Posts Tagged ‘photos’
Sunday, June 14th, 2015
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.
(more…)
Tags:7D Mark II, Canon, Chambord, chateau, EM5 Mark II, EOS, France, France 2015, holiday, Loire, Olympus, OMD, photography, photos, potd, travel, travel tech, vacation
Posted in Cameras, cameras, Canon, DSLR, EOS, Events, France 2015, Gadgets, gadgets, Holiday, Lens, MIL, Olympus, OM-D, Photography, Photos, POTD, Travel, travel, Wiki, Zuiko | No Comments »
Sunday, May 17th, 2015
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.
1. Hold the camera as vertical as possbile
(more…)
Tags:Amber Valetta, Andy Lau, Anna Sui, Black Eyed Peas, Chow Yuen Fatt, Cindy Crawford, Claudia Schiffer, Gong Li, Jacky Chan, Jet Li, Joan Chen, JPEG, Ken Watanabe, Lee Kuan Yew, Maggie Cheung, Michelle Yeoh, Naomi Campbell, OPPO, OPPO N3, Pavarotti, photography, photos, RAW, Richard Gere, Russel Wong, smartphones, Takeshi Kaneshiro, Tang Wei, Tony Leung, Wang Lee Hom, Yo Yo Ma, Zhang Ziyi
Posted in Cameras, cameras, Events, events, Gadgets, gadgets, Howtos, Interview, Opinion, OPPO, Phones, Photography, Photos, Seminars, smartphones | No Comments »
Saturday, April 18th, 2015
Photo of the Day: Remember the horses in love in front of the train station in Hua Hin, Thailand? Here’s the close-up portrait shot of those happy horses.
* This is a different snapshot from the previous one.
The sharp details and shallow field of view of the camera and lens really impressed me in this snapshot of the happy horses just outside the Hua Hin Railway Station in Thailand. Photo taken with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 mirrorless interchangeable lens camera with Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
Looking at them really cheered up my day!
Tags:EM1, happy, holiday, horses, Hua Hin, love, Olympus, OMD, photography, photos, potd, smiling, statues, statuettes, Thailand, Thailand 2014
Posted in Cameras, Holiday, MIL, Olympus, OM-D, Photography, Photos, POTD, POTD, Thailand 2014, travel, Zuiko | 1 Comment »
Sunday, April 12th, 2015
Photo of the Day: Right at the entrance of the railway station in Hua Hin is a landscape garden decorated with plenty of interesting statues. One of these statuettes were of a pair of toothy horses laughing happily away.
Why do these horse look so happy? Could it be that they’re in lurvvv? Just outside the Hua Hin Railway Station in Thailand. Photo taken with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 mirrorless interchangeable lens camera with Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
These horses just looked so happy!
Tags:EM1, happy, holiday, horses, Hua Hin, love, Olympus, OMD, photography, photos, potd, smiling, statues, statuettes, Thailand, Thailand 2014
Posted in Cameras, Holiday, MIL, Olympus, OM-D, Photography, Photos, POTD, POTD, Thailand 2014, travel, Zuiko | 1 Comment »
Saturday, April 11th, 2015
Photo of the Day: After all his passengers had safely alighted from his train, this weary but smart-looking driver alighted and walked down the length of the platform, proudly inspecting his train as he walked.
This smart looking train driver – is he just visiting from Bangkok, or is he homeward bound to his home in Hua Hin? What kind of life story does he have to tell? Photo taken with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 mirrorless interchangeable lens camera with Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
We were visiting the historic and beautiful train station in Hua Hin when the train from Bangkok arrived.
The passengers promptly unloaded and dissipated quickly from the platform.
I was lingering on the platform, snapping photos when the train driver emerged from his driver’s cabin and began walking down the platform.
(more…)
Tags:conductor, driver, EM1, emo, holiday, Hua Hin, Olympus, OMD, photography, photos, platform, potd, Thailand, Thailand 2014, train
Posted in Cameras, Holiday, Lens, MIL, Olympus, OM-D, Photography, Photos, POTD, POTD, Thailand 2014, Travel, travel, Zuiko | 1 Comment »
Sunday, April 5th, 2015
Easter is a special day for Christians to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead – three days after his crucifixion and death at Calvary on Good Friday, as depicted in the New Testament of the Bible.
Relief on the metal door of the Salzburger Dom (Salzburg Cathedral). Assuming the inscriptions are in Latin, Google Translate says that “IN TE SPERAMUS” means “wait for you” or “we trust in you”. Photo taken with a Sony A7 with Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS full-frame E-mount zoom lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
The above photo was taken of the door of the Salzburg Cathedral when I visited Austria last summer in 2014.
I hope my Christian friends had a spiritual and reflective Easter today.
