Stephanie Sun @ Singapore Indoor Stadium

Crammed pit, high stage, crazy contrasty lighting, dangerously close pyrotechnics… do u even expect me to shoot?

Most pictures here have gone through some pretty shameless post processing work. If i shot such concerts for a living the D3 is a necessity, not a luxury. There isn’t enough highlight headroom at iso2000 on the D300, and the noise is getting pretty intrusive.

Waited an hour before the concert began.. WTH. Seeing how the arena was arranged i sort-of knew what’s to come… 7 of us photogs were sandwiched between 2 huge video cams. I’m in for a rough time.

The high (taller than me) stage meant that full body shots were almost impossible. The “extra” dancers were also always around her, thinking that they were some multi-coated high transparency glass. Gits…

As we shoved and stack over one another in a bid to get a few bread-and-butter shots, they decided to give us a little treat by blasting some pyrotechnics aimed dangerously low below the waistline… Everything happened so fast there wasn’t time to dodge. In the end all of us looked like clowns in golden feathers. I know my outfit isn’t as fancy as yours… but at least respect my choice ok?

Talk about finale…

In the Field: Elva @ Max Pavilion

Yay it's mid term break, and I was sinful enough to go out to shoot. Should have been revising for mid term tests, but the lure of a concert shoot was just too much. Quite last minute notification (but i was guilty for not bothering to ask around). Just picked up the cam and go! More after the break.

The singer was by the name of Elva (whom i heard wrongly as ah hua the day b4). Just 1 singer. Easy target i thought. But upon arrival i realised that there was no arrangement for me to go within the barricades. This meant that i've to crowd around with amatuers wielding compact cameras, and enthusiasts banging their Gary Fong diffusers around thinking that they-should-display-it-since-they-bought-it. Crap. The worse part was the fact that i've to handle front row spectators as there were times when i had to block their view just to get the shot. Maybe the organisers thought Friday Weekly wasn't a paper with enough publicity, or I was too young to know how to dodge video cams. Whatever.

Well, after the first few songs i found myself without much space to move, so i ended up camping one spot with more variety of light changes. Despite the considerably less mobility, I found that i've returned with more keepers this round, mainly due to 3 reasons.

Firstly, i had a better feel of the metering having been to Max Pavilion before. A good point to base your exposure off would be the main projector screen behind. Just manual meter that screen, and adjust your compensation from there. Shouldn't vary much (unless they decide to pull stunts and use candle-light). I shot RAW this time round since i have more computing power now, and quickly realised i don't have enough mem space. Well, 160+ pictures is still more than enough.

Secondly, the AF settings were more appropriate. 21pt Dynamic for tele shots, 51pt dynamic for wide. Important to set AF lock-on to long. I set it to short the last time round which resulted in it focusing on the background immediately should the subject leave the AF pt. Don't bother with 3D tracking since the colours change so wildly it would be thrown off. I only had less than 10 OOF pics, of which half were handshake as i attempted to pull some motion blur stunts.

Thirdly, I had the luxury to shoot throughout the session. Only 5 songs in total, but with enough breaks in between to check my pics and correct my mistakes.

So much for now. I saw adverts for a few more concerts coming up in Oct to Dec, and hopefully when we get the chance to shoot again, these info would be somewhat useful.

In the field: Sodagreen - 陪我歌唱

Woots.. my first concert shoot! One of the most adrenaline pumping 10 mins behind a camera, other than shooting a missile launch of course. Read on to find out more...

Concert photography is demanding, both for the photog and the camera. I was fortunate enough to get to shoot such a major performance to have a taste of this genre of photography, described aptly as "low light, fast action photography".

I did my research way before the shoot, reading up on who's Sodagreen, watch fanclub made videos, read up on the tips to take note, as well as any specific photographic tips i could apply. I've never been to any such performance, as i never found any reason to, until this assignment came =D I stumbled upon ISHOOTSHOWS.COM, founded by an amazing concert photographer Todd Owyoung. I love his photographs... simply adore them. He is naturally a D3 shooter (well, it is THE camera to turn to in such situations) but he did shoot many nice pics with less than stella gear. From his pictures i learnt to identify what are the key points to look out for... basically expression and lighting.

