Shooting Birds

Discussion in 'Introduction' started by Loh, May 24, 2004.

  1. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Just my first attempt to try to attach a pic here. I was unsuccessful the last time. Recently I joined a basic photography class and went for our first outing at the Jurong Bird Park, to shoot a different type of bird, one of many attractions here for the tourist. This is our group photo taken in front of arguably the tallest man-made waterfall in the Park. Unfortunately you can't see it in the background because the file size is too big and I have to reduce the pic to accommodate the requirements (800x800). My poor young instructor, who is a final year Mechanical Engineering undergraduate, was standing on the extreme right and is cut off from this pic.

    Surely many of the 'older' posters here should be able to 'recognize' me from my past descriptions and postings. But I wonder how many of you are right? :p
     

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  2. jeffreyk

    jeffreyk Regular Member

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    2nd one from the top left???
     
  3. Winex West Can

    Winex West Can Regular Member

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    Nah....

    ...Loh is the first one on the right in the back row :D :D :D :D :D
     
  4. wood_22_chuck

    wood_22_chuck Regular Member

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    Poll! Poll!

    My guess, same as jeffreyk, standing in the back, 2nd from left.

    What kind of camera equipment do you have, Loh?

    -dave
     
  5. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    You guys are wrong! WWC is right! :D :D :D

    I just got a Nikon D70, a digital SLR. The instructor insisted that we need at least 2 lenses, so apart from the Wide Angle AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor ED 18-70mm, f/3.5-4.5G IF, I also got a longer AF Zoom-Nikkor 75-240mm, f/4.5-5.6D.

    I need more time to really learn how to use this camera as my previous one is a much cheaper manual SLR. Now we were told just to us the P mode for everything! I have been convinced that a digital camera can save quite a bit in the long run in terms of printing cost as you can save your digital pics in your PC and only print when necessary, unlike films on manual cameras. Of course you can preview your shots on the spot and delete them if they are not satisfactory, something you can't do on a manual SLR.

    Maybe you have some tips for me? Say how to take action pics like shooting Lin Dan when he is making a jump smash or a diving save?

    Here's another pic that I took with Han Jian just outside the KLBA Stadium during the TC Qualifiers in February:
     

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  6. cappy75

    cappy75 Regular Member

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    Hey Loh,

    Looking pretty good! I had this mental image of you being much older than in the picture.
     
  7. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Thank you! :)
    I always have a problem convincing people that I am actually much older than I look. :p But they won't believe and as a result I'm always at the losing end in every badminton match. :(
     
  8. wood_22_chuck

    wood_22_chuck Regular Member

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    Tips?! Loh, that's HAN JIAN there ... you must have asked him some baddy tips. Pass it on to us :D

    Photography tips is better asked from someone who has proven portfolio, like Shabok, for example!

    Very nice camera, that D70 ... I'm dying to get one. Pay special attention when you actually print out your photos, as the sensor has 4/3 aspect ratio, while print photo has 3/2 aspect ratio. So either trust the photolab to crop appropriately, or fill-in, or do it yourself.

    -dave
     
  9. ants

    ants Regular Member

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    Btw Loh , do you play golf as well?
     
  10. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Thanks Dave for your printing tips.

    Now as for badminton tips from Han Jian, I never really asked him at that time but I have read his book.

    I tried to follow HJ's tips on gripping the racket handle and found it rather uncomfortable and I could not execute a good clear. HJ advocates that one should "grip the racket handle with the last three fingers followed by your thumb and forefinger".

    Last night I was watching our national women's team train and I asked the Chinese head male coach (there is another new female coach) about the grip when we were discussing how to execute the variety of net shots. He told me to hold the handle with the little "pinky" finger (kwun's theory) tightly wrapped round the base just above the 'protruding butt' and lightly with the thumb and forefinger, with the two remaining fingers (above the little finger) just touching the handle for support. The grip should be loose and flexible, except for the pinky, to allow one to hit a good shot. There should be more or less a "hollow or gap" between the forefinger and the handle! The same idea as "the art of holding a bird in your hand loose enough to let it live but not so tight as to suffocate it".

    So kwun's theory on the pinky finger grip now rings a bell.

    After talking to the head coach, I now feel more confident with my "old" grip not HJ's. ;)

    For your info, S'pore has two ladies who made it to the Olympics (WS). One of them, Jiang Yanmei, was training with the other girls. The other qualifier, Li Li, is on holiday with her parents in China. Jiang, now 23 and a S'pore Citizen, came here when she was 19 and she has been doing well.
     
  11. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Hi Ants, Good to hear from you. Actually I wanted to ask whether you went to Jakarta to watch the TC. From your postings, I seem to get the idea that you were there!

    Yes I play golf. Just like my badminton, I'm only a social player with a very high handicap. This Sat morning I will rejoin my kakis to play at my club after laying off for quite a while. I'm a rather lazy golfer and haven't been to the driving range for umpteen years!

    I'm sure you play golf too. Maybe the next time I go up to KL for another baddy tournament we can meet up to have both baddy and golf. But you will have to give me strokes for both games. :p
     
  12. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    From Backlanes to Proper Courts

    Since my previous postings were categorized under "Introduction", I might as well make full use of it.

    Many, many moons ago, as an active teenager of about 11 or 12, who played more than he studied and as a result, received much punishment from his parents, I found myself holding a badminton racket and playing with a plastic shuttle with my buddies in the backlane behind my grandma's terrace house. I think my first 'precious' racket was an old one given to me by my adult neighbour who rewarded me for the many errands I ran for him.

