POTD: Electoral reforms

April 29, 2012 by

_M9P1_L1004918bw copy
Protest. Leica M9-P, 2.8/28 ASPH

I chose today’s image in light of what’s going on in Malaysia at the moment. If I was in KL, I’d most likely have been there shooting. This is history in the making, or what is probably the beginning stages of it. I have to say upfront that I hate politics, and try not to think about it – let alone pass opinion – because it just makes me angry. Hundreds of thousands of people joined the Bersih 3.0 rally yesterday demanding electoral reform, and got teargassed and fire hosed in return. There were a lot of families in the crowds, too. I’m sure there were the fair share of violent anarchists too, but surely not 10% of the population of greater Kuala Lumpur is trying to raise hell.

This is prime evidence that there’s an extremely strong discomfort amongst the masses with the current leadership.

Yet the rest of the world sees a) the responses epitomizing an oppressive government that’s trying to suppress/ repress the population and b) at some point in the not too distant future, all hell is going to break loose when the number of people completely overwhelms the police. And it’s going to be May 13, 1969 all over again – one of the most embarrassing and bloodiest days in Malaysian history.

I just hope whoever is really in charge wakes up soon enough to realize that continuing along this path – being driven by greed and power – is going to destroy the hand that feeds them first place. Leadership has never been about ruling and controlling people; a good leader always has their people fully supporting them because they feel like they are part of the process, and there is some element of fairness. It’s okay if you’re going to make money out of being a head of state – there is a lot at stake, and plenty of responsibility that lies on your shoulders – just don’t do it at the expense of the people who entrusted you with that responsibility in the first place. MT

Filed Under: Off topic, POTD Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Limited fine art print offer! (and POTD)

April 28, 2012 by

_M9P1_L1014802 copy
Seeing the wood from the trees. Leica M9-P, 21/3.4 Super Elmar ASPH

Today’s POTD fell out of a test run for the 21/3.4 Super Elmar ASPH, which I’ll be reviewing in the next few weeks. Initial impressions: hugely impressive, especially in the corners. I see almost no optical flaws anywhere, at f4 – which is just half a stop down from wide open.

I’m also happy to announce a new partnership with Giclee Art in Malaysia (a HP print ambassador) and master printmaker Wesley Wong. The work I’ve seen is stunning – he will be printing the images for my upcoming exhibition.

Both of the prints you see in this post will be up for as a limited run. (These things help me keep the site running – creating content takes time I can’t use for anything else, and I really want to keep the site ad-free to maintain the picture viewing experience; also, it helps you decorate your walls 🙂

The print offer will be limited to 20 copies of each image, at 16×24″ (A2) printed on 20×30″ paper. Here’s the kicker: the prints will be done on 380gsm matte fine art paper, printed with 200 year archival grade pigment ink on a HP production class machine. The look of the black on the paper is indescribable – I’ve never seen anything like it before, and I knew I had to make some prints with this. There are no reflections anywhere, which means the image is so much more viewable. The blacks are dense and chalk-pastel like, with fine tonal transitions. All prints will be numbered and signed. (And no, there will be no black borders around the images in the final print).

_M9P1_L1003919bw copy
Schonbrunn Fog, Vienna. Leica M9-P, 28/2.8 ASPH

The price for either print is US$550 net to me including shipping worldwide via courier in a sturdy tube. To keep things simple, payment can be made via Paypal to mingthein2@gmail.com, which means you can either use your Paypal balance or a credit card.

Please include in the message field which image you’d like, plus your shipping address, contact email address and telephone number. I’ll email a confirmation as soon as I a payment from you. If you’d like multiple copies or multiple images, that’s great too – you just make one payment.

I’ll be closing the print offer at the end of May, and shipping shortly thereafter. First come first served! Remember, these images will not be offered for sale again at this size. Thanks for your support everybody! MT

Filed Under: Leica, Off topic, POTD Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

POTD: Nucleation

April 27, 2012 by

_PM03046bw copy
Everything needs a catalyst. Olympus E-PM1 Pen Mini, Panasonic 20/1.7 G.