Talking about the lighting... It is a different world. Spotlights were transient, wildly saturated and varying in both direction and intensity. At one moment they even switched off all the lights, having the lead singer lit only with a torch. Dance actions were fast and difficult to anticipate. I was glad i did not take up any such assignments earlier... i just don't have the skill and equipment to cope before this.

But hey, now i have some serious stuff to play with. I came in armed with a borrowed 70-200VR, my trusty 17-50 tamron and at the heart of the system: a D300 beefed up with 8AAs to give me the majestic 8FPS, faster mirror blackout and faster AF. The only limitation now is my hands, eyes and experience.

The usual rule applies: Only the first 3 songs can be photographed. That means less than 10 minutes to get that picture for the paper. The first few moments started off with hardly any light, and the performers strolled in and took up their positions before the lights came on. Crap... no opportunities to take them as a group, given the big lobangs between them.

The tempo picked up immediately, flashing lights and dancing men. Made a wild guess on the exposure and it turned out pretty accurate: ISO1600, f2.8, 1/250. Had to shoot RAW as i needed the flexibility with the WB. Throttled up the release mode and watch the shutter fly, occasionally checking for focus/exposure errors.

One thing nobody could teach you is how to move during the shoot. U have to dodge other photographers and videographers, and watch out for wires, steps and stuff in the dark. Having light gear and strong legs help here, as you can regain your balance easier even if you trip. (yeah i almost fell once, tripped against some hidden firecracker tube). Move with the beat, feel the music, and spam during climaxes. At least that's wad i did.

Before i knew it, my first card filled up. Holy... now i'm down to 1 mag of 2GB. Had to sacrifice and shoot in Jpeg now. The AWB was pretty accurate when the spotlight was on, so i took the gamble. Alright, 3 songs up, and i was dragged out of the pit by those MIBs.

I can't really appreciate the music though, so although i was given a free seat i left early. Expo is far, and going home late is just looking for trouble. I left after the 5th song.

While reviewing the pictures, I found that i had far more close-up shots than necessary. Should have used that tamron more. Spent much more time processing the 15mb RAWs on an old laptop with only 512mb of ram. Wth... i'll really look forward to the next concert assignment, doesn't matter who's singing.

In the field: Gigi @ Tampines Mall

Once in a blue moon I do get the chance to go shoot for WanBao. Their articles usually have more readers. Might be a good chance to gain publicity =) One such opportunity came in a form of a last minute call to shoot some HK celebrity who happened to be in SG. More after the break...

I'm a mountain turtle when it comes to the realm of celeb and pop world. When the photodesk told me i was to shoot Gigi Lai and Aileen, I had no idea who they were. "gigi? Wasn't that the malay term for 'tooth'?" Oh well, since i happened to have an assignment later that day at the same region, i took on this assignment and immediately set off, didn't even google about who's the person. Come to think of it, that was quite risky. I may have banged into her unaware... but thats rare i think.

Once on location, i realised what sh*t i got myself into... an army of compact/handphone wielding aunties. Believe me, their fanatism is a force to reckon with. No amount of equipment or press pass u display can repel them. But hey, I've got a big zoom and a powerful flash, and some height advantage. I decided not to be polite (since it will most certainly not be recipocrated) After observing how the organizers move, I found myself a strategic position and stand rooted to the ground, conveniently blocking the view of quite some people. (they can buy the paper afterwards)

Arrival of VIP. Flash head-on, full auto, OTOT carry on. What intrigued me was the technology of cosmetics nowadays. Gigi's nano-coated face can take any intensity of flash you throw at her, and just refuse to hot-spot. I sometimes get a feeling that her light complexion might be attributed more to the xenon beams she receive than any weird water she may be promoting. Just IMHO.

Soon came the interview session, and i had to wade through the crowd to get to the press area. I don't know if it was intentional, but the reporter came in from behind gigi and forced her to turn her head sideways against the illuminated advertisement board. Well done! The soft-box sidelight effect was simply flattering, and I hogged my position throughout the interview, contentedly spamming my shutter at any chance of more unique expressions. Nobody gave way for me to get out anyway, so why should I give up my prime angle? (ok i'm a fishmonger) To be even more selfish, I added watermarks on pics posted here lol.

