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Blue Elephant Phuket 2021

Posted by Annette Johnson on September 15, 2021
Posted in: Phuket, Uncategorized. Leave a comment

Blue Elephant Phuket
From my recent visit two days ago. Every month we try and go and support our local businesses and community. This month was the turn of the Blue Elephant!
Amazing building, and lovely food.

Blue Elephant Phuket is not a casual Thai restaurant, but contrary to what most people think, it is not outrageously expensive (We didn’t say cheap though). Blue Elephant Phuket is perfect for a special occasion, a dining experience to share and remember. We wrote about this fantastic old mansion that used to be a governor’s house, abandoned for a long time in Phuket Town.

Seen from the street, it always had the majesty of a place with a long and mysterious history. They returned the mansion to its original grandeur, and you can now drive up the immense garden alley, leave your car under the trees and proudly climb the stairs like a celebrity to enter the famous Blue Elephant.

Dining in a hundred years old governor’s house adds a new dimension to the experience. The Blue Elephant is a long-established cooking school from Bangkok and a great place to invite your guests or for a romantic occasion. Take the time to walk around the park with your glass in hand and appreciate the majesty of the Sino-Portuguese architecture, shaded by immense trees that witnessed moments of Phuket fascinating history.

As you explore, it becomes easy to imagine how the held parties and ceremonies within these walls. Then climb the stairs to the second floor and walk through the several large rooms with their dark wooden floors and the many windows so typical of this era.

Then, it’s dinner time, and you will walk through the ‘Blue Elephant Gallery’ to the air-conditioned indoor or outdoor dining area. Service is as impeccable as you expect it to be, the restaurant and tables setting are beautiful.

DIY Diffuser No. 1

Posted by Annette Johnson on September 3, 2021
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So finally I have made myself two flash diffusers!

To help me on my journey into the land of Macro Photography,

The first one here in this post is actually a free bit of packing I got with my Xdobo USB mini speaker. The sides are layered foam, and as you will see from the video a bit loose, so I will have to glue that hole down. basically you just push it onto the front of the flash and hey presto! a diffuser.

What I found with this one, unlike the second post I will put up today, is that its better for short length lenses. I’m looking at getting a Raynox for my Canon 70-300mm IS USM, so this is all I had to test it on (close up wise). On the 300mm length images came out quite a bit darker than I had hoped for. Although so much better than without flash diffuser or flash at all.

Now I am still learning depth of field and focus planes here, so forgive my photo of my Vietnamese frog ornament (2cm wide) not being in total focus (I have focus stacking on my list of things to learn). This was taken on my Canon 77D, Canon 70-300mm IS USM, at 280mm, manual focus, ISO 1600, f/5.6, 1/60th, So yes a very high ISO, but this is where I have to start from. Any comments welcome…and yes it is tricky doing a video one handed whilst trying to put the diffuser on the flash!

This is just to show you the packing material that came in perfect size for my flash head!
Canon 77D, Canon 70-300mm IS USM, at 280mm, manual focus, ISO 1600, f/5.6, 1/60th

Thanks for joining me on my Macro Journey, soon Iwill be posting about my experiences f Macro work in the real World, successes and failures!

Canon 10-18mm STM F/4.5-5.6

Posted by Annette Johnson on August 24, 2021
Posted in: Lenses, Uncategorized. 2 Comments

I have been through some changes with my Camera Kit earlier this 2021. Moving back from my Canon Eos M5 to the Canon 77D which is my camera now, also meant I had to come back to buying EFS lenses for my 77D. As all my other ones were EFM, for the M5.

When I had my 70D I had long wanted the Canon 10-18mm stm lens. Although at the time I was very happy with my Tamron 10-24mm, and not being able to justify having two wide angle lenses I never got one. Now was my golden opportunity to get the 10-18mmm stm.

I had like many read and watched many many reviews of this fantastic little, lightweight ,lens. And sourcing it in mint condition from Facebook Marketplace for around £95 I was very pleased to get it.

