Through The Lens

[WTS] Lowepro Off Trail 2 Belt Pack

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Pang) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:04:00 +0000

Item: Lowepro Off Trail 2 Belt Pack
Comes complete with holster and modular 2 lens cases, 1 shoulder strap
Used only once on a photo walk.
Condition: Like new. Smells like new too.
Price: RM250 (firm)
COD on weekdays at Ampang Park LRT station.
Bag specs: http://products.lowepro.com/product/Off-Trail-2,1981,7.htm

Leave a comment if you're interested. Item is also posted in the PhotoMalaysia forum.

Jamie Pang Photography by Jamie Pang is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.

I've Moved!

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Pang) — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 16:38:00 +0000

Hi everyone, I've moved this blog over to jamiepang.com, where I've consolidated my 2 running blogs. The new site provides your with more info at one place, and all my past postings can be found there as well. The tags and categories of the blogposts are very extensive over there and you search using the tags. I wanna say thank you for following this humble blog and the new site does allow us to take our relationship to the next level. Don't forget to bookmark jamiepang.com!

Jamie Pang Photography by Jamie Pang is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.

Photographically speaking, we're living in exciting times

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Pang) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 15:48:00 +0000

I've pointed out to my photog friends of several podcasts before but I'd just like to take a minute to point you again to Matt Brandon's site. Matt, an American based out of our very own Penang, runs a stupendous podcast called Depth of Field, where he recently interviewed Nevada Wier in a 2 part series.

I'd highly recommend that you download them to listen on your MP3 players or burn them to a CD-RW to listen when you're stuck in traffic. I just want the Nevada's takes, ideas and advice to reach you directly, so I won't paraphrase and spoil the "lesson". Get the Part 1 here and Part 2 here. Another reason why you will no longer listen to the crappy commercial laden terrestrial radio programs. New media rocks!

To view Nevada's picture's and follow her blog, head on to http://www.nevadawier.com/.

Future-Proofed: The Lowepro Vertex 100 AW

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Pang) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 16:14:00 +0000

Unless an alternative career takes off, I’ve yesterday fulfilled my baggage needs with space to spare. I’m speaking of my acquisition of a used Lowepro Vertex 100 AW. I’ve had my eyes on a backpack of the Vertex’s dimensions and features for awhile, with dreams of a Think Tank Photo (TTP) model. I’ve 2 requirements for a backpack besides the obvious durability standards and storage capabilities – firstly it should provide an above average degree of weatherproofing and secondly it should also hold a notebook. The 13” Macbook Pro is still outside my reach now but when I can finally afford one, the bag must be able to accommodate it. A notebook is essential when travelling and when on assignments.

But used TTP items are hard to come by in the secondary market and buying new has never been an option what with its tag of being the LV of photo bags. The chances of finding a used Lowepro is easier and after spotting a few used models such as the Fastpack and CompuTrekker, a Vertex popped up in the forum.

Why used? When the new one sets you back over RM800 (it’s ridiculous probably because of the tax levied on it), you know you’ve to go down the pre-owned road. I’ve so far had good experiences with buying used photography gear so I had no qualms with this approach. This one was no different. When I checked out the product, it looked like new and hardly used. There wasn’t a single scruff mark. The seller, a young chap, told me he purchased it in England during a photo fair. He’s only selling because the bag is an overkill for his D90 and kit lens. Happy with him and the condition of the product, I parted with RM480. While still expensive, it’s a great buy considering the like-new condition of the bag. With Lowepro’s lifetime warranty, there are assurances too.

The smallest in the Vertex series, the Vertex 100 AW has an All Weather (hence the AW badge) cover hidden away under the bag, to protect against the elements of outdoor shooting. The face of the bag is uniquely constructed to have 2 large zippered pockets (more like larder doors!) to store your memory cards, cables, keys, stationary, filters and other knick knacks. Right in the middle is the groove where your tripod or monopod can be strapped in. The ‘pods are secured by 1 adjustable strap at the top, the adjustable Glide Lock in the middle and an stow-able tripod foot holder at the bottom. As with established brands, many features of the bag are customizable. On both sides of the bag are additional hook-ons to hold your lens cases or water bottle.

