Earth Hour 2013
Earth Hour is here once again. A meaningful world wide started by World Wide Federation, currently an international event to raise social awareness of climate change since 2006 that kick started from Sydney, Australia. Everyone plays a part in making the world a better place, the ability to change the world we’re currently live in. Is encouraging to see business around the globe turned off their lights for an hour to save an abundance of energy. Long term commitment is the crucial key for a desirable future sustainability.
This year Earth Hour on 23rd March 2013 is located at The Floated @ Marina Bay. Feel free to join in the event to educate yourself of energy saving and what individual can do to make it happen. It will be a good picture opportunity for people who are into photography of such event in the public. Last year i documented the outdoor event for WWF Singapore, images was later put up on the website for archival purposes. Below is a series of pictures i capture, print screen from their website for your viewing.
Feel free to visit Capture Asia Earth Hour gallery for the full series.
Do encourage your friends and relatives to switch off the light for 1 hour, maybe light up a candle to slightly brighten up your surrounding. Have a thought about the importance of energy conservation. Is really not so bad after all. Hope to see many supporters at The Floating platform then.
Have a great weekend!
Photoshop for work
Whether is shooting for Singapore company annual report or corporate client. It so happen recent images capture were required to superimposed into a cleaner background for design purposes. Here i am sharing one of the image i worked on to show you the before and after effect. I was working on a cover page for L’oreal Singapore for their internal newsletter few weeks back. I was required to capture a group picture in a more lifestyle pose for the client. The challenge is group picture usually is do in horizontal format. However due to the design of the magazine the client requested a vertical shot with plenty of headroom. Arrange everyone in the best possible way to look lifestyle inside a training room.
After which image was decided to edit. I need to transform the background to a clean look so the designer can work on the wordings around the space given to give the best look. There are a few ways to superimposed the images nicely. In Photoshop software, i was using MASKING method, easily brush off the unwanted for general background, but the challenge of brushing the edges is the most painful part. The constant need to zoom in to check whether did it “spill” over the subject to achieve the edge out effect. I recently give up on using masking since my editing requires to edit so many people at one go.
I start to explore other method. There’s a tool call LASSO. Where you can outline the subject completely and paste it on a separate background. In the past i disliked using lasso as i don’t have patience to draw around the edges, one mistake and i need to start all over again. I start to explore other lasso tools such as magnetic and polygonal for fun, hoping to discover something. After various trial and error, polygonal lasso suits me the best, it goes in a straight line from one click to another, but i can adjust the line to suit the curve of the edges by clicking on the mouse to fit in nicely, brilliant i thought! The best part is takes about 5 mins to complete the process, depending on the size of the edge out.
Below is a sample of what i just explained. Hope you like it.
What’s happening in Jan 2013
First of all Capture Asia would like to wish everyone a very prosperous Chinese New Year, wish everyone good health and great success in 2013. *HUGS*
What’s happening in Jan 2013, here is a quick update of some photography work commissioned by clients and personal work accumulated.
Portrait/Editorial Photography
Cityscape Photography
Also, since is 14th Feb today. Wish all lovers, couples, married one a very wonder Valentine’s Day. Each second counts, treasure every single moment.
With Love,
Ricky Gui (Founder of Capture Asia)
The Last Roll of Kodachrome
Back in 2009 i attended Steve McCurry Master class in Singapore. During that time, the local newspaper announced Kodak was considering to retire Kodachrome, a color slide film that capture amazing colors. Most people would have known Steve use this film to capture many amazing portrait pictures that acclaims him many awards during his career as a photographer.
You can check out some of Steve’s final images on his blog using the last roll of Kodachrome 64.
Here is a clip of him behind the scene which almost shed tears in my eye.
Due to client’s demand and the constant shift of technology. I have to emphasize that film is not totally dead. There are many thousands of people out there shooting film today. Is the process that counts, no matter what digital/film camera you use, what type of software on computer to do editing. End of the day is the joy and passion of the craft we are constantly learning.
P.S. Just realized this was created in Jan 2013 yet i forgot to publish.
Capture Asia – Goodbye 2012
It was a decent year for Capture Asia despite a poor economy outpour globally. Many companies engaged in-expensive photographers to lighten their tight budget. Regardless the quality of their portfolio. Sad to say this is the reality and the real world is rough. Am not dishearten by the fact. Life got to move on regardlessly.
Capture Asia will be offering affordable stock images of Singapore next year, an addition service to various international/local publication, especially in Asia. We also can shoot upon request if client required specific images. Giving a more exclusive usage than buying an image that has been used or published before.
The company recently invested in a medium format camera and digital back. I feel there is a need to upgrade and polish my photographic skill, and bring high quality images for my client. Medium format camera is usually use for advertising for professional and very rich hobbyists. Am going to use this camera for most of my commercial job next year. Will post more details of it next time.
Below are some of the portfolio i work on in 2012, regardless of commercial, documentary and travel photography.
A corporate photography for a client in Singapore.
An interior photography for local client from Japan’s office.
A lifestyle photography for a business client.
An editorial/lifestyle photography for students winning award of their product
An annual report photography for an European ship company.
Event photography for G-STAR RAW with various celebrities attending.
Asia travel photography in Nepal, more to come.
A short story coverage of Earth Hour 2012 event for WWF Singapore.
Chinese Guardian Lion is a documentary series photography that is on-going.
THank you for your time reading and support all this while. Ricky Gui sincerely wish everyone a fantastic Happy New Year. Enjoy and take care. See you in 2013!
Christmas period in Saigon, Vietnam 2012
One of the reason i jetted to Saigon is because i want to have a sunny Christmas celebration with my local friends. Singapore has been raining for the past 2 months due to monsoon season. The feeling of dull and wet every afternoon is not a pleasurable feeling. Christmas has always a slow period for me in the past years. Staying at home watching tv, i don’t need to go church either. Is rather unimaginative.
My friend in Saigon tempted me with the best Cơm tấm (broken rice) in the city, this is also one of the reason i decided to fly over to eat. Is the most expensive broken rice i ever eaten, if your know what i mean. But it was all well worth it in the end. The rice was easy to chew on with a nice fragrance over it, the grilled pork was cooked with their speciality sauce to enhance the overall taste of the meet, the smell of the grilling was simply luring. Overall it was a very well balance meal with the necessary local kimchi style vegetable that goes with it, not forgetting the soup that goes along without fail. Perfectlicious~
The crazy traffic in Saigon was beyond my imagination, i lived there before and i thought i had seen it all. But not during the festive season. The evening traffic during Christmas eve at the round about in Ben Thanh Market is too congested. The humility was exhausting with all the carbon monoxide from the hundreds to the thousands lingered in the air of Christmas’s spirit. The usual of giving and going way on the road is something i got used to it. The horning from trucks and buses gave me some annoying moment as usual.
In my Capture Asia’s Facebook page, feel free to check out the short clips of me stuck on the road and the crazy traffic in Ben Thanh Market round-about road.
