Ian's Weblog

2011-02-17T22:47:00.002+08:00

We all move on. I've moved on too.

I want a fresh start, so.. GOODBYE BLOGGER, HELLO TUMBLR.

I NOW BLOG HERE.

Don't fight the rope

2011-02-12T22:32:00.004+08:00

Image copyright Ian Ho 2011

What a bobbing experience I had this morning! Tried wakeboarding for the very first time!

It's quite a bit of fun, but I'm experiencing the consequences now:( My head still feels like it's bobbing up and down, and there's a little bit of water stubbornly stuck in my ears. Not to mention being totally burnt.

I thought it seemed simple enough. At least it looked simple enough. You slip your legs into the wakeboard, grab the handle, crouch down low, then wait for the motorboat to slowly pull you up. Once you're up, you just.. simply ride the wave!

But boyohboy was I wrong. On my first few attempts, I struggled to stand up. I could never hold onto the handle more than a few seconds after the boat moved. At the instance I tried to stand, I would fall back and then drown in an overwhelming torrent of seawater. The boat would then turn back to pick me up, the instructor would correct me, and this frustrating cycle continued for a while and I was like OHH SO IT ISN'T THAT EASY AFTER ALL.

What was my problem? Well, a few things. I remember the instructor telling me, "hang on to the rope, don't hold on. Hang on!!" The first attempt I didn't grip the handle properly. I needed to really hang on, grip onto it firmly and not just hold it. Second problem: I was trying too hard to fight the rope, i.e. I was exerting strength against the boat trying to pull myself up. The trick was to straighten your hands and then let the boat move and naturally pull yourself up, not the other way around. The instructor sarcastically told me, "this boat has 200 horse power, you don't even have 1 horse power and you're trying to pull on the boat?!" HAHA. Besides that, I also had problems with my getting-up posture. I found it a little amusing how I was treated like a small kid learning how to STAND-UP -.-

The first round I didn't succeed in standing on the board, not at all. But thankfully, upon the second round, I managed to effortlessly get myself up! At that instant I felt a sudden sense of accomplishment and freedom, to feel the wind against my chest and the churning waves beneath. But I only managed to remain surfing for a short while before falling off again. :( Thankfully, long enough for my friends to snap a shot!

I did what they said - not to fight the rope, to hang on tight, not to think too much about balancing and just getting up naturally. AND I DID IT. I WAKEBOARDED FOR MY VERY FIRST TIME! =D

But I took back more than a skill today. Yknow what? I took back a precious lesson.

I saw that riding the ocean waves and riding the waves of life aren't any different. God is my 200 horse power boat that's always steadily pulling me along. And I'm always the small guy behind clinging on desperately to the handle that's called life. God pulls me along in life. And in order to stand up and ride the waves that come my way, I gotta HANG ON TIGHT AND NOT FIGHT THE ROPE.

I gotta let the boat pull me, not struggle with the boat. God has to pull me, because alone I'm powerless and weak. He's doing all the work - steering the boat, powering the boat, and all I need to do is hang on.

Simple enough a reminder for all of us.

Hang on tight and don't fight the rope. That way you'll survive and not fall.

You should try wakeboarding too:)

2011-02-03T12:05:00.000+08:00

Image copyright Ian Ho 2011

<3 New York New York!!

2011-02-03T01:48:00.002+08:00

Image copyright Ian Ho 2010

2011-01-30T19:14:00.002+08:00

Image copyright Ian Ho 2011

Saying I love u

2011-01-29T01:09:00.006+08:00

These past few weeks have been really hard for me.. many things happened, I wasn't doing well emotionally, and there was just so much of questioning God and disappointment with Him over so many things.

I finally decided to take tonight and spend time soaking in His presence and seeking after Him. Frankly speaking it's been ages since I set aside time to reconnect with my big 'CO' up there. And as I was singing songs and praising Him and all, I just broke down in tears when I felt His presence surround me.. and it was that kind of a sweet feeling which I haven't felt in a very long while. I miss God's presence, his warm embrace soooo much. That feeling of security, of assurance, and of His everlasting love for me... really only my God can make me feel this way.

Strange thing, as I was half tearing and half singing, the Lord just gave me a song. With my guitar missing one string, I just started to strum a few chords and then amazingly the words just came out spontaneously and I started singing it. And I know this is a song from my Daddy.

I am safe in Your arms
I am forgiven and accepted here
I am safe in Your embrace
You never let me go
No never let me go

I want to worship You
I'm coming back to You Lord
I've run a million miles
Went a million places
But I'm home now

Chorus:
Jesus
I love You, I love You, I love You
You are good
You are strong
You are awesome almighty Father
The same today, tomorrow and forever.

You're the comforter of the storm
And forever I can sing
I love You Lord
I love You Lord

I might record it down some time soon (and figure a title), but I hope this song that God gave me will find you well wherever you are in your life, whatever issues you may be grappling.

Situations might not change, but guess what? Our God will never change too!! And this is my greatest source of comfort. That God will ALWAYS remain God. And because of that we have EVERY reason to still praise and say "I love You". :)

Our God is above every situation. And HOPE IN CHRIST NEVER FAILS.

"And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us." - Romans 5:5

Image copyright Ian Ho 2010

Nostalgia

2011-01-23T00:50:00.002+08:00

I can't believe it's already one year since trackers.. Was looking through pics of this year's trackers (2011) on fb just now, and as I saw pics of them playing games and all, I couldn't help but put a smile on my face, cos I was just so happy these youths joined and I know they'll never leave the same.

It also triggered back all the memories I had last year with my batch. Good times.. Makes me feel so nostalgic. Ahh really miss those moments. Yknow looking back I really thank God for giving me trackers; I dare say it is the most life-changing 3 months of my life, the most meaningful experience I had in my 19 years. I especially thank God for the friendships made, and I know these relationships will last because they're bounded by our love for Christ.

I WANNA TURN BACK TIME AND DO TRACKERS ALL OVER AGAIN.

A question of definition

2011-01-20T22:39:00.005+08:00

It's hard to define what Art is. We've tried, argued, debated.. but never came to any consensus. Art is vague; it is elusive in nature. We all know that. And not surprisingly, so is photography.

At every stage of my journey in photography, I have come to embrace different definitions of what photography is. Throughout the years, the meaning of this craft personally to me has kept on evolving.

When I first started off some 4 years ago, photography meant equipment, gear and technical competency. That was a very superficial (and oh how inaccurate) initial view I had. Once I got pass the obsession over gear to realise that the photographer matters so much more, I then believed that photography is about beauty. I aimed to capture all things aesthetically beautiful. I patiently awaited sunsets, took pictures of nature, flowers, scenery.. all things that appeared 'nice'.

But soon enough I realised an even nicer definition of photography. I began to see that photography, at a broader level, could be distilled into two general themes: Light, and Life. Photography then, to me was about capturing life through light. Light the medium, life the subject. I thought this definition worked pretty well, and held true for every genre of photography, except maybe say still-life.

But as I moved on, I began to become more specific in my definitions. I saw the critical importance of photography, and narrowed down what the crux of "life through light" really was. After killing some brain cells, I decided it boiled down to this: memories and moments. Photography is about making permanent a fleeting moment in history. It is powerful - never underestimate the importance of that family snapshot or that black and white Chinatown photo.

While all these were "true" definitions, I somehow felt I didn't entirely capture the artistic element of photography. Only last year, when I started playing with strobes, a bit of portraiture, and a lot of conceptual photography did I understand for myself that it's also about emotion through expression. Really, photography in its purest is an art form, and like any art, it's a means of expression. I then used photography as a means to visually represent the emotions and feelings I was experiencing. That was when photography became personal and emotional, and I could really identify with the photos I took.

Through these few years of growth, meanings kept shifting. Which leads to my conclusion that you can never quite pin down what photography really means to you, because you'll never fully know. Perhaps the question of definition is not that important, but the way you go about obtaining these definitions.

To end it all, let me offer you another definition of photography: Photography is not about photography. At this point in writing, this is what photography means to me. It means everything else in this world, except for photography. And a camera is the tool which helps me see without a camera. Food for thought :)

Joby Gorillapod SLR - review

2010-12-11T15:47:00.001+08:00

I held off long enough on getting a gorillapod - till today! I'm writing this review just a few hours after purchasing it, something which I don't usually do, but it's a product that's straightforward and easy enough to recommend.

Gorillapod SLR supporting a 500D & 17-85 lens

I regretted not getting this earlier. It simply is one of the most useful and ingenious mini camera supports I know.

And if you don't already know, a Gorillapod is mini tripod with bendy legs, allowing one to 'wrap' the tripod around natural objects or fixtures such as fences, railings or poles for those casual snapshots.

On paper, Joby claims a max weight of 800g. As seen in the picture, this 500D + EF-S 17-85 combi tips the scales at slightly more than 900g, but with proper balancing of the tripod legs, it will still support it very steadily.

The tripod itself weights an insignificant 165g, and it uses a universal quarter-inch tripod screw. The joints are all flexible, with the grey parts being rubberised for added grip. The mounting plate slots in nicely to the tripod, and provides a simple bubble level.

Tripod mount

What's missing though is a ball-head system. I think there's another model with a ball-head, but it's too gigantic for my taste. Basically to lock the plate in, you simply slide it into the groove till it clicks. To remove, simply depress the button below and slide the camera out - idiot-proof!

Now this tripod isn't meant to replace a traditional tripod, and neither is it meant to be a professional camera support. I see this more as a secondary form of camera support, either for a small SLRs or compact camera, to be brought out when I go for casual street shooting, or to be used when taking group shots with friends over dinner where I could at least control the composition instead of handing it over to the waiter who returns more often than not with blurred shots.

This is not a serious tripod. I wouldn't recommend it for critical landscape work for example. The Gorillapod is meant for fun - for those days when I wouldn't lug my big Manfrotto 190xprob around town, this is the perfect replacement.

Lock ring - to lock the tripod plate in for added security

Gorillapod supporting 430ex with Trigmaster

But wait! There's more! Besides supporting cameras and videocams, I think this is the perfect support for flashes as well.

Seen on the left, the Gorillapod will support flash units such as my Canon 430exii - perfect when using off-camera flash. Instead of holding the flash with my hands or getting an assistant to do that, I can wrap the Gorillapod around nearby objects. This makes for very versatile lighting setups.

To sum it up, there's very little to complain about the Gorillapod SLR, and there's every reason why any photographer would benefit from one of these accessories. It's a no-brainer, if you're scouting for a tripod which will fit into the bag, THIS IS IT.

The Joby Gorillapod SLR - 5 stars. Very pleased!

Norton AntiVirus 2011 - first impressions

2010-11-01T18:37:00.019+08:00

If you know me, I've been a faithful Norton AntiVirus (NAV) user for quite a long time. I wasn't particularly crazy over NAV a few years back, but in recent years, NAV has dramatically improved and today, it is, IMHO, one of the best antivirus solutions out there.

As part of my subscription, Norton offered me a free upgrade to the latest 2011 version. I installed it without hesitation, and I'm bursting with excitement to share my first impressions with you, because good has become even better.

Firstly, installation was lightning fast - super easy and fuss-free. After a reboot and an activation screen, NAV is setup and ready to use.

Norton AntiVirus 2011 main screen

This is the home interface for NAV 2011. I think it's comprehensive without being too intimidating. New in this version is a map which shows worldwide cyber crime activity for the past 24 hours. Cool. Only gripe with this new UI is that the system status at the top could be more prominent.

NAV sidebar gadget (top)

Norton also provides a sidebar gadget for Windows, which shows you at a glance your system status, and provides two buttons below - one to launch NAV with the Activity Map, and the other with Norton's online backup.

Performance

NAV, back in the XP-era, always had a reputation of being big, intrusive, bloated and a memory hog. But with this version, I can confidently say it's far from that. NAV 2011 is a full-featured antivirus software which doesn't compromise on performance. It is blazing fast, lightweight, and doesn't slow down your system. Everything feels snappy. LiveUpdate works fast, the main screen is almost instant start-up, and scan times are the BEST I've seen from any security software. Doing a quickscan (after running Norton Insight once) only took me 15 seconds. Mind-blowing!

NAV's performance screen - allows you to see how much resources its sapping up

Security

I don't have scientific test results to convince you, but I'd say that Norton AntiVirus is very effective, both in protecting you from threats and removing them. Ever since I've used Norton, not a single threat went unnoticed - even those minor tracing cookies gets picked up in scans. And ever since I've used Norton, my computer has not been infected with any malware. That's all I can say - it is pretty darn good. Provided, of course, you update virus definitions.

Norton Facebook wall scan

New in this version are also two new type of scans you could perform - one is a reputation scan (checks the trust level, age and prevalence of programs and processes on your computer) and the other one - now this is interesting - is a Facebook wall scan, which scans your facebook wall for potentially dangerous website links. Very innovative.

Customisation

Settings panel

At first look, the settings panel is intimidating. There's so many things for the user to tweak, so many options and settings. The one I'd recommend to adjust is to turn on Microsoft Office Auto Scan. You could slowly ploy through the other options and adjust them as you please. If not, the defaults are fine.

Norton Insight

Norton Insight

So how does Norton accomplish it? A full-featured solution without the bulk and the heft? It's every security company's dream right? This is where the intelligence lies - Norton Insight. What Insight does is to scan your computer processes against Norton's list of safe processes. Once it has been trusted by Norton, any subsequent computer scans performed will skip through scanning those processes, thus achieving quick scan-times. Very smart, and works extremely well.

Conclusion

This is just my first impressions of NAV. If you're the kinda guy who will only be convinced by charts, graphs and numbers, Google for another review. But if you're a normal home-user like me, and you're looking for a standard anti-virus software for PC protection, hands-down, I'd recommend Norton AntiVirus 2011. It is excellent in almost every aspect.

If money's an issue though, you could also consider the free and excellent Microsoft Security Essentials. It's good, but not quite up-to-par with Norton.

2010-10-23T22:33:00.002+08:00

http://these-simple-truths.blogspot.com

Started a new blog with my retarded evil twin Ian Leong!

It's hard to maintain two sites, but I'll promise not to totally neglect this blog! Will still write about photog and tech stuff here, but for everything else, hit the link, drop a tag and say hi!

Trust your tools

2010-10-16T22:04:00.018+08:00

Image copyright Ian Ho 2010

Everything's alright cause I am on your side
And if you need to you can hide in me
Cause all you need to know
I will never let you go
I'm the lover of your soul

Brandon Heath is just such an AWESOME AWESOME songwriter!! I really loveeeee his music so much.. it's the kinda music which goes beyond superficial, beyond nice tunes and catchy drumbeats to really speaking the truth. I don't know, I guess his music resonates with me because many issues mentioned are pretty much what I'm dealing with. It's so uplifting, encouraging and inspiring. I could lie on bed enjoying air-con doing nothing but listening to his songs, especially the slower emo nemo ones :D So the two must-listen albums are What If We and Don't Get Comfortable. Pretty much love EVERY track in there.

All you need is a sunrise
Just a moment of dawn...

... Just a little more time the sun's gonna find you

Things have been better this week, training tempo slowing down for a while - finally some time to catch my breath. Still questioning, still seeking, but at least I'm in better spirits. Besides being called poster boy in camp (thank you SUTD), I'm smiling more and actually having great fun with my section. It's the same realisation that no matter how tough training is/going to be, as long as awesome people are alongside you in it, it will be fun and thoroughly enjoyable.

