Archive for the ‘Photography’ Category
Wednesday, February 20th, 2013
New campaign launches to seek justice for death of journalists in war zones. “A Day Without News” will launch on 22 February 2013 – the one year anniversary of the deaths of legendary correspondent Marie Colvin and photojournalist Rémi Ochlik in Syria.
22 February 2013 will be the one year anniversary of the deaths of legendary correspondent Marie Colvin and photojournalist Rémi Ochlik in Syria.
Can you imagine a day without news?
Share this link to the website of “A Day Without News” campaign.
Over the past decade, 945 photojournalists and correspondents have been killed while covering conflict zones, 583 of these without any resulting prosecutions as war crimes.
90 journalists were killed while reporting from war zones in 2012 alone.
Led by Aidan Sullivan, Vice President at Getty Images, A Day Without News? brings the media and photo industries together to raise awareness, seek justice and lobby governments to pursue those who cause harm.
On Friday 22 February 2013, help raise awareness of the A Day Without News? initiative by tweeting one of the following:
- Support #adaywithoutnews http://bit.ly/11KiVma
- 971 journalists killed since 1992. Imagine #adaywithoutnews http://bit.ly/11KiVma
- In memory of Marie Colvin and Remi Ochlik, support #adaywithoutnews http://bit.ly/11KiVma
- What would it be like if we had #adaywithoutnews? http://bit.ly/11KiVma
- 90 journalists killed in 2012, will there soon be #adaywithoutnews? http://bit.ly/11KiVma
Share the link to www.adaywithoutnews.com today. Read the details in the press release below.
(more…)
Tags:campaign, Getty, photography
Posted in Event forecast, Photography, Twitter | No Comments »
Tuesday, February 19th, 2013
HTC launched its new Android smartphone simultaneously in London and New York today. Originally rumoured to be called the M7, the new Android flagship from HTC is simply called HTC One.
Available in late March (pre-orders begin today) in black or silver.
Update 2 (13 April, 2013):
The 32GB Glacier Silver version of the HTC One is available in Singapore from 13 April at S$968 at all three mobile operators.
The 64GB Glacier Silver (S$1,068) and the Stealth Black (32 & 64GB) versions will be available from May onwards.
Update 1 (25 March, 2013):
The new HTC One will roll out in the UK, Germany and Taiwan next week and across Europe, North America and most of Asia-Pacific before the end of April 2013.
RRP for the 32GB version is S$968 (without line contract) while price for the 64GB version is yet to be announced.
This is what the new HTC One looks like with Blink on the homescreen (and icons of some of the partner feeds around it).
Here’s a quick round-up based on my live updates during the launch event.
HTC One will eventually be available in 80 countries, supported by 185 carriers globally.
The HTC One features the New Sense interface with new HTC home screen, two capacitive buttons in an aluminum body built from a single-block – containing an integrated antenna.
It has two front-facing stereo speakers, integrated Beats Audio and option for dual-microphone HDR recording.
UltraPixel camera quality compared with two top competitors.
A new BlinkFeed feature streams social updates, information and news onto the homescreen.
1,400 content partners have signed upto stream information in BlinkFeed. ESPN and AOL are two of the these and were on stage in New York and London respectively to talk about their partnership with HTC.
Below are the main tech specs unveiled during the launch. They were consistent with the speculation and rumours circulating prior to the launch.
(more…)
Tags:Android, HTC, launch, London, New York, Peter Chou, smartphones
Posted in Android, Gadgets, Google, HTC, HTC One, Launch, Live Event, Operating Systems, Phones, Photography, Specifications | 3 Comments »
Wednesday, January 9th, 2013
Nikon has launched in Tokyo the Nikon 1 J3, Nikon 1 S1 bodies, WP-N2 waterproof case, 1 NIKKOR VR 6.7-13mm f/3.5-5.6 and 1 NIKKOR VR 10-100mm f/4-5.6 lenses. It also released two new compact cameras – COOLPIX S6500 and COOLPIX 2700.
Prices and availability to be announced at a later date.
From left, Nikon COOLPIX S6500, Nikon COOLPIX S2700, Nikon 1 J3 with 1 NIKKOR VR 6.7-13mm f/3.5-5.6 lens, and Nikon 1 S1 with 1 NIKKOR VR 10-100mm f/4-5.6 lens
With the popularity of mirrorless interchangeable lens (MIL) cameras, Nikon is beefing up its Nikon 1 line up of camera bodies, lenses and accessories, with new features and functionalities.
For those who prefer the simplicity of compact cameras, it has introduced two new cameras in its COOLPIX S-series.
Here’s a line-up with key specs.
