Tuesday, March 30, 2010

News - Basic MACRO/Landscape Workshop (April 2010)

A 2 day 1 night nature workshop with hand-on sharing on MACRO/Landscape hand-on and Post Processing sharing.

where : Cameron Highland
when : TBA (due to my work, this is postpone to early June 2010, sorry for 3 participants that involve and interest)
who : those would like to learn basic photography, MACRO photography, Landscape Photography, Basic Post Processing .
Fee : RM350 include accommodation (2 share 1 room), 3 meals
- 1st 2 participant from KL will include travel from/back KL
- minimum 2 to start & max 6 persons


... light ray ...

Hello, this way please ...

it's always good to look close 23 - bee

Monday, March 22, 2010

New Found - Red-bearded Bee-eater 赤鬚夜蜂虎

this is a common bird @Bukit Tinggi (or call Berjaya Hill), Pahang, Malaysia but I failed to capture a close shot of it ... and was lucky last week and managed to capture few really close picture of the beautiful bee-eater

Red-bearded Bee-eater 赤鬚夜蜂虎

Red-bearded Bee-eater 赤鬚夜蜂虎

Sunday, March 21, 2010

News - 1st try on Still JPEG Movie

finally I managed to capture and create my 1st still JPGE movie with another star trail capture and outing ... happy to went out with my gang (even another long hours outing 2am - 7pm) .. but we enjoy the outing very much as we learn, laugh .. here are output from 1st try

1. picture
another star trail

2. movie


*** prefer to view larger and better quality from http://www.liewwkphoto.com/still/Genting/trail1/Genting-Star1.html

Monday, March 15, 2010

Review - Results of 2010 - MACRO light test plan 1

not much things found today but lucky got similar object while I use old light setup ( puffer - pop-up flash diffuser put in front of mt-24 flash head)

let's see the light reflection on the damselfly

1. old shot with puffer diffusers
7:1 shot - hot spot found on eye with the mt flash head reflection
7.1 Damselfly - Copera marginipes ... face ...

should be very close to ~5:1 - think this one I had did some PP on it's eye reflection portion using method clone reflective body share previously
7.1 Damselfly - Copera marginipes ... face ...

2. new plastic cup diffuser which share here

result - no clone reflective , no dodge and burn
- curve increase contrast
- noise ninja
- stacked 3 shots into 1
Hello, this way please ...

think the plastic cup diffuser method did the good job. but as it is little too bulky, big element just in front of my len, so it is not so convenient on shy bug .. or even no so shy type may flew off due to the plastic cup extend out .... am not sure will I continue use this but then definitely a good MACRO lighting setup for mt24.

How I Shoot MACRO - new start ...

I am going to test out new setting for my macro shooting and lighting for coming 2-3 weeks time.
this time I will use one of my favorite macro shooter diffuse method by Stephen @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/9578475@N02/

"plastic Cup Diffuser", which I tried few months back while I tried to use a styrofoam plate (different materiel) compare to Stephen one.

will share more picture and output ...

2010 - MACRO light test plan 1
simple setup ...





Friday, March 12, 2010

News - Basic MACRO Workshop (March 2010)

I am going to have a "close" (will give priority to my blog follower and fb friends) nature shooting workshop ...
i. how to shoot macro
ii. what is my macro PP work flow
iii. how to improve your's lighting based on current setup

- will on 27/28 March 2010

it is one day free session but timing and location will be only pass to those participant (max 4)

4 reserved (updated on 16 March 2010)
- due to the many request will extend this to 5 participant

2.34 weevil ... 4-5x times life size

How tiger mating !!!

long-horned beetle in love - 1

for more click http://www.liewwkphoto.com/Macroworkshop.htm

New Found - A Katydid ???

it look like katydid but 1st time it seeing it have the scary mouth and face ....

and it bite so while shoot close have to take note on it mouth and teeth :D

and managed to choose few shots to represent working faces by day :D

Monday - hmmm .. what should I do now .. which one to start???
Katydid - Mon face

Tuesday - all the hands, legs also need to be work .. aikss so many work
Katydid - Tue/Wed face

Wednesday / Thursday - Tired, mood down ...
Katydid - Wed/Thu face

Friday - Party time :D yeah .. yeah .. TGIF
Katydid - Fri face

Happy Friday .. special to those feel happy that TGIF :D

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Other - Why I Always request Larger Picture before comment

I love to view pictures .. I can simply open flickr, pbase , google picture and spend hours without drink , eat and concentrate to view pictures ... but I seldom comments other's picture... as web size (low resolution) 800-1000 pic @long side will definitely not should what we see in actual resolution 100% crop , and to judge the picture sharpness, details...

even a non sharp picture after re-size with little sharpen the picture will still look good in sharpness and details, and we have no way to tell is it a picture with details or is the len sharp or not ...

let have a look at picture 1 & 2 which is web size
1. worthwhile picture - Web Size
worthwhile picture - Web Size

2. un-wanted picture web size
Unwanted Picture - Web Size


with 100% worthwhile picture and unwanted picture
3. 100% crop picture #1
Full Size - 100% Crop

4. 100% crop picture #2
Full Size - 100% crop

all picture from process with very close
1. raw --> jpeg (no sharpen)
2. increase contrast
3. 100% crop on head
4. redo and resize and save

as the web size picture (800-1000) is very low resolution so it is no way to tell how is the len sharpness and picture details ... so you know why I ask for larger picture :D

with small resolution picture, actually I can make very sharp and look many details pictures by just little extra PP

