Having a passion for the outdoors, nature, wildlife and travel, I would like to help spread the theme for Earth Day 2021. Everyone of us can play a part, to make a difference in the world we are living in today and for our future generations. 

As we mark Earth Day 2021, I am sharing my wildlife and nature photographs that I shot in Singapore over the years with more recent photographs that I shot in the first quarter of 2021 and last year 2020. Although Singapore is a small country by land size, we do have an abundance of nature and wildlife among us here in Singapore, co-existing and living together. 

More photographs of the wildlife and nature areas that I photographed and documented in Singapore can be viewed inside my Flickr photography collections, shot with various Canon cameras that I owned, the Canon EOS RP, or reviewed, the Canon EOS R5, EOS R6 and EOS M6 Mark II, part of my Canon Explorer Series Production.  

It’s a delicate balance between preserving and protecting our nature and wildlife versus a country’s economic development and growth. Not just preserving and protecting, let’s reduce wastage of resources and up our game on recycling and upcycling. 

Not just today on 22nd April 2021 for Earth Day 2021, let’s all begin to mark the start of a new era whereby we restore our Earth, making a difference to the world that we live in, transforming it to become an even better home for the world to live in. 

The post Earth Day 2021 appeared first on TGH Photography and Travel Portal/Blog.

Having seen, touched, tested and reviewed the predecessor EOS M50 to the new EOS M50 Mark II, this new mirrorless EOS M50 Mark II is built on a strong foundation. The EOS M50 and EOS M6 are two mirrorless cameras from the EOS M family that I like, compact, easy to use, versatile and good cameras, that led to their next generation in EOS M6 Mark II and EOS M50 Mark II that we are seeing in the market today.

“The EOS M50 Mark II’s compact size belies its superior image capture and video recording capabilities. Its ease of use makes it a great choice for users who relish a simple shooting experience but expects great results,” said Edwin Teoh, Head of Marketing, Singapore Operations, Canon Singapore. 

What are the features on this new Canon EOS M50 Mark II mirrorless camera?

Capture Beautiful Portraits and Vivid Action Shots 

Always had trouble capturing sharp images of your active toddler who is constantly on the move or find it hard to zoom in on your child’s face as he runs across the pitch during soccer practice? The EOS M50 Mark II features an enhanced Eye Detection AF, which is able to detect and focus on a subject’s eye even when the person is far away. This will ensure the eye will always stay in focus, making it possible to use Eye Detection AF for full body shots in addition to the common upper body portrait shot. Users can capture subjects quickly and accurately when they are approaching from a distance, making it great for candid shots as well. 

Eye detection AF is also available with Servo AF when shooting still images and Movie Servo AF when shooting video, so you will always be able to capture your subject’s natural expressions even when they are in motion. 

The EOS M50 Mark II has a continuous shooting speed of up to 7.4fps with servo AF so users can capture multiple shots of moving subjects such as children or pets. Its built-in high-resolution electronic viewfinder (EVF) makes for easy viewing even when shooting in the bright outdoors. 

The AF frame display in EVF or LCD screen of the EOS M50 Mark II, which shows which part of the picture the camera is focusing on, has also been improved. It is now faster and tracks the subject more smoothly, so users will always know which part of the picture will be in focus without experiencing any on-screen lag. Display speed on the AF frame display in the viewfinder or LCD screen has also been improved on the EOS M50 Mark II, allowing for a better visualisation of the tracking. 

An EOS first, the EOS M50 Mark II makes full use of its touch-sensitive display with the new Tap AF feature where users can instantly switch focus from one person to another by just tapping on the screen, which is especially useful in group shots. This is in addition to the Touch & Drag AF, where users can move the AF frame by dragging their finger on the screen while shooting through the EVF. 

Enhanced Movie Shooting Experience 

Fast and stable AF is essential when it comes to shooting videos of moving subjects. On the EOS M50 Mark II, Eye Detection AF works with Movie Servo AF shooting. By simply keeping the subject within the frame while shooting, it will track the subject smoothly. Users can thus focus on the composition of the video while leaving the tracking of the subject to the camera.

With an improved contrast AF algorithm, users can also expect enhanced AF stability during 4K movies shooting with EF-M lenses. This will enable smooth movie recording, with reduced wobbling. EOS M50 Mark II supports movie digital zoom (approx. 3-10x) at the central part of the screen during shooting, which can be combined with optical zoom on a zoom lens to achieve magnified shooting with up-close shots.

