Taking Travel Photos

Hi there! The June theme for the Photography group is 'Travel Photos'. Many of us go somewhere for vacation may it be abroad or just in town near you. Of course we take with us a useful gadget- the camera. We take photos of ourselves, families, places and things we do during the trip. Now, you have seen the photos of the place in postcards and you're in awe on how beautiful the pictures were compared to your perhaps blurry, shaken, and out of focus pictures. I'm not saying all the time since I am a victim of this myself. It's fine if you have a digital camera and you have the patience to delete the ones you didn't like but if you use a roll of film in some case it's a total waste of money. Ok, the experience is still the important thing but if you are interested in making the most of your travel by capturing essential and worth keeping images, have a read through.

I found these helpful tips and have shared them to the group. I'd like to share it here too.

1. Look for typical scenes in the place you are visiting. This picture of the Rialto showed the number of tourists who flocked to Venice. However you have to be careful not include distracting images and in this picture the woman's face.

2. If the subject is too far look for relevant foreground framing. Although in this picture the rooftop of the restaurant below wasn't the most pretty foreground, I thought the horizon, blue sky and the deep blue sea showed the beauty of Lanzarote, Spain.

3. Take pictures when there's less people about. If you are in a beach and a good sunrise is expected then get up early. The picture on the left was taken in San Jameos del Agua in Lanzarote, Spain. It's also better to take photos in a higher point to capture the full length of the surrounding.

4. Although it is hard to beat postcards pictures you can always try. Let's say this picture of Singapore at night. I remembered taking it several times due to camera shake and also had to remove the flash to capture the lights in each skyscraper. Only use flash when needed.

5. Take time to get a better viewpoint. This picture of the waterfall in Gordale Scar, Malham in Yorksire is uninteresting. The other photo showing the second waterfall, surrounding wall and some greenery gave a true feeling of depth compared to the first.

6. Watch out for funny moments. Also include people and quirky photos of animals or plants. This one I call it, 'Lily and a friend.'

7. And if you love the food, don't forget to take photos of it. Makes me hungry now.

8. Try to take photos based on your own observations and feelings. I like this picture of my hubby and our dog while resting during a climb on Malham Cove. They were obviously exhausted but my dog seem to be full of energy. When I included this for the 2009 calendar, relatives wondered why they were in the calendar.We didn't tell them beforehand I made it.

9. If you like the place take plenty of pictures of it. Include locals, architecture and way of life. In here the house of the artist Cesar Manrique is a haven of all his works as an architect and metal artist. He designed his house and had it built in a solidified magma under the ground. The sitting area, kitchen, pool and garden were all incorporated using the structure and contours of the surrounding. Enjoy your pictures. Source:Take Better Photos

A day in the garden..

No news still? I hope everyone is enjoying their weekend. It's been lovely here in England and it's been a truly sunny day rising the temperature to 23 centigrade. You might think this is nothing compared to the heat in the Pacific but since the temperature here drops massively during winter one could feel the increase during the summer.

Today we had the pleasure to visit the garden center and I managed to get hold of Alpine plants for our rockery and some herbs such as Lime Mint, Moroccan Basil, and Rosemary.

Finally I bought the Wisteria that I wanted, three pots of Lavenders, Euphorbia, Acer and an obelisk for the pergola which I thought was a bit of an impulse buy considering the price. But it looks good. I had to buy this since we moved the fountain altogether which was situated in the middle of the pergola. It was in the wrong location that's all but we had to endure digging again under the heat of the midday sun.. I hope this time it brings better luck.

I should have taken some pictures but I forgot. By the time I realized th etime it was 6 pm and time for dinner. I'll take photos when everything is finished.

Have a lovely day!

chic parisien

Been reading some articles about the French style and thought I'd share this with you.

1. Eat like the French and stay slim. They probably meant eating expensive cuisine and drain it with a good bottle of champagne. Why not? I'm not sure about the British. We probably have to hold on to our fish and chips and roast dinners with boiled and steam veges. Yes, steam but you'll be surprised with the portions. Could feed five..

2. No to plastic surgery. Ahh! I've known girls at work whom at the young age already have had breast enhancement.. tsk, tsk, vanity oh dear vanity.

