

DONUTS 

LIGHTNING! 

Golden end to a wonderful camp.

To the J2s EXCO + Facilitators, WELL DONE! 

Great job on the planning and organisation of this year's camp. I didn't had camp during my time :( 

Enjoy your time as an PHOTOG member while you can :) you'll miss it very very much, just like i did. 

Bye!

-- Quentin 

(2007/08 Batch one) 

CAM(P)ERA 2011!

HELLOOOO first time updating. :D

So, CAM(P)ERA was da bomb and i really wanna update about it!!

(zomg the photos are uploading at the speed of 10^negative infinity)

Okay so here goes:

Dinner.

Farhan and I were the food i/c for the camp and we had chicken rice from MJSpicy stall.

Btw we got cheated because 2 of the packets were w/o chicken ):

Scam much?

Atikah spilled this while preparing drinks for others.

(and she spilled Milo during breakfast the next day. Hahaha clumsyyyy girl!)

I presume Junxian was bored because he decided to mess up my OCD 5 x 5 arrangement and came up with this! :)

Sam showing Mr Cheng and Chin Chye her tattoo B)

Kingston teaching the J1s our famous photog cheer and making the J2s demo.

I remember I heard someone saying we look like we're a communist party.

HAHAHA. :D :/ :P

Meanwhile Farhan's hiding somewhere, mesmerized by his new love.

After dinner we taught them Studio, Flash Photography, Light Painting & Lightroom Basics.

Jiayi, Farhan and I were i/c of Light Painting.

It was FUN FUN FUN FUN. :D

Group C!! :D

♥PHOTOGGG!!♥

Group B!! :D

End up we were blasting music and they were 'clubbing' with their torchlights.

Hahaha. It's good to see them have fun! :D

Group A!! :D

That's us getting all ready and eggcited for the midnight outing @ Marina Bay!!!

That has got to be the most funky thing everr.

I mean which other photography club goes for midnight outings togetherrrr?!

Honestly midnight outings are shiok ttm because you get to lie in the middle of the nowhere as though the road belongs to your grandfather and nobodyy will look at you like you're weird or blame you for being public nuisances (or so i assume).

Hahaha.

Reached school at around 3am in the morning.

Caught a short nap and got ourselves ready for outing AGAIN in the morning.

Not sure about others but I was walking around like a zombie the next day T_T

Group shot w my group @ Boat Quay!! :D

This is one of the photo i captured @ Little India.

It was a really random shot, one of those where you just snap w/o even looking through the viewfinder.

BUT LOOK AT THE MAN AND THE FACE ON THE MAGAZINE!!

Okay I only saw that when I was filtering my photos, almost deleted it.

So here's a piece of advice:

Don't be too quick to delete your photos (even though i always do) because you could have taken an interesting shot w/o realizing..you'll never know ;)

Last but not least, PHOTOG!

Group shot taken at Marina Barrage.

More photos here

Though weather was terrible that day, but it shows that we've had been through the storm together.

Am I making sense?

Like you know..storm, literally.

Okay ANYWAY that's 6 generations of #MJPhotog in one photo.

Awww happy family :)