So yesterday was our navigation test for the CSB badge. Second time there; we did a similar navigation exercise there last week. Of the three day checkpoints we were assigned to find, the third one (Quay) was the same as what we got last week. Having found it once, we were pretty confident that we could replicate the success again.

Set off around noon, with no fancy technology other than a prismatic compass, pacer, laser pointer and a map which reflected nothing but a generous chunk of green with contour lines. With just these simple tools, we started bashing up knolls cluttered with thorny bushes, thick vegetation and dead-fall, overcoming the obstacles one by one till the pacing showed we reached our destination. Then we would begin our frantic search for the checkpoint - a small board nailed to a tree. Yes, it's finding a needle in the haystack.

By God's grace, my team found the first two checkpoints. All we were left with was the last checkpoint - Quay, which we found the week before. We walked there, brimming with confidence that we would find it again with relative ease. In fact, the six of us were so sure of Quay that when we went down the knoll, we didn't even use our compass or pacer to navigate. Trusting our instinct and vague impressions of trails we took, we relied on our memory and intuition to find Quay.

If the vegetation was distinct enough, it might have worked. But unfortunately, every tree there looked like any other tree, every dead-fall like any other dead-fall, and every trail like any other trail. After blindly bashing around for some time, we started to get frustrated. After all we did find it before, why not again!

To cut the story short, we failed to find Quay. Uh. Dejected faces we wore as we headed to the day end-point... the prospect of full marks and a pizza treat was over. Reflecting back, the grave mistake we committed was to abandon our tools and stupidly navigate based on hazy impressions of where it is.

Intuition failed us. Feelings weren't accurate. Memories weren't reliable.

Why I'm relating this is because amidst the disheartened faces and low morale, I saw a parallel between navigation and living the Christian life. This simple incident opened my eyes to a bigger realisation about how we are with God many times.

We are often like that aren't we? We like to navigate and lead our life based upon our feelings, our human emotion and warped ideas about what's good and bad or right and wrong. Not that these feelings should totally be disconsidered, but many times they fool us. Like how I should have trusted my tools at all times, we should live our life trusting in the infallible word of God.

Don't base your decisions or view of God based on what you feel. Rather, base it on the unchanging truth.

When He says His love for you is deeper than the deepest seas, it really is!
Even if you don't feel it.

When He says He is fighting for you and is always there with you, it really is!
Even if you feel lonely and feels no one sees your tears.

When He says you're free and the chains have been broken, it really is!
Even if you feel trapped by the circumstances you're in.

When He says He is good all the time, it really is!
Even when you feel everything's falling apart.

When He says you're beautifully created in His eyes, it really is!
Even if you feel you're not good enough.

Lead your life based on God's truth, that way, you won't get lost.

Questions

2010-10-01T20:14:00.132+08:00

Image copyright Ian Ho 2010

Daddy, have you been waiting for me?
I've been running for far too long now, my body is aching and I really need a break.
Can I sit with you and have a cup of coffee?
I really miss you, it has been some time since we talked.

Daddy, why does it keep raining these past few weeks?
Where's the sunshine, puffy clouds and clear blue skies?
Why is it all shades of grey?
I'm afraid of the thunder and lightning - I can't seem to sleep during the storm.
See, even the flowers outside are withering. Will they be fine? It's hard to find time to water them.

Daddy, your love for me is beyond my wildest imagination and deeper than the deepest oceans and bigger than the biggest mountains, right?
You do know the longings of my heart, right?
Why is it that everything around me seems to be falling apart?
Why do you keep on taking away the things that I cherish most?
Why do you make life so painful, bitter, full of suffering and struggles?
Can't it be just a little easier?
Why is it that you give and yet take away?
Just what are you doing inside of me?
It feels like chaos; every step seems harder to climb, every moment seems darker.
Can't the storm clouds part for a while for the golden sunlight to shine through?

Daddy, how do I deal with these feelings of disappointment and failure?
I know I can't do it by myself, but surely you're strong enough to carry me right?
Why is it so hard to wear a smile on my face?
After all you said that it'll be alright eventually.
Then why is my heart still racing in fear?

Daddy, come and restore this broken heart, come lift my spirits up.
Help me to see beyond the pain and suffering to realise that it's part of growing up.
Help me to see that you're the closest when I'm hurting and crying, when all around me is darkness and I can't see where I'm heading.
Help me to see that you're the peace within when I toss and turn in bed wondering what tomorrow brings.

Daddy, it really isn't easy when I'm battling the storm.
But I know, when it's over, I'll look back and say thank you, for faith in the light is born in the dark.
In the meantime, I just got to hold on tight.

Won't you show me the answers?
Your son is waiting:)

Stay on track

2010-09-25T19:31:00.007+08:00

Image copyright Ian Ho 2010 | Snapshot on the way home, simulated film grain in photoshop

"Do you see what this means — all these pioneers who blazed the way, all these veterans cheering us on? It means we'd better get on with it. Strip down, start running — and never quit! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed — that exhilarating finish in and with God — he could put up with anything along the way: Cross, shame, whatever. And now he's there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith, go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls!

Hebrews 12:1-3 (The Message)

I pass by this park connector every time I walk from the bus-stop home, but I don't know why this signage particularly caught my attention today. I glanced up, contemplated for a second if it was worth a picture, then whipped out the nifty fifty, waited a while for the cyclists to appear, snapped, and continued my walk home.

As I walked, I kept repeating the 3 words "stay on track" to myself, and then naturally I asked God why. It's as if He wanted to tell me to stay on track. Truth is, I don't quite know if it's Him or just myself. But as I pondered over a simple signage, Hebrews 12 about running the race came to mind - and I think the way the Message phrases it is just so apt and relevant to me and where I am now.

As I'm reminded to stay on track, let me remind you to stay on track too! Don't veer off the path, keep your eyes fixed and focused. We'll get there someday.

My God knows, and He cares

2010-09-14T22:50:00.002+08:00

Image copyright Ian Ho 2008

Pardon me if my writing is incongruent or a little bit wonky because that's what I am now. It's approaching 10:30pm, my eyelids are shutting, fatigue is setting in and I'm here all alone at company office doing my CDT duty. My dear COS is washing up, and every 10 minutes or so someone pops in asking for today's SOC results. Sounding the mousehunt horn every 15 minutes is what's keeping me awake, and I dread spending the night in the freezing cold of the office on a safari bed.

As much as I've accepted the fact that ASLC is God's plan for me, truth is I've been really finding it hard to put a smile on my face these days. I think I'm a bit more grumpy, more pessismistic and just in low-spirits... outfield every week, failing SOC this morning, not being able to go to church for the next 2 Sundays - it all adds up and this heaviness in my heart just doesn't seem to go away.

But He has been speaking still, assuring me that He knows exactly what I'm feeling, that when I'm downcast and sad, He sympathises and cares.

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and rescues those who are crushed in spirit." Psalm 34:18 NLT

Despite all my emo-ness and what not, I want to tell you today that GOD CARES FOR YOU. (Yes you might be thinking I know this since sunday school as a kid, but do you really know it with your heart and not just your mind?) Because He made us, He knows exactly our emotions and state of mind. He grieves when you grieve, so when you feel that no one understands the situation you're in and how screwed up life is, remember big Daddy up there does!

I'm trying hard to put a smile on my face right now, but there's a mysterious power of a smile - somehow you feel a little happier, and all's gonna be alright.

Fill me with Your love

2010-09-10T22:45:00.007+08:00

Image copyright Ian Ho 2010

The Swiss theologian Karl Barth was asked by a student during a seminar in the United States, "Dr Barth, what is the most profound thing you have ever learned in your study of theology?" Barth thought for a moment and then replied, "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so." The students giggled at his simplistic answer, but their laughter was of a nervous sort as they slowly realised Barth was serious.

From the book Essential Truths of the Christian Faith by RC Sproul

Dear Father, fill me with your love - your profound, satisfying, everlasting and unconditional love! Take my life as an empty cup and fill it till overflowing :)

When paths cross and diverge

2010-09-05T23:55:00.003+08:00

Image copyright Ian Ho 2008

"Friends come and friends go, but a true friend sticks by you like family."
Proverbs 18:24 (Message)

Making good friends is hard, but you know what? The parting after that is even harder. Had to say bye to a good friend who left for studies a few weeks ago, and now after BSLC some of my army friends have parted ways too. And I was just thinking - sometimes our paths cross, sometimes God causes them to diverge. New friends come and old friends go, we embrace new relationships and cry at those who left... and that's the way life works.

But in every season of my life, God never fails to give me a few really good friends that I treasure. It's never the number of friends one has that matters, but who these friends are. I would prefer 5 really really close friends than say 20 "okay" friends. We all start out on our separate path in life, walking our own way, and then at some point we reach junctions where paths cross. And I was thinking of the people that God has placed in my life this season... cos I know it's more than mere coincidence when God causes these paths to cross. I look back and stand in awe at how God brings two paths heading in seemingly different directions and merges them together. Sometimes the people around me are so different from who I am - different backgrounds, personalities, and countries even - but somehow, somehow through the unique course of events in life God causes us to meet. And I constantly ask God why, why He brings these people into my life. There is a purpose, a reason for everything, and sometimes He puts people around us so that we may support them in their walk, or so that they may encourage us in ours. In any case, the very least we could do for these people is to keep them in prayer. The truth is we all can't survive alone, and God never did made us to do that anyway. Although we may not get to see our close friends everyday, prayer bridges that gap. Even when paths diverge and we don't know why, we can still pray for that person and keep him in our thoughts. Prayer is powerful - and that's the least we can do as a believer in a community of believers.

But even as friends come and go, I take comfort in knowing that God's family lasts forever. Our spiritual family, whoever they may be, will continue throughout eternity. And it is much stronger than worldly friendships and even family bonds, because an everlasting God is in the centre of it!

Dear Father, my prayer this season is that you give me more spiritual friends, friends that will stick alongside me like family, because I can't walk alone and I never want to. And to those you've placed around me, I ask that you give me the courage and strength to support them in whatever way I can, because that's what friends are for..

Apple music event 1 sept - quick thoughts

2010-09-04T12:42:00.015+08:00

Just watched the jobs-note, and here are some quick off-the-cuff thoughts regarding the new product announcements.

Once the reality distortion field disappears and the Apple hype fades off, proper judgment sets in and I must say that the event was nothing fantastic or revolutionary. All the announcements were evolutionary updates to already very good products. And Apple's appetite for smaller thinner iPods continue to drastic levels - it's the whole form over function thing.

Image from Apple

iPod shuffle:
The new 4th gen shuffle looks almost exactly like the 2nd gen, except that it is now smaller. Clearly the button-less design of the 3rd gen wasn't well-received. The new shuffle also gains the voiceover technology from the 3rd gen, plus genius mixes.

The nice thing to note though is how unbelievably cheap the shuffle is - S$78 for 2GB. Nice, but uh - nothing to get wild over.

Image from Apple

iPod nano:
This is perhaps the most interesting release. Apple has repositioned this product slightly, making it solely a music player. The video capabilities and video camera have been removed - Apple has moved it up to the iPod touch (more on that later.) Firstly, the click wheel has disappeared, making way for a 240px 1.5-inch square multi-touch screen with a UI similar to iOS. Because it is so crazily minute now, it also gains a clip like the shuffle. Gone also are notes, calendar, contacts and games that were present in other generations.

Some people will make noise that video function is gone, but I think it isn't that big a loss anyway. Who really did enjoy watching video on the small screen of the previous nanos? Apple is clearly pushing consumers who want video over to the iPod touch, and the nano now just does what it does best - music. The loss of calendaring, notes and contacts is also no biggie - we all have our phones to handle that. To replace the loss functionality, Apple has included an FM radio with live pause, a pedometer, Nike+ and a whopping 24 hour battery life. Pricing is also very attractive, but the storage still caps at 16GB.

Image from Apple

iPod touch:
Uh, nothing much to say here as well. Basically, the iPod touch gains most of the new features of the iPhone 4 to keep it up-to-date. Yes retina display, FaceTime, HD video recording, A4 processor, 3 axis gyro.. yada yada, all the good stuff the iPhone 4 has basically. The concept of the iPod touch remains the same - it is still an iPhone without the phone. And Apple is also marketing its gaming prowess by adding Game Centre, a social gaming network. All in all, the best iPod touch so far.

But I'm sad!!! Because of the addition of TWO cameras, I can't bring it to camp! Bad news for all army people. But I'm happy with my current iPod touch, it's good enough.

iTunes 10 sidepane - Apple likes it grey.

iTunes 10:
Ahh this is where I have to bitch a little. I don't like the new UI changes to iTunes! As usual, to visually separate version 10 from other versions, Apple gave the UI a spit shine. Firstly, there's a new blue-ish iTunes icon (do we really need a new icon apple?) which still looks fine. But launch iTunes and EEKS! Why is everything so dull, muted and grey now! The coloured icons on the left navigation pane have been replaced with greyscale versions, the volume slider has changed again, and on the mac the three window buttons (expand, min and maximise) has been weirdly placed into a vertical column. I just don't get it... it's so clear these changes are done just because it's a new version.

Apart from the UI nonsense, iTunes 10 adds a new social network platform called ping. I see this as playing catch-up to the zune social. I don't care too much about it frankly. Overall, iTunes still remains largely as it is - don't let the new icon fool you it's still the same old program.

To sum it all up, still the same one word - evolutionary. But I don't think that's bad, it just means the iPod line-up is near perfect. (Apple, why don't you focus on the Apple TV and make it something more than "another hobby"?)

To Him the future's history

2010-09-03T22:48:00.005+08:00

Image copyright Ian Ho 2010 | Walking by faith, not by sight

Today marked the end of BSLC, the end of 8 awesome weeks in Pasir Lepak camp, and I also got my posting today. While some were jumping joyously upon being posted to air force and MP (aka the slack life), I wasn't that pleased with getting ASLC. Nope, didn't get artillery that I wanted... and so in typical American idol fashion when we were grouped and it was announced that I'm coming back to echo coy, my heart sank.

I asked God WHY WHY WHY ASLC. Weekends burnt, tough training, Taiwan... it won't be easy at all. I don't know what to expect next. 13 freaking weeks to endure.

On the train ride home, I was listening to Miracle of the Moment... and then God spoke through the lyrics, that very same verse which assured me before I enlisted assured me once again:

There's only one who knows
What's really out there waiting
In all the moments yet to be

And all we need to know
Is He's out there waiting
To Him the future's history

I may not know the challenges that's coming my way, but heck ALL i need to know is that a) God has a plan for where I am, and b) to Him the future's history. I just have to wait and see as He reveals why over the weeks. I told myself, there's two ways I can choose to react: either worry, panic and curse or let God's peace fill me as I trust in Him. And I'll choose the latter, for worrying will not add an extra hour to your life, will it? (Matthew 6:27)

I'll choose to walk by faith and not by sight, cos my daddy has it all under control. He doesn't make mistakes!!

To whoever who's reading this, whenever you think life has taken a wrong turn, or things aren't going the way you want, remember that there's a reason for everything and nothing ever happens by chance. God has a perfect plan for you and you just got to trust that's true. Choose to see the positive, because what has happened has happened and worrying won't change a thing.

It's time for letting go
All of our if only's
Cause we don't have a time machine...

...and this is the only moment
we can do anything about.

The crystal ball

2010-08-29T00:24:00.001+08:00

Image copyright Ian Ho 2010

Sadly, there's no crystal ball in life. Only He knows what's coming up next around the bend... cos to Him the future's history.

