Stuff to Shoot

Went out with Grungmann again yesterday and shot the photowalk route. I think there will be plenty of fun stuff to shoot if people keep their eye peeled as my daddy used to say. Click on one of the images to go to a small gallery of the images above.

I sent out an email to all the registered participants yesterday, but I know many of you plan to come and walk with us as unregistered participants and that is great! So here is the same letter for you, just so you don’t feel left out.

Greetings Fearless Walkers!

It’s shaping up to be quite a weekend. We will be having many more than the scheduled 50 walkers, (but only your 50 are getting the chance to win the city prize and the grand prize) but as they say, the more the merrier!

During the Walk…

Safety First! – Please be aware of your surroundings! Remember that there is real traffic on the other side of that lens and that you mustn’t get too distracted by what you are shooting and forget that. I don’t want someone ending the day at the hospital!

Be Mindful of Your Gear – A large group of photographers can attract a lot of attention – some of it, not the good kind. Please be be mindful of your gear at all times. Again, just be aware of your surroundings!

Be Prepared for Walk-ups – As I said, the enthusiasm for this event has been very high so do not be surprised if unregistered walkers arrive to join our group. We want to share this experience with everyone so please, allow unregistered walkers to join in on the fun! Just be sure they understand that, as last-minute participants, they are not eligible to submit their photos for the prize. Only walkers that pre-registered for your walk will have that access to upload photos.

Play nice – Remember folks, this is a social event – A time to meet with fellow photographers and maybe gain some new perspectives. Take the time to share your knowledge with others. If someone shows up with a disposable camera, don’t laugh. Instead, why not take them under your wing? And if police or security guards stop you from photographing a building or something (hey, it happens) just nod politely and move on. The name of this game is, “Keeping it Social.”

Remember, It’s a Photo Walk, Not a Photo Parade – A photo walk is supposed to be a social event. Participants are encouraged to move and mingle at their own pace. You do not have to stay together and move as a group! The only thing that should be done as a group is the very beginning and the very end. As long as everyone reconvenes at the final meeting place (Kasim Mustafa) at the end, our walk will be a complete success!

What if it Rains? – Since this Penang, it could be raining during all or part of the walk. So, what if it is raining? We walk on – no rain day. We will just get very cool shots of Penang in the rain. If it looks like it might rain, bring an umbrella, a raincoat/jacket and of course, something to cover your camera and lens in case it rains. Sometimes, an extra shirt to cover the camera or lens doesn’t hurt. I’ve seen people use plastic too to cover their cameras.

After the Walk…

Remember to Upload – All walkers must upload their photos to our group’s Flickr Page by Midnight on Tuesday, August 26 if you want to be considered for both the city and grand prizes. Please Note: They’ve placed a Flickr link on our City page to better help you with this.

… and lastly, BE SAFE! – I really cannot stress to you how important it is to impart a message of safety to all you walkers. Photo walks are meant to celebrate the spirit of photography in a fun and social setting. Nothing would dampen this notion faster than the knowledge that a fellow Photographer got more than he/she bargained for in the process. Let’s keep it fun and safe folks so we can do this again sometime.

Here is an excellent post by Jeff Revell on just about everything you need to know when it comes to photo-walking HERE.

WHAT TO BRING:
Your camera. That’s the most important thing. Don’t forget it. Don’t have an SLR? That’s okay! Just bring whatever camera you have. Make sure your batteries are charged and you have enough memory.
Lenses – Bring 1 or 2 lenses… generally a wide and a zoom lens would be good so that you can cover a lot of things. It really depends on how you usually shoot, but as much as possible, I’d advise you to travel light.
Tripod – I leave this up to you. There might be some nice scenes around sunset so it’s good to have this. Don’t forget to bring your cable release if you will bring your tripod. Just make sure your tripod is light enough so you won’t be carrying something heavy.
Water – While I would recommend to bring a bottle of water during the walk, Georgetown has a lot of food stalls and restaurants, so you can easily buy a bottle of water there.

Ok, that should just about cover everything. Please email us if you have any questions.

But remember: Above all, HAVE FUN!

See you Saturday at 5pm in front of the Kapitian Keling Mosque!