3. Inside Fashion. Wear vertical stripes than diagonal.. I think all of us knew about this rule, right? Imo wear what's comfortable. There's no point wearing expensive stuffs if it doesn't suit you or you look like a melon.

4. Socialise and stay slim. Have you noticed that when you stay at home and do less you are more likely to eat and eat? When one is so bored food is the closest friend. So better be out eh and burn those calories!

5. First Aid for hair. Ah! This is me. I actually need to have a haircut.. be adventurous but remember the girl who cut your hair and be sure not to let her come near you when things tits up in the end.. (excerpt from paris woman)

Mvs

Some BYJ MVs for you.. if you saw before I'm sure you could watch it again..thanks to jillc838 for sharing. Have a lovely weekend.

still standing

I must say this is the longest week I had so if ever you wondered like our Jen , I have been caught with things at home. Typical isn't it? Anyway in a week the car broke down twice which cost enormous amount of money. Just I need before heading for a holiday and work got a bit more demanding than usual.

I said in FB I needed sleep because recently from being so tired from work, this muggins here is also trying to prepare for the last part of the exam on Monday so that's another thing on top of my head and I have been getting sleepless nights recently. I think it's anxiety more than anything.

Sorry if I sounded like I'm complaining but I just felt low again. I think of the blog, the FB my exam, my hubby, and etc. etc. So like they said it could only get better. :-)

I read from Xiaoyi's blog that WLS anime is up and running and BYJ and CJW were dubbing there lines already. Do you think they were in the same studio then or did it separately like in most animations. I just wondered...hope you keep well. ;-)

Thanks to Tomato99byj for this MV.

Tedious work of art..

Baeland have probably known about the joint exhibit of BYJ's works with lacquer artist Mr. Jun Yong Bok which due to certain circumstances has been postponed until prior notice.

In the hope of understanding this fine art of lacquer painting which constantly bugged my thoughts the moment BYJ decided to add this to his vital skills, I decided to read about it.

Blimey!What a ton of dedication and tedious labour in order to come up with this..

To have a glimpse of the process, I found this short description on how a painting is done.

Artistic Characteristics:
***Lacquer traditionally comes in three colors - brown, black and vermilion. By the 1930s, artists started to use a new technique known as chiseling which gives a richer mix of colors and an added sense of size and distance..
***The painting is done on wood. It is covered with a piece of cloth glued to it using the sap of the lacquer tree and then coated with a layer of the sap mixed with earth. The board is then sand papered and re coated with a layer of hot sap. After polishing, this gives a smooth black surface with a brilliant luster.
***The painter uses hot lacquer to draw the outline of a picture and the colors are applied one by one, layer upon layer. Each coat dries slowly.
***The finishing touches consist of polishing and washing the pictures. This process may seem like brutal treatment for a work of art, but it is done with great care. This process leaves a brilliant surface on a painting. Source: Asia-Art

To read about Mr. Yong Bok's artwork please click here as dear Jaime visited this magnificent place where you'll find his works.
I also found this video produced by Tomato99 about Mr. Yong Bok's work. It's amazing! I am not surprise why BYJ was besotted with this art.

Thank you very much.

Food Photography

Hello!! It's May and the theme for the photography group is food. Now have you wondered how pictures of food in magazines, books, advertisements were made to look so scrumptious that you just wanted to eat them? For we all know they are all down to the expertise of the photographer and the team which also include the aid of an art director who create just the perfect look. I have looked for some ideas in the web hoping to share some information with you. The only issue was I got inspired and took some pictures for myself. Not to worry no food wastage during the shoot of this project. ;-)

Food Photography is classified into three types.

1. Packaging- From the name itself the photographer's aim is to show the food item for what it is and entice people to purchase. It's actually the toughest of the three since one has to plan every detail of the image to be taken. Lighting has to be flat to show details. No special effects needed but creativity is mostly required in order to fit the image in required layouts. Sounds tough huh!

2. Advertising- This type includes photographs for menus, billboard and most food ads. An art director/ artist develops the concept of how the image is presented while the photographer take pictures closest to the artist's concept. Lighting and special effects are needed to convey what the image is communicating.

