After a year, now LENSA is gaining its popularity (we know we’re not that popular), either by people searching for Bokeh Wallpaper, Canon Lens Jargon Buster, Nikon Lens Jargon Buster or Afghan Girl LEGO. But wait till you see the below screen shot!
Yes, they feature our wallpaper – Canon VS Nikon – It’s you who makes the difference wallpaper. View their website – http://dsvt.blogspot.com/2009/11/nikon-canon.html
Click for full view
Or perhaps, the real site is this one – http://www.alifebe.com/2009/11/12/nikon-canon-sony-which-one-better/
What ever it is. Thank for your support!
P/s: We’re currently editing our Anniversary Video!
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Photo taken by Creativity+ Timothy K Hamilton’s photostream, flickr.
Yup, its been a year now. A long year might i add. One that went with alot of trials and tribulations for us, but equally, of good fond memories as well. So after a year, how’re we doing you say? I’d pretty much say Great! Though Rafie and i are not sure how popular we are out there in the real world, the stats do seem to be quite high these days. That i thank the readers ; ) I do hear the odd stories though of how people know us outside from time to time. I know photographers are shy people, hey, we’re shy as well, thats why we’re on the net! But seriously guys, if you happen to meet us, anywhere, Malaysia or UK, just come up to us and say hye. We’d be hyped to see you guys. Not just because you know us, but because like you, we’re just passionate photographers as well.
Estrella and 7 Collar T shirt event review
Going through the photos of past Lensa’s website, its pretty amazing to see the changes the sites been through. Rafie’s great at doing that. When you pay him to do your site, you dont just pay for good design, you pay for his professionalism. The whole package. To me thats rare and far in between nowadays with the overflow of designers out there. But Lensa was a friends collaboration, a side project from our usual daily life routine. Something we could look afford to doing, and we’d have total creative direction of the site.
Lensa’s evolution
If you happened to notice, there are a lot of good photography teaching sites out there. Amazing sites with amazing, detailed content. But totally uninspiring in terms of site layout and design. To us photography will always go side by side with design. Both of them related to the visual arts. Thus Lensa was born. Out of the need to actually enjoy looking at nice design and photos as much as reading quality articles.
Cardiff Malaysian Eurogames
Lensa has alot planned up for its future. More podcasts, but this time with guest photographers on board. We may even change the face of Lensa once again, making it more magazine like. More photo editing tutorials, with Rafie posting more of his quick and concise Photoshop vids, and me of using Aperture 2.0 and Viveza. Are there any photo contests coming up??? Haha, well not in the near future, but we will definitely do one later on. I don’t see Lensa fading out any time soon ; p . Hopfully by then we’ll have awesome kick ass prizes to give away. So stay tune for that. Owh yea, and we’re still developing the iphone app ; ) .
Desicion to include film photography on Lensa
Before we end this Birthday Article, i would love to thank our readers for continuing to support Lensa, and in time we’d like to improve the quality of our articles. We don’t want to be like alot of other sites out there, just posting alot of stuff from other sites. Our main aim is to provide quality articles, thats readable and understandable even to the beginner. In the upcoming year, we hope that u guys would drop us more feedback on our site and give ideas for articles that you may want to know about. Afterall, sharing is caring ; )
Co Capt’n Shamin and Co Capt’n Rafie, singing out.
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This world is truly magnificent, as proven by having the luck to travel to many amazing countries and witnessing firsthand how other people live their lives abroad. The local people in any country is what makes a country special. No matter how great or historical the monuments are, the core of it comes down to the people, the civilisation living there. Taking an image of a breathtaking sight/place/monument is beautiful, but it’s nothing compared to taking an image of locals just doing what they do best. Living.
Photo taken by Kautsar Abd Rahman, on a trip to Turkey.
There’s nothing like seeing an image of someone from a faraway land smiling, looking right at you in a photograph. You feel for the picture, a warm feeling erupts inside. A connection with that unknown stranger is born, even for a split second. It shows that beyond different clothing, customs, language, race, skin colour, we are all humans.
With that, I have decided to include a new section on Lensa, which is Stories Behind the Canvas. A section dedicated to sharing what happened when a particular image was captured, and the events that built up right until the shutter was pressed. As time goes by I hope other readers will share their stories as well. We all have amazing stories to tell, and now I believe it’s time to share those stories. This new category is under the parent category Photography 101, right on top of the site bar.