The first layer of the bag is the padded notebook sleeve. Your 14” hardware can be stored in here. Since I don’t have one this place will hold my magazines. The 2nd layer will be where the majority of your stuff goes. You have the usual Lowepro grey configurable paddings. You’ll also find 2 large zippered pockets on the back of the flap to hold a few more things. The bag is deep enough to hold camera bodies with battery packs, so your lenses up to 70mm can be stored vertically thus saving you more space. I’ve not fully loaded the bag yet but I suspect there will be ample space left for all my electronics gear such as iPod, batteries, chargers, cables, portable hard drives, video cam, towel/cap/spare shirt.

Wildlife and nature photographers look for weatherproofing and silent operation. You’ll get exactly that - the zippers are weatherproofed and open quietly. Can’t wait to put the bag through the paces.

To see photos of the Vertex 100, head on to this nice review on Flickr.

For technical details go to the official Lowepro website where you can see a video of the bag in action.

Photobook Projects

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Pang) — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:15:00 +0000

I’ve a small collection of nice photos of the Carbokids which I’m thinking of turning into a 20-page photobook. These books are not cheap to make. For a 20-page version, expect to pay from RM120 to RM150. But if the photos are fantastic, it’s worth the investment to preserve the memories in a collectible format.

Besides kiddie shots, I’ve some amazing pigeon and temple shots as well. But presently they’re insufficient to put into a coffee table-like book.

The shots that go into the photo book have to be excellent and I’ve really cast a critical eye on my own results. A bit of loss sharpness and it’s basically culled from the collection. It’s frustrating when that happens because many times, composition wise the photos are great. But technically they’re off. So I’ve to adopt the mindset of an editor and make sure only my best shots make the cut.

I’ve yet to try out the services and quality of the photobook service provider, so I’ll be able to share once the results are in. I don’t expect that to be anytime soon as some planning need to go into the types of shots I want to capture. There has to be a variety to make the collection interesting.

But it’ll be great projects to work on. And it keeps the learning process and passion going. if you're getting into the craft or want to explore your creative side, consider building projects into your passion. Just like in running, we set little goals to get us to our own vision of ultimate challenge be it a 5K or an ultra marathon.

Jamie Pang Photography by Jamie Pang is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.

Kampar Sojourn

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Pang) — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 15:48:00 +0000

The clan was in Kampar the last weekend for another getaway. This comes after 4 days in Penang last week. Even though it was just a night spent at the Grand Kampar Hotel, the trip wasn’t as stressed as the one in Penang as the drive was shorter and we didn’t have family whims to placate. Kampar was actually the town for the inaugural Kampar Friendship Run. The local runners wanted to have a small run to call their own and this no frills and hassle free fun run was a perfect way for them to kick things off.

Unlike wet Penang, weather was excellent. Mostly cool overcast, which allowed for some landscape photography.

Pano of the surrounding hills (taken without a tripod)

The lake (former mining pool) fronting the University Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR).

I chose to shoot the 8K run instead of running it. The route was probably one of the most beautiful and varied. You have cool weather, misty mountains in the distant, and you run a flat route except for a small bridge over the railway track, a lake, an island of roosting egrets (didn’t bring my 2x tele-extender to shoot this), a park with lily pond and a small stretch of construction area (!). Here are just 3 takes of the scenic route.

For the entire album on the run, please head on to my gallery.

Jamie Pang Photography by Jamie Pang is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.

Precarious Perch

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Pang) — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 07:18:00 +0000

Lunch time patrons at a road-side eatery.

This stall serves very cheap porridge. Customers eat perched on stools placed on top of a bench, though the logic of this arrangement, other than to have easy access to the dishes, eludes me.

The fact that this stall is located in a flood prone area could have something to do with this unusual setup.

I've personally not eaten at such stalls but I've known them to cater to the laborers and menial workers. Notice the different heights of the stools.

Jamie Pang Photography by Jamie Pang is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.

Blackhawks

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Pang) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 23:38:00 +0000

Nope, not the birds but the mechanical one, the helicopter. I love the Blackhawk's ruggedness and the sound of 'phoop' 'phoop' its rotors make. There's only a civilian version that I've seen in KL - a white one with a couple of external fuel pods. But Scott Kelby recently shot some amazing chopper pictures and also of their pilots and crew and you can see his fantastic work over at his blog - check out those non-HDR HDR-like shots! I'd like to know how he made that!

Anyway, at the bottom of the post, there's a shot of a pilot walking out of the hangar. The shot was intentionally overexposed but the result is fantastic. After viewing that shot, I post processed one very recent shot to have a similar effect. Whether or not it succeeds, you be the judge and let me know (click to enlarge). The difference is mine was unintentionally overexposed. I struggled a bit with the bleach white walls and the dark features of the temple entrance :)

Jamie Pang Photography by Jamie Pang is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.

