Attending the sixth module in Reading this week on International Construction, the third last module, two more to go in March and May and finger crossed I'll pass the exam and dissertation by September.
This is an interesting module coordinated by Professor Roger Flanagan who is very practical and made it less boring compared to some previous modules.
There are about 130 post graduate students who are attending this module, from 29 different nationalities, which makes it very 'international' indeed.
Malaysia was mentioned several times by Professor, who talked about its involvement in Middle East projects from Islamic / political connections. Also, Professor mentioned that in some countries, the governments apply policies to protect minority interests. I wished that I had raised my hand and told him that Malaysia is going the other way, applying policies to protect the majority and bully the minority...
Tuesday, 10 February 2009
Sunday, 8 February 2009
Bike
Too many things happened even before year 2009 kick start. Fortunately it did not went the worst case and I'm still able to hang on for at least another while. Hopefully it'll get better.
Like most men, I love fast cars and bikes. However to me it's kind of luxury, I have other things which I should spend money on and until I got that 'extra' money I'll keep my head cool.
If, if I'm able to make £5k from the volatile FTSE market by July this year, I will get a used black Yamaha 998cc YZF R1 2008 version to pamper myself, which I seldom do.
It's a beauty.
Like most men, I love fast cars and bikes. However to me it's kind of luxury, I have other things which I should spend money on and until I got that 'extra' money I'll keep my head cool.
If, if I'm able to make £5k from the volatile FTSE market by July this year, I will get a used black Yamaha 998cc YZF R1 2008 version to pamper myself, which I seldom do.
It's a beauty.
Monday, 26 January 2009
My Photo
Posted a blog on SWPP Convention 2009 last week. Joanne added Gary Fong on Facebook and tagged him on one of my photo. It was a surprise that Gary used the photo on his blog and my name was mentioned. What an honour from the well-known professional photographer in the industry :)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button movie is one of its kind, unlike any I've seen. What will happen when one grows reversely against the age and the effects on the people around him? The script writer Eric Roth's story is absolutely brilliant and the director David Fincher's direction in the film is almost flawless.Some of the quotes in the movie did touched me:
Benjamin Button: "Along the way you bump into people who make a dent on your life. Some people get struck by lightning. Some are born to sit by a river. Some have an ear for music. Some are artists. Some swim the English Channel. Some know buttons. Some know Shakespeare. Some are mothers. And some people can dance."
Benjamin Button: "... But life being what it is - a series of intersecting lives and incidents, out of anyone's control..."
Another good movie not to be missed.
Wednesday, 21 January 2009
SWPP Convention 2009
Went to The Society of Wedding & Portrait Photographers (SWPP) Convention 2009 with Joanne last Friday.
There are many wedding related business in the convention, especially those wedding album printing business. I'm now compiling some of my travel photos, trying to publish my own photo book using blurb, the pricing is very competitive and the quality looks good. This can be an extra service for my photography business in near future :)
Of course, all the major DSLR makers demonstrate their latest products in the convention, including the latest Nikon D3X, Canon 5D Mark II and Sony A900. Canon 5D Mark II's HD video impressed me a lot, and that's something I would like to have in my next DSLR.
A sample video using different lens.
Sony booth was a bit quiet hence I had the opportunity to play with A900 and all the top notch Sony / Carl-Zeiss lens.
Some of the Sony glass, including the AF 70-400 F4-5.6 G SSM, however, the grey colour is not my cup of tea and it feels a bit too plastic.
Shooting Sony AF 70-300 F4.5-5.6 G SSM using Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T 16-35/2.8 ZA SSM at 35mm focal length F2.8 - solid, sharp, nice bokeh, and of course, expensive.
Another shot at 35mm focal length F2.8
Taken using Sony AF 16 F2.8 fisheye, wide angle lens with large aperture, very nice effect compared to the Sigma 10-20mm which I owned.
Sony also set up a studio and invited a professional photographer Michael Wayne Plant to demonstrate A900's excellent low ISO performance. Michael was very kind indeed to share his professional studio lighting experience and let me try it with my A700. Photo above was taken with 2 soft light boxes and a silver reflector in front of the model.
These were taken using my cheapo Tamron 17-50/2.8.
This was taken using Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 135 F1.8 at F14 1/250s, an exceptional lens, who says Sony can't compete with Canon / Nikon?
Michael had convinced me that I made a right decision to stay with Sony. He also taught me to learn how to shoot with prime lens, to try to capture image at different perspective using same focal length.
When I came across the long speakers list, guess what, Gary Fong was there! He's also the creator of the famous Lightsphere and WhaleTail flash diffusers.
His talk on wedding photography business was very inspiring indeed. He had a star price of $150 per day with no limit. According to Wikipedia, by the last shoot of his career, his fee to shoot a wedding was published at a minimum fee of $120,000. What I learnt from him is to be successful in wedding photography, one has to be with the right attitude, learn how to do marketing without advertising and how to do the pricing strategy.
A very fruitful session indeed.