Trusting my posting after bslc all into the hands of my good God.

After all, worrying is a form of atheism.. I'm just praying that wherever I go I can be the salt and light to those around me, haha and I secretly hope to NOT get aslc!

From inspiration to innovation

2010-08-21T22:14:00.012+08:00

Image copyright Ian Ho 2010 | Having fun with light painting

"The reality is that it's easier to be inspired than it is to create an original idea and we are hardwired to take the path of least resistance. It's easier to jump onto a design inspiration gallery site than it is to sit down with a blank sheet of paper and a pencil. It's easier to follow a pattern than it is to test-drive new options. It's easier to copy a style or idea that works than try something that might miss the mark or outright fail. Above all, it's cheaper mentally for us to rally around what's already been done and emulate it." - Owen Shifflett

I came across this blog post by Owen Shifflett titled "How Inspiration Killed, Then Ate, Creativity." David duChemin penned down his reactions to Owen's opinions on his blog over at pixelated image (which btw is a superb photography site), and world renowned commercial photographer Chase Jarvis had something to say too. Essentially, Owen argued that the current culture of inspiration amongst creatives today has deviated so much from its true meaning. Our definition of inspiration today is more like imitation, and Owen claims that this ultimately kills our creativity. Really thought provoking article and it got me thinking... so go read Owen's post first, then carry on reading my rant :)

The genesis of creativity, I believe, starts with inspiration. Inspiration is what gets me in the right frame of mind; it is where ideas and concepts from all over the place start flooding in. Inspiration gets me excited, it motivates me to create something new and fresh. Mostly, my inspiration originates from the work of other photographers. But every time it is so tempting to be inspired, and then shamelessly use other people's ideas without modification and call it my own. I must admit, I've done it many times. I've seen a photo I love on flickr, copied the concept, re-dressed it a little only to be pleased with myself when other people fav it. Now that's the kind of inspiration that kills creativity. It's the lazy way to doing things - not forcing yourself to think critically, evaluate or be original. It's taking the success of others and calling it yours. Being original is hard, trying to put yourself into your work - your style and personality, doesn't come easily.

I think that the toughest bit in the creative process is to transform that inspiration into innovation. It's when someone says 'ah! I've never thought of that before' that your work is truly creative. And so I asked myself - how oh how in the world does one go beyond inspiration to innovation? How can you create photos that show something new that no one has thought of before? I don't think I have an answer... it'll probably take some time as the question lingers in my mind, but I want to throw out a thought and play devil's advocate. Is it ever possible to be truly truly creative? David duChemin wrote in response to Owen saying that all our work is derivative; all our ideas are developed in the context of other ideas by other people, so nothing is really ours. After all, something genius cannot surface from pure vacuum.

I think the key to being innovative in photography, is ultimately being yourself. I believe every photographer has something unique, something special that no one else has. Maybe a certain kind of style, or a way of interpreting things, or seeing things from different perspectives - whatever. Like how no two snowflakes are similar, we are all you-nique, because God created us that way! So as a photographer, knowing yourself inside-out is of utmost importance. Then bring yourself into your work. The simple argument I'm making is that if there's only one of you, then when you bring yourself into your photography, it becomes uniquely yours! No one else has it! I know it's easier said than done, and it's all airy fairy talk right now, but I guess being creative starts with knowing yourself, who you truly are as a creative. Then it just takes a lot of determination to resist adopting ideas from others but adapting them to become yours.

To any photogs reading this.. let me know what you think :)

Hungry (Falling On My Knees)

2010-08-15T19:49:00.004+08:00

Just got "We Still Believe" by Kathryn Scott and the last track in the album happened to be an old song - Hungry. Listened to it once, and though the song has already been around for so many years it still felt so new and fresh. Haha so I decided to try it out on the piano... cos I think it's just such a beautiful song :)

Btw, missed out the second verse >.< haha was quite hastily done... but still I hope you will encounter God through the lyrics.

5 simple fireworks tips

2010-07-25T19:14:00.001+08:00

Image copyright Ian Ho 2010

National day is coming around the corner, so to those who are thinking of shooting fireworks, here are 5 simple things to bear in mind.

1) No tripod, no shutter release, NO GO!
Tripod is a MUST, and shutter release is highly recommended. The purpose of the remote trigger is so that bulb mode can be used. For this shot, I used bulb mode, f11, ISO 100 and the "black card" technique.

2) Location, location, location.
Plan early, scout for a good view, set up your rig and be prepared.

3) The first explosion is your best chance.
You're probably going to get the cleanest and nicest images when the first few fireworks set off. Remember that subsequently, the smoke in the air will cause the sky to look hazy.

4) Include some foreground interest.
Give the fireworks display some context by including an interesting foreground element. In my case, I chose the integrated resort as the foreground subject.

5) Enjoy the view!
Lastly, don't fret too much over the technicals or getting that perfect shot! Above all, enjoy the fireworks display - the sound, colours, excitement and atmosphere. :))

Made for relationships

2010-07-08T15:00:00.004+08:00

Image copyright Ian Ho 2009

I've wanted to do a sort of reflection on BMT but never quite had the time till now. Block leave this week has been a blast thus far - Monday spent with section mates at Ubin, Tuesday with trackers, Wednesday with Photosoc and church... and finally today, with God alone at home.. Deliberately set aside time to catch up with big daddy and sit at His feet once again, and it feels awesome to do nothing but take it slow and recharge spiritually.

Of all the things that army has taken away from me, I have learnt one important lesson: that life is simply much easier lived with people walking by your side.

I know it sounds kinda stupid, but really I just can't imagine going through the past 2 months alone. It would simply be torturous. The 2 months was difficult, but I thank God for the people who supported me throughout BMT, the encouragement, prayers and SMSes made army life much easier knowing that I'm not alone. It's weird that being away from home 5 days a week actually drew me closer to my parents. I guess it's when you're away that you start to value the things that you miss: friends, family, freedom and even God.

We were all made for relationships, and I realised through army that walking along with someone else, and knowing that there's people upholding you should you fall, is just a much safer and wiser way to live. I see this truth illustrated during route marches. Route march is BORING, where we walk and walk for eternity with heavy field packs on our backs, but because we're doing it together as a platoon, its more bearable. If one person lags behind, there will be someone else to spur and push him on. We look out for each other, and ensure we finish the march together. And it's the same for the Christian life. I realised a community of Christian friends is so important, because we all need encouragement when we're down or going through a rough patch.

Ecclesiastes 4:10-12 best summaries this:
10 If one falls down, his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!

11 Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?

12 Though one may be overpowered, two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

God made us for each other; He made us so that we could show Christian love to those around us... and now that I've completed BMT, I just thank God for all the people He has placed around me to support me and keep me going. Even those simple 'how r u?' SMSes mean a lot to me in camp. Just couldn't do it alone.

God is Able

2010-07-08T10:30:00.003+08:00

I trust in You with all I am
Cos I know You have the master plan
So I'll throw my life into Your hands
For Your glory
For Your glory

What a beautiful bridge!

There is a God

2010-06-27T16:11:00.015+08:00

Images copyright Ian Ho 2009

Dug through my photo archives and came across these photos that I shot last year for school.. and as I asked myself what these photos meant to me, this song by 33miles came to mind:

There is a God; this is the proof
That all around the evidence is speaking the truth
From the center of my soul to the edge of the universe
Creation is crying out believe it or not
There is a God

You know, one of the many reasons why nature photography appeals to me so much is simply because I see God through creation. These nature photos mean more than just superficial beauty, or technical skill or composition... these images show me who God is, and how glorious and magnificent His creation is. The process of creating these shots is more than a technical exercise - it is my worship to God, a way of humbling myself and acknowledging the greatness of the Creator. No, nature photography to me is never about creation, but it's about the Creator manifesting his glory through creation.

"But the basic reality of God is plain enough. Open your eyes and there it is!"
Romans 1:19 (MSG)

To me, observing creation is one of the simplest ways to know that God exists. When I look at the intricacies and variety in nature, of the flowers and leaves and insects and bugs, I know that someone MUST have created it. And that person must be God. The Bible says that the whole earth is full of the glory of God, and indeed creation bears witness to the Creator. Sometimes we try too hard to find God, when his sublime presence is all around us. All it takes is for us to open our eyes and there it is! The reality of God and His glory is plain enough for all of us to see. So to those who deny that God exists, I think that's just plain foolishness.

I believe it; I believe it
There is a God
I can feel it; I can feel it
There is a God
And the more I find the less I need to see
I've never been so sure, so sure of anything

Each day

2010-06-20T16:57:00.004+08:00

Image copyright Ian Ho 2009

Taking each day at a time, that's how I'm living the army life now. Things are getting somewhat mundane; I'm going through the motion everyday just to get over with each day. Like this sunrise image, it's so similar to every other sunrise image taken by everyone. There's nothing different, nothing stunning or spectacular about it. Army life is becoming more and more like that. Badly need a fresh perspective from God.

The route march week

2010-06-19T00:58:00.003+08:00

Marched a total of 37km this week!!!

Never walked this much in my life before!

Also had the BIGGEST blister ever in my life after 12click route march for sitest. Measures approximately 5cm by 4cm on my right heel and it totally freaked me out!

Thankfully, by God's grace, it healed in time for today's 16click march. Just for the record:

Healing Begins by Tenth Avenue North

2010-06-10T23:49:00.000+08:00

This really spoke to me, I and hope it will to you as well :)

Rocks in the mist

2010-05-29T23:18:00.001+08:00

Sharing some of the better shots from my recent shoot at Labrador!

Images copyright Ian Ho 2010

Let me know what ya think :)

About God-sized dreams

2010-05-28T13:15:00.003+08:00

Image copyright Ian Ho 2010

We all have dreams. We all have hopes, aspirations, goals to achieve in life, be it short-term or long-term. But how many of us actually have a God-sized dream?

I'm not referring to any kind of dream, but a dream which is planted by God in our lives which motivates us to impact our friends, our community and the world for Christ. The kinda dream which gives our existence meaning, purpose and fulfillment. This year thus far has been about discovering my identity in Christ, what God's plan is for my life and basically what my God-sized dream is.

I've learn a couple of things in the process.

1) A God-sized dream is a BIG BIG dream! It may take your entire lifetime to accomplish! I've ever wondered at times if it was my dream or a dream from God. I think the difference is that if it's from God, it will be so big in your life that you can't do it alone. You need God, other believers, and most importantly, faith.

2) Knowing your God-sized dream takes time, and lots of prayer. It wasn't easy for me, but I trusted that God had a great plan for my life which He would reveal in His timing. The thing about such dreams is that God will most likely not reveal everything to you at one go, simply because it would be too overwhelming to handle or comprehend! God showed me a bit, then a bit and a bit more of His dream one at a time, a bit like unwrapping parts of a present. I also learn that a God-sized dream will involve one's spiritual gifts.

3) God will not fulfill this dream immediately.

“These things I plan won’t happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, do not despair, these things will surely come to pass. Just be patient! They will not be overdue a single day!" Habakkuk 2:3, LB

This was the hardest part of me to swallow - the waiting. After God revealed a bit of my dream, it seemed as if nothing happened and everything became quiet. But I've come to realise this delay is His way of building our faith even deeper. Noah had to wait a freaking 120 years from the time he started building the ark till the flood began, and Moses had to wait in the desert for 40 years, so likewise we have to wait too until God says the time is right.

4) Don't let your God-sized dream always remain a dream. As with anything in the Christian life, action (done in love) is what matters. For me this will mean letting go of my fears and insecurities, investing more time into ministry, spending more time with God and so forth. Realising this dream will involve many difficulties for sure, but then again that's where faith comes in to overcome them.

I believe that God has in mind a specific God-sized dream for each one of you. You could choose to obey it, or choose to ignore it and sail through life without making a difference for Christ. It's easy to go through the motion of life and live everyday just like yesterday, but it's much more fulfilling to chase and realise a God-sized dream!

Walking on water - thoughts from Matthew 14

2010-05-16T00:00:00.015+08:00

Image copyright Ian Ho 2010

Was at Lower Seletar Reservoir last night shooting with Kelvin. Climbed over a fence illegally, cautiously threaded my way through the floating plank in trepidation and then firmly planted my tripod down and froze there during the 4 plus minute exposure.

Before I pressed the shutter I already knew what this photo was going to be about. I wanted it to be about faith, and the story that immediately came to mind was Matthew 14 about Jesus walking on water. Haha and so coincidentally there was also a boat in the scene (top left)!

Matthew 14 is an interesting passage which reflects on the way our faith is with God many times. Here's the passage from The Message translation:

As soon as the meal was finished, he insisted that the disciples get in the boat and go on ahead to the other side while he dismissed the people. With the crowd dispersed, he climbed the mountain so he could be by himself and pray. He stayed there alone, late into the night.
Meanwhile, the boat was far out to sea when the wind came up against them and they were battered by the waves. At about four o'clock in the morning, Jesus came toward them walking on the water. They were scared out of their wits. "A ghost!" they said, crying out in terror.
But Jesus was quick to comfort them. "Courage, it's me. Don't be afraid."
Peter, suddenly bold, said, "Master, if it's really you, call me to come to you on the water."
He said, "Come ahead."
Jumping out of the boat, Peter walked on the water to Jesus. But when he looked down at the waves churning beneath his feet, he lost his nerve and started to sink. He cried, "Master, save me!"
Jesus didn't hesitate. He reached down and grabbed his hand. Then he said, "Faint-heart, what got into you?"
The two of them climbed into the boat, and the wind died down. The disciples in the boat, having watched the whole thing, worshiped Jesus, saying, "This is it! You are God's Son for sure!"

When I study Peter's conversation with Jesus as he stepped out of the boat to walk on the water, I realise how it resembles my walk with Jesus at times. The first sentence that struck me was "Jesus came toward them walking on the water". Many times Jesus is the one that comes to us in our time of need, He has taken that 99 steps to reach us and we only need to take that 1 step, not the other way around. He's closer than we imagine.

Then Peter thought he saw a ghost and he said Jesus if it's really you, then call me to come to you. Sometimes we're like that too. When Jesus is near to us, we still doubt if it's really Him or not and we ask for confirmation. Next Peter jumps out of the boat, looks at the waves churning beneath his feat and started to get frightened. Aren't we like that? Sometimes when I step out of my boat to follow Jesus, self-doubt and fear fills me and I look at my circumstance and I say I can't do it, Jesus help me!

But the next part is the most amazing. Verse 31 says, and Jesus DIDN'T HESITATE! He reached down, grabbed Peter's hand and said "faint-heart, what got into you?" I'm like that many times, weak in my faith, but the baffling thing is that He never hesitates to be there to help me up. And in the end like how the disciples saw the whole incident and then worshipped Jesus, we too come to a deeper relationship with God whenever we walk on the water. And I've learnt it only takes one thing to walk on water (i.e. do the humanly impossible) - faith.

Lowepro Terraclime 100 Quick Look

2010-05-13T13:35:00.005+08:00

A unique camera bag from Lowepro, not suitable for all photography purposes but works great as a walk-around camera bag :)

Countdown: < 1 day

2010-04-25T21:44:00.009+08:00

12 hours more.

Before reporting to Tekong school 1!

I'm actually kinda excited about it, and I'll try to keep an open mind and be optimistic about it. But before I start on this new journey, I think it's good to wrap up the last 4 months of civilian life by saying that Trackers was really an experience that I will cherish for a long time to come.

