Little Nyonya Batik

Today was a busy day, we were helping a good friend with her Peranakan store's grand opening.  So I and my wife were out since morning 10 am till about 8 pm.  I myself was particularly busy being the photographer of the event and for her catalagoue.  I'll say that this must be the most colourful and gorgeous entry in my blog ever. 

Peranakan Umbrella

Here Comes Lincoln

After the Thai trip in April.  My wife officially entered her third trimester.  No more travelling, just rest and wait. Her feet were too swollen to go long distances too by that time.

I resigned from my job not long after we got back from Thailand.  It was a bad year anyway for the shipping business, half a month bonus and no increment.  I was rather disappointed and was pretty much decided that I should give my father's business a try.

I took some trips to Bintan to get accustomed to the working environment, know the staffs and get an idea of what to be done while waiting for my son to arrive.  

Not long on 28th June afternoon at about 1pm my wife was admitted to the hospital, her labour had officially started.

Seemed like Lincoln didn't want to go out yet cause we had to wait overnight for him to come out.  His head was facing up which made it hard for him to get out and my wife had to go on induction from 10 pm onwards.  So on 29th morning, the doctor decided to use suction and get him out.

By 8:30, Lincoln was finally out.  

After he was all cleaned up, this is how he looked

Short Thai Trip in 2010

2010 was quite an eventful year for me and my wife.  I quit my job as I thought I would help my father with his business, our first child arrived, moved to Batam....  And we still managed to squeeze in a short trip to Thailand before my wife entered her third trimester.  A so called last chance to go on a trip before we'd get too busy caring for a newborn.

Can't remember where this place is although it seemed like Siam Paragon

5D Mark II Snapshots

How should I start hmmmm.......  Oh yes, let's start with this photo!   

Chinatown Skyline From Duxton Hill Rooftop Garden

This photo was taken back in August 2010.  By that time I had gotten myself the EF 16-35mm F2.8 L II.  That lens is amazing: extremely minimum distortion, super wide, sharp wide open and definitely a better value lens compared to Nikkor AF-S 14-24mm F/2.8.  This is much better than the Tokina AT-X 11-16mm I used to have.

Having Fun With Flash

Finally I got myself a flashlight, Speedlight 430EX II in around June 2009.  And since there was a computer fair going on, I got myself a wireless flash trigger.  This means I can use the flash while not attached to my camera's hotshoe.

Imagining myself as a character right out of Dragon Ball

The problem with the wireless controllers is that they must have unobstructed path otherwise it won't work 100%.  Unfortunately so far I haven't been able to make good use of the controllers because in reality I need to use multiple lighting to achieve proper exposure.

Fujifilm Natura Classica

When I sold my D90 in mid-2009, I was still undecided between D700 and 5D Mark II.  In the few months I was researching which system I was going to commit myself to, I stumbled upon this interesting camera:

Fujifilm Natura Classica

This is a compact camera that is capable of utilizing films with ISO rating 800 and 1600.  This model is only sold in Japan (and Hong Kong grey market) although ironically it is made in Indonesia.  So I bought it from Ebay, shipped from Hong Kong along with 16 rolls of Natura 1600 films.

The First Shots With My (yes, mine!) 5D Mark II

I finally bought my 5D Mark II in end November 2009.  It was near year end bonus time, so I thought it would be the right time to make some space in my wallet.  I got the kit set that came with the EF 24-105mm F4L lens.  This camera would become one of those in my longest possesion, close to 4 good years.  

I was really excited with my new acquisition and practiced quite a lot.  These are some of my early shots with the camera. Within 2 weeks I had captured close to 1500 photos. 

They are not my best, but they are definitely some of my favourite first ones. 

Apartemen Mediterania Garden Tanjung Duren Jakarta; Taman Anggrek Mall Jakarta; Wheelock Place Singapore

The Only XF Lens Worth Waiting For in 2015

Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!  Fujifilm is going to release a Fujinon XF 16mm F1.4R in 2015!

Fujifilm XF Lens Road Map - From Fujifilm Website

Hands-on With a Rented 5D Mark II

So I sold my D90 to my colleague and good friend.  I was "DSLR-less" for a while, pondering which full frame camera I want to get, or more importantly which system I want to commit to.

The D700 is good in ISO performance, dynamic range & 51 AF points.  I also love the cooler colours of the photos and built-in flash BUT only 12 MP.

The 5D Mark II boasts 22 MP which was really quite something at that time.  But only 9 AF points which were slow compared to D700 and no built-in flash.  However the colour depth was there and the ISO performance is remarkable given the resolution.  More importantly, the full frame lenses in the Canon camp are not as expensive as Nikon's (oh yes, this is a very important consideration too...  I don't want the missus to kill me for spending so much on photography stuffs!).

So based on the considerations above I decided to go with Canon 5D Mark II.  Not wanting to regret the choice, I decided to rent a 5D Mark II first, and what better opportunity to use it than when my company sent me on a business trip to Tokyo. My gear for that trip was a Canon 5D Mark II and the EF 17-40mm F4L.

This charming lady is my colleague who bought my D90 and this photo was taken with the 5D Mark II. That was my D90 she's holding there!  ;)

My D90 Diaries

The Nikon D90 was my first DSLR.  As mentioned in my previous post, I had it for less than a year.  But that doesn't mean I didn't take lots of photos with it.  In fact by the time I sold it I suppose I must have taken at least 4500 photos with it.

As it was my first DSLR, I could say it was my first teacher in photography.  Most of the time I would take photos from the balcony of my parents' condo in Tiong Bahru.  I love the view of the pool from their condo.

The view from my parents' condo on the left and the Merlion on the right

A Short Lived Affair With My D90

I had my D90 for less than a year.  Most of the time I used it to take photos in Bintan where my father works.  My father works in a Resort in which he has quite a large stake.  The Resort is called Bintan Agro Beach Resort (www.agrobeach.com).  Not only was this a great opportunity to hone my photography skills, I was motivated to take good photos for promotional materials.

In the Gallery of the website you'll see some of my photos there which are mainly the landscape photos. For the photos with models, they were taken by another photographer.

The View of The Kelong To The Restaurant

What Comes After a Wedding - Part II

Here comes the follow up to my part I honeymoon blog.

For the second round, we went to Hong Kong & Macau.  My wife and I had always wanted to see Macau as we were charmed by the beauty of the place which is much influenced by the Portuguese.  As luck would have it, we came towards the end of winter so the weather was still cold.

On the first night we simply took a walk along Tsim Sha Tsui to enjoy the neon lights which is so characteristic of Hong Kong.

When visiting Hong Kong, Victoria Peak is a must visit.  The view is splendid, but on a winter day the fog may cause quite an "obstruction" as shown in the photo below.  But still quite a splendid view nevertheless.

View of Hong Kong From Victoria Peak