Some Housekeeping Gems

Recently, I've been going through a couple of folders of images on my desktop in an effort to do a bit of housekeeping. Well revisiting shots taken a while back is a useful exercise in my opinion as the passage of time allows for a fresh new perspective. I've selected a couple of images which I thought deserved another look. Hope you like them as much as I do.

Clubhouse Verandah

K100D 24mm

Standing Watch

K100D 24mm

Against The Light

K100D 125mm

Vespa

K100D 100mm

After The Rain

K100D 50mm

"Anyone Can Cook"

Met some friends at a pretty dimly lit restaurant just a few days ago. While we were tucking away on the pizza and discussing on the wedding preparations of another friend, I was intrigued by the mural they had painted in the restaurant. Reminds me of that wonderful movie Ratatouille where master chef Auguste Gusteau's motto kept ringing in my mind.


K100D M 40mm

The next picture is where reality hits home. My feeble and passable attempt at cooking pasta. Maybe if I was a little rat with a name like Rémy, things might be different.... ha, ha, talk about cashing in on a Hollywood movie hit as an excuse for a post.


K100D DA 18-55mm

Some B&W conversions

Decided to convert to B&W some of my recent shots. Here's my food loving pet chihuahua. I've been trying to get a nice tonal gradation with channel mixer without having to do extensive layer masking and burning or dodging.



A bench at the club that I'm a member of. Liked the shape of the wrought iron which I think is nicer in B&W. Both shot with the DA18-55mm.



Took these candid shots of famous Singapore food reviewer K F Seetoh of Makansutra fame with a A 50mm. This ex-newspaper photographer is now a media celebrity in-front of the camera and I have no doubt has become richer for it. A nice affable guy who unfortunately had bad press for a number of legal suits at people using the Makansutra name.



He's got this tough guy look but is really quite friendly. His words to me were "Don't worry I won't sue" Ha, ha. Actually these images were shot with the wrong WB. Fortunately Photoshop is a lifesaver.

Some Snippets

A few test shots that I had done recently.

A simple brown leather bag.

K100D Vivitar 35-70mm AF

This was a sample shot for a friend's clothing business.


K100D Voigtlander Macro Apo Lanthar 125mm

Industrial Discoveries

Many times, photography is a matter of chance. A combination of factors like finding the right subject at the right time of the day is something that is often unplanned. Yesterday was just such a day.

Drove to an industrial area after meeting a client when lo and behold, I saw an old aircraft radial engine with the prop still in place. Quite rare and unusual to see this in Singapore, so I stopped and took a short walk to photograph it.
K100D Vivitar AF 35-70mm.



A little while later, spotted these exhaust vents. Somehow it kind of reminds me of the kid's show the Teletubbies where the speaker sticks out from the landscape.
K100D Sigma 90mm Macro

IR & Hot Spots

Just a few days ago, I decided to try out a IR filter that I had ordered off the internet from a Chinese seller a while back. At about S$23 inclusive of postage for a 52mm size, I figured it was a small enough amount and I was curious to find out how it would compare with the Hoya R72 filter I already had.



After a visit to a client and having some time available, I decided to drive to the Upper Pierce Reservoir to try out the new filter in combination with my Pentax FA 50mm f/2.8 Macro and Sigma 28mm f/2.8, both sharing a 52mm filter thread.



One thing that I noticed when compared to the Hoya R72 is that the quality isn't half bad. The filter ring is pretty solid and actually heavier than the Hoya and the filter itself is made of glass. Looking through it, it isn't as red as the Hoya and honestly I have no idea whether the markings match the cutoff frequency. Oh well, time to give it a test.



Most of my shots were taken with the 50mm Macro. To my disappointment, the lens exhibited quite a tell tale hot spot when I post processed them later. This is yet another Pentax lens that showed hot spot, the other being the Pentax DA 16-45mm. Fortunately, I also carried an older Sigma 28mm and it helped salvage the session (last three images).



Hot spots become more distinct as the lens is stopped down. This makes it kind of useless when one needs to take scenics where maximum depth-of-field is needed. As for the effect of the made in China filter, it works. Images after a channel swap are quite similar to the Hoya R72 but where the Hoya has more prominent yellow/browns, this one is a little bluer.

A Nice Cat and Hangers

These are some unplanned images that I took recently. The small size and light weight makes the K100D a perfect camera to tote around. While many will gravitate towards the slightly more expensive and higher spec K10D, I find the K100D has more than enough features to deliver excellent images. The smaller size also makes it a little more unobstrusive.

Shot of a neighbourhood cat using my Tokina AF 70-210mm f/4.5. For some reason this cat walked towards me and struck this majestic pose.



Here's a still life of hangers that was taken in incandescent lighting. Really like the warm tones and creamy out of focus quality of the shot. Sigma 90mm f/2.8 Macro.