Shooting Hong Kong with the Fuji X100

Derrick Choo Craft & Tools, Reviews 17 Comments

A few weeks ago when I was in Hong Kong (HK), Typhoon Nesat swept past. On Thursday, 29th September 2011, Typhoon Signal No. 8 was issued and the whole of HK basically shut down. Schools, offices, the stock market and most shops closed and transport more or less came to a standstill. The MTR trains ran at a reduced frequency, hardly any taxis or private vehicles were on the roads and the ferry boats, trams and buses stopped running whilst Signal No. 8 was in force. My wife and I ventured out in search for food during the quieter moments …

Bruce Davidson- Outside Inside – Volume II

Derrick Choo Craft & Tools, Photography, Reviews 12 Comments

I felt that my mission in life was to make visible what appears to be invisible and I do that as someone who is blind and comes into a world and suddenly begins to see. ~Bruce Davidson It has been 2 months since I reviewed Volume I of Bruce Davidson’s Outside Inside. I have flipped through Volume II a couple of times over the past 2 months and while I feel that overall, I personally enjoyed Volume I more, the power and intensity of his documentation of the Civil Rights Movement in America during the 1960s in Volume II leaves …

Shoot and Point: Selected works by International Photographers

Alice Tay Exhibitions & Events, Reviews 7 Comments

It was almost accidental that I walked into this exhibition. And I must confess, without any understanding of what I was in for, or what this exhibition was all about, I took away a renewed vigor of what photography means, at least to me. In a world where photography is increasingly made convenient through technology, the magic of photography is not just about capturing moments as they are, but it is a powerful medium for visual story-telling. ‘Shoot and Point: Selected works by International Photographers’ is held at Ikkan Art Gallery in Tanjong Pagar DistriPark. It is co-curated by Andrew …

Picture Samples: Ricoh GXR M-mount Module with Leica lenses

IPA Craft & Tools, Reviews 13 Comments

So how does the new Ricoh GXR M-mount A12 Module perform with modern and vintage Leica lenses? Does the module handle and translate the look of Leica lenses well? Judge for yourself. Here are a variety of pictures taken with the module coupled with the Leica Summilux-M 21mm F/1.4, Zeiss C Sonnar 50mm F/1.5, Leica Elmarit-M 24mm F/2.8 ASPH, Leica Summicron-M 35mm F/2.0 (Version 4), and the Leica Summarit 50mm F/1.5. All pictures are in-camera JPEGS with slight contrast and tonal curve adjustments. Ricoh GXR M-mount Module + Leica Summilux-M 21mm F/1.4 ASPH Ricoh GXR M-mount Module + Leica Summilux-M …

1st Impressions: The Nikon 1 V1 Camera – A Street Camera Contender

IPA Craft & Tools, Reviews 17 Comments

Pricing Update – 19th October 2011 The Nikon 1 cameras hit the shelves tomorrow (Thursday 20th October) in Singapore. The recommended retail prices in Singapore Dollars are as follows, the prices varies according to the different lens packages. Nikon 1 V1 w/: 10-30mm + 30-110mm : $1,549 10-30mm + 10mm: $1,499 10mm: $1,369 10-30mm: $1,299 Nikon 1 J1 w/: 10-30mm + 30-110mm : $1,249 10-30mm + 10mm : $1,199 10mm: $1,069 10-30mm: $999 Nikon have finally entered the mirror-less camera market, although their reps may prefer ‘created a new camera category’, with their new Nikon 1 interchangeable lens camera system. Nikon …

Daido Moriyama – Shinjuku+ and Osaka+

Derrick Choo Craft & Tools, Reviews, Street Photography 13 Comments

Shinjuku+ by Moriyama is a reprint in paperback form of his 2001 book Shinjuku with about 40 additional pages of photographs (which explains the “plus” in the book’s title). The book is printed full-bleed and is about 15cm x 11cm in size with 648 pages and features his street photography work in the Tokyo district of Shinjuku. Osaka+ is kind of a companion volume to Shinjuku+ featuring his street photography work from the city of Osaka. It is also printed in the same format and size and features 488 pages of black and white photographs. “Even though it wasn’t a town that …

Bruce Davidson: Outside Inside – Volume 1

Derrick Choo Craft & Tools, Photography, Reviews 12 Comments

Through fifty years in photography, I have entered worlds in transition, seen people isolated, abused, abandoned, and invisible. I work out of a frame of mind that is constantly changing, challenging perceptions and prejudices. I view my work as a series. I often find myself an outsider on the inside discovering beauty and meaning in the most desperate of situations. ~Bruce Davidson Bruce Davidson is one of my favorite documentary photographers. One of the first photography books I bought when I started getting interested in photography was the reissue of his 1970 book East 100th Street. Since then, I have come …

Steve McCurry: The Iconic Photographs

Alice Tay Exhibitions & Events, Photography, Reviews 11 Comments

Mention the famous National Geographic Afghan Girl picture, you think of Steve McCurry right away. The image of the girl with her shy, yet intense eyes is vivid in your mind. That image speaks for Steve McCurry on its own, one of the most outstanding photographers in our times. Widely known for his characteristic style of capturing the intimate essence of human beings, he has recently launched a book, titled Steve McCurry: The Iconic Photographs, a large format limited edition book that features 165 of his most famous photographs. [youtube]kh-nCZ8yDoo[/youtube] I may have seen some of Steve McCurry’s great works, …

Stuff We Like: Museo Rag, Zoom H1, S95, Silver Efex Pro 2 & 3/11 Tsunami Photo Project

IPA Craft & Tools, Reviews 4 Comments

1. Museo Portfolio Rag Paper Our favourite inkjet print media – Museo Portfolio Rag Paper. 100% Cotton. 300GSM of Archival beauty. Great for B/W Prints, especially with multi-black cartridge pigment ink. 2. Canon PowerShot S95 We’ve used the Canon PowerShot S95 and love it. Smallest RAW shooting compact camera that really fits in a pocket. Love it’s analogue-style control ring too. Feels like a modern digital version of a Rollei 35s/Olympus XA to us. 3. Silver EFex Pro 2 The best digital b/w darkroom application just got better. We tried the new Silver Efex Pro 2 by Nik Software and …