Daylight Flash Beach portraits

I took a remotely fired flash to the beach this morning (this means one that is not attached to the camera, but is still fired by a radio signal from the camera when you take the picture) to try my hand at taking some daylight flash photos that Jens had shown me, and thought I'd post them for you because I thought they came out really beautifully, especially this one of Aiden:

The idea is to fire a flash that's so bright that it makes the daylight seem dusk-ish, but at the same time gives you lovely colour and depth of focus because you've got to stop right down to f20 or f22 on the camera to prevent the whole image from being whited out. So you end up with a situation where you are using the the sun as if it's one flash and the remote fired flash as another. Having two light sources gives you options for bringing out detail (like you see above in Aiden's hair) that are not at your disposal with a single light source. It's also good for environments like Hong Kong where the haze washes out colour and detail - it's as if the air has a whitish, brightish feel to it. The picture below is shot whithout the flash and I've included it here because it shows what a high glare environment the beach was this morning- the sun is above and to the right behind Ange, so if you want detail in Aiden and her faces then it will be at the expense of detail in more exposed areas like the beach and the water. I think the photo is structurally very nice, but is whited out to the extent that I converted it into a black and white because I thought it looked better that way:


Below are the other flash photos I took. Ange had some bubbles and was blowing them for Ev, who is just out of the frame - you can see a tuft of his hair in the right foreground. I thought the bubbles looked pretty groovy, and I like the detail in the water on the right of her. Ev was harder to do (as always), because he was either speeding around doing his own thing (which can include rushing into the sea, so you've got to keep on your collective toes) or involved to the extent that he would the flash unit. get too close, or push it over; that sort of thing. The photo of him here is a crop and clone-out job of the one at the very bottom - where you can see the flash, and how close he's got to it. Hope you like these, and hope you've having a lovely time during your holiday.

Christmas boys

Here is a quick-pic update on your little brothers; the Hong Kong mid-winter weather has been at it's absolute best - clear, sunny, warm - the beach has been great. The pics of the boys on their bikes are taken in the parking lot out the back of our apartments. Both of them have eaten their body-weights in chocolate and ice-cream and have enjoyed Christmas thoroughly. Aiden has also really started enjoying playing with Evan, which is great for both of them.

Nissan GT-R 2009

Here's an unexpected trip back to your much loved world of autos and design. We took the kids to the beach yesterday - it was a lovely day - and in the parking lot when we were leaving was this car, being filmed by a film crew working for a local motoring - TV programme.

It's the 2009 (yes, bizarre, because it's not even 2008 yet) Nissan GT-R, which I understand was launched in Tokyo in October this year, and so probably has not reached South Africa yet. I understand that it's a very serious vehicle, and thought that you might be interested in seeing it, in the event that you havn't already. Here is the address for the launch website - I recommend visiting it if auto design is your thing:

http://www.gtrnissan.com/?Site=nissanusa&Area=GT-R_Home

What I think is particularly cool, is that there is a pictorial time-line which opens on the screen which rolls if you put your mouse over it, and takes you on a visual design history tour so to speak, charting this car's evolution, from 1964 to this model. I think it's really nicely done - simple, effective, visual. Check it out.

If you are interested in the technology of the car, I know what made it's predecessors reknown in the world of production racing was an "un-burstable" V6 motor with extravagant dual turbo-charging, and a completely programmable engine management chip that allowed a stock motor to be remapped to put out in excess of 1000hp. This coupled with permanent four-wheel drive made for a profound racing tool. Here is the site for the Jeremy Clarkson test of one of its pre - predecessors, after a lot of engine tinkering - I think it gives an indication via lineage of what this model might be about:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyZUQKwxhHg

This is what he had to say about this model - "most exciting car of 2008".

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDWMOnQzd0w

Christmas bike

Shanghai lime green and black; flame patterns, funky mudguards, extra fat knobblies, back-pedal brake; whoohoooooo, one spicy machine - Aiden's little surprise, coming next week.

Cool portrait of Chris D

This is my friend and colleague Chris D. He's tackling a particularly nasty dose of cancer at the moment, and asked me to take some pics of him and his family before his hair fell out from the chemotherapy. I had a great evening with them, a super lovely family. I also took this photo of him, which I think is uber-cool, and thought I'd post it here for you. He's a person of super-illuminating thinking and kindness, a real gem of a human being.

