2011: The year in review

For the past couple of years, I made myself review my year in terms of my photography and highlight the good and the bad. I think everyone should start to do this, either review of the work you’ve done or the achievements you’ve made. At the end, you’ll learn from it and eventually improve.

So here goes mine,

 

Urban exploration

As some of you might have noticed, the trend of this blog have always been around urban exploration. (Sorry, no pretty photos of flowers and sunsets here). All in all, I made more trips and discovered more urban decay sites for me to photograph last year. In fact, I still have some in the archives and even some rolls that aren’t developed.

I won’t go down into the details of why I like to photograph these places or what make me do it, but it’s good to say that enjoyed it and hopefully I can continue this (though urban decay are a scarce these days)

 

Global Battle of the Bands finals 2011

I’d never expect myself to photograph a concert but when given a chance, I did not hesitate and jumped to it…with a film camera. Obviously I don’t have a digital camera so what better way to experiment a little and shoot a rock concert with film. It was an enlightening experience. The energy of the whole thing was overwhelming and to my surprise, most of my shots came out.

It was good trying new things and pushing myself to the limit with my equipment. You never know what you can achieve if you don’t.

 

 

F64.org takes off

F64 was an idea that another friend came up with, roughly in 2006/07 but due to other commitments, it was delayed. After some talking and renewed interest, we decided to start the whole thing and see how it goes.

It has been up and running since early 2011 and to date we’ve had 3 B&W developing and printing workshops, we’ve collaborated with various local lifestyle coupon companies, got featured in an online magazine, helped many new photographers to source out B&W materials and equipment, offer our services to develop and print B&W photos and recently we set up our Etsy shop to sell our prints and other home made items.

It was a great year for F64 and it was nice to see new photographers embracing the craft of B&W photography. Needless to say, it won’t be a success without two of my colleagues, Aqmal and Syariff.

We’ve got more activities, workshops and other events planned out for 2012 so keep a look out!

www.f64.org 

 

Arts for Grabs

If you are familiar with the local arts scene, you know that Arts for Grabs organized by The Annexe Gallery is a very popular arts bazaar in Kuala Lumpur. This year we’ve participated in 3 out of the 4 times they had it.

As part of the F64 set up, we sold prints, films and our cyanotype kits. We promoted our services which received a number of enquiries after the event.

Hopefully we will get chosen for the future ones.

 

Sold my print!

This isn’t my first print being sold (the first was in the PhotoMalaysia exhibition in 2008) but it is the first one that someone bought while browsing through my blog and photos.

At the end, I printed this image of the abandoned couch on Ilford MG IV pearl paper and send it off to a nice lady in Canada :)

 

Alternative photography

I’m not quite sure why but my interest in photography seem to be going backwards. First traditional B&W and now to even older processes like cyanotypes.

These are easy to do and with a 4×5′ negative, it’s even better. There’s something really surreal about seeing contact prints in blue.

 

Large format photography

I had the Linhof large format for some time but hadn’t really used it. But this year I made more photographs with it. The whole process of using a large format camera is different from any other cameras I’ve used and it took some time to learn how to use it properly.

Now it’s one of my favorite cameras to use.

 

Past, Present, Future

What topped the year off must be this. Back in October, I had three prints selected for an abstract photography exhibition at The Print Room, called 10.

The prints were taken with a large format camera and printed on Ilfords latest paper, the MG Art 300. The show went on for a month and it will head to the China House gallery in Penang sometime in February/March.

A photographers work is never complete until the image is printed and hung. Looking at your own images on a computer screen doesn’t cut it. Once you go through the motion of selecting your photographs, printing, mounting and framing then you’ll understand and appreciate your work.

 

So, that’s about it for my 2011. What’s yours?

Westminster Abbey

Seasons greetings! :)

It’s been awhile since I posted anything here as I was busy with other commitments. But now I’m back and I have a new print to share. This was taken a couple of years back in 2007 when I first made my trip to London. Architecture always have been an interest to me photographically and the details on the Westminster Abbey was fantastic.

I used a Nikon FE with a 28mm lens on Tri-x rated at 400. I only recently printed this on Ilford MG IV RC, grade 2 with no filtration. Minor dodge and burn.

