iheartfaces – Silhouette photo challenge

Wow, it’s been a long time since I submitted an entry to the iheartfaces weekly photo challenges. Busy with a new job and so on and so so on and so on. Anyway, enough excuses!

This photo was taken at a birthday party for a young nephew. The parents arranged laser lights and dry ice and all. Was pretty cool, really. I decided to push my kit lens (all I had with me) and see what I could come out with. It may not be the sharpest picture in the world (manual focus) but I still think it looks pretty cool! Enjoy..

To learn more about I ♥ Faces check out their site!

Have a great day everyone and keep on shooting!

Cheers!   Ben

Ruane Men in the Kitchen – Ep III – Chocolate Fudge Cake

[NB: I am starting with Episode III and will retrospectively add in the two earlier episodes as soon as I can. Also, if you're viewing the Mobile version, the formatting may have presented the pictures not where they're meant to be (apart from the first one). I spent ages positioning the photos on the PC and I can't be arsed to re-position them again (at least not now). So, apologies if you're viewing the Mobile version, you may see the photos earlier than I intended. One day, I'll figure it all out. One day.]

Chocolate fudge cake

Episode III of the Ruane Men in the Kitchen series looks at what happens when our intrepid baking blokes attempt to size up a chocolate fudge cake. Inspiration for this cake comes from Nigella Lawson and the recipe can be found here.

After baking up peanut butter cookies and afghans in Episodes I and II (reviews will follow later), the Ruane men decided to go for a bigger challenge. A chocolate fudge cake. A two-layered chocolate fudge cake, no less. Now, I have not baked a cake of any description in years (not since leaving Wellington, I am sure). So, this was a good challenge for me. And the small Ruane men are up for any sort of baking challenge, it seems. Especially involving chocolate. So, this is what happened…

APAD 2010 – New photos added

This is one of a bunch of new photos added to my APAD 2010 project over on Flickr since the last time I updated on here. This is Kyle blowing bubbles along Orchard Road (as you do!)….

Cheers, Ben

iheartfaces – “Jump For Joy” photo challenge (week 10)

So, this week’s photo chjallenge is “Jump For Joy”. I’m currently in the middle of renovating our house and didn’t expect to get around to posting ANY photos this week while work is being done at home. But when I saw the theme for this week’s challenge, I knew of JUST the right photo to submit. This photo was taken in January and is of my youngest son, Kyle, going hard at the playground after his nursery school. He is such an active boy, 3-and-a-half years old, and never sits still. It’s almost impossible to get him stationery for a photo. This one was a candid snap that I caught while he was running around and doing his crazy thing. I managed to catch him in mid-air in a pose that (to me) looks like he’s in the middle of some sort of wushu, Chinese martial arts flick!

Enjoy..

To learn more about I ♥ Faces check out their site!

Have a great day everyone and keep on shooting!

Cheers, Ben

Photo: “Bank and roll” (winning entry!)

Well, this was my submission for a monthly photo competition held by the local Sony Alpha users forum (just for fun; no money involved). The theme for the February competition was “Bird’s eye view”. I had wanted to capture something like what a bird may see flying along in a wooded area.

This particular shot was taken just off the road near to Sime Road (next to a large pile of big storm-water drain pipes – at least I think that’s what they were). This is typical of Singapore scenery; woods/forest within a stone’s throw of a major expressway and housing estates. Shooting time was mid-morning (around 10am). The shot was taken very simply; hand-held at a tilt and above-the-head, manual focus at infinity, shoot-and-hope! Back home, I desaturated the colours a bit, boosted the shadows, added the motion blur effect and the burnt edges.

The photo was selected as the winning entry for the month. I am humbled

Techy question – can I surf the web on a TV set?

Is it possible to hook an Internet cable and a keyboard into a “normal” TV to surf the web? I’m thinking of surfing sites like Gmail, Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, WordPress, Picasa.

This is an idea to make the net more accessible for my mother, who is very resistant to having a computer in her house! If I can get it working on her TV (even if it requires buying a newer TV), then she can more easily keep up-to-date with the family’s online presence – especially that of family in far-flung places who are very slack at writing traditional letters!

I’d appreciate any advice

Cheers, Ben

Camera sale!

I’m looking to sell my trusty Sony A200 DSLR, so as to fund another camera I’ve long wanted to try. It’s a great starter kit for someone looking to pick up SLR photography or for someone wanting to switch camps to Sony.

I’m opening this up only to my friends on Twitter and Facebook. I’m a bit sick of the low-ballers, sob stories and pranksters I’ve encountered on the Buy-and-Sell sections of the local photography forums. So, come one, come all. Would be great to sell this set to a friend and you’d always be able to easily call me if you had any questions on the gear

APAD 2010 Project – 5 new photos added!

This is one of 5 new photos I’ve added to my APAD prokect over on Flickr.

Click on the picture to take you there or on the “APAD 2010 Project” badge on the left panel to go to the project page.

Cheers and enjoy!

APAD 2010 project: 6 new photos uploaded

Texture of the waves

Originally uploaded by benruane

This is one of the six new photos added to my APAD 2010 project … enjoy!

“Shin-deshi” – my ‘second-place award-winning’ photo :)

DSC07101-final

Originally uploaded by benruane

This shot was my first “real” experience with off-camera lighting, which in this case was a torchlight with tissue paper (diffuser) wrapped around the front and held in one hand from the side, while my other hand hit the timed shutter. All this while lying flat on my tummy on the floor of my flat with all the lights off. Maybe not the most glamourous of setups or execution but, well, it was something like midnight so nobody saw me doing it and it was a bit of fun!

To top it off, the photo was voted second place in the monthly photo competition for Jan ’10 (theme: figurines) held by Singapore’s Sony Alpha club, of which I am a member, so that’s nice