March 13, 2015

4 Cambodia workshops in May & June 2015 - featuring lighting and storytelling

March 13, 2015/ Gary Tyson

We are pleased to announce that due to recent demand for more workshops in Cambodia, we are going to run 4 workshops almost back to back, two in Phnom Penh area, followed by two in the South around Kampot, Kep coastal region. We will alternate them so participants can have the opportunity to choose 2 workshops if they wish and combine their learning experience, doing 1 off camera lighting workshop and a visual storytelling workshop.

Further discounts will apply for participants who choose to do 2 workshops and there is an opportunity to take 2 days off in between the workshops to recover.

The dates for each workshop and links to their respective event pages are as follows:

Workshop 1 - Visual Storytelling (Phnom Penh) - 16 - 19 May 2015

Workshop 2 - '1 Light' Portrait Workshop (Phnom Penh) - 21 - 24 May 2015

Workshop 3 - Visual Storytelling (Southern Cambodia) - 28 - 31 May 2015

Workshop 4 - '1 Light' Portrait Workshop (Southern Cambodia) - 4 - 7 June 2015

Whether you want to learn how to use off camera lighting or develop your skills in visual storytelling, we are confident one or two of these workshops will be very useful for you.

Please check out the links and contact us if any of these dates work for you and you fancy exploring a wonderful corner of South East Asia with us and learning something new along the way.

These workshops are very limited in numbers and we expect them to sell out fast.

Look forward to seeing you there!

To contact us directly please email us at info@f8photography.com.hk

Salt Farmer, Cambodia

July 16, 2013

Client Slideshow from Cambodia workshop - Jag

July 16, 2013/ Gary Tyson

I have known Jag for a few years now, we started off with Jag doing a one day outdoor lighting workshop a few years back which he then took what he learned and practiced when time allowed. Late last year Jag contacted me to help produce a video for ABN AMRO for some charity work his team was conducting in the Southern Philippines, the results of that starring Jag can be seen here for the teaser trailer and here for the main video. Next up was this workshop, Jag contacted me and discussed how he wanted to train more with the off camera lighting outdoors, but in a visually stronger location than Hong Kong for this style of photography.

Below you can see the results that Jag attained after just 5 days coaching and discussion in Cambodia, as well as some behind the scenes shots shown on this blog post below the video.

I can honestly say that Jag's photography has gone from strength to strength, he achieved outstanding results and was very happy with the workshop. Great stuff Jag, well done.

F8 Photography workshop client slideshow - Jag Hirani - Kampot, Cambodia from F8 Photography Ltd on Vimeo.

(Jag posing whilst we were balancing the light with the ambient in Kampot).(The 3 musketeers, Gary, Jag and Sammy)(Jag strikes another pose on his chicken chaser moped)(Jag checks out the light and landscape before our epic storm approached a few minutes later to give us some 'god' light)

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F8 Photography provides commercial photography and photography and video training workshops, more details can be found via the ‘courses and workshops’ link and upcoming events via the front page of our website.

July 16, 2013

Client slideshow from Cambodia workshop - Patrick

July 16, 2013/ Gary Tyson

Patrick recently attended one of F8 Photography workshops in Cambodia for 5 days, this portfolio video shows his final selection of images and below this there are some fun behind the scenes shots in action during the rainy season.

Cambodia from Patrick Ansari on Vimeo.

Patrick took some great images during the week and from our feedback he seemed to find the training extrememly useful, completely overcoming any worries about approaching strangers and learning to 'see light' in a much better way than before the workshop.

(Patrick looking far too fresh on day one...the rain soon changed that...:-))

(Patrick and Jon lapping up the wet season photography...lol)

(Gary demonstrates some off camera lighting whilst Patrick watches on with his Leica M240 balancing on the edge of the boat...)

(Then Patrick balances on the small boat with his Leica whilst Gary tries to qualify for the Cambodia gymnastics team by pulling the splits whilst holding the boats together with his flip flops!)

(Patrick trying a bit of 'off road' moped skills whilst trying to find a route to an out of town photoshoot location in Kampot.

June 06, 2013

South Cambodia photography workshop client slideshow

June 06, 2013/ Gary Tyson

The aim of our photography workshops in Cambodia is to take beginner or intermediate photographers to another level with an immersive course that exposes them to nothing but photography for several days….It’s intense, it’s hard work, it’s loooong days, the learning curve is steep, but the two key things we wish for all our clients to leave with are the feeling that they improved dramatically in the way they see what they photograph and to have had great fun with a bunch of like minded photographers. Below you will see a slideshow of their final images. They shot in the south of Cambodia (Sihanoukville, Kampot, Kep) for less than 5 days, some of them arrived with their first camera and little knowledge, but after some careful direction and coaching they have produced nothing short of an outstanding set of images, each and every one of them.

Please enjoy the slideshow and we look forward to seeing some of you on a future workshop here in Cambodia, back in Hong Kong or somewhere else in the region. You can find more details about our workshops at our homepage under ‘workshops‘ or drop us an email via our contact form.

vimeosouthslides from F8 Photography Ltd on Vimeo.

If you wish to see other images and blog posts from this trip and other Cambodia trips you can see a selection by clicking here.

Thanks for taking the time to visit our blog, if you like our blog and website, please ‘like’ us on our public Facebook page and share this story with your friends with the Facebook and twitter links below. You can also subscribe to our blog here.

