Plain Sailing in 2011

2011 was fairly uneventful.  The photography I did were mainly for the property my father works in.  at late 2010, a new site was due to be opened, 10 km further down from the original site of Bintan Agro Beach Resort - Bintan Cabana Beach Resort, so I had new things to capture for the website.  Then in late 2011, we added 6 suite rooms that soon became the main attraction in the Resort, again I had to take photos of the new rooms for the website. 

In my earlier post I did mention that I prefer this place better as the water was very much clearer.  And the rooms are better decorated and cozier.  We needed to add a new page for Cabana in the main website so I did some photography for the website again.

These photos are my personal collection that don't appear on the website, but I think just as good.

Walkway outside Suite Rooms

Lincoln Diaries

My son really gave me and my wife a lot of firsts in our lives.  First time my wife experienced pregnancy, first time she experienced labor, first time experiencing cutting the umbilical cord (for me), and first time feeling that excitement of finally seeing a baby after 9 months.   

My favourite shot of Lincoln when he was 3 months old

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.

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

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!  ;)