Ok, learning points from the assignment: Google the VIP if you are a mountain turtle like me. Then try to be early to access the situation and lookout for prime angles. Do not use big shoulder bags if possible. Watch out for expressions... celebs already have alot of generic poses, so you don't wanna repeat them. Ask the reporter what exactly do they need, so you won't waste effort in getting shots that end up discarded.

Article published 030808

Mum i've been shooting: 通讯员 internal camp 07

My first multi-day super assignment came in the form of a 4d3n camp. Both equipment and operator were taxed to the limit. To me this is the perfect endurance training.

More after the break...

The camp was held at changi MOE adventure camp site, and I was to provide coverage for the entire event.

What is challenging is the multitude of conditions I had to shoot in. Indoors, outdoors, bright sunlight, dark campfires, rain or shine, my job is to document the games, and capture the smiles. And continue to do so with less than 4 hours of sleep every night. Don't forget the slideshow at the end of the event as well.

Photos are expected to be more aesthetically pleasing than meaningful, so I got to experiment a lot of unorthodox angles, which is where I really get to learn. Shoehorn a UWA into someone's face? No problem. Super-slow sync? Off camera flash? Zoom burst? Whatever you can think of. Just... impress.

With a camera in my hand for extended hours, I really understood its ergonomics and limitations. I learnt to handle the equipment by instinct, like counting the no. of clicks when turning the dials, or swapping lenses without looking down. It is in situations like this that I really thank Nikon for putting so much attention into ergonomics. A little flaw in the balance, or a mistake in the shape of the grip would definitely show up the next day in the form of muscle aches.

Adrenaline is also kept high. One has to 眼观四面， 耳听八方, or at least try to maintain that level of vigilance. There are moments where you will just want to slack, but the thought of missing the action, missing the smile, or maybe missing THAT million $ shot will really push you to endure.

All is not done when everyone else goes to sleep. We had to process the photos, and this is where I get to learn how to streamline the workflow: Being critical in selecting pictures, and keeping the edits simple and fast, how you separate the selected, edited or resized photos from the rest of the pool without making too many duplicates... Working with event photography isn't quite the same as hobby photoshoots... all these factors are critical in getting the presentation delivered on time, and in style.

The article was published on 2nd of January 2008. Though I didn't get paid for this (coz its a combined effort), just going through the training is worth the effort. Of course, seeing your pictures blown up on paper is a real bonus =D

Mum i've been shooting: In the SPH auditorium

Many activities take place within this auditorium. Problem is, the lighting is usually crap. Ceilings are 3 stories high, and walls are colored and dull. Bulbs are all tungsten tinted. This is the place I learnt how to light indoors.

More after the break...

When I first joined SYD, I was told that the auditorium is a killer for many newbies. Not only is it because of the crap lighting, but because of the photos you have to take inside. Group photos. Event photos. Photos that need DOV, and relatively high shutter speeds.

When I started off shooting there with my D70 and kit lens, my ISO was always maxed out, along with the aperture. Still had to compromise on the shutter at 1/30th. Either that or work your flash doubly hard.

Colour temperature was also pretty orangy. Without the ability to fine tune WB, I had to shoot RAW most of the time. But I did learn how to get around such problems. Low lighting? Slow sync instead. Orange lights? Gel up the flash.

I got my 2.8 lenses eventually, and with the further procurement of the D300, shooting in the auditorium is now much more manageable. I can now concentrate on the finer aspects of photography, like capturing distinct moments. Equipment counts for indoor event photography. Of course you don't need exotic equipment, but 2.8 glass helps a lot. A flash is almost necessary. So if you see yourself shooting many events in the future, save up and gun for fast glass straight. Saves you the upgrading costs.

There were also pretty unique situations, like shooting someone giving presentations. Balancing exposure between what is projected on the screen, and the speaker in the foreground. It isn't always easy. Colour temperature of the projector is different from ambient and flash. I was taught to expose for the screen, while we light the speaker by flash. However, bouncing the flash also brightens up the screen, while shooting direct will result in ugly shadows. Till now my solution is to shoot ambient (ie without flash). I'd like to try off camera flashing in the when the opportunity arises.