There are many wedding related business in the convention, especially those wedding album printing business. I'm now compiling some of my travel photos, trying to publish my own photo book using blurb, the pricing is very competitive and the quality looks good. This can be an extra service for my photography business in near future :)
Of course, all the major DSLR makers demonstrate their latest products in the convention, including the latest Nikon D3X, Canon 5D Mark II and Sony A900. Canon 5D Mark II's HD video impressed me a lot, and that's something I would like to have in my next DSLR.
A sample video using different lens.
Sony booth was a bit quiet hence I had the opportunity to play with A900 and all the top notch Sony / Carl-Zeiss lens.
Some of the Sony glass, including the AF 70-400 F4-5.6 G SSM, however, the grey colour is not my cup of tea and it feels a bit too plastic.
Shooting Sony AF 70-300 F4.5-5.6 G SSM using Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T 16-35/2.8 ZA SSM at 35mm focal length F2.8 - solid, sharp, nice bokeh, and of course, expensive.
Another shot at 35mm focal length F2.8
Taken using Sony AF 16 F2.8 fisheye, wide angle lens with large aperture, very nice effect compared to the Sigma 10-20mm which I owned.
Sony also set up a studio and invited a professional photographer Michael Wayne Plant to demonstrate A900's excellent low ISO performance. Michael was very kind indeed to share his professional studio lighting experience and let me try it with my A700. Photo above was taken with 2 soft light boxes and a silver reflector in front of the model.
These were taken using my cheapo Tamron 17-50/2.8.
This was taken using Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* 135 F1.8 at F14 1/250s, an exceptional lens, who says Sony can't compete with Canon / Nikon?Michael had convinced me that I made a right decision to stay with Sony. He also taught me to learn how to shoot with prime lens, to try to capture image at different perspective using same focal length.
When I came across the long speakers list, guess what, Gary Fong was there! He's also the creator of the famous Lightsphere and WhaleTail flash diffusers.His talk on wedding photography business was very inspiring indeed. He had a star price of $150 per day with no limit. According to Wikipedia, by the last shoot of his career, his fee to shoot a wedding was published at a minimum fee of $120,000. What I learnt from him is to be successful in wedding photography, one has to be with the right attitude, learn how to do marketing without advertising and how to do the pricing strategy.
A very fruitful session indeed.
Car Photography
I love shooting cars, and it's much easier to shoot a still object.
Shoot for John's RX8 for his wedding calendar at O2 Millennium Dome.
I love processing car photos in HDR especially those shots on a cloudy day to make it more dramatic.
One day I would like to try shooting a moving car from another car with same speed, like those in the car advertisement.
Shoot for Jonathan's Bimmer on another cloudy day.
This was taken handheld at 0.4s F5 ISO800, thanks to Sony's Super Steady Shot.
Ran out of idea where else to take car photos in London. Must do some research later on.
I've posted an advertisement on Gumtree offering car photography service. There are too many people doing wedding photography and so far I haven't come across anyone who offer this, and I think it's another field which I'd like to explore :)
Shoot for John's RX8 for his wedding calendar at O2 Millennium Dome.
I love processing car photos in HDR especially those shots on a cloudy day to make it more dramatic.
One day I would like to try shooting a moving car from another car with same speed, like those in the car advertisement.
Shoot for Jonathan's Bimmer on another cloudy day.
This was taken handheld at 0.4s F5 ISO800, thanks to Sony's Super Steady Shot.
Ran out of idea where else to take car photos in London. Must do some research later on.I've posted an advertisement on Gumtree offering car photography service. There are too many people doing wedding photography and so far I haven't come across anyone who offer this, and I think it's another field which I'd like to explore :)
Friday, 16 January 2009
John & Chrystele's Wedding
John and Chrystele's wedding in JB was the second one added on my photography portfolio.
Photos taken during the day.
The charismatic video man should take the credit for most of the posing. That's something I gotta learn.
I didn't take much photos during the wedding dinner as the hired photographer was working and I was busy eating.
I have compiled the photos and produced a slide presentation video using Windows Movie Maker, the easiest one to do the basic stuff. Initially Adobe After Effects was on my mind but couldn't get a clue how to do it even google it for several nights. Anyway much to improve and will do more research on it.
Higher quality video can be viewed here. Had copyright issue on the original song selected (Close To You by Cranberries) when uploading the video on youtube hence changed it to Enya's Flora's Secret.
Photos taken during the day.
The charismatic video man should take the credit for most of the posing. That's something I gotta learn.
I didn't take much photos during the wedding dinner as the hired photographer was working and I was busy eating.I have compiled the photos and produced a slide presentation video using Windows Movie Maker, the easiest one to do the basic stuff. Initially Adobe After Effects was on my mind but couldn't get a clue how to do it even google it for several nights. Anyway much to improve and will do more research on it.
Higher quality video can be viewed here. Had copyright issue on the original song selected (Close To You by Cranberries) when uploading the video on youtube hence changed it to Enya's Flora's Secret.
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