Nightclub photo Taking

  

It's my first time to take a picture for night clubs. I use the following devices and settings. 

• camera and lens: Sony ILCE-7M3 + Sony FE 24 - 105mm F4.0 OSS 
• camera mode: manual mode
• aperture: f/4 
• shutter speed: 1/10 ~1/20
• focal length: depends
• metering: dot (點測光)
• flash light
• Rear Curtain Sync (後簾同步)
• Godux V1 

The location is la fin Taipei.

Challenges

At the beginning, I turned on the Redux V1 flash light for the extremely dark environment. However, I found that It doesn't work if I used the flash light.

There is a lot of smoke in the room of the night club which is unexpected. The flash light will make the DJ looks like getting fired as the following pictures.  

So I was scared and I decided to turned-off the flash light.

Trade-off Strategy

The strategy before was using the low shutter speed with the rear curtain sync. However, the lash light is blocked. I tried to use the following combinations.

• High ISO
• Focus on the atmosphere of the room instead of the detail picture for the DJ

The pros of this strategy is I can retrieve the overview of the room, all attendees and their interactions.

'

The cons of this strategy is obvious. 

The high ISO value will cause the noise on image of the bight side. Additionally, it will cause a limitation of adjustment for the brightness. It means that we'll get more noise if we light up the picture.

The darkness can increase the mystery of the object. On the contrast, we couldn't see the clear profile of the object.   

  

Summary

There are a few impacts from this experience.

• There is a regular photographer for each room.
  I wonder that their guild for taking photos is to prohibit from using flash light when they was a junior. However, the conference photographer like us was taught to use the light regularly. It's totally a different world.
• The images took with the flash light still works if we took the proper adjustment after the event, it depends on the environment    

The Digital Tribe: Emoji Cafe & Bar (言文字)

 

Emoji cafe is founded by the Taiwan Digital Nomad Association (TDNA) on 2023. Sometimes I like to worked for my side projects here with a cup of coffee and a chocolate fondant.  

There are some personal reflections.    

Friendly Place for Digital Nomads

If you are also looking for a place to work remotely or meet customers for business, I recommend this place for the following reasons. 

• Traffic 
• This place is near the Taipei Main Station which is friendly for foreigners or tourists.  
• Address: No.8, Sec. 1, Kaifeng St., Zhongzheng Dist., Taipei City
• Service 
• Unlimited time to stay (at least ordering one drink)
• Environment
• It's an extremely silent place for working
• The table is large enough to use even you have many books and laptop  

Besides the convenient traffic and friendly environment, an interesting feature is the cat-room. There are two cats in this cafe and customers can feel free to work with them.

 

Digital Tribe

As a digital tribe, the Emoji coffee is not only a co-working space for freelancers or developers. It also helps to build connections by hosting activities.

Taiwan Digital Nomad Association (TDNA) is an organization for dedicating the promotion of the concept of digital nomads. I believe it'll be helpful to learn how to become a digital nomad by joining their activities.

Summary     

Compared to mentioned features, I personally love the relax atmosphere there either processing side projects or chatting to friends. I always can retrieve something positive here when feeling depressions.

   

Grand Mayfull Hotel Palette (美孚彩匯)

Having a meal with the family at different famous restaurants is a new plan of this year. My parents lived in a strict and frugal in the past, I am grateful it very much. 

We decide to visit Palette for the mother's day. 

Nice Environment for Festivals 

As one of famous buffet in Taipei, each person has to pay about 2000 NTD for the dinner. It's not cheap. 

I felt it's suitable for having meal with family. The environment is what I like the most. The table and seat is large enough for placing a low of foods and people are easy to chat to each other. 

Palette is a part of the Grand Mayfull Hotel, the lobby and the second floor are luxury. People could take pictures there. However, the lens I bring only has the 40mm fixed focal length. The FOV is not wide enough to record the whole lobby.

I would suggest that you can bring the wide-range lens if you are planing to visit here. 

Summary

My parents told me that they are happy to have that experience to visit here and see their grand daughter. But they didn't really enjoy the food because they were used to eat simple food.

I felt a little depressed but I still appreciate for having them. Let's expect the next restaurant. 

Model Picture Taking

It's my first time to take a picture for a model, thanks for the class arrangement. I use the following settings with different focal length. 

• camera and lens: Sony ILCE-7M3 + Sony FE 24 - 105mm F4.0 OSS 
• camera mode: manual mode
• aperture: f/4 
• ISO: 640 
• focal length: depends
• metering: dot (點測光)
• flash light: Godux V1 (TTL mode)

Unlike the activity photography, we won't have to catch audience's inadvertently poses. In the model photography, we can totally control the subject, environment, and etc.

