Here’s the first great deal!
For every portrait session (pre-wedding or post-wedding) booked with me from today until 31st March 2012, I am offering FREE rental of 1 bridal gown (up to RM600 in value) from one of my well-known gown designer partners, Pretty in White and That Special Occasion. This gown is to be used only during the portrait session. If you wish to use the gown during your wedding day as well, simply top up the small difference in price. Acquaint yourself with my wedding photography work at www.emotioninpictures.com
For package details please email me.

Next, something that will supercharge your photography. My SimpleSLR Hands-On Photography E-book will be available at ONLY USD 12 from now until the end of January 2012. Not only will you be getting valuable guidance on taking better pictures, you will also be able to see how I make decisions on how to take a picture based on specific scene conditions. This will be the lowest price it will EVER be offered at, so grab it now using the code AWESOME12 at http://www.simpleslr.info

That’s it for now. Have an awesome 2012!

Simply use the discount code GREATXMASPICS2011 when buying on the official e-book website: SimpleSLR Hands-On Photography Guide. Hurry, it expires on 25 December 2011!

So go ahead and download your copy now, you’re just 4 hours away from better photography skills!

In preparation for my hectic schedule in 2012 (available slots for weddings are filling up fast!) I am trying to automate as much as I can, given that I personally train the participants at all my classes. That automation includes keeping administrative emails for my Simple SLR Photo Class to the minimum.

I am now offering a super deal for a group of 3 persons signing up together. The single-person fee is RM350, while a 3-person fee is now RM699. This essentially means that the 3rd person attends for FREE, and gets RM1 back in return If you have an even larger group, you can contact me for a package fee.

The last class for 2011 is on 18th December 2011, and it’s going to be full very soon.

So grab your seat NOW at my SimpleSLR PhotoClass official website!

Their reception venue was also a great choice. Villa Danieli at the Sheraton Imperial Kuala Lumpur has a warm intimate feel to it.

Super September SALE! This special price will be valid for the next 6 days only.

USD18 for my SimpleSLR E-Book, a hands-on photography guide for beginners.
Use this code: SUPERSEPTSALE11  at http://www.simpleslr.info

Here’s what my readers say about my e-book as well as my PhotoClass:

Mindvalley’s weekly The Awesomeness Report, designed to bring the team together, create flow, make people laugh and celebrate their successes, and keep us focused on new visions. According to CEO Vishen Lakhiani, the Awesomeness Report is the single most important factor contributing to the Mindvalley culture and state of “flow”.

Marketing meeting at the office diner… don’t you just love the office design?

Mindvalley staff hail from over 20 countries…

Extraordinary work place this is.

Due to the popularity of my first e-book (SimpleSLR Hands-On Photography Guide) I will be working on my next e-book soon! I already have a specific focus in mind for this next e-book, but if you have any suggestions on topics, feel free to leave your comment. 

It’s been 4 months since I published my first e-book, now averaging several hundred US dollars per month from e-book sales. With the right marketing approach, I should be able to grow the numbers in the next few months. Apart from selling it on my own website (www.simpleslr.info) I am also using Amazon’s Kindle Direct Publishing as an alternative platform.

E-book publishing success will eventually depend on using the right channels, and knowing how, where and when to sell your e-book. Many of the tricks I use were learnt from Douglas Klostermann’s The E-book Handbook, which describes how he created his successful e-book collection and the methods used to create substantial recurring income from e-books.

Gone are the days when the only way you can publish your own book is through a publishing company. These days it’s quite easy to publish your own book. Services like Createspace and Lulu enable individuals to publish their own printed books, from the comfort of their desktop/notebook computer. Having your book in the bookstores does wonders for your reputation as an expert in your chosen area of specialty.

But even with merits and all, printed books cannot match e-books when it comes to global reach. Being available 24/7 means that e-books have the power to reach more readers (customers) than a printed book can ever hope to. Online payment allows customers to buy an e-book even when physical bookstores are closed. E-books will eventually become more widely read than printed books.

If you did not manage to grab my SimpleSLR Hands-On Photography Guide (http://www.simpleslr.info) the last time I ran a 50% discount, here’s your chance!

This e-book is proof that you really can “Learn To Take Better Pictures in 4 Hours”. Unlike a regular book, it’s designed to quickly get you up to speed with basic photography principles. This is not another e-book on photography theory. Instead, I provide plenty of hand-holding using easy-to-understand conversational language.