In case you’re wondering what it is you’re looking at, it’s boiling water at moderately high magnification, frozen by off-camera flash. High enough that my knuckles were gently steaming after about ten seconds or so. Experimentation is the source of all art…but yes, you can go too far. I’m pretty sure I got a sizable blister on one of my fingers after this. MT

Filed Under: POTD Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

POTD x3: The kind of sequence that kills cameras, and a quick reminder

April 25, 2012 by

_PM08307 copy

_PM08309 copy

_PM08310 copy

The kind of sequence that kills a camera: or, advancing waves at 14mm. Olympus E-PM1 Pen Mini, 14-42 kit lens.

Let’s just say there was a reason I was using this and not, say, an M9. Also, I was moving out of the way rather quickly!

I’ve been experimenting with sequences/ sets a bit lately; it’s something that I thought might be interesting to build off the contact sheet idea – any not make the contact sheet and thinking process part of the desired end output? But then I suppose it would require us to think about the individual frames in the context of their own contact sheet, which would be rather meta and confusing…or perhaps the right way to approach this would be thinking of the sequence in itself, much like a video clip – except we just capture key frames. I have a sneaky feeling that pursuing this path of development will eventually lead me back into experimenting with cinematography again (which will be the subject of a future article).

A quick reminder: My Singapore reader meet up will happen tonight, at 7pm, outside Ion Orchard near the red floor installation and the ‘bubble’ MRT entrance. You’ll find me because of the M9-P hanging around my neck, and I’ll be wearing a red t-shirt. (For some odd inexplicable reason, this is beginning to feel like a blind internet date. Oh well, at least we know we all have one thing in common!) We’ll wander around from there and find something to eat. Looking forward to meeting you all! MT

Filed Under: POTD Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

POTD: Transparency

April 24, 2012 by

_7045590bw copy
Benzinger Skeleton. Nikon D700, AFS 60/2.8 G Micro.

I love and hate the idea of skeleton watches. Seeing your wrist hair through the dial isn’t so fun; but being able to see the movement definitely is. This shot is a play on the transparency of the watch – you know it’s there, but at the same time, it isn’t. MT

Filed Under: POTD, Watches/ Horology Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

POTD: Levitation

April 23, 2012 by

_7048556 copy
Levitation. In tribute to that Japanese photographer who perpetually seems to be floating in midair…I think she’s known as the ‘Yowayowa Camera Woman’ or something. Nikon D700, AFS 85/1.4 G. MT

Filed Under: POTD Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

POTD: Urban isolation

April 22, 2012 by

_M9P1_L1014696bw copy
Shared space, but no shared connection. Leica M9-P and Zeiss ZM 2/50 Planar.

Five people effectively occupy the same 1.5 square meters of space, yet there’s absolutely no interaction between them. The two outside probably don’t even notice the third person inside hovering over them drinking soup; for all we know, they could even be texting each other. If he was at the same table without the glass barrier, the outside couple would probably feel quite uncomfortable. People everywhere but each retreats into their own worlds. Is this a metaphor for modern society? Perhaps. MT

Filed Under: Leica, POTD Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

POTD: Flamingo reflections

April 21, 2012 by

_D3T2213bw copy.jpg
Napping flamingo. Nikon D3, AFS 300/2.8 VRII. Sometimes I have to admit I miss my long lenses and wildlife photography days. Other times, I remember the fruitless days spent sitting in swamps being a blood donor for various painful biting and stinging insects: there’s always a tradeoff. Bottom line: patience pays. MT

Filed Under: POTD Tagged With: , , , , , ,

POTD: If you’re not getting wet, you’re probably not close enough.

April 20, 2012 by

_PM08126 copy
Wave action. Olympus E-PM1 Pen Mini, 14-42 kit lens…at 14mm.

Sometimes risks are necessary for experimentation. Just don’t do it with any gear that would be critical if dead, unless you absolutely have to get the shot. MT

Filed Under: POTD Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

POTD: In the recording studio

April 19, 2012 by

_M9P1_L1014736 copy
Radio is a lot less happening than TV…Leica M9-P, Zeiss ZM 2/50 Planar

Score one for the M9-P, I was able to shoot in discreet mode without anybody noticing, or worse still, having something recorded on the air. In hindsight I probably should have used something totally silent like the Ricoh GR-Digital III, though that wouldn’t have given me enough working distance. MT

Filed Under: Leica, POTD
«Previous Page
Next Page»