I really thank God for enlisting so late, because otherwise I wouldn't have got to meet my wonderful Cebu team!! I will cherish those crazy times we spent together in Cebu, and really I miss all of you after Trackers ended! I really thank God for placing the Trackers people in my life, for bringing me on missions, and for the opportunity to grow deeper in my faith the past 4 months. The lessons learnt and experiences gained will serve as an encouragement for me whenever I'm going through tough times in NS. I've walked long enough with God to know for sure that my life is in His hands, and that He's always beside me and for me, no matter the circumstances.

So I want to start this new journey by looking back at Trackers and saying THANK YOU Lord for the friendships forged, the memories shared and the faith-lessons learnt!

Indeed I wouldn't exchange Trackers for anything else, it really was the best way to spend my pre-enlistee life!

Countdown: 2 days

2010-04-24T00:52:00.007+08:00

Image copyright Ian Ho 2010

2 days more.

Many people ask me if I'm scared to go in, and hell yea the answer is yes. I'm scared about the physical training and torture, about adapting to a new routine, and just the uncertainty of what lies ahead. I peek out from the comfort of life now and I don't know what to expect next.

But I don't think I'm worried or troubled about going in. I once heard the saying that worrying is a form of atheism. I'm not worried because there's this inner sense of peace knowing that He's by my side. And actually I do look forward to meeting new friends (hopefully good ones) and starting new friendships.

But for sure I'll miss home, photography, my Trackers group, and my dear teddy bear!

There's only one who knows
What's really out there waiting
In all the moments yet to be

And all we need to know
Is He's out there waiting
To Him the future's history

Miracle of the Moment, Steven Curtis Chapman

The waiting is the hardest part

2010-04-19T23:43:00.003+08:00

Image copyright Ian Ho 2008

It's always easy to ask God for something, and it's always easy if God says yes and answers your prayer immediately.. but sometimes God says 'not yet' and He tells us to wait. Many times when that happens, the waiting is the hardest part. It keeps us in anxiety - has God forgotten my request? How long more? Or maybe I heard wrongly and God said 'no'. Thoughts start to flood your mind, some of which planted by the enemy. But it is through the waiting that we learn how to depend, seek and trust in God. It always happens to me, and is happening again now. I ask for something, God says 'not yet' and the waiting is killing me, but I know He has not forgotten, and everything will be perfect in His timing. After all, God's plan for us is always the BEST plan. Hope this encourages you :)

In, not of

2010-04-19T01:29:00.004+08:00

Image copyright Ian Ho 2010

It's past midnight and I'm still wide awake thanks to a satisfying three hour nap in the afternoon. It's moments like this in the night when all's quiet that I start to get a bit contemplative and think about stuff.. NOT emo, mind you :)

I've actually been thinking about this for quite a while after one day at Trackers (the day when integrity music came down)... and basically the question is this: we as Christians are supposed to be holy, different, radical and so forth, but how are we to reconcile this desire to be 'not of this world' with the simple fact that we are humans living in this world? What should be the proper Biblical response to Christian living in a secular world and in popular culture?

I won't say that this issue has been troubling me, but it is still pertinent nonetheless, and maybe you've faced this question before. I mean, does being Christian mean we cut ourselves away from the things of this world and our lives just revolve around Church and all the Godly pursuits? I don't think so. I don't think God even wants us to do that. After some thinking (long bus journeys always make me do that), I've come to conclude that being Christian does not mean being isolated from the world. It does not mean only mixing with Christian friends, only listening to Christian music, watching Christian movies, reading Christian books yada yada. No, not at all, though those stuff are good and should be encouraged.

The solution to this, I believe, can be summarised in three simple words: In, not of.

We are called to be in this world, but not of this world. See the subtle difference in language. To be 'in' this world means to be acquainted and immersed in popular culture - the Hollywood movies, Korean dramas, secular music, Glee, soccer, technology and what not - but NOT to be overwhelmed by it, overtaken by it, or controlled by it. Which comes to the second part: 'not of' means to not let the things of this world take a higher place than our walk with God. I must clarify that the things of the world aren't bad or evil per se, not until they become more important than God.

So it isn't wrong or bad to watch movies or listen to Black Eyed Peas, it only becomes wrong when we let that consume us or infringe upon our spiritual life. It is self-delusion when we try to deny the fact that we're a part of secular society. There's no need to renounce all ties with popular culture as a Christian, we just need to readjust our priorities and put God first, the rest second.

In, not of. This I believe is the Christian response to living in a secular world. Simple yet so hard to do at times. But He is always there to help us through. OK now off to bed ;)

Learning to stop and breathe

2010-04-16T11:17:00.003+08:00

Image copyright Ian Ho 2010

10 more days and I'll be away in Tekong, under the hot sweltering sun in army. That means 10 more days to enjoy civilian life, to take things easy and enjoy my last moments free before surrendering myself to the heat and pain of BMT.

The last half-a-month after Trackers ended has really been quite relaxing for me. No real work, just some photography and design jobs and quite a lot of time for myself, friends and photography. I think many times we rush through life too quickly, not because we want to, but modern life is as such. Still, I always value the importance of taking some time off - to stop and breathe. To put some pause in your life. To recharge your soul and refresh your spirit. And then move on again in the crazy rush of life.

We all have our ways of putting pause in our lives. For me, it's through photography. The last month has really given me time to think about my photography, what it means to me, how I can use it to impact others, and how I can take it to the next level. I just got David duChemin's well-acclaimed book Within The Frame, and that book is teaching me some deep stuff on the artistic side of photography and chasing your vision.

But besides photography, I think what really recharges my soul is spending time alone with God. I always feel a bit uneasy when I start off my day without first spending time with God... but yet I do that all the time. I wake up, wash-up, take breakfast and then rush off to work/Trackers without prioritising God first or greeting him good morning. I get caught up in the rush of life many many times. And that's unhealthy for our spiritual well-being. That's why spending time talking to God and reading His word is so important for all believers.

I'm learning how to stop and breathe, to recharge and refresh. So should you!

What keeps you going?

2010-04-10T00:33:00.001+08:00

Image copyright Ian Ho 2010

I remember reading this quote from someone before, which goes something along the lines of "the best image is the one I'm going to make tomorrow."

Indeed, this is my outlook on photography as well. It is the hope that tomorrow's image will be better than today's that keeps me going each day. It is that hope and anticipation of something more, the spirit of outdoing myself, that motivates me to keep doing what I do. For the day when I say "I've got my best image" is the day I've stopped trying harder.

What keeps you going in your photography?

Shooting Solo

2010-04-07T10:58:00.001+08:00

Image copyright Ian Ho 2010

As much as I value the importance of a photography community, I feel that it's good to do your personal photography alone, to go out shooting solo. I have realised that it is during my solo shoots that I'm most focused and the least distracted. Of course I'm not saying don't share your photos with the world or upload them on Flickr - I'm saying working alone as a photographer out in the field helps you get better images, especially if you're into landscape and nature photography.

Why is this so?

1) There's no one else to distract you when you're alone. It's just you and your subject, or the environment that you're interacting with. You can put all your energy into making photos and not get preoccupied in comparing shots with your friends or discussing about who's equipment is better and so forth.

2) You can shoot at your own time and own target. When alone, there's no pressure from others to 'move on' to the next location or 'hurry up'. You can take as much time as you like with your subject, and no one's going to bother you. As you spend more time with your subject, be it a flower, landscape etc, you're going to understand it better and find interesting ways to approach it.

3) For some people, they are most creative alone. This is NOT true for all photographers, but for me I find that my photographic vision is best developed when left alone with my subject. Simply put, I get better shots.

All these said, I must also emphasise on the importance of sharing your work after that. It's no point to shoot and hide them away. If you're ashamed to show your work, then you'll never improve. Share your photos with fellow photographers, post them online and be open to feedback.

Also, I'm not saying that it's bad to shoot with fellow friends. No, not at all. Sometimes I shoot with friends, and it's good if you want to catch up with each other and do what you love best together, but I feel that solo is the way to go if you want to be super-serious with a shoot and get the most out of it.

The Message//Remix: Pause

2010-04-02T11:23:00.002+08:00

Just purchased a new Bible! It's called The Message//Remix: Pause. I've always liked The Message translation, because it is literal and modern in language and expression. So I decided to get this. The cover says it is a daily reading Bible, and there is actually a reading programme to read the entire Bible in a year.

This however, is not meant to replace your normal Bible. I will still be using my NIV Bible in Church and Bible studies... this Message Bible is more for my daily reading during devotion, or just to read as a book/novel. The not-so-good part of The Message Remix is that it doesn't print Bible verses, it just shows the chapters. But I love the way Eugene Peterson writes it, it is clear and relevant to today's context. If you ever thought that the Bible is boring, you should try The Message.

My hope with this purchase is really to read the Bible more and on a daily-basis... because God's word is alive and He speaks through His word!

Please stop and listen to Stop and Listen

2010-04-01T21:07:00.003+08:00

Sharing with all an amazing song from my current-favourite CCM artist, Bethany Dillon. I've always loved Bethany Dillon's music... it's more than her soothing voice that makes me listen over and over... I think it's the lyrics too, which is deep and meaningful. Hope you will like this :)

Remember, take some time out of your busy life to stop and listen to the voice of God!

I wake up
Start the rush and pour some coffee
Things to do pile up
Oh so quickly
Too many days I feel like
I run on empty
Does anyone else out there feel like me?

But I’d be a fool to forfeit
The chance to take a moment

For You to rise like the dawn
Over my cold, tired heart
What I thought I had lost
Finds me when I stop
Stop and listen

It’s the same slowing down lesson we all learn
But I don’t pay much attention
Till I crash and burn

So all together
Let’s stop and sit at His feet
My sisters and brothers

Microsoft Security Essentials review: good enough?

2010-03-15T22:56:00.006+08:00

When Microsoft Security Essentials (MSE) first launched, I wrote a post about how this could spell doom for security software companies like Norton, but I also expressed my apprehension about free anti-virus software. I mean, Microsoft states it clearly that it is essentials. So is this a good enough anti-malware solution for home users?

I've been using MSE as my sole anti-virus software for three months now on two Windows laptops. One is running Vista business, the other is a netbook with 7 Starter. Before that, I was using Norton products, but when my subscription expired, I figured out that renewing was costly and so decided to give MSE a chance. (By the way, I'm still a big Norton fan.)

So can MSE replace Norton Anti-virus?

If you don't want to read through the rest, the short and simple answer is YES.

MSE indeed lives up to its promise of being a lightweight, hassle-free, top-notch anti-malware software. I don't know if this brings you any assurance, but at least I felt more secure knowing that MSE is based on the same protection technologies as Microsoft Forefront.

Microsoft Security Essentials main console

The installation was fuss-free and quick. Once installed, Windows Defender gets disabled, which is only natural since MSE is a superset of Defender. MSE's user interface is spartan, but extremely clear and well-organised. At one look you'll know if your system is healthy or not. Green means good, red means bad, yellow means at risk... couldn't be more straightforward.

Virus definition updating takes place either within the MSE console, or via Windows Update. You can update manually, or MSE will do it automatically in the background. There are new definitions released daily. It is really unobtrusive - no funny pop-up messages and what not - it just works.

Now the big question on every user's mind: is MSE effective in malware protection?

This I can't speak with authority, because everyone's mileage will vary. But I will say this: if you're a cautious user like me, then MSE is sufficient to keep you protected real-time from all the threats like worms, viruses, spyware, trojans etc.

Of course this gets tricky because 'cautious' is subjective and hard to define. What I mean by cautious includes not surfing dangerous websites, scanning files on download, running only programs you trust, scanning removable media before opening, doing weekly scans and so forth. If you're a careful computer user, and you don't intentionally do stuff that could harm your system, then MSE will keep you safe. But if you purposely visit malicious sites, install suspicious software, then I can't say with certainty MSE will protect you because I haven't been in that situation before.

All I can say is that in the three months, I have had zero virus attacks/infections using MSE as my only anti-virus. So to me, MSE is as good as Norton in protecting me from threats. Just today I plugged my friend's infected thumb drive into my computer, and immediately, MSE alerted me about the trojan before it even opened the contents. So from that one experience I can say real-time protection does work.

But surely MSE isn't perfect. There are areas which I felt could improve. Firstly, the scan times are quite long. I'm used to the super-quick quick scans from Norton products, so in comparison MSE's quick scan is noticeably longer. Also, full system scans may take anywhere between 1-2 hours depending your computer. It's a really long wait.

So to conclude, if you can't afford or don't want to pay for Norton anti-virus or similar products, I can safely recommend MSE to you and I'm sure it will keep your system safe and running. But of course if money is no issue then go get Norton, because Norton does have a few advantages and extra features. The real question is if these extras (like Norton file insight etc) are worth the money. That's only for you to decide. My advice is to first try out MSE, and if it isn't good enough then buy Norton. If it is, and for most people it will be, then keep on using MSE because it never expires!

It's hard to come across such good software. Microsoft has got anti-virus right. It's free, small, light and good. I never thought this day would come.

Paul Baloche - Glorious

2010-02-09T20:17:00.001+08:00

Just wanna share this video with everyone. Worship leader Paul Baloche talks about his new album, Glorious.

I have heard a couple of tracks, and so far it's nothing but AWESOME!

It's really the kind of album which inspires you to get closer to God. The songs are perfect for both corporate and personal worship. I particularly love the song "To The Cross" and "How Great Is The Love"... simple and emotional worship songs.

If you like Paul's songs, you gotta hear this album. Great stuff as always!

Experimenting with white balance

2010-01-31T22:10:00.001+08:00

Image copyright Ian Ho 2010

Made this image last night... It's a 1.5 minute long exposure @ 16mm ultra wide angle.

If you ask me what makes this image work, I'd say it's two things. Firstly, the cloud formation and movement captured during the long exposure. Secondly, it's the fiery colours.

Now of course the sky wasn't this red... so how did I achieve it? Simple! Set white balance to cloudy! This warms up everything in the shot and in this example contributes to the mood and emotional element of the picture, and adds more 'drama' to the clouds. I think this image wouldn't have worked at all in auto white balance.

The simple tip here is that photography need not always reflect what we see. So try experimenting with various white balance settings to create something different!

iPad quick thoughts

2010-01-30T01:06:00.003+08:00

The Apple iPad is a device which bridges the gap between the iPhone and a laptop. In many ways it's a glorified iPod touch. I think it's way too early to judge if the iPad is a success or not. I don't know if it will be a game changer. All we can do is wait and see first.

As of now, if you're entertaining the notion of purchasing this at first launch (i.e. 2 months from now), I discourage you from doing so. Clearly, this is still a version 1.0 product that needs refining. We aren't even sure if we really need it. I'm not sure if I could actually use this as a netbook replacement. After all, there's no flash support, no multi-tasking, web cam... yada yada.

As much as Apple calls it a new class of device, the truth is that the iPad will compete head on with the saturated netbook market. The iPad's aggressive pricing implies this. So the first question that I ask is whether the iPad can do what most people do on netbooks. Now as much as Apple says netbooks suck/is not the solution, the truth is that it is wildly successful, and because of its success surely the netbook can't be all wrong. It is successful because it offers full laptop capabilities in a cheap and compact form-factor. In my view, if the iPad is going to be a huge success like the iPhone was, it has to do what the netbook does, and do it 10 times better. If not, then I think it makes little sense for people to get the iPad in addition to a netbook. It just complicates life to have to manage another device.

So to me the real question is this: can the iPad replace a netbook? If no, then I won't get it. I don't want to be managing my iPhone, netbook, laptop AND my iPad. It's just too much technology for me.