Check out a few sample pages of my e-book here in this preview link:
http://www.simpleslr.info/SimpleSLR_EBOOK_SampleChapters.pdf

Use this code for your discount: HALF110811
This indispensable e-book is going at half price (full price is USD29.99).
Just enter the code during the checkout stage. Hurry! This code expires on 11 August 2011.
Grab it at http://www.simpleslr.info

Watch this blog, or better still, enter your email address on this page to receive notifications of new photography learning articles, as well as alerts on special offers like these from time to time! Be sure to grab them as they are valid for a limited time only.

In conjunction with our 5th year anniversary, I have decided to announce the launch of my first e-book, titled SimpleSLR Hands-On Photography Guide. This e-book is proof that you really can “Learn To Take Better Pictures in 4 Hours”, the tagline which I have been using for my SimpleSLR PhotoClass.

They say that you learn a lot when you teach. I can vouch for the truth in that saying. I have learnt to fine-tune my teaching approach, in order to transfer photography skills to participants in a mere 4 hours. I have learnt to clarify my own thoughts during delivery of information, and have grown as a photographer in the process.

Check out a few sample pages of my e-book here in this preview link. They also contain testimonials from past participants who have benefited from my class.

I’m offering my e-book at a discounted rate of USD29.99. Hurry, this rate is valid only until December 2011. I would like to thank all my past participants who have benefited from my SimpleSLR PhotoClass and are now enjoying photography to the fullest. You have provided the inspiration for me to write this e-book.

Get Your Copy of SimpleSLR Hands-On Photography Training Now!

Instant Download PDF E-Book

Price: $29.99 USD
Secure payment with PayPal or Credit card (via PayPal)

Keira giving her maid-of-honour a high five before walking down the aisle.

Search engine optimization (SEO) has been a necessary element of online marketing for many years, and Google is where most people go and search for what they need. Even with social media (Twitter and Facebook) now in the marketing mix, SEO remains vital for customers who already know what they are looking for.

AndyLim.com is my personal website which has been online since 2000. It took me 10 years to reach the current SEO level that I’m enjoying, with an average 800 page views per day during the last 2-week period, with the highest day registering 1224 page views (see Google Analytics screenshot below). My current Alexa rank is #961,798.

How did I get there? Plenty of experimenting, reading up on the web and testing out various methods that I found online. You can also see from the screenshot that I’ve got a nice, even mix of the 3 traffic sources (search, direct traffic and referring sites).

GoodPhotography.info is a website I launched in November 2010, packed with tips and techniques on improving your digital photography. In 6 months, the website has reached an average of 220 page views per day during the last 2-week period, with the highest day registering 680 page views (see screenshot below). My current Alexa rank for this website is #2,054,118.

A quick check on this useful website (with an interesting URL) shows that GoodPhotography.info is on the 2nd page of Google’s search results for the search terms ‘photography info’ (as of today). That’s pretty good for a 6 month old website!

My other websites on wedding photography and photography workshops are also enjoying good rankings. EmotionInPictures.com is on page 1 of Google’s results for ‘wedding photographer malaysia’. SimpleSLR.com is also on page 1 of results for ‘photography class malaysia’.

Anyone who has tried their hand at SEO (search engine optimization) knows how tough it is to get good traffic to their website. It’s tough for sure, but I just want to share a little secret for those who have been trying hard to get a good ranking on Google but are not getting the desired results. I could not have done it without SitePoint.com’s extremely useful guide, the SEO Business Guide, which cuts out all the time you would have spent if you experimented with the tons of SEO methods out there.

Shooting with 3 speedlights in manual setting (for consistent exposure, TTL is not recommended), I took a few test shots using my assistant as a stand-in model until I got what I wanted. With the position clearly marked on the carpet using masking tape, each subsequent shot was easily and quickly done.

To learn in detail how portraits are done on location and in the studio, I recommend an effective 3-week flash photography online workshop that will inspire, guide and equip you with the skills to take your flash photography to the next level. Daily flash exercises will ensure that you remain motivated and retain the information learnt, while challenging you beyond your own limits.

