Camera Clinic at Limkokwing University, London campus

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.

Rajasthan : New Videos added

The ‘Intrepid 9’ traveled across some difficult roads and terrain by vehicles and camels even, and returned with some amazing images. Thank you again to all of you for joining Andy and I on our Indian adventure. The ride was a bit rough on the ‘edges’ at times but now that we are all rested, let the images speak for themselves!

Istanbul : East Met West (Videos added)

The photo workshop participants parted company on Sunday afternoon, and departed back to the East and the West, just as quickly as they arrived 5 days earlier. This was a most memorable trip partly due to the amazing, breathtaking location, the City of 100 Names, Constantinople, the Second Rome, that is now Istanbul. We ran through everyone’s Mini Assignment slide-show, and we saw a variety of styles, themes and creativity that was of a high standard. We hope all of you have some little thing you have discovered about general photography over the last few days, from learning more of your camera functions, choosing lenses, to shooting manually, using a light meter, composition, editing and adding effects.

The most important aspect in photography is that your images must ‘speak’ to the viewer, otherwise, it would  be a generic postcard image. Please post your feedback below and also send me your images, as I will put up everyone’s best images soon!


Slideshows from the Mini-Assignment

Andy Craggs

“Smiles on The Bosphorus” is Andy’s themed assignment shot during a 2-hour river cruise on the Bosphorus. Andy simply approached fellow cruisers and asked to take their portraits with his Nikkor 50mm F1.2 lens. Simply amazing bokeh!

Steven Lee

I decided to go atmospheric and moody, to represent the centuries of strive, conflicts and conquests that shaped this historic city centred around the ancient monuments of the Haghia Sophia, Sultanahmet Mosque and the Hippodrome. Photographing in the calm of night was a surreal experience, devoid of the crowds, noise and distracting colours by day.

Keng-Fun Loh

Composing with her viewfinder through her various funky eyeware, Fun manages to capture candid Turkish eyes looking back into her camera lens like a pro!

John Gainham

John’s trusty little compact Canon G11 brought him many great images from inside the Blue Mosque and also the Haghia Sophia. As well as being the only participant that photographed the group out on their prowl for imagery, his sense of English humour entertained us all to no end! Thanks for the champers too. Heard you had a ‘romantic’ dinner on the Bosphorus too.

Bruno Couck

Bruno set out to rediscover photography after a lapse of several years, and made his theme ‘Istanbul on the Move’, capturing the movement of locals and visitors, transportation and general scenes from various angles and places within the city. Many Happy Returns!

Ivy Tan

Ivy’s energy is unsurpassed and she goes bounding up to people and easily connect with them like a long lost friend. She picked a theme she’s best at, people shots, and came up with this amazing slideshow.

Steve Leroy

Steve managed to photograph a sequence of an LCD advert outside the Spice Bazaar, combining a sweeping landscape at dusk juxtaposed with a mosque in the background. His statement shouts out a clash between modernity and tradition, old and new, secular and the religious. Simple and yet brilliant.

Sonia Beukes

With an eye for detail, Sonia has managed to photograph striking design elements within the Blue Mosque and Haghia Sophia with her telephoto lens and also super-wide angle architectural studies.

Fernando Perez

Fernando’s architectural background has allowed him to see shapes, patterns, and textures in the built environment all that more clearer and this is evident in his photography. ‘Geometries’ is a gallery of sublime images beautifully photographed.

Kirstin Furber

Women In Istanbul is Kirstin’s project theme, photographed during the 4 day workshop in this great city. Highlighting the many designs and styles of headscarves worn by local women in the Blue Mosque, at the waterfront, by the Spice Bazaar and the ferry port.

Jayne Taylor

“Snaphots of Istanbul” is Jayne’s title for her slideshow, capturing scenes from the Blue Mosque, the Bosphorus, and the Sultanahment area. Her images of the boats are particularly arresting as are those of the Galata bridge from distance.