Playing With Panos

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Pang) — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 04:08:00 +0000

Last week's trip to Penang was a little dampened by the incessant rain. Had little opportunity for much shooting and on one occasion, bored to heck and restless, I took the lift down to the poolside and toyed with some panoramic shots. The first is of the Penang Times Square swimming pool. I used the Photomerge function of CS3 to stitch together the 7 frames. Then I added a graduated filter for that touch of sky contrast. Click to enlarge.

I then wandered off to the west side of the pool and took another 5 frames and treated the result with an antiquated look below.

Like I said both these shots were just for fun, and not the most ideal subjects. They’re incidentally my first ever panos and I've much to learn. Given a stunning vista, you should give panos a try.

Jamie Pang Photography by Jamie Pang is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.

August Thirty First

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Pang) — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 15:34:00 +0000

Some quarters have the notion that some groups of citizens in this country are less loyal. To me you don’t need to stick miniature flags on your vehicle and bang your chest as proof of your patriotism.

Many go about it in their own quiet and often unseen ways. These shots of strung out mini-flags were seen in the quadrangle of a clan house in Penang, unnoticed by the general public unless like me you happened to wander in to admire these heritage buildings.

OK, this last shot is basically to showcase the DOF of the 135mm f/2L!

I was without easy access to the Internet the last few days, so here’s a Happy (Belated) Birthday greeting to you, Malaysia.

Jamie Pang Photography by Jamie Pang is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.

Break For The Burnt Out

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Pang) — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 16:00:00 +0000

I'll be heading back to Penang for a short break. This will be some sort of a reprieve before the coming hellish 2 months. The last time I was on the island was during the Chinese New Year and I hadn't jumped on board the photography bandwagon yet. Therefore this 3-day stay should be full of opportunities to do some shooting. I don't think I'll be able to allocate time for landscapes, so it'll pretty much be street and heritage types. My mouse will have a break too after which it'll be put to much use when I return with probably a thousand shots or more!

Jamie Pang Photography by Jamie Pang is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.

Playing The Guitar With An Attitude

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Pang) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 14:28:00 +0000

A lefty guitarist in the making?

Letting it rip

Then finish with a flourish - with a leap! Hendrix would've been proud.

Jamie Pang Photography by Jamie Pang is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.

How To Do A Bag Review

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Pang) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 09:47:00 +0000

One of the fulfilling aspect of running is reviewing gear, specifically running shoes. Often you get insider news before the product hits the market. I get to sample first hand the product and get in hundreds of kilometres worth of trialling. On the photography side of things, camera bodies, lenses and bags are the most common gear to be reviewed. Writing about camera bodies and especially lenses take too much time and to me something that's too much to learn up. Just shoot lah!

But bags, they're much simpler to write and quite often, if done right, will provide the person shopping for one much needed info. Here's an example of a gold standard bag review - well, technically, the ThinkTank Pro Speed Belt and Modular set are not bags. But you know what I mean.

The Pro Speed Belt was one of my recent purchase by the way, but it was made earlier before I came across this review.

Winning Shots

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Pang) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:38:00 +0000

Nothing provides greater pleasure and at the same time, humbling feeling than seeing the works of other photographers. And you can see the best ones from the WWPW here. Enjoy!

Winners and Honorable Mentions:

Jamie Pang Photography by Jamie Pang is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.

Chimping

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Pang) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 16:11:00 +0000

Among the many things that digital photography brings is chimping. Huh? What's photography got to do with primates you ask? Before you lob banana peels at me, chimping is the act of looking at the LCD of your camera. You know after you take the shot, you just have the urge to press the preview or playback button? That's chimping.

According to Wikipedia, the word was supposedly "coined by Robert Deutsch, a USA Today staff photographer, in September of 1999. The phrase is most likely derived from comparison between the sounds and actions some make while reviewing images and those of an excited primate (Oooh! Oooh! Aaah!), or when a photographer is completely absorbed in the act of analyzing, admiring or proudly displaying a shot to others." I'm a chimper too. But hopefully not a serial one. Or should a person who chimps be called a chimpee? Or chimp?

