// Developing from the Negatives //

Cassandra Wu. Eighteen. Y2 student in Singapore Polytechnic DMC. Follow me on twitter: @_kasandura!

[fiwhiteshadows]

Check out Gravity - Official Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiTiKOy59o4

2 things which made the movie great:

1. The sounds

Each sound in the movie was beautifully crafted to fit the amazing visuals. I applaud to Alfonso Cuarón for his decision for the duration of each sound...

[what-areyouserious]

More tips for everyone! Here are 2 factors (by Fiona) that make a movie great. ;) 

[foodwerkz-blog]

I have decided to conclude my final food updates with a week about pancakes. I have featured Nook once, in the second week where I introduced customized food options. However, this is a closer look into their actual pancakes menu. Nook actually has a very small range of pancakes to choose from,...

[what-areyouserious]

I'm hungry just reading this post. Look at how Glynis angles her photos. Thumbs up! 

[foodwerkz-blog]

Just this Monday, us from DMC 01 finally executed our TA event, Surfing on the Wild Side. We aimed to educate teenagers to prevent them from falling prey to sexual online predators, through a series of games planned to interact with them. It has been a long and tiring process preparing for this...

[what-areyouserious]

CASSY'S 5 TIPS TO #FOODPORN

Okay as the title suggests, I'm here (again) to share my 5 tips to taking food photography for Instagram. Specifically Instagram because that's where most food photography aka #foodporn are uploaded to now.

*Not that I'm a professional and you don't necessarily have to agree with me.* 

Scrolling through my timeline at 11pm now, I can easily spot 1/3 food photography and sometimes, it gets a little... upsetting because it makes me hungry and I don't have the habit of eating supper! :( 

Here are my 5 tips to taking (good, or at least relatively decent enough) food photographs. 

1 — Focus! 

DO NOT try too hard by clustering all your food together. Taking photo of a dish at a time isn't that hard, no one's stealing your food and it will not run away. Keep your photo simple because simplicity is the ultimate sophistication ;) (cheyyyy) 

Photo credit: @yahuiyh 

2 — Keep it simple. Make use of a solid/clean background

Instagram photos are small and that doesn't leave much space for your followers' eyes to look around the photo. By using a solid/clean background, you keep the focus of the photo on your subject. And... it isn't difficult to find a clean background, so why not? 

(Mmmm yes, one other tip is to add overlays/texts to your photos. It works well too.) 

Photo credit: @glynts  

3 — Part 1: Play with different angles: Rule of thirds 

What kind of angles, you may ask? That depends on you.

Personally, I like having my food placed at the side of the frame. This is so that it takes up a maximum 2/3 of the frame, leaving 1/3 of it as the background.

Okay here are a few of my own photos. *thick skin*  

4 — Part 2: Play with different angles: 90° from the top

What's good about this? You get to see everything and yet the photo doesn't appear messy. Bad point: You've to stand up. 

Photo credit: @sharkylene

5 — Be yourself. 

The most important tip is to be yourself. Bring out your own style in your photographs. It doesn't matter whichever angle you prefer or think is better, just so long as you find your most comfortable and happy way to take photo, it's good! 

But of course, try to make your photo look as appealing as possible ;) 

P.S I really like Yahui's food photography and no, I'm not biased here.

[EXTRA] And here's a funny article all Instagrammers should read: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/06/joanna-zhou_n_4221664.html 

Share your favourite way of taking foodporn with me & feed me with more tips, please?

[what-areyouserious]

5 PLACES YOU SHOULD VISIT FOR PHOTOGRAPHY

Last month, I tweeted that I want to go for a photography shoot that I've been waiting for since ..... the longest time ever, but nope it hasn't happen yet. No, not me being in front of the camera (even though I won't mind) but I actually meant going around Singapore to take photos — the beach, skyline, gardens and railway tracks! Sounds fun, no? 

But it's okay! Even though I haven't had the time and company to go for a proper one day shoot, I still take photos of places I go to occasionally and that's quite fulfilling too. Singapore may not be as exciting as other countries but there're still wonderful places for photography. 