May 29, 2013

F8 Photography Phnom Penh - Clients final slideshows

May 29, 2013/ Gary Tyson

The aim of our photography workshops in Cambodia is to take beginner or intermediate photographers to another level with an immersive course that exposes them to nothing but photography for several days....It's intense, it's hard work, it's loooong days, the learning curve is steep, but the two key things we wish for all our clients to leave with are the feeling that they improved dramatically in the way they see what they photograph and to have had great fun with a bunch of like minded photographers. Below you will see a slideshow of their final images. They shot in and around Phnom Penh for less than 3 days, some of them arrived with their first camera and little knowledge, but after some careful direction and coaching they have produced nothing short of an outstanding set of images, each and every one of them.

Please enjoy the slideshow and we look forward to seeing some of you on a future workshop here in Cambodia, back in Hong Kong or somewhere else in the region. You can find more details about our workshops at our homepage under 'workshops' or drop us an email via our contact form.

Phnom Penh Photography workshop - Clients Images slideshow from F8 Photography Ltd on Vimeo.

If you wish to see other images and blog posts from this trip and other Cambodia trips you can see a selection by clicking here.

May 28, 2013

My 'day off' between workshops with the Fuji X100s

May 28, 2013/ Gary Tyson

We have just finished the Phnom Penh workshop yesterday afternoon which was a great success. One team member left, and two more arrived this morning to head south with us for the next workshop so we are now a merry band of 8 photographers heading down to the seaside.

Today was supposed to be a day off or 'admin' day....but of course none of us could resist the chance to do more shooting, so we had some prints made from the previous days shoots and took them to the temple and the Muslim village to hand them out and make use of our time shooting again.

As it was supposed to be a day off, i didn't do much teaching and guidance and opted to just go for a walk and take only my X100s and leave the Leicas behind for a few hours.

I have had the X100s a while now, but never use it, I always bring it with the Leicas and it ends up staying in the bag...In hindsight this is a silly mistake, its one or the other, no point carrying double the gear...I teach the others to bring smaller cameras and not to be overloaded with kit...then bring 3 cameras myself...kind of defeating the object....lol.

So, refreshingly, i headed out for a walk with just the X100s slung over my shoulder and nothing else.

These images are the first time i have used this camera properly in 2 months....I can honestly say I'm so far very very happy....I was considering selling it a few weeks ago due to non-usage and now I realise that would be a mistake, it has excellent image quality and when i need a low light colour camera (the Leica M9 is useless for that), then this will be the one I turn too.

I'm not into talking about all the technical features and details of cameras, I don't believe in that, any camera you give me is just a tool....im only interested in the 'feeling' that comes across in the image once developed...I have zero interest in the size of the camera/lens/etc, as too many times i've seen the most expensive cameras in the hands of fools and the cheapest cameras in the hands of geniuses...Usually the quote rings true 'all the gear...means no idea'..... So next time you think to carry 3 cameras or the biggest most expensive cameras you can afford...think twice....remember....the most important thing in photography is your minds eye....the camera is just a box that captures that vision, without that vision, any camera is useless to you.

Here's a few images I shot this afternoon. Tomorrow we head South, I will try and use it more each day and see how I get along.

A baby sleeps calmly in the afternoon lightLady in doorway allows me to shoot her as she relaxes away from the outdoor heatHiding from the cows that charged down the street towards the kidsFine tuning his fishing nets for the next time he's out on the Mekong riverChildren at a local school inside a monastery

If you wish to see other images and blog posts from this trip and other Cambodia trips you can see a selection by clicking here.

May 27, 2013

Behind the scenes from Phnom Penh Workshop

May 27, 2013/ Gary Tyson

We have just finished our Phnom Penh workshop (4 days) with our team and as Romina heads back to Hong Kong this evening, the remainder of the team will be joined tomorrow by 2 new members and we will all head south for the next workshop together. I will post a video slideshow of the entire teams final images in the coming few days, but in the meantime we would like to share some behind the scenes images of everyone at work and having a great time here in Cambodia.

Steve, Andrew, Monica, Winnie, Lydia, Romina and GarySteve hanging out with some Monks getting to know them before asking for photographs3 of the team in the shade at the Muslim villageGary does a bit of lighting training with some willing modelsThe team learning how to use off camera lightingRomina exploring the alleyways looking for the best lightEarly morning shoots every day before 6amLydia gets some new fanclub members at the monasteryAndrew modelling the Cambodia scarf on the Mekong riverRomina makes new friends at the beachRomina with the Mother Superior at the rural monasteryWinnie and Mother Superior having a memento shot by AndrewThe team receiving a blessing on arrival at the monastery after we gifted some riceLydia and a lovely elderly lady at Silk IslandWinnie practicing her off camera lighting techniquesMonica all excited on route to the next location in the tuk tukThe kids love to play around when we are shootingMonica with her models at the monasteryLydia, Winnie, Mother Superior and Romina at the rural monasteryMonica shows the kids how cool they look on cameraGary couldn't resist getting the helicopter and gopro3 out for a flight when time allowedLydia gets a washdown after the first shoot in the mudWinnie relaxes with the kids at the first village across the riverWinnie and her fans at the beachSteve helps Lydia with some Lightroom processingAndrew impresses the kids with his Leica M9Giving back prints is a great experience for the teamThe locals love to receive their prints after we shootThe team with some local kids at the Muslim village

If you wish to see other images and blog posts from this trip and other Cambodia trips you can see a selection by clicking here.

