My buddy OS Low holds my Godoz TT600 which is inside a Lumiquest softbox powered by 4AA batteries.
A big part of the fun in taking portraits on location is finding a location that you recognize as promising and full of possibilities.
This time while I was still in Penang, OS Low, Johnny Lee and I took a drive to a sleepy neighborhood by the sea called Damar Permatang Laut in the southern tip of Penang Island where the runway for Penang International Airport ends.
Rohaya Roy and her husband by their motorcycle. On the right is my buddy OS Low holding my Godox speed light which has a 1/4 color temp orange gel inside a Lumiquest Softbox
As the ‘director’ of course you could work one or two ways:
Have a concept or idea of how your subject will be dressed then find a location to match it.
Find a location then hope you stumble across someone who is willing to be your subject making the most of what you ‘find’.
Since I was on vacation without much gear, I had to work with the 2nd approach. Find a scenic spot and hope for the best as far as finding a suitable subject.
Photographing strangers have always been something I enjoy.
Part of it has to do with the possibility that I can be told to take a hike, or worse, be punched in the face.
It’s not that I like to antagonize people.
It’s a real challenge even if you have the camera handling down.
Quizzical look of a fruit vendor–This guy was curious to see me use a strange-looking camera I’m sure. The Hasselblad with 80mm lens shot wide open at f2.8 produces nice sharp images but it is a slow camera to work. You have to take first a meter-reading with a handheld meter.The 500CM had no built-in meter. Ridiculous considering how much it cost me. The fruit is called lychee.
A delectable banana flower nourishing one of nature’s most beautiful and fragile creatures. Canon 20D with 100 mm f2.8 macro lens at Penang’s Butterfly Farm.
Father Time has a cruel sense of humor.
He usually makes things whiz by whenever I’m lost in my viewfinder photographing a pretty model, an exciting sporting event or just plain having a great time walking around making pictures.
Then he can torture me and make seconds seem like an eternity.
Without fail, it is usually when I’m in my car waiting for a traffic light to change.
Chances are, at that instance, I’m also illegally blocking a busy intersection that is equipped with multiple “photo radar†cameras.
Father Time has a cruel sense of humor.