However, the photographer has to change the position and the angle frequently for retrieving different pictures for increasing the diversity of pictures. A professional model will throw different poses when she notices there is a camera, we have the catch it. 

Environment and flash light

The limitation is that we have to stay in a single classroom. The color of ceil and floor are gray and yellow individually.

• When light hits the floor, the color is. the picture will be near yellow (left one).
• When light hits the ceil, the color of the picture will become gray (right one). 

The last choice is set the angle of the flash light vertical to the model to hit the model directly if the environment is not ideal.

Shadow effect

Beside using the flash light, using the continuous light, screen and the reflector board could lead to different effects. I use the following settings with different focal length. 

• camera and lens: Sony ILCE-7M3 + Sony FE 24 - 105mm F4.0 OSS 
• camera mode: manual mode
• aperture: f/4 
• ISO: 640 
• focal length: 105 mm
• metering: dot (點測光)

Summary

I thought I can understand why many people are enthusiastic about it.

• A professional model is able to notice cameras and takes turn to look at them. Every photographers will have nice pictures if we catch it properly
• The photographer can just focus on the composition because the subject (model) will handle the smiles, poses, eyes contacts by herself

Even for introverts, it still makes a lot of fun through the interaction to the model.

Robot Dreams

When we are beginning a new relationship, we always imagine it will be peace. At least movie always told us so. However, we don't always go smoothly in the real life.

In this movie, the robot is force to be left the master because of unavoidable reasons. I felt it's clever to use robots here because the robot may have no emotions. Or they can be depressed when they are abandoned.

Starting a new relationship because feeling lonely

Feeling alone is one of the motivation for us to start a new relationship. However, I thought it's also difficult if you have some challenges between each other like misunderstandings, differences of concepts, friends, etc. 

It's possible that we won't make effort to save this relationship and abandon it if we just feel alone. And it may hurt many people. It also means that we are not ready to begin a new relationship and be responsible to ourselves or our partner.

The show must go on

Fortunately, life will find its own way out. They can totally live without anyone. And we will still feel happy if you know they are still good.

It's enough, isn't it?

We still have to try it out and believe that the show will still move on.

Summary

This movie make me sad because it's close to the real life. People went to the theater because maybe they just want to relief. Maybe they don't need things that too real.

On the other hand, it's also like someone told you that "It's fine." It's really a special movie with the unique rhythm. 

The (Ex)perience of Love

 

A couple is enforced to their contact ex-lovers according to the prescription of infertility from a doctor. In order to pregnant, they have no choices but to engage ex-lovers in sexual activity.

After the process of the exploration, they eventually have their own babies. It's little nonsense but interesting comedy.

What will you do when meeting ex?    

In the real life, this prescription is ridiculous and it make no sense. However, everything makes sense in the movie because it could be just an imaginary. It's reasonable for them to engage their ex-lovers again even going out with strangers. 

As an audience, I wonder that what if I got a chance in the same condition. I thought it could be either an interesting thing or a disaster. It depends on how we handle our relationships. Maybe there is someone you will never want to see them again. Because you hurt them or was hurt by them.

I was surprised that the actors face it calmly and accept the task (maybe it's because it's just a movie). They also show some feelings of anxieties like appearance or morality. It seems that most of anxieties are sourced from our mind.

    

Summary

Recently, there are also some new challenges and I felt anxieties. 

Then I found most of them are my mind. Try to execute tasks without the participation of my emotions or feelings, I believe everything will be fine. 

Nice place for digital nomads: Curista coffee (奎士咖啡)

I usually go to the coffee shop with my laptop to do side projects on the weekends or holidays. Today is my first time to visit Curista coffee (奎士咖啡) in the Taipei city.

There are some of my personal reflections.

Nice place for digital nomads

If you are also looking for somewhere to work remotely, I recommend this place for the following reasons.

• Traffic
• It's near the MRT station. You can arrive at the 市府旗艦店 by just walking about 3 minutes after getting off the MRT at the Taipei City Hall station
• 市府旗艦店: 台北市信義區忠孝東路四段563號1F
• Service
• Unlimited time to stay during the not-busy time and free wifi
• During busy times, you will be allowed to stay about 2 hours
• Environment 
• Quiet and not too crowded
• Provide bathroom

Summary

I did not order the food but they did provide a few kinds of cakes. As for the coffee, I did not enjoy the one I ordered. A little too light. Maybe it's because of the cinnamon roast.

Anyway, I would like to try other kinds of coffee next time.

