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            <!-- Blog start -->
            <div class="article-header">
              <h1 class="text-center">The World's Biggest Classroom</h1>
              <p class="article-author">By Bryan van der Beek</p>
            </div>

            <div class="article-body">

              <div class="article-content">
                <p>It's been a rough couple of years. We’ve all been cooped up (mostly) at home and trying to keep away from the crowds. Some are enjoying the time alone; some are going positively batty.</p>
                <p>As a professional photographer, you’d think that I’d be happy to put the cameras down after my assignments and enjoy time away from the back of a viewfinder. I assure you, nothing could be further from the truth.</p>
                <p>I started photography somewhat late in my life. I didn’t seriously give it a go until I was 21 and in university doing a course on Visual Journalism and suddenly realized that photography was not only an amazing way to meet people, but also the best way to work without working! Every day is a joy, because I make it a point to learn something new, whether it’s on assignment, or exploring wherever it is I am, with a camera as my companion.</p>
                <p>In fact, it wouldn’t be wrong for me to say that street photography (and documenting my family, which to me, is almost the same thing) is what keeps me sane.</p>
                <p>It is important to learn the craft of photography. What makes a good exposure, how to make pictures look a certain way based on your choice of lens, shutter speed and exposure. But like swimming or riding a bicycle, you need to forget about the technique and trust your brain to work those details out and start focusing on seeing the world around you. That is where street photography comes in. To be both the best teacher, and the most available subject for you to learn from and explore.</p>
                <p>When I started photography, I used the streets as training ground. Now, every street is either an old friend that I haven’t seen in a while, or a new friend waiting to be made.</p>
                <p>Want to learn how to train your eyes to see how lines, light and shadow come together? A simple walk around a housing estate during the morning and evening will yield a myriad of opportunities for you to take advantage of and capture.</p>
                <p>Interested in looking for humour and juxtaposition in everyday situations? Again, walking around “aimlessly” will train you to look for the extraordinary in the mundane.</p>
                <p>There is no real way to “teach” street photography, but here are some tips that I hope you might find useful.</p>
              
                <ul >
                  <li>As tempting as it may seem, try to avoid going out and shooting with a group of people. I’ve always found photography to be a solitary activity, one where I can both focus my attention to look for certain things, and also allow my mind to go blank and allow my subconscious to kick in and “see” images.</li>
                  <li>Don’t pressure yourself into making pictures. Like a lot of things, you can’t really force street photographs to happen. You just have to open up and be receptive to things. The Director of Photography at the first newspaper I worked at once had me print a month’s worth of contact sheets (literally print, and literal contact sheets, from the darkroom. Yes, I am old) and went through every single shot I took. When looking at his edit, I realized that there were a lot of shots there that I don’t even remember taking. “Don’t think so much” he would tell me, “go out, walk around, keep your eyes open, and let the photos jump into your camera”. He would also remind me to shoot anything that remotely interested me. “If it interests you, there is a high chance it will interest someone else too”.</li>
                  <li>It's ok to be shy. We all start off that way but remember that street photography is not about (only) sniping photos of people far away with a long lens, or just shooting their backs. Sometimes, the best photos are the ones that make you feel like you are part of the scene. When in doubt, remember Robert Capa’s words, “If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough”. Don’t shy away from people (but don’t jump into their personal space either), take the opportunity to get to know the people you photograph. You’ll be amazed how receptive most people can be when you take the time to explain to (and show them) what you are doing.</li>
                  <li>If you take a photo and promise your subject a print of the photo. Always follow through!</li>
                  <li>Look at photos! If there is something that I need to stress, is that you look at photos wherever and whenever you can. Look at books, photos online, Instagram. Wherever. But instead of just looking at the photos and saying “I like this” or “I don’t like that” , I challenge you to ask yourself what exactly it is about a photograph that you like and/or don’t like. This exercise will stand you well down the road when you evolve a style from photographing things that interest you. Also, the rules of design (rule of thirds, symmetry, leading lines, framing, repetition etc) are there as a guide, not an absolute law. Go ahead and break the rules sometimes, you might be amazed at the results!</li>
                  <li>Don’t ever tell people that you have a “style”. That is for them to tell you and not for you to decide. To be honest, your style will basically be a combination of the previous point. You will like and dislike certain images, but you will be in a position to understand why. Then when you go out and capture your own photos, you will remember what you liked and didn’t like and apply that to your photography. It’s ok to emulate the work that you like. Over time, you will start to fuse different aspects of other people’s photography into your work, and before you know it, someone will tell you that they like your style.</li>
                  <li>Don’t set up your photos. It’s hard, to be sure. But the magic of photography is the ability of the photographer to capture THE moment. There is nothing more disappointing than seeing an image with a real moment combined with a killer combination, only to find out that the photographer set the image up. I think that as a street or documentary photographer, all you have is your credibility, and once you have lost that, it is VERY difficult to get back.</li>
                </ul>
                
