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.

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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.

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.

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.

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July 23, 2012

Guest Post: Shooting in Cambodia with F8 (Steve)

July 23, 2012/ Gary Tyson

Note: This post is written and all photos by Steve Porte who recenly travelled to Cambodia with F8. Steve shoots with a combination of Mamiya 7ii film camera and Canon DSLR rigs, this trip he used the Canon rigs, this is his story. - Gary Tyson, Director F8 Photography.

(Steve with the friendly locals which make Cambodia such a great place to be)

Several weeks ago, I traveled to Cambodia with F8 Photograhy owner Gary Tyson and two other photographers. The aim of our trip was to spend 4 days shooting in and around Phnom Penh. Here are my thoughts on that trip...

Cambodia is a wonderful place to visit. There are good connections from most regional cities. The Cambodian e-Visa is a user-friendy, online system, that really makes the immigration process simple and inexpensive. Accomodations, ground transportation, and food are very reasonably priced, but there are plenty of up-market offerings for those so inclined. But what makes Cambodia really special is the people.

(Kids were fascinated by the digital cameras)

Everyone we met - from service staff, to shop owners, to people on the street - was warm, friendly, and kind. There is an inner tranquility about the people that translates into a vibrant but peaceful atmoshphere. It only took us about three hours in country to unwind from the hectic pace of Hong Kong.

(Typical greeting, 5D Mk III, 100mm)

(Dignified villager, 5D Mk III, 100mm)

For photographers, it gets even better. Everyone has their own particular criteria, of course, but most would agree that the two basic requirements for producing good images are good light and interesting subjects. Cambodia has both in abundance. The air is clean, and the light is soft and beautiful. Even at mid day, we found the light to be less harsh than in other locations. The quality of light is hard to describe, but easy to see when you're there.

(Steve shooting with his trusty Canon rig)

(Quality of light at 11:30 am, 5D Mk III, 100mm)

(Quality of light at 1:10 pm, 5D Mk III, 100mm)

There is also an endless variety of subjects to shoot - pastoral countryside, vibrant city life, quiet villages, interesting infrastructure, and, of course, the people. What I enjoy most is documenting daily life and local culture. For me, Cambodia is as good as it gets. The developing infrastructure offers a wide variety of interesting subjects, and glimpses of a life quickly disappearing in many regions.

(Traditional fishing, 5D Mk III, 100mm)

(Ferry traffic jam, 1D Mk IV, 25mm)

The local people were the highlight of the trip. They were warm, good natured, camera-friendly, and, to me, beautiful. Their warm and dignified character shone through - from the youngest child to the oldest villager. Virtually everyone we met was happy to be photographed and met us with direct eye contact; usually happy, sometimes somber, but always engaged.

(Village girl, 1D Mk IV, 35mm)

(Temple minder, 5D Mk III, 100mm)

Cambodia is relaxed, and rich with photo opportunities. The F8 crew travels well, and has a good working knowledge of local venues. Gary is a highy skilled and experienced field photographer. He has a knack both for capturing high quality images, and for helping others to develop their own photographic skills. Cambodia would make a great classroom, but, workshop or not, I'll be returning soon....

Final note from F8:

Gary, the Director of F8 has also written a blog post about his experience, that can be seen by clicking here.

Guest blog posts written by Dave who also came along can be seen here:

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