To anyone interested, please send in your stories on Word with the respective picture, along with your full name and any personal site or flickr that you have, to admin@lensa.co.uk. We at Lensa would be more than honoured to have your stories featured on our site. Hope to receive those stories soon ; )
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Granada is generally synonym with the Al Hambra. That magnificent palace grounds with intricate patterns and geometry on every surface imaginable. But sometimes we do forget that Granada is in Spain. And being Spain, there is the beautiful dance of Flamenco. Which happens to be the image of the graceful lady above.
The dance floor was small as I entered the small tavern. Outside looked like a decently sized bar/restaurant, inside was a different story. It looks as if the tavern was carved out from rock, embedded partly inside a hill. Large enough to barely fit a small party of two groups. Watching the dancers (yes it’s a group of them) do their thing is really mesmerising, each male and female dancers amplifying their masculinity and feminity through their moves.
Out of all of them, this particular lady shines above the rest. Partly because she’s beautiful, mostly because of her grace. All eyes was fixed on her as she danced solo. Her move, graceful, yet something about her expression gave the feeling of someone who’s proud. Throughout the dance a smile never appeared from her lips. It’s as though she’s proud of herself, proud of her heritage. An image of a strong and resilient woman comes through. At the back of the tavern hung a portrait of a woman, probably of a famous dancer long ago. A haunting image of what use to be, and now a reflection or apparition of that woman was right there in that tavern that very night. Dancing, shuffling, alive and breathing.
I like to think of the lady dancing as being under a trance, as though the portrait gave the women the ability to dance, mesmerizing everyone. The final photo sums up everything perfectly.
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Light. Thats the finishing word for the title. Something in life that we’ve taken for granted all this while. Maybe because we’ve experienced it on a daily basis. One thing that this current obsession of film photography has taught me is that light is exactly what the title says.. magical. God’s good gift, no make that blissful, to us.
Waiting for the train to come early in the morning. Golden light illuminating the platform with people rushing about. It was too good not to take. Snap.
With taking photos, on a digital back, i lost that special feeling, i got obsessed into making the perfect picture. Snap, look at the LCD on the back, then snap again, and again… In the end its less about light for me, but more for the final product. Gone is the excitement. As an architecture student, i’ve been taught that the process is crucial if not more important than the final product itself. Though in photography, the final product is ultimately what we want to achieve, for me i’ve lost the joy which is the process of taking a photo.
Around 3-4 pm, going out on a random trip. When confronted with beautiful light flares from the front. A silhouette should be the obvious result. But the light is low and not as strong. And my wonderful girlfriend is a great subject as well. One shot wouldn’t hurt. Snap.
36 negatives. Is all you have for taking photos. So better make that 36 count right? For this reason precisely, i am forced to think before i shoot. I’ve read a lot of quotes that say ” don’t think, just shoot”, but there should be a clause in that the quote only applies to digital. Cause you have that luxury with digital.
Multiple exposure shot. Shot at a nearby traffic light with blazing lights from vehicles. Hence the bokeh. Later positioned myself to shoot at my friends. Snap.
With film, every shot makes you analyze the situation, composition, lighting and meaning to the picture. Your hesitant with yourself wether to press the shutter or not. Every pros and cons of the picture is then considered. Until finally an imaginable image of the photo comes to mind. You see the final image in your mind, or at least how its going to come out, then and only then do you press that shutter down. It might work out as you want, it may not, but for me, at that moment, i’m happy and content. The most i might try is 3 exposures, if the picture is too good to miss or mess up that is.
Beautiful autumn afternoon light illuminating the rows of colored trees. Wanting to take a Satorialist shot as well of my good friend, Amirul. The result has to be good, or so i thought at that time. Snap.
At the moment, the real joy comes from discovering wonderful light. That excited feeling that you get when you know that the light is so breathtaking that the final image has to come out beautiful. Its almost as if you’re a light catcher, encapsulating light in a light tight box, then trapping it forever on a sheet of film emulsion. This might have something to do with me having an obsession for Ghostbusters earlier on in my childhood. It could be that this feeling is the same as those with a passion for traveling to far and new places, rabbit hunting even. For those of you trying to understand light better, here are some of my experiences:
- Look at the way light falls and drapes over your subject, does it produce flattering light? Does it make your subject look better? What is the light trying to convey?
