3...2...1.. * KACHA *

I went for the Canon Photography workshop at Catholic High School yesterday to learn about the usage of a DSLR ( Digital Single Lens Reflex ) camera. The workshop was brought by Popular Digital Media Group whereby the trainers are hired by Canon to train students and adults on aspects of Photography. 

I signed up for the FacetsOfSg photography competition not too long ago and along with the competition, there is also a workshop for me to sign up for. 

What made me interested in this workshop? Well, first of all, I did not have much knowledge about the camera. I have only used it once during a school event where I, being a member of the Audio-Visual Arts club in school, had to snap some shots of the event. Even then, I didn't know the concrete details of the camera's functions. Secondly, I thought that it would be a great opportunity to interact with new people and make new friends :) And yes, I did make 2 new friends but they both live in the west, which reduces the probability of us bumping into one another ._. 

Anyway, back to the workshop.... 

For the first hour or two, we learnt about the theories of the mechanics of the camera. There are three pillars of photography- ISO( International Organisation for Standardisation ), Aperture and Shutter speed. When you combine these three together, you are one step away from taking an amazing photograph! 

Let's briefly discuss what these three pillars are all about.. 

What is ISO? Well, ISO is basically the camera's sensitivity to light. The higher the ISO level, the more sensitive the camera is to light which makes the picture brighter and vice versa. 



Before we talk about Aperture, let's think about the human eye. The pupil of the eye allows light to enter the eye, while the Iris controls the amount of light entering the eye. Depending on the intensity of light, the Iris can either make the pupil smaller, or bigger and that's exactly what the concept of Aperture is. Aperture is expressed by " f-stops " which controls the size of the lens. The higher the f-stop number, the smaller the lens and vice versa. 



Having said all that, so what is Aperture really? Well, simply put, Aperture is about focusing on the important object while isolating ( or blurring ) the less important ones. This is according to the concept of Depth Of Field. With a small f-stop number, the subject will be sharpened, while the background blurs. With a bigger f-stop number, the background would start to be clearer and clearer. 



Lastly, we talked about the Shutter Speed. Shutter speed is basically about the length of time the camera is exposed to light. This length of time will then control the motion of the moving object and creates a dramatic blurring or freezing effect. 

  


After being taught about the necessary skills to take good photographs, we were then given half an hour to roam around the school and take pictures of the given theme- Food and Architecture. Before the day ends, we gathered back at the computer lab to submit one photograph for each person and get the trainer to critic on our photographs and what we can improve on. 

Here's the picture that I took and submitted ^^

Overall, the day was one of fun. I got to learn more about the aspects of photography and I think it would be a useful skill to be used in the future. 

I'd like to share something that one of the trainers said which I think is really inspiring. I couldn't remember what he exactly said but it goes something like this, " Photography is about expressing yourself and your own individuality. Every picture is different, and that's because every person has a different outlook to the things around us. " 

Me armed with a DSLR camera at Catholic High School ^.^ 

VOTE FOR ME MAYBE?

I've decided to take part in the FacetsOfSg photography essay competition. It is a competition where I had to submit three photographs of Singapore's heritage, write captions in both English and my mother tongue ( Chinese ) and write an excerpt of less than 100 words to explain the story that my pictures want to tell. 

I chose the theme on Architecture and wrote about the infrastructural development of Singapore due to our economic progress. 

So please vote and support me in this competition ^_^ I would really appreciate it. 

Link to my work: http://www.facetsof.sg/photo-submission/5df4320e572e0c465145933065d64afc/  

If you're interested in taking part in this competition and wanna show off your great photography skills, visit www.facetsof.sg , create your facetsofsg account and get started! :) Hurry, voting ends at 25 July 2014

" Y U STUDY??? "

" Sec 1 is the year when you can play and fool around, Y U STUDY?? " 

This is a question that I've been asked countless times. 

For those of you who know me well enough ( Well now you know haha ^^ ), you would have known that I studied very hard and took my studies very seriously when I was in sec 1. To many, that might seem stupid. 

I mean, it's only sec 1! There's no need to take your studies so seriously, right? 

So why did I study so hard then? 

Well, honestly, I don't know. I can't provide you with a definite answer. 

I guess it's just a habit of mine that I've developed since young. I just feel that it didn't make sense for me NOT to study when there's a test or exam coming up, or NOT to do my homework when there is one to be done. I have a habit of 'getting things done'. 

Am I a nerd? I guess I am... ^^  

SLOW DOWN, WILL YA?

" Time waits for no man. " is a common phrase that I hear as a student who is constantly expected to get my work done or prepare for exams as quickly as possible because there is " not much time ". 

I just came to a sudden realisation not too long ago that nowadays, people, including myself, seem to be overly-obsessive with speed, getting things done fast and are always in a rush to get from one place to another. 



Why is this so? Well, it is due to the fact that in this modern and technologically-driven society, things are happening so fast that people feel the need to keep up with the pace to not get left behind. Mass-production is occurring at almost every industry and hundreds and thousands instant messages are being sent every second in lightning speed. 


Though I do agree in saving time and using your time wisely, but trying to do things too fast isn't really wise either. 

First of all, rushing to get your work done is never a good idea. This is because as you are working at whatever you're doing, you are so concerned with finishing it that the quality of your work suffers. Due to the trend of mass-production, people tend to care more about how much and how fast rather than how good. 

Secondly, when you're in a rush, you focus too much on reaching your destination that you tend to overlook what is going on around you, the buildings you saw, the people you met, etc. Because of this, many people are becoming more obsessed with the " end-point " but not the process or the journey. 

" Go to school. Get a degree. Get a job. Get married. " 






We are frequently reminded of the aims that we SHOULD BE AIMING for in life that we sometimes ignore other aspects of our lives. Our physical, mental and spiritual development, the friendships that we foster, relationship with our loved ones, the conquest towards becoming a better person.






Though I enjoy listening to songs that are fast-paced and getting that adrenaline rush from them, but I also like to listen to slow songs as well. 


It is often said that music has the ability to change someone's thinking, perception and even his/her behavior. I think it is absolutely right. 

I noticed that when I'm listening to slow songs, my mind would be drifted away from the present situation for a while and I would start to ponder and reflect on life. Where am I heading to in life? Who are the people that are important to me? Or even something as simple as, what am I gonna have for dinner later on? 

As my mind starts pondering, it is gradually and naturally inspired and that's how the inspirations for my blog posts come about. It is really by " slowing down " and stop trying to keep up with our high-paced society for a brief moment, to take a look at all the other wonders in this vast and beautiful world. 

So, to anyone who is rushing to finish reading this post, SLOW DOWN, WILL YA?