May 24, 2013

Buddha's birthday celebrations....F8 Photography style

May 24, 2013/ Gary Tyson

We are now into our second day of the Phnom Penh photography workshop and we started the day bright and early before 6am shooting the views over the Mekong river for sunrise and the workers and monks coming over off the boats from silk island. Sunrise over the Mekong, Leica M9P, VL 21mm F4

Monks arrive by boat from Silk Island, Leica M9P, 90mm Summarit

After that it was a quick breakfast and heading out to the local monastery...it still wasn't yet even 7am...a few yawns of tiredness could be seen, but everyone was highly motivated to get some shots before the harsh sunlight started...which wouldn't to far away...this is one of the main problems this time of year in Cambodia, the heat is unforgiving and the light can be extremely harsh...so its early rises and late finishes to capture the best light.

Lydia at one of the temples in the monastery, trying to catch a bit of shade from the heat.

We spent a good hour at the monastery chatting to monks and helping those that wanted to practice their english language skills, as well as playing with the kids and fascinating them with showing them their images on the back of the cameras.

Leica M9P, 90mm summarit

Today is the 25th of May, the day on which the Cambodians celebrate Buddha's birthday, ascencion and enlightenment. We were lucky enough to be invited back in the afternoon by some of the monks to witness the parade and take part as we wished. Of course this would offer us a great photo opporunity so we all graciously accepted the invitation and headed back in the early afternoon to see what unfolded.

Leica M9P, 90mm summarit

Similar shot to above, but this time trying the Leica M Monochrom and 28mm.

Several of the monks we had met earlier were conducting preparations in the main temple so we hung out there anxiously waiting as more and more monks and children gathered below. Andrew was kind enough to offer me the lend of his Noctilux lens as he wanted to try my 75mm lens. This worked well as as I knew with so many people around, if i wanted to single out someone i would need to be using either a Noctilux or a 75/90mm focal length.

Excited kids await the start of the celebrations, Leica M9P, 50mm Noctilux

The kids were all carrying flowers as offerings for inside the temple after the precession which was about to get underway for the next 30 minutes or so.

Monks prepare for their celebration march around the monastery, Leica M9P, Noctilux

Leica M9P, Noctilux

As the parade came to its end back at the temple I crossed the street to try and get some shot of the Monks coming past with a bit of symmetry, as i focussed on this monk he didn't notice me, but just looked up to the heavens....i thought...."jackpot" as that was for me the shot of the day....so we had spent a good few hours around this area and I think it was well worthwhile and a great experience to be able to be part of their day. We will be sure to return on Monday with prints for them all to return our gratitude to them for allowing us to photograph them. Tomorrow its off to silk island bright and early at 6am. Looking forward to more great photo opportunities in a rural setting.

My shot of the day for me personally, Leica M9P, Noctilux

If you wish to see other images and blog posts from this trip and other Cambodia trips you can see a selection by clicking here.

May 24, 2013

Phnom Penh workshop underway...mudfest with x100s

May 24, 2013/ Gary Tyson

Well the day started slow as the flight from Hong Kong with the group of keen photographers was delayed by 2 hours but that didn't change anything other than a faster lunch once they arrived. We went through our composition presentations and were out crossing the river by 4pm heading to a small village on the other side for a baptism of mud and photography.

Fuji X100s in panoramic JPEG mode (12 images stitched in camera, works fine)

For myself I just took the Fuji X100s out and this is actually the first time I've tried to use it properly, its very different from my Leicas but nevertheless it did everything I asked it to without any issues, so all images you see in this post are from the Fuji.

Even though the first shoot was just a taster of whats to come, it was still great fun and everyone was fascinated by how energetic and happy the local kids are around here.

Winnie taking a break and trying not to slide downhill into the river as I almost did a few times!

I noticed Winnie taking some photos with the kids then as she took a break she had that look on her face of elation that happens to everyone when they are around Cambodian people, their zest for life rubs off on you very quickly and they really put our own lives in perspective. Just being around them, with or without camera is a positive life experience I believe.

These kids swim freely in the Mekong river, hanging on to passing boats and playing wildly in the mud.

Everyone had quick refresher on how to use their metering systems on the cameras and then it was some free shooting time to seek out some willing subjects, of which there is never a shortage in Phnom Penh.

No tyre swings here, but the bumper tyres on boats work well as a makeshift chair until the boat leaves.

We were lucky enough to have our own personal acrobatics display team at the village.

Who needs a diving board? Just climb up the nearest ferry and use that as your diving platform.

Lydia has her first mud spa shortly after arriving in Cambodia and Sammy our driver helps wash up.

Lydia joined Gary barefoot to try and get some extra grip in the mud, but it wasn't helping, luckily the rain had now stopped but left the ground soggy and slippy....photography can be a hazardous sport you know...but getting a good mudpack on your feet is good for you (so i'm told) :-)

Steve (right) and Andrew (back left) taking a break from the heat at a roadside cafe.