Decorating the Christmas Tree

Our Christmas tree arrived yesterday and the four of us tackled its decoration in various ways. It helped that Aiden's racing car track was out - very useful distraction for Evan, who is much more into taking Christmas trees down than he is putting them up.

Danish Christmas Party

Last night Jens and Camilla organised a Danish Christmas party at our house for all our collective friends and (in our case) family in the village. Danish Christmas food is different to what I'm accustomed to eating - but very yummy - and then there was stuff called Aquavit to drink which is also a Christmas addition for me. I loved the white and red on black, and thought Tracy's jacket, which is a black lambswool and leather thing with jade topped rivets - very very visually groovy. Aiden and Ev got into the cleaning up action the next morning with a paper jet for added interest.

Multi Poster and the Boys

Here is a multi-poster we created for the family whose job is described in the previous post, and a test shot of the Aiden, Jordan and Evan we did when doing the light metering for the set up of our booth at the charity event we did last weekend. Super-hard work it turned out to be. When we go to people's houses we take a couple of hours to do their shots. At the fair we took portrait sets of 19 families in four hours - lots of man-handling of kids etc. I hope your holiday has got off to a good start. I've got quieter weeks ahead until I go on holiday for Christmas on the 21st of December, which is great. Let me know what your plans are, and whether you've got your connection sorted out. Love Dad

In the photo business

Jens and I have got our photography business up and going, it's called Fab Photos. We initially thought of a number of more slick sounding names, but settled on this one because it directly states what we aim to take, and fits the Hong Kong Chinese market, which appreciates direct, short names. We aim to work two Saturdays and two evenings a month, and use the proceeds to buy camera equipment that we don't have but would enable us to take on increasingly sophisticated jobs. So that in a nutshell is the business plan; nothing too complex, and very much letting us live out our passion. We also have good set of complimentary skills, which I think is important in the context of micro-businesses. The photo above is an example of the sort of stuff that we do - in this case a job for a family who wanted informal style photos of their kids. We've got what is effectively a portable studio, and this means that we can go to people rather than have them going to a studio; we think this is a competetive advantage. There certainly seems to be plenty of work. The photo below is from last Saturday, and is intended to show how the portable studio works, and the kind of work that this involves; in this instance it was about engaging and managing the kids more than taking the photos. We are working again this Saturday at a charity event. Then we have a job for a theatre company and a rugby club. So no problem so far, and cause for optimism looking forward.

Some weekend images

I'll need to tidy this up somewhat, but thought I'd post them anyway - a series of weekend images. Hope you enjoy some of them.

The boat arrives - yeeeeeha

I came home last night to find Jens and Rob arrow wheeling our old-new boat into my car's parking spot, so kind of them to do it; so kind of Simon to give it to us - just down right exciting all round. The boys went ballistic; they didn't mind that it wasn't in water, they were just keen to play on it. And so this morning we were out there for a photo so that I could post it up for you. They wasted no time in checking it out thoroughly, Ev was very keen on the engine, gave it a big hug, and Aiden fancied himself as the driver, and so grabbed the throttle. I've got to take the propellor drive shaft and whatnot off tomorrow, because the casing is going to a welder to have a skeg welded on again - its supposed to stick downwards to protect the propellor. This weekend I'll take the head off so that it can go to be skimmed, and then if all goes well (it never does) I'll, sand it down, paint it and put it all together again. The boat iteself needs a good clean, barnacles taken off and some bits and pieces stuck down. I think it will be a lot of work, but so worthwhile; its a machine this thing when working; that motor is 900cc, and it's two stroke - there's not much in the way of weight that it drives either, so you can imagine how it accellerates. I've got to go and do a Masters and Engineers licences, not fun work-wise, but I hope that it (and not the repairs) will be the biggest barrier to getting out on the water.

A proper smile from Ev

I continue to pursue pics of Evan smiling; he's a tricky one to take pics of because he is so perpetually busy. But if you've got the gear at the right time, no problem - early in the morning having escaped his cot, with a bowl of tasty morning biscuits (which ironically he doesn't eat, just likes to hold, because he knows that Aiden likes them - in other words, scuffle coming).