Young chimpers/chimps/chimpees

Why do we chimp? More often than not, it's to check if we got the shot. DSLR users would want to see if they got their settings right. Chimping also helps weed out the bad shots, so you spend less time doing it on the computer. But don't go overboard with chimping, coz you may just miss the shot! Chimping also eats up your battery juices. As with most things in life, over-reliance on chimping to get a good shot would hamper your development as a photographer. Afterall with digital, you can tweak the settings and go through tens of shots without batting an eye. That's the reason why some photo clubs set frequent activities where their members' LCDs are taped over to prevent them from relying on instant feedback. At the end of the hour, everyone will check how many of their 35 or x number of shots are usable. This helps to develop the analytical skills. Same reason for shooting with prime lenses where you force yourself to see things differently and getting the shot by moving around, rather than relying on zooms.

So the next time I asked what is it that you're chimping, don't get me wrong. I mean no offense! I just want to see what you've just shot.

Jamie Pang Photography by Jamie Pang is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.

Sleepy

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Pang) — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 16:00:00 +0000

It's Monday. That can only mean only 1 thing - the start of another sleep depleted week!

On the way to the car park late one night sometime last week, I noticed that the temple next to the office had something on. Wandering over and into the beautiful hall where I captured some amazing shots previously, I realized that there was a Dharma talk happening.

The talk was in English and Mandarin, and with the air conditioning turned on, the venue was certainly very conducive for the purpose it was constructed for - you immediately feel relaxed and calm, the way you'd feel entering any house of worship, ready to absorb the sermon. In this case it was perhaps a tad too comfortable as these preceptors were noted to be dozing off right at the back of the hall! Too contemplative / meditative ;) ?

Jamie Pang Photography by Jamie Pang is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.

Wet

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Pang) — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 04:16:00 +0000

KL is back to experiencing quirky weather. Afternoons are hot as heck while evenings are stormy. In a city where a single drop of heavenly perspiration will bring about a traffic jam, the rain isn't a welcome thing for after office motorists. But since we can't directly control the weather one just has to try to see the positive side of things right? After all, it's been so hot and hazy lately. I see it as a way to explore some new shooting options with the camera. I've always dreamed of shooting a black and white of someone jumping over a puddle and yesterday's downpour was certainly heavy enough to increase the chances of a really "wet" shot. So with the camera hung at waist level, I parked myself in an unobstrusive corner of a building. Stood there for about 20 minutes without much interesting goings-on. My boss passed by and reminded me to start uploading some shots for a regional photo contest.

The only shot worth sharing was this one of a janitor sweeping away the rainwater. Before returning to work, I went to the pantry and spent a couple of minutes seeking out some abstract shots and this was what I got.

Some colleagues thought it was something unique while one just couldn't see the logic of this shot. That's art for you I guess - there's just no right or wrong.

Jamie Pang Photography by Jamie Pang is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.

Irene & Karl

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Pang) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 15:51:00 +0000

The groom, who thoroughly enjoyed his big day, after planting his kiss on the cardboard

The elegant bride who was full of grace.

Finally getting some lens moment with Irene.

To Karl and Irene, thank you for letting me be a part of your happy day. Wishing you many wonderful years together and hopefully I'll be packing up my gear again soon to capture the little one(s)!

Jamie Pang Photography by Jamie Pang is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.

GigaPan

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Pang) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 16:23:00 +0000

“ You’ve got to push yourself harder. You’ve got to start looking for pictures nobody else could take. You’ve got to take the tools you have and probe deeper.
– William Albert Allard

I’ve heard of GigaPan photography about a month back and have had no chance to find out more about the kind of photography it makes, except very very large panoramas. While that’s true, it also presents an unfair description of the power of GigaPan. So what’s this Giga thingy? I’ll post what the GigaPan website has to say:

“GigaPan is the newest development of the Global Connection Project, which aims to help us meet our neighbors across the globe, and learn about our planet itself. GigaPan will help bring distant communities and peoples together through images that have so much detail that they are, themselves, the objects of exploration, discovery and wonder. We believe that enabling people to explore, experience, and share each other's worlds can be a transforming experience. Our mission is to make all aspects of the GigaPan experience accessible and affordable to the broadest possible community.