This was the first of 5 weddings that I shot in December 2010.  Just before this wedding, God blessed my wife and I with a beautiful baby girl. I also received 7 bookings for 2011 and 2012 all within this month. What a fantastic way to end the year!

Here’s wishing everyone a blessed Christmas (yes we still have our Christmas tree up and lighted) and a wonderful 2011!

Cheryl giving a thumbs up before walking down the aisle…

FGA had these cinema seats that I used to create a background pattern…

Plenty of emotion all around…

… and talent! Stanley playing a touching piece for his bride

The brown beetle leaves for church…

Every last detail was colour-coordinated! Little wonder, Weina works in an ad agency.

The worship session was one of the most uplifting I have ever experienced at a church wedding.

The tea ceremony was full of fun and laughter…

and emotion…

Love the polka dotted mini wedding cake!

Multi-talented Weina is the keyboardist, saxophonist and vocalist of the band Thin Izzy, so naturally she sang at her own wedding!

The SimpleLIGHT PhotoClass is an intensive and practical 2-day PhotoClass for those who have progressed beyond the basics and are at an intermediate/advanced level. Learn how a professional wedding photographer works, from start to finish. Create natural-looking shots using a variety of flash techniques, and learn how different lighting conditions are evaluated and tackled. Participants will have many opportunities to perform the techniques themselves on a model. Discover how images are post-processed to perfection in the digital darkroom. The next day, participants will spend 3 hours shooting a couple in a real outdoor environment, putting the lighting skills they learnt the day before into practice, under the expert guidance of Andy Lim. This is a workshop where you can create great shots regardless of what lenses you currently own. Participants will be inspired, mentored and equipped to take their skills to the next level. Worksheet notes will be provided.

For more information please visit the  SimpleLIGHT PhotoClass website.

Here are some amazing photos from participants of the latest PhotoClass:

The wonderful gown was provided by Pretty in White

The next SimpleLIGHT PhotoClass will be announced later. Dates have not been finalized yet but it will be in early 2011.

After the church ceremony we had some time for a few portraits…

We also put their ballroom dancing moves to good use…

For this exhibition I was asked to photograph Dato’ Tan Chin Nam, owner of Australian-based Thoroughbred racehorses and multiple Melbourne Cup winner.

I conceptualised this shot to show his winning trophies and racing silk in a dramatic manner, yet not taking attention away from the man himself. Using a combination of available light and speedlight with snoot, this shot was created in practically 10 minutes. To learn this technique and many more, check out my SimpleLIGHT lighting workshop at www.simpleslr.com/simplelight

Enjoy the slideshow!

No backdrop was used (try flying to Singapore alone with camera and lighting gear and you’d know why I chose to forego the backdrop).  If you would like to learn this technique (and more) do sign up for my lighting workshop at www.simpleslr.com/simplelight

Another announcement is that the SimpleLIGHT PhotoClass will now be a 2-day workshop. A new addition to the programme is a guided outdoor photoshoot with a real couple.

For more information please visit the  SimpleLIGHT PhotoClass website.

Here’s what happened at the recent PhotoClass:

And the masterpieces from the participants
(please note that these are NOT retouched images, they are straight out of the camera)

OK it’s time to grab your early bird rate before it expires…
Register yourself at the  SimpleLIGHT PhotoClass website!

Enjoy the slideshow:

Since the slideshow already shows much of my signature style in capturing emotion in pictures, I’ll show some portraits that we did on that day.

The unmistakable chandeliers.

Lilac/purple proves yet again to be popular, I covered 3 consecutive weddings with this colour theme.

A very heartfelt worship session.

Lunch reception at the Halia Restaurant at SDCC.

And a compilation of shots in a slideshow:

We started our trip with a stinky tofu supper by the roadside in Taipei

Then we followed a local tour which took us to Hualien on the east side of Taiwan island. This is the scene from Baci Lookout Point.

The next day was a tour of Taroko Gorge National Park. We started at the Iyax Valley (Shakadang Trail).

On a wobbly rope bridge…

The Swallow Grotto

A dance show by Taiwan aborigine folk

Jioufen was a nice half day trip from Taipei, pity it rained.

A koi pond near the Taipei Botanical Gardens.

We enjoyed Dansui, at the northernmost MRT stop in Taipei. Here we got our portraits drawn by a street artist.

An ocarina shop. These are cute musical instruments that can be played like a flute.

