Its Christmas for me (today)

My Kata bag and battery pack arrived today. I got my replacement monopod strap too.

Oh, the bag’s much nicer than expected. Its compact but big enough to fit a 70-200mm lens (attached to body). Will post up photos when i can.

All in all, its better than i expected. Why Kata and not Lowepro?

I had a Lowepro years back. A micro trekker 200. Small little box of a bag that could fit a whole lot of things. But well, too boxy.

I haven’t gone back to try out the bag yet but i think it should fit mygear without any difficulties. I just need to figure out how to organise it in. Oh…. I feel in love with the Domke Fx3 bag because its got extra rings behind for the backpack. Yes, I am a sucker for Domke bags and i do miss my old Domke bag very much.   I think it is its stinkiness, its faded cotton and it’s mushy body that i miss.

 

Anyway, I love receiving packages and I think i’ll like this Kata bag very much. Next is to get my flash and test the baby on the field.

Yay!

Domke bags that uses the attachable backpack strap

        Domke F1X, F2, F3X, F4AF or F7 series bags
        Domke F804 or F805 series bags
        Domke J1, J2 or J3 series bags

Domke F-6 Little Bit Smaller Bag (Olive)   ————> this was the bag i used and the attachable backpack strap cannot be used on it so i figured that if i were to buy another domke, it better be able to use my domke straps.
Exterior Dimensions     11.5 x 7.0 x 7.5″ (29.21 x 17.78 x 19.05cm) (WxDxH)
Weight     1.0 lbs 13.0 oz (822g) Price: $94.99

Domke F-2 Original Shoulder Bag (Gray)
Exterior Dimensions     16.5 x 9.0 x 9.6″ (41.9 x 22.9 x 24.3 cm) (WxDxH)
Weight     2.0 lbs, 9.0 oz (1.16kg) Price: $149.99

Domke F-3X Shoulder Bag (Olive)
Exterior Dimensions     12.5 x 7.25 x 9.6″ (31.7 x 18.4 x 24.4cm) (LxWxD)
Weight     2.0 lbs (907g) Price: $124.99
(promising…)

Domke F-4AF Pro System Bag (Olive)
Exterior Dimensions     13 x 8.5 x 11″ (33.02 x 21.59 x 27.94cm) (WxDxH)
Weight     2.0 lbs 7.0 oz (1.1kg)     Price: $150.38
Large padded insert holds SLR camera with an attached zoom lens in a “grab-and-shoot” position

Domke F-2 Original Shoulder Bag (Olive Drab)
Exterior Dimensions     16.5 x 9.0 x 9.6″ (41.9 x 22.9 x 24.3 cm) (WxDxH)
Weight     2.0 lbs, 9.0 oz (1.16kg)
    Price: $149.99

F-7 DOUBLE AF BAG/BLACK
Exterior Dimensions: 19″W x 7″D x 11.25″H
Weight: 4lbs. 14oz.
List Price: $299.99

I have sunstroke

Woke up at 7am and started taking photos at 7:30am until 11 plus. Weather was good but around 10am it got sunnier. I am now nursing a very bad headache, my face is flushed and I have been sweating the whole day. It is a miracle I could do lunch, outing, dinner and errand. Now heading for a cold bath and an ice pack for the head.

p.s. I really hope I managed to get some good shots.

I didn’t manage to get even one photo today

I lugged all my gear out, trotted off to the middle of the park and when i got down to my knees to shoot, it RAINED.

I ran for cover, waited until the rain stopped and trudged back to where i left off. The moment i dropped down my tripod, it rained AGAIN. Heavier now.

Thank God i brought along my mini reflector so that acted like a small umbrella for my camera. As for me, I was soaked. Head, t-shirt, pants and bag were wet.

Having a headache now from my earlier wet hair.

My new 12″ reflectors

I ordered some reflectors from Adorama. Small cute ones for my macrophotography.

As you can see, the box is rather big for something so small (and flat). What a waste of space and plastic.

Anyway, its quite small at 12″ when open, 5″ when closed. You can gauge the size from the packet drink i placed next to the reflector.

Haven’t tried out yet. Been too busy to shoot.

The disadvantages of Macro photography

I’ve been shooting macro for quite a while now. So far the positives outweighs the negatives because I enjoy it very much.

As you can see from the photo, my pants are really dirty. You now have to imagine what my t-shirt looks like too. I was barred from going to my bedroom and had to strip in the kitchen because of this. I was too dirty.

How did i get this dirty? I had to take a shot and the insect was at ground level AND I wanted to shoot under natural light (sans flash) so to get a more stable (read: vibration-free) posture, I laid flat on the ground.

So disadvantage no.1 is you do get very dirty if you like outdoor macro photography. And laundry time will be daunting. Plus your tripod, shoes and even camera bag gets muddy. Oh yeah, my iPod got muddied – I didn’t realise I was hanging it around my neck when I was laying on the wet ground.

Disadvantage no. 2 is that you are always a walking buffet for mosquitos. I cannot stress how important it is to have a mosquito repellant with you that works. Not all repellents are made equal. Mine works pretty well and I’ve been using it for a  few years I’ve used it. The only downside, I don’t smell that great as citronella has a very pungent smell. Oddly the petrol attendant said I smelled really nice yesterday after I went to refuel after shooting. I told him it wasn’t perfume but mosquito repellant. Yes, I was all muddy in my get-up and still had the thick-skin to make a detour.

The other thing to look out for are poisonous insects etc and SNAKES. Just be aware of your surroundings, okay?

