nikon academy

hear ye! hear ye! all ye nikon enthusiasts!

i thought i'd share this with nikon newbies (like meself) who have yet to stumble upon nikonian academy & nikonian academy forum. i find these sites very informative & practical, be it for a point & shoot or dslr camera. interested in photography classes, workshops or seminars? you'd get all the current updates on nikonian academy. most unfortunate for the shutterbugs of borneo, all classes are conducted in the peninsular (lucky yous). as for super handy tips, there are oodles of those obtainable from the lively nikonian academy forum. be sure to register yourself as a member today & gain so much more from the seasoned pros! yup, that's free advertisement coming from a budding nikonian :o)

* this post is for you otta. haha!

from ta66y's ark with love

GOD be thanked for that
good & perfect gift,
the gift unspeakable:
HIS life, HIS love,
HIS very self in Christ Jesus.

maltbie d. babcock

zen garden resort 19-21 december 2008

we loved the zen-ness of last year's trip
that we came back for more & stayed for 2 nights.
what bliss!

the lodges were all taken this time round,
so we settled in one of the iris suites which is as comfy.

i feel zenned when i'm here :o)

woke up at 6am to capture these shots.
it pays to get up when all is calm.
love the natural lighting of the early morn.

ahh...peace & quiet...

if you're not looking to go far for meals,
the restaurant provides pretty decent food.

a quick glimpse of the beautiful mount kinabalu
on our 1st morning before it got all foggy again.

we made our very 1st visit to the sabah tea plantation.
funny how sometimes we take our own places of interest for granted.
i know i do! cuti-cuti sabah here we come!

mayesha loves the camera & the camera loves her back
that's for sure :o)

we also visited 'tagal' sungai moroli, kampung luanti, ranau,
known for its fish massage & cleansing properties.
hubs & the kids didn't go for a dip as it was drizzling quite a fair bit.
one of the places to return to next year!

besides chilling out, i turned my boys into models.
not an easy task as they get restless easily!

an kept asking, 'mommy are you done yet?'
i'd have to give them an A each for at least trying.
haha! poor boys!

'ok, look up! smile! no, DON'T move or else...!!!'

han would occasionally poke at the lens or turn it this way & that.
i'm sure he thinks mommy is no fun at all
especially when she always has that thing pointing right at his face.

hooded han in da house!

they'd much prefer to wrestle, whenever & wherever. sigh!

hello mellow yellow!

'mirror mirror on the pond, who's the fairest of them all?'

'o where art thou my prince charming?'

it rained the 2nd morning, thus producing lovely rain droplets.

i like the matching bin & textured stone wall.
keep clean & keep green :o)

photography workshop

the 2nd photography workshop was held on 6-7 of this month
& a group of 30 very eager participants headed to the
scenic kudat golf & marina resort for the weekend.
the 1st workshop took place at the
monsopiad cultural village sabah which i missed!

before arriving at our destination, we were already
given our 1st assignment which was to take 3 shots
that'd reflect kampung gombizau, a bee farm in matunggung.
the shots submitted by all 30 participants were used
for discussion the next day.
i, for one made my 1st mistake in taking a cliché shot,
a typical shot that everyone would attempt to take
in showing that they've been to a particular place
by taking the picture of the sign!
i failed my 1st mission terribly but with lots more hope & heart
to better myself :o)

the above picture was cropped to show a closer view of the bees.
again, it wasn't done correctly.
i should've focused on an interesting looking bee
(one with a sense of humour i.e.) instead of the swarm.
ok, noted!
nah, i didn't submit a 3rd shot for this assignment
as the rest of it were super irrelevant.
after the bees, i happily clicked on other stuff. haha!

our 2nd assignment focused on the resort upon our arrival there.
this came out not too bad before it rained non-stop
for the period of our stay there.
yes, never make weather an excuse - that was what we were taught!
i so LOVE clouds & a clear horizon!

this is one of my favourite shots.

i couldn't resist taking another cliché shot. sorry!

on the 2nd day of our workshop,
we left the sheltered resort for a rather wet assignment outdoors.
i'd say we're a good bunch cos despite the gloomy weather, our spirits ran high.
you should've seen the flashes go off all over kudat's dry market,
giving light to the darkness on an overcast day.
it was definitely a bright burst of energy coming from everyone.
we were also taught to communicate with our subject/s
& not simply shoot at anyone without their permission,
therefore avoid becoming rude & annoying photographers.
i met liana, a bubbly 6 year old adorned with a cute tiara.
she's a princess alright :o)

this wasn't an easy shot to take as many waited for their desiccated coconut.
this poor guy kept going as his customers in line were endless.

shelves full of seashells from the seashore.

adi, a friendly fish monger indeed.
i asked him permission to photograph his fishes
& he started to pose for me instead. haha!
we need more characters like him!

i love the red in the fish...

as well as the greenish blue in this one.
it's so goth this fish!

ulai, my roommate & the newest appointed nikon coolpix model!
what did she do on this trip?
the pictures below are testimony to what she has learnt/gained(?)
in the photography workshop. hmmm...

she has turned into a paparazzi that's for sure!

need i say more?

most of her pictures are taken this way -
she's the photographer as well as the subject. go figure!

again, need i say more?

aha! she finally got this group picture right!
at least her head was nowhere near to be seen in this shot!
you're so funnylah ulai!
next time i'll tie you to me at the next workshop
so that you'll not escape from sitting right at the back.
i bet you're thinking, "what next workshop?"

p.s. dear anne in red, why weren't you facing the camera?

i personally enjoyed myself & look forward to the next.
thanks anne & flo for organizing the workshop & showing us all a wonderful time!
ulai was just tagging along kan?