As requested, a short tutorial on producing water droplet images.

Note: This tutorial includes many photography jargons. Viewer discretion is advised.






First you'll need a few simple things:







Here's the general set up:






Tray

Ok first thing's first. I used a metal oven tray from the kitchen because it was the only black large container I could find. There are two important factors to consider in choosing your container:

1. The tray must be black because black simulates the best reflection colour of the A4 paper backdrop there on the water surface. If it was white or any other colour, the water droplet and ripple rims may not be prominently outstanding enough.
2. The depth of the tray affects the amplitude of the ripples. The deeper the water in your tray, the higher and more drastic your ripples would look like. Unfortunately, my tray was only an inch deep so my ripples didn't turn out whacky enough.

Off-camera lighting

Secondly, the point the flash to the A4 colour paper, and not the water droplet area. This is to saturate the colour paper which will produce its vibrant coloured reflection on the water surface. I don't have a specific intensity to use coz I'm a trial & error kinda person. Throughout the project, you may find your LCD showing up blown out highlights in the picture or sometimes underexposed images. But if you'd like a guide, I did a 1/16 flash intensity and on the camera in Manual Mode, I stopped down the aperture to about f8/f11 to get a pretty even clear depth of field throughout the water splashes, and set my shutter speed to between 1/160 to 1/250 because my Phottix PT-04 Wireless Trigger sync speed maxes out at around 1/200. And if you don't have a wireless trigger/pocketwizard etc, you can try using your flash unit as slave, triggered by your on-camera flash, provided your on-camera flash can be dialed down to a very low intensity so as to get minimal direct flash on to the water droplet (this makes the picture very flat)



Colours




There are two ways to get the coloured effects instead of a dull black and white splash. The first is the easier one - just change your white balance settings on your camera to either tungsten or shady. Tungsten gives a colder and more strong blue in the whole picture, while Shady makes everything more orangy/yellow.

In the two pictures below, I used custom white balance settings where I can set the Kelvin level i.e. 4000K, 5000k


2000K - cold/blue


14000K - hot/yellow

The second way is changing the background colour paper. That A4 colour paper acts as an illuminator on the water surface so if you can, get more saturated colours of A4 paper as that will light up your picture much better than those dull manila kad kind of colours (i.e. instead of pink, get red. unless you really want pink la). You can even throw in a mixture of inspirational colours. Example:




And here's the result:






Get creative!


Retort Stand
To create the water droplets, I clipped a small plastic bag to the tip of a self-constructed mini-crane. This would create a steady rate of droplets, and most importantly it would enable the droplets to fall and splash at the exact same position to reduce focusing problems (further explained).





I clipped the plastic bag to a metal ruler and mounted the ruler on to a flash stand. If you don't have such contraptions, you could use a basic setup like piling 2 level boxes on each side of the tray and rest a steady pole across the boxes, overhead the tray. Make sure you tighten/fasten/brace the clip on your small plastic bag to ensure that it doesn't sway or shake due to wind or vibration. That would change the position of where the drops would land.







Focusing

Now comes the part where that little battery is put to use. After I punctured the water bag with a needle, I placed the battery right where the droplets landed, just for something to focus on because the camera's autofocus isn't intelligent enough to detect the points of focus in that situation.





So the trick is to place your focusing object (you can use a bottle cap, a pen, whatever that's small and stands out of the water surface) beneath of where the droplets land, focus on it, then switch to manual focus and that would make life much easier where you can just continuously shoot without worrying.





Okay, so I think that wraps the set up, now all you need to do is just shoot away! It's very much of a numbers game, the more you shoot, the better chance of you getting the perfect shot.

That's all for this tutorial, hope you enjoyed it and I wish you all the best!

Labels: expanding my knowledge

I was very...


fidgety.


and restless


So I unearthed my equipment.

Labels: the world in photos

PLEASE WATCH IT ZOMG IT'S LAME BUT GOOD.

That's the cast of The Guild. It's a bunch of web series with short short clips. They've got two seasons out and the third one is coming out 25th August. Actually I just watch it coz Felicia Day has such a funny cute attractive personality in the show.

The series is about these bunch of online gamers and how they interact with each other online and offline. Argh seriously lor. I think I'm starting to have something for red heads. Haley Williams (Paramore), Rachel Nicols (G.I Joe). Like my brother also. Come out from G.I. Joe straight away K.O. in wonderland adi dreaming about hot red heads.