So here's a list of 5 easy-to-travel-to places (I THINK) you should visit to take photos. 

1 — Ernest Zacharevic's Street Art 

*Also recommended by my friend, Sunday. 

I went there once with Q last month because I was so intrigued by the girl with the cat when we drove past the place. But I guess I wasn't lucky that day because that was the only one I found (also because I was rushing for time actually). There're more, like the one with two children in a supermarket trolley and the boy who peep out of a window. Will be back with more photos if I find them! ;) 

Photo credit: Myself ;) 

Found along Victoria Street (above) and Joo Chiat (below), this is one you should NEVER miss because you can barely find this anywhere else in Singapore. (Since when were graffiti/street arts allowed?) 

And... if you're still crazy over minions, here you go! 

Photo credit: https://www.facebook.com/Ernestzachas

This is REALLY cute and I can't wait to see it and take a few photos with these really cute minions myself. OOTD here, maybe? 

Know more: http://www.zachas.com/index.php/murals/

2 — Haji Lane (Near Bugis) 

Duh. Who don't know that you can take wonderful photos here? Everyone, but me (until recently). Never knew that there were murals and walls around Haji Lane that makes awesome photo background. There're a few shophouses/bars that have really vintage blue, red and yellow metal gates where you can take really nice OOTD in the day when the shutter's close. Must try! (but too bad, I have yet to find the chance) 

Here's one photo of myself at Haji Lane. 

3 — Marina Bay Sands Skypark/Infinity Pool 

To go up to the skypark observation deck & infinity pool, you either need to have a room there or you buy tickets. Sadly, you can only buy tickets to the skypark and not the infinity pool. 

Here're the prices (in case you're wondering): 

S$23 for adults | S$17 for children (aged between 2 - 12 years) | S$20 for senior citizens (aged 65 years and above) | Children under 2 years may enter for free.

But should you ever have a chance to stay at MBS, NEVER miss the chance to go up to level 57 and enjoy your time in the infinity pool, observation deck and take as many photos as you can. I am absolutely in LOVE with the place. *inserts love emoticon* 

Here're a few photos I took, 

4 — Pinnacle @ Duxton

If you really want a take photos of the city skyline, for a cheaper alternative, you can check out Pinnacle @ Duxton's Sky Garden for S$5. But be sure to have that amount of money in your ez-link card because that's the only way to get your entry ticket. 

I have been there once or twice and the place is not too bad for you to chill at night. The place is windy and there're seats around, artificial carpeted grass and corner hideouts. It's a good place to spend time with your friends — peaceful and relaxing. You can take nice photos of the city skyline too. I remember taking a photo but I can't find it anywhere in my album :( 

Will post it up if I find it anytime soon! 

5 — Clarke Quay 

Besides it being a good place for photography, it's also a good place for filming. It actually feels quite relaxing just sitting by the river sometimes. 

Here's a photo I took a really long time ago when I was trying out my fisheye lens, 

There're many other places where you can take really nice photographs, but I'll probably share it another time. Let me know of nice places and maybe, share your photos with me too? ;) 

[what-areyouserious]

VIRAL VIDEO

Just last friday, Mr Mario was discussing and sharing with the class on how to make a video go viral. The best part of the lesson was when we had to create a video, talking about how to make videos go viral. 

According to This Happened to Me, there are 10 ways to make a video go viral. 

1. Don't be "too good" for marketing. 

To make it easier to understand, it basically means to swallow your pride and come up with a marketing plan to market the video. 

2. Understand how things go viral on the Internet.

Once again, in simpler words, it just means to get more people to like, share and spread the video. Get more people to see it & hopefully, get bloggers or recognized people to talk about it on social media and boom! ;) 

3. Release your videos on Monday or Tuesday.

People watch YouTube videos when they're at work or in school (because they're always so bored). Understand your audience, know how they work. 

4. Figure out who has a stake in your video.

Who's involved? No, I don't mean being physically involved. 