- The best light is early in the morning starting from sunrise till about 8. And in the afternoon about 4 till the sun sets well over the horizon.Time is relative according to which part of the world you live in, but you get the idea.
- Stop, THINK, shoot.
- Walk away happy and get excited waiting for the results of the roll to come back from lab.
I wanted to capture the sweeping hill view across to the city. Magic hour struck and it was time for it to be captured. Snap.
Light, 5 letters, that brings an impact to the way we see, the way we feel. This article is not film biased, it’s a reminder that we should sometimes step back, enjoy what God has to offer, take a little bit of that beautiful offering, and walk away happy. Simple as that ; ) happy light hunting.
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Previously, Shamin went to a graduation ceremony in London and gave out tips on graduation photography. Today (31st October), one of LENSA co-founder, Rafie will be going to Nottingham for the 25th Malaysian Nottingham Games. It is an annual one-day sports event which all of the Malaysian societies from all the universities around the United Kingdom being invited.
Credit: cuteglassdecanter
Okay, enough promotion! Lol. Not let’s get back to our checklist – what you need to bring when you are attending such event.
What to bring
- Your SLR camera (duh!). If you have any extra camera, you can also bring it along but if it is too heavy. It would cost you some energy to carry around the extra load. What Rafie will bring is his Canon 400D DSLR, Ricoh 500 RF (film camera) and three rolls of unused film.
- Lens. Depending on what you are looking for. Any fast telephoto lens is an ideal but you know Rafie haven’t bought any of that. So he will be using the all time versatile lens, wide angle lens – SIGMA 18-200mm DC OS.
Filter and Polarizer. If you fancy it.- Extra battery and charger. Or you can bring one, and just wait for the right moment to press the shutter. Better than just random “crap” shots. Opsss… Harsh baby!
- Speed light. Oh, Rafie don’t fancy this thing. But it is good for indoor shots. But hang on, sometimes, the flash may disturb the players athletes (usually professionals).
- Bag. Just to keep everything organized. Rafie chooses to bring his messenger bag.
The night before
The night before today (we mean, last night). What you need to do is the Search and Rescue mission of your camera equipments. If the battery is low, charge it (that will includes you phone). Change the camera setting so that it would be ready by the time you need it. Here’s what Rafie anticipates for today’s event.
Before everything, might be not many will do it – check the weather forecast. If it is raining, you’re half screwed if you are not prepared for it. If you’re prepared, you’re about to look freaking cool that today with an umbrella and taking shots in the rain. Extra point if you can capture wonderful moment!
So, the forecast said, it is going to rain until midday. Fine then. Rafie’s ready for it – physically, mentally and emotionally.
Next, Rafie’s camera setting:
- Shooting mode: Aperture Priority (Shutter Priority on standby)
- ISO: 400
- White Balance: Cloudy (AWB on standby)
- Focus point: Manual – Center
- Metering: Partial
- Exposure: Zero (0)
- Shooting type: Continuous
- Picture style: Custom.
- Lens focusing mode: Auto Focus ON
- Lens optical stabiliser mode: ON
From above setting, we know that he is ready to take few shots once he arrived. He might be switching few things such as the shooting mode to (Shutter Priority) while capturing actions. Same goes to White Balance, because he fancy many stuff – experiment.
End results
Now, Rafie has anticipated pictures that he would like to capture during the events. But the setting isn’t right, he might need to re-think of the end results – outcome. But worse come to worse, he just taking crap picture like he used to do and try his luck!
Remember that there will be a lot of colours during the sports event and it will contribute towards the colour composition and harmony if you get it right.
Picture credit: robert.molinarius
Dress well
Shamin mentioned about dressing well could raise up your image. Indeed. Rafie will wear reasonable smart attire. It is not even raise his image as photographer but also enable him to socialise with people easily. Oh yes, he loves to smile like a Joker! Lol
Have fun!
Well, there will be a lot of people using DSLR and Rafie is not there to compete because he is just a noob. Alas, have fun is the best thing to do on such a day. Oh, if you meet him today. Don’t be shy to say “hye” : ) He won’t bite, we promise!
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While we are browsing fireworks pictures, we found this video and we thought that it is unique and original.
We have seen a lot of photos that captures bokeh or at most video in which bokeh is featured. But never ever, we witness (at least until now) a moving bokeh that people captured from a fireworks display. Amazing bokeh in motion.