Hoya Circular Polariser Review

2010-01-28T23:03:00.002+08:00

Got this filter for my landscape photography. Overall satisfaction is 4/5.

Trackers Mission Prep

2010-01-22T22:50:00.001+08:00

I'm going to Cebu, Philippines in Feb for my Trackers mission trip and I really really can't wait! For the past few days we've been preparing for the mission trip and doing some really fun stuff like planning games and doing drama.

Did some videos with the 500D and here they are:

Canon EF-S 55-250 IS Review

2010-01-18T00:51:00.005+08:00

Upgraded to this lens from the Canon 75-300 III, mainly for the stabiliser and better image quality.

Optical quality: 3.5/5
Build quality: 3/5
Ergonomics: 4/5
Value: 4.5/5

Update: I forgot to mention, the vignetting problem can be reduced if your camera supports peripheral illumination correction (e.g. 500D, 50D, 7D). That function will ensure even illumination across the image.

Amazed

2010-01-13T22:42:00.004+08:00

Sang this song today during worship. Especially love the first verse. If you're wondering where in the Bible it came from, it's from Zephaniah 3:17.
"The LORD your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing."

You dance over me
While I am unaware
You sing all around
But I never hear the sound

Lord, I'm amazed by You
Lord, I'm amazed by You
Lord, I'm amazed by You
How You love me

How wide
How deep
How great is Your love for me

How great is my God

2010-01-12T23:21:00.004+08:00

Today is the second day of Trackers proper. It's a 9-5 mon to fri thingy, where 31 youths gather to seek after one God.

It's only two days, but so much has happened. It's so exciting. The good thing is that so much has also yet to happen. For me personally, I've learnt how to hear the voice of God in a very specific way, to encounter him as my Father and to (literally) talk to him as if a son talking to his daddy. I've come to realise so much about how great and awesome my Lord is. You may be thinking that this is something like going back to school isn't it? I mean it's everyday, and studying the Bible? Partly true, just that it's way more enriching and interesting than any textbook I've ever studied in school.

There were many things that God taught me, many things that I saw in God and my fellow trackers, most of which aren't appropriate to share here.

But there's one thought that struck me that I think is worth sharing here. That is, how big God is. He created the entire universe, all the planets, stars, galaxies, placed the sun in its place to give us light, and also the moon to bring us the coolness of night. The huge-ness of God is beyond our human comprehension. And the thing that dumb-founds me every time is that this gigantic God would actually be bothered with my life - the life of a sinner, of a small, insignificant person. I mean, we're like less than a speck of dust in comparison to the size of His creation. Yet the Bible assures us that God holds us in the span of his hand, and that he dotes on us and is obsessed with us. Psalms 139:17-18 says that God's thoughts concerning us are uncountable like the grains of sand. That is such a sweet sweet thing to know... to be reminded that the God of the universe is also the God of my heart.

Fun with smoke

2010-01-10T21:56:00.003+08:00

Recently I tried playing around with smoke photography. For the very first time, under Keith's assistance. Just sharing some of the better shots!

Smoke photography was really fun! There's an element of surprise, in that you can never predict how the smoke blows about. Technically, the challenging bit was acquiring proper focus and ensuring the smoke was within the DOF.

The reason why I did this was to try something new. As creative people, I believe in always experimenting with something fresh. This is one way to not get stuck in a rut. Always keep discovering, having fun, and never lose sight of the magic that first caught your eye - photography.

God is truth

2010-01-10T21:26:00.002+08:00

"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." -John 14:6

This verse is a common one. It is simple to understand, yet it contains a very fundamental truth (pun intended) that some may miss.

This verse reveals to us that God is truth. Truth is not some knowledge, some idea, rule or religion. Truth is a person. Truth is Jesus Christ. Thus, when we seek the truth in our Christian walk, we are seeking Christ.

But then you may ask, since truth is a person, does that mean that the Bible is not truth? After all, a person cannot be a book. The answer is that both God and His word is truth. This is because in John 1, it is written that "God's word became flesh", implying that God and His word are essentially the same thing.

No shame in being an amateur

2010-01-09T22:35:00.000+08:00

We constantly hear of the distinction between an amateur photographer and a professional. More often than not, this statement implies that the amateur is inferior to the professional, in terms of photography skill, equipment and experience. The meaning of the term amateur has become so diluted today that it has a negative connotation attached to it.

But do you know the true meaning of being an amateur? It is actually a positive thing. An amateur is someone who does something out of a pure love and passion for it. The only motivation for an amateur to do what he does is because he enjoys it. It is not for monetary rewards. Thus, I feel that being an amateur photographer is not a shameful status at all. In fact, we should feel proud of it, that we do our photography because we honestly love it, and not because we need to make ends meet.

I think all photographers, both pros and non-pros, should have the attitude of an amateur in his heart. Too many professionals get lost in the business side of things that they forget how to approach photography purely out of a passion for it. Let us not forget that there is no shame in being amateurish, for it is the purest way to approach photography.

The 3 images in the creative process

2010-01-04T00:03:00.004+08:00

Image copyright Ian Ho 2009

I've read this somewhere online before, and it's about the creative process in photography.

There are actually 3 separate images we make when we make an image. Let me elaborate.

1) The first image is the image that we pre-conceive and visualise in our mind.

2) The second image is the image that we actually produce with the camera.

3) The third image is the image that we refine in the digital darkroom.

When you think about it, much of our frustration and motivation in photography comes from these 3 images in the creative process.

We are normally frustrated when image number 3 is not coherent with image 1. We have failed when the image we imagine is vastly different to the final image we produce.

But at times, this creative process actually motivates us to do what we do. It is the feeling of satisfaction and joy that we get when image number 3 is closest to image 1. Adding to that, when we are capturing image number 2, there is an element of anticipation that hopefully, with a little retouching magic, the final image matches up with the one that we visualise in our minds.

Just some food for thought. :)

Being a homesick Christian

2010-01-03T01:33:00.007+08:00

Over the past months I've been listening to more CCM (Christian contemporary music), and this song really got me thinking.

You're in a better place, I've heard a thousand times
And at least a thousand times I've rejoiced for You
But the reason why I'm broken, the reason why I cry
Is how long must I wait to be with You

I close my eyes and I see Your face
If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place
Lord, won't You give me strength to make it through somehow
I've never been more homesick than now

Help me Lord cause I don't understand Your ways
The reason why I wonder if I'll ever know
But, even if You showed me, the hurt would be the same
Cause I'm still here so far away from home

I close my eyes and I see Your face
If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place
Lord, won't You give me strength to make it through somehow
I've never been more homesick than now

In Christ, there are no goodbyes
And in Christ, there is no end
So I'll hold onto Jesus with all that I have
To see you again
To see you again

And I close my eyes and I see Your face
If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place
Lord, won't You give me strength to make it through somehow
Won't You give me strength to make it through somehow
Won't You give me strength to make it through somehow

I've never been more homesick than now

-----------------------------------------------

You know the lyrics to this song are so deep and meaningful, and it really spoke to me. It took a few listens to really get what it meant, but if you were to read carefully, the term 'homesick' here is actually referring not to any physical home on earth, but our spiritual home in heaven.

Thus this song is all about longing to be with God in heaven, and spending eternity with Him. Our stay on earth is temporal, and our ultimate home is actually somewhere invisible in heaven. You know, a home is a place where you are accepted for who you are, where you feel belonged and loved. And heaven is exactly about all these, and so much more. It is a perfect place!

And as I pondered over the lyrics, it also occurred to me that we should be living our lives on earth as homesick Christians. We should live each day longing to be united with Christ in heaven. There should be a strong desire in our hearts to enter this eternal home. We should be doing the things that will grant us entrance to home. That to me, is what being a homesick Christian is about.

My prayer is that we will all become homesick Christians from 2010 till we meet Him.

Hope you enjoyed the song!

Canon 17-55mm Quick Look

2010-01-01T23:17:00.001+08:00

[If you have no interest in watching boring equipment reviews, do me a favour by skipping this video, thanks.]

I figured talking was easier than typing, hence a video.

I just shot Nat and Charmaine's wedding today, and put this rented lens to the test. I share my thoughts on using this lens for events coverage.

My dear lens is back

2009-12-29T18:38:00.004+08:00

I spent a considerable amount of time travelling today. Haha have to use up my student ez-link card before it expires on the 31st anyway. I'm proud to say that I'm left with 20 cents in my card after today! Hmm, but the thought of paying adult rates really put me off.

I went all the way to freaking John Wesley Centre at Bukit Batok for my trackers interview in the afternoon. It was quite informal, and it went ok thankfully. I'm actually excited for trackers to begin in Jan... getting to know new friends, studying God's word and going for the mission trip. After that ended, I took the Bukit Panjang LRT (first time in quite a few years) to Chua Chu Kang mrt, then took the train all the way to Harbourfont to collect my lens which died on me a few months back!

I'm happy that my 17-85 is back after 3 weeks with Canon. If you ask me, 3 weeks for any kind of repair is too long. And the charges were absurdly high too. I was extremely shocked that out of the hundred plus the repair costs, did you know 80 bucks goes for the service charge, and the actual parts itself only costs 30 bucks?! Wow the repair guys at Canon must be earning good money!

But at least my lens is working fine now, and after requesting to change the rubber zoom ring, it looks slightly newer, and the zoom a tad firmer. Looking back, the 17-85 has been with me for close to 3 years. Optically I can't say it's fantastic. Price wise it isn't too. But what keeps me holding onto this lens is the superb zoom range, stabiliser function and quick AF. Sure, the new 15-85 is a better lens, but the price now is just way unjustifiable. I'm thinking.. and just thinking, if I were to replace the 17-85, I would go for the new Sigma 17-70 OS when it is available. Ah this is where I tell myself again not to lust for equipment. These thoughts are eeeevil!

Haha tomorrow I'm going to visit the dentist, then going shooting with Waiyong and Vernon. Thank you Lord for seeing me through the interview today!

New look for the new year

2009-12-28T01:48:00.005+08:00

This is my blog's new look for 2010!

Haha, well I hope you like it. Decided to keep the design really simple and clean. I think this is way better than the previous design with the kiddish banner graphic.

Wow, 2009 is coming quickly to an end... and it's that time of the year where we look back at what we've accomplished, and look forward to new beginnings. I think I'll write another post to reflect properly on 2009, but to put it succinctly, 2009 has been the toughest of my four years in JC. But through every major obstacle, I learnt what it meant to take a step of faith, and to live a life of faith in Christ. Indeed, as the song goes.. you are forever in my life, you see me through the seasons...

This year has been really crazy, and I'm so thankful that God has seen me through it!

Like A Fire (Cover)

2009-12-08T19:03:00.003+08:00

I LOVE THIS SONG SO MUCH, ESPECIALLY THE BRIDGE!!

Come like a flood
And saturate me now
You're all I want
Come like the wind
And sweep throughout this place
You're all we want

Where is your heart?

2009-12-07T22:31:00.004+08:00

I thought that after the As ended, my life would be more "worry-free" and I would have less things to be concerned over. Haha I'm so wrong. Because after As my worry then shifted to how I was going to spend the next 4 months before enlisting.

I narrowed it to 2 options: one is to go teach my juniors art, and the second one is to join Trackers, which is a youth bible-study and mission trip programme by TRAC. I have been praying about it, and asking God to reveal to me His plan and purpose for the next 4 months of my life. I always believe nothing happens by chance, and I'm enlisting in april for a reason and I've been asking Him to show me the reason why.

For quite a while I felt that there was no answer. But I think today God finally answered me, through the Purpose Driven devotionals, but not directly. He pointed me to Matthew 6:21, which says "for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." This wasn't the first time I've read this verse, but somehow it impressed upon me differently today. To quote from the devotional, this verse means that wherever we put our time, money and effort to, that's what's going to attract us. If we invest ourselves whole-heartedly into something, then that's where our heart and treasure will be.

For some of us, our heart may be in money, or in our outward appearance, or in our work. For me, I know that my heart is in photography, simply because I spend so much time and energy in it. And wherever my treasure will be, my heart will be there. If my treasure is my camera and photos, then my heart will be there. Likewise, if our treasure is money, then our heart will be with our worldly riches.

And that's where I thought... I want my heart to not just be in photography, but more importantly with God. I want to seek Him more, because the more time I spend knowing Him, there my treasure will be. Matthew 6:19-20 also says not to store up treasures on earth, but to store up treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. And so I decided that I would go do trackers, because it is the opportunity for me to align my heart with the Lord and build up heavenly riches. After all, I can always do teaching in future if I really wanted.

Where is your heart at today? What is precious to you? For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Canon 10-22mm mini review

2009-12-05T17:59:00.009+08:00

Church camp ended today! Being camp photographer and shooting 3.5 days non-stop is surely tiring, but once again I'm ever thankful to serve Him with whatever skills I have. I initially thought the camp would be boring and kiddish, but no no it was a meaningful and enjoyable time, and a refreshing encounter.

Throughout the camp I put my new Canon 10-22mm f3.5-4.5 USM lens to the test. I've not used it extensively enough to know everything about it, so keep in mind this review is sort of a first impressions kinda thing.

If you're into MTF charts and what not, then I suggest heading over to the Luminous Landscape. My review is based on actual usage of this lens.

Firstly, this lens is an EF-S lens, so it will only work with Canon cropped bodies, and not with full-frame (FF) cameras like the 5D mark 2. I use this lens on the Canon 500D. Factoring in the 1.6X crop factor, the equivalent focal length is 16-35mm, which goes from ultra wide angle (UWA) to wide angle. Thus if you're thinking of going FF later, you might want to avoid this lens.

If you've used the Canon EF-S 17-85 or EF-S 17-55 lenses, you'd immediately feel at home using the EF-S 10-22. These lenses are very identical in terms of build quality, operation and design. The first thing I noticed about the 10-22 is its light weight and compact size. It is lighter than both the 17-85 and 17-55, and marginally shorter than the 17-85. The filter thread size is 77mm, which is the same size as most of Canon's pro lenses. I could carry this lens the whole day without complain.

In terms of build quality, it is very good. It sports a metal mount, a distance scale, full-time manual focusing (FTMF), and internal zooming. That means the lens does not extend when zooming (but the front element shifts in and out while zooming). The build quality, is however, not as good as the "L" series. That said, this lens is sturdy and strong enough for daily use, and should be more than acceptable for many photographers. The focusing mechanism of the lens is also very good. Focus is fast and quiet thanks to the ultrasonic motor. The minimum focusing distance is also really close, at 24cm. Again, if you've used the 17-85, the focusing speed and accuracy is almost identical, and both very good.

Now to the optical quality of the 10-22. This is where the lens really shines. Although it does not have the "L" designation, it is an optically excellent lens. I've tried shooting wide open during camp in indoor lighting conditions, and got very very sharp photos. Generally speaking, this lens was designed to perform well wide open. Stopping down does improves border sharpness, while centre sharpness doesn't seem to visibly improve at all. I was shooting at around f5.6 during the camp with flash, and at that aperture the entire frame is decently sharp as long as it's within the depth-of-field. If you don't get sharp photos with the 10-22, its likely due to mis-focus or long shutter speeds as opposed to lens sharpness issues.

Distortion on the 10-22 is also very well managed. In real-world usage it is not an issue at all. However, lens test do show a little bit of barrel distortion at 10mm. At 22mm, it is distortion-free.

