Twelve exclusive flavours of ice cream. Hundreds of fans. A group of photographers. Mix and shake well because that’s what we had yesterday during the Ben & Jerry’s Chunkfest 2010. Held on the big field along Marina Boulevard, the annual event faced the Singapore city skyline and the newly opened Marina Bay Sands casino and hotel.

Now who isn’t a big fan of ice cream? Although not my absolute favourite, Ben & Jerry’s has some of the nicest and whackiest flavours of all the ice cream makers. Strawberry Cheesecake, Cherry Garcia, and Banana Split are just some in my top ten list. Want to see the flavours that were flown in specially for yesterday’s event, check out the photos below!

A very young crowd was there and plenty of girls too. No surprise, since I’m sure they love ice cream a lot! If you didn’t want to pay S$5.50 for a small scoop of ice cream (and I mean really small, not like the gigantic ones in the U.S.), you could form a team of four and take part in their eating contest. Racing with 19 other teams, you have to be the fastest to finish 20 scoops of B&J ice cream! I like ice cream, but not that much!

It was quite a sight, though too bad it wasn’t scorching hot otherwise it would have been a huge driving force for them to gobble down that ice cream. Overall, I had great fun shooting and making new photographers. Now that I’m aware of this annual Chunkfest, maybe I can go back again next year.

Another thing I noticed in my five days in Japan was the prevalence of train travel everywhere. The overhead cables and the multitude of train tracks just adds an air of nostalgia to the place, as though everyone is still living in colonial times.

Even though I was only there for about a week, I can take a whack at what makes this mode of transport so appealing.

First, it’s communal. It’s like being put into a social experiment, where different walks of people are forced into a box and they are observed for their reactions. Sure everyone does their own thing, but even that can be a lesson in social behavior as well.

Second, it’s romantic. Just the chug of the wheels below you, the rushing scenery, and the rumbling hum, it gets people to fall in love with travelling. Since trains connect the various cities in Japan quite extensively, many natives probably use it for inter-city travel.

It’s calming. It takes you away from the world’s trouble for that time. Your mind drifts and you’re allowed to ponder about life or whatever that matters to you. For once, you don’t have to feel guilty for spacing out!

Lastly, it’s fast and cheap. Even without the bullet versions, trains are still fast and a good way for mass transportation. Yes planes fly faster but they’re more expensive and you have to deal with airport security, which probably loses the time advantage anyway. With trains you just hop on, zip, and then you’re there.

When I went to Japan for a leisurely 5-day trip, I expected to be awed by historic castles, temples, and the beautiful Japanese girls. What I got, however, was a spitting machine. I’m referring to vending machines, the kind that everyone knows drops a can of Coke or a bar of chocolate when you put coins in.

But here in Japan, they take it a step further. These machines are everywhere, and they sell all kinds of things. Starbucks and MacDonalds, at most, will have one at each block. With vending machines, it’s one in front of each shop or goods store. They come in different colours, sizes, and even form (see photos below).

It’s like a self-service nation in a country where they pride themselves for their superior service. I find the paradox fascinating. Check this out: you can buy cigarettes from a vending machine, and supposedly the machine wireless scans your ID card to see if you’re old enough to buy one. Then there’s the sign: “These drinks are free in an emergency situation” like an earthquake or other natural disaster.

Discovering little unexpected treasures is what makes travelling so exciting. The topic may not make for exciting photos, but they still can be documented, and it perfectly suits my photojournalism training. Here’s hoping that I get to travel more and frequently so that I can discover little secrets like these for my camera to capture.

When we buy stuff, we normally go to brands we trust. For camera bags, those are Lowepro, ThinkTank, Tamrac, etc. But somehow, when I was searching for a new shoulder bag for cameras, I pleasantly stumbled upon a new brand — Vanguard.

Some background: I have many other bags — two backpacks and one semi-backpack. I also had a cheap shoulder bag which I had found abandoned, but gave it away myself a few months ago. I recently began my hunt for a new shoulder bag (and 5th overall) when I realised I did not have a casual bag which offered quick access to my cameras. The backpacks were great for heavy duty carrying, but weren’t practical when you were just out to meet some friends, nor did they offer quick access to the camera for those one-in-a-life moments.

