Min Wye Photography » Photography

Weekly Photo Inspiration

Min Wye — Wed, 15 Sep 2010 15:37:12 +0000

Last week, I traveled to Sydney to shoot the Australian Dance Festival with JcPhotography

Apart from shooting the event, I’m also tasked to go through every photo for quality control which means I see all my colleague’s photos.
One of the shots that I processed at the end of the event caught my eye and totally blew my mind:

A-Live Entertainment at the Australian Dance Festival by JCPhotography

Question: How do you get people to act naturally around you?

Min Wye — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 06:05:27 +0000

A question from my friend, May: how do you get people to act naturally around you?

Disclaimer: In no way am I an expert in this field. This is my point of view and experience of posing couples in a few photo shoots. We humans are intricate creatures, each shoot requires a different level of engagement therefore this is not the 1 method that conquers all.

There are a couple ways I go about this. From the couple’s point of view, its certainly not an easy task to ignore this massive camera pointed at you.

Roshana at Kangaroo Point

I find the easiest way to calm a nervous couple down, is to divert their attention away from the camera. Start them off looking at each other(away from the camera) and guide them through some natural actions like walking towards each other…..roleplay is a fantastic way to get them into the mood.

Michael and Laura - pre-wedding at Kangaroo Point

Keeping their mind off the camera is the key to natural shots and as they get more comfortable with you, you can direct their attention at you(and your camera)

Michael and Laura - pre-wedding at Kangaroo Point

Keep in mind, it is those moments in between that create the natural shot, not the poses you give them.

My Favourite Things: Doudoule Latin Dance Camp 2010 Performance Photos

Min Wye — Thu, 10 Jun 2010 11:50:01 +0000

I have been a little slack with posting my favourites on my blog. Here are another three photos from the Doudoule Latin Dance Camp 2010 that I really liked

You can check out the rest of the performance photos at my gallery here: http://photos.minwye.com/Dance/2010-Doudoule-Latin-Dance-Camp/

Also, the videos are up on Brisbane Salsa here: http://www.brisbanesalsa.com.au/Video

Las Divas De Vuelo aka The Flying Divas at Doudoule

Min Wye — Tue, 11 May 2010 15:12:46 +0000

I had an awesome time at the Doudoule Latin Dance Camp last weekend and boy oh boy did I get a bunch of awesome shots.

Heres a sneak peak of a shot I got on Saturday night of the Latin Steps Salsa Divas(Latin Step’s women only shines team) led by the beautiful Miss Elli Torres =)

Im still going through my photos and figuring out the best place to upload them. In time, Ill get all 100+ performance photos out.

ps – can you tell they are mid-air?

pps – You can view the girls divas in action at Brisbane Salsa

Green Stuff aka Pandan SoyBean Milk

Min Wye — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 18:05:01 +0000

V brought over some pandan soy bean milk(really yummy) and I indulged myself with a glass before dinner. Ive been trying to photograph more often outside my work these days to widen my scope and try out new new new things :p There isnt anything special about the photo; it was purely experimental.

Pre-New Zealand 2010

Min Wye — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 05:39:18 +0000

Im just hours away from making my way to New Zealand for one of my best friends, Ronald and Lydia’s wedding.

Not entirely sure how hectic this week will be; I doubt it will be anything like the past couple of weeks: Sydney Salsa Congress, Haiti Dance Fund Raiser drama, moving house plus an engagement photo-shoot almost every other weekend.

Speaking of engagement shoots, I shot the very lovely couple, David and Lisa at the Mt Cootha Botanical Gardens last weekend before their engagement party and what fun that was. Coincidentally, just a couple weeks before, I had the oppurtunity to shoot Ronald and Melissa’s engagement there too. Here is a sneak peak at one of David and Lisa’s photos =D

David and Lisa

Thank you card

Min Wye — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 07:35:13 +0000

Received a thank you card from Katherine and Lloyd from their wedding a couple weeks ago and it made me laugh so hard, let me share it here:

From Katherine and Lloyd

I love quirky notes =)

On my passion, dance event photography

Min Wye — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 05:59:09 +0000

A few factors that dance event photography

Gear
The better your camera, the faster you shoot to capture those moments.

Good Eye
For better composition(avoids loosing a limb from the shot) getting as tight as possible to reduce post-production.

Quick Reflexes
Especially important for group performances, different couples/dancers might perform different moves. This is tough as it is with only 1 dancer/couple.

Good understanding of the dance style
Knowing the dance style gives you a good comprehension of what to look out for, catching the great lines and this ties in to the musicality when the music hits a stop, generally the dancers will have accentuated movement or pose.

Great Musicality
Knowing the music allows you to foresee photo opportunities. Dancers often take advantage of musical flow, highs and lows of the piece to accompany their movements on the stage.

Great Positioning
This is probably one of the most essential of the lot. No amount of gear, quick reflexes, understanding of dance style or musicality will save you if you have a seat that is facing the dancers back. In most cases, it will be difficult to move during a performance so choose your seat wisely or you could well write off that shoot.

Doudoule Camp Photo Favourites

Min Wye — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 07:00:28 +0000

This is definitely a way overdue post. I shot these photos 2 months ago at the Doudoule Latin Dance Camp that was held in the Gold Coast, Queensland. 2 nights of performances landed me with over 800 photos that I sifted, culled and edited. These 3 photos are my favourite of set.

1. Alex Bryan and Ebony Berrel performed a contemporary routine.

2. Ulysses MacLaren and Jasmin Addison with a Salsa.

3. Giancarlo and Masha on a cha-cha.

Tell me, which is your favourite?

Congress preperations

Min Wye — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 06:00:22 +0000

The 2009 Sydney Salsa Congress is nearing, only a day left untill 4 days of workshops, performances and dancing. The Sydney Salsa Congress is by no means an ordinary trip to a social especially if you are travelling anything more than 300kms to get there. Hence, why you need to come properly prepared for anything. The items are split into 2 categories, hygiene(right) and recuperation(top left).

Here are the list of items:
-2 pairs of t-shirts. The congress tends to get very hot and having a spare shirt ensures that your partner doesnt dance with a wet towel.
-Mints for breath.
-Hand Sanitizer, you never know what you are passing around and you dont want to pass it on to your next partner, once every couple dances.
-Body spray, whenever you start stinking.
-Cologne, you want to smell good for the ladies, eh?
-Panadol for those headaches(you probably should stop dancing at this point)
-Berocca for that extra energy.
-Plasters for minor injuries(eg: stilettos grazing your feet; if more severe, go see a first aid volunteer, they have someone roaming around for that)
- Lip balm, Sydney can get dry.
-Towel to wipe off face/body sweat.

All this to ensure a fun-filled congress night and also to avoid getting rejected by a girl for smelling,being too sweaty or having bad breath =) ALSO, dont forget to bring your dance etiquette! all the mints, sprays and towels will not compensate the fact that you were rude!

Apart from dancing, I will be predominantly shooting the performances and manning the photography booth. Heres are the items Im bringing and possibly shooting you with if you are performing.

Basically, not to bore you with my boring photography stuff:
-Cleaning gear(blower to get rid of dust, cloth for lens smudges, oil etc)
-Extra storage(alway always have more space than you need)
-Utilities(chargers, extra batteries, flash units for social dancing shots)
-Spare Lenses
-Camera(which Im using to take the shot)

Leave a comment if I left anything out of the list or if you have any suggestions for it!