                <p>Most importantly, get out there with your camera and start making photographs. Remember that photography is the result of translating your experiences into a still image, so start experiencing!</p>
                <p>&nbsp;</p>
              </div>

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              <div class="article-img">
                <img src="Images/ArticleAssets/bryan/image-1.jpg" alt='' title=''>
                <p class="canvas-sc-text-selector" data-index="1"
                  style="padding-top: 15px; color: #676767; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;" data-id="a5ef2d7f312e"
                  data-label="Exif">Alpha 6600 | FE 24mm F1.4 GM | 24mm | 1/1000 sec | F5.6 | ISO 100</p>
                <p>&nbsp;</p>
              </div>
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              <div class="article-content">
                <p>Things don’t always happen right in front of you. Sometimes, you need to see the potential of a photograph and have the patience to wait for the pieces to fall into place. I saw this triangular shaped patch and thought that it would look good if there was a moment that everyone would be in just the lit area. It took quite a while, and the wedge kept shifting, but I managed to get the one shot with people staying in the light.</p>
                <p>&nbsp;</p>
              </div>

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              <div class="article-img">
                <img src="Images/ArticleAssets/bryan/image-2.jpg" alt='' title=''>
                <p class="canvas-sc-text-selector" data-index="1"
                  style="padding-top: 15px; color: #676767; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;" data-id="a5ef2d7f312e"
                  data-label="Exif">Alpha 7 III | FE 35mm F1.4 GM | 35mm | 1/2000 sec | F1.8 | ISO 100</p>
                <p>&nbsp;</p>
              </div>
              <!-- End image code -->

              <div class="article-content">
                <p>A different perspective is all it takes to make a mundane scene into something a little different. Also waiting for the passers-by to add an added layer to this photo helped as well.</p>
                
                <p>&nbsp;</p>
              </div>

              <!-- Start image code -->
              <div class="article-img">
                <img src="Images/ArticleAssets/bryan/image-3.jpg" alt='' title=''>
                <p class="canvas-sc-text-selector" data-index="1"
                  style="padding-top: 15px; color: #676767; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;" data-id="a5ef2d7f312e"
                  data-label="Exif">Alpha 6600 | FE 35mm F1.8 | 35mm | 1/125 sec | F1.8 | ISO 100</p>
                <p>&nbsp;</p>
              </div>
              <!-- End image code -->

              <div class="article-content">
                <p>Look for things that stand out. Someone doing things differently from everyone else, or just the moment when something is contrary to everything else.</p>
                
                <p>&nbsp;</p>
              </div>

              <!-- Start image code -->
              <div class="article-img">
                <img src="Images/ArticleAssets/bryan/image-4.jpg" alt='' title=''>
                <p class="canvas-sc-text-selector" data-index="1"
                  style="padding-top: 15px; color: #676767; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;" data-id="a5ef2d7f312e"
                  data-label="Exif">RX100 VII | 45mm | 1/400 sec | F5 | ISO 100</p>
                <p>&nbsp;</p>
              </div>
              <!-- End image code -->

              <div class="article-content">
                <p >Sometimes you don’t need to get close and you don’t need to use the rule of thirds. “Rules of design” were made to be broken.</p>
                
