GX GARNERINGS

Jeffrey Martin has been working on his famous 360° world cities projects.  The latest one is the 360° view of London in a 80 gigapixel image,  stitched together with 7886 photos.   Previously, he produced a 26 gigapixel image of Paris and then a 450 gigapixel image of Dubai, both in a 360° view. Take the London image for example.  It is so full of details that you can almost see what camera the passer-by is holding in her hand when zooming in.  There are lots of interesting functions which you can explore. The 360cities.net also features 360° panoramic images of famous landmarks like the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.  Another way to see those images is in Google Earth by checking the "360" red-dot icon on the side bar. For educational purpose or for fun, this is a fantastic idea.  You won't want to miss it.

(Camera: Samsung NX100) Just in case you wonder, this is not a photoshopped image.  Yes, the huge signboard is this close to the apartment building which is residential.  To add to the unbearable brightness, it blinks in various computerised pace and patterns -- all night long until the restaurant which owns it closes down at the tick of twelve.  Unbelieveable as this is, in Hong Kong, no one single provision in all the ordinances can be invoked to curb this worsening problem of light pollution.  And the Government is standing aloof, waiting to be enlightened. On the photographic side, you may note that this is a shot by NX100 at ISO 1600.  In real life shooting, the IQ is fair enough for probably except your more serious works.

(Camera: Ricoh GX200) The buildings in this shot of lines of skyscrapers in silhouettes are, in fact, not as much the main subjects as an incidental excuse for effects of light and shadows; and in the case, of shape. The usual image of those buildings lit up in a riot of colours are simplified dramatically – a gradually fleeting traces of bluestone-colour shapes parting the hazily pinkish sky and patches of glistering light in the expense of water. The light struggling through the mist creates the focus of the shot, fusing every element in the frame into a romantic and impressionistic tone of beauty. This shot, to me, is reminiscent of Claude Monet's "London, Parliament" (1904) which shows a change of style from dab-like brushmarks of his typical Impressionist manner. In "London, Parliament", the brushstrokes seem to shine through and obscure one another at the same time.

(Camera: Ricoh GX200) Walking past this spot in Mongkok, I was interested by the too brightly-lit street with packed buildings and crowded pedestrians along it, and the workers working overtime (it was 7:30 pm) in the opening with the protective metal floor-plate placed around in an unruly fashion in the foreground. The sight through the arm of the digger, here used as a frame to tighten the composition, captivated me because it simply epitomised the lively ambience of Hong Kong streets. I intentionally waited for a few seconds, repeatedly half-pressing the shutter release to activate the green AF assist-light to attract the subjects' attention, before taking the shot. So, if you are in town for a very short while, go to Mongkok and be catapulted in the whole gamut of Hong Kong street culture. It is an action-packed place with an animated kind of atmosphere and an unsaid orderliness running through it, decorated by roadside vendors, camera shops, bookstores, cafes, buskers, beg...

(Camera: Ricoh GX200) Shots of scenes with clear-cut subjects against a simple background have an eye-catching, philosophical quality to them.  Deduction, almost the sure-fire way to get intriguing pictures, is at play here which help produce most of my keepers.

(Camera: Samsung NX10) All these worthy cameras can make great pictures but, in the most miserable plight a camera can have fallen, are eating dust in the rag-a-bone's kiosk with whatchamacallum ranging from old porcelain goddess statues to, er, these forsaken film friends. Fact is, there are lots more "old" digital cameras with the same plight.  The only difference is that we have them eating dust at home.  With the ever shorter life cycle, new digital cameras will become likewise sooner after the better days they can see in the hand of their buyers. While GX Garnerings hasn't tried all the new serious compact cameras, the NX100 in my hand is the 9th new serious compact cameras tested in less than a year (another three were tested but reports weren't written).  This speak volumes for their shortened life span.  For some cameras, I won't miss them the next minute after returning to the company.  But I felt rather reluctant to dep...

(Camera: Panasonic GF1) Photographing kids is almost never completed without lots of surprises for they are too energetic not to, for example,  come close and probe what the photographer is doing. This is Sunday.  Give surprises to your loved ones!