Street food in Dansui. My favourite was the sui kow (dumplings) from 2 places: a sui kow specialty shop in Ximending (Taipei) and a roadside shop in Hualien town.

I’d like to recommend our driver, Steven. He’ll bring you around the city (or island) in his very well-maintained Volkswagen T5 van. To set things straight, I don’t personally know him, but once in a while I come across someone who deserves a mention.  So if you’re going to Taiwan, give him a call:
(Taiwan country code is 886) 0916-880-828 or 0981-397-928

Sit back, relax and enjoy the slideshow. Hit the Pause button after it has started playing, this will let it load a bit first, so that you can watch uninterrupted.

Mohan doing a dance of joy

Squeezed in a few portraits before the reception.

The reception was at the Westin’s Living Room. Beautiful location!

This solution included a content management system (CMS) which enabled UME Group to internally update their website easily without having to send multiple update requests to AndyLim Creative. This greatly improves efficiency and turnaround time, especially critical on a website that depends on up-to-date information.

Clients and candidates can register with UME Group via the website, speeding up the whole recruitment process. A Knowledge Library provides visitors with useful and relevant information, while a Forum facilitates communication and encourages collaboration.

www.umegroup.net

The recent Wedding+Portraits PhotoClass was a success! Everyone went home charged up with new lighting skills… some even could not wait to put these skills to the test in their upcoming shoots.

The good news is that I am now announcing the next PhotoClass on 11th July 2010!  Grab your seats at the early bird rate now:  www.simpleslr.com/simplelight

Hurry, only 10 seats available!

Here’s what happened during the recent PhotoClass on 7th March 2010.

And here are the practice shots from the participants themselves, straight out of the camera, without going through any post-processing!

Shot by Boy de Jong – “The course was well worth it! The hands on approach of the course ensures the different techniques are well understood.”
(pic above showing mixing white balance)

Shot by Chiew Geok – “great exposure to the accessories, equipment and techniques for taking portrait shots … very useful info shared”
(pic above lit with speedlights and snoot, NOT burnt in post-processing)

Shot by Bernard – “thank you & your wife for the wonderful class”
(pic above showing outdoor flash technique)

Shot by Sook Kuen – “yesterday’s course was interesting, I really learned a lot in this workshop”
(pic above showing 2 light setup)

Shot by Larry – “thx Andy! hope to join your more advanced photoclass next time”
(pic above lit with speedlights and snoot)

Finally, a big thanks to Jen, our lovely model!

KO Cartel® and KO Cutie® are American sports apparel, inspired by professional mixed martial arts fighters around the world, and designed by a certified personal trainer specifically for peak athletic training and performance.

www.kocartel.com

a performance highlight…. fire eaters!

the couple’s first dance

Andylim Creative created the identity of this new company, from logo to name card, letterhead, envelope, folder, and last but not least, the website. The recently launched website runs on a content management system, which lets Sunfert update the contents anytime they wish, with ease. Other custom features include an online appointment booking feature, a forum and a newsletter mailing list. Andylim Creative also helped Sunfert come up with their tagline “Conceive your dreams with us”.

Sunfert International Fertility Centre
www.sunfert.com

Introducing SimpleSLR Photographers. A network of budding photographers who already have experience in shooting events such as yours. Take your pick from the pool of photographers on the website. Browse their portfolios to see their style. Find out if they can speak your language. See what equipment they use. Most importantly, check to see if they are available on the date of your event.

Do all this on the website.

Be there to grab some really attractive lucky draw prizes and door gifts. A great lineup of events await you, including a photography workshop that I’ll be conducting.

Date and Time:
9th January 2010 (11am – 6pm)
10th January 2010 (11am – 4pm)

Location:
Prince Hotel & Residence Kuala Lumpur
4 Jalan Conlay, 50450 Kuala Lumpur
03-2170-8888
View Map

Admission: Free

Getting Melinda ready for her big day…

Kris and his mates had a celebratory drink before the ceremony

The ring bearer had a bit of cold feet at first…

A performance by Melinda’s niece during the signing of the register

Arrival of the bride at Shangri-La Hotel

The reception was held the next day at Shangri-La Hotel.

Waiting eagerly for the bouquet to be tossed

She wants to have a piece of the action too!