                <p>&nbsp;</p>
              </div>

              <!-- Start image code -->
              <div class="article-img">
                <img src="Images/ArticleAssets/bryan/image-5.jpg" alt='' title=''>
                <p class="canvas-sc-text-selector" data-index="1"
                  style="padding-top: 15px; color: #676767; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;" data-id="a5ef2d7f312e"
                  data-label="Exif">RX100 VII | 17mm | 1/50 sec | F4 | ISO 1600</p>
                <p>&nbsp;</p>
              </div>
              <!-- End image code -->

              <div class="article-content">
                <p>Little moments that we all do can be captured a little differently by keeping an eye out for the surrounding areas. Using the lights from the building reflected off the water allowed me to get a silhouette that made this work.</p>
               
                <p>&nbsp;</p>
              </div>

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              <div class="article-img">
                <img src="Images/ArticleAssets/bryan/image-6.jpg" alt='' title=''>
                <p class="canvas-sc-text-selector" data-index="1"
                  style="padding-top: 15px; color: #676767; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;" data-id="a5ef2d7f312e"
                  data-label="Exif">Alpha 7 III | FE 24mm F2.8 G | 24mm | 1/6400 sec | F2.8 | ISO 640</p>
                <p>&nbsp;</p>
              </div>
              <!-- End image code -->

              <div class="article-content">
                <p>It’s ok to let yourself go on autopilot. As with swimming or driving, you need to get to the point where the technique is automatic, and that allows you to concentrate on keeping an eye out for good light and a great moment.</p>
              
                <p>&nbsp;</p>
              </div>

              <!-- Start image code -->
              <div class="article-img">
                <img src="Images/ArticleAssets/bryan/image-7.jpg" alt='' title=''>
                <p class="canvas-sc-text-selector" data-index="1"
                  style="padding-top: 15px; color: #676767; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;" data-id="a5ef2d7f312e"
                  data-label="Exif">Alpha 7 III | FE 50mm F2.5 G | 50mm | 1/500 sec | F2.5 | ISO 640</p>
                <p>&nbsp;</p>
              </div>
              <!-- End image code -->

              <div class="article-content">
                <p>Again, keeping an eye out for things out of the ordinary, and being able to translate those moments into a visual picture will help you get an added element out of your images.</p>
              
                <p>&nbsp;</p>
              </div>

              <!-- Start image code -->
              <div class="article-img">
                <img src="Images/ArticleAssets/bryan/image-8.jpg" alt='' title=''>
                <p class="canvas-sc-text-selector" data-index="1"
                  style="padding-top: 15px; color: #676767; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;" data-id="a5ef2d7f312e"
                  data-label="Exif">Alpha 7 III | FE 20mm F1.8 G | 20mm | 1/100 sec | F1.8 | ISO 400</p>
                <p>&nbsp;</p>
              </div>
              <!-- End image code -->

              <div class="article-content">
                <p>Make use of whatever is there at your disposal, in this case, the mirror on the wall…</p>
              
                <p>&nbsp;</p>
              </div>

              <!-- Start image code -->
              <div class="article-img">
                <img src="Images/ArticleAssets/bryan/image-9.jpg" alt='' title=''>
                <p class="canvas-sc-text-selector" data-index="1"
                  style="padding-top: 15px; color: #676767; font-size: 14px; line-height: 1.5;" data-id="a5ef2d7f312e"
                  data-label="Exif">Alpha 7R III | FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM | 65mm | 1/3200 sec | F2.8 | ISO 400</p>
                <p>&nbsp;</p>
              </div>
              <!-- End image code -->

              <div class="article-content">
                <p>If you can’t get close, the next best thing is to have a good moment to capture.</p>
              
                <p>&nbsp;</p>
              </div>

              <div class="article-content">
                <p class="tnc">Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the author. They do
                  not reflect the opinions or views of Sony Digital Workshop</p>
              </div>

