Honest Portraits

When people talk about portrait photography, the first thing that comes to mind is usually models with make up on and fanciful clothes, or portraits with a certain planned concept. Others might think of models doing very cool poses. Rarely would one think of taking standard portraits on the way to the market or for breakfast. When I first got my camera, I would bring it down with me every Sunday morning as I went to have breakfast with my parents. My subjects were usually on the street as I mostly did street photography.

One normal Sunday while I was out with my parents for breakfast, they suggested to talk a walk around the neighbourhood area as we hardly ever did that. We spotted some lalang plants and we had a mini photoshoot right there and then with all the groceries. I was very new to portraiture photography then as all I did was street photography before that, so I didn't really had a clue on how go about taking portraits. My dad, who used to be a portrait and commercial photographer back in the film days, took the camera and taught me a few tips about composition and using light. It was an eye-opening experience indeed.
After that day, I began to take more portraits with my parents when we went out for breakfast on Sundays. I would find walls to use as a background, or just a random spot on the street. Having some background in photojournalism, what started off a portraiture practice slowly became a project to me. I wanted to show that portraits need not always be in studios or glamorous photoshoots. It could be as simple as taking photos during a morning walk. I wanted to show that there was no need for cool poses and what not. These are my honest portraits.

Some were taken with digital (Nikon D5500) and some were taken in film (Nikon FM2). I will continue taking more photos of course, over the months and years. Hopefully, I can eventually change the subject to Nicolette after we get married. I would love to capture her candid moments as often as I can.

Slowing It Down

About two months ago, I went to buy a roll of film as I wanted to try out film photography. Since my dad's Nikon FM2 was recently repaired, I decided to put my skills to the test. I've been shooting full manual on my DSLR ever since I got it to prepare me for this moment (so that I would know my exposure settings). Paired with the Nikkor 105mm f/2.5, I shot the 36 exposures roll of film over the course of two months with my dad.

It wasn't easy at first, of course, being unable to see the results instantly and needing to do guess work for most of the exposures. However, a few exposures in and I was hooked. There was some sort of relief that came with using film. I never had to worry about whether the photos looked good or not (since I couldn't check), so I just moved on after I clicked the shutter. But it has also taught me to contemplate before taking each shot, something that digital never taught me. Because I only had 36 exposures, I had to make sure I checked the framing properly in the viewfinder first. I also needed to be sure that the exposure was right. This certainly slowed down the entire process, but looking at the photos, it was worth it.

Like I said earlier I took two months to finish the roll of film, so when I sent it to be developed I had already forgotten most of the photos that were taken. I received it one day before Christmas and it felt like an early Christmas present to myself from myself! It was really an amazing feeling going through all the photos one by one and being constantly surprised, "Did I really take that?". And when I saw the photos that my dad had took, I also realized that I still have much to learn regarding portraiture.

Maybe it's because I'm using a crop sensor DSLR, but one worthy thing to note about the Nikon FM2 is the viewfinder. It's much larger and brighter, and there is a circle in the middle which only aligns when the focusing is done right. This makes manual focusing so much easier and better! But the best part is that I have hard copies of all the photos, allowing me to study each photo in detail and knowing where and how to improve. I've already got my next roll of film on standby, and I'm excited to go shoot some more after I've improved my portraiture!

Nikon FM2 with the Nikkor 105mm f/2.5 lens attached

To Unwind

I've been an introvert my whole life. Even without taking any personality tests, I always knew that I was an introvert. It wasn't just being shy or quiet, I enjoyed my personal space and alone time. In fact, I got my energy from being alone most of the time. That was until I met Nicolette of course. I got energy from being around her, although there were times where she would need her own alone time. Because I enjoyed being around her so much, I forgot that I needed my alone time too.

And recently, after weeks of assignments and other stressful events, I felt very drained. In fact, I was completely drained. After talking to my girlfriend and my two good friends, I decided to take a day off from everything and everyone just to spend some alone time. Coincidentally, there were no classes on Thursday, so I made good use of the free day.

With no plan in mind, I headed out with only the bare essentials: camera, phone, water bottle, umbrella, notebook and my pencil case. I have to admit it was pretty awkward for myself in the beginning since I hadn't done this in a while. I relied a lot on my earpiece and music to feel comfortable as I was afraid of getting judgmental looks for being on my own. Society really knows how to make introverts feel at home. But after a long while, I decided to keep my earpiece and really embrace being alone - to be unaffected by everyone and everything and just enjoy my introverted time.

I took some photos at Vivo City / Harbourfront and had my lunch at Burger King (satisfying my fast food cravings), followed by going to the library at Bugis to borrow a copy of the 14th issue of 'Kinfolk' and just walking around that area before ending off my day at a Starbucks near my place with a hot cup of cappuccino and jotting down some ideas for photos. I haven't engaged in much creative thinking since school started so it was a good way to unwind and let my brain roam freely.

At the end of my alone time, I felt rejuvenated. Not fully, but enough to not feel tired. It was definitely a reminder to have some proper alone time every once in a while.