The books are printed by Photobookmart. I have seen and gone through the quality of the printing [...]]]> Due to some requests my ebooks are now available in print. I will be printing this on demand which unfortunately adds to the cost. To make it more affordable I have decided to subsidize the printing of these books.

The books are printed by Photobookmart. I have seen and gone through the quality of the printing and the binding, and must say that I am more than pleased with them. I am also more than satisfied with the efficiency of this company. As an indication, the book will be shipped out within one business day and depending on where you are, you should get your copy within 5 business days via DHL courier service.

I have now listed the soft cover version at My Shop for sale. The hard cover version is also available on request.

Please go to My Shop for more details of the pricing.

PS Unfortunately I do not have the time yet to take some photos as I am extremely busy these few weeks. I will have them up as soon as I can take them.

'Special' because it is a special request by a photographer friend from Kuantan.

'Special' because we won't be shooting pretty models for a change.*

And 'special' because being a first of such workshops by me, I'll make it special.

(I prefer to do photo-safaris which I [...]]]>

'Special' because it is a special request by a photographer friend from Kuantan.

'Special' because we won't be shooting pretty models for a change.*

And 'special' because being a first of such workshops by me, I'll make it special.

(I prefer to do photo-safaris which I have successfully done quite a few.)

*We will be shooting everyday people in a fishing village in their natural environment.

Workshop details

Organizer : Wooi Shen (wooishen@gmail.com)

Date : Saturday September 18th 2010

Time : 8.00am – 6.00pm

Format : Shoot at Tanjung Lumpur fishing village from 8.00am till noon

with lunch break followed by post-processing session from 2.00pm till 6.00pm.

Subjects : Elderly man, elderly woman and children in their environment.

Fees : Early bird offer RM660/pax till August 31st. RM760/pax thereafter.

Max of 15 participants.

Note : Fully booked! Thank you to all participants for your support.

Please also note that no refund will be entertained. You will have to find your own replacement.

Who should attend : Those into portrait and/or travel photography.

Things to bring : Beside your camera, please bring along your laptop for the post-processing session.

Software I will be using is Photoshop CS5.

As a special offer to all participants who may be keen, you may buy the first ever soft-cover book versions of my ebooks at RM100 each.

I'll autograph it if you like.

*normal price RM150 (Beginners version) and RM180 (Advanced).

Please indicate your desire to get the books during your registration. I'll send you the invoice individually.

Topics covered

1. Monitor calibration.

2. Colour management in photography.

3. Available light portraiture.

4. How to see the light.

5. How and where to pose subjects.

6. Post-processing – Banhup's style. You will learn to process the following :

…and a glimpse on adding digital make-up.

For further inquiries please contact organizer Wooi Shen at wooishen@gmail.com.

Almost hidden.

This one was grossly underexposed and I had not bothered to process it. Fortunately I took this in RAW format (another reason why we should shoot in RAW) and I am now able to [...]]]> These 2 photos were again taken during my first encounter with Krystal Virulchanya in Bangkok at my one-on-one workshop with Manuel Librodo.

This one was grossly underexposed and I had not bothered to process it. Fortunately I took this in RAW format (another reason why we should shoot in RAW) and I am now able to salvage it. It demonstrates the non-destructive nature of RAW post-processing which I suggest you to explore.

Motion (click to view large image)

This next photo demonstrates one of the many moods Krystal is capable of. Five minutes was enough to get her "ready". Notice the tears streaming down her cheeks.

Solitude

I have now post-processed all the photos taken during the Bali photo-safari and have lots to share. Before that, I would like to share another image of Pak Jingga which I processed early this morning during the interval of the Champions Leaque game between Arsenal and Celtic (yay, Arsenal won!). Took me a whole 5 [...]]]>  

I have now post-processed all the photos taken during the Bali photo-safari and have lots to share. Before that, I would like to share another image of Pak Jingga which I processed early this morning during the interval of the Champions Leaque game between Arsenal and Celtic (yay, Arsenal won!). Took me a whole 5 minutes to process this.

Here is Pak Jingga (looks better when viewed large…just click on image).

What is available light photography? This is with special reference to portraiture as that is mainly what I do.

Available light photography is the form of photography where, as the term suggests, one captures an image in available light with or without the help of reflectors and/or diffusers. Some call it ambient light photography but it matters not as the means and the [...]]]>  

What is available light photography? This is with special reference to portraiture as that is mainly what I do.

Available light photography is the form of photography where, as the term suggests, one captures an image in available light with or without the help of reflectors and/or diffusers. Some call it ambient light photography but it matters not as the means and the end results are the same.

The introduction of digital cameras and the ability to shoot in RAW format have allowed us more latitude in exploring this form of photography. The usual approach is to expose around the highlights and allow the shadows to fall into place. Shooting in RAW allows one to correct the white balance and some errors in exposure quite easily with minimal effect on the captured file. I will talk about RAW format and how I tackle it in another post.

Why I like available light photography especially in portraiture is because it allows me to add drama to my images and with the post-processing that I do the end results can be very dramatic and even 3D-like. 

So what type of lighting is the best for this form of photography? Early morning and late evening lighting are generally the best. However these times are not always possible as they are quite transient and we have to deal with the weather which sometimes spoils any elaborate plans. One can still do a good session in broad daylight with the help of shades, reflectors and diffusers.

Parasol as a diffuser. Black arrows show direction of mid afternoon sunlight.

White reflector used to reflect morning glow to the face.

What equipment does one need? The following are what I use:

1. Nikon D3 for its high ISO performance. Remember we are doing available light. Sometimes some very low lighting can be very dramatic. That is where high ISO is needed to get a decent shutter speed and exposure.

2. Fast lenses of at least f/2.8. Besides being able to shoot wide open to capture more light, one can play with shallow depth of field.

3. Reflectors. This will help reflect light to appropriate areas if so required. I have used commercially available reflectors as well as make-shift ones like white cardboards, mirrors, and car sun-shades (which are often made of reflective materials).

4. Diffusers. In the event of harsh lighting one can use diffusers to control this. Diffusers come in many forms. I always use make-shift ones e.g shawls, leaves etc.

This photo was taken at a temple just outside Siem Reap. This disciple monk was curious as [...]]]>  I had the privilege to join a group of photographers to Siem Reap, Cambodia where we had a 5-day photo-safari around the ruins of Angkor. It was an annual affair that being the 5th installment a.k.a Crossing Bridges 5.

This photo was taken at a temple just outside Siem Reap. This disciple monk was curious as to what I was shooting. He soon consented to pose for me. The background however wasn’t too interesting so I got hold of a broken umbrella lying nearby and used it as a backdrop. It was early morning and light was coming through the trees to his left- I had to increase the ISO to get a decent shutter speed.

Used my Nikon D3 + Nikon 70-200mm Aperture Priority @ f/3.2 1/100s ISO400.

Disciple Monk

Learning point: Always watch the background. You may create your own e.g the umbrella in my case.