GigaPan consists of three technological developments: a robotic camera mount for capturing very high-resolution (gigapixel and up) panoramic images using a standard digital camera; custom software for constructing very high-resolution gigapixel panoramas; and, a new type of website for exploring, sharing and commenting on gigapixel panoramas and the detail our users will discover within them. The GigaPan website allows hosting and sharing all kinds of panoramas, and so the robotic GigaPan mount is recommended but is certainly not required to be part of this community. ”

Very deep. For noob like me, all I needed to know is that this project has Google, Carnegie Mellon University and NASA as sponsors. Using a robotic camera mount – they sell a version for point and shoot compacts and another for DSLR – the photographer can set certain parameters to capture wide expanse of scenery. The number of options just basically explodes. Think about what you can do with it. With a camera such as the Canon G10, which many of the examples in the GigaPan website are shot with, you can capture and stitch together (using their software) literally hundreds of high resolution photos into a mega, no, gigapixel still panorama. You can shoot events, landscapes, from the ground, from space, basically just about anything that conveys space. The Global Connection Project lists the uses of the technology as bridging cultural gaps, education and disaster relief. But it’s not difficult to imagine that it can also be (ab)used for invasion of privacy and surveillance.

To see an excellent example of GigaPan, just click on this link where you’ll see the scene of President Obama’s Inauguration. Do it - click the link, I promise you that you'll be blown away. Just play around with the panning and then zoom to the max on any particular segment of the capture. Because it’s shot at full res without any compression or resizing, you can see very clearly the faces in the crowd. Check out the security detail, look for former Presidents Clinton and Bush in the crowd. Identify the white Canon lenses in the press galleries. Astounding. What you previously get to experience in Google Earth is now taken to the nth level by this technology.

Bags Part 2

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Pang) — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 23:21:00 +0000

You know that what the pros and reviewers say time and again are true - that the perfect camera bag is still to be designed. That’s really true. So here’s what I’ve learnt. Know what you want to get out of your photography. Once you’ve nailed that down, you’ll know what will make up your mid-term gear and from your gear, you’ll know what bag, dimension and type, will house your gear. If you’re contented with just general shooting and want a versatile 1 lens to do it all, the 18-200 or 24-105 zoom will be your option. You might want to add an external flash and if that’s the case, a shoulder bag would usually do it. That would be a Lowepro Slingshot or Crumpler’s 5 Million Dollar Home.

Otherwise you may be contented with the free bag given by the camera salesman when you purchased your body. Things get a little complicated if you think you’re going to be studying photography because you simply love it and are curious to know how that stunning shot you saw in the magazines are realized. Or perhaps you’re just blown away by the Getty/National Geog/AFP/NYTimes photographers whom pictures just tell a thousand words. So you start to invest in yourself by by reading up books, interacting with experienced shooters and taking up courses. If that’s who you are or think is the road you want to take, you’d want to also invest in a bag that’ll grow with your skills and passion. Think something modular like Lowepro or Think Tank’s systems that are expandable.

And once you start to find your niche, you will find your baggage needs more defined. For example, a nature and landscape shooter will need a waist pack lesser than a sturdy backpack that can accommodate telephotos and sturdy tripod (not those aluminium types mind you). Your budget should be RM450 upwards. Meanwhile a street shooter will find a waist pack handy. A lot more complexity arises if after progressing to an advanced level, you want to earn some money out of your passion. This usually means some travelling to a location and shooting in the vicinity. A main bag or case to carry everything and then a smaller bag to carry your work gear. Your gear make up can be something like 2 or 3 flash units, 2 bodies (of which 1 is a pro-body), 2 zooms, 1 wide angle, batteries, diffusers, cleaning kit, chargers, notebook, external hard disks and even light stands depending on your specialty.

Your baggage needs therefore can be something waterproof, simple yet large like the Lowepro Computrekker AW or Think Tank’s Streetwalker, to Think Tank’s Airport series or the heavy duty Pelican cases. To cut a long story short, know what you’re in for from the start. It’s tough to know where you’re headed at that point because when you first enter photography, you’d want to shoot everything and anything. That’s good because from there you’ll be able to get the exposure and learnings in. But purchase a bag that you can grow with.

Make no mistake that this is a very expensive hobby. You’ve got to spend a bit more from the start – just like the advice to get the most expensive lens you can afford – than wasting money on goods that can’t serve you over the years. The branded bags are certainly expensive but I’ve first hand experienced my friend’s truly battered Microtrekker that’s still perfect (ok, it looks seasoned) with nary a fibre stitch out of place – a bag that he’s used for years. A bag that weighs a ton when he goes on a shoot. Yup, he’s one to bring nearly everything along when he goes out. Now that’s RM500+ of good investment.