After an hour shooting it was time for a quick refreshment before hopping back on the boat to the other side and clean up for our first dinner at the FCC (Foreign Correspondents Club), an apt location for dinner on the first night as its perhaps the most heritage building for photographers and journalists in this town with its rich history associated to the Vietnam war era.

A curious girl watches us with nervous curiosity..."who's this gang of photographers in my village"?

Tomorrow morning its an early start, up before dawn to get the beautiful Cambodia sunrise and then off around Phnom Penh to some great locations and hours of photography....will update in a few days with the gang's progress here, watch this space...

May 23, 2013

Ready....steady..... WORKSHOPS!

May 23, 2013/ Gary Tyson

Here we are again in Cambodia about to start today with 2 back to back photography workshops, one here in the city of Phnom Penh, then a 2nd one next week down in the south around Sihanoukville, Kampot and Kep. Leica MM, VL 35mm 2.5

Myself and Steve have been in country 2 days and have checked out a few different locations to take the clients that should offer them some photo rich opportunities to hone their skills.

The heat is unforgiving so it will be early starts to get the best use of light and late afternoon shoots again for the same reasons, so long days ahead for the crew but the people of Cambodia always welcome us with open arms and I'm positive everyone will leave with a healthy portfolio and probably a healthy suntan also!

Leica M9P, 75mm summarit

One of the locations we will visit in Phnom Penh is a vibrant muslim village that is so full of life you can hardly move in the streets and alleyways. The only difficult thing here is isolating a subject as there are so many around. Here are a few images from spending just an hour or so walking around this district armed with the Leica M9P and M Monochrom.

Leica MM, 90mm summarit

Leica M9P, 90mm summarit

Leica MM, 28mm 2.8 ASPH

Leica M9P, 90mm summarit

Leica MM, 28mm 2.8 ASPH

The flight with our clients is delayed hence me writing this blog so soon....all the rest of the preparations are done and I am now heading out to meet them at the airport. Very much looking forward to 10 days of photography with a keen bunch of likeminded individuals....as well as indulging in some of Kep's finest seafood along the way.....and who knows...maybe even a bit of volleyball with the locals!

Leica MM, Canon 50mm 1.4 LTM

Leica MM, VL 35mm 2.5

January 08, 2013

Canon 50mm 0.95 on Leica M9

January 08, 2013/ Gary Tyson

Christmas and New Year 2012/2013 was spent in Phnom Penh, Cambodia with a motley crew of other photographer friends from around Asia. Whilst there my ex-army buddy and fellow Leica shooter Trevor had brought along his old Canon 50mm 0.95 lens to test on the Olympus OMD. Me with the M9P and Canon 50mm 0.95 fitted to the camera

The lens has previously been converted to Leica M Mount so of course I couldn't resist to have a play with it on the M9P despite already having a 50mm summilux with me for this trip.

I have tested a few other fast 50mm lenses in the past on Leica, including the Voigtlander 1.1 and SLR Magic hyperprime 50mm 0.95.

A great portrait lens, dreamy backgrounds and smooth skin tones

This Canon lens is a different beast, as heavy as the Leica Noctilux or SLR Magic lens, but much shorter, almost stubby, which is cool.

Nothing plucks a subject out of the background like a 0.95 lens

The first day I used this lens i wasn't sure about it…the look of the images was so different to the 50 summilux, i almost dismissed it, but I gave it another few days and shot for several hours each day with only this lens and after less than a week have completely fallen in love with it.

For sure it has a unique look to it...some will love it, others may not care for it....but for sure you won't find it with other lenses

The reasons are shown in a few of the images below. Like any extremely fast lens, if you misfocus even slightly, you are screwed, it looks terrible, BUT if you get it right, the look is completely unique and like nothing i've shot before. I'm not saying its better than a Leica Noctilux, but two things for sure….its a damn site cheaper (i.e. you could buy this and a round the world trip for the same price as a Noctilux), and the build quality is amazing. I have no idea how old this particular lens I'm using is, but its built like a tank, solid, perfect glass, super smooth movement, zero focus shift at any distance as far as I can tell and technically as good as any Leica or Canon L lens build quality I've used. Shot in very low light, even the summilux would struggle in this light, a breeze for 0.95

The Bokeh is a bit of a 'love/hate' scenario I imagine for many people. I wasn't sure at first as i said, as its very swirly, almost painterly with some backgrounds, and of course this won't be to everyone tastes. That said, to try and reproduce these kind of looks with anything other than a 0.95 lens is impossible, so for that alone I think its a very interesting lens for any Leica user that seeks that 'dreamy' look.

I took a few shots with the lens wide open and stopped down to F4 and beyond and found it to be extremely sharp (images below shows this with 100% crops), however for me its pointless to use this kind of lens at anything other than wide open at 0.95. Its so much heavier and bigger than a 1.4 or F2 lens, it wouldn't make sense to use this instead for those apertures….this lens screams to be shot wide open for those dreamy looks, in fact if the aperture ring happened to jam locked on 0.95 I wouldn't be worried, as thats the only aperture I'm interested in shooting it at.

wide open at 0.95

100% crop at 0.95

stopped down to F4

100% crop at f4, as sharp as any other 50mm I have used at F4

I am looking forward to shoot more with this lens in the dark streets of Hong Kong (we generally have a few stops less light than most cities in asia thanks to the China factories spewing a cloud of pollution over the city that acts like a 30 miles wide ND filter!), it will enable me to get shots in light that is impossible with any other combo that I own.