The first day I got out with my 77D I had the 10-18mm fixed firmly on the front of it. This is one of my first shots I ever took with it.

So how has it been since I got it back in early March. Well I have not been disappointed with the wide angle lens. weighing in a a measly 8.4oz or 240g for those metric amongst us, I have not found it hard to carry this little gem around all day long. The 67mm filter thread is a bonus as this is also the same size as my Canon 18-135mm stm filter thread, which has the bonus of me also being able to swap the one lens hood I have between the two. It also makes polarisers and ND easier as I only have to buy one set at one size.

Like all the Efs Stm lenses it comes in black, with its usual tough, hardwearing plastic body. A plastic lens mount, and to be honest to the nay Sayers, I have never had any problems with plastic mounts in the last ten years of using them on my cameras. A nice tight fit and I’m good to go.

Yes it would be nice to have a wider aperture range(but what for? your going to be using this for mostly Landscape and Architecture. Do you really need Bokeh for either?) Not really a minus considering its primary use. 

I particularly like photographing landscape with dramatic clouds, or Seascapes, and find it a perfect accompaniment and tool to my 77D and my style of photography.

I will let my photos below speak for themselves on the wideness, sharpness and creativeness you can get to using this fabulous lens!

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Still Time to Buy for Christmas at my Gallery at Photo4me!

Posted by Annette Johnson on December 8, 2020
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From my latest collection on Photo4me, you can get a 10% discount too when you use this code: ADVENT2020. Still in time for Christmas!

Have a look at my Gallery and pick yourself a little bit of sunshine .

https://shop.photo4me.com/927494/framed-mounted-print?o=21&e=12&s=309&u=in&share=true

Chalong Pier and Marina – Phuket

Posted by Annette Johnson on July 11, 2020
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Living in the South of Phuket I get to visit some of the less touristy areas. Well maybe Chalong pier is not one of those, except just before the covid restrictions on movement came in in March 2020.

Which is when i had a chance to go and photograph this interesting and usually thriving /busy place.

Chalong Pier is located southeast of Phuket Island on the border with Rawai. This pier is more and more frequented: sailboats are not the most numerous but motorboats for offshore fishing trips, diving trips, canoe trips and finally many speedboats that take you to the islands a little further away in a short time.

It is also a very active area with shops, restaurants, and a breathtaking beach. The pier offers many boat trips around all the nearby islands, including Racha Island and Koh Hae. In Chalong Bay, there is also a dive site for underwater enthusiasts and many activities like sailing and cruising among other fun endeavors.

It was completed in about 2002 and is around 700 meters long. Before this new pier, which was built to serve the countless tourist boats that depart from Chalong, there was only a rickety wooden jetty, barely wide enough for 2 people to pass each other. Now shored up as a concrete version of its bigger brother, I walked that too!

Music free under creative commons licence from Yo Tube Music Library: Everything You wanted- by Dan Lebowitz

 

Canon Efm 18-55mm stm on Canon Eos M and Eos M5

Posted by Annette Johnson on July 6, 2020
Posted in: Cameras with Lenses, Uncategorized. Leave a comment

 

Efm 18-55mm stm on Eos M5
Efm 18-55mm stm on Eos M
Efm 18-55mm stm on Eos M5
Efm 18-55mm stm on Eos M
Efm 18-55mm stm on Eos M5
Efm 18-55mm stm on Eos M

Second in my personal look at lenses I actually own and use is the  native Canon Efm 18-55mm 3.5-5.6 stm A quite different lens to the previously looked at Efm 15-45mm stm

This lens came out before the 15-45mm,(in fact 2012) is made totally with a metal housing and mount. Slightly longer, actually quite noticeably longer than its “kit lens” sibling. This lens lets you know it’s there! Weighing in at 200g it is a whole 80g heavier than the 15-45mm plastic /lightweight/wider angle lens. My version is black, it also comes in silver. That isn’t the only difference, the filter thread also comes in at a larger 52mm (as opposed to the 49mm of the 15-45), so no swapping your filters here. Not a complete problem as I have step up rings for my filter, but this could get expensive for some if you have to keep buying different sized sets for different sized lenses. Just something to think about and I will be posting info on my sets ups soon.

