Bird at the window

Just thought I'll give this blog a lil' something that I have never posted anywhere yet on the net including my Facebook account which usually contains all my photos that I have taken. Been very busy lately so this is just a quick something to share with everyone. I took this picture like a couple months ago but never really put it up anywhere, so here it is. The one and only exclusively picture by me found only on this blog. Hurray.



P.S. Take care and do leave a comment or so.

iTemple

I saw it. A fleeting moment as an old monk was walking under a shaft of light shining through the smoky air. Unfortunately, my relatively bulky camera was not with me and I had nothing in my hands to capture what I saw except for thin air. I missed that opportunity but I certainly wasn't planning to again, especially still in a place with so much character in it. Luckily my only solution was a convenient one. One that was the size of my palm. With deft precision and in an almost secret agent fashion, I slipped my hand into my pocket to reach for a device that could fit into the palm of my hand. It wasn't a hand gun I was pulling out nor was I trying to get arrested for public misconduct. Nay, it was in fact an iPhone 3Gs with a small built in 3.2 megapixels camera. Good enough for the situation at hand when my Canon was not available.

The camera's quality was mediocre in my opinion, and its zoom function was not of much use since the image quality drops a lot when in use. However, what I found so useful of the iPhone's camera was the simple fact that it was an iPhone. A slim, compact and most importantly non-intrusive camera. It makes shooting people a lot more easier than with my Canon, as people tend to feel intimidated when they are photographed by bigger cameras. The iPhone's camera is a long shot off compared to my trusty ol' work horse, and its lack of functionality in terms of its impractical zoom does not help either. Appreciate the iPhone's camera for what it is though and the image quality is good enough for general use. Besides, I would rather think of its lack of a practical zoom as an opportunity to treat it as a prime lens. Nonetheless, I am glad to know that a back up will always be there for me in my pocket ready to capture the moment whenever I do not have my primary camera with me. Its good for what its made for, and not to mention its enjoyable to use as well.


















Photos by Lucas Yap S.W.

Written by Lucas Yap S.W.

Meeting the cows

The Approach

The highway to Mount Wellington was a very scenic and atmospheric one. All the better still when we came across a herd of cows grazing on a field. While I was photographing the herd, they started advancing towards me, probably wondering what this person is doing holding a black box like shape equipment in his hand. They came cautiously at first, wary of this stranger. A bold one came forth with the rest of the herd slowly following her. There were few cars on the road, so I guess they do not get visitors much. Eventually they came as near as they dared did and just looked at me. Interesting I must have been to them. They sure do not look like they get guest much because no drinks were offered. But I was certainly rewarded with a great photo. The entertainment of the cow's itinerary for the day. Graze. Graze. Graze. Human and camera.

From the other side

Written by Lucas Yap S.W.

Photos by Lucas Yap S.W.

BW at night

Bridge

While reading 'The making of 40 photographs' by Ansel Adams lent to me by Uncle Cheah, I came across the photo Moonrise at Hernandez, Mexico. It caught me totally by surprise and I honestly admired the picture a lot. Taken at the last light of day, practically at night, it was a moon rise shot and certainly one of a kind. I loved the photo and the feeling it gave out. It was unlike any other black and white landscape shots I've seen. Since then, I've been inspired to take black and white nights shots as well and I finally found the chance while in Tasmania Island.

Taking black and white shots at night needed a different way of seeing than from taking it in the day time. I found that for myself, you had to use whatever artificial light there was and balance it out with the rest of the photo. Of course, the shot would have a lot of blacks in it, but with enough light to show details at vital parts of the photo it would work out. Or it should anyway, haha. For myself, I found it a bit like a delicate balance between the dark and the light available. And when done correctly, the mood it gave off to me was somewhat nostalgic in a sense. Some of them gave off a dark and lonely feeling, while another one would be a bit more fulfilling. The different approach needed to take these shots was a very rewarding experience and opened a whole new realm for me in black and white photography.

Waiting for the fish

Evening lights

Ferry Service, Tasmania island

Written by Lucas Yap S.W.

Photos by Lucas Yap S.W.

Winter's colour

Red Winter

It was a dull winter morning when we just arrived in Tasmania and decided to have lunch at an Asian restaurant. Upon parking the car, I came across this scene of a little girl and her brother having lunch with their mom. Right next to the cafe they were at was a shop selling lenses with a fitting message for the day.

Grime 1#

Grime 2#

Beach moon

A fallen log

A stream at Tasmania's National Park

Tasmania's trees

Written by Lucas Yap S.W.

Photos by Lucas Yap S.W.

Stripped

Once proud and mighty,
Rich it was with greenery,
It brought along a pretty scenery,
But alas time took its toll,
And now I am old and feel the cold,
However knowledge I now hold,
That everything comes and goes,
So woe to my foes as it should be,
For though I am green no more,
Stripped off I was to the core,
I will still stand forevermore.

Written by Lucas Yap S.W.

Photographs by Lucas Yap S.W.

Nature's Work

Rock stump

While sitting in our underpowered suv that was climbing up Mt.Wellington's road, I was hypnotized by the beauty of nature's creation. I know it has been this way since the dawn of time, but to be able to identify it myself and process it almost naturally is a gift to one's soul indeed. The intricacy of a fallen tree stump over a piece of rock as a shaft of light illuminates a part of a tree stump behind the rock convinces me as if hours were spent into designing this perfect architectural model. I have my own reasons of why I found it so beautiful, but I shan't spoil the surprise for you. Interpret it with your own sense of beauty and absorb it how you will. I wished I had more time in Australia, but unfortunately it was just a short trip since we didn't have time due to my exams. Either way, I still enjoyed it a lot and congratulations again to my brother who graduated there and thanks to my dad as well who made the trip possible. I'll definitely be back again.

Bent

Branched out

The Path

Intertwined

I strive to perfect the connection between my brain and my heart, that instinctual reaction to identify and process the beauty I see in any situation.