Here are a few more shots of Trevor that are direct from camera JPEGS set to black and white mode with various contrast settings in camera only on the M9P.

This image below shows perhaps the most random thing I ever expected to see in Cambodia at Christmas....a reindeer!!!!!! lol, shot wide open at 0.95.

Final shot that showcases the bokeh again of this lens

Final thoughts and recommendations:

Do I recommend this lens? YES, 100% if you are looking for a 'dreamy' rendering super fast lens and don't have or want to spend the budget on a Noctilux, then look no further.

Is it sharp enough? YES, I have posted a few images above then a 100%crop from those images. I hope anyone viewing them will agree that for a 0.95 shot, its more than sharp enough when you hit the focus right.

Is it affordable? Its not cheap, but when you are looking at 10,000 USD for a Noctilux, it's comparatively extremely good value as another option to Leica. Of course other options are the Voigtlander 1.1 lens which is about half the price again….but I couldn't fall in love with that lens personally when I tried it a few years ago, it was nice, sure, but for me it lacked character any …..something the Canon 0.95 just oozes.

If you wish to see other images and blog posts from this trip and other Cambodia trips you can see a selection by clicking here.

January 03, 2013

Mekong River people - part 2

January 03, 2013/ Gary Tyson

A few days ago I blogged with some images from the Mekong River people along the Phnom Penh waterways. The experience I had was so good I couldn't resist returning a few days later. A typical scene of family life on the boats at dusk

This time I won't say too much about the experience, rather I just show the images from spending just 30 minutes on a few small boats. The original part 1 experience and images can be found here.

http://www.f8photography.com.hk/blog/2012/12/river/

The light is great on the river around sunset, so it seems to me the perfect way to end a day in Phnom Penh by exploring the waterways on a small boat, keeping away from the noise of tuk tuk horns and hustle and bustle and just taking in the sunset and sound of paddles and splashing water....a perfect day.

This time i just had one lens, the 24mm on the Leica M9P, as i was worried that changing lenses on the small boats was going to end in tears...therefore 1 lens it was, and I hope I managed to capture the scenes OK with just one focal length this time.

My chauffeur for the evening, a charming character

I got the impression that everything was about 'family' with this group of people, great to see

Kids with faces like movie stars

Great light welcomed us every time we went on the river

Grandmother and grandaughter

A youngster pops her head out to see who the stranger is

2 of my travel companions, Trevor (left) and Stephen (right). this photo by Steve Porte

Me and Stephen Patterson were the two who risked the small boats and I'm happy to say we returned to our bigger vessel later on with all our gear still dry...so mission accomplished :-)

If you wish to see other images and blog posts from this trip and other Cambodia trips you can see a selection by clicking here.

December 27, 2012

Golden hour on the Mekong River

December 27, 2012/ Gary Tyson

I was sitting drinking a coffee by the riverside, and I noticed the light was getting interesting so decided I needed to take advantage of this by grabbing a boat and going out to photograph the small fishing boats I had seen around. The view from the riverside was serene (apart from the eyesore of the new Sokha hotel they are building across the river that seemed to manage to get itself into most of my shots somehow...grrr... Mekong river people. This small boat is their workplace, as well as their family home

My initial idea was to take some sunset shots with the city backdrop of the small boats from the bigger boat, however, as nice as these shots can be, knowing myself, this wasn't going to satisfy my craving for close up action...so after a few minutes sailing around, I asked the skipper to approach a small boat and see if I could get aboard to utilise the 24mm lens to get 'amongst' my subjects.

Another small boat approached to see what I was up to

My only concern with doing all this was if the camera dropped into the river....I had lost an M9 last year due to rain damage in Hong Kong...so the thought of the Leica going for a swim in the Mekong river was not a good thought....however, the picture is far more important than the gear (apart from the fact that I would never have got the SD card back anyway if it had fell in!)....so I decided to take the risk and cautiously climbed over and onto the small raft to join the welcoming family on their boat with the M9P, a 24mm and 35mm.

You can see from these pics by Steve Porte that boarding with expensive gear could easily go wrong

They didn't speak any English, nevertheless we managed to somehow communicate and they were quite happy for me to hang out on their boat for 45 minutes and shoot a small snippet of their life.

The light was great, as were the subjects

Another BTS shot of me working above, taken by Steve Porte

A proud Captain on his ship

Silhouettes are standard shots in this light

Black and white worked well in this light

Both husband and wife took equal turns rowing, fishing and looking after their kids

Fishing the Mekong with the Sokha hotel complex behind

River kids...(who can't swim....could be dangerous in the Mekong...it has a very strong current)

Could have done with an even wider than 24mm lens for this shot I think

Great way to see the city from the river

Another day at the office

There is now a part 2 to this blog post with more images, you can see that by clicking here:

http://www.f8photography.com.hk/blog/2013/01/mekong2/

If you wish to see other images and blog posts from this trip and other Cambodia trips you can see a selection by clicking here.

December 23, 2012

Cambodian Colour - from dawn til dusk

December 23, 2012/ Gary Tyson

It was an early start today, 5.30am, out to the ferry port to shoot the workers arriving to Phnom Penh from across the Mekong river. The great thing about shooting this location is that I could see it easily from my hotel room window...so could do a quick check to make sure the light was developing well before getting ready...(I'm so lazy...this is why you see very few landscape photographs from me).