Some people may say solid, I agree, it is, and feels quality, and a very nice sharp kit lens that Canon has seen fit to stop making. Who knows why as this is a great , sharp, handy 28mm-88mm, in full frame equivalent (18 x1.6 and 55 x 1.6) from the APSC sized sensor.

Why do I have this plus the 15-45mm? I hear some people say, am I not covering the same-ish focal lengths? Yes I am, but I had heard so much about this lenses sharp and pleasing imagery, that when I had the opportunity to secure one locally for £39 (1500thb) at the beginning of June 2020, it was too good a bargain to miss!

Of course as I have two M series Cameras it also makes a handy lens to have to pair with  either of the two cameras. So I have the 18-55mm on one and the 15-45mm on the other, depending on what /where I am going. I use both these lenses for my more casual projects, and my Sigma 8-16mm for my more serious landscape work.

The other reason is to really see what the differences are between the two lenses.  I actually have not had much time to test it out fully, that will be an ongoing activity over the next few weeks, but I did get a chance to stretch it out at one of the beaches that I visited last week and I will put the images below this post along with focal lengths.

I really liked it, the weight counterbalances the M5 perfectly, focuses quickly, and is fairly accurate on all settings. On the Eos M it was a little front heavy, but nothing like the efs lenses, and not so much that I would not use it. I liked the nice clarity I got from it, and found that in real World use you don’t see any fall off on sharpness. again on the Eos m quick and silent focusing made it a delight to use.

The weather was not so good as it is currently rainy season here in Phuket(where I currently live), and I am looking to stretch it when I get some brighter skies. Overall I think it is quite different , giving a narrower field of view, but actually more as you see it (or the eye sees it), and less stretched than its 15-45mm cousin. with a 3.5-5.6 aperture it has at least the same light abilities as its wider cousin, if not a little stunted at the long end.

Does the 55mm at the long end make any difference? not really as I would use it mostly for landscape, and city work when on walkabouts, which entails using it at the wide end of 18mm more often than not.  A great  kit lens, loved by many and rightly so. If you can get one for less than 60-70 quid, you are getting a great lens for the money. It is  a shame that Canon stopped producing it, I guess costs of production against its plastic mounted counterparts are what did it.

Would I sell it now? Nope, I love its field of view, and for a native lens it is very very usable walkabout lens. Fitting the compactness of the Canon Eos M range of cameras, I would say that it is a worthy addition to your camera.

EFM 18-55mm at 18mm
EFM 18-55mm at 20mm
EFM 18-55mm at 21mm
EFM 18-55mm at 20mm
EFM 18-55mm at 18mm

 

Abandoned Villa- Old Town Phuket

Posted by Annette Johnson on January 23, 2020
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So another in my Urban exploration series, this time the abandoned Villa, in Old Town Phuket.
Built around 100 years ago this sadly empty and decaying building is left. Surrounded by some out buildings and what would have been servants quarters.
The building is securely padlocked at all entrances to the ground floor, I suspect that as much of the main roof section has gone the upper floors maybe rotten beyond repair and very dangerous!
Windows are closed and I managed to push one open a little to get a peek inside. Tantalising glimpses of what was before. You can get around to the side and the rear of this building, the back, backs onto a water culvert so not practical to enter through there either. Judging by the undergrowth, i wouldn’t want to bet on the local friendly snakes either.
So instead I just looked at what I could and wishing I could restore it to what it used to be. On a prime piece of land in the center of the Old Town in Phuket, it looks like there will be a long wait before that if ever comes up for sale!
This location is open and public;
Shared route From Siam Commercial Bank, 59 Ratsada Rd, Talat Nuea, Mueang Phuket District, Phuket 83000 to 100 Ratsada Rd, Tambon Talat Nuea, Amphoe Mueang Phuket, Chang Wat Phuket 83000 via ถนน รัษฎา. 1 min (200 m) 1 min in current traffic 1. Head west on ถนน รัษฎา toward ซอย ประดิษฐ์ 2. Turn left 3. Arrive at location: 100 Ratsada Rd For the best route in current traffic visit https://maps.app.goo.gl/EKF8YTPpEY2TF…