Wan Sim and Chris are so nice that they actually wrote to the Wedding Guide to share their experience of planning a wedding from the UK, including how they chose me as their photographer: http://theweddingguide.com.my/2010/02/a-wedding-at-the-ritz-carlton-kl

The groom and his men make their way from the Westin next door.

Armed with wads of cash in a few briefcases…

Wan Sim watched gleefully from a live feed on her TV screen, as the men are subjected to unspeakable tortures

A brief portrait session around Kuala Lumpur

This was also the first time I worked alongside the talented team from Mayad Studios, who were there to create Chris and Wan Sim’s pre-wedding video, and their wedding day 2 days later (photos are here!).

Travelled about 1200km over 6 days, from Melbourne to the Great Ocean Road via Lorne and Apollo Bay, spent the night under koala bears in the wild in Cape Otway, went on the 12 Apostles and back via Colac. Caught the earliest ferry from Queenscliff to Sorrento, but our dolphin swim was canceled due to bad weather. Skipped our planned scuba-diving trip and went on to Cape Schanck for stunning views, then on to Phillip Island to see the penguin parade, it was about 10 degrees C that night but felt much colder with the ferocious wind! From there we went on to the Dandenongs for its beautiful gardens and then to the Yarra Valley for a ballooning trip at sunrise, some wine tasting and then on to Healesville to see more animals and some delicious Devonshire tea   Back in Melbourne, we enjoyed the sunset at St Kilda, and were treated to a surprise encounter with some penguins up close at the pier.

The beautiful St Patrick’s church in Melbourne

After enjoying scones in Cape Otway

Took loads of shots of these koalas who were everywhere on the trees

It was rainy during our Great Ocean Road trip, but we were rewarded with many rainbows

Blue skies in Sorrento

Stopped by to smell the flowers on the way to Cape Schanck

Stunning views at Cape Schanck

Met this couple at Dromana pier

Pelicans at San Remo

Swan Lake on Phillip Island

Great shot by wifey!

Waiting in freezing and windy cold for penguins to arrive… sorry, no pictures of penguins allowed

Beautiful gardens in the Dandenongs

Sunrise on a hot air balloon, what a great view!

They also blogged about what they thought of our photography service… really made my day: http://alicenah.wordpress.com/2009/12/02/wedding-tips-getting-married-in-kuala-lumpur

Engagement bells?

The stars of the day

Theta Service Partner

An extensive corporate re-branding exercise for Theta Service Partner,
a specialist in credit workflow solutions for banks. The re-branding exercise included:

I’ll get around to showing some of the printed materials once I get my copies from the offset printer.

Theta Service Partner website, with an easy-to-use content management system in the backend to facilitate easy updating of text and images by the client:

Treefy

Treefy is a venture creation company that develops and operates social marketplaces that offer people economic opportunities to build businesses online, to earn monetary income, to lower their cost of living or to make life better for themselves and people around them.

Asther Lau Photography

Asther Lau is a photographer who specializes in portraiture for newborn babies, couples & families. Asther’s brief was to use her initials, which I have incorporated into a single letter. If you look closely, it has both the A and the L

and here’s a slideshow montage:

The festivities started with Mehendi, followed by a Sagri ceremony…

and a Sangeet for the bride’s side…

The next day, an oil ceremony for the groom…

And the groom’s Sangeet….

Finally the Sikh wedding ceremony, the Anand Karaj at Gurdwara Sahib Greentown…

And the final event, the reception at Impiana Casuarina Ipoh…

I will be in Melbourne from 1st to 11th October 2009, to photograph a wedding on 3rd and 4th October 2009. If you would like to have your photos taken by me within the Melbourne and surrounding areas from 5th to 9th October 2009, please contact me for rates.

As I would already be there, there are no airfare and accommodation charges! This offer is only valid for 1 couple. Applicable to wedding portraits (pre-wedding or post-wedding), actual wedding day photography, or simply casual portraits.

Possible spots are within Melbourne city itself, or the rugged outdoors along the Great Ocean Road (Bells Beach, Twelve Apostles, Port Campbell etc), Otway National Park (meadows and forests), and Bellbrae (lakes and farmland). Feel free to offer suggestions. The bench pictured above was taken at Port Campbell National Park.

Bottoms up! The biggest toasting glasses I’ve seen!