After shooting the workers and boat people arriving there for the 15 mins of good light, the sun was up and it was back for breakfast before we headed out to scout another new location just outside the city which used to be a lake but has mostly dried up with just a few water channels remaining.

The thing that struck me about this district was 'colour'....the light was great, the buildings were painted in pastels and the kids were dressed in vibrant colours, it just all 'popped'....the other thing that popped was my shoe, which 'popped off' when i got my leg stuck in some swamp when i was trying to shoot some kids sitting in old boats...lol...a small price to pay for the rewards of the images today.

Yet again we were met by all smiling happy faces, the kids were playing all sorts of games and keen to show off to us at every opportunity. Another successful day in this wonderful country, looking forward to a 5am start again tomorrow morning (you don't hear me say that very often...:-))

Here's a few more images from todays shooting, all shot with Leica M9P and lenses from 35-75mm.

If you wish to see other images and blog posts from this trip and other Cambodia trips you can see a selection by clicking here.

December 22, 2012

Shooting Phnom Penh - The Muslim quarter

December 22, 2012/ Gary Tyson

Its the second day of our Christmas 2012 expedition around Phnom Penh, spent this time exploring around the Muslim quarter , a district I have visited before only once before a few years ago. All images below shot on Leica M9P with Leica glass ranging from 24mm to 75mm.

In true Cambodia fashion, everybody was chatting away with us and smiling. We even saw one fish seller start slapping her friend with some raw fish and prompting Steve to shoot the comedy!

I did my usual trick of wandering off alone from our group (I always find it easier to shoot alone, rather than with other photographers, I find it much less intimidating for my subjects if I am by myself. I quickly found some interesting alleyways and residents that invited me into their homes and workplaces to see what they were up to.

One family took me into some dark back room where they had a 20ft python coiled up in the corner....i almost left my camera bag where it was and ran off! lol.

For some reason I am highly attracted at the moment to shooting people in hijabs, i find the m really interesting and the way they frame womens faces makes for lovely images, and I was delighted to find lots of kids and women wearing them around this part of town, not typically something you would expect to find in Cambodia I guess, but like most other cities in the world, theres a little bit of everything, you just need to know where to look.

And last but not least of course is my good friend Stephen Patterson, I couldn't resist a portrait of him with the great light as he was scouring the landscape for his next subjects from the back of the tuk tuk on our way back to town.

December 21, 2012

Back to Phnom Penh (Day 1)

December 21, 2012/ Gary Tyson

'In the avenues and alleyways' M9P, 35mm 8 elements

We've had a crazy busy few weeks in Hong Kong leading up to Christmas, shooting tens of thousands of stills images for commercial work and several commercial video projects have kept us busy right through December, so it was high time for a short break and catch up with some fellow photographers on a jaunt to Phnom Penh in Cambodia.

'Welcome back to Cambodia, step inside', M9P, 24mm

So far I've only been back here one day, but already i can feel the stresses of city life easing away into the background as I wander the vibrant streets of Cambodia meeting some inspirational characters and getting back to basics shooting only with Leica rangefinder.

Shooting thru the Tuk Tuk canopy to create a natural widescreen effect, M9P, 75mm

All the images here were taken over the space of 3 hours on the first day. Yet again for me i find inspiration on every street corner in this wonderful country, and am lucky enough to have 3 of my best friends all shooting with me, Trevor, my old army buddy has travelled all the way from Riyadh in Saudi Arabia to shoot here, Stephen Patterson from China has come via Thailand and the North of Cambodia to join us in Phnom Penh and Steve managed to escape Hong Kong a day earlier than me to get a head start with his trusty Canon rigs.

Pastel colours are everywhere, M9P, 35mm 8 elements

We are exploring some different areas of the city this time, as we have become familiar with several districts now so wish to explore some of the even less trodden sidestreets around town, am very much looking forward to unveiling some new characters.

Peek-a-boo from Mummys bike, M9P, 50mm Lux ASPH

We will be back in Cambodia for another workshop in the south in February 2013, but for the meantime we will continue exploring Phnom Penh...this must be my 12th or 13th visit to this place and it never ceases to impress me, the people are so friendly, the light is great, the colours are amazing and the company is good.

Heres a few more images from the first day and wishing all a Merry Christmas of photography that for me will be spent with a bunch of fellow photographers.

Cheers!

Washing line, M9P, 35mm 8 elements

Home Sweet Home, M9P, 24mm

Looking at me?, M9P, 50mm Lux ASPH

Colour, colour, everywhere, M9P, 50mm Lux ASPH

F8 Photography provides stills and video production for weddings, events, corporate, commercial, training, sports, documentaries and NGO projects around the world, to see more of our work our meet us to discuss a project, please contact us here: info@f8photography.com.hk or check out our work via the galleries that can be accessed from the front page of our website here.

November 01, 2012

Southern Cambodia photography workshop - Feb 2013

November 01, 2012/ Gary Tyson

Our next Cambodia workshop will be concentrated in the southern part of the country for 5 days around Sihanoukville, Kep and the surrounding islands. This promises to be another successful experience for a small group of photographers (maximum 6) to fully immerse themselves in a photo rich environment with 2 instructors for personalised hands on training. For more information on the workshop and to register your interest, please follow the link below or click on any of the images:

http://www.f8photography.com.hk/event/southcambodiafeb2013/

Here are a few images of this wonderful part of the world from one of our previous trips there that we will enjoying exploring with you again soon.

