The Indonesian Squat

Have you ever tried to sit like this? Indonesians do it all the time...and they can sit like that for hours. I tried to do it, but got tired after a couple of minutes, and it was tough to keep my feet flat on the deck.

By the way, what's up with the helmet?

A Walk On The Tracks

We were told before going down to the tracks to take photos, that the area was not really a "good area", and that the people were a bit dangerous...but we went anyway, and although the people were not as friendly as in other parts of the city, we had no problems and were still greeted by the big Indonesian smiles we are always used to seeing....this guy, on the other hand, looked deep in thought as he walked down the tracks...he did give us a big smile after I took his photo, though...

The Nikon D800 Vs. Canon 5D Mark III

This review cracked me up (link below), but I think it sums up the two cameras quite nicely...In case you are wondering, I still have my Leica M9, and have no plans on changing cameras anytime soon. However, I DO need a new underwater camera (and housing), and I am considering the D800 for the job...there are even housings already on the market...amazing how that happens, heh?

If I do end up getting the D800 for my underwater camera, I will then be able to do my own review of the D800 vs the Leica M9...that would be fun!!

CLICK HERE FOR THE REVIEW

SOME SALTY DUDES

I originally processed this photo in color, but ended up liking the black n white better. These guys have been working down at the pier for a long time...salty dudes!!

Art Deco Black n White??

Ok, I debated whether or not to post this image, but talked with Tika (my wife) about it, and she said she thought I should post it. So if she doesn't mind, then why not?

There is a bit of a story that goes with this photo. I went to a photo exhibition here in Jakarta that featured some black n white nudes that were very tastefully done. I had never tried nude photography before, but was inspired by what I saw at the exhibition, so asked Tika if she could be my model for me, and I would give it a try. It was much tougher than I thought it would be, but this was one of my favorites...looks kind of Art Deco, heh?

In any case, I was reading my google+ stream this morning, and up popped an article written by one of the photographers I follow, David Duchemin (link to his blog is on my list to the right). He was writing about sharing, and one of his quotes is:

"The amazing thing about sharing our work is that it keeps the gift moving. But it does something else. It improves our craft."

It was this quote that inspired me to make this post...I was inspired by what I saw at the exhibition, so I am "keeping the gift moving", and also improving my own craft at the same time trying something new...

Black n White An Option?

So I was going through my photos from Singapore last night. I came across the one at the bottom. I had to shoot through a fence to get this photo, and was shooting directly into the sun. I knew it would be a silhouette, but I wanted to capture the details of the clouds. I didn't think the photo would come out, but took it anyway. When I had a look at the photo again, I thought it might make a nice black n white...so, I cropped it, cleaned up all the dust spots (Is my CCD incredibly dirty or what?), then converted to Black n White using Nik's Silver Efex Pro. That is an amazing little plug-in, and by just scrolling through all of the presets they have, it can be difficult to decide which one to use. In any case, the black n white conversion actually saved an image that I think would have ended up in my "delete" folder...

This is my final version...

This is the photo right out from the camera...notice all of the dust spots?

This Blog's Future

I have been thinking a great deal about my blog the last few days. I started this blog back in 2006. I mainly started it to better communicate with my family back in the States, and to share family photos with them. We were also building our house at the time, so I wanted to show my parents and sisters the progress on our house. After a while, I started posting my best photos on the blog, and it turned more into a "photo" blog instead of a "family" blog....so, I started a new "family" blog, and turned this blog into the "photo blog" it is today.

My problem now? It seems to be stagnant as far as traffic is concerned...It has grown a great deal in the past 6 years, but it seems to have stopped growing, and I am not sure what to do about it. So, after some research and thinking about my own behavior, and why I visit some blogs and not others, I have come to some conclusions about "human blog behavior"

People like pretty pictures, but pretty pictures are not enough...what people really want is free stuff and free advice...they want to become better photographers and they look for sites that can help them do that...they also want attention, and to be noticed. So, it seems obvious to me that the future of this blog must move in the direction of what people really want. I am very thankful to those of you that follow my blog on an almost daily basis, but I really fear that you will leave me if I continue on this same track of only posting pretty pictures, so I promise to make some changes...soon. This is what I would like to do...

(1) Blogger has been great, and easy to use, and I think my blog looks nice, but it is limiting in what I can offer my readers...and I think most pro-photographers don't use Blogger...I might be wrong with that, but it seems to me most professional photographers use Word Press or have a custom designed website/blog....I need to move in that direction too.

(2) Provide FREE tutorials

(3) Provide good advice on camera equipment

(4) Provide more information on how I created the photos I post

(5) Always maintain a personal touch. I can think of a couple of blogs that I used to really like, but have liked less and less as time goes by...the reason? They have lost their personal touch...they become too commercial...they start name-dropping, they become money hungry, and they forget about the approach they had in the beginning that made them popular to begin with. I hope this blog, or I, don't end up being like that.

I welcome any comments or suggestions you might have...

Ah, the photo below...

This is my wife, Tika and my daughter, Kayla. We were walking through a small village in China, when I saw this writing on the wall...I have no idea what is says (any of you read Chinese?), but thought it was a cool background, so asked them to pose for me. My daughter is such a natural poser, and struck this pose with Tika...I used Silver Efex Pro2 to convert to a black n white...

Papuan Kids

Bring out your camera in Papua with a bunch of kids around, and this is the kind or reaction you usually get...pretty funny...I like the two little puppies in the corner of the frame...

Hey, it's Friday!! That means the weekend is near...woo hoo!!

Have a great weekend!!

Another Black n White

On a roll here with Black n White....why not another one?

This one also processed using Nik's Silver Efex Pro 2...

Gili Air in Black n White

I don't do a lot of black n white, but from time to time, I like it. I have been using the new Nik Silver Efex Pro 2, and it is awesome...such a variety of presets available, and you can then adjust the presets to something you like...

Monitoring The Street

Not really sure what these guys were doing. One was sitting on a chair in the middle of the street, and the other guy was...well, I don't know...but looked serious with his hands on his hip...

Fashion?

I was thinking of doing a tight crop of just the guy sitting under the woman's legs, but the two guys in the same photo had more of an interesting story to tell...don't ya think?

Science Museum, Singapore

Happy Friday!! Don't you just love Fridays? I especially like them now that I am back to work again. You know you are having a great vacation when you lose track of what day of the week it is...but now, it is all so clear...today if FRIDAY!!

I thought I would enter this photo into another week of Skywatch Friday which I contribute from time to time...

Have a great weekend!!