"My YouTube description was full of links to possible sponsors — to the Lululemon and American Apparel clothes I was wearing. To the Lift App I used to track my dancing. To the BART train station I danced at." Try contacting all potential sponsors and brands, you never know what good things will happen ;) 

5. None of it matters if the video isn't good (to begin with).

Appeal to your audience! Evoke emotions in them! 

6. Tell a Story.

Be sure that your video tells a story because that's always what people want to see and hear. 

7. Make your video shorter. 

SHORT & SWEET, to the point! 

"Short videos spread faster." 

8. Write a viral title. 

Everyone gets this. No? 

9. Know what you're willing to compromise.

Make sure you accept everything that is going on the Internet before posting — title, content, effects — because once it's out, you can't get it back. 

10. What to do once you (your video) go viral. 

Accept both the positive and negative feedback. Yes, even when it's criticism, because at least it shows that people are talking about it. Viral videos have short shelf life. Be sure to grab hold of as many opportunities during the 'viral' period and make sure it's easy for the media to contact you! 

Source: https://medium.com/this-happened-to-me/d19d9b9465de 

Not exactly 10 easy steps but slow and steady wins the race! Good luck to you if you're intending to create a channel to make viral videos. Share the video link with me if you already have videos that have gone viral, I'm quite excited to watch more exciting videos! 

Oh and before I forget, here's the one my group did in class.

Link: http://youtu.be/hEfpzBF-PaY 

4 EASY STEPS! (as compared to the 10 in this post). 

- cassywu 

[what-areyouserious]

BLACK & WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY

DISCLAIMER: Long boring post with NO photos. 

Everything in this society is developing. Larger land. Higher buildings. Nicer scenery and skyline. Advanced technology. However, one thing that's not changing, is how black and white (B&W) photography remains a hit among photographers. Well actually, any one who takes photographs even. But why? 

Personally, I really like B&W photographs. Sometimes, I take my photos in colour but I will still choose to filter it and post it in B&W. Simply because it gives a totally different mood to the photo. Here are a few reasons to why I love B&W photography: 

1 — Simplicity. 

No matter how clustered or messy the photo may be, once it's filtered black and white, everything is less complex looking and it exudes simplicity in the messiness. Also, it's easy to match anything with b&w photographs, so you can actually print it out and display it at home ;) 

2 — Adaptable. 

You've got to agree that a B&W filter fits in all framings, scenarios and angles. It's so versatile that regardless of the subject, it is still able to capture the essence of a beautiful photo. 

3 — Focus. 

There is no distractions in a B&W photo. Sometimes, colours may make the photo appear messy and complicated because there isn't a point to focus on. But in B&W photography, there's definitely an obvious focus in the photo. 

4 — Mood.

B&W photos exude a really different mood and feel. It's amazing how the mood of a photo can be changed through the variations of shadows, lightings and contrasts. 

5 — Timeless.

It's never out of date! Everyone uses it, everyone loves it. Need I explain more? 

You definitely have to try it out yourself to fully understand the beauty of B&W photos. Let me know if you feel the same way! ;) 

[what-areyouserious]

WHAT IS YOUR EARLIEST HUMAN MEMORY?

18 years old. I saw the light. 

[what-areyouserious]

PHOTO EDITING MADE EASIER

With the advancement in technology and the creation of new apps coming out in the market (app store), there are a few really good photo apps around. Photo apps make photo editing so much easier for me because there isn't a need for me to go through the hassle of using my laptop (photoshop, paint bucket etc.) to edit anymore!

The best part is, I can upload the photos to my social media accounts instantly after I'm done editing. ;)

Here are a few of the apps that I use. 

1. Typic 

FREE APP.

This app provides fonts, filters and crops photos for into a square to fit Instagram's size. It's a free app, unless you wish to buy in-app font pack at S$1.28, which gives you another 21 new fonts. Users can choose their own preferred font and input their text (but only 1 line), change the opacity of the text and filter their photos with only the 6 filters available. I would recommend this app only because it's rather straightforward and easy to use. 

2. Phonto

FREE APP.