October 08, 2012

GUEST POST: Terese - Cambodia Workshop

October 08, 2012/ Gary Tyson

Note: This post is written and all photos by Terese Chan (less portraits of Terese) who travelled to Cambodia with us. Terese shot with the Fuji XPro1 throughout the workshop. These are her thoughts.

(the author - Terese, posing for a lighting demo during the workshop in Phnom Penh)

I've been on and off looking for photography courses in Hong Kong for over a year, most of them I found were formal classroom teaching or commercial wedding shooting… Honestly, as a design-trained person I perceived they are boring, stiff and too commercial…and then I found F8 Photograpy (www.f8photography.com.hk). I was stunned by Gary's works, especially the street photos and immediately joined his workshop without hesitation even though I had never met him in Hong Kong.

(A girl playing hide and seek, Fuji X-pro1 35mm ISO 200 F1.8 1/550s)

We met in Cambodia on the first day, all of us got our gear to click on and go! It seems that we had bad luck with heavy showers on the first day but we were lucky though as Gary took us to a good location and we ran into so many lovely warm faces. I had a tough time to avoid getting my camera wet, and yet I didn't want to miss any captures….it was challenging and great fun!

(Terese (left) and Susan still smiling despite the torrential rain...)

(A praying sweet heart, Fuji X-pro1 35mm ISO 1000 F1.4 1/150s)

(Lady under the shelter, Fuji X-pro1 35mm ISO 3200 F2.2 1/110s)

(A girl, Fuji X-pro1 60mm ISO 200 F4 1/45s)

(A boy, Fuji X-pro1 35mm ISO 1000 F2.4 1/52s)

I really enjoyed the total immersion in the environment, it was effective to learn in such a good and relaxing atmosphere with great people. The learning schedule might be intense, but for me the process was fun with all the happy and kind participants, they really made my trip! All the laughter and sharing made the course fruitful and complete! :)

Note from Gary from F8 Photography: Terese classed herself as a 'newbie' photographer when she arrived on the workshop. Having heard that I expected to see 'beginner' images at the end of day 1, but this was not the case, Terese absorbed all the information we gave her about using different lenses and viewpoints to improve her composition techniques, she embraced her camera (Fuji XPro1) which can be slow with autfocus at times, and she got on with all the training, always smiling. My view on her work that she produced was that it was outstanding, like the other clients we took on the workshop, they all worked together and pushed each others standards higher throughout, which benefited everyone immensely and raised the self-pressure level. I think working in that style is a good thing, and I know Terese will agree that the images she produced on this workshop were some of, if not her best photographs she has taken to date. I am aware that Terese is very busy working for Cathay Pacific and it is not easy for her to get time off work, so we want to say thanks for making the time to join us, we hope you reaped the benefits of the workshop, your images certainly tell that story. Well done Terese, great work, and look forward to taking you the next travel photography expedition :-)

Here are more of Terese's images from the workshop:

(Terese seemed to be REALLY enjoying the workshop!)

(Gary from F8 helping Terese set up the Fuji XPro1 after installing the new autofocus firmware)

(Sisters, Fuji X-pro1 35mm ISO 200 F1.4 1/680s)

(A boy who peeps, Fuji X-pro1 35mm ISO 200 F2.5 1/220s)

(The boys in a temple, Fuji X-pro1 35mm ISO 1000 F2 1/2900s)

(A smiley face, Fuji X-pro1 35mm ISO 200 F2 1/180s)

We have other posts from the workshop attendees as well as behind the scenes shots and video coming soon. Please stay tuned for that, you can now ‘search’ the blog on the left side of this post to find subject posts easily, try typing ‘cambodia’ to find all our posts from there if you wish to read more.

October 02, 2012

Workshop review - Cambodia September 2012

October 02, 2012/ Gary Tyson

BEHIND THE SCENES - Shooting in Cambodia

Our small group workshop was a resounding success, some of the images produced were simply outstanding, for some photographers who attended, having either never shot 'people photography' before, or having little experience in engaging their subjects, I was honestly amazed at the work they were able to produce over the course of 3 days.

(The Motley Crew - Andrew, Ian, Susan, Terese, Steve & Gary)

The training each day was long, sometimes 12-14 hours of constant photography, editing and review sessions, but being away from their home countries allowed the participants to focus on the tasks without any distractions and this I believe is a key element to fast track learning. That coupled with a photographically rich environment allows for some great work to be produced.

We concentrated on exposing the group to a variety of different locations and subjects, encouraging them to shoot 'people' and use their different lenses, all the while being there to assist with any technical or composition questions and guide where necessary. We spent a small amount of time each day focussing on developing/editing using Adobe Lightroom 4 back at the hotel and then a good hour and a half session every night reviewing/critiquing eachothers best images of the day as a group. This was a really useful part of the training for everyone and we all learnt a lot during these feedback sessions. The group also learnt other features in Lightroom 4 including how to correcty export images for various formats (email/web/print) and to utilise the slideshow feature in Lightroom to produce a finished portfolio of images set to music at the end of the workshop.