Tags:A7, Austria, Austria 2014, Carl Zeiss, Europe, full-frame, photography, photos, potd, Salzburg, Salzburg Cathedral, Salzburger Dom, Sony, travel
Posted in A7, Austria 2014, Cameras, cameras, Holiday, MIL, Photography, POTD, POTD, Sony, Travel, travel | No Comments »
Saturday, April 4th, 2015
Photo of the Day: Hohensalzburg Castle is named “Festung Hohensalzburg” which means “High Salzburg Fortress” in English. The fortress is built on top of of a small hill in Salzburg, overlooking the historic Austrian city.
* Information for this article was from Wikipedia.
View of Fortress Hohensalzburg from Kapitelplatz at the foot of the hill upon which it is built. Photo taken with a Sony A7 with Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS full-frame E-mount zoom lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
Construction of the fortress began in 1077 at the behest of the Prince-Archbishops of Salzburg.
With a length of 250m (820ft) and a width of 150m (490ft), Fortress Hohensalzburg is one of the largest medieval castles in Europe.
View of Salzburg City from the Fortress Hohensalzburg with the Altstadt (old town) in the foreground. The Salzburg Cathedral (Salzburger Dom) is in the centre with the Salzach River flowing in the background. The golden globe statue in front of Cathedral was where the above photo of the fortress was taken from. Photo taken with a Sony A7 with Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS full-frame E-mount zoom lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
(more…)
Tags:A7, Austria 2014, Carl Zeiss, castles, Festunsberg, fortresses, full-frame, Hohensalzburg, Kapitelplatz, MIL, photography, photos, potd, Salzach, Salzburg, Salzburger Dom, Sony, travel
Posted in A7, Austria 2014, Cameras, Events, Holiday, MIL, Photography, Photos, POTD, POTD, Sony, travel | 1 Comment »
Friday, April 3rd, 2015
Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ at Calvary. It is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians, and is a public holiday in many countries, including Singapore.
We were trekking from the Salzburg Fortress to the Nonnberg Abbey one evening on vacation when we came upon these beautiful altarpieces set into the rock surface of the hill upon which the fortress was built. There was even a shelter built above the altarpieces to protect them from the elements. Photo taken with a Sony A7 with 24-70mm lens. Photo credit: John Tan, 2014.
The year of the crucifixion is estimated to have occurred in AD 33.
Here’s wishing our Christian friends a peaceful and reflective Easter Weekend.
Tags:altar, Austria, Austria 2014, Christians, Easter, Good Friday, greetings, holidays, photography, photos, potd, Salzburg
Posted in A7, Austria 2014, Holiday, MIL, Photography, Photos, POTD, POTD, Sony, Travel, travel | No Comments »
Thursday, February 19th, 2015
It’s the first day of the Lunar New Year. This year, it’s the year of the Goat, according to the Chinese zodiac.
Happy New Year to all the people from cultures that celebrate this traditional festival! And to all Chinese around the world, Happy Chinese New Year!
I snapped this photo of a kid in a small town called Takamori at the Southeastern corner of the Aso caldera in Kyushu, Japan. The Chinese greetings is a pun during the Goat (on the Chinese Zodiac) years on the traditional Lunar New Year greeting “三阳开泰” – which augurs an auspicious year ahead as the sun ushers in the warm Spring from the cold Winter. Photo taken in 2012 with a Nikon D800 DSLR with an AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
It’s customary for Chinese to give out Ang Pows during the Lunar New Year. These are red paper envelopes containing money that’s given to relatives and children.
It being the new year, you’re supposed to use crispy new notes in these red packets.
(more…)
Tags:Chinese New Year, goat, holidays, Japan, Japan 2012, kid, Kumamoto, Kyushu, Lunar New Year, photography, photos, potd, Takachiho, travel, vacation
Posted in Cameras, DSLR, Gadgets, Holiday, Japan 2012, Lens, NIKKOR, Nikon, Photography, Photos, POTD, POTD, travel | No Comments »
Sunday, February 1st, 2015
We were walking around the beautiful railway station in Hua Hin, Thailand when we stumbled upon this happy figurine of a laughing boy, sitting at the entrance to a quaint book cafe.
A cheerful little statuette of a laughing boy welcoming us into the book cafe. I’m posting this photo here to welcome February 2015. Photo taken with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 mirrorless interchangeable lens camera with Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
The peaceful cafe was on the other side of the traffic circle in front of the railway station.
The small cafe was simple and peaceful, a welcome refuge from the direct heat of the midday sun.
(more…)
Tags:books, boy, cafe, EM1, figurine, holiday, Hua Hin, laughing, Olympus, OMD, photography, photos, potd, statue, statuette, Thailand, Thailand 2014
Posted in Cameras, cameras, Holiday, MIL, Olympus, OM-D, Photography, Photos, POTD, POTD, Thailand 2014, travel, Zuiko | No Comments »
