Photoshoots: reflections

I had the impression that since I've returned to Kuching, that organising impromptu photo shoots in tertiary institutions won't be a big issue. Of course, I was gravely mistaken, and was booted out of the largest university in sarawak. In other private instutions, such as Swinburne, things are much better. Despite the more bland architecture, it still yields plenty of photographic opportunities.

It was a great opportunity to practice my metering skills and manual mode, and to achieve the blown out highlights in order to lighten the model's skin.

The whole building acts like a 360 degree reflector as light was bounced from all directions, hence filling in the shadows of the model's face. It gives a very airy, atmospheric feeling that I like very much.

This pursuit is not without its attached social stigmas from friends and other concerned parties. It can range from the choice of models, to their make up, clothing and hair despite how technically perfect your images are. I guess in a more modest Malaysian society, adjustments have to be made to cater for this sort of mindset. But for me, I regard them all as superfluous, and will continually strive towards a higher goal that I can only imagine myself being at in the future.

For now, plenty of experimentation is still possible, and I'm glad to share the results with you. I've been also blessed to be able to work with great models on a [very] low budget.

Truth be told, its not easy to organise a shoot even though its done pro bono. Besides the model, several other factors, such as the choice of venue, lighting and weather come into play for a successful shoot. It's hard bringing all those factors together, especially when you don't have any studio equipment and premises at your disposal (not in the near future, at least).

Perhaps I could ease my efforts by working with current industry professionals (such as a hair or make up saloon) to make my chores easier, but until I get the right contacts to start out, I'll still strive to prove my best. I'm tired of the shots that I'm seeing so far from some photographers on facebook which seem very static and uninspired, despite being ''professionals'' in the industry.

For those who think that what I'm doing is a walk in the park, it simply isn't, and there's much more that meets the eye than just the images that you see here. And its hard to explain what you do to the people that matter to you the most (which is what I think at least).

I hope this post gives an insight into my current endeavours. If the world throws at you a bucketful of dirt, give them back a truckload of durians ;)

laters~

Photoshoot 01 march '10

Had a photoshoot last Monday. Although we can plan all we can, what I didn't exactly plan for was the weather, and it rained really heavily! Despite the weather, I managed to source out a venue which provided shade and cast plenty of natural light upon the model. Rainy  / cloudy days also made the sky act like a huge soft box, and softens the quality of natural light.

Hope you've enjoyed this series. You may view the rest of the album here

Cheers~

Chap Go Meh update

For those expecting some nice Kuching sceneries and street shots from me as per my usual schedule in Melbourne, I apologise for being a little distracted. Some beautiful creatures came my way ;)

Some folks find this first set a bit distracting due to the harsh blown out background.

Well there are several approaches to metering - and i took the liberty to expose to the right. Despite the blown out background, it has several functions:

1. to make the model's skin look fairer, hence more elegant.

2. blow out the background. there's a possibility to eliminate it in photoshop later.

I could've perhaps used an off camera flash with a softbox setup, such as the one below but this equipment is unavailable to me at the moment, so I make the best with what I have, aka. natural light.

This example has a large Wescott softbox to the right. I decided to meter the ambient light so that the whole scene would have a more cheerful air to it.

Other issues to consider:

1. choice of background. A telephoto lens could be used to find a background that would do justice to my metering, minimize DOF and not blow out the highlights, but that's not the way I prefer to work, though its perfectly feasible, especially from a wedding photographer's standpoint. A standard zoom works best for me at the moment, enabling both decent closeups and wide angles at the same time. I also find that the venues in Kuching are not as inspiring as the ones I've encountered in Melbourne (being sometimes dilapidated and old), but I guess it depends on each photographer.

An example of an image with a telephoto 70-200 equivalent, which I feel is a little static albeit being perfectly acceptable.

Example of a background with superb colour and architectural qualities, with a wide angle lens to induce some dynamism, although the model's pose can be definitely worked out a bit further.

This set uses more conventional metering techniques. Its hard to believe that the venue for this shoot is actually a 5 star hotel in Kuching, but lets bear in mind that Malaysian hotels have a different set of standards compared to their western counterparts ;)

As I've just returned from Melbourne, I'm still trying to find my way around regarding portraiture, because of the different environment and models. Of course, I'm not using this as an excuse for sloppy shooting methods, but an avenue to discover more possibilities in the future.

I hope to work with some of you in the future regarding portrait shoots. Till then, cheers, and happy Chap Go Meh~