Singapore and Kuala Lumpur and...

A LOT of cool stuff in this issue:

• A99 and NEX 5R / NEX 6 ebooks are out!
• Singapore's Iconic Architecture (and the building I can't show you)
• Sony's top Lens Designer speaks at Sony Alpha Experience 2013 (video)
• Kickstarter project - help make a romantic comedy!
• Next Seminars...

Another Busy Month

I just returned from Malaysia and Singapore, then when I got back I pushed out not one, but TWO new books:

• E-book on The Sony Alpha 99 
• E-Book on the Sony NEX 5R and NEX 6 (co-written by Mike Hendren)

As with other recent e-books, one price gets you a .pdf (ideal for your computer or iPad), a .mobi version for your Kindle, AND a .epub format for every other type of e-reader.  Those who opt for the printed versions also get a .pdf file - just email me your receipt and I'll send you a download link.  Spread the word!

What was I doing in Kuala Lumpur?

Sony flew me out there to be a guest speaker at their Sony Alpha Experience 2013 where I was to give two lectures.  In the photo below I'm joined by two other guest speakers, Melisa Teo who used her Alpha 900 to go on a spiritual journey (it's a pretty amazing story, and her pictures are quite unique (check out her work at http://www.melisateo.com), and 30-year National Geographic photographer Michael Yamashita (whose work, as you might guess, is pretty gosh-darned good :-)  http://www.michaelyamashita.com).  On Saturday I gave a talk about some of my photo journeys where things went horribly wrong, and on Sunday I gave a reprise of my wireless flash talk which I first gave in 2011.  Someone who was there blogged about the event - see http://robinwong.blogspot.sg/2013/03/sony-alpha-experience-2013.html .

Three Guest Lecturers - Melisa Teo, Me, and Michael Yamashita

Me and Mike Yamashita onstage answering questions from the crowd.

The crowd.

Me signing one of my works on display.

An interesting story - Michael Yamashita shot many assignments with the Alpha 900 (now he’s using the A99 and loves it!).  He usually shoots RAW+JPG, and sends the RAW files to the NatGeo staff for post-processing.  Mike credits the DRO feature for making the shadows look exactly how his eye sees them, and he tells his staff to “make the RAW files look just like the .jpg”.  On several occasions the staff complained, “We can’t!”.  This reinforces other stories I’ve heard where it can take an hour or more to do in Photoshop (by experienced users!) what the intelligent DRO feature does in mere seconds.

A Video of Sony's Top Lens Designer

One of the more interesting talks was of Sony's top lens designer.  I knew it would be popular so I videotaped it for you - it's about 35 minutes long and apologies ahead of time for the amateurish camerawork:

No Sony Alpha event would be complete without some gratuitous model shots taken in Kevin Ng's studio:

Fan is in the picture on purpose. :-)

(Hey, why not shoot a Xaphoon commercial while I'm at it?)

This was taken outdoors with two wireless flashes.

Behind-the-scenes shot for the previous picture.  Notice two flashes and two volunteers to hold them.

No trip to Malaysia would be complete without tasting some Durian, a fruit known as much for its smell as it is for its taste.   (The smell is so strong that most hotels ban the fruit inside the room and have "No Durian" signs posted everywhere.)

And then onto Singapore...

Then I traveled to Singapore the following weekend to give a seminar to a packed room.  

The Singapore Seminar attendees

Singapore's Iconic Architecture includes the new Marina Bay Sands (and the first two images of this blog).

There is no better use for the HDR feature than on city skylines at night.

The Building I Can't Show You

If there was any disappointment on my trip to Singapore it was the inability to photograph the interior of the Parkview Square office building. Done up in 1920's Art Deco style (but on steroids), the interior is breathtakingly magnificent. Wine faries fly up to the wine center wall (aided by cables :-)) to fetch you the perfect vintage. Yeah, it's that kind of over-the-top design. Management prohibits photographing the interior (I tried twice!), however here's a poorly made youtube video which doesn't do this place justice but at least you know I'm not lying to you.

A New Kickstarter Project

Remember the $1800 picture I blogged about a couple of months ago? 

Well, the project is now on Kickstarter and YOU can help make it happen! Watch Greg explain the plot in a video originally made in MY studio! http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/842779848/with-this-ring-a-romantic-comedy-movie 

Parting Thought...

The next seminars are Seattle (June 22-23, 2013) and then Gibsons, Vancouver the following weekend (June 29-30).  More info and signup links are here: 

Seattle: https://friedmanarchivespress.com/seminars/seattle

Gibsons, Vancouver: https://friedmanarchivespress.com/seminars/vancouver

Also, the latest issue of Cameracraft is now out!  Subscribe to this highly-acclaimed labor of love here: http://FriedmanArchives.com/cameracraft 

Until next time...

Yours Truly, Gary Friedman