Jamie Pang Photography by Jamie Pang is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.

Bags Part 1

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Pang) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 23:16:00 +0000

Camera bags. It’s partly true when veteran photographers say that you will accumulate camera bags over the years. Camera bags are like technical running socks – you can never get enough of them. Provided you start out on a right footing from the very beginning. Here’s how it usually goes. Bag number 1 will come usually as freebie, something the sales person will throw in hoping you get off his back, when you buy a new camera. Most of the time you’ll feel darn happy because you managed to squeeze something on top of a memory card out of him. If you’re lucky he’d have also thrown in a cleaning kit too, and a UV filter. But I digress.

A couple of weeks later after catching the shooting bug, you’ll find that the 18-55 kit lens doesn’t provide you with the versatility you’d like. If you’re a complete noob, like I was, you’d think that an 18-200 would do the trick. The 18-200 is a versatile purchase but as soon as you took the zoom home, you find that your free bag can’t take in your body and both your lenses. That’s when you start to search for another bag just so that you can carry everything. Ah, depending on your budget, bag number 2 will be a larger shoulder bag, something like a Crumpler 5 Million Dollar Home. You’re really happy to get a hip looking bag but your first investment into the world of bags have just begun. At RM250, the Crumpler provides just enough space to squeeze in your gear.

That's until you buy an external flash unit. That's when you find that the only place for it is your cargo pants pocket. But money’s hard to come by so you grit your teeth and make do. You look for creative ways to raise funds to buy better glass or to expand your arsenal like a macro or ultra wide angle lens. So you sell off your kit and zoom lenses and bought the L. And these better glass usually come with lens hoods. As happy as you are about your new acquisition which will expand your photography, you now find your Crumpler no longer cute. In comes bag number 3 – another RM300 worth of backpack that’s a copycat of Lowepro’s Microtrekker. Now you’re rocking. You can carry everything and are happy as a lark until you find that taking your gear out of a backpack is a really tedious affair when your shooting street. Unless you’ve a second body, you’ll find that you may need to change lenses. And that sucks because you need to be fast or risk losing the shot.

If you’ve begun shooting events, you’ll also find a need to be very mobile, so you find yourself considering a waist pack. The options are many but having learnt the lesson of size matters, the ones large enough and expandable are models like Lowepro’s Toploader or Off Trail series. Thus start a flurry of research and phone calls and you find that bags are cheaper in Singapore, so that can only result in bag number 4, a RM200-ish purchase. I’ll suggest some ways to reduce burning your hard earned case in the second part but meanwhile check out Think Tank’s Rotation 360 bag.

Jamie Pang Photography by Jamie Pang is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.

Scott Kelby's 2nd Worldwide Photo Walk

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Pang) — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 15:06:00 +0000

I finally had some time to sieve through and clear up the post processing of the images shot during the photo walk on July 18th and uploaded them to my online gallery. Here are some of the other shots.

I've previously posted my 3 shortlisted photos for submission here, of which I chose the ones of the derelict house and cat on the stairway for the contest. August 1st is supposed to be the deadline for the walk leaders to select their best shot. The photographer of that shot will win Scott Kelby's latest book, "The Digital Photography Book, Volume 3". Then the lucky and talented person will go on to compete against the other winners from cities all over for a grand prize of jaw dropping value. Of course I've no chance of winning but viewing the images uploaded by other walkers such as Jeff really open up my eyes.

You can also check out the high quality work of the other participants around the world in the Flickr group here.

Jamie Pang Photography by Jamie Pang is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.

Be Ready To Capture That Moment

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Pang) — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 15:16:00 +0000

“ Which of my photographs is my favorite? The one I’m going to take tomorrow.”
Imogen Cunningham

I left the office early at 6:30pm yesterday for the computer shop to pick up extra memory for my Mac. As efficient as the Mac is, the increase in my image editing activity amidst the multi-tasking that I do, is slowing down the performance of the machine. I could be burning a disc, downloading podcasts using iTunes (and syncing them to my iPod, browsing the web with Firefox, answering emails using an email client on top of image management. Not to mention sometimes firing up the Dreamweaver too. My machine needed a boost hence the upgrade to 4MB of DDR RAM.

Ever since delving into photography, my view of the daily scenes have changed. I find myself increasingly seeing or trying to see things differently. Be they patterns or colours or structures. Many times I realize we’ve taken much of our daily lives for granted and we just go through the day especially when we’re outdoors, with a certain level of “blah-ness” or with a “seen them all” attitude. But there’s more than meets the eye. Literally.