An app that allows you to add texts to your photos. No limitations to the number of lines you have! With more than 200 fonts available (after in-app purchase), you can choose different fonts for different text on the same photo too. Everything's customizable in this app — the font, gradient, text colour, text size, text background colour. I like ;) 

3. Doodles

PAID APP: S$1.28.

A photo editor for overlay collage effect on Instagram. I only started using this app because I was intrigued by the overlays Glynis had on her photos. But yet I'm too lazy to do it her way, so I found the easy way out — Doodles. Users can use the artwork from the Doodle Community 'library', which are drawn by various artists. This app is amazing so far and it's probably one of my most used app up to date. ;) 

4. Squaready 

FREE APP.

Definitely a must have app for all Instagram users! Well, that is if you know how to make your photos nicer (shall blog about this again). This app creates a rectangle photo into insta-size photos without having to crop or edit anything. One of my favourite app because I really dislike photos being confined in a.... square. Best part is, users can directly post their photos on Instagram after editing! 

5. VSCO Cam

It took me awhile to start using this app because I thought that everyone was using it and I didn't really see the 'fun' in this. But I was wrong. Started using this one day and I'M IN LOVE with this app now. The filters are awesome! Adds so much volume and feel to the photo. 

"VSCO Tools allow for fine tuning, with the goal to complement, not define, your photographs. Exposure, Temperature, Contrast, Crop, Rotate, Fade, Vignette and more allow you to define your look." 

You have to try it to know it ;) 

**************************************************************

Those are a few apps that I use quite frequently to edit my photos before posting. What about you? Share a few of your favourite apps with me! 

[what-areyouserious]

#MINUSSTIGMA TEAM

So... for the other Social Media CA, we were tasked to propose a social marketing plan for a social cause or fan group. After proposing our ideas and plans, we then had to work together and run the campaign plan for a period of one month, 1 to 31 January. 

It's currently the third week into the campaign period and things are not exactly going smoothly. Maybe it's the cause that we chose that is not interesting enough (we're doing on Accepting people with AIDS/HIV) and also because we're slightly behind time, we can't seem to get enough people to 'like' and follow our social media platforms. How frustrating! (Similar to how it's SO difficult getting people to follow this tumblr account as well) 

Okay. Moving on, I'm here to once again, shamelessly advertise our campaign, hoping that someone, anyone who reads this post will take about 2 minutes to LIKE & FOLLOW us (Minus Stigma Team) on the various platforms. 

Meet the team! 

********************************************************************

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Minus-Stigma

Twitter: www.twitter.com/minusstigma

Instagram: www.instagram.com/minusstigma 

********************************************************************

In addition, we will really appreciate it if you can write down your acceptance note for people with AIDS/HIV and post it up on your instagram/twitter account & hashtag #minusstigma! C'mon! :D 

For example, "I ACCEPT because they're part of us after all." Short & sweet! 

[what-areyouserious]

#SPOH14

#SPOH14 9 to 11 January!

2 years ago, when it was my turn to wait for my O level results and start planning for my future, I didn't go for any Open House because of work (my leave wasn't approved). I didn't know where to go or what to expect from any Polytechnics, or Junior College even. 

I didn't know what I was good at, I didn't know if I can achieve anything I wanted. All I knew was that I wanted to be in the media industry — to (try) being a mandarin channel host. But I guess that's pretty out of my reach, considering how poor my mandarin is now.

So with that in mind, I chose Mass Communication in NP and Media and Communication in SP as my first two choices (only because I didn't know the other schools had similar courses). Also, I DIDN'T KNOW THERE'S CHINESE MASS COMMUNICATION IN NP until I was confirmed a place in S86. 

Sometimes, I still regret not choosing or transferring to that course, but nevertheless DMC is good choice because I'm always learning new things and the modules cover almost everything — ranging from marketing to business to advertising to psychology to productions. Also, I was given the opportunity to take up a Certificate in Digital Film in year 2 (hooray!).

*Producing films/videos is probably one of only two factors that kept me going from year one to two (because I almost nearly quit), even though it's frustrating sometimes.* But honestly, actually I don't even know how far I can go with this. 