If there is something negative about the 10-22's image quality, that has to be chromatic aberration (CA), or purple fringing. Generally, CA is well-managed for a UWA. It is within acceptable limits, but it is noticeably there when viewed at 100% magnification. It is more pronounced when shooting in high-contrast lighting, and less so when shooting indoors. However, if you are a photographer and not a pixel-peeper, then I can say CA is a minor issue, and can be corrected in post.

Other than that, it seems to me that the 10-22 is an optically perfect lens. It is surely not "L" build quality, but optically, I dare say it is. I wouldn't hesitate to say this is a professional lens when it comes to the images it produces.

Lastly, how does the 10-22 compare with other UWAs on the market? So far, I've used the Tokina 11-16 f2.8 and the Sigma 10-20 f4-5.6, and so I'll make a few quick comparisons.

Of these 3 UWAs, the Sigma 10-20 is the least impressive. It is the least sharp wide open, and only works well at f8 onwards. If I have to choose one UWA specifically for events coverage, it will still be the Canon 10-22. The Tokina is also a very good lens, but the main problem is the limited zoom range. I would prefer to have the more versatile range of the Canon than the fast 2.8 aperture of the Tokina.

To conclude, I do not regret getting the Canon 10-22mm. If you shoot Canon and want a UWA, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this lens to you. I love the super wide 10mm view and the unique effect it gives, and in cramped shooting situations this lens will help you get everything in.

However, apart from events coverage, another application would be in landscape/architecture photography. In fact this was the main reason why I purchased it. Will shoot some landscapes and share my experiences in the coming weeks. But for now, this lens is highly, highly recommended, as long as you don't intend to go FF in future!

Simple sunset shot

2009-12-04T00:04:00.005+08:00

I'm helping out at my church children's camp as camp photographer... today we went to East Coast for some games. At the end of everything, I got to experience this magnificent sunset!

Lovely, isn't it?

[Btw, if you would like to see the camp photos I took, hit this link.]

Think what and why, not where

2009-11-28T21:30:00.009+08:00

The weather these few days are extreme. One moment it's sunny with puffy white clouds and the next moment it's grey and ominous. Haha but it's mostly rainy... not good for shooting. Whatever, the point is I've not been shooting. So the only thing I can do is to think about photography, instead of doing. This includes looking at more wonderful images (which makes me so depressed), hanging around Clubsnap (which isn't very healthy) and reading photography websites as I contemplate my next lens purchase and drool over pro bodies (lol jk).

In the process of wasting my time, I decided to look through my Flickr stream and all the photos I've taken. And that was when I realised my landscape photography revolved primarily around locations, i.e. I would first start by deciding on where I want to shoot, instead of what to shoot. Reflecting on this now, I think it isn't a good way to approach photography. I think the better way is to think of what to shoot first, rather than 'oh the weather is good today, maybe I should go to ______ to shoot'. By thinking of the what first, it forces us to be more focused in our images, instead of going to a place and then randomly capturing anything that interests us. For example, if your theme is 'morning mist', then go to the place which has the most mist, and not say the best sunrise.

And I would take it a step further: besides thinking of what, also consider the why, because the why will give purpose and meaning to what you do.

I believe if we can think more about the what and why aspects of photography, instead of the where, we can become more focused and purposeful photographers. I'm hoping to do just that :)

End of the road

2009-11-27T13:35:00.009+08:00

Image copyright Ian Ho 2008

The A levels are coming to an end. Left with one physics MCQ paper. Finally!

Looking back, it was a long journey indeed, and not an easy one. For about 2 months now, I've been doing nothing but studying. Haha I've never studied this hard before! Haven't touched my camera or gone shooting for about 2 months now. Up till today I still don't know how I did that. I feel that my photog skills are rusty, and I've kinda forgot my photoshop workflow and post-processing stuff already. Can't wait to go out and appreciate God's creation again.

In the mean time I'm just so thankful that He has brought me so far. Really, I could not have done the A levels alone. I still remember on the 10 Nov when I sat for my first paper (math), I was totally so nervous! Haha turned open the cover page, saw question 1, then panicked for a while, until I realised it was actually system of linear equations. But I think the paper went fine.

I think on the whole, A levels are easier than prelims, but it's still not easy-peasy. With the exception of Chem, I feel that I did my best for the rest... hopefully the results should be OK. After all, there's no point worrying now. I'm just leaving the rest to my big daddy up above. The entire A level journey was truly a leap of faith for me, and as weird as this sounds, it was as much an academic pursuit as it was spiritual. I've learnt so much more about the Lord, and got closer to Him.

Oh oh and I've also got to know many new CCM bands/singers and songs as I listen while studying. As of now, my favourite is Bethany Dillon! Her music is deep, honest, sincere and just a joy to listen to. Her style is something like a mix of Chris Tomlin and Brooke Fraser. I think I'll get her new album :)

Ok back to Physics!

Tokina 11-16 VS Canon 17-85 lens test

2009-10-04T17:49:00.009+08:00

My good buddy Keith lent me his Tokina 11-16mm f2.8 AT-X PRO super wide-angle lens this week to play with. Despite it being a third-party lens, it is a very high quality lens comparable to other top notch UWAs, such as the Canon 10-22mm. The distortion at 11mm is very slight, while at 16mm, distortion is almost non-existent. Sharpness when stopped down 1 stop from f2.8 is very good, and at f8.0, it is incredibly sharp across the frame. The build quality is solid, the zoom ring is smooth, and the lens is quite compact.

But then I started to wonder, just how much better is the Tokina as compared to a standard zoom lens, at wide angle 28mm? So I decided to do a quick, unscientific test between the 11-16 and my Canon 17-85 f4-5.6 IS USM. I'm just investigating the optical quality here, and my test does not take into consideration other factors like price, build quality, weight etc.

So I got my 500D steadied on a tripod and shot 2 frames at 15MP, deliberately ensuring there were high contrast areas in the picture so I could compare chromatic aberration.

I shall let the pictures speak for themselves, and yes you may pixel-peep. Click to enlarge.

11-16 (Resized, with slight crop):

17-85 (Resized):

And now for the 100% crops where the difference is noticable:

The conclusion is simple and clear-cut: if you're shooting at 28mm most of the time, get the Tokina 11-16 over the 17-85. The Canon's chromatic aberration is horribly bad compared to the Tokina. Sharpness wise the difference is less obvious, though the Tokina is much sharper of course.

Microsoft Security Essentials 1.0 thoughts

2009-09-29T20:15:00.005+08:00

[Note: I have not installed MSE yet, it is not available in my country. All opinions are based on information online.]

So Microsoft has just launched it's new Microsoft Security Essentials v1.0 software (MSE abbreviated). MSE is basically a free, lightweight and effective anti-virus software that can be installed on XP, Vista and 7 systems which have been validated as genuine copies. Remember that Microsoft used to sell it's OneCare product? Well, MSE replaces OneCare. It is essentially OneCare, minus all the extra PC tune-up and backup stuff, i.e. MSE is just supposed to tackle viruses and spyware. It is built on the same foundation as OneCare.

MSE is a very interesting product, for if it really takes off, it could spell doom for the big-time security companies, namely Symantec (Norton) and McAfee. I mean, think about it: we're talking about a no cost, lightweight, hassle-free security solution which claims to provide very effective security for a worry-free PC experience. Microsoft says it gives the same level of protection as Microsoft's Forefront product for businesses. That's what many consumers want, isn't it? We all like to install our AV, then forget about it and let it take care of itself.

But that's where my worry is. Maybe it's just a human thing, but I do not feel secure when something is this good. When you download an installer that is less than 10MB and when something as important as an AV takes up so little computing resources, I just have that feeling that it's not good enough, that it only offers basic protection and is not as intensive as Norton, with all their complex detection technologies. So I'm not sure if I would trust MSE to protect my PC from all sorts of threats online; I guess only time will tell if MSE can be a replacement for Norton when it comes to solid PC protection. I'm a big fan of Norton Internet Security 09, because their protection is top-notch, and I always feel secure online. But with the simple UI of MSE and little options or settings, I just feel that it is inadequate.

So in conclusion, for the informed IT user who likes to muddle with settings and options, maybe MSE is not for you. I guess MSE is targeted at that ignorant user who knows nuts about anti-virus software but still want to stay secure. Also, it is catered towards developing countries where users do not want to fork out extra buck for security software. But I would assert that there is one last target audience: the netbook users. Yes, because MSE is so feather-light, it is an ideal AV solution on low-powered netbooks. But then again the whole question of 'is it good enough protection' arises. Only time will tell, but with this first release, the situation looks positive. Tests reveal that MSE is indeed quite effective... if I can trust MSE, then I will not renew my Norton subscription when it expires.

Camera setup - shooting rocks

2009-08-04T22:36:00.002+08:00

A thought on Christian music

2009-07-30T23:24:00.004+08:00

I love praise and worship songs. I love contemporary Christian music. I particularly enjoy Hillsong, United, Planetshakers, Chris Tomlin and other similar bands. My iPod almost contains only Christian music. I don't listen to mainstream english pop/rock songs, or Chinese pop music for that matter.

The point I am trying to make is that as Christians, we should have a greater appetite for the music of God. We should hunger more for these music which glorify God than that which the world promotes. I don't like listening to worldly songs simply because they are meaningless. The songs of the world glorify men, not God. The songs of the world deal with unholy issues, where God is out of the equation. Many times the lyrics used are unwholesome too.

However, listening to Christian music enriches our soul. It allows us to quietly worship God wherever we are, be it during a commute, walking down the street and so forth. Many times the words speak to me and comfort me after a bad day. They provide me an assurance of the greatness and goodness of my God. Such is the power of Christian music. It is a means by which we connect to God, in a personal way.

This being said, I must always stress that listening to Christian music is NEVER a replacement for reading the bible. It should be done in addition to reading God's word. And always remember, we are glorifying God and not that awesome Christian band or singer!

Learning to be like Job

2009-07-29T20:47:00.003+08:00

Today's Purpose Driven devotional that I received in my email is extremely relevant to my life now. Allow me to share it with you. (: It talked about Job, and how he lost everything around him in one day - his family, his business, his health, and everything he owned. He called out to God but somehow God seemed a million miles away. God did not respond to Job. In such a situation, it is very easy for a young believer to conclude that God isn't real. But that wasn't what Job did. In fact, Job did not curse God but, on the contrary, worshipped and praised him.

“Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: ‘Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised’” (Job 1:20–21 NIV).

WOW! Isn't that amazing? Job had so deep a faith and trust in God that even the most tragic circumstance could not shake his belief. THIS is what we should learn from. To always give thanks and praise to God even when life is screwed up. Why you may ask? Simply because even though we may not feel God, the truth is that he will never abandon or forsake us! In fact, he is always watching over us, and uses such times of testing to build our faith.

“I go east, but He is not there. I go west, but I cannot find Him. I do not see Him in the north, for He is hidden. I turn to the south, but I cannot find Him. But He knows where I am going” (Job 23:8-10 NLT).

I have to learn to be like Job. Even through tough times, with prelims and art coursework due soon, I must have faith and praise God. It is not easy, but doing so will only strengthen our faith.

Feeling more settled

2009-07-22T21:13:00.005+08:00

I feel more settled after talking to Mr Tang yesterday. It's funny how I've gone full circle and finally settled on nature photog. I have to promise myself that I shall not change it anymore and get down to work, fast. I should be on overdrive mode now, making full use of my time. At least I'm doing something that I like, something that I'm confident I can do. Praise God! He hears and answers :)

On a lighter note, I have just discovered a new Christian band that I really like! It is Big Daddy Weave! Love their album entitled 'What Life Would Be Like'. Their style is more contemporary and less praise and worship (think Barlow Girl and Superchick instead of Hillsong and Planetshakers). Simply amazing songs!

What Life Would Be Like - Big Daddy Weave

Quick Canon 500D update

2009-07-21T00:26:00.000+08:00

My Canon 500D is about 2 months old. It is my main workhorse. Having used it thus far, here's what I think are the 3 most important upgrades from the 400D, my previous camera.

1) Live view mode
It comes in really handy especially when working on a tripod, where placing your eye at the viewfinder while composing may be cumbersome. I have used it 99% of the time while shooting macro stuff. Also allows for very precise MF if the situation calls for it.

2) Higher ISO
OK truth be told: the 500D is a noiser camera compared to the equivalent Nikons, i.e. the D5000 and D90. However, that said, the high ISO performance on the Canon 500D is decent. Compared to the 400D, I would say it is a one stop noise advantage, with NR turned on. That means a lot when working in low-light. Photos are perfectly usable up to ISO 1600, and ISO 3200 is fine as long as you're not making big prints.

3) Bigger, sharper screen
It is a JOY working with the sharp 920K dot 3" screen. It allows me to check with confidence if a shot is sharp or not. Colours are brilliant and the screen can be very bright at max brightness.

So that concludes what I think are the most significant feature upgrades from the 400D. There are many many many other features which contribute to making the 500D a wonderful camera, but I consider these 3 the most valuable.

What is the best thing that happened in your life?

2009-07-19T20:44:00.003+08:00

Have you ever stopped to ponder about this question? Or is life just too busy that you don't have time to reflect?

For me, it's simple and clear: the best thing that has happened in my life is knowing Jesus Christ!

And because it's the best thing ever, I am excited and it is always my goal in this lifetime to share it with others!

Still the same

2009-07-18T23:30:00.003+08:00

Finally finished a design project for my church today, after spending a few late nights till 2am to rush out poster and flyer designs for a conference. I always praise God that he is continually using my gifts and skills to bring more people to Him. It is stressful trying to juggle church, photog stuff and studies.. the pressure is enormous and I'm very tired, physically and emotionally. Prelims is just 7 weeks away and I have to revise two years worth of work. My life is not in order, everything seems messed-up. My prayer this season is always for God to give me strength, and to deliver me.

The Purpose Driven devotionals have been my source of spiritual food these days. It's comforting how the messages speak to me and assure me. Today God told me that he is the same God - today, yesterday and tomorrow. If he could perform miracles in Moses' time and part the red sea, surely my God has the same power to do something similar today, in my life. If He could rescue Joseph from the dungeons and put him second in command in Egypt, surely something similar is still possible today. The world and everything changes, but God doesn't. For what is seen will fade, but what is unseen will last. As long as I believe in faith, it will be done in accordingly. "According to your faith will it be done to you” (Matthew 9:29 NIV). The God who delivered in the past will deliver me from the huge difficulties I face today.

“I am expecting the Lord to rescue me again, so that once again I will see His goodness to me” (Psalm 27:13 LB). I pray, wait and hope in the Lord, so that at the end of the day when I walk through the darkness and emerge victorious, I can give all glory unto Him.

Faith more valuable than gold

2009-07-17T00:01:00.004+08:00

Today was a bad day. Received my chemistry common test results which were very very bad. To be honest, I felt really dumb. I also felt very worried that I might not get my distinction in the A-levels. I felt down for the rest of the day... a sense of disappointment, hopelessness and despair.

But thank God for his words of comfort:
"I know, even though you are temporarily harassed by all kinds of trials and temptations. This is no accident — it happens to prove your faith, which is infinitely more valuable than gold" (1 Peter 1:6-7 PH).

Even in failure, I give thanks to God.

The world says believe in yourself

2009-07-16T01:48:00.003+08:00

There are some things in this world that seem right at first glance, but actually they are not. I have been thinking about one issue for quite a while now. In this world I live in, I'm constantly bombarded by the message that we should believe in ourselves, chase after our desires, have faith in our abilities, and to rely on our own strength to overcome difficulties. It's subconscious but the mass media, especially the TV and movies we watch, frequently tells us this.

