by Sally Mk LRPS
Photography started off as a distraction after a slightly complicated birth of my third child which resulted in a protracted house arrest. My brother thought it would get my mind off my confinement. A few snaps here, and shutter click there, and my photography took off; and I have never looked back since.
As a self-taught photographer, I find my greatest inspiration and influences from the photo-sharing site Flickr and its community of photographers- amateur and professional alike. I would spend hours scouring the site for images and then studying the EXIF information where possible for a particularly inspiring image.
With my initial foray into photography (house bound), I started out with food and flowers as my main subjects – being that they're easy subjects in the home. My interest in photography has flourished since and I am keen to expand my vision and horizons beyond that comfort zone. Recent explorations have me moving on to water droplets, landscapes, sports, birds and weddings.
I am grateful that the persistence in my photography has given me the opportunity to receive recognition from Canon Malaysia and I was given an opportunity to exhibit some of my floral work in DCIM Show 2011 last year.
The encouragement of recognition has spurred me to further my commitment to my photography and I am currently on the road to obtaining the Royal Photographic Society Distinction; having completed the first level and currently pursuing the second level.
I, now, conduct individual one-to-one classes on floral work which covers how to shoot and edit the photos to produce a final product.
When I work on my floral photographs, the lines, curves, details, angles, and background have to come together before that decisive shutter goes off. I try to avoid taking the flowers in the typical sense or making them look ordinary. Often times, I shoot with a large aperture for shallower depths of field, to further divert attention to the flower itself – softening the background to reduce further distractions. Post processing, often entails adding textures to give it a dreamy almost paint-like effect.
Water droplet shots may look difficult but with some practice and patience the results could be very satisfying. I applied the droplet with a srynge on a bird feather and shot this beside a window with lots of light coming thru. To have it tact sharp use a tripod and a shutter release. The colour of the droplet was enhanced in photoshop.
My gear:
More of my work can be seen {HERE}
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Residing in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's capital, and amidst a busy schedule as both a wife, and a mother of 3– I've managed to squeeze in a second life of passion, through the lens of my camera.
Photography started off as a distraction after a slightly complicated birth of my third child which resulted in a protracted house arrest. My brother thought it would get my mind off my confinement. A few snaps here, and shutter click there, and my photography took off; and I have never looked back since.
As a self-taught photographer, I find my greatest inspiration and influences from the photo-sharing site Flickr and its community of photographers- amateur and professional alike. I would spend hours scouring the site for images and then studying the EXIF information where possible for a particularly inspiring image.
With my initial foray into photography (house bound), I started out with food and flowers as my main subjects – being that they're easy subjects in the home. My interest in photography has flourished since and I am keen to expand my vision and horizons beyond that comfort zone. Recent explorations have me moving on to water droplets, landscapes, sports, birds and weddings.
I am grateful that the persistence in my photography has given me the opportunity to receive recognition from Canon Malaysia and I was given an opportunity to exhibit some of my floral work in DCIM Show 2011 last year.
The encouragement of recognition has spurred me to further my commitment to my photography and I am currently on the road to obtaining the Royal Photographic Society Distinction; having completed the first level and currently pursuing the second level.
I, now, conduct individual one-to-one classes on floral work which covers how to shoot and edit the photos to produce a final product.
When I work on my floral photographs, the lines, curves, details, angles, and background have to come together before that decisive shutter goes off. I try to avoid taking the flowers in the typical sense or making them look ordinary. Often times, I shoot with a large aperture for shallower depths of field, to further divert attention to the flower itself – softening the background to reduce further distractions. Post processing, often entails adding textures to give it a dreamy almost paint-like effect.
Macro Tips
Macro work has always been my favorite . I love shooting flowers, insects (particularly ladybirds) and water droplets. The essential tools for macro work are my 100mm L f2.8 lense, a tripod ( i usually use this for my droplet shots), a shutter release, kenko extension tubes (to get real close to subjects like insects), and finally my Canon MR-14EX Macro Ring Lite.
Here's how this droplet shot is made...
Camera: EOS 7D
Exposure: (1/50)
Aperture: of 3.5, ISO 400 ,
Lens: 100mm macro, and a sturdy tripod.
Exposure: (1/50)
Aperture: of 3.5, ISO 400 ,
Lens: 100mm macro, and a sturdy tripod.
Water droplet shots may look difficult but with some practice and patience the results could be very satisfying. I applied the droplet with a srynge on a bird feather and shot this beside a window with lots of light coming thru. To have it tact sharp use a tripod and a shutter release. The colour of the droplet was enhanced in photoshop.
My gear:
-Canon EOS 5DMK2 and EOS 7D.
-EF 50mm f 1.2 USM, EF 100mm f2.8L Macro IS USM, EF 17- 40mm f/4 USM, EF 24 – 105mm f 4L IS USM, EF 70 – 200mm F2.8 L IS II USM, EF 400mm f/5.6L USM
-14 EX Macro Ring Flash and the 580 EX II canon Flash.
