TLAWR

Where have all the shutter counts gone?

blomiple — Sat, 28 Jan 2012 04:25:01 +0000

Lately I just felt like I just shoot and shoot and shoot, without really aiming what to learn. So, I think the ratio of shots:learning is very high… or much better rephrased as the ratio of learning pero shot is very low!

Ok, so where am I now?

Lighting… Read some literature about lighting, using strobes, etc. I bought a cheap manual flash, experimented with slave lighting, read articles from <http://strobist.blogspot.com/>. That’s it? That’s not much!

HDR… experimented a bit with bracketed shots. So far I think I made around 3 or 4 HDR images, none of which I am happy about.

Gear… the coveted Pentax DA* 50-135mm f2.8 is still out of reach. Much more so the Pentax DA* 60-250mm f4. So, not much added in terms of optics. I did get a flash. A wireless remote is due for delivery by next week! I am happy about the flash. Look forward to doing more bracketed shots with the remote.

Well, looking at it, it does not seem to be too bad. However with the last shutter count at 12,441, it looks like this is my most well-used camera so far!

Oh, and wait. Did I say I am almost running out of hard disk space?

the day the music ____

blomiple — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 05:54:16 +0000

It has been a while since I have been playing music. I still pick up the guitar sometimes, but nowhere near like it was a few months ago. Why?

Strange, because I never asked. But someone did, so I tried to find an answer. As always, it is easier said than done.

Perhaps, music has been for some time a personal outlet. Best done when I am alone with myself, I find it very fulfilling to be playing, even when nobody else can hear it. And when playing live, I find that my best moments are those when I sort of forget that I am playing. For me, a lot of emotions are channeled into the music I play. It is not something where I need to memorize the chords, or the lyrics, or the progression. Those things come in when I am learning a song. Once the song is in my head, all those things go to the bin. Everything is played by feel. Hard to explain. I feel when to play hard or when to play soft. It just flows!

But then it does have its toll sometimes. It is very hard to find that personal moment amidst a family life (especially with living in America). You put more priority in it, you miss the other side of the coin. If I am not able to find a solitary moment, then the playing evolves to a mechanical activity… structured, planned, or what not.

Then I discovered other interests… I started to do some photography, which blended so well with family life; I started working out, and physically I am starting to feel better; I am able to spend more time with my family, and I loved it.

Don’t get me wrong. I still love playing music. I still rip some guitar riffs and lead lines once in a while. But looking at it, and I am not the Michael Jordan of guitar, it sort of feels like him shooting hoops in the backyard alone once in a while. A very nostalgic moment, and a moment it only is. Maybe one of these days, I’ll pick it up more often again. But for now, the noise of kids in the house and my wife talking (to me) is music beyond what any six-string can give. And I am very thankful for that.

in the eyes of a photographer

blomiple — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 15:19:01 +0000

Since my lovely wife got me a new camera a few months ago (a Pentax K-5 to be specific), the way I looked at photography has changed immensely. Now, every time I drive through freeway traffic, or walk in the backyard, or see my kids tumbling on the grass, or whatever is happening around, it becomes a potential work of art. The twig, the spill on the floor, full moon rising, heavy drops of rain, you name it!

Still, I am no expert photographer. In fact, there is still so much to learn! Maybe I should not call myself one (yet). Everything has been a sort of trial-and-error kind of thing. But the camera has become, for me, an avenue to see the world around differently. Everything becomes a work of art. Every picture says something to anyone without saying a word. Sometimes, it cannot even be put into words. It is just there.

Why I write…

blomiple — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 14:25:55 +0000

I may find my way with spoken words, but writing to me has always been my most preferred way of expressing my thoughts. When I am in for writing, the thoughts flow into words with no pause. I wish I have a wider vocabulary and better mastery of eloquent words. However, I don’t find that necessary to be able to write. I often find that the simplest words mean more. And to the reader, my thoughts will be more often appreciated for what it says than for what it is.

So, I hope to be writing more often. To put my thoughts into words. To tell my friends and family what is on my mind. And maybe to remind me what I have been thinking in that little space of time when I find peace with myself.

And so, I write…