Exploring Kranji Beach

I was once again blown away by Jon Chiang’s cityscape photos when he recently posted on fb. That lit the flame in my fujifilm XT1 and the not so often used 12mm Samyang lens. So i asked where he was heading today. Kranji Beach he said. Can i join you? Sure he said. Let’s meet 0630hrs there.

Long ago, i joined him and a few landscape hunters from SG and i totally forgot how far they would have gone to get a shot. In this case, it was close to half a leg deep.

Guess what i wore? Jordans. Yes you read me right people. Jordans to the muddy waters it was. Go hard or go home i told myself. Where Jon was far out getting all the good shots, here i was slowly taking foot by foot further out.

Yes, i managed to get a few shots. I guess shooting from the same point would not really be useful right? Afterall, we all want our own shots to be special. So here are mine.

Fujifilm xt1, 12mm samyang lens

Cute branch for my foreground. I also had my Haida 3 stop filter.

Silhouette is also beautiful don’t you agree?

Even my hasselblad 500cm needed some exercise.

This was taken using my hp. Edited with instgram.

So these are my beautiful Jordans.

I had fun even though it was all muddy and wet. I will come back again with better preparation. Always a next time isn’t that right Jon?

Looking back; A Memory from Japan

A beautiful walk 

My thoughts on home negative development and the outcome

I was excited to get my rusty hands back to film photography. Found my old stash of expired film and even took out the old film cameras that was left on the shelf for a walk and some exposure. Turned out that I had left a roll of film, the Ilford Pan 400 in my Rollei35 that Zhi Yao had sold me many years ago.

Where else to go but the lovely Lower Selatar Reservoir

As I watched the sun rise, I knew that basking the rollei wasn’t gonna be a great idea, so I waited till the sun was up and about before I went for a mini walk about. It’s a beautiful day and I managed to finish up the roll of 36, not knowing what else I had taken before when I left it on the shelf.

I managed to try my hands on home negative development and boy oh boy, it wasn’t easy because it takes precise time and effort to get it done right. Of course, there is always room for improvement because I’m still green to this.

Kodak HC110 (1+31), water as stop bath, Ilford fixer 1+4, no wetting agent and then 10mins of rinsing as advised by the massive dev chart app.

Here is a photo that came out after the whole fun agitate and pour and refill episode in the bathroom.

As you can see, there are so many spots in the negative and there are also scratches. I’m guessing it’s because of my ill handling during the development. This tells me that there is much to learn and improve. I however, do love the lone fisherman and the edge of the bridge if I may call it that, alongside the reflection of the waters dancing under the morning sun. It’s also the composition that I really like. I won’t get old taking this picture over and over again because every image becomes a whole new experience.

Here’s the same picture after using spot removal in photoshop CC with no other edits.

I’m not exactly the best post editor in the world, but I guess I’ll suffice for this, for now.

Let me know your thoughts on how I can improve myself.

I’d love to hear from all of you wonderful readers.

Thank you!

Ezekiel Kok

This.

Gardens by the Bay

 

6 shots taken using

Camera: Fujifilm XT1 with

Lens: Samyang 12mm

Settings: F11, ISO200 and a

Props: haida 3 stop filter,

thrown into photoshop CC and this was what came out.

Edited in Lightroom CC.

Enjoy

My 1st finished 120 roll! My Thoughts.

Hey all, it’s been a while. I finally managed to get my Hasselblad 500cm cleaned by a good friend, David aka Fatigue. With the encouragement of She, Jon and Chester, I have finally got out there and finished 12 shots. (The 120 on the Hasselblad 500cm shoots 12 shots in a square format)

Some lessons I learnt when shooting:

1. Always remove the metal slide before taking a shot (Strangely, my 500cm will still fire away even though the metal slide is still intact). I’ve asked for David to check it out to see what happened. If you do not, then it won’t expose to the film and you will basically get a blank shot. Sadly, I would have forgotten about this and I skipped about 3-4 shots.

PS: The hasselblad 500cm is not supposed to fire when the metal slide is in.

2. It is good to take notes of what you shoot, what settings you used and more if you can. It helps with your future shots especially when you are starting out like me. Data helps until you are a seasoned film photographer then it would be natural.

3. Sometimes, the interesting stuff are just all around you. I wanted to go to specific places to shoot so that I won’t waste my shots. What I didn’t realise was that, there were so many interesting things to shoot just nearby my place. You don’t need to go far and out just to get photos. It kinda makes you want to stay in bed and not get out.

I’ll be heading off to Triple D later (they are closed on Sundays sadly) to get my first roll processed! Super excited to see that the Ilford HP5 plus 400asa can produce and also to see how beautiful the 500cm is.

I’ll update you soon with the pictures.

God bless and have a lovely weekend!

*Look out for my Olympus OM-1 photoshoot!*

There are more out there

 

Under the bridge @ Tanjung Rhu with Zul & Vince

ISO 200, F8, 8 seconds

I was determined to capture more images of the beautiful Singapore, but posting pictures of just Lower Selatar was definitely insufficient and I had to move out of my comfort zone. Thanks to Vince and Zul, I did. Singapore may not really have a lot of nature, no mountains or fountain streams like many other countries do, but it still has its own beauty and I cannot ask for more.

Truth be told, I am not really the sunrise kinda guy. Watching it rise is beautiful without a doubt, but what draws me to keep getting out there with a pokemon’s motto “Gotta catch them all” are the lovely skies and the clouds. They change constantly and are a feast to the yearning eyes that desire magnificence. The beauty of God’s creation is breath taking and as Thomas Heaton would say “Absolutely stunning”!

The hunger for capturing more lives on and I will continue to feast your eyes with God’s beauty. Do look forward to them!

Taken with Fujifilm XT-1 and Samyang 12mm with the haida 3 stop filter, edited using Lightroom CC.

If you have any other beautiful locations in Singapore which you like me to capture, feel free to drop me a comment!

God bless!

Ezekiel Kok

A new spot for the rising sun

There is beauty that God has given us. We just need to get out there and find it! Praise God for such a lovely view, an absolutely stunning image don’t you think?

Taken with my lovely Fujifilm XT-1 and the all so lovely Samyang 12mm. I also used a Haida 3 stopper.

Indeed, I am satisfied! A great reason to live life to the fullest when God provides for us! Let us not waste life but use it to the greatest potential God has blessed us with! Seek Him if you feel empty inside! You will not go wrong!

Blessed Sunday!

Ezekiel Kok

Standing at Dotonburi Bridge, Osaka, Japan

It was a beautiful sight before my eyes as I stood in silence at the Dotonburi river in Osaka, Japan. Taking in everything around me, I thank God for allowing me to enjoy and appreciate this moment with my wife and my son. I hope that you put yourself in my shoes, close your eyes and enjoy take a deep breath in.

Taken using my Fujifilm XT-1 and a 12mm Samyang lens.