Although these notions may appear harmless, they are not. I am reminded time and time again, that we are not to rely on our human ability, but the faith of God. In other words, we trust God and not our flesh. We need to run our lives not on our worldly aspirations, talents, abilities or intelligence, but rather, on faith - the belief for things unseen. For without faith it is impossible to please God. The foundation of our lives needs to stand solely upon faith. The rest of our lives, such as our dreams, hopes, talent, all revolves around our faith in God. Many are deluded in this world where they place their confidence in themselves. Confidence in life is a good thing - but the source of this confidence needs to be right. For me, it's in God. How about you? Is your confidence in money, intelligence or material things?

The Wonder Of Your Love - Hillsong 09

2009-07-11T16:50:00.003+08:00

AWESOME SONG! From their upcoming album Faith+Hope+Love!

Verse 1:
You inhabit the praises of Your people
You delight in the glory of Your son
In the love of the Father we will worship
In the kingdom of God we find our hope

Bridge:
The wonder of Your love will break the chains that bind us
The power of Your touch releases us to worship

Chorus:
Sing out to God
Sing hallelujah
WIth all we are we will worship You
Holy is Your name
Holy is Your name oh God

Verse 2:
And together we lift the name of Jesus
And together we'll sing of Your great love
We will join with the angels to praise You
Let our voices be pleasing to You God

A fresh perspective

2009-07-07T23:29:00.005+08:00

I shall take a break from posting about photography and share with you how I spent the past few weeks. Basically it revolved around studies, in preparation for Common Test 2. Today was my first paper, GP, hmm it went fine but I didn't think I wrote to my best abilities. Tomorrow is chemistry. I'm very worried that I might fail... the amount of content to remember is crazy.

It has been a tough week. I was deprived from any form of shooting. I miss my camera. Once the exams are over on Friday all hell will break loose and I WILL go shooting on Sat. However, as much as life has been mundane and plain boring studying all day at home, I manage to change my perception of studying. Or rather, God did. :)

For some time now I've been subscribing to the Purpose Driven daily devotionals by Rick Warren. These are short daily devotions sent to my email which forces me to take some time to read and ponder on. God is good. He knew I was going through a tough time with my studies. I didn't quite enjoy it as before, and to some extent I was disillusioned and lost motivation. I just didn't quite bother about my studies. Then one day I received a devotional right on the topic of work. God told me that he is just as interested in my spiritual life as he is in my daily life, the mundane activities, the time spent at school, or as some people will call it, the 'secular' life. Many of us are only Christians and 'spiritual' on Sunday, and on Monday, it's back to our hectic life without God. That devotion gave me a fresh perspective on my role as a student. God told me that he is always with me and I should put in all the effort I have into studying, not for man's glory, but because I'm to do it for the Lord. And when I'm doing it for God, excellence and enthusiasm will follow, i.e. good grades. I realised that studying and doing well can be a means of worshipping God and glorifying Him too. Not just by attending church every Sunday you know. God is always interested in our spiritual walk, AND our work/career/studies too. Praise God for that!

Oh and do check out Purpose Driven Life too if you've never heard about it!

The image matters most

2009-06-30T17:30:00.005+08:00

Just read a post on Scott Bourne's photography blog, Photofocus, and I would like to expand upon what he wrote.

He says that in photography, the image matters most. I totally agree. It's not the photographer, not the gear, not the amount of image views on Flickr, not whether you earn money from your photos or not, or how much time and effort you put into getting the shot.

What the viewer cares about is THE WORK. If it's not good, then it's not good and nothing will change that. I don't care if you might have risked your life getting the shot, or spent thousands of dollars on that expensive lens, or camped in the jungle for days, because the simple fact is that people judge the final work. Keep in mind that no amount of effort you put into creating the work will change the work if it's bad. :)

Shooting what you love... or not?

2009-06-25T21:19:00.006+08:00

Image copyright Ian Ho 2009

An issue that all photographers have to deal with is about how to stay constantly motivated and passionate about photography. We all get a bit jaded once in a while and lose our creative direction. And perhaps my answer to that is simply 'shoot what you love!'

If you love wildlife, birds, animals, then go out and shoot them! If you are like me and love beautiful landscapes, then go out there and just shoot them! The idea here is that by shooting what truly makes you happy, you will really enjoy your craft as it is something you can relate too.

But I also realised that this attitude of 'only shooting what you like' can be a dangerous one. Although specialising in a genre of photography and exploring it in-depth is good, I feel we should not do this at the expense of being versatile with different types of photography. In other words, breadth and depth is needed for us to experience fully what photography is. Although we are to shoot what we love, I feel that occasionally it is good to shoot what we do not quite like too. And the main reason for doing so is to improve ourselves to become more all-rounded photographers.

For me personally, I love landscape and nature. I HATE sports and to a lesser extent portraits/people photography. I spend most of my photography time on landscapes, BUT I also try hard to improve my sports photography and learn the ropes whenever opportunity comes.

Just sharing with you some of my thoughts... yes it is true to shoot what makes you happy, but once in a blue moon get in touch with what you dislike too :)

Canon 500D

2009-06-06T09:55:00.004+08:00

About half a month ago, I upgraded from the Canon 400D to the new 500D/T1i SLR. I was actually contemplating between the 40D and the 500D, but found that the 500D would be sufficient for my shooting needs since I do not need the 6.5fps. Furthermore, the 500D had higher ISO speeds, shoots video, has a gorgeous screen, and as a boon has more megapixels too.

In the short time I have been using it, I am really impressed with the 500D. Although it is an entry level, 'low-end' body, I must say that it is pretty much sufficient for most amateur shooters. Roughly two years ago I bought my 400D for S$1300, but today, I am paying two hundred bucks less and I am getting features I could not imagine possible in entry level bodies 2 years ago. I am amazed at how fast technology has progressed. I mean, two years ago it could only be my dream to shoot at ISO 3200 and get a usable image. But today, with the 500D, it is reality. Two years ago, getting full 15 megapixels of resolution could only be something the higher-end bodies could offer, but today, I have it right in my thousand dollar camera. In this respect, I must really say that the 500D is a phenomenal camera. Great image quality, great features, all at a compelling price.

I'm happy shooting 500D. Although it may not be as good as the high-end 5D mark II, it is sufficient. I would prefer spending the money on better lenses. So if any of you are considering an SLR, whether you are a beginner or an advanced amateur, the 500D has a lot to offer, and doesn't burn your pocket. Highly recommended!

Why NOT to shoot RAW

2009-05-07T11:12:00.004+08:00

Many advanced photographers love shooting in RAW on digital SLRs, for obvious benefits. Many photography articles have been written and much has been said on why shooting RAW is ideal, chiefly for image quality and headroom for digital manipulation.

However, let me play devil's advocate and offer you some reasons why RAW might NOT be the ideal choice for you.

1) RAW files are huge. While JPGs are typically under 5MB, RAW files are usually 10-20MB in size. This means that you will need larger capacity memory cards and computer disk space. Also, this implies that your camera will take more time to write these files to the card than JPGs. If you are shooting a big event, or worse still on a long holiday, that could mean a few hundred RAW files and a lot a lot of space is required to store them.

2) Processing RAW files are more time-consuming than JPGs. Let's face it: post-processing is a tedious chore and a waste of our precious time. Having to process the RAW file in a RAW converter needs effort, skill and the technological know-how. On the other hand, JPGs are "ready-to-use" images out of the camera with sharpening, saturation, noise reduction and so forth already applied for you. Also, processing RAW files require a fast computer, whereas even the slowest laptop (i.e. netbooks) can open JPGs with ease.

3) JPG is a universally compatible file format, whereas reading the RAW file requires special software, such as Adobe Camera RAW in Photoshop or Adobe Bridge. Also, if you use software by Adobe, Apple or others, you may have to wait for some time (maybe a month?) until there is an update which supports your camera. Thus, for archiving purposes, JPG is a better format as you can be sure it will be supported long into the future.

Generally, I only shoot in RAW when doing serious photography. For everything else, JPGs will suffice... such as snapshots, events coverage, birthday parties, random shots etc.

The point I am trying to make here is that you should know when shooting RAW is appropriate, and when it might be over-kill.

Practice Makes Perfect

2009-04-27T23:25:00.008+08:00

Image copyright Ian Ho 2007

[Cross-posted at vjphotosoc.blogspot.com]

Practice makes perfect. Perhaps you've heard of this old adage many many times before, but boy is it true when it comes to photography.

Many people want to succeed in their photography, quickly. But there's no shortcut to success. The only way to improve is to practice! Shoot more, snap more, see more. As photographers, we must come to recognise the importance of integrating shooting time into our regular schedules. MAKE time for photography. Maybe set aside 2 hours every Saturday and head down to the park near your house to get some shots. Or sign up to cover more events in college! The more you shoot, the more familiar you are with the camera, the more confident you get with your skills and that's how you improve.

But besides shooting more, it is also advisable to look more and share more. Look at more good photos. Be it online, in bookstores, libraries, newspapers, visiting exhibitions etc., looking at more good pictures by professional photographers WILL go a long way to inspire you and give you the impetus to shoot better images than before. And if need be, start by emulating these good images. Ask yourself: how was this image created? What makes it so special? But don't stop there... try to create YOUR own original image after that.

Then, share more. With digital photography and the Internet, sharing images with fellow photographers and friends has never been easier. There's Flickr, Facebook, blogs etc., so many avenues for you to publish your photos and receive feedback. Ask your fellow photog members to critique your photos, and learn from your mistakes. That's another fast way to improve in your photography - make mistakes.

These are just some quick tips on how to improve your photos if you're just starting out. Remember: shoot more, look more, share more!

Crumpler industry disgrace neck strap - mini review

2009-04-04T22:58:00.007+08:00

One week ago, I purchased the Crumpler Industry Disgrace camera neck strap, branded with Canon EOS, as a replacement for the usual Canon strap that came with my 400D.

The strap costs me slightly over $30 bucks, but it was definitely worth my money. So many photographers use camera straps provided by the camera manufacturer and never think twice about it. Usually these lousy straps aren't comfortable at all. Most of them fail to ease the load of the camera, and as a result the strap 'cuts' the skin, causing discomfort when hung over the neck or slung over the shoulder for a prolonged period of time.

This is where the Crumpler industry disgrace excels in - comfort. Firstly, it is noticeably broader in width than any other strap, making your camera feel lighter when slung over your neck. It also looks different. Instead of a long straight strap, this one is moulded into a vague 'U' shape, allowing it to wrap over the neck for a secure fit. A special grip print also ensures that the strap fits well around the neck. There is also a breathable air mesh strap which gives very nice padding over your neck.

Assembling the strap onto your camera is easy. You fit it in like any other strap, and it stays securely in place. The strap also features double length adjustment, giving you the flexibility to change its length very quickly.

The only problem with this strap is that of storage. Because it is slightly thicker and broader than other straps, keeping it in your camera bag might be slightly challenging if space is little. Also, it is not as 'foldable' as other cheap straps.

All in all, I have nothing but praises for the Industry Disgrace... this strap is especially suited for photographers who carry heavy equipment, and makes life a lot more comfortable!

Internet Explorer 8 screenshots

2009-03-21T13:07:00.004+08:00

Fusion 2009 with Planetshakers

2009-02-22T14:44:00.006+08:00

Fusion 2009 was a blast!!! There were many many people coming for worship with Planetshakers... and here is a little snippet that I videoed with my LX3:

We jumped and sang and shouted and sweated (haha the auditorium was HOT man)... the worship was awesome, atmosphere was great, and the message by Pastor Matt Fielder was funny, relevant and powerful!

The passage that he taught was John 12:1-8, about Mary using pure nard (an expensive perfume) to pour on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. From this passage, Pastor Matt made 5 points about passionate people:

1) Passionate people give of themselves.
2) Passionate people worship radically.
3) Passionate people bring a sweet smell into the place.
4) Passionate people expose religious hearts.
5) Passionate people prepare the way for a resurrected King.

Photo tip: getting more dynamic range in-camera

2009-02-18T21:17:00.007+08:00

Ever encountered a high-contrast situation where your camera is unable to capture the entire dynamic range of the scene? Such as shooting landscape photos on a sunny day?

In this photography tip, I will teach you how to get the maximum dynamic range from a photo straight out of the dSLR. It's pretty easy actually, and just needs a bit of tweaking of your camera's image processing parameters.

In order to minimise the problem of blown highlights in high-contrast scenes, you should TURN DOWN the contrast parameter found on your camera. For Canon EOS users, this can be found under picture styles.

What this does is to reduce the contrast of your images, giving it better highlights and shadows. However, the picture will have less 'pop'. In terms of the histogram, reducing the contrast will push the shadow region toward the right (making it brighter) while the highlight region will be pulled left (making it darker), thus the overall histogram is being 'compressed'. The result is that what you capture on screen is closer to what your eyes sees, in contrasty situations.

While this tip may not fully solve extremely high-contrast environments, it will go some way to help you get better pictures straight out of camera without the need for HDR/blending multiple exposures in post-processing.

Fujifilm announces the F200EXR with unique sensor

2009-02-08T18:30:00.006+08:00

Got to hear of this latest Fujifilm point-and-shoot from dpreview. Although it may look and sound like any other average compact camera, it isn't. This camera is revolutionary as it is the first to use Fujifilm's EXR technology that can use the sensor in three different ways to optimise resolution, dynamic range or low-light performance. That's the big deal about this camera that struck me. In this day where camera manufacturers are cramming ever more pixels onto small sensors on compact cameras, this emphasis on low-light performance and dynamic range is much valued. Yet the camera does not compromise resolution, which makes it even more desirable.

Basically the way the camera works is that in high resolution mode, all 12 million pixels on the sensor will be used to capture the image. This mode would be ideal in outdoor settings when light is strong.

Then, the other mode to get best low-light performance is the high sensitivity mode. In this mode, the camera shoots at 6 million pixels (half the native resolution) and can go up to ISO6400 (or 12800 in 3MP). Two adjacent pixels 'join' together to produce 6 million large photodiodes, which are big enough to absorb light in the darkest of conditions. Supposedly, this gives extremely good image quality with minimal noise even in dark environments. This is a very innovative move, and sounds effective in theory, but then again until the camera ships we cannot verify Fujifilm's claims.

Lastly, in the high dynamic range mode, the camera captures different exposures with two sets of six million pixels, which, when combined, gives an excellent level of detail in highlights that would otherwise be lost. Also, a highly innovative feature which will prove very useful in high contrast scenes.

All in all, this may be a very popular camera, especially with pro-photographers who demand maximum image quality from compact cameras. Will this be as successful as the LX3? It remains to be seen... but the feature set of the Fujifilm F200EXR on paper is very compelling. In addition to the unique sensor, there are other features such as dual image stabilisation, a 5x wide-angle zoom lens, film simulation mode, full manual controls... but the downside is it doesn't shoot RAW and has no hot-shoe mount, something the LX3 has. (:

Apple unlikely to do a netbook

2009-01-24T12:28:00.008+08:00

Will Apple be launching a new netbook soon? I mean, almost every major computer manufacturer has one in its line-up. HP has the Mini 1000, Asus has the Eee PC, Acer has the Aspire One, Lenovo has the S10, Dell has the Mini 9, MSI has the Wind... you get the idea. Netbooks are the hottest computing trend now.

Sad to say, Apple is unlikely to jump on the bandwagon soon. It will not be releasing a MacBook mini or a netbook similar to what's on the market now.