            </div>

            <p>&nbsp;</p>
            <p>&nbsp;</p>
            <div class="article-content">
              <h3 class="text-center">Bryan’s Gear</h3>
            </div>
            <div class="row justify-content-center align-items-center">
              <div class="col-xs-12 col-sm-6 col-md-4">
                <img src="Images/ArticleAssets/bryan/ILCE-6600.jpg" width="100%">
                <div class="product-content">
                  <p class="product-header">Alpha 6600</p>
                  <p class="product-copy">ILCE-6600</p>
                  <!-- <a class="product-link" href="//www.sony.com.sg/electronics/interchangeable-lens-cameras/ilce-7rm2" title="Learn more">Learn more</a> -->
                </div>
              </div>
              <div class="col-xs-12 col-sm-6 col-md-4">
                <img src="Images/ArticleAssets/bryan/ILCE-7RM3.jpg" width="100%">
                <div class="product-content">
                  <p class="product-header">Alpha 7R III</p>
                  <p class="product-copy">ILCE-7RM3</p>
                  <!-- <a class="product-link" href="//www.sony.com.sg/electronics/interchangeable-lens-cameras/ilce-7rm3" title="Learn more">Learn more</a> -->
                </div>
              </div>
              <div class="col-xs-12 col-sm-6 col-md-4">
                <img src="Images/ArticleAssets/bryan/ILCE-7M3.jpg" width="100%">
                <div class="product-content">
                  <p class="product-header">Alpha 7 III</p>
                  <p class="product-copy">ILCE-7M3</p>
                  <!-- <a class="product-link" href="//www.sony.com.sg/electronics/camera-lenses/sel28f20-series" title="Learn more">Learn more</a> -->
                </div>
              </div>
              <div class="col-xs-12 col-sm-6 col-md-4">
                <img src="Images/ArticleAssets/bryan/DSC-RX100M7.jpg" width="100%">
                <div class="product-content">
                  <p class="product-header">RX100 VII</p>
                  <p class="product-copy">DSC-RX100M7</p>
                  <!-- <a class="product-link" href="//www.sony.com.sg/electronics/interchangeable-lens-cameras/ilce-7rm2" title="Learn more">Learn more</a> -->
                </div>
              </div>
              <div class="col-xs-12 col-sm-6 col-md-4">
                <img src="Images/ArticleAssets/bryan/SEL35F18.jpg" width="100%">
                <div class="product-content">
                  <p class="product-header">E 35mm F1.8 OSS</p>
                  <p class="product-copy">SEL35F18</p>
                  <!-- <a class="product-link" href="//www.sony.com.sg/electronics/interchangeable-lens-cameras/ilce-7rm3" title="Learn more">Learn more</a> -->
                </div>
              </div>
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                <img src="Images/ArticleAssets/bryan/SEL24F28G.jpg" width="100%">
                <div class="product-content">
                  <p class="product-header">FE 24mm F2.8 G</p>
                  <p class="product-copy">SEL24F28G</p>
                  <!-- <a class="product-link" href="//www.sony.com.sg/electronics/camera-lenses/sel28f20-series" title="Learn more">Learn more</a> -->
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                <img src="Images/ArticleAssets/bryan/SEL50F25G.jpg" width="100%">
                <div class="product-content">
                  <p class="product-header">FE 50mm F2.5 G</p>
                  <p class="product-copy">SEL50F25G</p>
                  <!-- <a class="product-link" href="//www.sony.com.sg/electronics/interchangeable-lens-cameras/ilce-7rm2" title="Learn more">Learn more</a> -->
                </div>
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                <img src="Images/ArticleAssets/bryan/SEL2470GM.jpg" width="100%">
                <div class="product-content">
                  <p class="product-header">FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM</p>
                  <p class="product-copy">SEL2470GM</p>
                  <!-- <a class="product-link" href="//www.sony.com.sg/electronics/interchangeable-lens-cameras/ilce-7rm3" title="Learn more">Learn more</a> -->
                </div>
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                <img src="Images/ArticleAssets/bryan/SEL24F14GM.jpg" width="100%">
                <div class="product-content">
                  <p class="product-header">FE 24mm F1.4 GM</p>
                  <p class="product-copy">SEL24F14GM</p>
                  <!-- <a class="product-link" href="//www.sony.com.sg/electronics/camera-lenses/sel28f20-series" title="Learn more">Learn more</a> -->
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                <img src="Images/ArticleAssets/bryan/SEL35F14GM.jpg" width="100%">
                <div class="product-content">
                  <p class="product-header">FE 35mm F1.4 GM</p>
                  <p class="product-copy">SEL35F14GM</p>
                  <!-- <a class="product-link" href="//www.sony.com.sg/electronics/camera-lenses/sel28f20-series" title="Learn more">Learn more</a> -->
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Without a doubt, wildlife photography is one of the most difficult genres to master.  At some point, you may come across photographers who share about the "ones that got away."  This constant, elusive pursuit of landing the next great shot is what makes wildlife photography so challenging, yet rewarding. 