With existing cameras, movies shot vertically are displayed smaller in a horizontal position when users play back the movie on a smart device. On the EOS M50 Mark II, an “add rotate info” option enables automatic vertical playback on smart devices, PCs and compatible social media, which enables a better viewing experience. Vloggers are now able to live-stream directly to YouTube (1) from EOS M50 Mark II by connecting to Wi-Fi without using a streaming unit. The EOS M50 Mark II also supports the Canon’s new image.canon cloud platform and registered users of the platform can upload, store, download and transfer images smoothly between various devices. 

Equipped with a Vari-angle LCD monitor and features such as touch screen recording, movie self-timer and an external microphone jack, the EOS M50 Mark II make it intuitive and easy for vloggers to record videos and do live streaming. 

Exceptional Lighting Control with Speedlite EL-1 

Canon photographers alert! There is a new professional speedlite, it’s Canon new flagship speedlite EL-1, it’s their first flash model to bear the iconic red line that we know and associate with from our Canon’s L series lenses collection. This is a symbol of high quality, performance and durability. This new speedlite features a new xenon tube that provides highly stable arc discharge and ensures durability.

This new flagship Speedlite EL-1 is going to be on professional photographers radar, a new and powerful flash, portable and ease of use.

The Speedlite EL-1 offers great flexibility in terms of firing control, with 14-stops of manual power selection to as low as 1/8192 flash output. When combined with high ISO settings on the camera, photographers can achieve images that retain the natural colours and exposure of the environment while providing subtle lighting on the human subject. Users can control up to 15 units of Speedlites wirelessly using radio transmission, which provides greater creative control to their lighting requirements. 

Powered by a new lithium-ion battery with a new charging circuit design, the Speedlite EL-1 achieves high-speed charging performance that keeps firing in scenes with movement. In addition, the charging speed does not change even when the battery level is low. The flash can continuously fire for 160 times or more2, thanks to its active cooling system and a durable xenon tube. With the new battery LP-EL, battery life has been enhanced to allow Speedlite EL-1 to fire up to 335 times at 1/1 power. This is approximately 3.4x more than the Speedlite 600EX II-RT.

The Speedlite EL-1 is also equipped with two colour LED modelling lamps, which is very useful for photographers to envision the colour and direction of light prior to shooting. Being Canon’s new flagship flash, the Speedlite EL-1 can handle the elements with its weather sealing design, with dust and water resistance similar to the EOS-1DX Mark III camera. The Speedlite EL-1 also sports an improved UI and a new joystick, which makes accessing the menus and changing of settings a breeze. 

Pricing and Availability 

Both the EOS M50 Mark II and Speedlite EL-1 will be available in late November from Canon authorized dealers and pricing will be advised at a later date. 

Notes:

(1) The live streaming service of this product supports scheduled live streaming on YouTube only. To use the live streaming service, registration on image.canon is needed in advance together with the latest firmware. In accordance with YouTube’s “Restrictions on live streaming”, users must have a minimum of 1,000 channel subscribers in order to live stream from a mobile device.  

(2) The number of continuous flashes until the temperature warning level 1 (the interval at which firing is possible is forced to eight seconds) at 1/1 power (manual firing)  

* Information and pictures courtesy of Canon Singapore and GLOO PR *

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First quarter of 2020 was cautious, start of a new era, a new decade, cautious on how the economy would pan out with potential slower growth and concerns for market downturn. As for my photography business, it was a slow start and I was realigning business plans and strategies. On my personal/leisure photography front, there were a few major community events (Chinese New Year 2020 at Chinatown, Light to Night Festival 2020, River Hongbao 2020, Wan Qing Festival of Spring 2020, Battle for Singapore 2020 tours, Arts in Your Neighbourhood 2020) that I attended before Covid-19 spread changed the whole landscape.

As we all knew, second quarter was circuit breaker plus extended circuit breaker in Singapore. In a nutshell, working from home (WFH) and home based learning (HBL) were a new normal, some businesses took a huge hit, closure of businesses, job losses, retrenchments, pay cuts were commonly heard during this period. For photography businesses, we experienced the impacts and we were not able to conduct our business. This period was really stressful and difficult, on both professional and personal level.