The stress level is definitely there and sometimes you feel like killing yourself (or someone) and I don't really want to touch on that in this post, but through it all, I've learnt quite a lot up till today and I'm thankful that I'm still surviving. 

So.... during Open House this year, I really wanted to tour around the school and blend in as a secondary school graduate (hah!) but I had duty at the SPACE Pad (The Agency) as the camera person together with Jason on Thursday and Marian on Friday.

I have never really tried being the vision switcher before but I guess I'll much more comfortable being the one controlling the cameras. Probably won't react fast enough to switch from screen to screen. 

A few enthusiastic and brave students who joined the host in the studio for a 3-5 minutes segment. It was pretty obvious who was interested in DMC and who belongs to the business, sciences or engineering schools. 

Here's a photo of Jason and myself. Thankfully the studio wasn't THAT cold as it usually is. Probably because the door was left open for the secondary school students to have a look in the studio. 

And here's one with Marian. Pardon the look on my face, I obviously didn't pose for this! 

I quite love my job for the two days. Didn't have to speak to any students (except for a few who asked questions) and I get to play around with the equipments. Yay! 

I thought that the Open House was quite a success. Students came into the SPACE Pad group by group and there was this period where it felt like we were running continuous show for about an hour! :D

On a side note, I really wanted a goodie bag after seeing so many whenever the students come into the studio. The tote bag looks much better than the ones given in other schools (hah!). There was the transparent helium balloon that's given out at the convention centre but by the time we went, it was out of stock already...

All in all, I personally felt that the atmosphere was really hyped and the students seem to be pleased with everything here so I guess the it's good. If not, satisfactory. How about you?

Oh yes! Before I forget, remember to hashtag #SPOH14 with any SP Open House related tweets or posts! :D 

To end of this post.... 

I HAVE A PHOTO WITH THE GUY ON CASS' BROCHURE! *fangirl* :D 

(hahahahahaha I'm kidding. He's Benn and we're in the same class.) 

Join us in DMC! 

[what-areyouserious]

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Took photos of the fireworks at Marina Bay Floating Platform. I was there for the 7 hours Celebrate TV50 Countdown Party. It was a crazy night, the atmosphere was amazing! The performance was good and the crowd went wild but it felt more like a MediaCorp Channel 8 event than a countdown party and definitely not a TV50 show. Oh wells. All in all, I really liked the 8 minutes fireworks display. I can see fireworks from my house but it's just different when it's right in front of you, especially when the fireworks are falling, it's AMAZING. 

P.S I realized that during the performance the host always reminds us to hashtag #mystorysg and #celebratetv50 when we upload our photos. Also, they repeatedly informed us to download the Toggle Now/Me app to create more noise and it's synced to the Noise Meter they have on screen. Probably a way to generate buzz and getting everyone from everywhere to know that MediaCorp Singapore is celebrating it's 50 years of TV. 

Happy blessed 2014! ;) 

[what-areyouserious]

Social Media Contest!

新加坡必吃美食叻沙 色香味具全 浓郁的椰浆 辣得入味又美味 一碗碗送到家  吃了叫声 “爽呀！”

@channelu #mystorysg #uservedhot #atasteofhistory

Linked my Instagram account with this tumblr account and this was a photo I posted just yesterday.

As seen from the hashtag, I uploaded this photo to join a contest giveaway by MediaCorp Channel U to win a pair of tickets to the preview screening/private dinner with the cast of Served H.O.T 《烧。卖》, an upcoming Channel U drama starring my all time favourite artiste, Yahui. 

All I had to do to win the tickets was to post a photo of myself eating either one of the three dishes — laksa, popiah, siew mai — with a caption less than 50 words. Also, I had to hashtag #uservedhot #mystorysg #atasteofhistory and tag @channelu. As simple as that! *results are coming out soon* 

I guess by getting fans to upload and hashtag photos on social media, especially Instagram is a really good way to increase the hype and buzz before the show airs on television. Everything on social media spreads like wildfire and with the increasing number of followers each user has, more people will take notice of the hashtag and most importantly, the show. ;) 

Keeping my fingers crossed, I hope I win those tickets. Wish me luck! (Please like my photo for me! Not sure if it works better with more likes, but I'm guessing that the organizers would want participants to create more buzz for them too, right?) 

