Volume of Interactions

Volume of Interactions tag:www.aizuddindanian.com,2011-12-26:/voi//1 2012-05-16T13:16:31Z Keeping It Real since 2001. Now a Photoblog. Movable Type 5.12 A method to the blur tag:www.aizuddindanian.com,2012:/voi//1.1777 2012-05-16T12:53:22Z 2012-05-16T13:16:31Z

On the way home today, i wanted to try something different, push some creative limits (well, my limits in any case). I'm generally from the school of thought that precise technique is important, and one of the qualifying factors in...

Aizuddin Danian my limits in any case). I'm generally from the school of thought that precise technique is important, and one of the qualifying factors in a keeper is the sharpness the photo has achieved. Blurred photos tend to get junked during the first pass of processing.

But was it possible to intentionally blur a shot, and still maintain a modicum of sharpness in critical elements in the frame? Layering the image, using motion blur to draw attention to the subject while creating a secondary subject with the direct opposite.

Setting out with zone focus and manual metering in mind, i was about to find out.

The contact sheet for the attempts made is a mixed bag of weirdos. But the following two photos made it out with the objectives achieved -- the eye is drawn to the foreground subject because of the motion blur, while intentionally and purposefully distracted by a juxtaposed sharpness in an adjacent background layer. Each image tell a compelling story: The first of love, Starbucks and a walled garden (Marlowe would have been proud). The second of tradition, East and East meeting in multiple exposes.

Click through the images for the larger version.

Hand in hand, lovers, Starbucks and walls.

East within East, the lady is not what she seems.

]]> My submission for ADAY.org tag:www.aizuddindanian.com,2012:/voi//1.1776 2012-05-15T14:30:24Z 2012-05-15T14:36:37Z

Aizuddin Danian

Shots taken today can be submitted to aday.org to be a part of the global photography movement of photographs taken today, 15 May 2012.

I noticed this lady walking around the mall with her daughter in a stroller. From the way she held herself and her clothes, you could tell she was a reasonably sophisticated woman. Beautiful and in her prime, already with a 3 or 4 year old daughter. I took this photo as mother and daughter connected over her phone, possibly to pass the time while waiting for a table to open up at the restaurant.

I wanna be like mom.

]]> Geartalk: Streeting with the Olympus OM-D EM-5 tag:www.aizuddindanian.com,2012:/voi//1.1775 2012-05-14T16:22:06Z 2012-05-15T04:55:22Z

I enjoy taking photos on the street. Candid, unassuming photographs of people i see on the street. Sometimes, i stalk these people for a little while, if i find them particularly interesting. Follow them around for a bit, hoping to...

Aizuddin Danian

The camera you choose to take with you to the street does have a direct impact on the ease or difficulty in how all of this is achieved. Generally, larger is worse, smaller is better. A large camera (say, a full frame DSLR) attracts a lot of attention due to it's obvious size -- point the camera at someone and odds on you'll be noticed; being noticed will almost certainly affect the behaviour of the subject. A smaller camera reduces the risk of being noticed, and also often provides additional mobility to take photos from unconventional angles. Plus the fact that streeting = walking, and walking around with 5-10kgs of gear gets tiring very quickly. Smaller = lighter.

How does the OM-D fare as a street camera? Very well. We've already covered how well it handles in High ISO/low-light scenarios. A lot of street shots, those in the evenings, can be done in very low-light settings. How about the 5-axis image stabilization? It works great here. While streeting, you're moving a lot, your subject is probably moving as well and chances of motion blur can sometimes be high. This is mitigated somewhat by the built-in IS.

The other deal maker is the AF speed. In 2 of the 5 photos below, i only had a split second to get the shot. I didn't even have time to bring the camera up to my eye for the EVF, or to review the composition in the LCD. I just pointed and snapped. The AF locked on in 200-300ms, achieved critical focus and the shutter fired. Any slower and i'm certain the shot would have been lost; the subject turned away and the connection with the camera was lost.

And finally, the tilt-screen. In 3 of the 5 photos below, the photos were taken by swiveling the screen upwards 90 degrees and looking directly downward into the camera to get the photo, almost like how you would should with a top-down viewing medium format camera. Being able to see the subject without even looking into his direction is what this feature allows you to do; and it works great in reducing the chances you'll be noticed, thus adding to the level of candidness in the shot.