    At that time, badminton was also a popular game since we had heard of the exploits of the maestro Wong Peng Soon, Ong Poh Lim and their Malayan teammates. My precious racket was a Dunlop Maxply, with a wooden frame and a steel shaft and the racket was strung until it was a longish oval in shape. Our backlane court was made of concrete and was sloping at an angle of about 5 degrees. Our net was a piece of string tied to a nail on the wall of a 'tall building' of about 4 storeys located just by the side of the lane, and strung across the other end tied to a makeshift pole.

    We later graduated to playing feathered shuttles which were collected from used ones discarded by the "uncles" and the most popular brand at the time was the Chinese "Aeroplane".

    In the primary school days, we did not have badminton although there was a school hall used mainly for assembly. But in the secondary school we did have a proper hall with wooden flooring. I managed to join the school team when I was in my last year but there were few competitions. We hardly had any training.

    After secondary school most of us had to work to help supplement the family income. But I continued with playing badminton on a social basis. In fact, during my final year in secondary school, I joined a group of mainly adult players who were playing in the open air two streets away from my house. We called ourselves the "Kay Ying Badminton Party". The badminton court had a concrete floor and at a few feet away from the two ends of net posts, we mounted two or three long fluorescent tubes on a long bamboo pole as lighting. Electricity supply came from the coffee shop located not too far from the side of our court. We paid a nominal fee for the usage. Each night after play, we helped to keep the net poles and lights in the coffee shop. Strong winds and the rain would mean the end of the evenings session.

    I had quite an enjoyable time with this adult group (I was perhaps the youngest at about age 18 when I first started with them). Surprisingly, not a few of them were Chinese educated and most times we conversed in Cantonese. We had friendly games with other groups and we learned our first steps of social dancing, like the waltz, the fox trot, the cha cha and the rhumba, from a member of our Party. Armed with these social skills we started to attend picnics (even outings to Malaysia) and parties during Christmas and New Year's Eve to practise our newly acquired dancing skills. I have been with this group for a number of years until I decided to further my studies at the local university. This group had produced two happily married couples. And one of these couples became the headmistress of a prominent primary school. She recently retired.

    Varsity days were the best times of my life. After working for close to eight years, I saved enough to pay for my own expenses and fees. I became 'free' once again although I had to teach at a vocational school during a few mornings a week to supplement my own income. Unfortnately, there was no badminton as there were no indoor courts at the Bukit Timah campus. I was forced to turn to another racket game - tennis, as there was a clay (more sandy than clay) court just outside the Geography Dept. We used to refer to it as the "Geog" court and we had about six of us in the same Arts & Social Sciences Faculty to regulary play the game at about 5 in the evening. At other times, usually after tea time at about 4 pm, we would put on our jogging shoes and head for the Botanic Gardens which was within the vicinity. But we also had the Biennial Varsity Games involving the national universities of Southeast Asia and Hong Kong and badminton was part of it. I rememebered I helped to organized the badminton tournament during my final year and was a member of my varsity team which became the eventual champions, even beating teams from Malaysia, Thailand and Indonesia! Of course we had one or two players from Malaysia who were then studying medicine/pharmacy.

    After graduation, I continued to play regular badminton with my office colleagues and took up some badminton-related courses to improve myself. That was 30 years ago since I graduated! I am still playing and recently gained confidence and inspiration in the knowledge that there are players much older than me who are still enjoying the game. :) :p :D
     
  13. LazyBuddy

    LazyBuddy Regular Member

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    Wow, master Loh is here. Great contribution to the forum (most recently, "draft letter to IBF").

    Personally, many thnx for his warm encouragement through out yrs and kindly wishes... hmmmm.... Still working on my own "task". ;) :D
     
  14. Shabok

    Shabok Regular Member

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    This kind of shot is all about timing (= anticipation). You can check out my recent posts, they contain many shooting tips :)



    Compact digital cameras use a 4/3 ratio but all digital SLR's use the traditionnal 3/2 aspect ratio, so with a D70 there's nothing to worry about when printing :)
     
  15. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    LB: Thanks for your encouragement and your understanding. Do continue to work hard on your "uncompleted tasks" and may you succeed eventually. :p

    Shabok: Thanks again for your wonderful pics and for sharing your knowledge. It has been an inspiration for us to learn from you. I will definitely study your posts on the subject and hope to graduate into a better photographer. Please continue to exhibit your best works in this forum. :)
     
  16. ants

    ants Regular Member

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    Sure Loh , PM me whenever you are going to K.L :) . I do play golf as well.. maximum handicap! AHhaha.. just like you , haven't been touching the clubs for a long long time. Only Badminton rackets.
     
  17. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    Thanks in advance.

    Sometimes as they say "absence makes the heart grow fonder" and it seems to be true for me last Sat as I was able to play lower than my handicap, much to my pleasant surprise. I scored gross 90, on a par 71 course, making a few pars and a birdie (chipped in) along the way. And this despite the fact that I was totally destroyed by a par 5 hole when I returned 4 over! I only wish I could play like this every time as I normally hit a century (good for cricket, but very bad for golf as you know) most times.

    Btw, do you have spare clubs as I don't think I want to drive up to KL. :)
     
  18. ants

    ants Regular Member

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    Which golf course did u play at in S'pore.. i don't have a spare clubs. Sold already not long ago. Well i have my own records for century as well in golf. I think we are off topic here.. should start a new thread.
     
  19. Loh

    Loh Regular Member

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    I think we're not totally off topic, since this is an 'Introduction', like 'getting to know you' better.

    Since I'm not golf crazy nowadays, I normally play at Warren (18-holes par 71), which by the way, has three badminton courts. The last time, during last year's S'pore Open, 3 BFers (from Denmark, M'sia and S'pore) joined me for a badminton game. I hardly play there now as I have joined another group on Sunday afternoons at a location nearer my home.
     
  20. ants

    ants Regular Member

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    I see , so how often do you play golf now compare to your badminton? Are you still attending Photography classes?
     

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