The Abdul Gafoor Mosque is on Dunlop Street in the Kampung Kapor area of Singapore.
The visit to the Masjid Abdul Gafoor was part of an SG50 heritage photowalk organised by Canon Singapore, that also included visits to the Saint Joseph’s Church and Yueh Hai Ching Temple. I had the chance to try out the new EOS 5Ds and EOS M3 cameras. This photo was taken using a Canon EOS 5Ds and EF 50mm F1.4 USM prime lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
Originally built in 1907, the mosque was restored in 2003.
Here’s wishing all Muslim friends: “Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri”!
Hari Raya ornaments for the home, on sale at the night bazaar prior to the actual day. Photo taken with a Canon EOS 7D Mark II with EF-S 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM kit lens. It was so crowded you’ve got to keep moving. The fast 65-point autofocus of the 7D Mark II enabled many shots to be taken sharp despite the hurry. Photo credit: John Tan.
It’s Hari Raya Puasa today.
After a whole month of fasting during Ramadan, today is the day that our Muslim friends have been looking forward to.
A traditional henna tattoo being done on the hands of a gracious lady who accented to letting me capture the beautiful design on her hand. Photo taken with an Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II with M.Zuiko ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
The ASUS LolliFlash is an ultra-portable external LED flash for taking smartphone selfies in dim light. The LolliFlash comes with dual-LED light and multi-colour filters for a fun photography experience.
Available from today at S$17.90 at ASUS Online Store.
ASUS LolliFlash dual-LED light with three colour filters for taking smartphone selfies. Shown here with an ASUS ZenFone2 but compatible with any Android smartphone.
Many smartphones today ship with an LED flash for the main camera at the rear for taking photos in dim lighting.
The filter sleeve merge the light from the two LED light sources.
Most smartphones, however, do not have a front-facing LED for taking selfies with the front camera.
The new LolliFlash from ASUS addresses this need for avid selfie photographers.
The LolliFlash is a compact dual-colour LED light that can be easily attached to any mobile phone to provide ample light in low light conditions, promising realistic skin tones in every photo.
Small and lightweight at only 8g, the wireless LolliFlash can be placed anywhere on the phone.
Photo of the Day: The Eiffel Tower is named after engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel. His company designed and built the landmark in Paris in 1889.
View of the Trocadéro framed by the bottom of the Eiffel Tower. Taken with a Canon EOS 7D Mark II with EF-S 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM kit lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
According to Wikipedia, “the design of the Eiffel Tower was originated by Maurice Koechlin and Émile Nouguier, two senior engineers who worked for the Compagnie des Établissements Eiffel”.
This was the dude who brought the Eiffel Tower into this world – Alexandre Gustave Eiffel (1832-1923). The bust was unveiled in 1929 and is now at the base of the Northern leg of the Tower. Taken with a Canon EOS 7D Mark II with EF-S 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM kit lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
The tower was to serve as a centrepiece for the Exposition Universelle to celebrate the centennial of the French Revolution.
Incidentally, the first time I visited the Eiffel Tower was in 1989, smack in the middle of the bicentennial celebrations of the French Revolution.
Gustave Eiffel bought the rights to the patent for the design which the original designers had taken out and eventually saw the Tower to completion in time.
As with all things new, the design met with opposition and criticism right from design stage till after completion – but history has proven that the design is technically robust and aesthetically appealing.
Photo of the Day: The Eiffel Tower is an iron lattice tower designed and built by Alexandre Gustave Eiffel in 1889 – as the entrance arch to the World’s Fair in that year.
Eiffel Tower as seen from the Pont d’Iéna. Taken with a Canon EOS 7D Mark II with EF-S 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM kit lens. Sepia tint added using Adobe Photoshop CC 2015. Photo credit: John Tan.
At 324m tall, the Eiffel Tower is the tallest structure in Paris, and was the tallest in the world for 41 years from 1889 to 1930.
It was surpassed in 1930 by the Chrysler Building in New York City.
Roughly 80 stories high, the base is square with 125m on each side.
There are three levels that visitors can visit.
I like the lace-like design in the metalwork of the Eiffel Tower. Taken with a Canon EOS 7D Mark II with EF-S 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM kit lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
The PowerShot G3 X offers high zoom shooting and promises superior image and video quality through the Dynamic Image Stabilisation (IS) system. Pricing & availability TBA.
The newly launched Canon PowerShot G3 X.
The Canon PowerShot G3 X is a new premium high-zoom digital compact camera in the PowerShot G series.