Hmm. yes.

__________________________________________


Ok tomorrow I'm going shooting at Pasar Seni at 6.30am. catch the 'Deserted City' mood in pictures. Then we're heading over to some abandoned building near Mid Valley. Wish me luck in waking up!

__________________________________________


Oh and btw I'm helping a friend sell a guitar. It's a very old model. I think he said it's almost 20-years old If I'm not mistaken. I'm not sure if it's vintage stuff. Will collect more information soon.





The problem is that it's damaged at the neck. But worry not, we have sent it to a guitar shop and it was successfully repaired. Shop owner states that sound quality has not been impaired. But still, price has been appropriately revised for secondhand sale.

More information will be disclosed soon. Stay tuned!

Labels: misc

Thanks for your support, guys. I'll be back shortly. Stay tuned!

I looked at the clock, 12.37pm. I looked at the clock, 12.38pm. I looked at the clock 12.39pm. I looked at the clock, I looked at the clock, I kept fricking looking at the clock to find the right time. It finally came down to this single moment in my decades of study. It could change everything.

It could change nothing.

All I've worked for the past 3 and a half years, down to this minute, determined by 3 numbers I have yet to discover. All my plans for the next few months, few quarters, few years, depend on these few digits I am yet to be revealed. All of my youth, my studies and knowledge, packed into a few pixels displaying these numerical characters.

I couldn't suffer any longer.

I scrambled for Mozilla Firefox and rushed to save and close my work in Microsoft Excel. The cursor, shiveringly darting around the LCD screen closing off Photoshop, chat sessions, iTunes... anything to spoil the mood. Anything. I was perspiring in cold sweat, in fear, in nervewreck.

I typed in the ACCA Website. Logging into the ACCA student portal, with my 362 000 fellow student accountants jamming up the server along with me, it was the longest, longest 3 minute-wait in my last 6 months. The only 3 minutes that deserve such gruesome adrenaline pumping through my veins, the only 3 minutes that deserve millions of thoughts flooding through my cerebral cortex each second "what's the average this sem?" "how are the others doing? anyone failed anything?" "what am i gonna do if I fail 1 paper? Are all my plans gonna be jumbled up again?" "What are my friends and family gonna think of me if I fail?"


what if I fail all 3.


The coloured web page flipped to satin white. The HTML loaded from top the bottom, pixel line by pixel line, revealing my name, student number, date of exams, exam centre details.I could feel my vision moving at the speed of light through the entire frame, my heart pumping as if I were sprinting through the last 2 metres of a 100-meter dash.





I glanced at my first paper,
Corporate Reporting

















My heart stopped.






























After a few seconds staring at it, it finally hit me that after 6 months of sweating in the library, freezing in the refrigerating exam halls and going to college to study 7 days a week, averaging out 11 hours a day, for 4 weeks, I only increased my audit marks by 1.

And a few seconds after, yea, I failed audit.






I've learned a tonne of lessons along the way, after 7 semesters of study, 7 stressful exam periods, 7 results days. Of all those lessons, one thing's for sure, the most crucial one.



Don't give up.

Never look back, never feel down, and never be pessimistic. Even if the numbers burn in your mind,





Never give up.

That is the true lesson I've learnt from ACCA.
Not about numbers, not about memorizing.




It's about perseverance.

Labels: the accounting stuff

Haha I can imagine myself like jote now. Being a little judgmental during an event where you're supposed to just let your hair down. But I guess I did enjoy the performances la.

Raygun's music was almost mind-blowing. Really modern-retro liking.

Pixie Lott's beats could own the other dance tracks anytime. And wasn't she like some super hot blonde on stage or something? Goodness. Aku terpelanting just looking at her on stage.

Apparently a lot of people were disapppointed in Boys Like Girls. I dunno, I thought they were cool with their song sequence.

AAR? no need to say la. they were the highlight of the event. I think at least 7000 people left after AAR when there were a few bands yet to play after that.

Gotta run! KLPF, Gym and Canon event for today! Fun packed gay sunday with my ol' cousin shaz. Wahahahaha

Labels: events

Photojojo's Bad-Ass Bowler Camera Bag



Ain't this bag the coolest thing you've seen?


I personally think that if I were a girl (bimbotic or not, fashionable or otherwise, simple or stylo-milo), I'd worship this bag. Although, it looks like a plain ol' bowling bag (apparently, it's meant to, so that it doesn't shout out to the world "Heyyy! I'm hiding expensive stuff in here!" - but just a heavy ball).


