Trying out Handheld HDR

Usually HDR photos are done using a tripod, as you need to take multiple shots and later merge them using software. I'm trying out Aurora HDR that automatically aligns photos so that burst shots I took handheld with my D750 can be merged successfully.

A'famosa Safari Wonderland

I did another animal outing, this time it's not a zoo but a safari... well, a more open-concept than a typical zoo. They had a safari ride in a caged mini-bus, that drove through the animal's enclosure, such as this tiger's lair. They also had a cowboy and indian show that was pretty entertaining. It was a good thing that I brought along my Sony RX100 as it proved useful in confined spots, like this mini-bus, and when I needed a wide-angle lens.

I met one of the senior manager who told me that next year they'll open up more areas and exhibits that they are currently renovating. Will need to revisit this place again....

Take a look at more safari photos......

Taman Wetlands Photowalk

Being a cool Sunday morning, I decided to take a drive to the wetland park in Putrajaya and take some pictures of the flora and fauna over there, in particular the flamingos. Apparently, there are seven of them in the pond, presumably tagged and serialised. This one could be #007....

All photos taken with my Nikon D750 and Sigma 150-500mm f5-6.3 telezoom lens, set on manual exposure but using auto ISO, with landscape profile.

You can see the rest of the pics here....

Walk of LIfe Photo Exhibition

I attended an exhibition by local street photographer Che Ahmad Azhar at the Starhill Gallery in Kuala Lumpur. He presented two dozens of his iconic pictures of life in and around Petaling Street and Pudu Market. I also met Reuters photographer Bazuki too.

You can view a few more pictures....

My first ever Photo Exhibition!

Over a year ago, I had joined the Nikon Shooting Stars programme, which was aimed at mentoring enthusiast photographers who wanted to improve their skills and project work. Lead by top Malaysian professional photographers, we had monthly meetings where our photos were reviewed and we were guided on clarifying our storyline and vision. It was harder than I thought it would be, and the year-long programme was too tough for many to endure, till only a handful of us survived at the end. However, we were rewarded with being able to exhibit selected photos that went on display at the Kuala Lumpur Gallery (beside Dataran Merdeka)! To top it all, the entire programme and expo was free!

Here are some pics during the exhibition launch....

Nikon Capture NX2 Video Tutorials

I did a video tutorial of Nikon's Capture NX2 which covers changing IPTC info using presets, making RAW adjustments, making local image enhancements, and batch processing RAW to JPG.

Part 1:-


Part2:-

D700 Custom Settings

Below are my custom settings that I have modified from default, for my Nikon D700:-

Shooting bank:-
- File naming = dhw
- Image quality = raw
- Nef recording = lossless compression
- Active d-lighting = auto
- Iso sensitivity = auto, 6400, 1/60s

Custom settings bank:
“B” : newbie (default)
“A” : pro
A5: af activation = af-on only
D1 : beep = off
F2 : multi-selector centre button, playback mode = zoom in (medium)
F3 : multi-selector = reset meter-off delay
F5 : assign fn button = liveview
F5 : assign fn button + dials = dynamic area af
F7 : assign ae-l button = ae-lock (reset on release)

Camera setup:
- Image comment = personal website url
- Image authentication = on
- Copyright info = name (artist), email (copyright)

A Nikonian Hobbyist

Photography has been a hobby of mine, as I was exposed (pun unintended) to it since I was little. My late dad and older siblings were into photography and I had played with picture taking using their analogue cameras.

This blog was intended as a place to record some of my thoughts on my hobby, from book and equipment reviews to tips and techniques. Hope it benefits you in one way or another.

To view my online gallery, please visit http://harun.zenfolio.com