Photography Happenings !! Issue #11

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                        *      PHOTOGRAPHY HAPPENINGS !!      *
                        *        Photography news in Singapore         *
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Greetings all photo enthusiasts !!

1) This a private mailing list for photographers in Singapore, so that we
can all be kept informed of the latest happenings in the photographic circle, eg. any courses, outings, interesting websites, and new products in photography.

2) If you wish not to receive any mails, or if you have any photography
enthusiast friends who wants to be added onto this list, pls e-mail me their
e-mail addresses. All the recipients on this mailing list will not be listed, so your address will be kept private and confidential.

3) Depending on the amount of news, you should be receiving one update every
two weeks or so. If you have any news of photographic interest you wish to
share with the rest, pls mail it to me !! Remember, this mailing list is only as good as the info I receive !

4) I cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information posted, but I'll try my best to verify the information before putting it up.

5) The official "Photography Happenings !!" homepage is located at:

Http://home1.pacific.net.sg/~nelson88

Best regards,
Nelson Tan

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Issue #11 Dated: 4 Jan 1999

*** CONTENTS ***

Okay, and in this issue of "Photography Happenings !!", we have:

        1) Announcements
           - Food for thought: Virtual Galleries in Singapore ?
           - New Articles
           - Corrections

2) New Products
- Ilford Delta 3200 Professional

        3) Website Reviews
           - David Carlyon's Photography Gallery
           - Gregory J.Cowley's Images of Asia
           - Other Worlds by A. Paul Jenkin
           - George Lepp's Outdoors and Nature Photography

        4) Events in Singapore
           - Photo Exhibitions
           - Thaipusam procession
           - Intermediate Photography Course (reminder)

        5) Photography tips
           - Using long lenses effectively
           - Taking Care Of Your Photographic Equipment

6) Special Offers and Bargains
- Darkroom Enlargers Offer

        7) Classified Ads
           - Looking for OM users
           - For sale: Nikkor 105mm f/2 DC AF
           - For sale: Tamron SP 70-210 f/3.5 (Nikon Mount)

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* ANNOUNCEMENTS *

Food for thought: Virtual Galleries in Singapore ?
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As you already know by now, I have been spending the past few weeks trying to get together a web gallery for a few of my images. The gallery is not ready yet, but something struck me as I was trying to gather the necessary resources for the gallery. In land-scarce Singapore, it is obviously very difficult to find a place for photographers to meet up. Other than the "Peninsular Triangle", there is no other place which we can come together. Courses and the few exhibitions are held at different places on the island, or more precisely "whatever place we can find available". For anyone who has tried to hold an exhibition, they would know just how difficult and expensive it can get.

Could virtual galleries be the way to go for Singapore photographers ? With technological advances, high-res monitors and scanners have become more affordable than before. Increasing numbers of people are logged onto the net. And most importantly, virtual galleries are cheap compared to holding a actual exhibition. There is no need to rent a space, no printing and no framing required. Visitors do not need to leave their house to visit the gallery, and they do not need to pay. How ideal it would be ! Of course, seeing a digital image does not compare to seeing the real thing, but the advantages of digital gallery weighs heavily in land-scarce Singapore.

I believe that with the support of commercial photographic firms, the idea of a "Singapore Photography Gallery" can easily be realized. Each firm pays a little, and gets an advertising space in a high hit-rate website. Perhaps a possible scenario is a company to provide services like scanning and digital enhancement, and another to provide the financial resource to hire a responsible digital gallery curator to select images and maintain the web gallery, and to pay for server space. Singapore photographers can submit their works for selection to be exhibited free-of-charge, and high hit-rates by local photographers would make the exhibition gallery pay itself off for the sponsors in terms of advertising !

All it takes is someone responsible and willing to take the challange to set up a digital web gallery for Singaporean photographers. Any takers out there ?

New Articles
------------

There are two new articles - one on DX coding of film. The other article is on the maintainance of your photographic equipment. It covers the basics of cleaning and maintaining your photography gears so that they will perform at their optimal level and extend their performance.

You can check out the articles "Cracking the DX-Code" and "Taking Care Of Your Photographic Equipment" under the Articles Section.

Http://home1.pacific.net.sg/~nelson88

Corrections
-----------
In Issue #9, I pointed out that Safra Photography Club is biased towards salon style photography. This is incorrect, as I confused other previous exhibitions with Safra P.C's. I sincerely apologize for this error.

In Issue #10, I stated that the zone system is for the die-hard black-and-white photographer. Peter Walker kindly pointed out that the zone system can be used for colour photography too.