Poor Things

 

Before entering the theater, I did not investigate what kind of this move is. Just came here because of Emma Stone. 

This move is far beyond what I imagined. The setting of main characters are not as usual. Bela is a "reborn" suicided lady by helps of a crazy doctor, inside the body is a baby brain. 

It's just like a goddess version of Frankenstein.

The exploration of a baby

The whole story is like an exploration of a baby with a lady appearance. Another focus of this movie is the original desire of humans, sex. This is the main reason that Bela decided to follow Duncan and leave where her born. It's also a start point of the exploration. 

Just like the real life, Bela found negative sides of the real life and a few depressed things with the time pass. However, she still focuses on what she likes the most, sex. She joined the brothel and learnt many stories from her customers. 

In Asia countries, most young peoples was taught to follow the framework given the the sociality. Just like you were given a few formulas to play this game when you were young. I just wondered that how many people could decide life as they wanted without any concerns?

Push to the boundary

Thanks to the science fiction, we can break away from the boring life temporarily. Even though it doesn't make sense and ridiculous, it's what we actually need. When Bela was "young", the doctor trained and helps her. But the motivation of pushing herself to the boundary is her curiosity.

After a few tryings, she backs to where she felt comfortable instead of other attracted places. It makes me felt worth even she took time and body to join the brothel.

Summary

I also completed a little challenge for myself. Hope I will be able to be brave to overcome more challenges to retrieve what I really want.             

 

Night shot at Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall

Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall is a recommended spot of the Taipei. I am glad to come across here for the purpose of taking night spot with a group of people. 

Let's review a few impressive lesson learnt. The first subject I took for is the Liberty square (自由廣場). 

For decorating the main gate, I want to record the car track and starburst in this picture. For retrieving more detail of the car track, I increased the exposure time to 94 seconds with the following settings.

• camera and lens: Sony ILCE-7M3 + Sony FE 24 - 105mm F4.0 OSS 
• aperture: f/11
• ISO: 50 
• focal length: 33mm

The whole picture is too bright and the track could be bolder. Obviously, the trade-off is important when taking pictures.  

Sportsman and walking people

Sportsman is another material for decorating the main gate. Since the main subject of the previous pictures is the gate, we set the shutter speed as slow for retrieving more details and reducing ISO.

So when there is a sportsman, it's difficult to catch them clearly with the main gate at the same time.

• aperture: f/4.5
• shutter speed: 1/25
• iso: 3000
• focal length: 34m
• color temperature: around 2200k  

Let's try to catch walking people with the lower speed. This time the people is clearer than before but the building was treated as the background. 

To catch the building and walking people both clearly, we may have to reduce the aperture. However, the iso should be increased (the noise will be increased).  So we still have to make a trade-off when designing the picture.

• aperture: f/4.5
• shutter speed: 1/13
• iso: 4000
• focal length: 71mm 

Higher color temperature 

Anther new trying is adjusting the color temperature. The color temperature allows us to retrieve the picture like in the different timing. Even in the night, we can retrieve the picture at the dusk. 

• aperture: f/4.5
• shutter speed: 1/13
• iso: 4000
• focal length: 38mm
• color temperature: around 8000k  

Summary

Summary I really need to give respects to professional photographer. It not only requires knowledges of photography but also good physical strength. 

However, it's still a fascinating and interesting habit. Welcome to comment or share if there is any interesting activities or tasks of photography you have recently.

Godux V1 Camera Flash

Introduction

I am a beginner of the commercial photography.

One of subject I usually take photos for is attenders of the conferences. Camera flash is essential if we need to reduce ISO extremely or adapting various environments. 

The previous one I used is Godux TT685, it's cheaper and easy to use but there are some downsides. 

• It requires 4 dry cells, the endurance is about 6 hours by my experience
• The recycle time is not short (depends on output power we set). It means that you may miss some awesome events if the flash was not ready yet 

On the contrary, the recycle time of Godux V1 is only 1.5 seconds with the lithium battery's helps. So far, I didn't have chances to test its endurance.

Use case: commercial photography

Recently, I helped to take photos for the clothes for the incoming conference (GopherDay 2024). I build a rough photo studio by using a pure white paper as the background and two remote flash lights (V1 and TT685)

The interesting thing is there is a circle in the initial result photo, which is caused by the round head flash V1.

Finally, we got the expected photo. 

For two clothes, we took about two hours for setting up including adjusting the angle and the position of the flash lights and photographed subject.

Summary

I really need to give respects to professional photographer. It not only requires knowledges of photography but also good physical strength. However, it's still a fascinating and interesting habit.    

Welcome to comment or share if there is any interesting activities or tasks of photography you have recently. 

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