Finally a short portrait session around the hotel

A fantastic performance by Weyn’s sister and friends at the reception at Saujana Subang

And a very fun second reception at Courtyard Garden

Weyn guessed the right handkerchief, to everyone’s surprise

The most whacky first dance I’ve ever photographed

Arrival of the bride

Batman and Wonder Woman wedding cake!

The couple’s first dance

And the guests join in!

The Bride’s and Groom’s respective waiting rooms before the ceremony.

Blessing ceremony at Zion Cathedral, just love the way the neon cross stands out against the deep blue sky

They even had a magician perform at the dinner reception

We spent 3 days at the foot of Mount Kinabalu, woke up really early to catch glimpses of the mountain without clouds covering the peak. We also managed to see a double rainbow immediately after it stopped drizzling! A very rare sight.

A short visit to Poring Hot Springs rewarded us with this shot.

Then we went to Sipadan Water Village on Mabul Island for some diving. Here are some of the things we saw, including lots of stonefish.

crocodile fish

leaf fish

and feather stars

This is where we stayed.

Here’s a self-portrait of ourselves in the water, taken during our safety stop… the vignetting at the top edges was due to my underwater wide-angle lens attachment which came a bit loose.

The Sangeet celebration, a colourful event with food, music, dancing and singing…

The day of the wedding ceremony…

And a blessing ceremony the day after…

And the grand finale at the reception!

Changing into a traditional Thai costume

Quickie portrait session nearby

Suwalee, touched by the best man’s words

Long overdue, this redesign addresses a few issues that were bugging me. The earlier design was simply a hack of an existing WordPress theme, due to a lack of time. I was (and still am) juggling at least 3 to 5 concurrent design projects and almost weekly photography assignments, so my own blog design took a back seat. The new design is entirely designed from the ground up. I’ve now repositioned the ads to a less intrusive location, removed unnecessary stuff, simplified the navigation and reprioritized functional areas to a more logical layout.

Let me know if you find any issues with this new design

I’m proud to announce the launch of Exotic Escapes: www.exoticescapes.my

Exotic Escapes approached me a few months ago for their brand identity and website needs. I developed their logo and business cards, as well as the website which employs a content management system (CMS). This allows them to update most parts of the website as often as they wish, an important feature that is growing in demand.

Elaine, very touched by her sister’s moving speech.

Emotion welling up…

There are also exhibition panels featuring prints from several photographers, including mine.

That’s me on Saturday

Talk schedule is here:

Here are some shots from the Hindu Wedding on the evening of 21st June 2008.

The Sikh wedding was held the next morning on 22nd June 2008.

And the grand finale at Sheraton Subang…

The celebrations started with the Ponnurukku ceremony on Day 1.

Day 2 was the Sangeet, a dinner party for the groom’s family.

Day 3 was the bride’s oil ceremony.

Followed by the groom’s oil ceremony on the morning of Day 4.

See the later half of Day 4 and 5 in my next post.

Going to the other extreme and getting the flowers, huts and mountains (and people too) sharply focused in a landscape photo requires deep depth of field. That means a sharp foreground and background as well.

Depth of field is controlled by 3 factors, the most common being the aperture setting. The aperture is usually taught in basic photography classes as the main factor that affects how much depth of field there is in your photo.

A big aperture (which means a small F number like F1.4 or F2.8) will give you shallow depth of field, while a small aperture (which means a big F number like F11 or F16) will give you a deep depth of field.

This works well on SLR and DSLR cameras, but on point-and-shoot compact digital cameras, the differences are difficult to spot. This is because point-and-shoot compact digicams are built differently and inherently come with deep depth of field, even at an F2.8 aperture setting which is common in point-and-shoot cameras. That means it’s pretty hard to get the shallow depth of field effect on point-and-shoot cameras, unless it has a longer zoom range (like 10x), which brings us to the next factor in controlling depth of field.

Your lens focal length is the next factor. Longer lenses (telephoto lenses) like a 200mm lens will give you shallow depth of field, while wide angle lenses like a 10mm lens will give you plenty of depth of field.

The third factor is distance to subject. Did you know that if you moved in closer to your subject, your depth of field will also be decreased, ie. a shallow depth of field? This works well if you’re using a point-and-shoot, and are trying to get that “out-of-focus-background” look.

This photo above was taken with an F2.8 aperture setting, and focused very close, with a wide angle lens.