After looking at the print, I can’t remember why I did not print this earlier! I was just flipping through my old negatives and thought I’d give this frame a try. Turned out pretty good.

My point of this post is that we should revisit our old images from time to time. Firstly, it helps us to learn from past mistakes and to evaluate our progress. Secondly, one might look at an image with a new perspective and find a hidden gem :)

Enjoy the print and have a good holidays! As usual, all prints are for sale. Just email me for pricing and details.

Past, Present, Future

A few weeks ago some of my prints were chosen as part of an abstract photography exhibition at The Print Room, KL. Three prints were chosen and will be exhibited there till the 13th November.

For those who know my work, abstract isn’t my best genre, but nevertheless I tried something new and was pleasantly surprised when they got chosen. After two days of shooting and three days of printing in the darkroom, they were ready to be framed and hung in the gallery.

All three prints were printed by me using the latest Ilford MG ART 300 photographic paper and toned with selenium for archival longevity. The prints are also for sale if anybody is interested. I also helped another fellow photographer to print his selected photographs for the exhibition as well.

Apart from what the titles relates to the photographs, I also found the titles relate to my photographic journey as well. Back then, all I wanted was to scan and paste it in a blog, or a photography forum. That was the ‘Past’.

At the “Present’, I prefer to have my images printed in a darkroom and into a physical portfolio or in a frame on a wall.

In the ‘Future’, I hope my photographs will be accepted in more fine art galleries like The Print Room and maybe even produce a book one day.

So, as a photographer we should always strive to improve and be recognized in the world of art. Yes, it is nice to post in blogs and forums, but there is a sense of achievement when your work have been selected by contemporary fine art galleries to be exhibited.

If you are interested in the exhibition, it will go on till the 13th November 2011. The opening hours are Fridays 5-9pm, Saturdays and Sundays 2-6pm, weekdays by appointment. The address is No. 49 Lorong 16/9E, Petaling Jaya, 46350.

 

Zen [cyanotype print]

August 2011

Source: 4×5″ negative

Paper: Fabriano Art paper

Process: Cyanotype

 

Keppel Bay [cyanotype print]

Apart from the regular darkroom work, I sometimes dabble in alternative photography. And one of them is cyanotype printing. Cyanotyping is quite easy to do as it require no darkroom. All you need is the sun.

Materials needed are the two basic chemicals for cyanotypes; Potassium Ferricyanide and Ferric Ammonium Citrate, a brush, some paper, a contact frame and sunlight.

Mixing the two chemicals will create a photo sensitive emulsion that you can coat on various surfaces. Paper, clothes, etc. Leave it to dry and then place your image source (in the photo above it is a 4×5 negative) and sandwich it in a contact frame. Then you leave it under the sun for about 20 minutes and wash after. Simple as that.

The source can be various objects as well. Negatives (at least 120mm is recommended), leaves, flowers…anything that you want to imprint on the surface. Sunning time depends on the strength of the chemicals and the image source so it may take 20 mins to a few hours.

If anybody is interested to learn more about cyanotyping, I do hold classes and also sell the cyanotype kits so you can get started on the printing immediately!

Bed of Leaves [work print]

This is a scan of a 5×7″ print I made in the darkroom last week. I’ve been dabbling in darkroom printing for a couple of months and I’m addicted to it! There is nothing like watching your prints magically appear on the paper while agitating the tray.

For film photographers, scanning is not the end product of your photos. Well, even for digital photographers, looking at photos on a computer screen is not the end product.

The best way to appreciate a photograph is through a print.

Humans are generally a species that relies on tactile feedback. Allow them to touch, smell or see something in reality gives a better viewing experience. In this case, nothing beats flipping an album of prints, or a coffee table book, or even better, a framed print on the wall.

And yet in this day and age, people seem to forget about making prints and just store them into the hard disk, film or digital.

Every image that you visualize in your head before shooting should be visualized as a print. That will make you think harder and eventually create better photographs.

After all, nobody is going to keep our hard disks when we leave this world. On the other hand, a beautifully framed 12×16″ print is another matter altogether.