Video credit: striatic
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Given the chance i had to assist in a photo shoot for a graduation ceremony. I couldn’t turn down the offer. The pay isn’t important but the expereince is. Working alongside Professional photographers, who were very nice btw, i got to see how real people in the industry earn money through the thing that they love.
Now, one thing that i regret, once i got to the ceremony hall is…why the hell did i sell my Nikon D200 with its 18-200 VR. All i had at the moment was a Nikon D40, and two Prime lenses, a 50mm and a 28mm..and thats not even taking into consideration crop factor! I mean the 18-200 VR isn’t a fast lens to say, but it is very versatile for those close up shots. I mean the hall was huge! i got tired of moving around constantly with a fixed focal lens. And its not until you’re working in a dark hall that you begin to understand what a pleasure a fast zoom lens feels, and why people fork out piles of cash out to buy theses babies.
For graduations, the main photographer has to take pictures of everyone that walks up to receive a certificate on the platform. My role on the other hand is to provide those “happy moments” shot, if you get what i mean. So here are some tips for graduation photography:
- Get a flash, if you’ve only got a decent DSLR with a kit lens, having a speedlight (flash unit) may save your life in these situations.
- Take as many sharp shots as you can, don’t worry about it being a bit dark and not perfect in camera, you can always edit that later.
- A fast telephoto lens would benefit greatly for those candid shots that you don’t want people to notice and start being all stiff once they see a photographer pointing at them.
- If you have money later on, invest in a good fast zoom lens, such as the Nikkor 17-55 f2.8, Nikkor 70-200 VR f2.8, or any third party and other brands equivalent. That extra stop goes a looong way.
- Move around, usually the photographer is permitted to go into areas where normal visitors aren’t. So use that to your advantage. Find an unusual but interesting angles, have a lot of variety in your pictures.
- You are the Boss on that day. You’re the photographer and people want their pictures taken on that day, Don’t be afraid to direct people on where to move (kindly of course) to get better lighting and angles.
- Smile at people and chances are they will smile back, even posing to allow you to take a picture of them.
- Use Manual Mode (easier to control) and centre weighted or spot metering on your DSLR.
Last but not least:
- Dress smart and look the part. You may not know what your doing, but if you look the part, i.e a professional photographer, people will acknowledge that your good. Try to act professional at all times and be in control, being nervous isn’t going to solve anything, so buck up and be confident. Before you know it, you’ll have people complimenting you.
Thats pretty much it, and i hoped that helped you guys out. So now you can go out and volunteer to take pics for your family or friends, or much better still, get a job taking graduation photos. Enjoi_learning.
P.S I’d like to thank Muhsin for giving me the chance to help out in the graduation photo shoots. I owe you big time dude!
Yeah thats me, the place was near St Pall’s cathedral, Guildhall to be precise.
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Well, you may call this a prank. But the picture is very nice that I decided to give him an album cover design.
Happy becoming birthday for LENSA to you mate!
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One of LENSA co-founders, Rafie has been using BlackBerry since about three months ago to organise his busy life – a student and entrepreneur. He don’t take much pictures with his Canon 400D but luckily his BlackBerry has a built-in camera. Below is his review on the BlackBerry camera:
I know it is not that “hot” to use a built-in camera. But who cares? Lol. You just need to feed your passion – taking pictures and capturing moments. So far, I quite like the ability of BlackBerry to capture reasonable good quality of features.
From the camera options, you can adjust:
- Default Flash Setting (On/Off) – turning the Flash on or off
- White Balance - Sunny, Cloudy, Night, Incandescent, Fluorescent
- Picture Size – Large (2048 x 1536 pixels) to Small (480 x 360 pixels)
- Picture Quality – Superfine to Normal
- Colour Effect – Normal, Black & White and Sepia
- Geotagging – Connected with GPS to add a geographical location about where you take the picture. Cool right?
It is almost perfect but I just wish that they have the camera sound option in which you can mute the “shutter” sound once you press the capture button. Really annoying by the way!
What is good is the fact that from the BlueBerry BlackBerry, you can post the picture straight ahead to your facebook, email or send it anywhere you like. Until today, I have posted about 54 photos and generally I have taken at least a photo a day.
Don’t tell me that you never heard the sayings practise makes perfect.
I know I am sucks at taking photos but I believe me when I said these four pictures are taken using my BlackBerry. Now if you have a mobile phone that can take pictures, don’t be a lazy arse! Lol, no offence.
Have a productive week lads and lass!
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