3. Editorial Photography- The end product of this type is simply beautiful images. This is the sort of pictures which makes you want to eat the food straight on. Lighting is very important and subjects should be well composed and stylishly yummy.

I have also looked back at the photos I sent for the group and I must admit lighting was one of the problem I overlooked in the past.. Well you live and learn don't you?

Here are some of the photos I took today.. hubby wondered why I started taking food pictures..It's just one of those things..

Source: Food Portfolio

First Time

It's so strange that with what is going on around us we tend to forget a friend, an acquintance or someone special who touched our life. I don't want to forget despite this never ending silence. I just refused to..
From Afar
The 'I' that floats along the wave of time,

From a distance I watch him.

With the dust and the water,

With the fruit and the flower,

With the All he is rushing forward.

He is always on the surface,

Tossed by the waves and dancing to the rhythm

Of joy and suffering.

The least loss makes him suffer,

The least wound hurts him--

Him I see from afar.

That 'I' is not my real self;

I am still within myself,

I do not float in the stream of death.

I am free, I am desireless,

I am peace, I am illumined--

Him I see from afar.
- From The Later Poems of Rabindranath Tagore
- Rabindranath Tagore

an amateur and a master

Jacques Henri Lartigue- Does he sound familiar? When BBC made a documentary regarding photography there was a name I couldn't forget and that was of Lartigue. Of course the master himself was mentioned Henri Cartier Bresson.

Lartigue was born to a wealthy family just outside Paris but what made him exceptional was his love for photography. He was hailed as one of the founders of modern photography and his main subjects were his family, friends and things around him. Most of his photos captured a lot of movement, candid shots of glamorous people who are simply doing their way life.

He was a gifted amateur who found recognition in the field of photography in the later stage of his life. Only at the age of 69 his photographs were exhibited at the Museum of the Art in New York. Here are some of the photographs I like. For further read please click here.

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Stress Busters

It's weekend and I have spent these couple of days revising for tomorrow's exam. I am trying not to overload myself otherwise as we all know it's detrimental to one's mental state during the day. So I have written my goals for today hoping I could achieve a productive day and at the same time give myself a break.
Doing a full time job, studying and married life seem to be a bit too much sometimes and I felt that I have to step back and refocus again. At the moment my aim is to get these exams out of the way so I could look forward to our holiday in the coming months. I'm hoping the trip to France next month will take away the stress I am feeling at the moment.
So here are some tips which I think I could also use while dealing with my circumstances at the moment. I hope this would help you as well when you think you need them.
Top 10 Tips for Being Stress-Free
1. Give up caring about what others think. Do what's right for you and feel good about it.
2. Exercise! Stretch your body and release those endorphins! Living more in your body will deepen your day to day experience and exponentially increase the quality of your life and your sense of well being.
3. Have fun! Don't forget how wonderful it feels to laugh. Have fun with what ever you're doing. 4. Community. Let others join you in what you're doing. When we live from the concept that "we're all in this together" we live from a shared humanity. This creates a sense of camaraderie and community which buffers us from the stresses of day to day life.
5. Don't take everything so personally. Listen to others objectively; it's not always about you!
6. Listen to different perspectives. This enlarges your perspective which leads to greater understanding and an enhanced sense of compassion.
7. Delight yourself. Surround yourself with whatever it is that delights you. Surround yourself with beauty, with music, with motion, colors or sounds. Pamper your senses to create a stress-free environment.
8. Create Space. Don't take on projects or responsibilities that don't directly connect to your values or goals. Create space for the things you want more of in your life by keeping the less important things out.
9. Connections. Connections are the ties that bind us to each other. Appreciate the connections in your life and do what ever it takes to create and deepen them. (This includes the connection with yourself.)
10. Business before play. Take care of business so you can relax and play with your friends and family. If you don't take care of business, it'll be hard to give yourself to life's joy. (In my case study before play or vise versa...couldn't wait to get this done and over with )

source:http://www.qualitycoaching.com/Articles/stressfree.html

music maestro

I remember when I was in High School my music teacher said Handel's music is great and the others when you are relaxing and having a glass of whisky. I then thought what he meant with it.
Wine or any liquor wasn't available in our house so I didn't quite get it. But I wondered why it got stuck in my head up to all this time.
After having a very difficult day at work today which made me wonder why. Was it the humid weather, the rain, the noise from workmen cutting the hedges outside,my injured arm and wrist or because it's Friday? What's Friday got to do with it?
Anyway, Handel may not be the music I play on times like this I found Chopin a better company over a glass of wine. Cheers!!!
Like what that man I saw the other day said 'cheer up, it's soon be weekend'. I thought 'yea right and Monday is another exam day.' That's probably what this is.