[what-areyouserious]

merry christmas!! 

follow me: @TOOTTOOT_NIAO 

[what-areyouserious]

A GUY IN A FEMALE'S CLOTHING — YAY OR NAY?

Recently, before the term holidays started, I read this article about a photographer who travelled around the globe taking photos of couples in their outfits. But what's amazing is how her photos are not the usual couple photos. 

A self taught photographer, Hana Pesut from a small Canadian mountain town published a "Switcharoo" series book featuring couples photographed in their own outfits before and after they swop. The series of photos were inspired by the photographer's own friends who were dressed very differently when they were on a camping trip. 

“One was wearing tie-dye, sequins, leopard print, lots of silk scarves. Everything was very bright and colorful. The other was wearing black jeans and a black T-shirt. I thought it would be fun if they switched outfits and I decided to take before and after photos” 

Here are a few of the ones I thought was funny (okay I screenshot the photos from the website, credits given to the photographer and the writer)

Credits: http://www.boredpanda.org/switcharoo-couples-switch-outfits-hana-pesut/ 

Personally, I feel that it's a really cool idea — getting couples to swop their outfits — because normally, I don't think anyone would even think of it. Also in a way, it is a reflection of social norms because ideally, it's okay for a female to be dressed in male's clothes but definitely not the other way round. 

In the last photo, the guy's shirt looks as though it's about to rip apart whereas the female looks cool and is already posing comfortably for the photo. Well, I guess it's visibly clear that a female still looks good and stylish in a guy's outfit but not when the guy is dressed in female's outfit (in this case, at least). 

Overall, I'm giving a thumbs up for this project! ;) 

[what-areyouserious]

Photo taken on 13 December 2013.

Never thought that Singapore's this pretty at night. The lights reflected in the water adds so much volume to the photo, it's beautiful. 

Sometimes, it feels really good to not do anything and just talk about random topics, spend time quietly and appreciate the skyline together with a close friend. 

We're always so busy with school/work and spend 101% of the time using our phones, even when we're out with our family/friends. So honestly, how often do we ever slow down, spend quality time and appreciate the place we're in? 

[what-areyouserious]

#1 ON MY WISHLIST

Instead of wanting to buy new shoes or bags, I told my mother last week that I choose this LG Pocket Photo Smart, that cost about $110 (maybe slightly lesser or more) — a wireless pocket printer — over anything else. 

Image from: http://pursuitist.com/lg-pocket-photo-smart/ 

I really hope my mother gets this for me (chances are pretty low, actually) but I think I'll have to save up and get this for myself. I told Glynis just yesterday that I must get this before the year ends and I HOPE I REALLY DO. *time to start saving*

The LG Pocket Photo Smart is a wireless palm size device that print photos instantly, without even having to use ink cartridge. It uses paper from ZINK (a company that creates special paper with the color built-in) and colours embedded within the paper are activated when heated up. This way, we can save money on ink and all we have to buy would be the paper which is considerably cheap (if I'm not wrong, it's less than $10 for about 20 pieces). The printer can be synced to Android & IOS devices and can print up to 2x3-inches wallet sized photos. The best part is the printer allows users to make simple edits before printing. Amazing, isn't it? ;) 

I really want this pocket printer because most of the time, I always take photos using my phone & there isn't a way to print the photos unless I send the photos for printing — at shops, or apps such as Postalgia (blogged about this before!), but either ways, the photos don't come instantly and it's pretty much a hassle to send for printing. With this pocket printer, it's so much easier to print photos and they come instantly! Sounds similar to using a Polaroid, just that a Polaroid is much bulkier, heavier and the films are much more expensive compared to the printing paper. 

In conclusion, I MUST GET THIS SOON and start printing my photos! ;)