It's time to move to a new home.
A new Volume. A new body of Interactions.
All will be revealed in the next few days, update your bookmarks.
http://www.aizuddindanian.com/voi no more.
From now on, it's just http://www.aizuddindanian.com/
One of the fun things about this year's Hari Raya celebrations is that it gave us the family a chance to do some family portraits. I was super eager, i lugged back to kampung 20kgs of gear in anticipation. The moment we arrived, i claimed a corner of the house with a plain background, dropped all my lights, and opened the home studio for business.
The reception was brisk, fast, and hugely entertaining for everyone. The ladies enjoyed dressing up, and putting on makeup, then playing the glamour model in front of the lens, even if just for a little while. Flashes going off, "oohs" and "aahs" as they previewed the results in a tethered viewer, laughs when shots produced funny results, the sucked in tummies, and thrusted bosoms. All part of the fun.
I'm glad i brought a Raya cheer to the home. It's one of those times of the year when you can never be too happy.
A hobby is about having fun, and i'll admit i've been having a lot of fun with mine lately. There is just so much to explore, learn and put to use, photography seems to have never ending possibilities of creative executions. Just thinking of the things to do or that can be done takes some much deliriously lovely brainpower.
"Perhaps if i did this" or "What if i turned it that way"-type of questions are just the sort of things i love to think about. Keeps the mind in a perpetual state of motion.
All this while, i've been taking photos of others. So why not try taking some photos of myself, by myself, with myself. Picked up a cheapo RC5 remote shutter release from the store and had a ball.
Setup the lights, 2 flashes, in a basic 45 degrees right and left configuration (i'm still learning about light positioning), and snapped away.
Click through the images for the larger versions. Shot with a Canon 5D MarkII 50mm f1.8.
The closest of friends in university, a friendship forged in the battlefield of debating, then house mates as working adults, and through all this time close confidantes and trusted associates. Brothers of different mothers. That describes Sani and me.
It was good to see him again after a few years since we last met. He is looking good, happy and strong, yet restless somehow.
Be well, buddy. Perhaps one day soon i'll take you up on that offer of a visit.
Shot with an Olympus OM-D EM-5 with a 45mm f1.8 lens, flash Canon 580EXII triggered remotely with Phottix.
It's a good thing to take a moment and get to know better the people whom you work with day in, day out. Must never forget that they are just like me, people too, with feelings, wants, needs and aspirations. What better way to accomplish this than by breaking bread with them.
Click through the images for the larger version. All shots taken with a Canon 5D Mark II, with a Carl Zeiss Distagon 28mm f2.0 lens.
I've been looking for a common theme to practice lighting on. Cigars tend to be a bit simple; they are cylindrical, have similar shapes, and very similar colours. There are lots of ways to light it up, but the results tends to be similar because the subject is essentially the same thing. So i needed something that had variety, something with character, and something that would provide a challenge to light up creatively.
Lego is the answer.
I'm going to be spending a lot of time with Lego over the next couple of years. Maybank is the main sponsor of Legoland Malaysia (if you're a Maybank customer, you're in for a huge treat -- massive discounts off the entry ticket prices!) and just this year alone, i've got 3 trips planned already. I suspect i'm going to be sick of the place pretty soon, might as well make the most of the opportunity.
Lego bricks and creations, especially of the recent variety, offer quite a bit of diversity. There is Lego movie and franchise tie-ins, such as with Harry Potter and Star Wars. There is Lego Technics that is super cool. There is Lego Heroes. And of course there is plain old Lego lego.
The added benefit is that once i run out of ideas with Lego, the bricks/pieces can be passed on to the kids to play with. So everyone wins.
To get the ball rolling, i hopped on over to the local Toys'R'Us and picked up a small Star Wars X-Wing set. Building it was like sitting in a time machine -- i was 10 years old all over again. What a trip! I am reminded of why i found this to be so much fun as a boy. Hell, it's damn fun even as an adult. For that 30 minutes of time assembling it, i was completely focused, all the lateral engines in my brain were firing at once in concentration, and the results provided an aesthetic satisfaction.
Lego is a brilliant toy. The perfect toy. I loved it.
Then came the photographs. Gave me a chance to experiment with a two-flash setup, lighting it up from every angle i could find.
Click on each image for the larger version (recommended). Shot with a Canon 5D MarkII, 100mm macro f2.8 lens, 2 flash setup, in a lightbox.
"Use the Force, Luke" - Obi Wan kenobi
Alliance X-Wing Starfighter
Wings in S-Foil position
Lovely detail on the model
An X that defined a generation
Social
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