Sunday, December 21, 2008

MacroMania!

"I have begun to truly appreciate the beauty in the smaller things, the most inconspicuous, that which often we take for granted. They too have their purpose. I hope that others can see the beauty in them through me, and in turn continue to be inspired... and blessed". That is an exerpt from my site that I wrote 2 years ago, but have only now decided to really take it literally and embark on a macro journey in photography. The macro images below were taken just about a year ago with my Nikon D200 and Nikon 18 - 55mm lens with +1, +2 and +4 close-up filters attached.

I will be putting my Nikon 24 - 85mm macro lens to much more use for this new macro journey, working on composition and sharpness. I think I am better equipped today than I was a year ago: A Nikon D300, a camera remote, a proper macro lens, couple remote triggers for flashes, and tripod, so I have no excuses! :D




I used the pen in this photo as a size reference. I found these mushrooms growing by the front wall of my yard.

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Alyssia, Again...

My second shoot with Alyssia was just as fun as the first. We hijacked Andy's "studio" (again) and popped a few rounds. There's alot I wanted to do here but I really didn't plan properly so yes, there will be a part 3...

Tech info:
Camera: Nikon D300
Lens: Nikon 24-85mm f/2.8 - 3.5
ISO250
Lights: 2 Bowens Esprit Gemini 500 Monolight.

Main light fitted with a 48" x 48" Soft box, back light fitted with a snoot. Main light triggered by Bowens Pulsar Radio Tranceiver kit. Images edited with Apple's Aperture 2.1 and Adobe Photoshop CS3















Monday, November 17, 2008

Flickr Trip

I went to St Thomas yesterday with the people from the Jamaican Flickr group. Thats the largest photo trek I have ever been on, and it was fun. We made several stops along the way, snapping, checking out the landscape and people. Marc & Line were here from Canada, and were a part of the trek. The photos above are Reggae Falls, the Old Jamintel Satellite Dish and the ruins of the Morant Bay Courthouse. below, Marc, the strobist expert (in the red cap) did a wireless speedlight set up so we could have a hands-on Master Class

Friday, October 31, 2008

Old Photos From A New Perspective

With the rise of HDR photography, many plugins and programs have been created to produce this effect. Some merely pump up the contrast, sharpness, and colour saturation to get a more surrealistic feeling. They do however give a new feel to some old photos I dug up, as well as a few current ones. Tell me what you think.

The Emerald Buddha Temple, Bangkok


TugBoat, Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong


Speed Demon, New Kingston


OldsMobile

Monday, October 20, 2008

Last Night In Bangkok..

So the stay in Bangkok was a bit too long for me. The sites were great but a week would have been enough. Its a lovely place but there are too much you have to contend with all at once... the language barrier bieng the first.

So I say goodbye to Thailand with a few parting night shots. Most of the interesting places I could reach were close, unfortunately.



The Royal Palace. The Guards wouldn't let me in any further inside the main gate. I used a small aperture opening so the lights flared, and a slow shutter with the camera on tripod, for both photos.



There is no way you can go to an Aisian country like this and not ride a Tuk Tuk. They are taxis that are primarily bikes with covering. Its an adventure, I kid you not!! A hand held shot while we sped along.



King Rama VII Bridge

Sunday, October 12, 2008

Ayuthaya, The Ancient Capital

We visited the ancient capital of Thailand, Ayuthaya. The tour guide first took us to the Bang Pa-In Palace, which is the royal summer palace. Over centuries it has gone thru building, rebuilding, renovations, desolations... the works. It was at last restored by the Rama IV. Today the Royal family uses the place as a reception hall for banquets and sometimes for important guests to stay. There are a few interesting buildings on the property, as seen below.

This is the Aisawan-Dhipaya-Asana Pavillion, built in 1876, also known as the divine seat of personal freedom. It houses a statue of King Rama V.




The Phra Thinang Varobhas Bimarn Residential Hall, built by King Chulalongkorn in 1876. By this time he was having international visitors, like the English, which influenced the style of this building.




Garden Art




The Lotus Flower again...




Ho Withun Thasana, The Sages look out. An observatory built by King Chulalongkorn in 1881 to view the country side





Views of Phra Thinang Wehart Chamrun from the Sages Tower. Phra Thinang Wehart Chamrun was build by the Chinese in 1889 and Presented to the King of Thailand as his royal residence.





Our next stop was an old monestary called Wat Yai Chaimongkhon. It was built because the king of Ayuthaya at the time ordered his generals to be put to death as they could not keep up with him in battle. They fought against an army that tried to overtake the country, and he fought the head of that army on an elephant's back and killed him. However he had to retreat as his army was too far behind him. So he was furious when he returned to Ayuthaya. The head monk convinced him to build the monestary instead to celebrate victory despite the retreat, and spare the generals. lucky bastards. I would most definitely wipe them out.










We visited a few more places after lunch, old monasteries and temples, and the head of the Buddha in the tree. One The Wat Maha That temple was the most glorious in its hay-day, and Buddha's relics were enshrined there. The principal pagoda collapse though soon after and a later king restored it.

It seemed to be doomed from the start, as it was destroyed in the war with Burma when they marched on the Ayuthaya city in 1767. It was never restored.