Water droplets

Alas! I have managed to get some decent shots of water droplets. Few months ago I did a similar shoot, but failed miserably. Back then I thought it was easy to get an interesting one, but I misplaced the lighting and camera settings. Besides, I didn't use a high shutter speed to freeze the movements.

Then I encountered a friend's blog, which showed his setup. I was ecstatic! Eureka! And his shots looked stunning. Quickly I set up my kit and head straight to the kitchen sink. My setup : A700 with Tamron SP90 attached, F42 fired from the top right, a clear glass plate, an interesting magazine page that is put underneath the plate. The plate is put under a slow dripping tap.

Set up my camera to manual, after a few practice and sweaty armpits, I'm very pleased with the outcome. Most shots are on 1/5000, F11-13. F42 fired wirelessly at 1/1 power.


Love the crown-looking splash.


On the next try, I will make the water drop more in focus. Want to capture the reflection inside.

Shea Part 2

Let's continue with the Shea photoshoot session held last Saturday. We hoped for a nice sunset, but the rain hampered the whole scene. Our setup were F42 and F58 fired from the left and right side of her. At times only one flash fired because of the recharge rate. Two flashes were shared by four bodies firing almost continuously. The F58 got overheated twice, and a set of Eneloops were depleted.

The outcome? Variable flash power sometimes ruining a good shot. As the flash fired continuously, the output reduced because it has not been recharge fully. And I think I do need a softbox for the flashes. Time for DIY again. Nevertheless, the shots in this part were taken in Raw so editing could help save a bad shot. The F58 had a fall again, it will be sent to Sony 'Hospital' soon.

Thanks to the Alpha members and Shea for making the photoshoot possible and fun, although the output wasn't as nice. Edited using Paint.net and Picasa.





















Some of the Alpha members.

What did I see today?

Today, I saw some alpha members, and I saw Shea.



We had a photoshoot with her, and organised by a friend of mine for her own portfolio. Everything is mutual, she gets her photos, we got to try and enhance our techniques. All free of charge. :D Shots taken at Jesselton Point. I used my Tamron 70-200, and used both flashes for fill-in lights.







Enough for tonight, I'm getting sleepy. Will continue with this series soon. Till then, have a nice Sunday tomorrow.

Majestica Mount Kinabalu

Everytime when I see the Mount Kinabalu not covered in clouds, I would always admire its sheer beauty and size. I have numerous shots of it, but the dissatisfaction would always be there. There's always something interesting to see it at different angles and zooms.

On my way back from Mesilau that day, we stopped for a while at Kundasang for some vegetables shopping when the clouds slowly dispersed and revealed breathtaking views of the mountain. I quickly load my Tammy 70-200 and shoot while holding a big smile on my face. Not forgetting the satisfaction after each shot.









What a formation of rocks could do. By the way, I read in the newpapers that some companies are planning to build a 5-star resort near the mountain. And from the size of the resort model, it looked huge. I wonder where will it be located exactly. The project will be completed in three years time.

Got pencil have drawings

I have been busy this past few days. Didn't manage to shoot anything, or even touch the camera. Lately my school have been busy organising important events, and soon we will have another two coming this Thursday and Friday.

Besides, I have exam papers to be submitted, not forgetting updating the school's data. How I wish school holidays can come early. Can't wait to go back to Bau and enjoy the foods.

Anyway, I found out about a bag design competition by Kata this morning. Kata is a well known dslr bag maker apart from Lowepro to name a few. Curious, I visited the site and basically what you should do is submit you bag design. How? You can submit your drawing just like what I did just now. I'm not good in drawings as you can see. Well, it does shows what I have in mind. :D I named my bag Rapid as it features some quick-access doors to the equipments.




How the Rapid mechanism works. It can fit 70-200mm lens too!

The prize? Camera and equipments awaits the winner plus, your design will be made into reality by Kata which is even cooler.

So, for those interested, what are you waiting for? Here's the link and good luck!

Photos from the Science Symposium - Cultural colours

During the Chief Minister's visit, people of all races in Lawas flocked at SMK Merapok to greet him. They all came in interesting attires, some adopt the modern look while others came in colourful traditional costumes. Some even brought along traditional musical instruments.






Opps...sorry. :D
























I like this pattern.






Wonder what it's made of...

Photos from the Science Symposium - Damages

What a weekend. No doubt that the a700, Tamron 70200 and the F58 are a heavy combo but that didn't deter me to lug it around just to snap some interesting shots. And after that nasty fall which left the body and the lens physically defect a bit, I would have been more cautious.

But, I was careless. When I tried to take out the other camera from my bag, the body,lens and flash slipped from my shoulders straight to the tiles. Using the wider and gripper Optech Pro Strap didn't help much either.


A broken hotshoe at the left side.



The flash carried the weight over to the side, and prevented from falling lens first, which is a great relief. The flash foot suffered more than the hotshoe.


F58 loses both teeth.

How about the body? From the first fall, there was a small crack at the side of the body, near the battery cover.



After the second fall, a small part near the cover broke apart from the body. And it's the only missing piece that I couldn't find. Might be swept away by the VIP's shoes when they passed the area.



Lucky for me, apart from the broken pieces, everything on the body, lens and flash worked like charm. Wireless flash still available, and the lens performance wasn't affected. The helicopter photos before this post were taken after the fall.

And that lies the good thing about the plastic flash mount of the body and flash on Alpha system than the standard iso hotshoe on other systems. It has its problems mainly the wobbly flash when mounted on the body, but still can be rectified using a small piece of paper. The plastic hotshoe was used so that in an event of impact, the hotshoe areas and the flash foot will be the easiest to break.



On the standard iso hotshoe, because of the tight metal grip and lock, the flash body or the top part of the camera is prone to break apart, and that's even worse. The plastic parts however, are easier to replace. Besides, I like the way to attach and detached the flash onto the body. Press the button to detach, and simply slot in to attach.



Right now, I'm in the process of putting the broken pieces together and if it does not work, then I'll send it to Sony for replacement when I have the time. My guess, the a700 doesn't want to part with me. And with the growing number of visible defects on the body, I wouldn't get a good price in case I'm upgrading.


My previous A200 never had any fall and visible marks.

Whatever the reasons, I love to have it with me anytime.