The following photos we taken with a mix of lenses: Olympus 45mm f/1.8 and the Panasonic 14mm f2.5. Click on them for the larger version.

Street angel

Always open. The cobbler that never sleeps.

Thank you, come again. Down the hatch.

Leaning to exhale.

And boy meets man.

]]> iamNeeta tag:www.aizuddindanian.com,2012:/voi//1.1774 2012-05-13T13:22:31Z 2012-05-13T13:32:30Z

Aizuddin Danian

Read more about Neeta on her Facebook page.

Shot with a Panasonic 14mm f2.5 ASPH on a Olympus OM-D EM-5. Click through the images for the larger version.

A lady and her band.

Strumming sweet harmonies

She is 17, but her band members certainly aren't.

Caressing the microphone

I was practically right in her face for this shot. She just smiled.

]]> Geartalk: The Olympus OM-D EM-5 in Low-Light Conditions tag:www.aizuddindanian.com,2012:/voi//1.1773 2012-05-13T08:14:19Z 2012-05-13T11:37:43Z

Aizuddin Danian Don't miss Geartalk: First Impressions Olympus OM-D EM-5 published earlier for daylight and indoor mixed-lighting shooting performance

The high ISO, low-light capabilities of the Olympus OM-D EM-5 is one of the camera's most popular discussion points. Generally, previous Micro Four Thirds (M43) cameras have struggled with anything higher than ISO1600; noise of the speckled type (instead of the can-be-pleasing-grainy type) just takes over in the darker areas of the image. But the new OM-D is a different beast altogether.

Equipped with a new 16MP sensor, a significant upgrade from the sensors of earlier Olympus M43 cameras, the OM-D takes on low-light challenges with gusto. Noise is kept to very acceptable levels, even into ISO6400 territory, and with the built-in Noise Reduction switched off. As an added bonus, it also looks like the sensor is able to handle very strong mixed lighting conditions as well, with detail retained in areas of the image you would otherwise expect to be blown out; the dynamic range of the sensor is excellent. Not sure Olympus managed to pull this off given the size of the M43 sensor, quite possibly a new technique to increase the sensitivity of the photosites.

A final comment about the camera performance in low-light, perhaps the most important one: AF remains fast and snappy. Perhaps just a shade off the pace in normal lighting situations, but i can safely say i didn't miss anything because i had to wait for a hunting AF. Having used an Fuji X-Pro1 recently in similar conditions, i would say, the AF speed of the OM-D is at least 3x-4x faster. Yes, it's that fast (or the X-Pro1 is that slow, whichever way you want to look at it). Having said that, X-Pro1 high ISO performance and IQ is excellent, but a hunting AF can be quite a deal breaker for many.

The following images were taken after the Russell Peters Notorious World Tour 2012 performance at Stadium Malawati, Shah Alam. Light sources were limited to very bright stadium spotlights that created a dull ambient glow in the shadows. Processed using my normal workflow in Lightroom, perspective adjusted to the more cinematic 16:9. None of the files required any special attention, they were reasonable out of the camera.

A note about the lens used that night: a Panasonic 14mm f/2.5 ASPH LUMIX G. Wide open, it's pretty sharp in the middle and quite soft around the edges; the softness is managed with a combination of some cropping and vignetting. Besides the slight softness around the edges (that completely goes away by f4.0), it's an excellent lens. Will do a review of the lens once i've had some time to use it in a variety of situations.

The crowd leaving the stadium after the show. Some highlights were blownout around the bright light, but consider that the rest of the foreground was almost pitch darkness. Some fill light used to bring out the detail; quite impressed with how much details was captured in spite of it all.

I watched this lady for several minutes as she furiously texted on her phone. She was obviously waiting/trying to find a friend who had been separated from her in the large stadium and the chaotic manner in which the crowd dispersed. Don't let the image deceive you -- there was very very little light in this photo. A spotlight a couple of hundred meters behind me illuminating shadows against the stairs, and another spotlight a few hundred meters behind her. It was very very dark. Some noise at ISO3200 but it was kept very much under control.

