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Video Workshop at Integricity Visuals

Photography October 27, 2009

“What? He’s doing video also now?”

That’s what my brother-in-law said when he found out I was attending a video workshop. Funny but that’s where I was on a Sunday morning. In fact, the workshop ran on till past 7pm! We had a blast.

Why would a stills photographer attend a video workshop? Well, my DSLR has been called a VDSLR but I like what Vincent Laforet calls it, a HDDSLR — a SLR that shoots HD video. It’s also a world apart when working with stills and video. It’s not easy but it’s something that requires a different kind of planning, approach and all that stuff.

While I’m not sure if I’ll be producing a lot of movies, I do believe that no learning is wasted and that if you only stop learning when you die. So, even from the stills photography side of things, movie-making does give you a few ideas and a cinematic approach is not a bad thing to add to your array of styles or ideas.

It was fun to see how things are done in the movies and learn some interesting camera tricks as well. There was basically an overload of information and I think it would be best done as a 2-day workshop as the video project takes time to work out, and do. Also, movie-making isn’t a solo endeavor so teaming up is a good approach but time is a biggest factor here. That said, the entire workshop taught me a lot of things, not to mention that if you want a cinema look, try not to use the zoom! That’s pretty easy… zooming on a HDDSLR is not the easiest thing to do.

Sorry bout the some of the photos below… I was using my iPhone as the class pace was fast and loaded, making it difficult to reach for the HDDSLR and take notes at the same time! The only thing I wish there was more off would be more examples and sample videos but this is an intro workshop so can’t go into such depth. Time to save up for my Redrock Micro video DSLR rig and the Intermediate Video workshop 🙂

A fun thing would be to have a Collision Conference or Re:Frame right here in Malaysia.

Kee Sitt and Grace demonstrating a 180 degree flip… a no, no in video.

Gear envy!

Editing our little Nescafe ad we made…

By the way, I’ll post our end result once I get the final copy from Karan.

Mark IV

Photography October 20, 2009

It’s finally launched. Unfortunately not full-frame but otherwise, a rocking camera body I can’t afford anyways! Okay, wait, I have to clarify that. Purchase it, I can but need it I do not. Hmm, that came out rather Yoda-esque. Pretty happy with my 5D Mark II. Next on the list is a H4N audio recorder and a Red Rock Micro Video DSLR rig! And plus my 7D 🙂

Rob Galbraith has a good preview here and of course you have to watch Vincent Laforet’s Nocturne video.

And in case Vincent’s blog has been flogged by too many people, here’s the embedded link from Vimeo:

Nocturne from Vincent Laforet on Vimeo.

Elyana and Family – Portraiture outing!

Photography October 12, 2009 3 Comments

On a lovely Sunday morning, Elyana and family got together, dressed up and spent some quality time with each other. In addition, they brought us in to have a portraiture session with them. I must also say that Elyana’s mom really cooks well and we had a boxful of yummy dumplings to take home with us! Oh, congrats to Elyana and Roslan on their tenth anniversary! Many happy returns!

Anyways, we started in their cozy home in Bandar Mahkota Cheras with their family and relatives and then took a short drive out towards Putrajaya where we had great fun near the Putrajaya mosque and main boulevard. Great time for the kids to go out, parents, relatives, and grandparents had great fun too!

I’m actually quite impressed with the way this outing was organized and we wish more people would actually spend the time to take photos of their family. You may not appreciate the photos right now but years later, when you look back at old photos, the memories are priceless. A lovely outing with the family, quality time with the kids and get family photos to boot! Excellent combination if you ask me!

And here I am caught by my lovely wife shooting on the move 🙂

Yi-Lyn’s Birthday shoot

Photography September 6, 2009

Malacca has always provided a good backdrop for a lot of our shoots and this time, it’s no different. Yi-Lyn’s first birthday also provided an opportunity for the family to get together, get some portraiture shots taken as well as just enjoy the moment. With the lovely backdrop provided by Everly Resort, there’s definitely a lot of fun to be had. As some family members had to rush off to Singapore and others to the airport, there was no time to have some fun shots in the hotel park and gardens and the lovely beach (despite the smell).

A 60D possible?

Photography September 4, 2009

A few friends asked me if they should get Canon’s newest DSLR* 7D. The thing is that camera is as big and heavy as the 5D Mark II. Nothing wrong with that. I use my 5D Mark II with the BG-E6 grip, making the camera the same size and weight as a 1D series. The problem is that these friends aren’t dedicated photographers plus they have kids and lugging a few kilos of equipment around is a bit difficult. The video mode is great feature for them though since they usually take small clips of their kids and not having to lug the camcorder around is a good thing.

If you look can Canon’s US line-up shown below you can see that Canon has opened up their line-up a bit more, i.e. more tiers plus also to match Nikon in terms of the D300 & D300S. The Malaysian price conversion factor is roughly 3.85-3.9 times the US price.

You’ll see the price ranges like this: Tier 1: $6999 and $3999 (1-Series). Tier 2: $2699 (5D Mark II), Tier 3: $1699 (7D), Tier 4: $1199, Tier 5: $700-900 (xxxD series/Rebels) and Tier 6: $599 (xxxxD series/Rebels).

So which tier has no video yet? The 1-Series of course and video is going there of course but that’s out of this discussion. Next is the EOS-50D. While only a year old, it lacks video, and comes with a sensor that’s not much better than the 40D. The thing is that the 500D actually trumps the 50D in the sense that it has the same sensor but has 1080 and 720 video! So of course if you’re looking for a camera that ergonomically better than the 500D (that’s the only reason why I won’t get the xxxD series, but the 7D is a bit over your budget (or size & weight limits), then you’re actually looking at the 50D. No video you say! Of course, so I think a 60D is definitely coming from the tier above. The only question is when? I mean Canon has a problem in terms of if they just dump video into the 60D, it’s gonna look like the 500D. Well, they can but they might need to cut the price a bit then. Oh well, my 7D’s coming when my 40D turns 3 in 6 months. Joy!

Dragonfly sitting on the tip of my Christmas tree!

* The term DSLR or Digital SLR is a bit overused now considering the fact that most SLRs sold today are digital anyway. Just a pet peeve of mine that now every model has a “D” in there somewhere. 5D, 500D, D300, etc.

New Canon Stuff

Photography September 2, 2009

Yeah, this is a late posting. Was busy yesterday with an AsukaBook production plus and bunch of other things.
Of the recent releases from Canon, two are the most interesting; the 7D and the new 100mm macro lens. They still don’t have a Panansonic TZ-7 equivalent so I’ll still be picking that up in October. The EOS-7D adds two important elements, a better AF system and a built-in master flash commander (ala Nikon). The 60FPS 720P video also rocks. I’ll probably get the 7D as a second body in Feb, once my 40D reaches it’s 3-year cycle. I’ve got other photo things to get first which are more important. Not sure how the image quality will stack up with such a dense sensor.

I’m loving the smooth images that have a 3D-feel and the depth that my 5D Mark II produces… I might get a second body as well! However, my biggest want is a better flash than the 580EX II.