Then there is the all important group shot, lighting up 5-6 rows of people with a single flash. Pressure is on you to command the group, and you have to get it right on the first go. I'll have to come up with standard operating procedures for this, but right now we still can't produce group shots worthy of going beyond 8R.

Experience in shooting in this audi has certainly given me confidence of shooting in less than ideal conditions.

Getting to know you

It is indeed a beautiful moment. Two people of different backgrounds, upbringing, habits coming together... it's all about understanding, compromising, complementing one another.

Some of it applies to me and my Tamron too. I forced myself to bring only this lens to the wedding, just so that I can better understand the strengths and limitations of this optic. It will take some time before I can fully exploit its capabilities.

Only when the camera and photographer fuses as one body can one fully concentrate in capturing the soul.

Thank you Mrs Phee for granting permission to publish this photo here

Emotions gone wild

This is a scary and dangerous thing, as we tend to commit mistakes in such situations. It isn't exactly healthy too. I'm saying this because i just witnessed a wild party during the SPH Txy internal camp. People just went mad, fueled by music and occasional SIA planes flying over. Studious looking people can gyrate so hard as if to shake their pants off, girls screaming non stop as if they have whistles built into their throats, boys behaving like girls and vice versa...

Ok, I admit this is just a very moderate campfire party night. I know there are much much worse cases. But the thing i couldn't understand is, how come people can get so high? Is our society getting so stressed people must resort to such activities to let lose? Or issit because we are born at a time where upholding our moral values is no longer as important?

Yet another RANT

I've finally come to the last wedding pictures for this "season". As usual, I'll do a de-brief of things I learnt.

Where I failed:

• Too tight crops of subjects. I was a little too desperate to capture certain expressions, so much so that I zoomed right into their faces. Not only does it look weird to have 6mpx worth of a face, the picture also fails to tell a story. Why did this person laugh? Why the funny expression? An excuse I can come up with is that with a small and dark viewfinder, I tend to zoom in more closely to look at the expressions. Crap, another excuse for a d300.
• Too much tilt shots. This is getting out of hand. An occasional tilt adds life to the set, but overdoing it resulted in a hap-hazard presentation. Stupid. In my tries for the perfect tilt, I screwed up many shots that would otherwise be ok. In addition, having too much tilt shots also shows that i lack maturity and proper composition skills.
• Poor focus. Can't be helped, I'll get the solution should a new wedding assignment draws near.
• Not observant of light. Mounting a flash results in being totally insensitive to light. I should also learn to add more direction to where my flash is bounced, but have to watch where I blast it at.
• Bias towards family members. I shot so many pictures of my relatives I find them sick. Should have paid more attention to other people. I still lack professionalism.
• Lazy. Somewhere into the dinner, I felt tired and began to think I've got enough shots. But the truth is, the later into the night, the livelier the crowd becomes, and the more opportunities there are. Haiz.

Where I improved:

• Expression. Of course as I mentioned I get too tight expressions, but having expressions is still better than none at all. At least there is a little more variety compared to previous weddings.
• Exposure. Although I have no fast lens and hot bodies, I do have a good flash, helping me nail the exposure for the bread and butter group shots. I need to develop a way to flash without getting reflections from glasses though. An option would be off hand lighting, which is cumbersome.
• Workflow. I learnt to be more organized in picking out the better pictures and developing them, saving time (as if i'm in a hurry...lol)

Enough said. To the average joe, my pics might look ok, even great. But I know where I stand - NOOB

Bond - Beginning of the end?

The utmost commitment,
to stay as one till the lights go out.

How heavy are those rings?

3rd try, no major improvements

Taking a break off the post processing of photos from my 3rd wedding assignment, held at Fullerton. I was better prepared than before, in terms of equipment as well as exposure. However, as i looked through the files i brought back, it struck me how little i improved. Perhaps I was not properly briefed on what's going on, perhaps because there were pros around and i did not want to get in the way, perhaps the lighting condition was so bad my cheapo equipment could not cope, perhaps.... the usual 101 excuses. Now for the debrief...