In most instances, photo opportunities of wildlife are gone in a flash. Hence, there is little room for error, especially for shots of animals displaying a desired behaviour or action. 

It was by pure accident that I chanced upon the Orang Seletar community while vacationing in Johor Bahru. Since then, I have returned several times and even formed a bond with the local “Head of Fishermen’s Association”, a Chinese who married an Orang Seletar woman. Through him, I learned more about the history and life of Orang Seletar.

With the help of Sony, my discovery turned into a documentation of the community’s way of life in the modern day.

 

I returned to the craft of visual storytelling as an advertising-cum-public relations creative by trade and a video trainer with Sony Digital Workshop after a four-year hiatus. It is my desire to steer the creative process of visual feats that prompted this return.

As the lead content producer for arts and culture guide The A List, hybrid shooting is part and parcel of my workflow. Capturing both still imagery and videos of the local arts and culture scene such as the Singapore Night Festival and Singapore Bicentennial Experience has allowed me to create engaging visual content that immerses visitors in art.

Many often ask how I simultaneously manage both photography and videography within a tight time frame. To give a bit of context, media previews for large-scale events are usually conducted for up to three hours. The previews kick off with a guided tour that usually lasts an hour, after which the remaining time is utilized for your shooting.

Gone are the days when dogs are simply gate-watchers. In today’s world, they are often a part of the family with birthdays and other milestones celebrated in their honour. This naturally led to a surge in dog speciality social media accounts, with some boasting a larger following than our own personal accounts.

Photography and dogs have been my passion even before the digitised age. It was certainly not a fad that I stumbled upon or followed mindlessly just because others were doing the same.

Possessing an intrinsic eye for details has helped me in canine photography, allowing me to see the form, substance and beauty in every dog I photograph. However, it is easier said than done. Getting dogs to strike a pose for the camera is immensely challenging. Unless you are a “dog-whisperer”, it is difficult to understand what a dog is thinking.

“Nobody said it was easy, No one ever said it would be this hard” – ‘The Scientist’ by Coldplay.

Lately, the above refrain has been popping up in my head as I wrangle my children through a daily battle of wills.

A movie of our lives now would not be filled with cool yet sun-drenched scenes of us laughing carefree in the park, or perfectly arranged on a coach doing nothing but soaking up each other’s company. Instead, a peek into our daily lives is getting through mealtimes with as little mess as possible, playing board games until a losing child has a meltdown, and reading books while I try to steal cuddles. Furthermore, my husband and I are constantly trying not to lose our heads as our children one-up each other in the parental annoyance stakes. 

Lake Baikal is an ancient massive lake located in Siberia north of Mongolia. It is 640km long and 79km at its widest point and with a maximum depth of 1,632m. It is the largest freshwater lake holds 20% of the world’s freshwater. As it was formed 25 million years ago, it is the world’s oldest freshwater lake.

In winter, Lake Baikal is transformed into a vast frozen landscape with solid ice layer that can be nearly 3m thick. It is this icy and cold landscape that attracts visitors and photographers to this unique place...

The term still life is derived from the Dutch 'Stilleven', defining still life as a picture consisting predominantly of inanimate objects. These objects include natural objects: food, flowers, plants, feathers, rocks, and stone etc. They also include man-made objects; books, vases, glassware, jars, jewelry, coins, currency, tools, candy, toys etc. The French give the still life tradition a term "nature morte", it means dead nature.

As early as 17th century, photographers found inspiration in the still life paintings and try to get photography accepted as a serious art form. As photography developed into the twentieth century, many photographers began to engage with still life images...