Category: news

Amy Winehouse R.I.P

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Simon McGregor-Wood, ABC News © Steven Lee

Drink, drugs and raw talent don’t mix.

Now that I have said it, I’ll let it go.

Being Sunday, and a beautiful sunny day, I wandered up to Camden town, more particularly, Camden Square to pay my respects to Amy Winehouse, the 27 year old London music icon who unexpectedly died yesterday here at her home. Camden Square is about a 10 minute walk from Camden Town, and is an upmarket residential area of terraced mansions and bungalows, surrounding a leafy garden square, with a children’s playground in the centre. Although I do not follow her music I realise she had an originality in her sound and style, having won 5 Grammies with her second album ‘Back to Black’. As a naturally gifted artist her demise is a sad and tragic loss to the British music world.


She’s been dubbed the Billie Halliday of our time, combining a retro-Detroit sound with modern jazz and RnB vocals. Her father is also a brilliant jazz musician in his own right. She has only produced 2 albums, but none in the last 5 years. For more details about her life, please visit here.

MY CUBA

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My first impressions of Havana upon our arrival was how incredibly luminous the light was, striking the crumbly old buildings obliquely at sunset, and attenuating the deeply faded yellow, and brown stone painted facades. It had been a journey well worth it in coming to an island so close to the the USA, and yet so different in culture, practices and caught in a time warp. Cuba is simply living off its grand past, and with a checkered history of uprisings, strive and upheavals, I can see that things will change very quickly.

I sense a people of great determination, seeking change, especially in the youth. Its charm, however, still remains in its cultural heritage, music, its religiosity and the family integration. To the photographer, Cuba offers tons of possible and impossible subjects to photograph, and you will come away feeling a sense of achievement few places can compete with.

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CUBA : A NATION IN TRANSITION

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Literally having just got back from a 12-day photography tour to Cuba, I am posting this teaser to what is promised to be, a series of simply amazing and stunning photography posts that will come from our workshop participants over the next few days and weeks. I can sense computers whirring, frantic downloading, editing, and editing,  and final presentation going on right now as I type this. Shooting selectively and editing tightly is the name of the game. Cuba, and especially Havana is a ‘must visit’ city, in a state of transition. The Americans have been, the Russians came and now the Chinese are stepping in to invest heavily. Heck, there’s even a China town, so called. Chinese immigrants have been in Cuba for centuries.

As we met out friendly guide Hoji on board a spanking new Chinese Yutong coach some 12 days ago after landing at the Jose Marti International, little did our group know what was to be presented before us and our trigger-ready cameras.  We met and photographed many leather skinned elderly men and women, kids on the side streets, colourful scantily clad women, danced Salsa with retirees in a small town, ate tons of fresh lobster, downed obscene amounts of rum and mojitos, caught land crabs and tarantulas, watched vultures circle overhead, hustled by pimps and jineteros offering cheap cigars and chicas, listened to the fabulous Buena Vista Social Club, photographed stunning sunsets and sailed the clear blue waters of the Florida sea.

And more.

Cuba, Here We Come!

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In a couple of days, we will begin our 12-Day photo travel workshop in Cuba. We are both really looking forward to this destination, and the assault on our senses from the nation’s people, sights and sounds. We will be traveling with a a group 7 participants in all. Updates here…

Camera Clinic at Limkokwing University, London campus

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Explorenation recently conducted a half-day Camera Clinic at the London campus of Limkokwing University, with a group of 20 students from the Faculty of Communications in Kuala Lumpur. As part of their 3-week ‘Global Classroom’ teaching, their stay in London include visits to local business and historic sites, talks and seminars.  It has become evident that the camera phone has substituted cameras for many people when they travel, as more than half of the group rely on their portables to record and capture photos. With the increase use of photo apps and filter effects to obtain dramatic looking images on the fly, and the ease of it, it is little surprising that so many are drawn to this new medium for their photography needs.

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(Thanks to Kimberly Sammy for the slide pics)

It is also surprising that for those who owned digital single lens reflex (dSLR) cameras, the majority of them did not fully comprehend the various mode setttings offered by these devices; how to set aperture, shutter speeds and ISOs, how these relate to exposure, and how to get the best out of their cameras. There is no simple way around this. I would advocate that current practitioners learn how to use simple basic manual film cameras like the K1000, OM1, FMs or FEs if they wish to master exposure, or learn how to read an external light meter. It seems that the basic photography concepts have been bypassed by the modernity of cameras, and in some way, I blame the manufacturers for designing their cameras with buttons rather than dials. Call me old school or whatever, but I am a tactile and visual person. I like to see and understand how aperture blades work, as they close down. I like to understand what a focal plane shutter is compared to a leaf shutter.
The next question to ask is this : does knowing the workings of a modern-day camera enable you to take better images? My answer is no. But, it does help in understanding why your images are blurry or dark when you did not intend them to be. It would help you understand about sync flash speeds, managing depth-of-field, fill flash, hyperfocal distance, and much more. Simply put, knowing how your equipment works will help you get the most out of its capability, know its limitations and using the correct settings for different scenes.

Singapore Youth

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I made a short trip to Singapore recently, during my stay in Malaysia. The Island city has always been an interesting place to visit, simply because I like reminiscing the years I was here as a student at St Patrick’s School in Katong, and checking out the places I used to visit during the weekends, Bras Basah Road, Newton Circus, Chinatown, Orchard Road etc. Most places have changed, and indeed, so have the youth today. As I type this, the results of the nation’s 2011 General Election are coming in, and it appears that despite a very vocal and vociferous opposition campaign, the ruling party PAP, have come through again. Many people, especially the young have dared to challenge the status quo by supporting the opposition parties, and they are surely disappointed that their voices were not heard. Perhaps, they will be, in 5 years time.

The Money Shot

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I was shooting the post-wedding party at Trafalgar Square this afternoon, and there was this family, whose two boys have just had enough. They slept so soundly despite the band playing, the hundreds of people shouting and cheering the giant LCD screen and a helicopter flypast.

A Right Royal Wedding

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There’s a wedding going on today in London, a Royal one. Prince William and getting married to Katherine Middleton at Westminster Abbey. I took a walk last evening to see the crowds that have already gathered, pitched tents and cheering already. The atmosphere was simply amazing. It has been estimated over 2 Billion people all over the world will be watching the live broadcast. In amidst all the dire and tragic news that is happening in the world today, what a great diversion this wedding will do and greatly needed.

Well done Will and Kate!

KL Photoawards 2011 Winners and Finalists

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Just so that you know, I haven’t fallen off the Earth, but am in Kuala Lumpur finalising the Awards Evening and Exhibition of this year’s KLPA2011 Finalists. The MAP and the KLPA team have worked hard with the hanging, titling, lighting etc and its looking great! Things are coming to a head now, and tomorrow evening we will be holding the Awards at White Box Space, MAP @Solaris Dutamas, in KL, Malaysia. Some prize winners have arrived in KL ahead of  time, and we will be live tweeting the results @klphotoawards