I was invited to join the phototrail organized by National Geographic Channel and CapitaLand on Saturday, 6th August 2011. Led by National Geographic photographer, Catherine Karnow, the phototrail was one of the prizes for the winners of the 2011 National Geographic Channel / CapitaLand Photography Competition. I was one of the two bloggers invited to join the phototrail for the afternoon session. You can see all the winning photos here.
Catherine generously shared her photography knowledge while leading the participants shooting at the various CapitaLand buildings in Singapore. I joined the second half of the phototrail which was at Clarke Quay and Raffles City Tower. By the way, if you have not been to Clarke Quay lately, you should. CapitaLand has done a great job changing the place to become a more vibrant dining and entertainment complex along the Singapore river while continue to maintain its old architectural charm.
“Create a photograph that reflects what the location is about”, she said, when I asked her what she was looking for when shooting in one location. The photograph below, taken with Olympus PEN E-P3 and 12mm lens, was meant to show the spirit of Clarke Quay which is a colorful, vibrant, happening and happy place. Except cropping, nothing else was done to the JPEG file from the camera for the image below.
Catherine’s way of shooting was a great delight to watch. She said we should always be prepared and be quick to shoot as a “story” or “action” unfolded in the scene. I shot the photo below after listening to Catherine sharing the tips and tricks to the winners. She saw the big question mark sign, a group of people shooting and some passersby who may be thinking “What is going on here?”.
She is also very good at handling strangers. She met some people while walking around the Clarke Quay who willingly did what she asked them to do.
Once the shoot was done, she asked if she could send them the photos. She had a notepad and a pen ready in her bag which her subjects used to write down their email addresses. One handy trick I learned from her that day was to shoot the subject again while holding the notepad with their email address written on it. You would never forget who is who.
Other tips and tricks I learned from Catherine that day were:
- look for the spot with nice lighting when you are on location
- watch your background. Avoid cluttered background
- always create a photograph that will tell a story, rather than just shooting the scene
“Photography business is hard now. I may suddenly not have a job at all.”, she said, when I asked her about how to become a full time professional photographer like her. I know that she told me that not to discourage me, but to really share the reality. I kinda know that already, but I am still in denial, but hey .. I will keep trying. 🙂
Last but not least, I would like to thank:
- National Geographic Channel and CapitaLand for inviting me to join the phototrail.
- Catherine Karnow for being so generous to share her knowledge.
- Carole and Solonia at Burson-Marsteller for having me to be part of this event.
Hope to see you all again soon.