The camera is powered by a large 1.0-inch CMOS sensor, enabling the camera to offer good image quality even in low light environments.
The camera features a 24-600mm 25x optical zoom lens and improved Zoom Framing Assist.
The camera’s improved Dynamic Image Stabilisation (IS) system enhances movie recording by stabilising moving images.
The EOS-like user interface also enhances intuitive operation of the camera, with a high resolution 1.62-megapixel 3.2-inch touch panel LCD monitor.
Below are more details from the press release.
After having twice turned back from visiting Chateau Chambord when I’d already reached its gates, I decided to make my third and final attempt at visiting this biggest and most majestic of the numerous fabulous chateaus in the beautiful Loire Valley.
The frontal facade of the Chambord Chateau, with the moat in the foreground. The architecture is what one expects of a typical castle – an inner keep surrounded by corner towers and a moat. Taken with a Canon EOS 7D Mark II with EF-S 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM kit lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
Why two unsuccessful attempts?
Well, my first attempt at visiting Château de Chambord was during the summer holidays back in school when I cycled 16km from Blois only to suffer an accident right in front of the castle.
One of many beautiful chandeliers in Chambord Chateau. Taken with a Canon EOS 7D Mark II with EF-S 18-135mm f3.5-5.6 IS STM kit lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
I had to satisfy myself with some quick snapshots of the front of the Chateau before bidding goodbye to the chateau.
Decades later, I brought my family with two kids on a self-drive vacation to the chateaus in the Loire Valley.
By the end of the week and more than half a dozen chateaus later, we arrived again at the gates of the Chambord Chateau in the mid afternoon.
By then, the kids were so tired out from our earlier exertions of that day that they were so totally knackered we couldn’t bear to wake them from their sleep in the car.
And to be honest, my wife and I were up to our ears in chateaus by that time.
So my wife and I snapped the obligatory snapshots of each other posing with the (equally majestic) rear facade of the chateau within a stone’s throw of where our car was parked.
Enjoy a horse carriage ride on the extensive grounds of the Chambord Chateau. Horse lovers can also watch twice daily equestrian shows at the chateau. Taken with an Olympus OMD-EM5 Mark II with M.Zuiko ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO lens. Photo credit: KoolKat.
Celebrity photographer Russel Wong shared some of his tips on portrait photography using a smartphone in a workshop at the OPPO Concept Store in Suntec City Tower 3. Here are three of the tips attendees found most useful.
Celebrity photographer, Russel Wong sharing his experiences of taking portraiture using a smartphone.
Russel Wong is one of the most profiled photographers in Singapore and Asia.
Described as a “celebrity photographer who also photographs celebrities”, Wong enjoys the acclaim of being the first Singaporean to break into the notoriously difficult Hollywood movie industry.
Below are 3 smartphone portraiture photography tips that Wong shared during the workshop using the OPPO N3 smartphone that was launched in Singapore back in end October 2014.
Smile Singapore, an advocacy campaign by Clarke Quay Central to promote a happier and joyful nation, is installing its photo mural of smiling portraits in the Central Atrium of the shopping mall.
Smile Singapore campaign at Clarke Quay Central Atrium to promote a happier and joyful Singapore.
A record number of 5755 people have come forward over the past five weeks to share their stories about what makes them happy in Singapore.
Smile Singapore campaign at Clarke Quay Central Atrium.
Their smiling portraits have been captured and will be printed, laminated and pieced together to create a giant photo mural to be completed by Sunday, 3 May 2015.
Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan – with Photoshop CC and the new Photoshop Lightroom CC – is now available across desktop and mobile for S$13 per month.
All existing Photography and Creative Cloud complete plan members are able to access the new version of Lightroom CC today – at no extra charge.
The new Adobe Photoshop Lightroom CC promises fast performance and new tools to edit, enhance, organise and showcase photos.
Adobe Creative Cloud Photography plan (S$13 per month) includes Lightroom CC across desktop, web and mobile, Photoshop CC and Photoshop Mix (for iPhone and iPad).
A free 30-day trial version of Lightroom CC is also available.
All products are also available as part of Creative Cloud complete plan.
With Lightroom CC and Photoshop CC, Adobe Creative Cloud Photography includes mobile capabilities – automatically syncing photos with Lightroom CC on the desktop, while Lightroom on mobile devices lets users access and edit their entire catalog of photos on iPad, iPhone as well as Android smartphones and tablets.
Creative Cloud Photography is making the transition for digital photography from a traditional desktop-based process to a more mobile, connected workflow for digital images.
