Fuji X-Pro1 Update
My previous posts on the Fuji X-Pro1 have received a lot of attention – Fuji X-Pro1 First Impressions, Can The Fuji X-Pro1 Replace A dSLR, Fuji X-Pro1 InfraRed I have been using the X-Pro1 extensively over the past few weeks and I’m starting to feel more at home with the camera. I still have my [...]
Fuji X-Pro1 InfraRed
I’ve always been keen to try Infrared photography. It’s a technique that can produce stunning landscape and urban images. But, many, in fact most, dSLR camera cannot shoot infrared without hardware modification. I had been seeing some comments suggesting that it was possible to shoot Infrared with an unmodified Fuji X-Pro1. So, I headed out [...]
Get It Out There
Last week I wrote an extensive post on the state of play in online photo sites & services. I made the point that sharing is one of four key activities, when it comes to photos online. But, while curating and commenting are important, sharing is the most important of all. So, I was thankful to [...]
500px Update Or Goodbye Flickr
Last July I posted a very popular article about the photo hosting site 500px. At the time 500px was still relatively unknown and starting to create a buzz. As I said, “… there is a lot that 500px is doing right and I’m looking forward to seeing if this service can really grow in the [...]
Can The Fuji X-Pro1 Replace A dSLR
It’s been a couple of weeks since I posted my initial impressions of the new Fuji X-Pro1 camera. I’ve been writing a comprehensive hands-on review. But, there are a few more things I need to understand and a couple of situations I want to photograph in, before I can finish that piece. However, I want [...]
The Thing About Teaching Photography
Back in 2009, I already owned a camera. But, I didn’t really know what I was doing. So, I decided to take photography seriously. I wanted to be a photographer, not just a camera owner. In these three years, I’ve photographed nomads in Northern India, pole dancers in Hong Kong, pierced Hindu devotees in Malaysia [...]
Making Choices – Making Art
This is one of the most amazing videos I have seen in a long time. Truly inspirational stuff! Ian Ruhter has not only made his own camera and dived head first into reviving an antiquated art form (wet plate photography) he is doing it in a large, very expense and unique format. And, most importantly [...]
Fuji X-Pro1 First Impressions
This week I welcomed a new camera into the studio, the Fuji X-Pro1. I’ll write a deeper review once I’ve had the chance to use this camera a little more. For now, I want to offer up a few images and initial impressions. The 35mm f1.4 lens is sharp. I shot this image while playing [...]
Some Things I Love
I love distortion I love soft focus I love weathered timber I love split infinitives I love crackle and noise I love things that are slightly off centre I love out of tune instruments I love lens flare I love pizzas that are not round I love lukewarm coffee I love horizons that are not [...]
Mugshots, Portraits & Liminality
Since I got into photography, in mid 2009, I’ve had the opportunity not just to take a lot of photos, but also to watch photographers while they take photos. In fact, it’s become something of a pastime, while on workshops, photo shoots, or just simply in day to day life. It is fascinating to watch [...]
iPhone 4s
I love The New Yorker’s cover art. The print you see above is one of my favourites and lives in our home library. At first glance it seems like the phone has been accidentally dropped into the water, then you start to wonder, did she drop it on purpose? Yesterday I unwittingly re-enacted the scene [...]
Having Fun While Learning
The rise of Social Media has tended to make most people think that being online is largely a revolution in self-expression and the sharing of personal information. Of course, that’s a big part of the story. But, for me, being online was always first and foremost an educational experience.
iPhoneography (or is it Smartphoneogaphy?)
As a change of pace, today’s blogpost is actually an audio interview. Hong Kong entrepreneur, Casey Lau hosted an event tonight for Social Media Week, looking at the rise of mobile and social photography. Since I can’t be there, I took the opportunity to interview tonight’s panelists, Rita S. (@mochachocolata), Tyson Wheatley (@Twheat), Lester Lim, [...]
iPhoneography 101
Two years ago I expressed my love for taking photos with the iPhone or, as it has come to be known, iPhoneography. Since then things have exploded. Taking photos on the iPhone (and other smartphones), developing them with in-phone apps and sharing them instantly via email or social media platforms have become a daily habit [...]
Telling A Story – Choosing A Story
Last week I was in Penang, photographing the Hindu festival of Thaipusam. I was also joining a workshop run by Matt Brandon and Gavin Gough. One of my goals in attending the workshop was to become better at telling visual stories, or to put it another way, creating visual essays. The Assignment We were given [...]
Notes From The Road – Penang
This morning I’m packing up and getting ready to fly back to Singapore. It’s been a long and tiring week and I feel like I’ve grown a lot as a photographer this week. Photographing Thaipusam was hard work. On Monday I was up before 5.30am and didn’t get to bed till after 2am the next [...]
Observing Thaipusam
It’s been a long day. Yesterday I was up at 5.30am and didn’t finish the day until 2am. Today I was out shooting just after 10am and didn’t get back to the hotel until nearly 10pm. Almost all of that time has been spent with the same group of people, from a small Hindu temple, [...]
Notes From The Road – Thaipusam
I’m in Penang, photographing the Thaipusam festival with some fellow photographers. This morning I was up before 5.30am watching the procession of a Hindu idol and observing devotees in various acts of devotion and thanksgiving. The image above shows men cracking coconuts on the road before the bullock-drawn silver chariot that carried the statue of [...]
Flying Tomorrow
Visited the surgeon this morning and he gave me the all-clear to fly out to Penang, where I will be joining Matt Brandon, Gavin Gough and a few other photographers. It’s a trip I’ve been looking forward to for some time. The last 48 hours haven’t been great as I contemplated whether to cancel the [...]
February Wallpaper
January came to a sudden and unexpected end, so I’m a little behind on updating this site. Anyway, this is your free computer desktop wallpaper for February. I took this image in Adelaide, well over an hour after sunset. There is something magical about watching the sun set into the ocean. You can download the
Notes From The Road – Summer In Adelaide
I’m in the middle of a short break in Adelaide. Being Chinese New Year, I decided to head away from the oppressive heat of Singapore to enjoy the oppressive heat of Adelaide. And, boy oh boy has it been warm. Yesterday it was over 35 degrees celsius, which felt even hotter sitting in the glorious [...]
Slow Down
I’d like to share with you one of my all-time favourite movie scenes – from the somewhat overlooked 1995 film, Smoke. In this film, Harvey Keitel plays Auggie, the owner of a tobacco shop. Auggie’s pet project is to photograph his tobacco shop. Every day he goes across the street and takes, what is basically [...]
Polaroid Z340 Review
Santa* brought me a really cool present this year – a Polaroid Z340 instant camera. First Impressions The camera is very black and reassuringly heavy. It is plastic, but it doesn’t feel unpleasant to touch. If anything, it is surprisingly bulky, which along with the classic wedge shape helps gives the Z340 a solidly retro [...]