Biggest changes since the previous assignments:

1. Better flash control. This is no doubt due to the more powerful (and expensive) SB800 being deployed, able to light up the whole room. Also because of more experience with flash during my SYD assignments, I was able to make the flash look more subtle.
2. More ambient shots. Fullerton hotel was so grand, the interior so well decorated that I couldn't stop myself snapping away at little details and textures. These pics work well for "fillers", but are not the money shots.
3. Natural light. I'm lucky to have a borrowed D50 body with me. Its iso1600 produces much richer and cleaner pictures than my D70 noise machine. I realised that I never went below iso800 for the whole of the assignment! However, this is still not enough to capture natural light shots during dinner reception. A check with the pro showed that he is shooting ISO 3200 (on a canon 40d), at F2!!! That is a wopping 2-4 stops of light ahead of me. Pro tio si pro... got money to buy fast lens and good bodies. Perhaps one day when i get a d3...
4. More closeups. Yes, the bazooka is out again. It got me lots of smiles and expression shots that i could never achieve before. However, even the bazooka is not fast enough for the damn dinner room.

I learnt a big lesson: No matter how up ur skills can be, equipment matters! I also lack the experience, unable to anticipate moments of rich expression. The pro (ckuang from 39east) was ALWAYS there when people were smiling, laughing and shaking hands. Call him a psychic. Patience... Now i have to quickly finish my processing, and prepare myself for the 2nd wedding reception shoot in Penang, by the same couple. I'm feel honoured to be flown overseas just to shoot, and it'd better be good.

Time of our lives

The world spins around you,
A kaleidoscope of Emotions.
Best of friends re-unite,
Reliving the time of our lives.

Thus is the spirit of the MAF

A day without f/2.8

I've always been tempted to get myself the tamron 17-50mm f/2.8, given its affordable price and exceptional performance. Yesterday made this temptation even more so. I was practically struggling to get sharp enough photographs, working in dim lighting and high ceilinged indoor conditions. Pushing my iso to the top, i still have plenty of blur shots, from motion and noise reduction. My sb800 worked hard as well, trying in vain to light up an auditorium. This is a pretty pitiful situation.

Until iso6400 is readily available and usable, i would get one of those f/2.8s... probably in the near future.

Smoked by China

I take back my comments on the Spanish performance yesterday. The China display made it look like it's spring again. True, there are over hundred different fireworks on display, but where did marina bay go?

Fortunately, with photoshop and experience I had yesterday, I came up with a different strategy to counter the problem. It served me well for most of the shots.

A mess of sparks, flames and smoke

While many would find the musical fireworks display put up by the Spanish a mesmerizing experience, this is certainly not the case for the throngs of photographers who lined the coast along Marina Boulevard. The fireworks were by no means symmetrical, and the bursts were heavily stacked. A huge cloud of smoke also threatened to engulf the marina bay skyline.

Photoshop saves the day once again. I brutally edited the pictures, developing a work flow that might classify my pictures more as a digital art than photographs. So long as they look good, who cares?

Wedding in Kuantan

Wedding #2 Coffee Table Layout

Another special opportunity for me to learn, a wedding of my relative. Unpaid... of course, given the amatuerish pics i took. Anyway, i decided to make a quick debrief to myself.

Biggest mistakes:

• overuse of wide-angle, resulting in obvious distortions
• Constant underexposure resulted in obsessive noise during PP. May be due to underpowered flash though
• Lack of focus on capture of expressions and mood

Improvements over previous assignment:

• More accurate white balancing
• Better lighting for group shots

Personally i'd rate it a $250 job... compared to $150 for the previous wedding. When will my next wedding opportunity come?

Mad barrage of lights

Waiting to book in. Thought i could just upload some more pics to this blog.

This was taken during 9th Aug 2006, Singapore's National day. I wasn't prepared for the intensity of the fireworks and blew the highlights on my FZ30. The only presentable pic i got was this...

Hehe... to think someone thought the wcon-07 attachment i had on the cam was a fisheye. 

Flowers in the sky

This was shot on 8th August 2006.

Went at 1630, arrived at 1730, considered lucky to find a spot in between bushes... This place is super crowded.

Waited till 2030 for the first bloom. The whole event lasted less than 15 mins, but to me, all was worth it.

This is my second trial at the fireworks festival, and this is one of the better pics. The first trial was a disaster.

Where is 04S32?

Where have all our classmates gone?

I particularly liked this photo as not only is it my first keeper shot from my d70, it also portrays the loneliness of my classmate, among the cheerful crowds.