Learning The Finer Points

Now I know what its like to be misquoted and to have words put into my mouth by the press. Here's how it went.

A group of enthusiastic shutterbugs discovered new things at a recent photography workshop.TAN Su Zhen founded the photography club in her high school, and she hasn’t stopped learning and improving her skills at taking photographs since.Last Saturday, she joined 26 other students from tertiary education institutions around the Klang Valley at the R.AGE photo workshop, held in Menara Star, Petaling Jaya.“This was like a refresher course but I’ve also discovered a lot of new things that I can’t wait to try out,” said the 18-year-old Taylor’s Business School commerce student who discovered new functions she could perform with her camera. Like Su Zhen, the participants wasted no time in soaking up information and putting it to test during the R.AGE photo workshop.The Star photographer Glenn Guan led the workshop, first introducing the participants to the different functions in their cameras, as well as some simple rules on how to compose pictures.“Some of the things Glenn taught us are very new to me. I didn’t even know my camera could do those things.“I’m glad I came, because now I have an idea of how to shoot pictures properly, especially challenging shots that involve capturing movement,” said 20-year-old mechanical engineering student Bryan Ooi.
To illustrate his photography tips, Glenn had put together a slideshow of his works and explained what went into taking those photographs and why they were shots he was proud of. Armed with Glenn’s tips and inspired by the possibilities of taking outstanding shots, the participants set off for their field assignment with much enthusiasm and determination. The students were sent out to test their photography skills at the Lembah Kiara Recreational Park in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Kuala Lumpur.
They leaned over bridges, crouched on the pavement and did whatever it took to acquire that perfect shot. “It was fun to go out and experiment with the knowledge we had picked up from the briefing, and even more fun to have Glenn comment on our pictures and advise us on how we could improve,” said Senthil Kumaran, 20. Senthil has been interested in photography for a while now, and managed to persuade his father to give him a digital SLR camera for his birthday. “Having a good camera means I can shoot pictures that you can’t shoot with a compact camera. It gives you a chance to experiment.”

(Star Two, Thursday, 30th April 2008, Nasa Maria Entaban)

I didnt know that my birthday was on the 21st of April.