Games Convention Asia 2007

This was the first time I went for a Games Exhibition. There was a parallel convention going on in the next hall, while a public exhibition was held in another. I remembered names such as AsiaSoft, Nintendo, Nokia Ngage, Razer, Codemasters, Sony etc. For me, it presents another opportunity to learn. I met an old friend, more like an ex-boss. I worked in his team in an animation studio a year ago. The game that his team developed, Collin McRae Dirt was really a hit, and it looks really impressing. That's one of the many games that were for public trial.

Nintendo Wii, the newly(not so) released console which gets you to swing your arm, twist your wrist, shake the controller and lots more physical movements to control the game. This is just one of the many kids and adults alike who were glued to it.

First time I actually saw cosplayers in exhibitions, normally I would be looking at photos taken by other individuals. Some costumes were pretty elaborate and were a hit with kids. I wonder if the mascots considers themself as cosplayers, just a question.

There was a 'live' band and also various games organized by AsiaSoft, giving away lots of freebies and prizes.


There's also other reasons (attractions would be better?) people throng to such exhibitions, ahem. Feast your eyes on the various beauties who were there to increase the heat and excitement of the event!




I was actually expecting more turnouts to the exhibition, maybe I was there early and missed out on the crowd. But then again, that was the reason why I went there earlier ; ) It's been a nice experience, being there and taking photos, trying out new games and meeting an old friend.

Test Day

The day had finally came, when I went out for the sole purpose of snapping some photos and testing the features of my new-found gadget in the real world.

First stop was to Botanical Garden, however the weather was not that dry, and I had to keep my camera snuggly in the bag to avoid premature damage ; ) However still managed to get some quick snaps of one of the most shot topics:- floras.

Shame to say, most other pics didn't turn out that well, better stow it away as reference for next upcoming shots ; ) Still got lots to learn and experiment. Shots shown are without postprocessing, however some suffered from major cropping. Still working on getting better composition and framing.

Went to Orchard road after that, the weather improved and its not too sunny as to create harsh lightings. Now comes the time to test the 55-200mm lens to see how it performs in well-lit condition. What I did was, found a comfortable bench on the pavement, and start snapping and whoever that walked in front of me. (as much as practical, of course)

* Snap Snap Snap *

I was actually overwhelmed by the fact that there are so many settings that can be tweaked, which presents limitless possibilities. So many options that can be used to interpret how you see it, what kind of emotion that you want to create from the photos that was taken.

That same evening, the 13th Ngee Ann City National Lion Dance Championship. Time for some low lighting shots. Witnessed something different in this championship, maybe it was due to my ignorance in lion dancing for the past few years. As usual, the routine revolved around the 'lion' getting from one end of the stilts to the other to retrieve an auspicious items, suchas a scroll with greetings/well wishes, and returning with it to the beginning point. However this time around, the stilts changed in terms of heights and combination during the routine. Halfway through a routine, their team member remotely triggered a release, lowering one of the stilts. Another version was with a trigger, the stilt fell to its side. Initially I thought it was an accident, however on backstage, I noticed some other teams trying out their mechanism before their routine. Interesting..

The first step of many to come

Hurray! I'd just gotten the D40 kit!

After a-month-long contemplation on which camera to get, I'd finally decided on the D40. Upon visiting COMEX 2007 in Singapore, I'd came across jaw dropping prices which is too tempting and I finally took the plunge into the abyss of digital photography. No telling where this step might take me, however, it will be one heck of an adventure. My girl was with me lining up for the camera for nearly an hour. The feeling's really estatic, having the camera in your hands!

Mine is a D40 kit that comes with kit lens and an additional AF-S DX VR 55-200mm F/4-5.6G IF-ED zoom lens.

Still looking through the manuals as this is my first D-SLR, wouldn't want to be confronted with a moment while I start looking around for functional buttons like an idiot, do I? ;)