Here are a few images from 'behind the scenes' at the workshop, showing the photographers going about their daily shooting rituals in a variety of locations in and around Phnom Penh.

(Rain or shine, we were up and out, smiling, with cameras in hand, shooting all day long)

(1-1 therapy from Gary....(we thought he was the one who needs therapy?!)

(The locals love the OMD as much as us....and Sam (right) setting up to take the group shot on the Contax G2)

(Just interacting with the locals was half the fun of the workshop)

(Showing Terese some XPro1 tips (left) and Susan (right) gets me to pose with her new found friend - a newborn kitten!)

(During some downtime, Ian buys some Cambodia scarfs, as modelled by Gary (right), an essential purchase in Cambodia)

(The girls pose, closely followed by Andrew and Gary striking a pose in the Tuk Tuk)

(Learning to use a diffuser and reflectors is essential for portraits in the harsh light)

(Sam (Tuk Tuk Driver) and Terese (right). Thats what we like to see, smiley happy people)

(We await our transport across the Mekong river whilst Andrew cleverly waits in the shade, it was a long day that one...)

Some of the participants from the workshop have kindly found time to produce some guest blog posts on our site, they can be seen by clicking below, well worth a look, some outstanding imagery they produced over the 3 days:

STEVE (ASSISTANT INSTRUCTOR) BLOG POST

ANDREWS GUEST BLOG POST

SUSANS GUEST BLOG POST

As I spent much of the time in country either teaching, watching or assisting our clients with their shooting, I didn't get much time to shoot myself during the workshop. Here are a few of the images that I managed to capture in between events whilst we were out and about.

All the below images shot with Olympus OMD, processed using VSCO film presets in Adobe Lightroom 4.

September 30, 2012

GUEST POST: Steve - Cambodia Workshop (Asst Instructor)

September 30, 2012/ Gary Tyson

Note: This post is written and all photos by Steve Porte (less portraits of Steve) who travelled to Cambodia with us as assistant instructor. Steve shot with a combination of Canon 1D Mk IV and 5D Mk III throughout. These are his thoughts on the workshop:

(Steve is always having a laugh and a joke, enjoying life - here we were setting up a lesson in 'off camera lighting')

Last week, I traveled to Phnom Penh, Cambodia with F8 Photography owner Gary Tyson and four other photographers. Unlike our casual visit in July (described in a previous post that can be seen here) this trip was to host a formal photography workshop in and around Phnom Penh. The group consisted of four participants, Gary and myself. Here are my thoughts on that trip...

(The motley crew - Andrew, Ian, Susan, Terese, Steve & Gary)

On our last visit, we had great weather and beautiful light. This time, there were daily rain showers - but the rain had little effect on our daily routine. Both during and after the rains, we were bathed in the same soft light we have come to expect in Cambodia, and the rain actually became an interesting element in several of our images. Just like our last visit, the combination of colourful infrastructure, verdant landscape, warm and friendly people, and the soft light, made for a wonderful photographic experience.

(5D3, 85mm, f/1.2, ISO 200)

(1D4, 27mm, f/3.5, ISO 200)

(1D4, 16mm, f/6.3, ISO 200)

(1D4, 34mm, f/3.2, ISO 200)

The biggest surprise for me this trip was the quality of work produced by the workshop participants. The four arrived ranging in experience from first-day-with-a-new-point & shoot, to an experienced nature photographer. Although this was billed as a basic-skills workshop, each participant produced some very good images on day one. After four very long days of shooting, group and individual tutoring, and nightly post processing lessons, each participant was putting up some very strong images, with a much-improved keeper rate. Very impressive.

(Steve (top right) tutoring Ian (left) whilst Terese (front) studies her images captured so far)

As always, the real treat shooting in Cambodia was interacting with the local people. We met some well to do folks, and some less fortunate - but regardless of their situation, all were warm, genuine, and displayed the winning Cambodian smile. The warm welcome we received from everyone made the trip wonderful, even without raising a camera.

(Steve engaging some subjects with his infectious smile)

(5D3, 85mm, f/2.2, ISO 200)

(5D3, 85mm, f/1.4, ISO 200)

(5D3, 85mm, f/1.2, ISO 200)

(1D4, 35mm, f/6.3, ISO 200)

This trip, as usual, we delivered portraits taken on the previous trip (and some shot early this visit). Every person to whom we delivered prints beamed at seeing their own images. I’m not sure who was happier - the subjects at receiving the prints, or us at seeing their reaction. A true win-win situation.

(1D4, 22mm, f/5.6, ISO 200)

(1D4, 35mm, f/2.8, ISO 200)

In my last F8 guest post, I mentioned that Cambodia is a wonderful place to visit, to shoot, and to use as an effective teaching venue. The atmosphere is relaxed, there is abundant local and international food cuisine, the light is beautiful, and the people are wonderful. I’m happy to report that nothing has changed. For me, it doesn’t get any better than this - even in the rain....

(5D3, 85mm, f/1.4, ISO 400)

Note from Gary from F8 Photography: Just want to say a special thank you to Steve for joining the workshop in this capacity. His assistance, experience, humour and character were a great addition to the workshop, helping everything along smoothly and all the participants have expressed their thanks already. The workshop was a much more fruitful experience for all with his participation. Cheers Steve.

More of Steve's photography can be seen via this weblink.