Moving out from extended circuit breaker, phase 1 of post circuit breaker in June followed by phase 2 shortly after, this marked the start of a slow and much needed recovery to kickstart the economy again. Things are not and will not be the same as before pre Covid-19. Safety measures and strict regulations are in place for businesses to follow and implement. On the other hand, the severity of this current downturn has affected the whole economy, any business deals and transactions will not be back up fast and furious as businesses are looking at budget cuts and cost saving measures during this very difficult and challenging period. Personal and leisure photography during that period was pretty much confined to home and they could be viewed inside my Canon EOS M6 Mark II review article.

On the topic of travel, international travel is not in any of my immediate plans, I can only dream and plan for H2 2021, keeping my fingers crossed that a vaccine for Covid-19 would be available and the world can slowly start to return back to normal, although it will be a new normal for the world. I would leave the discussion on impacts and changes to world tourism and travel for another day, in another article dedicated to this discussion. 

Domestic travel, in the context of Singapore and its land size, doesn’t really ring a bell at all probably for many people, versus countries that have different states, prefectures and their citizens can travel interstate or across the country to visit.

However, while Singapore is really small in land size, we can do something about our own domestic travel/tourism, it’s just not domestic tourism per se, reference to other parts of the world. I am looking at doing my own “Explore your own backyard” theme instead, basically, it’s a continuation of my years of exploring my local neighbourhoods, just to compile, update and present in a manner that I would need to plan first.

Back to the my photography business in the post circuit breaker period, some changes are taking place, plans and strategies have gone back to the drawing board to navigate and manoeuvre during this very difficult and challenging waters ahead. The Covid-19 pandemic has definitely open up the case for business diversification that some people may not agree even in this modern and constantly changing world, they still believe in only specialising in one industry/skill/business.

Some keywords for you to ponder, digital agency and content creation, travel marketing, digital marketing, filmmaker.

The post Reflecting H1 2020 (Photography) appeared first on TGH Photography and Travel Portal/Blog.

For fellow photography industry professionals, we can resume our photography business and please observe all the authorities rules and regulations in the running of your photography business operations. Professional Photographers Association (Singapore) [PPAS] has a resource page for photography production in Singapore during COVID-19, photographers, please read this throughly before starting to operate your photography business in Phase 2 post circuit breaker in Singapore.

How we conduct and operate businesses, our working environments, leisure spaces etc are going through a massive change, we are going into a new normal, not just for Singapore, the whole world is going through this as well. The whole world is moving into a new era of a new form of normal, changes to both work and leisure are inevitable.

I would like to urge the people of Singapore not to rush out, swarm the shopping malls and dining venues, and totally forget about safety measures and personal hygiene. Please remember to practice safety social distancing, practice good personal hygiene, no big group gatherings yet.

We are still some time away from a vaccine being available for COVID-19, let’s not let our guard down, the fight against this pandemic is still ongoing. Yes, we would love our life to return back to normal pre-COVID19, that is not possible, we will enter into a new age of normal instead in this new decade.

Moving forward in Phase 2, the world economy is facing a very challenging and difficult time ahead. It has been a very tough time and it’s not going to get easier, I am taking steps to rebuild  my photography business during this economic crisis and pandemic.

It’s a long road to recovery ahead, we all need to be united together in this recovery journey and define our new era.

A special TGH Photography x Canon EOS M6 Mark II Explorer Series Production. Photos were shot with Canon EOS M6 Mark II, check out my review article!

For more information and articles links relating to Phase 2 post circuit breaker, check out the articles below

• https://www.gov.sg/article/moving-into-phase-2-what-activities-can-resume
• https://www.moh.gov.sg/covid-19
• https://covid.gobusiness.gov.sg/
• https://www.mti.gov.sg/Newsroom/Updates-on-COVID-19
• https://safedistparks.nparks.gov.sg/
• https://www.spaceout.gov.sg/

The post 19th June 2020! Phase 2 Post Circuit Breaker is here! appeared first on TGH Photography and Travel Portal/Blog.

A few things happened prior to this, I was chatting with friends on Instagram, some have given up, some are not even on Instagram, some are still there and going strong. In recent months, I haven’t been posting as many photographs on Instagram while I am posting more Instagram stories instead. During that time, I was looking back at my time and reflecting on my posts, some were really crappy, I am wondering how and why did I post them? A recent article published by The Phoblographer titled, “Here’s How I’m Changing  The Culture of Instagram” resonates with me a lot, for photographers who are into Instagram, do visit and check it out!