But I still think it's so pretty! Fwoar I can turn feminine in an instant, looking at this.


And I think i just did.



Features:

• Quilted satin-like lining padded for protection.
• Dual, no-hassle zippers.
• Adjustable/removable padded divider
• Two side-pockets for extra storage.
• Measures in at 6.25" high 7" long and 3.5" wide

And for the gal on the go, there are strap loops on the side pockets for you to attach your strap(optional), and viola! a stylish, sturdy sling!



Even more intriguing, it's only going for USD50.00! oklah, @3.51 Exch = RM175, plus shipping, altogether say RM200 or something. for such a nice-looking bag omg! unlike all the boy-ish Crumplers going for RM250/RM350.



//*Jomi has obtained feminine orb.*//



The best part about it is that the tag line I found at the website:













So here's to all the DSLR chics out there!

(More pictures)




















Visit Photojojo's store for more info.

Labels: i'm a marketing director

Today, I discovered the indecisiveness of a fickle perspective being so unsettled. It shoots to the end of the world, searching for a sign of truth but suddenly bends its steady course toward a new-found attraction. It fires back a U-turn at the call of conflict or confusion, and travels lightspeed across the galaxy to try and figure it out. A fickle perspective, so unsettled, so untamed. It could turn so dangerous overnight, yet subtly be able to exponentially develop your naive mind and fresh soul.

That is how we become knowledgeable. That is how we mature. By forming perspective, by empathizing with others. By hearing events happen as how you imagined your worst fears and curiosities to. But that's life, and that's growing up. Unable to erase a memory but embrace its valuable lesson to you, the world starts to seem like a better place to live in.

Thank you my friends, my family and my lord, for bestowing such a revelation upon me. None would have idea of how much this will affect me and my daily operation, my fickle-perspectives, my soul. I still feel troubled yet relief is already cast throughout me.

Frankly as I cannot emphasize anymore, I do wish the best of blessing and joy to submerge you in happiness and abundance, but also stash away the sorrow and conflicts in a little dusty box of faded memories.

From the bottom of my heart and the end of my capabilities, you have my full support. =)

Labels: life around me

Stand a chance to win a Canon EOS 500D


ngaaaahhhh. I am in need of money.

Yeap, some of you might have received that email. hehe. I joined a contest to try and win that camera. Highly doubt that I'll even get shortlisted as the top 244068 though.

My olympus e-510 has served me well over the years, but I think it's time to let go of it... I feel like I'm missing out on the advancements of the digital photography world. "Like What?!"

Well, the Canon EOS500D has Full HD (1920x1080p @30fps) movie capture capability. Even those cupboard sized video cameras couldn't do that last time. And now it's fitted in a hand-sized device.

Okla. actually the reason I'm suddenly so crazy for getting a new dslr is because Olympus is.. well... here are a few reasons:

1. Olympus lenses are 9999% more expensive than Canon & Nikon
2. Third party equipment (external flash, wireless remote, filters) are so much easier to get and more common for Canon & Nikon
   
3. The stupid 50mm f1.8 for Canon/Nikon is around RM350. Or so I've heard.
4. The stupid 50mm f2.0 for Olympus is around RM2050. Or so I've heard.
5. Ok wait. that's another consideration.

The Olympus Zuiko 50mm f2.0 is actually a macro lens that's why it's so blardy darn expensive and dpreview said it's one of the sharpest lenses in the world currently made. It's the biggest-apperture lens I can find in the Olympus Zuiko lenses line, unless I buy some third party Sigma 50mm f1.8 which is like RM1800 or so after conversion. Coz I don't think it's available in Malaysia. Which has NO MACRO. yea. hmm. So let's say I get a



I need to churn another. like. RM1000. in, I don't know.. a week or two? Coz I plan to sell my soul to the devil (the audit firm) in January or February... so if I buy the lens so late this year, I won't have time to shoot anymore! and what a waste... =(

So hmm... yea maybe I shouldn't switch to another brand. but just. wait for the time being.

The Conclusion
I need to find more side jobs so if any of you have people wanting namecard designs, t-shirt designs, whatever la that I can do to earn a few bucks. please do let me know. my number is lohjonming[at]hotmail[dot]com and my e-mail address is +6017226315three.

I really hope I don't lose my passion for photography just because of financial constraints. =(

*depressed

Labels: misc