(more…)
Tags:cameras, COOLPIX, MIL, NIKKOR, Nikon, Nikon 1
Posted in Accessories, Announce, Cameras, Compact camera, COOLPIX, Gadgets, Lens, MIL, NIKKOR, Nikon, Nikon 1, Photography, Specifications, Uncategorized | No Comments »
Friday, January 4th, 2013
The Samsung GALAXY Note 10.1 LTE will hit the shelves in Singapore tomorrow. The tablet will be available at S$998 (without contract), in deep grey.
The Samsung GALAXY Note 10.1 LTE Android tablet will be available in Singapore from tomorrow at S$998 (without contract).
Introduced back in late August last year (in the WiFi and 3G+WiFi configurations), the LTE+WiFi version of the GALAXY Note 10.1 will be available in Singapore from tomorrow.
(more…)
Tags:10.1, Adobe, Android, Android 4, Galaxy, Ice Cream Sandwich, ICS, Note, photo editor, Photoshop, Photoshop Touch, S Note, S Pen, Samsung, tablets
Posted in Adobe, Android, App, Availability, Gadgets, Galaxy, Operating Systems, Photography, Photoshop, Prices, Samsung, Software, Specifications, Tablets | No Comments »
Wednesday, December 26th, 2012
Is your kid a fan of fast cars? Bake him his very own garage of Formula One machines for his birthday!
Bake your own garage of Formula One speed demons.
All you need is a set of cake molds which a friend gifted us.
Who says F1 drivers have to be all boys?
Add on the child’s favourite candies and lego figurines. And voila – his very own Grand Prix collection.
Sponsored by the rainbow connection.
* All photos in this post were taken with a Nikon D800 DSLR and AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED lens. The shallow depth of field was amazing.
The top three heading for the podium.
I had to dial the aperture down to f/22 to get most of the scene in focus for the overview. Otherwise, the shallow depth of field effect for the other close-ups was exactly what I love.
Tags:cameras, DSLRs, lens, Nikon, photography, photos
Posted in Cameras, DSLR, Gadgets, Lens, NIKKOR, Nikon, Party, Photography, Photos | No Comments »
Saturday, December 8th, 2012
Steeped in ancient Japanese creation mythology, Takachiho gorge is touted as one of the most mystical places in Japan.
View of the waterfall at Takachiho from a row boat in the gorge.
The view of the beautiful waterfall from the other side of the cascade.
The family had a great day out at Takachiho, where we rowed, we hiked and we gorged ourselves silly with the beef and other local delicacies.
The 17-metre high Manai-no-taki Falls, with the clouds of water spray, is the highlight of many a picturesque photograph of the gorge. Here you can see the bridge above straddling the gorge.
Takachiho is supposedly the place where the Japanese Shinto Sun-goddess Amaterasu hid in a cave from her mischievous brother – plunging the world into darkness – until the other gods and goddesses came to coax her to return.
Close-up view of the Manai-no-taki. The wife relived her college rowing days by hogging all the rowing, accompanied by much yelling by the cox-cum-photographer to avoid the cascading sprays of water.
The view from afar from up on high standing on the bridge above the gorge. Up to three people are allowed on each boat – I would highly recommend it if you have an hour and a half to spare.
The more well-known story is that Takachiho was where the god Ninigi no Mikoto (grandson of Amaterasu) landed when he descended from heaven to establish the lineage of Japanese emperors.
Commercial break? Nothing like a hot can of Georgia coffee to beat the cold after all the excitement in the row boat. Disclaimer: Justin drinks coffee like once a year so he’s no regular coffee junkie.
This honour, however, is contested by Mount Takachiho-no-mine in the Kirishima National Park, further south in Kyushu.
Something cheerful at the entrance of the car park at Takachiho Gorge.
It’s easy to see why the location is associated with such lofty happenings.
The gorge was formed by the Gokase river eroding its way through the volcanic rock, sculpting the steep banks on either side of the serene river that now winds through it.
Rowing a boat on the water and looking up the sheer straight and smooth stone cliffs on either side reminds one of the awesome powers of nature that shaped this gorge.
We first visited Takachiho more than a decade back and a snapshot of the gorge from a bridge straddling it still hangs in the corridor at home.
This time round, we had more time and hired a boat to row in the gorge itself. coming up close with the waterfall that empties into it.
Nothing much to do with the gorge apart from the replica of the bridge, but something pleasant to thank visitors.
You can also hike along the side of the gorge to the cave where Amaterasu allegedly took refuge from her brother’s incessant pranks.
Absolutely delicious marbled Takachiho beef that you can cook yourself on a hotplate.