The photo above used a wide angle lens with a small aperture (F11), which leads to a slower shutter speed. I will write about shutter speeds in an upcoming article.

Stay tuned!
Or rather, stay RSS-ed. If you are browsing using Firefox, just click on the orange icon at the URL field to subscribe to my blog.

Visit www.andylim.com/gallery/Japan for more photos!

Understanding the balance of light, or light ratio, between foreground and background areas will put you on the road to better landscape photography.

Image A (taken from my Central Bali gallery)

The background usually means the sky, and the foreground is usually the subject of the photograph, eg. a hill, building or lake. For the sake of simplicity, let’s assume the subject is a hill. Pay attention to the bar graphs on the right side of the diagram below. They show the balance of light (or lighting ratio) between the foreground (hill) and background (sky) within a scene.

It’s 6am, and you’ve chosen a nice spot where the sun will rise behind you and your camera. You set up your sturdy tripod, engage the mirror lock-up, and wait. The first rays of the sun slowly breaks out above the horizon and illuminates the peak first (or clouds, as seen in Image A), because that’s the highest point. The sunlight gradually illuminates the whole hill as the sun rises higher above the horizon.

By 8am the sun would have risen high enough to illuminate the hill quite completely, thereby giving you a 50:50 ratio of light between the hill and sky.

Imagine for a moment that you are shooting from the opposite direction, with the sun facing you, shining at you from behind the hill. The lighting ratio would drastically change to about 5:95 (hill:sky) because there would be very little light illuminating the hill, but a lot of light in the sky because the sun would be shining directly into your lens. This is evident in photographs of scenery with a white sky and a dark landscape. Or silhouette photos (Image B).

Now that we know which direction NOT to shoot from, we will try shooting with the sun to our left. This will create cross lighting which can be very attractive. Cross lighting is used in people photography in the form of off-camera flash. Now you know why your built-in flash rarely gives flattering portraits!

At 12 noon the sun will be directly above almost everything in your scene, giving it a 20:80 ratio. This is because the sky will almost always be brighter than your hill at this hour, especially in humid tropical climates like Malaysia. In dry climates you may still get a 50:50 ratio at this hour.

If storm clouds start gathering behind the hill, the dark clouds will create a 60:40 (hill:sky) ratio if there are openings in the cloud cover that allow the sun to illuminate the hill. This can yield beautiful landscape photography because the sunlit foreground can really stand out from the background of dark clouds.

Shooting at the right time and direction will make a dramatic difference to your landscape photography. Understanding the balance of light and what affects this balance will bring your photography to the next level.

Image B (taken from my Bangkok gallery)

28th December 2007

Twilight image of Ubud town in Bali (taken from my Central Bali gallery), showing streaks created from car tail-lights, shops lit up from within, street lamps and the signature of twilight photography, a rich deep blue sky:

Kek Lok Si Temple in Penang, magnificently lit up at twilight. Taken from my Kek Lok Si gallery.

The trick to finding the right time to shoot is to observe when ambient light diminishes and artificial light takes over. Successful twilight photography relies on a good ratio of ambient to artificial light. Ambient light is natural light from the sun (or moon). Artificial light comes from home lighting, street lamps, car headlights and tail-lights, and even your flash gun.The diagram on the right illustrates this process in chronological order. Take note of the bar graph on the right, showing the balance between ambient and artificial light. This balance changes as the day progresses.

At 12pm (noon) the sun is directly above, creating short shadows directly underneath the objects under it. At 3pm the sun moves westward towards the horizon, creating longer shadows. At 6pm it prepares to disappear under the horizon, creating even longer shadows. Up to this point, the lighting ratio (ambient : artificial) doesn’t change much.

At 7pm the sun disappears under the horizon but still partially illuminates the sky. This is usually when people turn on the lights in their homes, and street lamps are lit. At this point, the lighting ratio dramatically changes. The amount of ambient light will match the amount of artificial light, creating a brief window of opportunity to shoot. This is the Magic Hour.

As the night moves in at 8pm, the ambient light diminishes even more, and artificial light becomes even more dominant. At 9pm, ambient light disappears completely, leaving the sky a black featureless space, and the only light source left is artificial light. At this point, photos of buildings would only reveal their lights, but not much detail in the architecture.