Thursday, January 22, 2009

A look back at 2008...

Flap away!

Sorry for not posting yesterday. I got a stomach flu and was down and out. It is a bit late to start a "look back" post but oh well, no harm done right?

The above picture was taken at the Singapore Zoo, after I upgraded from D40 to D300. A leap of faith and also lots of dollars spent.

Moth..or butterfly?

And then, the macro bug bit me. I tell you, macro thread at ShutterAsia is a poisonous place to be. This was my first ever macro outing with the Tamron SP90. And it still remains my favourite macro shot up till today.

I have since left the macro scene so I guess there won't be any more picture to trump this.

Train on the tracks

Then I went to Thailand with Sharon and I wanted to well, try a wide lens. Went hunting around and someone said, "Why go ultra wide when you can go extreme wide?" And the 10.5mm went into my bag.

Its a fun and fun and fun lens! I sold it once due to financial crunch and I am still trying to scrape money to get it back.

China Town Street Shoot Series

Then came the financial crunch and also a little soul searching for me. Out went the D300 and every single lens I owned. Even the dry cabinet was not spared.

In came the Powershot G9. Canon! Eep! :P What happened to the Nikon fanboy? Well, Nikon make pretty sucky PNS, to tell the truth. With the G9, came an interest in street shooting.

Haven't really been on a street shoot ever since I got back a DSLR.

Fly fly fly...

But the G9 couldn't satisfy my passion for macro then. So, the D40 came in together with a full blown macro kit - the R1C1 and Nikkor 105mm VR.

Halong Bay - A Dreamy Bay

Armed with G9 and D40, off I went to Hanoi and realised, at the peak of a UNESCO Heritage Site, that photography is truly rewarding. One wonders why I never got into it earlier.

Entering the home..

And then, a new interest. Thanks to Tim who got me started. I never knew I was into wedding photography. But it was so fun, so rewarding, so tiring at times :) But I got hooked and Through Our Eyes Photography was born.

Offerings

After shooting primarily with the 105mm for almost everything, I developed a love for primes. And when I found a 35mm for cheap, I couldn't resist burning a hole in my wallet to get it.

It is now my favourite lens and one that I will never tire off (I hope).

Salsa?

The year end also brought a flurry of events and one of them was a dancing event. Had fun shooting it and I am now trying to get more opportunities to shoot events! :)

Got to preen!

And all things must end in a circle :P so, the last shot is naturally, the subject I love most, animals.

So, there you have it. My 2008 which has been one exciting ride, filled with ups and downs. But at least I am still shooting eh?

Tomorrow: Last post before the long CNY break!

5 comments:

Mark said...

Wow I am still amazed by your macro shots mate! More, more and more!

meendee said...

A very adventurous journey I'd say :) I'm sure 2009 will not be anything less hehe.

xynthian said...

Nice one mate! Is that halong Bay you talking about?
Nice pictures!

Nicholas Leong said...

@Mark lol no more macro lens la, how? :P Maybe I should get the SP90 over the 85mm :)

@meendee thanks, I hope it wouldn't be anything less. Err maybe not so much buying and selling :)

@xynthian thanks! Yep, that is Halong Bay.

Amino @ Lordmint said...

Wow.. what a colorful 2008 u went thru. buy this, sell that, sell this, buy that.. time to buy and keep :P

u can start with 300 f2.8, then works downwards to 10.5mm fisheye. :P