Every picture tells a story

[tengk]

iLike, iSee, iShoot.

Yesterday our objective was to go out and hopefully shoot some interesting images.

iDid.

Power.

Leg power of one and money power of many in the background.
One lights up for fun while many others light up for the money.
Either way, the light can easily be extinguished.

Present and future.

Standing in a field of electric dandelion, 2 couples electrified by love.
For some strange reasons, we are all drawn to iLight like flies.

Present and future too.

And then comes the kids...

Dreaming.

Gucci owner dreaming LV.
The Gucci bag came in handy as a headrest, while the owner snoozes and dreams of his next shopping destination.

Then i heard a commotion.

One minute of fame.

"I saw this giant pyramid rising into the heavens, i shouted " take me! take me! ...." " WHY DON"Y YOU BELIEVE ME!"

continue...

 

[tengk]

iDo...

Pyramid rising into the heavens.

I dream too.
Of pyramids and castles in the sky.
Of places of wonder and beauty.
I wander with my mind.

Hi iluvs90, if the opprtunity comes along next year, do sign up. You can be Capt Jack Sparrow.

I look forward to your stories, Thank you very much.

 

[tengk]

Out to see again.
This time to Raffles lighthouse.

It's been a while since i was out in the sun, so setting off on a boat ride at 12.30pm today seemed like a good idea.
Besides taking some photo of a usually inaccessible place, i hope to get a bit of a tan too.

#Port city of Singapore.

One of those gray skies day, b&w saves the day.

Even though we are surrounded by sea and one of the busiest ports in the world, many have never given much thought to a seafaring career. I hear it pays well for those who are prepared to be away for months unend. A good way to save up some money.

#The captain of the boat.

So off we go,
heading into the unknown...

#Radar, i ping oops think.

Can,t imagine sailing the oceans without radar, gps.

#Throwing smoke.

Exchanging tales of high seas adventures.
"I saw this mermaid leaping..."

#Left, right and center.

Plenty going on , on the decks of the "I whale"

to be continued...

 

[tengk]

Love boat.

"My love for you knows no boundaries, deeper than the deepest oceans.
I will not forget you when i sail the seven seas." She said to him.

Destination.

Before you know it, the lighthouse looms before us.

Rope dance.

Performing the ritual dance of circling the rope before disembarking at the Raffles lighthouse.
Kidding.

Securing the stern.

Playing catch.

The food chain.

Many mouths to feed, lunch awaits us on the island.

continue...

 

[tengk]

Disembarking.

Helping hands from another captain.

A warm welcome!

Followed by a group photo.

Lunch.

Entrance.

A seven storey climb to the top of the lighthouse.
An antique clock guards the doorway, 100years old?
A must do!

The climb to the top.

Round and round we went, up the spiral staircase.

continue...

 

[tengk]

Last rung.

One last whirl round the stairs followed by a near vertical ascent.

Here are some views from the top.

Our maritime flag.
Blue for the seas and the compass star.

The far horizon.

The bow.
One end of the island looks like the bow of a ship.

Island life.

to be continued...

 

[tengk]

View from the bottom.

Grab me if you can.

Besides ships, planes can be found overhead.
The rumble of planes overhead piqued my interest.
Before you know it, i was chasing planes.

View from the ground.

One, two and trees.

The view i wanted when i realised i will be visiting Raffles lighthouse.

Raffles lighthouse.

A beacon of hope when all seem lost.

For some, hope is what keeps them going.

I have given you all a glimpse of this place.
Thanks to the people from MPA, we all had a wonderful time.
Hopefully, i'll get to do it again next year. You should too if the opportunity arises in the future.

I look forward to your stories. Thank you very much.

 

[macaroni]

Very long time since I was there at Raffles lighthouse in the name of National service. Thanks for bringing back the memories Teng.

 

[Daoyin]

Looks like you all had a great time. Most fortunate for you. Pictures also good.

 

[tengk]

Hi guys,

Thanks for dropping by.
This is one for you.

I dream.

It is now my favorite photo and is now hanging on my wall.
Reminds me of the Beatles"s "Lucy in the sky with diamond".
I assure you i was definitely not on drugs when i saw this.

Here's the song to go with it. Wailing and all.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGFlkcnZRFI

Hope you like the song.

Do try to drop by if an opportunity arises.
You can go chasing planes too.

I look forward to your stories. Thank you very much.

 

[tengk]

Photographers also like to soak in the atmosphere.

I was out with Chee Wei for an immersion program at the Thai Songkran festival.

The last stand!

It's a long story.
Instead i have condensed it into a you tube slide show with descriptive titles in place of stories.(3.03 mins).
I hope you will enjoy the slide show.

Here's "you shoot, i shoot".

[video=youtube_share;_OEtUoHUGdc]http://youtu.be/_OEtUoHUGdc[/video]

Now that you have an idea of some in your face action, you might want to be there next year.
Of course you need water proof gear in order to be in the thick of action.

There is something to be said about the businesses allowing a "water war" to take place in front of their shops.

I look forward to your stories. Thank you very much.

 

[TheoDR]

Great shots!

 

[tengk]

Last Saturday I went hunting.

All the 3 captures happened within 10m of each other.

First i caught sight of the cat, i noticed cats make frequent appearances in most photographer's portfolio. Probably they are easy targets and make beautiful subjects.
So here's my contribution.

Urban hunter.

