A Few things I bought recently... - Tomato Photo

Hello,

It is time of the year where new gear and equipment is needed to replace the old.... and here is the review of it...

Camera strap - Black Rapid Double Strap..

http://www.blackrapid.com/product/camera-strap/double-strap/

I love the comfort and the ease of use for this straps which help me in fast action Children Photography. It slides effortlessly and allow me to work really fast. The thick padding around my shoulder makes it comfortable to wear for extended period of time. 

I have yet to tried both straps with 2 cameras yet... shall add to this once I have tested the setting.

Photoshop CS5

Yes, i know I am a bit late... but don't see the point until now...

The industry-standard photo editing tool which now support 64bit processing which is a lot faster with Mac OS 10.6 even with the old set up... The interface is rather clean and the RAW processing is a lot more efficient and I just love it...

I was once a film photographer... however, digital change it all... as a committed and certified premier Greener Photographer, we believe we should reduce our "impact" from our activity. By removing processes that require the use of chemical (processing the film, etc), allow us to be "Green".

With Photoshop, it allows the photographer to control their creative vision... and a freedom to express in color and black and white.... B&W from color film is a no no, unless you like those muddy B&W... Color from B&W negatives? well, shall we call it impossible? I am sorry but I don't see the reason to enjoy half of the world.... Digital (Color & B&W) is the best of both world...

Children photography is one area where color makes the kids looks "Happy & Beautiful" and the B&W allow the photographer to channel the emotion and connection between the subjects...

Have you seen the print from 100% cotton-rag paper fine art print?  

I used to love the "fibre base" paper printed from B&W film and I thought, it is (was) the best.... don't get me wrong... I still love it for nostalgic feel of the paper... but whenever I think about the chemical that use for that... it makes me wonder? 

The word chemical seems to be quite the opposite to "Children Photography".... 

Sony A850 DSLR

The little brother of Sony A-900 camera... I am glad that I have bought the camera a few months ago... After more than 200,000 clicks... A900 decided that it needed the TLC from the technician from Sony Service Centre...

Inside that little DSLR body, hosted the highest resolution sensor (~25MP) there is to offer in 35mm full frame... best thing is... Stabilising for lenses... Built in!!! 

I love Sony system which is the only company for 35mm format that offer stabilisation to all the prime lenses... no other system provide that at this stage...

In case you are wondering, it is the same sensor that Nikon put in their high end D3X.

Sony NEX-5 with legendary Minolta Rokkor 35mm f1.8, 50mm f1.2, 85mm f1.7 lenses...

Ok... this is not a business equipment... I use this as my everyday system which allow me to create DSLR quality in a very small package and incredible ease of use....

It is my toy... 

Speaking of which... this camera is capable to produce very good quality images when needed... I was using to shoot a few portrait using the system when A900 decided to take a break. Impressive!!!

Spyder 3 Elite

Well, my 5 years old Eye 1 Display 2 calibrator has decided it is also time to call it a quit... In Singapore, it is quite impossible to find support for Xrite's product, hence, I find my next Calibrator for my monitor... 

I was skeptical with with Spyder and Spyder 2 as they have never as accurate as Xrite's product as far as my experiences tell me... however, Datacolor seems to create a product that I am so happy with....

So all 4 of my Macs are now calibrated with the device for color accuracy.... Love it... 

It is one little steps that all photographers should do is to calibrate your monitor... what you see is what you print...

Here is my wish list:

Latest 12 Core MacPro with 30" Eizo Monitor.....

Leica M9 with Noctilux 50mm f0.95

Good night....

Regards,

Hart

Tomato Photo

www.tomato.sg

New Toy - Sony NEX 5 - Children Photography

Manage to spend an hour with the kiddo in East Coast Park....

Sony promise to lend me their latest NEX-5 system and I think they forget all about it...

Anyway, went out and bought one myself and time to test those legendary lenses from Minolta....

50mm f1.2 and 85mm f1.7.... manual focus lenses.... I love its quality....

Anyway, it was really late in the afternoon and both kids are tired and perhaps time for dinner and sleep... but light was good so did a few quick shots of both.... I am very delighted with the result... 

It is a great tool to capture some wonderful images of children photography and preserve my children's memories about their younger year.... It is small, responsive and interesting to use.

Anyway, in case you guys are wondering, the Jeep (Africars) is provided by our lovely friend Wendy from www.source53.com as studio toy and can be bought at Children Showcase at Loewen Garden.

Regards,

Hart

Tomato Photo

www.tomato.sg

Children photography 101.... The not so obvious tips...

Hello,

It has been nearly 3 years concentrating in children photography and family photography. I thought of sharing some of my experiences in getting interesting images of children photography. These tips may not be so obvious and generally less photographic central but people central.