Disadvantage no. 3 is that you are exposed to the elements. Many a time I had to run for cover from the rain. Not convenient when you are in the middle of it all with full gears and stuck in mud. Always end up scrambling like mad to cover the camera with a plastic bag and make it to cover.If not the rain, then I end up getting sunburn. Last month my foot got cooked somewhat medium well until the maid said it looked somewhat burnt. I could feel the skin on my exposed foot burning but the rest of the body (which was similarly exposed) didn’t get burnt. I wonder why.

So there you go, it is a “dirty” hobby but i love it.

A few things to remember. Always carry around your sunblock, mosquito repellent, plaster for wounds, cream for itch (for insect bites) and lots of wet wipes!!!!

My camera konked

I’ve been without my DSLR for almost 2 weeks (or was it longer?).

The thing konked whilst i was street-shooting. Don’t know what happened. So how? A bit bored during the weekends.

The camera’s at a service centre now but I don’t know if it can be fixed. You know Nikon can sometimes be unwilling to provide spare parts for discontinued cameras (so i’ve heard).

I haven’t bugged the service centre for my camera yet because i know things like these do take a while. In the mean time, I’m making do with the t-90 which is not as good as I’ve hoped it would be. Sensor’s too tiny lah.

You know, i have got an epiphany now – after this camera incident.

1) Will not buy a full frame camera unless i’m actually making a living taking photos or I can find a generous man to get me one. With cameras being so flimsy these days, I would say anything between a D7000 to a D300 would suffice.

2) And preferably second-hand. I bought my camera second-hand so i even though i may be heart-ached if doesn’t get fixed but at least better than having it happen to a new camera.

3) A good lens is better than an expensive camera. The one good lens will outlast generations of cameras. And if taken care well, hold its value much better.

Hmnn, looks like my domke bag and its accessories will outlast my cameras. And to think I ordered the shoulder pad and backpack strap all the way from US. (cry…cry…cry…)

I love the sun & other thots

There’s nothing nicer then catching the sun in a dew drop. I found the orchid park so might go there to shoot one of these days. I have been hanging out with the german for shooting and its been good company. But no, nothing is going on between us. I know exactly what i need/want.

On a more morose note, have you been haunted by thoughts day in, day out? I have.  It is very disconcerting. Sometimes frightening. Life can be hard at times. Hard not because of physical hardship but hard because sometimes we have to do what we don’t want to do. Worse is to do something that we have no/or not much aptitude in. You might as well ask me to climb Mount Kinabalu. Sigh.

On a brighter note, I have fallen in love with the 105mm lens. Superb optics, really superb optics. Only grouse? Weight. it weights 200gms + heavier than my 90mm. And the doctor has told me to go easy on my gear weight. Bad for the knees. The german doesn’t think I am a noob at macro. I think I still am. I am always learning. At the moment I am learning to control the flash strength so that I dont’ have to purchase a ring flash just yet.

Bad knee & photography

I think i have now badly injured my already injured knee/leg. I went for a 3 hour shoot-out. Wore knee guards but this evening things aren’t that great. The ache has radiated down my leg. The bruise is there meaning there might have been internal bleeding/ My left knee is also aching up.

Anyway, on a brighter note, i think the macro’s much better.. see flickr.

I’m now learning to control the strength of the flash by adjusting the exposure on flash, rather than on camera. Thus I think I will be able to hold off getting a ring flash for a long while.  Most i know just shoot using the flash on auto mode which imho, will not give you good photos because no two lightings outside is the same eash and every time you shoot an insect.. Auto is just too harsh. Another thing, its always important to get the shot right so as to minimise any photoshopping. I rarely like to touch-up the photos. If you have to touch up a lot (i.e. more than 5%) means you should just toss the photo out.

Macro/close-up photography = what to kit up?

I’ve been shooting macro for a while now. Most people just wear their regular clothes, any type of footware and stuff. Other than the usual macro lens, flash and bag, here’s a short compilation of what I use and bring along for macro/close-up photography.

1) Long pants – important to protect your legs from insect bites and the occassional fall (i fell through a bridge once and had my leg stuck in it, good thing i had the pants on and it protected me from futher injury. I had a week long huge bruise from that).    The pants has to be dark coloured as it’ll always be dirty. Beige might be good too to blend with the sand.

2) Top - long sleeves are important too. You don’t want to be a walking mosquito buffet, do you? And you won’t want to get dark under the hot sun. Wear cotton as you WILL sweat a lot especially if you are shooting for more than 2 hours. Colour of top/t-shirt doesn’t matter, the mosquitos will bite you anyhow.

3) Footware - Don’t wear flip-flops. I tried it and its not practical. I prefer sneakers or my waterproof crocs. You have to protect your feet from snake, centipedes and other insect bites. And mud!

4) Towel – a must have to wipe off sweat, protect your neck from the sun and mosquitos.

5) Plastic sheet – in case you have to sit on the wet ground

6) Knee pads – VERY important as most of the time you will be kneeling on hard surfaces. Don’t buy those meant for skate boarding as they are unsuitable. Buy those that comes with 1/2 inch paddings.

7) Pepper spray – for protection against unwanted “friendly” passerbys. One can never be too careful.

8 ) Wet wipes – important after you shoot. For cleaning up.

9) Tripod – for low light that needs slow shutter speed shots

10) Mosquito repellant – Numero Uno important!

11) Cream for itch - You’ll need it after you have been bitten by the mosquitos

12) Spare change – Keep some money in your camera bag.

13) Spare battery and memory card - remember to charge them and that the cards are clean of photos

14) Sunscreen – you will need it if you are shooting during the day.

15) A regular, light lens - if you want to lighten your load, just pack the macro lens and one other smaller lens, eg. 50mm just in case.

I think that’s about it!