Link-Ups, 1 May

Wow, can you believe that it's May already. In some respects, this year has been passing by really quickly and yet really slowly too. I feel like I have already done at least half a year's work but it's just May, only four months have been completed so far. The first two months of the year was all high-energy and my schedule was mad-packed. I found myself slowing down in March and April, becoming sluggish and choosing to hibernate more at home. Not good for the balance that I am seeking. May will be all about re-gaining that balance, achieving equal activity and rest.

                                                                                                                                                          

x sfgirlbybay ponders what to do with a book addiction. i wonder too.

x Obviously Korean architect Moon Hoon doesn't have the same problem, because he built a library slash slide slash home theatre! (via Frankie)

x One of my favourite photographers, Brian W. Ferry, just launched his new website!

x I adore Rhianne's photographs of Norfolk. They are all so postcard-worthy!

x I think I am one of those persons who could alone happily in a cabin for awhile. Provided I have some books, some magazines and the internet.

x Did you know that some townhouses are not what they seem?

x Hanna visits Seoul, one of my favourite cities! I miss that place so much!

A Year with the Fed-5B, Part 2

Focusing on the infinite.
Photographs taken with a Fed-5B.

A Year With The Fed-5B, Part 1

About a year ago, Peek! generously offered to let me test-drive a Fed-5B camera for a week. A week somehow turned into a year. I finally finished the roll in January, gave the camera back and got the roll of film developed.

It has been an interesting experience working with the Fed-5B. I found it incredibly difficult and challenging. Some photographers would enjoy this camera, being able to fully control the aperture and shutter speed but I found that tiresome. I probably should engross myself more in these technicalities to create better photos but I just can't seem to bring myself to it. With the Fed-5b, I tried to figure out all those aspects at first. I downloaded an app that would help to measure the exposure value, aperture and shutter speed. For later shots, I guesstimated. While I was terrified that those shots wouldn't turn out, I decided to leave it to luck and trust my gut feelings.

Another problem I had was the focusing. Because I am a specs-wearing myopic, I found it difficult to align the double images in the lens hole to get the exact focus. In the beginning, when Peek! was teaching me how to use the camera, it took me quite awhile before I managed to figure out how to align the double images. The photographs in this post were the only photographs that were focused correctly. The rest were out of focus or shots set on infinity (in the next post).

The Fed-5B is a demanding creature, you need patience and smarts to fully master it. This is not a camera made to shoot from the hip or stealthy street photography (a little bit difficult when you are holding a huge chunk of metal to your face). But who knows, one day in the future, as my photography tastes changes and I grow up a little more, I might fully appreciate the beauty of this camera. And despite my whinings about it, I do think this camera produces amazing photographs.

This Past Weekend

(Mary Poppins, Capitol Theatre, Sydney)

I have been having a terrible run of health lately. I was struck by the chicken pox in December, stuck at home for two weeks. And then, on the last day of January, I caught viral conjunctivitis from one of my interns. I was, once again, stuck at home for the first two weeks of February. It was a pretty bad time because my corneas was affected and I could barely see.

I finally went back to work this past Monday and was immediately thrown into the thick of a new project. I was so glad when I got home on Friday at 11pm and could finally just relax.

But all terrible things come to an end and that's where the good things happen. And this weekend was all sorts of good.

Saturday
- Good hearty dinner with my best friends
- Travel possibilities were discussed and we have a plan
- Received a phone call from Swatch Singapore informing me that I won the Swatch Kidrobot Darkroom Army contest I had joined on a whim! The prize: two tickets to Tara McPherson's lecture and a $100 goodie bag from Peek!

Sunday
- Attended Tara McPherson's lecture. It was really interesting to listen to her share about her artistic journey and how she put herself out there to create opportunities for herself. The one point she made that really stuck to me was "to go back to revisit old works". That made a lot of sense to me because it allows you to reflect on your progress and to figure out how to move forward.
- I bought three postcards of her works and she signed them!
- I am also Darkroom Army's latest blogger recruit! They are giving me the opportunity to play around with the Fed 5B for about a week. I am very apprehensive because this is my first fully manual rangefinder camera. It's going to be nerve-wrecking fun!