There are also temples in Takachiho town and in the evening on Saturdays, traditional Yokagura dances are performed to reenact the story associated with the place.
Although it may not look it, this local salt-grilled fish is the most tasty fish we had in Japan. And it takes 15 minutes waiting time for it to be served.
We had a taste of Takachiho beef, as well as the local salt-grilled freshwater fish.
“在古老神秘日本，哪个地点是最充满神奇气氛的呢？那一定是位于九州宫崎县的高千惠峡谷。这是传说中神明降临的地方，自然景色让人叹为观止。” – 科技点心（微薄）
It was an excellent day trip for the family, well-worth the drive through the winding mountain roads to get to the gorge.
* All photos in this post were taken with a Nikon D800 DSLR and AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED lens.
Tags:waterfall
Posted in Cameras, DSLR, Holiday, Japan 2012, Lens, NIKKOR, Nikon, Photography, Photos, Travel | No Comments »
Friday, December 7th, 2012
After the hustle and bustle of the city, we drove into the mountains to spend a night at a ryokan in a quaint onsen village nestled in the valley of the Kurokawa river.
The streets wind through old houses along both sides of the river.
The last time we holidayed in Kyushu we had followed a package tour booked from Tokyo.
Colourful maize hung out to dry under the eaves of some of the houses.
The coach had stopped by this quaint village in the evening and we had strolled through the peaceful streets of the dimly-lit hamlet – charmed by the local craft shops and serene ryokans lining the cobbled streets.
Stroll leisurely through the peaceful streets of Kurokawa. The face on the lantern is stylised from the Japanese hiragana character for “Fuji”.
The short stroll was really inadequate to soak in the atmosphere and we resolved then to come back one day to stay in one of those ryokans.
Hotels and ryokans are built along both sides of the river.
15 years later, we’re back – to the sleepy town with a river that runs through it.
A study of different textures, from the crackled paint to the stone and wood textures. This is the “banner” for a pottery shop.
It’s actually a popular destination for the Japanese themselves, either as a day trip or stopover.
“Used” bath tags hung outside a local temple for blessing.
For those intent on bath-hopping, you can purchase a bath tag that lets you visit the onsen baths of participating ryokans freely.
Lemonade, cider and local beer chilled naturally in water frozen from the cold temperature.
The temperature when we were there was slightly above zero, so it would have been gratifying checking out the differently landscaped onsen baths offered by the ryokans.
Shed for firewood outside one of many hot spring baths along the river.
The outdoor spa at our ryokan overlooked the river so you could sip wine at a chair after you’ve been suitably warmed up by the hot spring water.
Peaceful steps leading up to one of the houses along the street.
After that, you can partake a full Japanese kaiseki dinner served in the comfort of your room.
Two local cats watching the world go by.
* All photos in this post were taken with a Nikon D800 DSLR and AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED lens.
Tags:baths, Food, holiday, hot spring, Japan, Japan 2012, Kumamoto, Kurokawa, Kyushu, mountains, onsen, river, spa, travel, vacation, valley
Posted in Cameras, DSLR, Events, Gadgets, Holiday, Japan 2012, Lens, NIKKOR, Nikon, Photography, Photos, Travel | No Comments »
Tuesday, December 4th, 2012
After a scrumptious meal at CoCo Ichibanya, we made another unplanned stop at the Tosu Premium Outlets before continuing towards our first night in Kyushu – Beppu.
* All photos in this post were taken with a Nikon D800 DSLR and AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED lens.
Window dressing for Dog Dept, one of the shops at Tosu Premium Outlets.
The town of Tosu lies at the crossroads of two major expressways of Kyushu.
Some familiar brands at the Tosu Premium Outlets.
One runs north-south from Fukuoka to Kumamoto and beyond, while the other runs east-west from Oita to Nagasaki.
So it’s an ideal location for Premium Outlets.
People commuting long distance from one part of Kyushu to another tend to go through Tosu and it’s so convenient to just make a quick stopover.
We’d already planned our final hotel stay in Kyushu to be in Tosu before flying out of Japan.
But since it was on our way to Beppu, we decided to take a quick preview of what the outlets had to offer.
As an outlet shopping mall, the Tosu Premium Outlets seemed pretty run-of-the-mill, with the usual brands that we see at other similar malls.
Another unplanned stop to take a preview of the Tosu Premium Outlets.
But we’ll be taking a closer look at the end of this trip so maybe we’ll discover something special.
Miyuki – a local restaurant in Beppu whose owner doubled up as enthusiastic tour guide. This photo of its exterior was shot at ISO 6400 with little noise.
After Tosu, we continued our drive towards Beppu, the seaside town known for its hot springs.
