journeys into the unknown: Photography update

My photography experience is expanding beyond what I had planned or expected this year.

Some of my friends are currently doing daily exercises in photo taking with Flickr (http://fatmumslim.com.au/category/photo-a-day-2/) and I’m enjoying their delight in experimenting and capturing some of their daily activities. And though they live half way around the world from me, I feel that we are experimenting and learning together as we share our pictures and pleasure on twitter.

I have also joined a year long photo project with some of the lovely ladies at the Association for British Women in Malaysia (ABWM). No, I’m not British, but the group didn’t seem to mind and I love the British sense of humour! This photo group began Jan. 1, 2013 and is called Glimpses. It involves taking a photo once a week, for 52 weeks on changing topics. Since the Glimpse site is private and you won't be able to view it, I've included each of the weekly photos I've taken since January 1st below.

At the end of each week, the group leader/coordinator, Chloe (photographer, extraordinaire), takes all the pictures from the week and makes a cool looking collage on our Facebook site. Additionally, some weeks are ‘winning’ weeks where our Facebook *likes* determine a winner for the week and that individual receives an enlargement of their winning photo free of charge from our wonderful leader. It has been a fun learning experience enabling me to see a variety of photos from people both more and less experienced than myself, all with a different perspective on each week’s subject matter. Thus far our weekly topics have been: celebrate, new, bridge, blue, black & white (a street scene), window (looking in or out), red, love, three, motion (to freeze or not to freeze), femininity, supermarket, and this week’s topic: play. Interesting and sometimes very challenging...

I am beginning to appreciate how much time it takes to shoot a photo you want to keep: thinking about the photo, prepping for the photo, figuring out how to take the photo, taking the picture without a photo bomber, keeping still while taking the shot, making sure I have enough light, but not too much, finding the story in the picture, cropping and adjusting the picture, and more.

Just recently, I have also found opportunities to show my pictures in a limited, informal way. Some of my pictures will be included in a school cookbook for our international school in Malaysia. I have had photos published in the ABWM magazine’s March 2013 issue for a Tesco (grocery store) tour I took last month. Additionally, I have contributed photos to our school for track meets some of which should show up in a quarterly glossy school publication, Berita. And just today, I offered to take pictures for a Japanese style flower arranging class that was happening at the ABWM. It sure is exciting to see my work in print! It looks like I will also be contributing pictures for the Mont’ Kiara International school’s spring play-Mulan Jr to go along with the DVD all the actors and singers families are receiving. I’m having fun!!!