Instagram used to be fun, it was instant photography, Instagrammers used to tag “latergram”, should the photos were not instant or at the moment. Posting photographs from cameras were frowned upon, it was mobile/smartphone photography. It was carefree for me, I didn’t bother with curation at that time, something which I have some regret that I didn’t take action to make some changes at that point in time.

Over time as Instagram grew, the platform changed dramatically and drastically, from being sold to Facebook, brands coming in, people just uploading from cameras to their smartphone before posting (Yes, I also joined in on this part), influencers coming onboard and “ruling” the norms, portraying the supposed Instagram lifestyle. I didn’t play the so-called Instagram game and I didn’t join some photographers with their fanciful filters editing.

Nowadays, some brands don’t look at your content anymore, they just look at follower numbers, how glamorous you are, how you brand and showcase yourself in the Instagram and social media world. The chase for fame and status resulted in some unethical and unorthodox methods on Instagram, well documented and covered over the years.

As I started to review and reflect on my Instagram, a love and hate relationship with Instagram. I got to know many more people via Instagram. I do admit to falling into the trap of getting jealous with follower numbers, fame and status. However, it dawned upon me to stop chasing the likes, follower numbers, fame and status.

I want to return back to the fun of Instagram photography, I am also going to be more selective of my photography postings thus you might see more Instagram stories in between posts. I am not planning to do a reset and delete my past Instagram posts, they would be my history to constantly remind me that I need to be more selective in my posts and producing quality posts as well.

Maybe it’s time to bring back the smaller photography group outings again and go out exploring our backyard, our neighbourhood, outdoors, parks, nature reserves etc, instead of challenging our egos to beat or outshine others.

The time has come for the return of TGH Photography x Canon EOS RP Explorer Series Production.

The post My Love and Hate Relationship with Instagram appeared first on TGH Photography and Travel Portal/Blog.

Music is a universal language, the Force is Strong in the world of music, that is sensed and discovered inside the Sudio Ett that was recently introduced to the audio world.

The clone troopers and storm troopers were ordered to transport the Sudio Ett back to base for the audio and technology review and tests. However, they were attracted by the Music and decided to defy orders, opening up the Sudio Ett and discovering the world of Sudio and music.

They are awed by Sudio’s Ett aesthetically beautiful design, minimalist and elegant, rooted in Swedish music that continues to move music lovers around the world today.

So they say, thank you for the #SudioMoments music!

Photographs shot with the Canon EOS M6 Mark II mirrorless camera with EF-M 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM lens that I am currently reviewing. Do keep a look out for my upcoming Canon EOS M6 Mark II review!

A special TGH Photography x Canon EOS M6 Mark II Explorer Series Production.

The post Sudio Ett x Star Wars Lego appeared first on TGH Photography and Travel Portal/Blog.

There is a new pair of true wireless earbuds in the galaxy, the Jabra Elite 75t has now arrived on our shores. Star Wars Lego Clone Troopers have been activated to pick up the gadget and escort it back to base for communication and audio testing.

Under heavy clone troopers security protection, the Jabra Elite 75t is unloaded, unboxed and transferred inside the base for testing and review.

Putting the Jabra Elite 75t through the paces, tests and scenarios, how would the review turn out? If you are interested to know more about the Jabra Elite 75t, do visit and check out my Jabra Elite 75t technology and audio review!

Photographs shot with the Canon EOS M6 Mark II mirrorless camera with EF-M 18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM lens that I am currently reviewing. Do keep a look out for my upcoming Canon EOS M6 Mark II review!

A special TGH Photography x Canon EOS M6 Mark II Explorer Series Production.

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This is also the 40th Anniversary of Star Wars V – The Empire Strikes Back that was released in 1980, probably the fan’s favourite Star Wars from the Star Wars Trilogy. Personally, the Battle of Hoth movie scene from The Empire Strikes Back, is one of my favourite Star Wars scenes. I previously wanted to replicate this scene with my Lego Star Wars collection, however, this scene requires a lot more Star Wars Lego sets and Lego mini figures especially the Snowtroopers and Rebel Alliance!

