Jan's end

The first month of 2010 is coming to an end, but I have yet to take single picture!

But there are two highlights this month.

The first is a blog post on Straits Times's website. I wrote about travelling in Cambodia and helping the under-privileged. You can read it here.

It's actually not so much about the photos -- they are just there to break the monotony of words. But interestingly, by some bizzare coincidence, I took all the shots that could be used for it in B&W. Anyway it was a joy to write and I'm very encouraged by some of the feedback so far.

The second is that my story about travelling in the Amalfi Coast in Italy is coming on tomorrow, Jan 26 (Tuesday) in ST Life!, together with some of my pictures. やった！I was hoping for a two-page spread but I guess a full page is a good starter. I'm already thinking of my next project...

This may be a good year, in terms of my real work at the office. I hope the good fortune continues...

 Sunset, viewed from Phnom Bakheng, northwest of Angkor Wat.

© Lin Zhaowei, 2009.

Life magazine on Google Books!

I've never paid much attention to Google Books and the news about it, partly because I didn't think much of it they were doing was going to be legal.

But just a few minutes ago, I clicked on it for the first time, out of interest aroused by a story about France digitising its books with the help of Google.

And to my surprise, some issues of Life magazine, one of the most famous photojournalism magazines in the past, is available on the service!

You can check the available issues by clicking here.

Exciting times ahead...

A tiny photo room

I've just discovered that my favourite photographer I've found through flickr has a blog.

It's basically the same photos (with some exceptions) that she posts on flickr, but with fuller write-ups on her thoughts and inspiration behind the photos.

I'm so glad I can understand some Japanese.

Check it out here.

Mayflower wet market at 3pm

Please see the earlier post for an introduction.

After waking up past 2pm, I decided to finish the second half of my roll. So off I headed to the market again, to capture some scenes at a time when most of the stores would have closed.

The friendly yong tau foo seller was the last to finish washing up her store.

© Lin Zhaowei, 2009. 

Styrofoam boxes stacked up at the fish store.

© Lin Zhaowei, 2009. 

Fish seller with Mediacorp artistes. He has some talents of his own, check out the the fish drawings!

© Lin Zhaowei, 2009. 

Boots hung up to dry.

© Lin Zhaowei, 2009. 

Condensed milk tins lined up against the wall. Yes, I love the tins because it evokes a sense of nostalgia for me.

© Lin Zhaowei, 2009. 

All the shutters were down by around 4pm.

© Lin Zhaowei, 2009.

It was overall a very fun experience. I was initially quite fearful of getting scolded -- Singaporeans don't seem to like being photographed -- but it turned out all right. In fact, the friendlier store holders I chatted to were quite game to be photographed. A smile can go a long way sometimes.

I've chosen my photos for the final submission -- compiled a series based on the friendly butchers, and a couple of single shots. I hope my photos will be chosen for exhibition!

Mayflower wet market at 6am

I took part in the Eye e City event on Dec 31 last year, for the first time. The idea is to capture moments in Singapore on the last day of the year, as part of a wider archival project.

I'd already thought of shooting a wet market before this -- in fact I was looking to returning to the Jurong wholesale fish market for the first time since 2005 for some shots. I was there previously as a journalist intern sussing out places where "aunties" (housewives past their 30s) go bargain-hunting for a special report. (I was hardly the best person for the piece, but someone had to do it!)

But I worked on Dec 30 till late, so there was no way I could make it to the wholesale market. (the peak of the activity is around 2 to 3am). So I downscaled my idea and went to the wet market opposite my apartment block. How convenient!

Some shots:

A couple cycling in the open space in front of the market. Hmmm. 
© Lin Zhaowei, 2009.

A lone man reading the papers at the coffeeshop.
© Lin Zhaowei, 2009. 

Breakfast! And coffee in a condensed milk tin. Nostalgic.
© Lin Zhaowei, 2009. 

Already a queue at the fish store.
© Lin Zhaowei, 2009. 

Very friendly butcher couple. They were the first people I spoke to that morning. And guess what, they used to live in the same block as me, on the same floor!
© Lin Zhaowei, 2009. 

Tools of the butcher trade.
© Lin Zhaowei, 2009. 

The pictures were taken on Ilford XP2 Super, provided by the organisers. They also processed and scanned the shots for us. Which I'm quite thankful for.

I went back with breakfast at around 7am, and then off to bed. More to come.

Ten days into 2010, recapping 2009

As I grow older, time seems to have flown by faster and faster.

Anyway, 2009 was quite an eventful year for my photography. Joined the university photo club and made some good friends there in my final term of school. Went big on strobist for a period and made some crazy shots like this, this and this. Travelled for the first time since Japan, to Europe. And did a photo of the day series of the trip on this blog. (Maybe I should compile the pictures into an album somewhere) And oh, I revived this blog after creating it in 2008 and leaving it blank.

Last but not least, I decided to switch to mainly shooting film instead of digital. (and along came a new gem of a lens, the Nikon AF 85mm f/1.4D, to match the focal length of my 60mm on my D40x, which I'd become so comfortable with)

© Lin Zhaowei, 2009.

So what's for 2010?

It's started with some personal problems, so perhaps my mind isn't the clearest at the moment.

But some foreseeable developments:

1. New gear: Nikon F3HP (for lighter day-to-day use, or even to replace my beloved F6 because of its weight and bulk); A real wide angle lens for full frame; A new digital body, maybe Nikon D300s or D700 (Because I still want to do strobist work, and I'm not sure how long I can put up with scanning film)
2. New direction: I discovered how much I enjoyed photographing people last year, both it street or portraiture. So I hope to explore more opportunities in this area.
3. Singapore archival project: There are still many corners of Singapore that are worth exploring and shooting. I finally checked out Kampung Lorong Buangkok -- the last Kampung on mainland Singapore -- last year. Some places are hard to access without a car, but let's see what I can do. It'll be even better if I can go one step further -- shooting something worthy of publication in the papers.
   
4. Complete a series: I want to submit something for the Singapore International Photography Festival 2010. Time is running out though, so if I don't make it for this one, I will still try to do a series for my own portfolio.
   
5. Online activity: I hope to update both my blog and flickr more often. I also hope to start a proper personal online portfolio (provided I have enough quality work to warrant the effort)
   

Here's wishing everyone a fruitful 2010. お互いに頑張りましょう！