 

 

 

Outdoor Living

Some friends over at Onestophoto.com brought this couch for a photo shoot to a nearby jungle. Well, not really a jungle, rather an abandoned land with trees.

When they were done with it, it was my turn to grab this shot. Outdoor living.

Subterranean

Found this when I was looking though my old negatives. This was taken during my Europe trip in 2007. If I remember correctly, this is at the St. Paul’s Church, London. I vaguely remember looking at this photo, but did not bother to take it out as I wasn’t too sure whether I was happy with it.

Now, I’m glad I did. Which comes back to my point. It’s always good to review your past images and review them again. You’ll never know what a fresh perspective can do.

So go ahead, dig up your old images and look at them again.

F64 @ Arts for Grabs, 17th & 18th September 2011

If you don’t know what Arts for Grabs is, it’s a vibrant arts bazaar held every 3-4 months at The Annexe Gallery, Central Market. Vendors of home made art from all over Malaysia open their booths and sell an assortment of art products from jewellery, t-shirts, cards, etc.

And for the second time in the year, F64 is chosen to participate in this fun filled bazaar.

Our booth will concentrate on all the analog goodies like films, polaroids, traditional B&W prints and alternative photography prints. We will also be sharing our schedule for upcoming workshops, outings, etc.

We have plenty of goodies for everyone and even a free pinhole camera for you to take back! So come on over on the 17th &18th. Pop by and have a look on our prints and other items and have a chat with us. We promise we won’t bite!

Developing Your Thought Process

I often wonder how photographers see, or what is the thought process before taking a photograph. Is it hours of visualization of the subject, studying how to take it, what to show or just a moment of inspiration? Granted the answer depends on what genre of photography it is, but how it all plays out before getting the ultimate photograph is quite intriguing.

I can only tell of my experience. Thinking back, it is quite enlightening to re-trace back how my thought process developed. When I first started, it was mostly about trying to nail down the technicalities. DIfferent techniques give different results, and however boring the subject be, it didn’t matter to me. I just wanted to get the techniques right. Once the technique is right, I try to master it and be done with it. The hard part is next. Making photographs.

I tried to emulate many concepts. Note that I said concepts, not subjects, as I believe we shouldn’t just photograph a similar subject, but to try to understand the concept behind it. Every time a photograph interest me I don’t just view it, I try to re-construct the concept that goes with it, and implement it on my next image. But that’s easier said that done. Most of the time we just click at something that interest us, and as a beginner, most of everything will interest us. But as time pass, as I take more photographs, I begin to see things as my own. I still keep the technicalities and concepts at the back of my mind, but my vision of the photograph will take precedence.

This is the hardest part I believe. I don’t think it’s a conscious effort, but just something quite natural after practicing, taking hundreds of images (and more needed!) and looking at other photographers’ work. Having found my own niche or interest, I can now purely concentrate on making photographs, and surprisingly the process is fluid, natural and almost subconscious.

But the journey is only just beginning. I am proficient in the camera, adept in the negative, but still very much a greenhorn in the print. So this is the next step in the photographic thought process, to integrate all of the above to produce a final print of the image I see in my head.

I would love to hear how the others work their photographic thought process and also what are your steps in making the images. Maybe we can all learn a thing or two from each other.

On a final note, here is an excerpt from the autobiography of Ansel Adams regarding how he achieved his ‘first true visualization’.

As I replaced the slide, I began to think about how the print was to appear, and if it would transmit any of the feeling of the monumental shape before me in terms of its expressive-emotional quality. I began to see in my mind’s eye the finished print I desired: the brooding cliff with a dark sky and the sharp rendition of distant, snowy Tenaya Peak. I realized that only a deep red filter would give me anything approaching the effect I felt emotionally. I had only one plate left. I attached my other filter, a Wratten #29(F), increased the exposure by the sixteen-times factor required, and released the shutter. I felt I had accomplished something, but did not realize its significance until I developed the plate that evening.

I had achieved my first true visualization!

I had been able to realize a desired image: not the way the subject appeared in reality but how it felt to me and how it must appear in the finished print.

—Ansel Adams, Autobiography, p. 76