Bokeh play: Wild Flowers

Bokeh: Wild Flowers
f/8, 1/320s, Tamron 1:1 90mm macro lens, Nikon D80

This must have been one of the longest hiatus I've taken. Not that I've been keeping away from taking photographs, but I'm just been not having time to update this photo blog. It's important to me, but it's not on the top of my list of a gazillion of things to do.

This photo is taken from a large collection of photos from the Sydney Royal Botanical Gardens. I'll try and put some of the nicer photos from that collection on this blog soon :)

This is currently my desktop background - I love the bokeh on this photo - the blurred flowers in the background. The colors were deliberately vivid - I wanted some bright spots of colors to contrast the usually drabby skies this time of the year.

You get best bokeh when you use a wider aperture - basically, you get very shallow Depth of Field. I used f/8, hardly the smallest aperture (this lens is capable of f/2.8), but that's because I wanted to get a balance of vivid colors and bokeh. The shallower your DOF, the less vivid your colors usually turn out to be.

Hope you all enjoy it ! Happy New Year !! Here's to a year of good photography !

Macro: To stalk a spider !

1 | 2 | 3

Stalking a Spider

f/11, 1/60s, Off Camera i-TTL Fill Flash, Tamron 1:1 90mm macro lens, Nikon D80

I know I haven't been updating for a while - my bad. So, this week, here's a series of photo of me stalking a spider in my garden.

Spiders can be quite hard to photograph, requiring plenty of patience. Basically, you have to be prepared to wait, and be really patient. You can help it a little by either photographing them in the morning when they are less active, or by using a strong flash to stun them a little.

It's really important when photographing little insects to make sure the eyes are sharp and in focus. Other parts of the insect can be a little out of focus - the depth of field is hard to control at macro levels - but the eyes must always be sharp.

Place: Clouds over Java

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5

Clouds over Java - why I love window seats

f/5.3, 1/640s, Off Camera i-TTL Fill Flash, Tamron 1:1 90mm macro lens, Nikon D80

---

I travel a lot on my job, and wherever I can, I always choose a window seat. Being a frequent flyer makes it possible for me to actually ask for the actual seat I want.

All this while, I would sit next to the window and gaze outside. While much of the time, there isn't all that much to see, once in a while, you do get some extremely interesting sights, like clouds. Clouds are a favorite of mine, thanks to the fact that they are never alike - no two clouds is the same.

They opportunity to photograph them only last for a few seconds, and with my previous Nikon point and shoot, it was just too hard to get good photos. Either I couldn't turn the camera on in time, or the camera's autofocus will think it is smarter than I am (and often focuses on its own reflection on the window).

Nowadays, I travel with my D80, and it is constantly in my hands, ready for a photograph at a moment's notice, except when it's mealtime, or when I'm sleeping.

Here, I share with you a few photos I took on my way home from Jakarta. Hope you'll enjoy it.

Addendum: After some research, it appears that the cloud formation best resembles a deformed Lenticular Altocumulus cloud. Here are some examples

Again, this being an experimental layout, I'd love for any comments not just on the photos itself, but also the layout. Do let me know how I can improve you experience while you're reading my humble photoblog. Thanks in advance !

How to: Water Droplets

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8

The making of: Water Droplets

First of all, I'd like to thank all the readers who have commented on the water droplet blog post. Your comments is a constant source of encouragement to me.

You've seen the water droplets photos, and suddenly feel like you want to give it a try. Besides a lot of time and patience, you also need to get the basic setup right.

Today, I'll show a bit on how it's done. Make sure you get some towels and tissues - it can get quite wet. And if you don't have a DSLR or prosumer click and shoot with decent manual control, this is not for you too. A macro lens will be good too.

Comments and more ideas on how this can be done is welcome. I'll also like to hear if you like (or dislike) my new photoblog layout and presentation.