Jack & Kaelyn at Fitzroy Gardens in Melbourne CBD.

Taken between 4pm and 6.30pm, which was way beyond sunset. Off camera flash with Canon Speedlite 580EX II. 

The photo below is the most challenging shot of the session as it was total darkness by that time. Without a torchlight, I was unable to use Auto Focus to focus on Jack and Kaelyn. As a result, I had to use manual focus with small aperture to get the sharpest focus on the couple. Exposure was 4 seconds! Good that Jack and Kaelyn managed to stay still throughout the duration. 

Ashwin and Radha at Webb Bridge, a beautiful bridge located at the South side of Docklands.

On a day when the shy sun was in total hiding, my Canon Speedlite 580EX II, mounted on a tripod played a crucial part in providing additional lighting to light up the lovely couple. 

I joined a few photographer friends for an outing to the Dandenong region. This was probably the last weekend to capture the colours of autumn as trees are shedding leaves as the days go by.

The weather was not perfect - extremely cloudy. Some sunlight could have improved the photos significantly. Nevertheless it was fun. 

15 May 2010

Congratulations to Edmund and Stefenie!

Edmund and Stefenie invited Johanna and I over to Hobart to attend their engagement party which was held at Energizer Life Church. Edmund was very kind to ask me to become one of the photographers.

It was a totally new experience for me in terms of photography as the main light source was a chandelier in the middle of the whole church. Hence external flash is definitely required under such challenging condition. It took me some time to grapple with the controls on the camera to find the correct setting as it was my first attempt shooting everything in full manual mode.

I was surprised to find the photos turned out very grainy even though most shots are shot as ISO400 - ISO800. Usually my 30D do not produce photos with noticeable noise at such ISO even in low light condition. I guess on that day the venue was darker than any other places I have photographed before. Hopefully I can get some experts to provide some advice. 

Definitely a lot of room for improvement but it was definitely a great experience.

Autumn is usually the most colourful season. I especially love the golden and reddish foliage. Combined with the golden ray from the setting sun, this is a match made in heaven. 

The good weather today prompted me to pay a visit to Carlton Gardens during the golden hour to combine the effect of sunset with the various tints of autumn leaves. 

During the brief session, Johanna and I bumped into 3 brides with their respective photographers who were also trying to make the best use of the golden hour for pre-wedding shots.