Trying out the local fare – especially the Dango Jiru soup, which is made with flattened wheat flour dumplings.
Here we had a little bit of difficulty locating our hotel among the tiny and complicated streets in the area.
Checking out the shops and wares of You Me shopping centre in Beppu. Everybody recommends it – for its free parking in town, from which to visit other sights.
Contemplating whether to make a stop at Uniqlo. This shot was deliberately over-exposed to get a high-key effect that puts the focus on the boy in the car and the brand.
So we asked a local who promptly got onto his motorbike to show us the way to the family-run establishment called Happy Neko – where we had booked a studio apartment complete with kitchen and launderette facilities.
Bukkake is served in the food court – here it’s a legitimate and traditional Japanese dish, not a genre.
The Czech proprietor, Bibo, sat down with us to tell us about the places to visit, food to eat, and things to do during our 2-day stay at Beppu. He spoke perfect English.
So we headed out for dinner at a local restaurant, whose owner plied us with more brochures, travel magazines and recommendations on what to do during our stay.
The owner was a one-man-show: owner, chef, steward. He had visited Singapore before and immediately associated the Merlion with our island nation.
After dinner, we popped into the huge shopping mall in town – YouMe, before visiting the Hyotan onsen spa near where we stayed – an apt and restful end to a long day of travel.
Tomorrow, we shall visit the Beppu Hells – eight natural hot springs that tourists all over Japan come to visit.
Tags:Beppu, Bukkake, D800, driving, Food, holiday, Japan, Japan 2012, Kyushu, Nikon, onsen, rental car, travel, vacation
Posted in Cameras, DSLR, Events, Food, Gadgets, Holiday, Japan 2012, NIKKOR, Nikon, Photography, Photos, Shopping, Travel | 1 Comment »
Monday, December 3rd, 2012
The direct flight from Changi Airport Terminal 3 in Singapore took slightly more than six hours to reach the International Airport in Fukuoka, where we collected our rental car.
* All photos in this post were taken with a Nikon D800 DSLR and AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED lens.
SIA SQ656 flies 5 times a week direct from Singapore to Fukuoka – 0105 hrs to 0810 hrs. This is the golden sunrise from the plane’s window.
We paid for the air tickets using the UOB Prvi Amex card which entitled us to a free airport limousine transfer from home to the airport. We did have some problems getting them to change the date of the limousine to the correct day, but the service from the driver was excellent.
First thing upon arrival is to pick up the rental car. Take a free airport shuttle from the International Terminal to the Domestic Terminal and then cross the road.
The flight itself was unremarkable and upon landing we promptly collected our rental car from Nissan Car Rental outside the Domestic Terminal.
First stop after picking up the car is to visit the supermarket to stock up on supplies, especially bottled drinking water.
First stop was the supermarket to top up supplies and to get bottled water, before heading to our first stop – Beppu – a seaside town 2 hours’ drive from Fukuoka.
We’d discovered CoCo Ichibanya during our visit to Kyoto and Nagoya some years back and the children loved it.
We didn’t get far before we came across an outlet of the CoCo Curry house.
CoCo Ichibanya has since expanded into Singapore although we haven’t had the chance to check it out back at home.
That’s our favourite Japanese curry house so we decided to stop there for lunch – that’s the kind of flexibility that a self-drive holiday gives you – you can make unplanned stops at your whim and fancy.
Tags:CoCo, curry, D800, driving, holiday, Japan, Japan 2012, Kyushu, Nikon, Nissan, rental car, SIA, travel, vacation
Posted in Cameras, DSLR, Events, Gadgets, Holiday, Japan 2012, NIKKOR, Nikon, Photography, Photos | 1 Comment »
Sunday, December 2nd, 2012
Every time we set off for a family vacation, guess who gets to set off first, and is always the last to return home?
Cliff gets to set off for his staycation before us and only returns home after we’ve returned and settled back at home. Photo taken with Nikon D800.
It’s Cliff of course – that’s our resident Golden Retriever.
Before we set off for our family vacation, we have to pack him off to his boarder – which costs as much as our own hotels.
We wonder if he misses home and us, but secretly concedes that he probably enjoys his staycation as much as we do our vacation.
What with the other dogs at the boarder to hump interact with.
And we usually pick him up after we’ve come back from vacation and have unpacked and settled down.
So guess who has the longest vacations in the family?
Tags:Cliff, D800, dog, holiday, Japan, Japan 2012, Kyushu, Nikon, travel, vacation
Posted in Cameras, DSLR, Events, Gadgets, Holiday, Japan 2012, Lens, NIKKOR, Nikon, Photography, Photos, Travel | No Comments »