[Total list membership stands at 308]

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* NEW PRODUCTS *

Ilford Delta 3200 Professional
------------------------------

Ilford introduces a new film - the Delta 3200 Professional. This latest addition to the Delta family of black and white films from Ilford claims to share the common fine grain and sharpness of its slower (ISO 100 and 400) cousins. According to Ilford's press release, "DELTA 3200 PROFESSIONAL technology relies on a complex, four-part emulsion package that optimizes ILFORD's proprietary core-shell crystal technology. This new emulsion assembly gives the film superb tonal rendition coupled with exposure flexibility and versatile processing performance."

The new film has a rated speed of ISO 1250, and can be push processed to its nominal speed of EI 3200 with good results. The technical specifications stated that the film can be further 'pushed' to a maximum of EI 12,500. Alternatively, the film can also be rated at EI 400, with results similar to conventional ISO 400 films.

The Ilford Delta 3200 Professional will be entering the high-speed monochrome market, currently dominated by the excellent Kodak T-Max 3200 Professional. Both films share similar specifications on paper, and it remains to be seen whether the new Ilford film will be able to dethrone the Kodak challenger.

The Ilford Delta 3200 professional will be available in 35mm 36-exposure cassettes and 120 roll film.

(Note: The Kodak T-Max 3200P Professional is not available in the 120mm format, so this is a chance for the medium format shooters out there to expand your choice of film.)

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* WEBSITE REVIEWS *

Here are this issue's recommended websites:

David Carlyon's Photography Gallery
-----------------------------------
While sufing through the vast space of the Internet, I came across this interesting website which hosts the gallery of David Carlyon. He claims to be a amateur photographer, but his images are quite good. It's mostly personal works, but somewhat different from what you commonly see, so I thought I might just include this website in case you are interested to take a look.

http://scc.net/~david/Photography/frames.html

Images of Asia
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Many of us think that to get great images, we must travel to exotic locations like Africa and Eygpt. Let Gregory J.Cowley, a professional travel photographer spent more than a year travelling throughout Asia to shoot images for his stock photography business, show you the beauty of Asia you overlooked. In this site, he showcases a few of his works depicting the various countries of Asia:

http://www.sfo.com/~gregory/images.html

Other Worlds by A. Paul Jenkin
------------------------------

Other Worlds is a collection of outdoor and travel photography from around the world. Each image offers a vision of the wonders of our world: events in adventure travel, moments of beauty in nature, and glimpses into people's lives, both past and present.

http://www.rain.org/~pjenkin/

George Lepp's Outdoors and Nature Photography
---------------------------------------------
Regular readers of Outdoor Photographer magazine will find the name no stranger to them. George Lepp is a regular and proliferic contributor to the American magazine, and he was in Singapore last year when SAFRA Photography Club organized a seminar and he was invited to be the speaker. Check out the tech tips and reviews of various photographic equipment. Users of Canon equipment will no doubt take pleasure in checking out this site, since he endorses Canon products (there's a review of the EOS 3). There is commcerical interest in this website, evident in the advertisement for his seminar services and flash-projection devices, but overall it is a valuable site to visit.

http://www.leppphoto.com/

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* EVENTS IN SINGAPORE *

Photo Exhibitions
-----------------
1) Nam
Notices the Gallery
Four Seasons Hotel #01-08/07
Till Jan 11:11am-6.30pm (Mon-Fri), 12-5pm (Sat and Sun)
Details : Unpublished personal photographs of the Vietnam War by F. Kurt Rolfes.
Free.

2) Traditional Houses of China
Asian Civilisations Museum.
Till Jan 10: 9am- 5.30pm (Tue-Sun), 9am-9pm (Wed)
Details : A photographic exhibition that shows China's fast disappearing
traditional architecture. $3.

Thaipusam procession
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This year's Thaipusam procession will be held on 31st Jan (Sun). The organizers and authorities predict that the turnout will be greater than the usual numbers of previous years. The procession will be starting at Sri Srinivasa Perumal Temple in Serangoon Road, and will end at Sri Thendayuthapani Temple in Tank Road. Watch for the devotees carry kavadis (heavy metal structures) with skewers that pierce into their skins.

While photographing the event, please be sensitive to the situations and act responsibly. Bring along a wide-angle lens to capture the crowds, and a longer telephoto lens to isolate the details of the devotees. Usage of flash is permitted at most points, but you may like to ask for permission first. A technique you can try is slow-sync flash, where you use flash with a slow shutter speed. This allows you to capture the ambient light, and show a sense of motion with the blurred background and a sharp subject illuminated by the flash. You may either use a slow film to capture the details and bright colours, or a fast film if you want to shoot in available light. For a documentary approach, use black-and-white films.