2011 Workshop Destinations!

Photo © Sebastian Rich

We are currently formulating our travel workshop destinations for 2011, and have in mind the following locations :

  • ARGENTINA : We have a super contact in Argentina! This destination will please you Medium Format landscape photographers. Beautiful vistas, clear blue skies, and .. steak. Lots of steak.
  • CUBA : Viva Cuba! We almost made Cuba last year, but decided on Borneo. Cuba it is for 2011! Great street photography, its warm people, Spanish architecture and yes…cigars.
  • PARIS,  ROME and SEVILLE are also on the cards for weekend workshops.

If you want to be notified of our 2011 calendar, please drop us an email to info@explorenation.net

Meanwhile, the year’s not out yet, and we have two exciting destinations, Istanbul and Rajasthan, so check these out.

Istanbul : East Meets West


© Steven Lee, 1998

New dates 30 Sept~ 3 Oct 6-10 October 2010 : 4 Days £450 Booking now

Itinerary : TBA

I visited Istanbul in 1998, traveling across Turkey, from Gallipoli, down south to Izmir, Ephesus, Kusadasi and Pammukale. The Bosphorus harbour is a hive of activity, not unlike Hong Kong, with ferryboats to-ing and fro-ing from East to West Istanbul, people fishing, fishing boats, petty traders, newspaper sellers and freshly grilled sardines by the waterfront. Standing majestically in the backdrop on hill is the unmistakable Haghia Sophia dome with its minarets reaching out into the heavens.


© Steven Lee, 1998

We hope to return to Istanbul with a small group to do it justice again, photographing the narrow streets in Sultanahmet, the palaces and history buildings, and of course the amusing residents of this great City.


We are also Booking now!

Rajasthan, Land of Kings

Rajasthan, Land of Kings , India : 10 – 21 November 2010 : 12 Days £1850** Booking now!

INTRODUCTION TO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY : LONDON

16 Feb 2010 : I think we have got everyone’s best pics up, thanks to all of you for making this London weekend workshop as successful, as can be seen in the photo gallery below!

8 Feb 2010 : The London weekend workshop went really well, and I am beginning to post the ‘Best of..’ from each participant’s mini-project Iconic London, in the gallery below. Apologies for not showing my images on Sunday, but as promised, included are my edited selection..SL

6 & 7 FEBRUARY 2010
1 & 1/2 DAYS INSTRUCTION £175 pp

As a replacement to the Venice Workshop in February, we are holding an Introduction to Digital Photography weekend here in London, for new adopters to digital photography, and for those wanting to get more out of your DSLRs in terms of compositional tips, exposure settings, and using different lenses for effects. We will be photographing Central London and its magnificent public spaces, stately buildings and people on the first day, followed by a brief introduction to digital editing, review and selection combined with a personal critical feedback of your photographs.

Program

Saturday 6th

9am to 1pm : Camera handling, exposure settings, compositional aspects, and lenses

Lunch

2pm to 6pm : Guided London ‘walkabout’ shoot, covering Trafalgar Square, Big Ben, London Eye, South Bank, Embankment and the West End : architectural studies, people and dusk images with a difference

Sunday 7th

11am to 3pm : Digital editing of shoot results, creative commentary and review of previous day’s images, Q&A and wrap-up

Includes a workshop handbook.

Who is this for?

Photographers seeking to make full use of their digital camera and lenses by developing their digital photography knowledge and mastering the basics – then beginning to explore and improve on compositional skills and image impact.

Keep reading!

DIGITAL EDITING WORKSHOP : 9 & 10 January 2010

Photos from the Weekend

We started the weekend workshop photographing Portobello Road market on a freezing cold and snowy Saturday morning, but the session soon warmed up with crunchy croissants and hot black coffee back at ‘class’. By the next day, participants were churning out super A3 prints that were jaw-droppingly gorgeous and highly artistic ! Lightroom is a powerful and intuitive app that is simplistic to use, apart from ‘cataloging’ utility, which got a few confused as to where the original files were kept. I think Mac users outnumbered PCs but Andy’s latest Sony Vaio won the ‘coolest’ gadget prize. Running LR on a 10″ screen is brave. Thanks again to those that had to catch trains and planes, hope you all got home safely in the icy conditions. Well done.

Keep reading !