Why is this so? Tim Cook, chief operating officer of Apple, said at a recent financial results conference call that "we're watching that space, but from our [point of view] the products are based on hardware that's much less powerful, software technology that's not good, cramped displays. We don't think that people are going to be pleased with those type of products. It's a category we watch, we have some ideas here, but we think the products there now are inferior and won't provide the kind of experience people want."

There you go, question answered. I don't think we will see any low-cost, mini laptop from Apple this year!

I Will Rise - Chris Tomlin

2009-01-07T01:22:00.003+08:00

There's an anchor for my soul
I can say, it is well.

Animoto Slideshow Test

2009-01-03T11:25:00.004+08:00

Animoto is an online service which automatically creates beautiful, customised and intelligent photo slideshows, which matches your chosen music with the selected photos.

For a free account, you can create (limited) 30 second slideshows, and for a small fee you can create full-length slideshows which can be downloaded onto your computer if you want.

Here's my first slideshow!

A challenge for 2009

2009-01-01T13:30:00.004+08:00

I approach 2009 knowing that it will not be easier a year than 2008. There will be the A-level exams, art coursework, my photog club, physical preparation for the army and so many things to worry about. But as I did my devotion today (and yesterday), I think God assured me, and gave me a challenge for this year.

Yesterday the Lord challenged me to exercise faith despite all the difficult circumstances that have yet to come this year, and to hope in him even when all seems gloomy. It will be difficult, but I know that it is in such times of adversity that all the more we should put our hope and trust in God. I want to challenge myself to be able to go to God and affirm that He is good, even when things appear the contrary. For doing that is exercising faith; the belief that God is in total control and everything happens for the good of His children. Let us all learn to be like Job in the Bible, who can say: "though he slay me, yet will I hope in him." (Job 3:15)

Today the Lord continued his message and told me the only place I can go when in doubt about God's goodness is the cross. This is because what His son did at calvary is the undeniable evidence of an everlasting love, and of sacrifice. As I read Romans 5 today, I am reminded that "God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

In 2009, I want to be able to put my faith in God alone and say that He is good, despite the worries and troubles that surround me. And when I ever doubt His goodness, let me look to the old rugged cross and be reminded of his perfect love. You should too.

God of this city - a song for China

2008-12-25T00:06:00.007+08:00

5 days ago I came back from my China family holiday. We went to Yun Nan province with other church families, visiting Kun Ming, Da Li, Li Jiang and Shangrila. The trip was awesome... the scenery, food, experiences... but more than that, it opened my spiritual eyes to realise that the chinese there need Christ. Many of them engage in nature worship; they bow to the mountains, water, earth etc. Throughout the land I see the need for salvation and for the truth to set them free, and I believe this is THE song that God gave me for Yun Nan.

God of this City, by Chris Tomlin:

You're the God of this city
You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation
You are

You're the Light in this darkness
You're the Hope to the hopeless
You're the Peace to the restless
You are

There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God

For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this city
Greater thing have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in here...

Indeed, it is my pray that our generation of Christians will do greater things in this land, through our almighty God.

10 ways Panasonic can improve the LX3

2008-12-22T18:22:00.012+08:00

The Panasonic Lumix LX3 is an incredible compact camera. Having used it for about two months, I think I have roughly understood this high-end P&S. I brought it with me on my China holiday in beautiful Yun Nan this month, and the LX3 performed well beyond my expectations. In fact, because of its size and ease of use, I find myself shooting more with the LX3 than my 400D in China.

Despite how good it is, there is always room for improvement. Here are my top 10 improvements I would like to see in the next version of this series.

1) Longer zoom (more than 3X)
The current 2.5 times zoom is fine for landscape, but for things like portraits a longer focal length is greatly appreciated.

2) Built-in lens cap
The current SLR-like lens cap is annoying to take on and off when shooting, and increases the size of the already huge lens. Without attaching the cap to the camera body, it can be lost easily. But when attached with the provided string, it dangles about dangerously and may hit against the body. A built-in cap is more convenient and practical.

3) Wrist strap
This is a minor problem. The LX3 does not come with a wrist strap; it only has an SLR-like neck strap, which is long and cumbersome. To solve this, use a wrist strap from your old compact cam.

4) Better high ISO performance
As it is, the LX3 is one of the better low light compact cams I've seen. However, it is still incomparable to high ISO performance even on the entry-level dSLRs, such as the Canon 1000D. On the LX3, anything above ISO 800 is unusable because the noise reduction obliterates any details. If you're printing large prints, ISO 400 is about the limit for retaining image quality. Nonetheless, I must say that at ISO 80/100, image quality is astoundingly good, producing noiseless photographs.

5) Better WB performance
In daylight conditions the white balance is generally fine. However, in tricky or low light situations, white balance tends to go horrendously off without flash, as with compact cams generally. Shooting in RAW definitely helps to counter this problem.

6) Stiffer mode dial
This is really me being anal-retentive... but I would like the mode dial to be stiffer so I don't accidentally turn it.

7) Scratch-proof screen
I passed the LX3 to my sis for 2 days and it came back with many surface scratches on the large 3 inch screen. Would really appreciate a scratch-resistant screen (like the iPod touch).

8) Better video recording format
Video on the LX3 is recorded in the old Quicktime motion JPEG format (.mov), which produces very huge files (though quality is good). Would appreciate a more compatible file extension such as .mpeg4 and smaller file sizes.

9) More powerful flash
I noticed that the flash could be more powerful, especially when taking wide angle group shots in low light. However, for fill flash in backlit conditions, the flash suffices.

10) Sturdier battery/SD card door
This is another small issue that only anal people like me bother about. The rectangular door housing the battery and SD card is a bit flimsy. I would appreciate a stiffer and sturdier door.

Having listed my 10 ten improvements, I hope the next revision of the LX series will get better and these complaints (some very minor) will be addressed. Do bear in mind that this list does not in any way suggest that the LX3 is inferior, for indeed this is one heck of a camera that really impresses.

Scott Bourne's stunning crane image

2008-12-03T20:49:00.007+08:00

Scott Bourne, host of the podcast This Week in Photography, recently made an image that he wanted to make for 12 years!

He titled this absolutely STUNNING image "Cranes in the Fire Mist".

Photo from twipphoto.com

Taken at Bosque del Apache, this captivating wildlife shot is now one of my top 10 favourite wildlife images. When I first saw this on his flickr stream, it was so beautiful that I let out a "wow" and stared at my screen frozen for a few minutes.

As Scott has written, this is a very emotional image for him, and (I think) probably one of his best works. He details the entire story behind this shot at the TWiP blog, and you definitely should check it out. He writes about how lucky he was to have all the elements of the shot come together... the light, fog, golden sunlight, weather, birds... and how he waited patiently for 12 freakin years to get these conditions!!! But in the end, it's all worth the wait.

This is a very inspiring shot to me, one that leaves me amazed, awe-struck and at a loss for words. But more than the aesthetic beauty, this shot has reminded me of the importance of pre-visualisation and patience in photography.

How do we become Christians?

2008-11-28T20:49:00.004+08:00

I think it was about a year ago when my childhood mate Joshua introduced a YouTube video to me. It was an hour long sermon preached by Paul Washer (from HeartCry Missionary Society) in a 2002 youth evangelism conference in the US. It was a shocking message, but to be more exact, a controversial one. In that sermon, he addressed errors in American Evangelism and taught Matthew chapter 7.

Today, I watched that sermon again for the second time, on the bus. This time around I fully understood what he preached. But now I am more troubled than ever, because what he says is so controversial that I don't know if I can believe him. If you were to google his name, you would even find a website claiming that he is a false prophet who teaches "Lordship salvation". In the sermon, he goes against what is now the mainstream way of evangelism, and challenges what he believes to be a single major heresy in American Evangelism. My mind is now in a state of confusion, of uncertainty, and of trepidation because if what he preaches is true, then many churches in the world might be wrong.

What I'm concerned about revolves around the primary question of "how do we become Christians?" Well you might say that's easy. From young, and in Sunday school, we were all taught that as long as we sincerely prayed a prayer to invite Jesus Christ into our hearts, then we are Christians, and our lives would be transformed. That means, we have believed in Christ and received salvation.

But according to Paul Washer, this is a heresy. I quote him from his sermon: "The greatest heresy in the American evangelical and Protestant church is that if you pray and ask Jesus Christ to come into your heart, He will definitely come in." THIS is shocking. If what he teaches is true, then so many churches would be wrong! I was brought up taught that I became a Christian by praying a pray asking God to enter my life. But Washer says that we become Christians through first repenting from our sins and then a transformation of our lives. Furthermore, he says that this repentance must be continual and not one-off. He says that it is a misbelief that one single prayer will grant us salvation... and that many who claim to be Christians are actually not Christians, they lead a life no different from the world, and will go to hell. Seeing the larger picture, he also claims that our view of Christianity today is based more on a culture formed from what's written on Christian t-shirts and modern Christian music than on the word of God.

I don't know, I'm confused and my mind is in a whirl as I type this. On Hillsong CDs, in the lyrics booklet, there will usually be this small section which says something like if you want to become a Christian, then pray this prayer acknowledging that Christ died for our sins and then ask Him to enter your life, and you are now a Christian. So am I supposed to believe that all this is not true salvation? Is everything I knew all wrong gospel?

Then those who claim that he preaches "Lordship salvation" and thus is a false prophet argues that the Word of God clearly teaches that a person is saved by FAITH ALONE in Christ. They say the Bible always speaks of repentance TOWARDS GOD, and not from sin, thus Washer is wrong... So I'm really confused. Who is right? How do we gain salvation? Through a simple sincere prayer, or through repentance from sin?

Perhaps the best answer is always from the Word. I'm no expert when it comes to Christian theology, but I know that any doubt will be addressed by the infallible Word of God. So I'll be studying the Bible for answers, and praying that God would reveal the truth to me in His timing :)

ACR / DNG converter update

2008-11-25T19:44:00.008+08:00

HOORAY!! The folks over at Adobe has finally updated Camera Raw to version 5.2, supporting 7 new camera models, including the Panasonic Lumix LX3!

Finally, I will be able to shoot RAW on my LX3 and process the files in my preferred raw converter! ACR 5.2 is a free update available immediately at Adobe's website.

This plug-in for Photoshop adds RAW support to these following camera models too: Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon PowerShot G10, Panasonic DMC-G1, Panasonic DMC-FX150, Panasonic DMC-FZ28, Panasonic DMC-LX3 and Leica D-LUX 4.

Update (29 Nov 08): ACR 5.2 will ONLY work with Photoshop CS4 and NOT older versions of CS. The latest version of ACR is 4.6 for CS3.

I'm really upset

2008-11-21T08:18:00.004+08:00

I didn't feel good yesterday... was both upset and angry with my younger sis. Maybe it's true that sometimes I do love things more than people, like my mum tells me... and it's a bad attitude that I need to change.

So yesterday afternoon my sister came back from her class chalet, and the first thing I asked her immediately after coming home was "where's the camera?" (Referring to the new LX3) She told me in a bo-chap way: "it's on the bed la."

So I went to her bed, unzipped the Lowepro Apex case, took out the LX3 and the first thing I noticed was the switch (to change between photo and review mode) was faulty... and not functioning properly. Then I scanned the camera body, cleaned the screen and my heart sank when I saw many many short scratches on the screen, and a paint chip at the bottom. That was when I just lost my cool. I went up to my sis, and began questioning her while she was still bo-chap and watching TV... I was really super pissed then, and started scolding and shouting at her. I flared up, used some strong words on her... but all she did was laze on the couch, continued to ignore me and pretend I was kicking a fuss out of nothing. What pissed me off was that I specifically told her 2 days ago when she left that if the camera comes back spoilt, I'm going to be mad... and boy I was.

Up to today (the next morning), she has not sincerely apologized to me, and now I have to send in the LX3 for repair by myself, at Bukit Merah. It's not even a month old, and only 2 days of usage with her... now I have to fix the problems she created. It's really distressing... I thought she could be trusted, but oh wells, how much can I trust a 14 year-old huh.

I hope both my sis and I learnt something from this. She should have been more careful with the camera, while me, I should learn how to love people more than things. But for now, I'm thankful for warranty.

Why LX3 over G10

2008-11-19T20:35:00.005+08:00

The Panasonic LX3 and the Canon G10 are both superb cameras in their own way. These are high-end point-and-shoot cameras aimed at photographers who need a pocket camera to complement their dSLR. But I got a LX3 over the G10. It's my first Lumix, and I'm extremely pleased with my purchase.

Here's why I chose the LX3 over the G10:

1) The G10 shoots at 15 megapixels, while the LX3 shoots at only 10. I do not need that extra resolution, as I will never be printing images from a pocket camera to such as huge size. Those extra pixels will only serve to slow down my post-processing with the larger file size. Besides that, 15MP crammed onto such a tiny sensor is going to have its consequences. The pixel pitch is much smaller than the LX3's, and therefore, noise performance is slightly worst than the LX3's. But with both these cameras, anything above ISO 800 is only for emergency.

2) The LX3 is smaller in size than the G10. If I'm going to buy a compact camera, it better be small enough to carry around, thus my choice with the LX3. The G10 is heavier and heftier, but the advantage is it offers better grip (obviously).

3) The LX3 is cheaper than the G10, by about $100.

4) The LX3 has a wider and faster lens than the G10. On 35mm equivalent, the LX3 has a 24-60mm f2.0-2.8 lens, while the G10 has a 28-140mm f2.8-4.7 lens. An f2 lens, coupled with image stabiliser, will mean I can get faster shutter speeds on the LX3 than on the G10, and this is just what I need in low-light situations. Furthermore, the 24mm wide angle is an advantage when taking group shots, and is nice to have in landscape photography too. The compromise is that the LX3 only has a 2.5X optical zoom, and doesn't have as far a reach compared to the Canon. But that's fine for me: most of the time I'm doing wide-angle stuff. Your decision will vary according to your shooting needs.

5) LX3 does incredibly good HD video (1280x720 @ 30fps). The G10 on the other hand only does mediocre 640x480 video. The downside is that video on the LX3 is stored as Quicktime motion JPG, which is an aging format, and file sizes tend to be huge. But still, the quality is stunning!

6) LX3 has a switch dedicated to changing aspect ratios - 4:3, 3:2 or 16:9. The cool thing is that in any aspect ratio, the same angle of view is maintained. As a result, you make the most of the sensor's area, getting similar pixel counts in all modes.

7) The LX3 has some really cool scene modes, notably the film grain mode, which simulates B&W film images, and also the pinhole mode, which simulates pinhole images with strong vignetting.

8) The LX3 shoots up to ISO 3200; the G10 only goes up to a max of ISO 1600. Sadly, ISO 3200 on the LX3 is anything but usable. Still, it's an advantage over the Canon.

You Are Here (The Same Power) - Hillsong London

2008-11-16T21:06:00.007+08:00

A simply amazing amazing track from Hillsong London's latest release, "Hail To The King". This is the full version of the song including the verse and chorus - the version on "This Is Our God" contains just the bridge.

Everyone knows Hillsong (Australia), but Hillsong London is a group that definitely shouldn't be neglected too, because of such songs like this. It has very very powerful lyrics that speak directly to the heart... but most of all, it is inspired from the word of God, which says that the same power that conquered the grave lives in our very being, and with that nothing is impossible through God.

I was crazy enough to get the lyrics and figured out the chords... the key is in C:

I want to get this soon!