Good Photography Tips 3

Alright, assuming you have been following Tip No. 2 and moving away from green box auto, and playing with Program mode for a while, well what next ?

This tip is to encourage you to move away from auto focus point selection. It is called different names by different brand of cameras, and often the name is confusing, such as AI (artificial intelligence), AF (auto-focus) etc.. but basically it is a function where the camera decides the focus point automatically.

Here's a little story. A friend of mine complained that pictures are not as sharp as it should be. I was quite puzzled as the camera used is mid level DSLR (digital single lens reflex) and the lens on it is high quality too !! After browsing some of the photos taken with that camera, it soon dawned on me that the focus point selection is automatic ! That explains why the focus wasn't sharp, because by using the camera in auto focus point selection, nearly all the time, the camera will choose objects nearest the lens to focus on !! That is certainly something you don't want to do always.

When the camera selects the focus point, it could be one, or many.. and mostly these points will be on the near object. If you are using the Creative mode at the same time, i.e. Program, Aperture-priority, Shutter-priority or Manual, it could mean an incorrect exposure photo or a photo that turns out unsharp. Hence it is best that you choose the focus point manually rather than let the camera decide.


In the photo above, the focus point selected by the camera is unpredictable. However, what do you want the focus point to be ? Is it the spoon, or the plate of vegan food, or anywhere on the buffet tray ?

So the first thing to experiment is to move out of automatic focal point selection. Read up the camera manual for some help as the procedure to do this depends very much on the make and model.

For the Canon 40D for example, to move away from auto focus point selection there are 3 steps. First, press the focus point selection button at the top right of the camera's back. Next, unlock the wheel selector by flipping the switch from "ON" position to the "wheel" position. Finally, you can now turn the wheel and it will scroll through the 9 AF points one by one as seen through the view finder.

Emperor's New Clothes or why swine flu was renamed to H1N1 A Influenza

We live in a complex world, getting increasingly more complicated.
We are told that in this age of complexity, complex diseases are bound to happen.
We need to resolve the basic underlying problems of these diseases, in a timely and wise manner, as it concerns the future livelihood of our children, the hopes of our human species and indeed the survival of our planet is at stake.

We present the simple innocence of a vegan child who wants to know why the world we live in is getting increasingly dangerous.

Child : Mommy, what is swine flu ?

Mother : My dear, swine flu is a new dangerous disease that came from the pigs and infected the human species.

Child : Mommy, why do they rename swine flu to H1N1 (A) Influenza ?

Mother : Well, my dear, the pork industry is a billion dollar industry in the US and they have the political muscle to sway the WHO into renaming it from swine flu to H1N1(A) influenza as the pork producers were afraid that people will stop eating pork.

Child : So, mommy, is swine flu the same as H1N1 (A) Influenza ?

Mother : Yes, my child, they refer to the same new disease that is a ravaging the world right now.. in 2009.

Child : So mommy, is it wrong to call it swine flu ?

Mother : No my child. Scientists have told us that they found 2 genes from the pigs, one gene from human and one gene from the bird flu, so as 50% of the genetic makeup of this new virus is from the pigs, it is not wrong to call it swine flu, my dear.

Child : Is it like the story of the Emperor's New Clothes ?

Mother : Yes, my dear, it is the same as the story you have heard. Everyone saw that the emperor is naked, but because the emperor weilds mighty power, no one dared to call him naked, except for an innocent child.

Child : Mommy, why are adults so complicated. Why can't they just stop eating meat ?

Mommy: Well, my dear, they have lost the innocence of a child as they grow up, that is why they become so complicated. They have acquired a set pattern and habbit of eating meat. All the advertisements in the radio, tv and newspapers tell you it is "healthy" to eat meat. You cannot watch tv nowadays without hitting
a "meat is good" advertisement 5 seconds into the interval. So with such brain washing going on daily to sustain the meat industry, it is little wonder that the adults have acquired the bad habbit of meat eating and find it so difficult to change to a more compassionate plant-based diet.

Tropical Noodle

Here's a close up look of the Loving Hut tropical noodle latest edition.

The faux prawn is replaced with veggie meat. The spicy chilli is red hot and if you are a chilli lover you will appreciate it. It is especially noticeable if you are ordering the dry version, so if you are not good at eating chilli, just leave those small red chilli aside.

Enjoy the new tropical noodle and please pray for all the sea creatures that have to undergo torture at the trawler's nets. The best way to live is to spare other beings' lives.

Traditional Malay Vegan Dish - Mee Siam

Here we take to-go meal from Xing Hua again,

and this time it is Mee Siam !! Another traditional Malay favourite which uses thin noodle somewhat similar to Chinese bee hoon, but the gravy has peanuts in it.. some people prefer lots and lots of peanuts..

You don't have to sacrifice your taste to save the world, just be vegan !

Vegan Fried Oyster Pancake

Today we ordered some take away meals from Xing Hua Vegetarian Restaurant.

This is a fried beehoon meal with two side dishes. One of the side dish is the vegan fried oyster pancake. Many years ago, it used to be found along Tanjong Pagar Road, but this dish has been rarely seen in vegan version. There is no oyster used at all !! But it is simply delicious beyond description... You have to taste it if you are craving for a fried dish. It has roasted peanuts toppings and seaweed, mushroom and carrots fillings.

The other side dish is the tow-kee, or dry bean curd skin, sauted till it is silky soft and delicate, garnished with black wooden fungus mushroom.

Yummy.. If you like to try it, the stall is at Block 201D #01-1171 in Tampinese Street 21. They have branches in Middle Road, Fortune Center and at Bencoolen opposite Albert Complex.

Vegan Laksa

Vegan Laksa from Xing Hua Vegetarian to-go !

Here you see the rich thick gravy covering the "tow-pok" or fried tofu skin. It soaks up the taste and flavour, and it is vegan !

It is amazing that a vegetarian restaurant from China can adapt their cooking so well to the local taste and flavour. With rich curry and coconut mixed with spices, laksa is a year round favourite in this part of the world. The vegan version is just as spicy and hot, and having no animal ingredients in it is a great plus both for the consumer spiritually and for saving the planet !

Tofu with chai por

Introducing another simple home cooking idea. Steamed soft tofu with chai por, or preserved salted vegetables. Soak the preserved vegetables up to 20 minutes to make sure the preservatives are removed, and it will also be less salty to taste.

This easy meal forms a ready to eat side dish served with rice or noodle.