Remember when taking pictures of people, they are giving you the trust and respect, so it is just a nice gesture if you return that trust and respect. Never hurry in lifting your camera to your eyes to take a shot. Take your time to understand your subjects and give them respect that hey deserve. It is the key to people photography.

You may have better tips... Leave me a comment with your tips if you would like to contribute.

1. Children first, photography second.

This is one of the most fundamental yet easily forgotten fact about children photography. Children like adult demand for attention and respect. The focus is with the children and not in photography. Many Photographers that I observe anxious about getting the shots. Slow down and bond with them and give them all the respect, you shall rewarded with their trust.

2. Shoot natural light.

Children photography don't have to be complicated and no flash is required. Natural light gives you very comfortable looking images without that "perfectly" artificial lighting. Remember they are doing you a favor by letting you take their shots. So go natural.

3. Shoot in their environment

The reason why we started children photography is to capture memories of our children, hence, shoot where their memories are. On their bed,their favorite toys, their behavior and let them be themselves which allow their personality to shine through.

4. Minimize your equipment

A simple full frame dslr with a humble 50mm f1.4 can go a long way by not intimidating the children of your photography tool. Less is more and keep it simple principle do apply here. Forget about reflectors, flashes, big zoom lenses, it is more effective with little set-up.

5. Clothing choice for children photography

The idea behind clothing is to ensure the clothing don't date the pictures so we would recommend clothing that is as simple as possible. Solid colors without prints will be nice as print and writing tend to move the attention from the subject to the clothing. However, at the same time, it is very important to do some shots with your child favorite clothing. If they are old enough, let them choose.

6. Getting the smile

It is probably the most requested shot. However, the only way to make the child smile is by not asking them to smile. As the resultant smile tend to be forced and unnatural. Try to play with he child and get him to smile because he is happy. That way, the smile will look a lot better.

7. Shoot early in the morning or late in the afternoon

Lighting is often the best, so get on earlier or very late in the afternoon. Younger children tend to be happier in the morning.

8. Observe, observe and observe

Most great images emerge from observing the child's behavior. Let kid being kid and observe what they do and don't do before taking the shots will allow you to capture some of the very best images of your child.

9. Sleeping time

Children are often cranky during their sleeping time, so it is best to note their sleeping time and only do capture their photos 1 hour after their sleep or nap.

10. Give and you shall be rewarded.

With children, you give them what they want and they will give you what you want. Not the other way round. Bribing with food should be the last resort. Sometimes children require a bit more "warming up" so give them time. They often require some "break" during your shoot, so only do small snippet about 5 minutes and let them play for 5-10 mins if the child needs it.

11. Keep it short

Children, unlike adult portrait, only last for a good 30minutes or so, less for younger and slightly longer if older. Read their body language, if they give you the signal of stop taking photos, stop and do it another time.

Ok then... Till next time...

Regards,

Hart Tan

Tomato Photo

www.tomato.sg

Camera Equipment... what I use...

I have been asked so many many times what I use to do most of my portrait work (add a few more lenses for wedding)... didn't think it is so important as they are probably the simplest things...

I generally like to keep everything fairly simple... kids are simple people and what they want is not being photograph but they want to play with you. If you let them.

So using modest equipment seems to work a lot better with children... big camera and lenses tend to intimidate them... Also, it put a lot less stress on your shoulder...

From the left: Minolta VF lightmeter, Minolta 135mm f2.8 , Sony A900 with 50mm f1.4 and Domke Bag

From the left: Sony A900 with 50mm f1.4, Minolta 135mm f2.8 , Minolta VF lightmeter

So you have it now... I shoot primarily on Minolta AF 50mm f1.4 lens at around f2-5.6 depending on number of people in the shots and shoot.

Outdoor, i would prefer the Minolta AF 135mm f2.8 because I prefer to have more distance between me and my subject.

I gaffer my lenses as it gives me more grip as I often change lens on the run.

Minolta VF Lightmeter is one important thing that I use because I prefer to know exactly the lighting I am shooting rather than try to evaluate that on the camera LCD.

Sony A-900 DSLR is my primary camera... 

I must admit, it is great little camera that is so powerful and the only thing that stand between me and the camera is my imagination. It has everything I need... 24MP Full frame sensor, Great hi ISO control, 100% Field of view and its bright, Body integrated vibration reduction (Super steady shots) and great ergonomic and  last but not least... my trusty legendary Minolta lenses are perfectly match.

I love the Domke Bag (it is the smallest bag I think)... it is very very comfortable to use and fit a lot of things for such a small bag... best thing is, I bought it from an auction some years ago in Sydney for $5...

Last but not least, yes, I tape all the wording on the camera... I let you ponder on why I do that.... no offence SONY.

Hart