Like during my drive to Ikano yesterday, I noticed the symmetrical roof of the national library pointing in a certain manner. And how the strong sunlight played on the grooves of a flyover beam, creating interesting shadows. To my chagrin, I didn’t have my camera with me and even if I had, I doubt I could’ve stopped the car.

Having mentioned the above, the development of the “eye” should not be at the expense of creativity. One can, after all, get too bogged down by being too analytical. I hope I won’t go about it the wrong way.

Canon Professional Network's Editor's Choice

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Pang) — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 16:28:00 +0000

"Buy the best equipment you can afford – the best lenses are the most important thing. Look at other people's work – examine it, figure out what the photographer wanted to achieve and how they did it: how much was technical and how much was a unique or imaginative way of seeing. Don't just photograph what you are most interested in – learn to be as versatile as possible. Photograph friends' weddings, your family, your workmates, buildings and architecture, wildlife and travel. Learn how your equipment functions so that it becomes a part of you - an extension of your hand and mind.

Never be satisfied with what you have achieved. Visualise images you want to take, plan them and then make them happen. Learn as much about your subject as you can. Learn to understand exposure – it is vital – don't just think 'I can fix that later in PhotoShop. Persevere – learn how to market and sell your images. You have to be a 'business person' as well as a photographer to survive in a very competitive field. But you can always make photography your hobby. Nobody can take that away from you."

Jonathan & Angela Scott, multi-award winning wildlife photographers, when asked what’s their advice to someone just coming into the business of photography.

Part of developing as a photographer means having your work critique by pros. CPN is providing an opportunity for your work to be analyzed by experts in the industry. If like me you're interested in how the pros see a photo, be sure to check out Magdalena Herrera's evaluation of the first batch of shortlisted entries here.

Jamie Pang Photography by Jamie Pang is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.

Malaysia XI vs Manchester United

noreply@blogger.com (Jamie Pang) — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 17:36:00 +0000

After an enjoyable walkabout as part of the Kuala Lumpur group of Scott Kelby’s Worldwide Photowalk – which I’ll cover in another posting – I found myself back at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium for the main event. I thought getting there 2 hours before the 5:30pm start was good enough but how wrong that notion turned out to be. A long crawl had started from the KESAS Highway and only through my familiarity with the area did I manage to find a way through the back roads to the Endah Parade mall. Thousands were making their way to the stadium while tens of thousands were already in there.

It was blazing hot and I decided to leave everything in the car except the camera body, the 135mm and the 2X tele extender. In the process of stripping off my gear, I left behind my spare battery and was left cursing at myself later when I saw that the battery level was down to 1. I was one of the earlier ones amongst my friends there and I decided not to wait for them as the seats were all nearly filled in the lower tier. After scouring around, I spotted a vacant one in the middle, 15 rows up, which was an excellent spot. If my friends were tagging along, there was no way of finding a row of empty seats. Being solo allowed for a more commando approach. Spot and grab! I was that much more mobile.

The downside was that section was totally exposed to the elements. Direct blast of the sun and I was soaked in as much sweat as I was running a half marathon. I was uncertain if I was going to pass out. And we had 2 more hours to kickoff! I spoke to my neighbor and he remarked that he was there since noon! Well, I was dehydrated, so I felt no urge to pee. The noodles I had at 12pm was slowly burning off and I was a bit worried I felt no thirst either. My camera felt hot and I tried shading it with my thighs. I also removed the battery to get it charged up in the sunshine and heat. And I managed to squeeze over 220 shots out of it.

I totally enjoyed the experience of watching and shooting a football match. It was an eye opening experience and knowing the game certainly increases the anticipation level of where the action was heading. I would’ve like to capture more goal mouth action but for real impact, one still needs to be positioned at the sidelines wherein lies a lot more options. Shooting from the stands made wide open shots very difficult at least for me and I also agree with Glenn Guan that I needed to crop more. It’s a valid comment. There ought to be a mix of tighter and wide shots. I’d wanted to show the action from a wider perspective. I don’t have much leeway to crop extensively with a 10mp body.

At the request of my friends, I’ll leave the images in the gallery untouched for a month, after which I’ll do some cropping on some shots to hopefully improve the final results.

As usual, do check out the series at my gallery and do leave some comments there!

Jamie Pang Photography by Jamie Pang is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License.