This handsome fella was minding its own business until i came along to disturb its peace.
I knew i had my shot when it started edging down the mound, the stride so graceful and it's gaze intense (actually it is a look of fear as this intruding man animal got closer, but i prefer to think it is the gaze of a keen hunter)
I pped to darken the distracting background, reduced clarity and structure on the body and legs and the canvas. Finally i sharpened the face and framed it for the look that i wanted.

A few steps forward and i caught sight of this "ring worm".

Upon closer examination i realised it is a part of a telephone cord, i guess it does qualify as "urban wildlife".

I heard a rustle among the bushes, looked up, saw a chameleon.
Immediately i fired off a shot.
Here is the shot, either the chameleon has left the scene or it is well camouflaged.

After those 3 shots, nothing else sighted, ­­­it is downhill all the way. All i see around me is the urban jungle.

So why did i decide to go hunting?

I love Nick Brandt images of African animals and i managed to pick up his book "on this Earth" from the library that day, so i was all fired up after reading it again.
If you have not seen his images do check out the link below. It's amazing how he managed to capture the images with just a 35mm and 100mm lens on a medium format film Pentax 67II.
You must read the two essays (pdf) in the Book section, one of them explaining his techique (vaguely).
I don't even know how he can get that close to some of them!

http://www.nickbrandt.com/

Now i have this urge to seek out animals!

Hi Theo, Thanks for dropping by and the encouraging words.
Maybe one of these days we will get to finish what we never got started. :bsmilie:

I look forward to your stories. Thank you very much.

 

[tengk]

Is street photography intrusive and aggressive?

After an outing with Chee Wei and Hak Wee, i took their advice and had a go at street photography without a story in mind.
Last week, the opportunity arose when i played tour guide to visiting cousins and niece from Canada.
So one of the must go places for tourist is the stretch of road from Bugis street market to the 2 temples.

I recced the surroundings.

I kept an eye on everything around me, hopefully that will bag me a shot.

On the lookout.

I hunted for suitable subjects, spared no effort in seeking them out.

There was no hiding from me.

Treasure hunt.

I ambushed the innocent.

Murah dan bagus!

I did not spare the very young and the old either.

A recent video of a kid having a close brush with death once again illustrated the importance of you can never be too careful with your kids.
Once again parents and guardians out there, remember whose responsibility it is to protect your child from harm.
The parents must still be sh**ting bricks!

Road safety for all.

Am i/Are you aggressive and a nuisance?

I am pretty sure there are many people out there who find us aggressive and a nuisance.
Aggressive as in intruding into their personal space.
In return , don't complain if they knock you out!

At least this gentleman had given me fair warning.

Sore thumb.

But there is hope for all the innocent parties out there.

The next part will be tips about defense against the street photographer.

to be continued...

 

[wolfton]

The next part will be tips about defense against the street photographer.

to be continued...

Wahaha this one I very look forward to

 

[tengk]

Potential victims of street photographers pay attention.

This is dedicated to you.

Defence against the street photographer_tip 1.

The best way to avoid us is to put on a face mask.
A weapon at hand can serve as a deterrent too.

Masked.

Defence against the street photographer_tip 2.

If you are alert, duck!
There will be collateral damages (not your problem) but at least you have avoided the shot and saved face.

Duck!

Defence against the street photographer_tip 3.

If you have flair, at least the image of your capture will look good.
Another reason to dress well when out on the streets. Hand over the head pose???
Alternatively carry a flare gun.

Flair.

Defence against the street photographer_tip 4.

Many have tried the umbrella but it only sets you up as a target as attested by many street images posted , nice try.
As a shield, It’s merelyOK (many examples), better to use it as a weapon.
A more defensible position is to be in a pram, the overhead cover shields the face well. Face saving?

Shielded.

Defence against the street photographer_tip 5.

They say the best defence is offence.
Of course you must know where to aim.

You shoot , i shoot.

From my point of view, the most effective defence is mask (batman mask is my preferred choice) and duck and thanks to Chee Wei, newspaper!
They are most effective in saving face.

Now that you have all the facts on the tactics from both sides, lets do better against each other.

Hi Chee Wei, I hope that after spilling the beans on both sides, I have made life a bit more challenging for you and thanks for “contributing” to “Defence against the street photographer_tip 6” at your “People around us”. I hope you don't mind me referencing it. HaHa...

Now that fair warning has been given and the playing field levelled, we should all go out with cameras firing!
Bugis street market is a good place to start…

Thank you very much. I look forward to your stories.

 

[wolfton]

Haha good defense tips. But actually we are suppose to melt into the crowd and be invisible The irony of the matter is, some street photos looks better when we are "spotted" by the subject.

 

[tengk]

They came in from the cold.

Out of the winter,

they came,

"Sea, dragon, boat."

they chilled,

"Sunstruck."

they felt,

"Island city"

they remember,

"Three under a tree or 3 coconuts"_once again brought about as a result of my close relationship with Mother Earth.

Left to soak up the sun.

"Kusu moment."

Having cousins and niece visit from Canada gave me an opprtunity to be a tourist in my own backyard.
After my last two harbour outings and island visit , inviting visitors out to sea is a must do.
A 2.5hr harbour cruise from Marina Pier South included a stopover at Kusu Island.

Some of you might want to consider coming here for an outdoor wedding shoot...

Hi Chee Wei, when spotted both are surprised too! Sometimes there is a price to pay.

to be continued...

 

[macaroni]

I'm inspired by Kusu island haha

 

[martosc]

It took me awhile to notice that the batman masks are added-in (yeah, I'm not that smart haha).

May I know why?