is gear important or the picture ?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/liewwk/6586588091/in/photostream/lightbox/

after years use my Canon 5d … follow me to countries, beaches, volcanoes , mountains, forest … etc … and finally it giving problem  … and need to go for full check up … I would say I have make full use of it by full test on salt water, poor environment (dirt, sands, cold, hot) … etc

I still ask myself a question .. “gear important or picture ?” and do you ask yourself too ? and my answer always the output so i have always put my 5d on risk .. 🙁
picture above was capture while we really close to the wave …. sometime I just go as close as 3-5 feet and as low as 5-10cm from the beach ground …..
and after get some shot from the strong wave
after get closer ....

Reverse GND …

beside GND, CPL, Big Stopper .. another filter that always with me is Reverse GND … and I am using Singh-ray for quality capture (it produce very less color cast as Lee Filter do)

when this filter been use ? (many ask) … as dusk/dawn time the sun always stay near horizontal level which make near horizontal level over expose and make details lost ….

a capture with Lee GND .75 only

horizontal near sun area lost details due to the overexpose and not able to rescue by the GND filter …

 

so with the GND help … I can balance the horizontal level exposure and recover some details as shown

Lee GND .75 with SIngh-ray RGND .6

 

hope this simple share will clear … most of the question from my friends .. “when RGND need ? ”

 

few more sample of RGND capture

RGND + Big Stopper

 

... Singamata | Semporna, Sabah ...

you just have to trust your tripod ….

… I trust my friend – tripod …

to capture a beautiful photo, it is not just skill, luck … but we need to have right tool … e.g. of condition below .. we really need to trust out friend – tripod … [my gear – Tripod – fotopro]

Fotopro PGC-78c – Bigger for wildlife, bird .. taller

Fotopro M-5mini PRO – easy to carry and pocket size …

FLM Fiction Ball head – stability, fiction control … firm angle without fall down after lock ball head

Fotopro CT-5A   – a new concept of tripod combine Mini M5 I share previously and MGA-584N … = CT-5A

Fotopro PGC 484 – a travel tripod only <850gram only (without ball head)

Fotopro T-series T64c/T74c/T83c  – new design better stability, better sand proof …

 

we have trust our tripod

 

 

most beautiful dusk for 2011

18 days to say good bye to 2011 .. but base on the recent weather .. I almost can say … my landscape gear need to be rest for the moment .. the weather just bad for any outing , most of the time we just have grey but nothing …

and really hope to see the dusk like this

.. dusk @Tanah Lot ...

where is the reflection …

we are keep looking for possible angle to get the reflection but too bad we fail to capture it ….

... looking for reflection ...

by the way … how many of us .. actually know it is a black and white while we shooting or convert it after it do not look good on the computer screen ?  … and we should know what/how we edit our picture before press the shutter ….?

the pillow …

How many of you still sleep with pillow ? 😀 I need pillow to sleep well 😀 , think the lizard have the same feeling too

... where is my pillow ...

 

 

one of my favorite MACRO model – Tiger Beetle

I love to capture this beetle but too bad this beetle is skittish/shy .. and not easy to get close so have a closer shot .. so most of the shots I use SIGMA150 instead my MP-E65

1. the green one .. and most difficult to get close

… tiger beetle …

2.

tiger beetle

 

3.

tiger beetle

 

4.

tiger beetle

 

5.

tiger beetle

6.

tiger beetle

 

 

animation make this beetle look scary

... tiger beetle animation ...

 

 

2012 Jan – MACRO Outing & Workshop [postpone]

due to the CNY and some schedule job, sorry for postpone this

When : 7-8 Jan 2012

What : MACRO basic with Post Processing workshop

– understand basic light, DOF, and how to design own Diffuser

– setting for MACRO .. why , what to change

– Post Processing workflow , how I stack pictures

Where : Kuala Lumpur – PJ area

Who :  those love nature, small tinny creatures … but prefer to own macro len, raynox, Extension tube… (but I have 1 Raynox, 1 set of Canon ET to borrow)

How Much : RM350 per person (MAX 8 ppl)

2/8 seat taken

 

... how to design diffuser for reflection object ...

 

... stacking .. pictures ...

some time .. it is just the moment and luck

I want and love to capture a lightning picture for long .. but I just have no luck so far .. even able to capture 1-2 strike (small or thin) one …

and it is not difficult to capture the lightning .. but it is as simple as how I shoot star

but we need the luck as it is not too much lightning will happen at close spot here …. as below picture, I was rushing for a project and saw the lighting non stop striking so I drove to near by place with a “path” to make my simple composition …. and I just can choose too much as the lightning only strike at this angle ..

 

… lightning …

and it is just simply a lucky day for me …

 

*** little sharing

I am not an expert of lighting photography, but I use the way I shoot star but as in the evening the shutter may not be too long so the capture can be 1-10s …. and we just have to merge multiple pictures into one if the lightning sequence is not too close ……

to extend the exposure , i make use of Lee Filter GND .9h as ND8 to extend the exposure 3 stops so .. I have more lightning capture into single frame … HOPE this help

 

How I have more MACRO DOF …

As we know anything >1:1 macro, we have very limit DOF … I had it share before … what we DOF have while we shooting macro e.g. at crop body, F16 at 1:1 .. the dof we have is just ~1mm … so how we have more DOF ?

1. angle is important , if we want the main objects “focus”

e.g.

limit DOF

at certain angle, we have not possible to have both object focus .. e.g. choose one , shoot small to crop , or using stacking method I use (discuss before HERE)

by using the stacking … we can get both beetle focus as below

 

or discuss http://liewwkphoto.com/blog/?p=922

 

of if we do not want to do much on post process… choose the best angle to have both object focus e.g.

 

more beetle collection click HERE