Autumn in my Heart

WLS is my favorite love story of all time but I must admit Autumn in my Heart is the most heart- wrenching Korean drama in my opinion. Although I haven't seen many of them. It has a different storyline from WLS. I have cried several times in the past and up to now after watching it still makes me teary eyed. I think we can relate in many aspects such as the feeling of love from family, sacrifice, abandonment and above all the lost. The main actors Song Hye Kyo and Song Seung Hun were the perfect couple to play the roles. So if you want a very good love story to watch try Autumn in my Heart and you will not regret. This is the only Korean drama I could watch again and again like BYJ's WLS.It's not like Winter Sonata but it will hit you when you least expected. So Myoce..take a peek ;-)





MV by Ashishi84

A special visit

I haven't actually written as much lately but I couldn't help sharing what I heard in the news this evening. It's about a 109 year old lady who wrote a letter of complaint to the Queen about the card she received every year since her 100th birthday.

In England if you reach a hundred you will receive a card from the Queen greeting you personally. But this lady's concern were she didn't like the dress which was yellow and each year it's the same card so imagine she had nine cards already.

Instead of receiving a letter of apologies she was surprised by a royal visit. Prince William came to the care home and personally apologised. She couldn't believed it but chatted on how to make Shepherd's Pie in the end.I think this was such a great story. Alex thought he'll make a good King.. I reckon a better one.

To read the whole story just click here.

The Prince and the Artist..

Hello! Just got back from the eye clinic..phew!! never thought I would dread going to see an eye specialist. You see, my optician saw something during my last visit and she thought I should get a thorough check. And you probably know the procedure when they take pictures of your balls. My vision was blurred for a while after two lots of eye drops. Being on a high inflammatory tablets for my wrist I nearly fell asleep. Thank goodness the test was all clear and nothing to worry. I didn't really want to go back in there although I met a new pal and had details exchanged. That was a relief.

While waiting I got to read today's paper and one article was about Prince William's visit to Whitehall Gallery in London. From those who knew me at Uni, I will probably get brows raised and cheeky grins but yes this young man still amuses me. The title was 'Prince thinks he's Banksy, but his style is closer to Rolf.'

Who on earth is Banksy? I'm probably the last person to know. The name is like a ghost as his true identity is a bit hazy.If you want to read about this graffiti artist just click here.

After looking at his works, it made me wonder why the Prince used this street artist's name but then again he is a modern man who have known contemporary art as well as the history of the arts. This is what he said during the opening:

"Before I start, I would like to admit something." I am actually..Banksy. I thought this would be a good forum to bring it out... Any autographs I will do later."

That went quite well I think.

Looking at some of Banksy's works starting this one. It's actually quite surreal. In England we are surrounded by CCTV's . Many call them 'The Big Brother'. Obviously the irony of this work is even in remote places you'll find one which not is always the case but the idea that in these times we are all monitored in screens wherever we go and why not have one in country Britain.

This one is just bizarre.. who would ever think of having a red elephant in a room? All I could conclude is, this picture portrays an image seen by someone hallucinating... some said it's possible to see strange things while under the influence.

Most of his graffiti works are seen in streets of London and some parts of the world.

The Times think that the Prince's style is closer to Rolf? This has passed my time as no clue who Rolf Harris is. Just click on the name to read about this man's much celebrated life in the entertainment industry. I think he is an epitome of a well rounded artist.

I actually like his artworks. They remind me of the Impressionist. Dark, deep, bold colours with strokes free from the conventional style.

That's one journey for today and I certainly learned something. ;-)

To read about the Prince's visit just click here.

no promises

It's lovely here in England and compared to last year's May, this year is so good so far. Even April last year it was still snowing but this time it didn't. It's remarkably good weather most of the days.