Perhaps this is the group of friends the lady in the previous photo were waiting for. There is another raised staircase just around the corner from where the lady was waiting. This group seemed to be waiting for someone as well. The spotlight in the top left corner? That's the light source for the previous photo.

The dynamic range torture test. Notice the amount of detail in the lighted areas, the staircase and doors. Pretty amazing considering (a) everywhere else was pretty much dark and (b) the light areas are quite bright. Click on the photo for the larger version to see more detail.

The rustic, empty, and tomb-like quiet of the ticket box offices. This was nearly an hour after the show ended. Traffic was terrible so i stuck around to take photos of the stadium architecture. Again, the detail retained in the brightly lit areas AND in the shadows is very good. The processor manages to balance it out nicely.

]]> Geartalk: First Impressions Olympus OM-D EM-5 tag:www.aizuddindanian.com,2012:/voi//1.1772 2012-05-12T14:37:11Z 2012-05-13T00:01:49Z

A lot of ink has been dedicated to the Olympus OM-D EM-5. It comes from a rich history, the OM series of cameras. A stroke of marketing genius to bring it back, add the -D, and push it as...

Aizuddin Danian the OM series of cameras. A stroke of marketing genius to bring it back, add the -D, and push it as the climax of everything the Micro Four Thirds (M43) consortium has learned over the last couple of years. Does the end product match the hype?

I must admit, i'm a fan of the M43 system. Small, powerful and versatile, it let me take a camera to places, and take photographs from angles and perspectives that a large full bodied DSLR can't. Many of my most interesting photos in my Flickr-stream were taken with the Olympus Pen Mini, the smallest full featured M43 camera in the market. So you can imagine when the OM-D was announced several months ago, i was particularly excited to see what it could do, especially as it was claimed it resolved some of the weaknesses of M43 cameras that came before -- poor high ISO performance, lack of EVF, lack of image stabilization. Would the OM-D deliver?

Edit: Small sensor issues such as as lack of DOF and subject separation have been handled by the M43 consortium by putting out some amazing lenses. The Panasonic Leica 25/1.4, the Olympus 12/2, the Olympus 45/1.8 and the highly anticipated upcoming Olympus 75/1.8 all produce amazing bokeh and gives the photographer substantial control over the DOF.

After shooting with the camera for a couple of days, i've got to say i'm impressed with it. Low light performance? Very good, much better than my Canon 5D Mark II - which isn't saying too much; but saying it's on par within a usable range with the 5D Mark III would be saying lots about how good it is. AF speed? Super fast, blink and you'll miss it. The much-discussed 5-axis Image Stabilization? Awesome, shooting handheld never felt so "safe". IQ (image quality) and IR (image rendering)? Amazing, much better with the same lenses than the smaller brother, the Olympus Pen Mini.

Is it perfect? Nothing is, but i think the issues i have with the camera are probably an issue of personal taste, some will agree, some won't, to either a lesser or greater degree either way. For example, i'm really not digging the rear buttons, they seem to be getting in the way for a comfortable hold of the camera at rest. Battery life isn't great either, and after 4-5 solid hours of shooting, it's down to the last 1/3 bar of juice (in comparison, a Canon 5D MarkII can go on an on for a full day and still have 75% power remaining). AF accuracy while generally solid, fast and snappy, does seem to miss a little more than i'm used to; when it nails it, it's tack sharp. But when it misses, i could i sworn i had it in the EVF, so that's throwing me off a bit.

On the balance of things, i feel i have a lot more to be excited about. Most importantly, i'm having fun snapping away with it, and enjoying the experience. Bottom line, that's what counts the most.

The following photos have are from a walkabout in KLCC; all have been processed using my standard Lightroom workflow. Doing this allows me to compare output with the rest of my photos that i process the same way, thus giving me a truer indication of what i'm able to expect when i use this camera.

Shot with the excellent Olympus 45mm f1.8. Notice the dynamic range, despite the strong highlights in the background, the foreground detail is faithfully captured.

Notice the IQ rendering. The detail retained is stunning.

Heavy mixed light sources and WB. Colour saturation is near perfect, only requiring minor adjustment. Despite the difficult lighting conditions, exposure metering didn't fail.