New Found - Leaf Mimic Grasshopper

Leaf Mimic Grasshopper
genus is Systella sp., a short-horned grasshopper (Caelifera) in the family Trigonopterygidae

happy to found this bug 2 weeks ago but then see it again last week while I brought my daughter to see some moth @ Berjaya Resort (Bukit Tinggi) locate at Pahang, Malaysia.

this is a leaf like insect not easy to spot, and it jump not far as long as do not let it jump back to the area close it color else have to spend time to find it. and it is not really move or shy to human so can use tripod for this guy :D

1. male
Leaf Mimic Grasshopper - male

2. female
Leaf Mimic Grasshopper - female

3. late for the mating session .. but this is just before they split
Leaf Mimic Grasshopper mating

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

New Found - Long-Horned Beetle in Love

After 2 years ++ in MACRO photography, this is my first time see a pair of Long-Horned Beetle mating in real life instead of pictures. it is wonderful found, and was should be one of my best found for 2010 .. so let's share it with pictures ... and HD Movie

1. keep moving around so I got green BG
long-horned beetle in love - 2

2. and also brown BG
long-horned beetle in love - 1

and a HD movie show how they never give up ... (@almost end of the movie)

Monday, March 8, 2010

Natural Outing - Chiling Fall, Selangor, Malaysia

An outing arrange by local FLickr group @KLNO

This is not really far from Kuala Lumpur, but it is slight north drive toward Fraser Hill.
from Kuala Lumpur either way to reach
Path A
i. direct toward Rawang (~30minutes)
ii. after Rawang, toward Kuala Kubu Bahru or Fraser Hill (~1 hour)
iii. it is on way up to Fraser Hill from Kuala Kubu Bahru and look for signboard (~20minutes)

Path B
i. from North South Highway
ii. toward North
iii. look for exist Tg Malim or Kuala Kubu Bahru (45minutes)
iv. toward Kuala Kubu Bahru (from Toll Exist ~30minutes)
v. it is on way up to Fraser Hill from Kuala Kubu Bahru and look for signboard
(all times are estimated based on some traffic slow down by traffic, dark road...)

This outing actually have 3 sessions where we start travel from KL ~4:45am and arrived Kuala Kubu Bahru and went to DQ Mosque for sunrise & breakfast ... then toward to Chiling Fall for slow shutter shooting, macro and playing with water :D
after the Chiling Fall, we back to DQ Mosque to wait for sunset session ...

for start let's me share few picture

... a late sunrise ...
... a late sunrise ...


then we toward Chiling Falls
... Spherical View - Chiling Fall ...
Spherical View - Chiling Fall

... pano View - Chiling Fall ...
Pano View - Chiling Fall

a 360 x 180 degree view for Chiling Fall
http://www.liewwkphoto.com/360pano/ChilingFall-small/chiling%20fall-small.htm

then we leave Chiling Fall then Sunset
... this picture was after sunset and last picture I snap before leave DQ Mosque
... DQ Mosque ...

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

News - 1st try on spherical panorama

for me spherical panorama picture is a art ... and it will be fun to see 360 degree view within single frame .. I not really a fan of it but while I have gear to make one so let have a try ....and for 1st timer let share what I face ...

1. nodal point is important to find out before go on field and sometime don't depend number from www but try to calibrate at home before go on field (some info of Nodal point /Entrance pupil point can look here http://wiki.panotools.org/Entrance_Pupil_Database )

2. try to overlap as much as possible ... (sometime it just can't auto find the crossing points then manual work need to be done)

3. understand your's camera, lock WB and exp else lot of work to adjust different exp and WB

4. try cover moving object in single frame else it can stitch properly and need some clone work

5. try cover strong exp area in single frame, avoid the stitch exp different

6. choose the right software, at 1st I facing problem to merge it trying vary software but after I get PTGui. It work perfect for most of my testing

7. use wider len (or fish eye) .. else need to shoot too many picture to cover 360degree
- 24mm @FF need 24 pictures (I cross 30-40% .. may be too much and if redicue the crossing may be can reduce to 18)

*** I shoot using Canon 5dm2 + 24-105 L @24mm and Canon 5dm2 + 12-24mm @12mm

here you god my 1st try
my 1st try on spherical panorama

also sharing .mov view
small
http://www.liewwkphoto.com/360pano/PantaiKelanang-small/PantaiKelanang-small.html

large (need faster connection)
http://www.liewwkphoto.com/360pano/PantaiKelanang-Large/PantaiKelanang-large.html

leave me comments ... how you feel about spherical panorama ?

Monday, March 1, 2010

New Founds - Rhinoceros beetle

this is not new to me but happy to share it with you all as this seem to be rare after years ...

while I was young I can see this beetle quite often even in the town (I stay in Kuala Lumpur since young) but nowadays, we are not easy to smell this beetle even went into jungle ....

few characteristic
i. seldom move and like to climb stick
ii. female without horn
iii. take note of it legs as it will hurt you if it trying to hold your hand :D
4. so far I found @highland ... Genting Highland, Berjaya Resort (Bukit Tinggi) and Lukut Palm Oil Plantation

have been long never meet a "Rhino"

larger view http://www.liewwkphoto.com/image-viewer.htm?Fgallery2-23
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