This is Phuravarna.. The Abandoned Retreat

Posted by Annette Johnson on December 31, 2019
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Some of you may know I have a love of exploring old abandoned and unfinished buildings.

This video is dedicated to my new explorer friend Celeste Hanson, who without her knowledge of this place I would never have found.

I can see that it would have made a beautiful calm, peaceful and relaxing retreat in the Island of Phuket. Sadly it seems that it either ran out of money or possible investors. either way it stands as an example of what could have been. You will see what I mean when you watch it!

It was an idea to build the resort with villas…the owner was playing dirty with investors so they pulled off investments…that was around ten years ago…I believe that this property still has some serious legal issues

Arjuna’s Penance

Posted by Annette Johnson on May 24, 2019
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During my four month trip in late 2015 to Southern India, I visited the state of Tamil Nadu, here in Mahabalipuram I saw many of the wonderful Monuments there. This one is affectionately known as Arjuna’s Penance, and competes with it’s other title of The Descent of the Ganges.

It is one of the magnificent monuments of Mahabalipuram. This wonderful bas air relief dates back to the mid-seventh century. Standing tall at a height of 43 feet, the monolith was carved on the face of two huge adjoining boulders, making its length around 96 feet.

The subject of the massive structure is either Arjuna’s Penance or the Descent of the Ganges, or possibly both. Historians and experts of archeology have never settled on one account as there are not sufficient sources or records.

 

“Comparing Apples”

Posted by Annette Johnson on April 27, 2019
Posted in: Artists and Photographers, Uncategorized. Leave a comment

It is so wonderful when an artist chooses your work to reference their creations, and today this great piece of Art is from my friends at Artists and Photographers on Face Book.

 

Ros Beck, I am honoured you chose my “Multi Coloured Apples” for your project. I also love the way you saw something different in the message it gives to the viewer.

Today’s stunning piece of work titled “”Comparing Apples”, comes from Ros Beck who is an artist in Christchurch, New Zealand. Her images are predominantly Horses and dogs, but here she shows her talent to diversify into other subjects with this piece.

When Roz posted this image in the group one of her comments about the piece, saying “.I love still life… this started as a piece to be donated to the families of a recent mass shooting here in chch, but I ran out of time and sent a 3 horse pour instead, but this says a lot about the human race, we are all just people no matter our colour or beliefs!!”

You can see Roz and her work at;  https://www.facebook.com/Ros-Beck-Art-936226009772475/

 

Fairytale canyon “Skazka” Каньон “Сказка”

Posted by Annette Johnson on March 18, 2019
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During my two month visit to Kyrgyzstan, a good amount of my time was spent in the beautiful Lake Issi Kul area.

Moving along the south coast of Issyk-Kul lake from Karakol town, before you reach the small village named Kadji-Sai, you have an opportunity to get into the most beautiful mountain landscapes.

The canyon was named because of its bizarre rocky landscape, which for many years has been transformed by erosion into amazing sculptures and formations. Some formations look like The Great Wall of China and you can also find other formations that look like snakes, dragons, sleeping giants and even whole castles. From the canyon you can see a majestic panorama of Lake Issyk-Kul and snow caped mountains.

Dedicated to my dear Photographer Compatriot; Natalia Arentseva!
This would make a great place for a photo shoot!

You can see Natalia’s work here ; https://www.facebook.com/photographynataliaarantseva/