Trent Parke

For some super photography, check out Trent Parke at Magnum. The Magnum agency is the BIG stuff of photography name wise. This is an Australian guy, who is now keeping amazing company. He's got a set called "minutes to midnight" which I think is hugely beautiful. Here are some examples which I got from the Magnum site to show you, hence the writing on them - and these are proper pictures, no build-ups in Photoshop here: http://www.magnumphotos.com/Archive/C.aspx?VP=XSpecific_MAG.PhotographerDetail_VPage&l1=0&pid=2K7O3R13MZYS&nm=Trent+Parke

The rest of the site contains some of the greats, worth a visit if you like these, and their blog is very interesting too, super-photojournalism.

The first one is of a rally car racing in the desert, you have to look carefully to see the detail; what do you think of the second?

Moving on from cars

I thought this might be a good way to move on from the car theme for a while - though I will always be looking for the ones that I know you deeply like, Zonda, Veyron etc. I thought this was a nice little Hong Kong shot - lined up in the parking lot, a Vantage, a F430 and an F612. All their number plates are CL something - so I suspect owned by the same person; too much of a coincidence not to be. And think about the dilemma it creates. Which one should I drive to work? Mmm, can't make up my mind, so leave them all there, and take the bus. Life is beautiful.

Golden hour and 10 weather

Here are some pics from today, taken at what is called golden hour - late afternoon, long shadows, golden light. The place Shek O beach.

Ev likes holes a lot, so you have to dig them for him, and then he can practice climbing out, or splash in the water that comes in with the tide; but he also isn't too smart about the sea, so you have to watch him like a hawk. In a wink he's up and running for the water, keeps going too, until you stop him or he loses his balance and you fish him out. Worrying. Aiden has bruises all over his face; bathtub headbutt, coffee table cheek crash, and for desert, some bits of soggy scabby lip stuck to his front teeth courtesy high speed face landing without any landing gear; one of those fun ones with lots of blood and "do I need to get this looked at for stitching" paranoia.

These others, beautiful skies from perfect 10 score weather - sunset over Hang Hau earlier in the week, and Aiden, Ev and Ange doing a floor puzzle in the morning. This is how it works: Aiden makes a point of showing Ev the pieces; Ange helps, and together they assemble it; Evan helps and it gets disassembled; Aiden squeezes/punches/kicks Evan; Ange referees; I stash Aiden in the naughty corner.

A delight to speak earlier; such a delight.

The shot I like

This is going back, but I think I like this one best, as a photo of the red car. So predatory; and I really like the surrounding colours, the blue greys and the green windscreen. Click for a full size version if you like it. It was lovely to talk to you today; so, so lovely.

Simple, super-creative YouTube clip

I thought this was really well done - whatchathink?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBvDm_JLEcI

Paradise cars

I took my camera to the IFC in Central HK after work yesterday in the hope of spotting some good cars for another car challenge - and man did it deliver. I've found cars really difficult to photograph nicely, especially in parking lots, where there is a lot of background clutter, and you end up being too close to the car, or having other cars between you and the one you're trying to photograph. Then there is the light, so tricky to manage in a dirty grey underground place. But I think I'm getting better at it, and some of these came out really nicely. I've not been able to stick with my 8x10 format for these, because it would involve cutting out too much of each pic - and these cars are not in any way close to square. I'm going to start with what I think is the most beautiful car first. It's new, big, and utterly compelling. I thought the number plate was quite fun too - the person who gets one of these is definitely going to be in a state of " I owe you".



I suspect you know what it is, but if it's not clear from the picture above, you can click on this one and get the detail you need right off the door:



Then there were three Aston Martins, one of which had no space at all around it to get into, and hence the light only shot. So the challenge is to take a view on what models they are; any idea?
I also thought the personalised number plate on the first one was extraordinarily bad. You'd think if you had enough cash to buy one of these, then you could also afford to pay someone to think up a better plate for you. The middle model is older, and I thought had dated quite fast, though remained undeniably beautiful. The last one I don't think gives you enough info; so I'll add a clue - its a DB, but which one?


The final one is one of my favourites of all time - though I think now that the first one is more beautiful. It's just that this is to my thinking the "bad-ass" of Ferraris, looks like a friendly tourer, but is good for 320 kmh - yeeeeeeeeeha. What is it, (the number plate is a give-away) and, for a bonus score, what did its owner previously drive, and how do you know this?