GX200 + TC-1 + Petroleum Jelly-coated Filter

It is a widely known trick that one can make do with a cheapy(cheaper) filter coated with petroleum jelly as a diffusion filter. Not all such filters deliver the same result. But if you care about not as much being a connoisseur in the diffusion result as getting soften images or images with less harsh contrast, this is the trick for you.

All you need is a cheapy filter and a jar of Vaseline petroleum jelly available in the dispensaries and supermarkets. The amount of jelly to be applied on the filter is something you may need to try and err to get it right. In short, making it the size of two to three grains of rice will do.

A point to note in applying the jelly on the filter is that you may keep the centre area just barely or even not coated.

A diffusion filter is suitable not just for your young model. It is in fact more fitting for your subject of an older age as the soften image will blur their wrinkles. Oh, if you want to do this with an old filter which doesn't fit your new lens, be sure to get a step-up ring. If you're in Hong Kong, trip to Shenzhen and exit from Huaqianglu Metro Station. There are a number of malls selling photographic paraphernalia at low prices.

Comments

Anonymous said…

We used cling wrap with pertrolium jelly so as not to damage the camera equipment. Even cheaper

19 November 2009 at 13:05

Nevin said…

Thank you for the tip! We all like it cheap, don't we?

20 November 2009 at 11:09

A Real Hero

(Grip On Reality: This photo was taken on my way to work. I was walking past trucks parking on a cul-de-sac when the ropes caught my attention. The light was right, the colour was right and the criss-crossing pattern was perfect and I held up my GX200. People passing by checked me out and wondered what could be made out of such a boring scene. To me, the fun in photography is that the photographer makes something interesting out of what is not obvious to most at the scene. The ropes tied in knots somehow reminded people I know who are in the grip of the recession) You must have also known a friend or two, or even yourself, being baffled by the spiral downturn of the economy. Bank went bankrupt and the rich was faced with a shrinking wealth. A friend of mine has just had his salary cut by over 10% and some of his colleagues started to be shed. But, wait. Was this done really for the sake of continuing the business? Or is there a factor or greed in it? I wonder whether the

New Low Prices

The window shopping some hours ago has almost provoked my AgIDS illness. Just in case you’re in Hong Kong or are coming here, and have the money to burn (All in HK$/ body only): GX200 = $3,280 GRD2 = $3,380 LX3 = $3,180 G10 = $3,280 Prices are available form a gear shop on the 1st floor of the Mongkok Computer Centre. Besides these new low prices, I found that Wing Shing Photo (55-57Sai Yeung Choi St., MK Tel: 2396 6886/ 91-95 Fa Yuen St., MK Tel: 2396 6885) is offering a Sony A700 + Carl Zeiss Lens package for HK$9,980 (hopefully, a bargain will make it some hundreds cheaper).

Eye Contact

(Leica D-lux 5) The digital era may make it easier to end up with fave shots. Even lousy photos may be turned likable after a few clicks in the post-processing workflow. But if digital advancement or amendments have any bearing on the cultivation of personal style, no photographers will need to discover his or her own photographer’s eye. Undoutedly, this is out of the question. Only with a trained photographer’s eye can we give a thinking gaze and capture an eternal moment, in our unique style. Style is the soul of a great photo. A few posts have been written in GXG to touch on the topic of photographer’s eye. Instead of finding an answer, which would require academic discussions, the posts are intended to give my general reflections and spark interests in moving towards further exploration of the topic. The posts can be viewed after the links: 1) Photographer's Eye: Storytelling 2) Photographer's Eye: Little Show of Observing 3) Photographer's Eye: Sight-Worthy 4

GX GARNERINGS

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