Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Featured IR Photographer Showcase - Haja Maideen

My goodness we skip around the Globe a lot here on the IR Buzz. Back we go to Singapore! Have you noticed just how many talented photographers there are from that area of the world? And who are infatuated with IR? I am just constantly amazed at the talent over there, and the scenes for IR..... those folks are in IR Heaven! Haja Maideen joins us this time, and reminds us of the great job the Sony DSC-F828 can do in it's built-in Nightshot mode. The Sony 828 is a really inexpensive way to start in IR. No expensive mods required, just 2 or three 58mm filters, and you are set. The 58mm size is a real asset in itself. Filters in that size are cheap compared to the larger and much more expensive 72mm and 77mm filters needed for most DSLR lenses. You can equip yourself with everything you need for less than $100US, where a Hoya R72 in 77mm can run more than twice that. Anyway, let's knock off the discussion of pricey filters and join Haja for a tour thru his practiced IR-Eye. Haja shoots with his 828, but he also tells us that he has modded a Nikon D70s for IR. I expect that we can count on seeing many, many more beautiful IR shots as he learns to add this camera to his IR tool box. (And a Diana toy camera shooter too - awesome!). Welcome Haja!

My name is Haja Maideen (pronounceD My-din). I am from Singapore. At a very young age I got interested in photography. When I was 10 years old I bought my first camera. It was a Diana plastic camera. When I was carrying it around people thought it was supposed to shoot out water. When I was working in General Electric, I met a guy by the name of Dennis Lim who was a part-time photography lecturer at the local club. He was the guy who taught me photography. I bought a Pentax K1000 and began to shoot pictures. In a few months, I upgraded to a Nikon FM2 and I went out with Dennis Lim almost every weekend to shoot pictures. Later, I was transferred to the Department where Dennis Lim worked. That was a blessing to me. Every day, we chatted about photography. In 2003 I bought a Sony F828. Thats when I started IR photography. I used the nightshot mode and attached ND filters and a Hoya R72 to shoot day light infrared pictures. I don't do post processing or any other adjustment in Photoshop. In fact I don't have Photoshop installed in my PC. I have GIMP, a free Photoshop look-a-like photo editing software, but I am not familiar with it. In February 2008, I bought a used Nikon D70s and asked a guy to swap the hot mirror with a Hoya R72 glass. When the camera came back, the pictures aren't satisfactory. I prefer the Sony F828 color tone but since I already spent "big" money on the Nikon D70s and paid a guy to modify it, I would rather use it then keep it in the dry cabinet. Now I am eyeing on the Nikon 12-24mm f/4G IF-ED AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor

Here are a few of my own favorites of my IR work.


Haja's IR Gallery


Copyright Statement: All images and materials displayed and showcased here, are copyrighted and are the exclusive property of the artist. Images and material may not be reproduced or used in any way without the written consent of the artist.


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Let Haja know how much you enjoy and appreciate his IR Photography!


-=- Jerry -=-


2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Haja, thanks for showing your work. I really like your photos, especially your careful composition in each of them!

Kort said...

Excellent imagery Haja, thanks for sharing!