So I'm obviously trying to get my head in front of books but getting difficult to focus.. don't ask why? I think it comes with age not that I'm hinting at all but I could say my attention span isn't as long as it used to.. it's a bummer if I intend to take on another course which in fact the application form is already at hand. It's decision time pretty soon.

In other words being bored coz hubby is at work I tried to listen to some songs in a hope to uplift the drive that's left on me. I watched some videos in where else. . You Tube.

Now remember the glamorous Carla Bruni? I never actually heard her speak English. I learned that her song's lyrics were taken from poems.. ahh clever woman. I didn't know you could do that. So here is the MV I about it.No Promises..

one cute puppy

Hi there! I hope everything's well with you all. I have been busy with personal stuffs lately plus my wrist hasn't healed completely. It actually hurts while typing so I better hurry. Anyhow after looking for a kennel for our dog for the coming holiday we finally found a good one. The only thing is I saw little puppies. The owner of the place also breed Beagles. For what it's worth I better
start saving now ;-).

Alex had to give me a tweak before I get carried away..they were just gorgeous. But that same night a friend of ours told me some sad news about this breed of dogs. Apparently because their sense of smell is so well developed they couldn't help sensing food in the house. They will eat and eat and eat if you allow them.. which I think is unbelievable. I don't know. Is it the owner's fault or just the dog's nature?

In England Beagles were used in hare or fox hunting which nowadays is an illegal activity. At first I thought it was nice to see people in horses with their dogs but later I realized it was cruel hence it's banned. Royals used to join in such country pursuits.

Here is a picture of Prince William in the Beaufort Hunt few years ago.
Remember that cf of BYJ with the dog? soooo lovely ..

After Dark-BYJ Family Photography Group

This is our contribution for April. I understand that not many have the time and resources to upload the night pictures. Still I'm positive that in time everyone can participate , learn and share each month. Farida did the honor of judging the picture of the month for April and she thinks it's the Singapore shot. In my opinion judging from the complexity and technique the picture of the month could also be Myoce's Pin hooks. Like I mentioned in the past she have mastered the art of movement in photography and with patience and perseverance an abstract piece is created within the frame. Up to now I have wondered how it was done..

Getting serious..

I am in a crossroad at the moment trying to consider which course to study but realized that 80% would not be photography yet. Circumstances may change at the end of the year so until I get there I'll tell you how and what..

At present I have added some tools to make my journey in photography a bit more exciting. After reading and learning from other established photographers I decided to get hold of polarising filter for my 52 mm lens and len's hood as well.

Although my camera have UV filter, it doesn't reduce the glare I get everytime I take shots of sunsets and subjects during the day.This is when a polarising filter is needed. It should minimize glare and improve contrast.

The len's hood which some photographers don't agree on using with the camera helps reduce flare which affects image quality.

Without CPL filter and with CPL

Images by Damien Demolder-Amateur Photographer

LV DM Collection

I don't know about you but I am just an ordinary girl who doesn't buy designer goods..well, if I am probably a millionaire then stuffs like LV, Gucci, Prada, YSl, Damiani would be good acquaintances. Last checked I'm not so thanks to BYJ I get to know all these new fashion tidbits. My knowledge is not so poor anymore. Plus I have come back reading magazines again..I started with Glamour then Elle..Tatler could wait and so is Vogue. I just cancelled my subscription of 'Majesty'. The Royal's official mag. After nearly five years in the UK I got bored reading it and sometimes I come to think I have been working hard and paying stupid amount of tax and have part of that money spent by someone who buys a bottle of Crystal every weekend or lavish her girl on a trip to Seychelles while with the Army. So you got the picture there. nahhhh

Back to today's find. Of course, I am always fascinated with what ring his Highness is sporting and have thought must be LM or D. Then popped LV...Oh yes, he was wearing LV shoes so must looked at their site and voila!

The new Damier Mosaique Collection came out. Apparently this was meant to be out in Spring just the right time for Cosmos May edition. Here are the pictures of the rings and the rest. You can get it from LV's site or chase it at the store near you. In my case the Internet after winning lottery ;-).