Therefore, I decided to bring out my current collection of Star Wars Lego, created a small setup on my bed, of the Battle of Hoth scene from The Empire Strikes Back, shot with the Canon EOS M6 Mark II mirrorless camera that I am currently reviewing. While it can’t be compared to the big projects done by hardcore Star Wars fans, nevertheless, I enjoyed my fun toy photography time with my Star Wars Lego again using my Canon digital cameras!

Since I am doing a special theme of Star Wars Lego toy photography with the Canon EOS M6 Mark II, let’s create some my own Star Wars stories/scenes from my Lego collection.

In this period of the extended circuit breaker, this toy photography with the Canon EOS M6 Mark II brought fun and joy in the midst of restrictions, stress and pressure arising from the Covid-19 situation. Do keep a lookout for my Canon EOS M6 Mark II review article!

May the Force be with You on May the 4th 2020. take care and be safe, in time to come, our life would slowly get back to normal soon when the extended circuit breaker is lifted.

A New Hope awaits all of us.

The post May the 4th Be With You (2020) ! appeared first on TGH Photography and Travel Portal/Blog.

At this point in time, less than one week into the Circuit Breaker period in Singapore, how are you feeling right now, your emotions, your inner most thoughts, words speaking to you? How are you coping with working from home, quarantine life and home-based learning? Are you feeling a roller coaster of emotions and thoughts right now, with more news and restrictions coming into this Circuit Breaker period in Singapore? Through my earlier article, which emotional stage are you at right now?

I would like to share some of the photographs that I shot with the Canon EOS M6 Mark II review camera before the circuit breaker kicked in, through the viewing of my landscape photographs, I hope that they would be a form of therapy for you to keep calm, stay safe, stay at home, spend time with your family, children and loved ones.

We all need to stay #SGUnited #SGTogether, fight the Covid-19 virus together. Let’s get it under control and we can get back to our normal life, not just in Singapore, around the world too. This current battle against Covid-19 might take longer than expected, it is not likely to end soon, that would also mean we have to continue with WFH and quarantine life for a bit longer.

While we continue to find new ways to maintain human interaction and connection, we can leverage on technology, social media and communication apps to keep the human connection and interaction going.

I would continue to share more photographs, as a form of enjoyment and therapy for those who need the calm and tranquility during this difficult period. Take care and be safe!

The post How are you emotionally, working from home and quarantine life? appeared first on TGH Photography and Travel Portal/Blog.

The circuit break are new stricter measures announced by the Singapore government to curb the spread of the Covid-19 virus situation in Singapore. The whole world have been severely hit by the Covid-19 virus, massive disruptions to the world economy. Some industries are more severely impacted by the virus situation and we are all feeling the stress, pressure, anxiety and fear for our daily living, work or business. For photographers who are doing this as a full time business or as a freelancer, this is a massive test for the photography industry.

Circuit Breaker – In a nutshell, it’s a closure of non-essential services in Singapore during this period from 7th April 2020 to 4th May 2020 (at the very least and hopefully). More in-depth coverage of the Singapore’s Circuit Breaker is published here inside this article on my technology and business portal/blog.

While we photographers are working from home, making the best out of this dire situation arising from the Covid-19 virus. We do hope to be back in photography action as soon as the situation is under control and stabilised. What am I doing during this downturn for my photography segment?

For a start, I am working on other photography and related areas.

• Working on my first photo zine after a successful trial run of my pre-launch/trial photo zine that I published not too long ago.
• Curating and making changes to my commercial photography portfolio website – https://www.tghphotography.com/
• Curating and adding more photographs to my photography gallery websites – https://500px.com/tangenghui and https://www.flickr.com/photos/tangenghui/
• Working on two gadget review articles, Canon PIXMA TS6370 and Canon EOS M6 Mark II
• Local travel stories for #TravelFromHome series for fellow travelers from around the world and for local Singapore readers too

Check out the photographs shared in this article, they were shot with the Canon EOS M6 Mark II with EF-M18-150mm f/3.5-6.3 IS STM kit lens, a sneak preview of my upcoming review article.

This is a very difficult time for everyone of us, not just us photographers, we are feeling the blows and impacts from the Covid-19 virus situation, on both personal and professional fronts. This is also the time that we understand that we all are in this together, let’s all be nice to each other and help each other as much as possible.

Let’s all try to help one another, let’s help you photographers and also me to shout out/share their/my website, social media platforms, photography galleries.

We all need to be #SGUnited #SGTogether and make it work. Let’s don’t let this circuit breaker extend beyond this period!

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