Another example of excellent control given difficult high contrast scenario under very bright sunlight.

Outdoors, direct light conditions are a piece of cake for the OM-D (as expected considering it gets the tough ones right). But just checking. In particular, notice the colour saturation in the green. No colour adjustments in this file required.

Outdoors, mixed contrast scenario -- no problem in the shadow highlights.

More review shots will be added to this dedicated Flickr photoset. I've also had a chance to test the OM-D under EXTREME low-light conditions, will post those findings up next.

]]> A mobile conference tag:www.aizuddindanian.com,2012:/voi//1.1770 2012-05-10T13:26:21Z 2012-05-10T14:51:56Z

One of the good things about having to send in the Canon for servicing is that it gives me a chance to use my other camera more. Took it for a spin at the GoMobile Conference today and took a...

Aizuddin Danian

One of the distinct advantages a smaller camera like the Olympus Pen Mini has over larger ones is the ability to take photos from more interesting angles. With the Canon i could probably still get this shot, but i'd have to by lying down on the floor to get it. With the Pen Mini, it's a simple matter of lowering the camera to the floor from where i'm sitting, and composing from a distance using the LCD.

Camera mobility at a mobile conference. How apt.

]]> Geartalk: How-to manually clean your Canon 5D MarkII sensor tag:www.aizuddindanian.com,2012:/voi//1.1769 2012-05-08T14:55:17Z 2012-05-09T14:29:07Z

Perform at your own risk, i'm just sharing how i fixed my problemAs i was randomly snapping pics tonight, i noticed there was a dark spot in the photos, and it appeared in all the shots in exactly the same...

Aizuddin Danian Perform at your own risk, i'm just sharing how i fixed my problem

As i was randomly snapping pics tonight, i noticed there was a dark spot in the photos, and it appeared in all the shots in exactly the same spot.

Notice in the top right corner. See below for magnified crop.

Initially, i thought it was a hot pixel. That occurs sometimes in Canon EOS cameras and is easily cleared by using this technique: manual sensor cleaning mode, 60 seconds, then power off, power on. So i gave that a try, twice, and it didn't work. The dark spot was still there. That's when i decided that it was probably a physical item, possibly a speck of dust on the sensor. A hot pixel is generally also blue or red or purple, not black like the one i saw. Black tends to mean dust or some physical element on the sensor.

Don't try this unless you're very sure you know what you're doing. So i went back to Manual Sensor cleaning mode, accessible from the menu system. What this does is raise the shutter permanently for as long as you leave the power on, thus exposing the sensor behind. With the sensor thus exposed, you can reach it with a cleaning element such as a clean air blower, or a dry cotton swab, or like i used, one of those dust pens (like the one pictured below). By using a small penlight, i spotted the small speck of dust immediately on the sensor in the corner of the sensor, gave it a quick swipe with the dust pen to clean it, then quickly powered off the camera to bring the shutter back down.

And that was all it took! Sensor is clean again, and no more dark spot in the frame.

It's probably a good idea to do this in a clean and dry room where there isn't any dust floating around in the air. The sensor will be exposed for 30-60 seconds at least, and it's very easy to make things worse than they are unless you're careful.

]]> An evening in the park tag:www.aizuddindanian.com,2012:/voi//1.1768 2012-05-07T13:20:51Z 2012-05-07T13:32:28Z

I'll look back on days like this one day and long for them again. It's one of life's simpler pleasures that we often take for granted when we are given the opportunity to indulge, only for it to be gone...

Aizuddin Danian

Down the chute!

On my knee

Flying into the sky

That's my daddy!

Slippery

]]> Sometimes the mojo deserts you tag:www.aizuddindanian.com,2012:/voi//1.1767 2012-05-07T09:05:24Z 2012-05-07T09:28:29Z

Weddings are great photographic events. See the last one i went to, there was no shortage of photo fodder. However, last Saturday night i went to another, and only came back with one usable photo. The rest were uninspiring, boring,...

Aizuddin Danian See the last one i went to, there was no shortage of photo fodder. However, last Saturday night i went to another, and only came back with one usable photo. The rest were uninspiring, boring, plain.

What can you do. Some nights the shutter just refuses to fall the right away.

