…experimental, of sorts.

It has been an awesome experience since Jeff and I started doing LevitationSG a few months back. Never would I have imagined something arbitrary like getting inspired by Yowayowa camera woman and doing a localised version will receive this much attention and even get on the papers – twice!

Seeing my face in the newsstands, reading the “top news” about myself is really surreal. I may or may not have squealed a little when I flipped to page 10 and saw that huge photo with an almost full page story.

IMHO, the best part of ST’s feature is Jeff fronting LevitationSG! A lot of what he did to craft the shots remains unseen. Being the photographer, he has to plan the shoots and work his camera angles; I just need to coordinate my wardrobe and “levitate”. Very glad that he finally gets the limelight that the poster boy has been stealing!

If you’re reading this and you like what you see, do head over to our Facebook page and give us a “like”!

Thanks Charissa Yong for the awesome writeup & Mark Cheong for the photos!

Earlier this year, Nick Knight ditched his trusty gear and did a fashion shoot entirely on an iPhone. The photos did not leave the phone and all post processing were done within.

“Instagram takes me back to the style of my earliest photography; no retouching and no long processes of post-production.” — Nick Knight

It was a “challenge accepted” moment when I found out about the project; I must attempt to do a fashion-y shoot with my iPhone! After months of hemming and hawing, I managed to get Hellven to model just a couple days before his enlistment. The planning was really quick and easy thanks to my awesome buddies – Jo (his amazing styling and fashion collection) and Gigi (her stunning makeup artistry)!

This goes without saying that the photos were shot on my iPhone 4S. Apps used were Snapseed, Luminance and the filters in the Instagram app itself. Square-cropped because they are meant to be published on Instagram, as were Nick Knight’s shots.

Once again, very thankful for having them around to make this little Instagram project happen!

Love of my life.

Came across this while researching on lighting painting photography and I knew I had to try replicating it. Thank god for the ever-ready Renhao who agreed to do it together in a heartbeat.

I had wanted to get some fancy lighting equipment to experiment, but time only allowed me to scramble in my room an hour before the shoot to fix up an apparatus which is so poorly made that I am too embarrassed to show it here.

Although our “ball of light” photos are nowhere close to the original ones, we are pleased with what we achieved on our very first impromptu attempt. More to come.

Oh and just to put it across: The photos are taken in a single exposure. No Photoshop manipulation besides the colour adjustments!

Call it enlightenment or what have you, I’ve finally figured a way to get back to my writing blogging hobby. I’ve always been torn between starting afresh and or to continue with what I had started since 2004. I can’t help but to feel attached to “jayleif” since it has been with me for almost a decade, but I cringe everytime I look back at the past blog posts (although they serve as wonderful memories).

Alas, it finally hit me as I reflect on the recent events while lying on my bed. It’s as though someone whispered in my ears, “if a 5-year relationship – that you strive so hard to make it perfect – can disappear right at the next moment, …why can’t your blog archives – that you hold dear to – be gone as well?”

I have tried too hard to hold on to what was.

Why live vicariously through the past, in the pretense that the future could be equally as good?

Why not enjoy the moment and bask in reality – and craft better memories while at it?