Intermediate Photography Course (reminder)
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The Photographic Society of National University of Singapore (NUS P.S) will be organizing a Intermediate Photography Course on the 9th of January. Interested parties can find out the course syllabus and more details at the following webpage:
http://homex.s1.net.sg/user/gkoh/intermed.htm

(E-mail to Meryvn at mervyn_sek@hotmail.com to sign-up or for details)

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* PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS *

Using long lenses effectively
-----------------------------
The market is flooded with long zoom lenses reaching up to 400mm or more, but with dim apertures of f/6.5 or less. This translates to slow shutter speeds when using the longer ends of the lenses. How can you prevent camera shake when using long lenses and slower shutter speeds ?

A) Use a tripod or monopod
This is self-evident. Using a monopod or tripod allows you to shoot at far more stable speeds than possible when hand-held.

B) Find existing supports
If you don't have a monopod or tripod with you, use existing supports that you can find on location. Steady objects such as pillars, walls, trees, steady fences or even a stationary car (with engine switched off to cut vibration) can act as support for your lenses. Push against the objects to obtain a firmer hold over the lenses. Make sure you don't damage your lens or the objects in the process !!

C) Use a beanbag or sandbag
Sometimes, you can find a supporting object, but the shape doesn't conform to the lens. So you'll need a sandbag or beanbag to rest between the object and your lens for a more contoured fit. If you don't have a beanbag or sandbag, anything soft will do, including a old T-shirt or even your camera bag if it is soft enough.

D) Put a hand over the lens when shooting
By gently resting a hand over the lens, you help to absorb the vibration when the mirror flips up and down. This only applies if you're not hand-holding your lens without support ! Place your hand gently over the lens barrel, but take care not to interfer with the focusing ring action. This allows the vibration to be transmitted to your hand and be dissipated through your body.

E) Adopt proper shooting techniques
This is probably the most important factor of all. If you can adopt the proper shooting techniques, you are able to shoot better in all situations, whether with or without support. The universal accepted technique is similar to those used by gunmen. After focusing and setting the controls and before pressing the shutter, hold the camera firm against your face. Take a breath (not too deeply !), and depress the shutter release button halfway. Then continue by pressing the shutter release button in a soft manner (do not jerk and press the button hard !). Hold the button down even after the shot is taken, to ensure that the picture taking process is complete, before releasing the button. This assumes that you did not set your camera to continuous mode !!

Try to master the correct techniques of holding your camera and lens, and you'll find that the results will improve your image significantly. It is definitely a technique worth spending time to acquire.

Taking Care Of Your Photographic Equipment
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Check out the article on how to take care of your photographic equipment under the Articles section at:

Http://home1.pacific.net.sg/~nelson88

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* SPECIAL OFFERS AND BARGAINS *

Darkroom Enlargers Offer
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Cathay Photo is offering enlarger kits at special introductory prices. The kit comes with an enlarger and accompanying darkroom equipment. Check out with Cathay for more details:

Meopta Axomat 35mm B/W enlarger set     $355
Meopta Opemus 6X6 B/W enlarger set      $455
Meopta 6A (6X6) Colour enlarger set     $920

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* CLASSIFIED ADS *

(Disclaimer: the list maintainer will not take responsibility for any transactions carried out through this classified ads.)

Looking for Olympus OM users
----------------------------
I am looking for fellow users of the Olympus OM system. If you are using the OM series, please contact me via e-mail for discussion. Thank you !! - Jim

<JIM_TEO@NISSEI.COM.SG>

For Sale: Nikkor 105mm f/2 AF DC ($980 negotiable)
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Selling AF Nikkor 105mm f/2 DC lens. An impressive lens for portraiture. In very good condition (9 of 10) and selling for only $980!! Negotiable (slightly) if you are really interested. Page for me at 9-316 6742 to discuss. Thanks !!

For sale: Tamron SP 70-210 f/3.5 (Nikon mount)
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I have a Tamron SP 70-210 f/3.5 for sale in Nikon mount. It's a constant aperture lens, and great for those low light-situations but you don't want to carry a bulky f/2.8 lens around. Cosmetic condition around 8/10, and optically perfect. Selling cheap at $380 (negotiable). Call me quick at 9-653 4521 !!!

<Terry>

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That's all, folks !
Happy shooting !!!

Your friendly list-maintainer,
Nelson Tan

Visit the official "Photography Happenings !!" website at:

Http://home1.pacific.net.sg/~nelson88

(Note: all materials and text in each issue of "Photography Happenings !!" and all the articles at the homepage are the intellectual property of the author. Please seek prior permission if you wish to use them in any way.)