]]> Photoessay: Ming Thein tag:www.aizuddindanian.com,2012:/voi//1.1766 2012-05-05T16:13:00Z 2012-05-05T16:48:16Z

Ming Thein is a clever man. Engineer. Physicist. Horologist. Photographer. Cigar aficionado. Metrosexual. I've known him for a more than a year now, and i still find it hard to pin him down. There always seems to be different shade...

Aizuddin Danian

He recently opened his Leica and Jaeger Le-Coultre exhibition here in Kuala Lumpur to great fanfare, the opening officiated by the Minister of Tourism, Datuk Ng Yen Yen. And today, was kind enough to take some friends and fans on a personally guided tour. His energy and enthusiasm for the subject matter was infectious, and he was happy to share his techniques and methods. Professional hubris? "I don't mind showing you how i did it, because even if you knew how, you wouldn't be able to replicate it." Fair enough, i suppose. And he would be right.

The exhibition, though pared down from the gala opening, was amazing. 18 fantastic photos of watches that most mortals can only dream of owning. It's a testimony of his art that even so, the 5 of us in attendance, felt just that much closer to the dream, than if we had simply seen the watches in the window display or on the pages of some glossy magazine. I have no doubt, that based on the strength of the images, if any of us had half a million ringgit in our pockets, the Jaeger Le-Coultre showroom would have been our next stop. They were just breathtaking on so many levels, each one able to articulate a particular aspect of the Jaeger brand.

In many ways, observing Ming during his tour, and how he interacted with us, and more importantly, how he interacted with his art, told us a lot about him. If there was one word i would use, it would be pride. He is genuinely proud of what he has been and is able to do, describing the photos as his "children" when asked which one is his favourite shot. Just like a proud parent, it would be unfair to ask him to name one he liked best.

Click on the image for the larger version.

The tour group, at the start of the exhibition

Explaining the intricacies of watch design

Which is more complex? The watch or the Man. The answer isn't so obvious.

Long shadows, longer impressions

Enjoying a rare cigar at the end of the tour. Apt considering his talent is a rare one.

]]> My 5 most interesting photos tag:www.aizuddindanian.com,2012:/voi//1.1765 2012-05-04T12:44:39Z 2012-05-04T13:06:19Z

Flickr has an algorithm that it uses to determine the "interestingness" of a photograph. It's a combination of how many views the photo has received, how many people "liked" it, how many people engaged with it with comments, and how...

Aizuddin Danian

I've uploaded 679 photos into Flickr in the last 6 months or so, and the following 5 are what my audience find the most interesting. The first was shot with a Canon 5D MarkII 50mm, and the next 4 were taken with an Olympus E-PM1 45mm.

What do you think of them? Click for the larger version. Here are my Top 50 most interesting photos. My Flickr photostream.

Shot in Cameron Highlands, night market

An unknown lady of uncommon beauty and poise

A colleague, at a corporate function

A colleague, at another corporate function

Mia, my daughter (i liked this photo so much, i printed it on a large canvas that now hangs proudly on my wall)

]]> Giddy'up horsie! tag:www.aizuddindanian.com,2012:/voi//1.1764 2012-05-04T06:59:21Z 2012-05-04T07:01:56Z

She just hit one year old. She is starting to stand on her own, walking can't be far behind. And she seems to have an affinity towards horses....

Aizuddin Danian

]]> A diver's calm tag:www.aizuddindanian.com,2012:/voi//1.1763 2012-05-02T14:11:14Z 2012-05-02T14:29:56Z

There is a nice quiet time after a dive, when the diver, even if it's only just for a short moment, will look within himself and be totally at ease. It's probably a little bit like what a warrior feels...

Aizuddin Danian

]]> The colours of dusk tag:www.aizuddindanian.com,2012:/voi//1.1762 2012-05-01T13:34:23Z 2012-05-01T13:38:15Z

The last few moments of the Golden Hour, the photographic equivalent of the caviar of light, is just before all light is gone: dusk. You don't actually see the sun anymore at dusk, all you see are the trails of...

Aizuddin Danian

Click for the larger version.

The view at dusk from the Sunset Bar, Tanjung Aru, Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

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