Top zipper which allows you to access your camera without opening the flap

I was looking for specific features in my new shoulder bag, and I realised the Vanguard Up-rise series met all those requirements at a much more affordable price than other big brands. Apart from carrying a pro-sized DSLR and maybe 2 other lenses/flashes, I needed it to have a sleeve for a laptop and a top zipper for easy access (instead of flipping the flap up everytime). The Up-rise 33 fulfills all my needs, and more.

With the Uprise-33, you can remove the cushion inserts to turn the shoulder bag into a regular one

Many other cool and smart features make this shoulder bag a good snatch. You can remove the cushion inserts to turn the shoulder bag into a regular one. Then there’s hardened support at the bottom for rough or wet surfaces. The bag also has an expandable zipper when necessary. Finally, it has a sweet sleeve for slipping the Up-rise on top of your rolling luggage. There really isn’t much more than I can ask for. Perhaps the only peeve I have is the orange colour. If only it weren’t so attention-grabbing.

The up-rise holds full-size pro cameras as well, though perhaps at the expense of the laptop

When it comes to carrying cameras, the Up-rise does its job, which is to carry one body and a few lenses. The bag is tall enough to accommodate a 70-200 lens mounted onto the body (as shown above). It’ll fit bodies up to the prosumer size, but as you can see above, it can also fit full-size DSLRs, like Canon’s 1-series, except that you may have to give up the use of the laptop sleeve.

So overall, a very capable bag which hasn’t let me down. Use it for what it’s meant for – casual and quick shooting. In Singapore, the Up-rise 33 can be bought for S$150 at Challenger stores. Pretty good price considering other similar shoulder bags will cost above S$200 and even S$300. The only thing that Vanguard got wrong is the laptop sizes it can accommodate. Officially, the Up-rise 33 is supposed to be able to fit a 15″ laptop, but it my 13″ laptop had a snug fit in the sleeve. If you have a 15″ laptop, go for the bigger one – Up-rise 38!

University of California (UC) Berkeley’s campus is so quaint and comfortable that it rivals my alma mater — University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Berkeley has all the qualities of a university town, with the perks of a large, funky city (San Francisco) just a train ride away.

Spending a whole day in the Berkeley area was all part of my 3-week visit to the U.S. I had always wanted to visit this campus that is much spoken of in America and around the world, for its good academic program and liberal mindset. Five years ago, I didn’t even bother applying to Berkeley, because I knew my chances at being selected was so slim. That’s how competitive the place is.

Everything was so lush, and it was a glorious day to boot. It was almost graduation time, and the peak of spring, so everyone on campus looked like a happy book. I can imagine studying here would be a very fulfilling experience.

From a photographic standpoint, I tried capturing the essence of the school, the clean transport, iconic buildings, and just the campus culture of having fun. I hope you can see that in the photos above! One day I hope to be able to go back to California, San Francisco, and Berkeley!

It’s a tad heart-wrenching when you hear someone is picking another photographer instead of you. There’s no malice toward the other photographer, maybe just a little bit of envy. After all, business is business, and if you’re not getting the work, at least someone else is.

If anything, I can only blame my inadequate marketing skills. We all know any business needs good accounting, pricing and marketing sense to be successful, no matter how good you are at the trade. Having never taken any business classes, I rely on people’s advice and books to learn. Obviously it hasn’t been enough as I’m not getting enough clients.

Some of you probably aren’t aware that I hold a full-time writing job in a local newspaper (wanted to be a photojournalist but they’re full on places now). It brings in the money I need but it’s not what I love. I want to shoot but I need to get the business skills right for it to work when I do take this business full time. Sometimes I can hear the spirits of consciousness haughtily saying “I told you so” for refusing to take business class when in college.

Apart from reading more (still a good way to learn), I should sink more money into real advertising in ads or posters. If I take a loan, maybe I can have a studio as well to provide storefront marketing. So far I rely on word-of-mouth and my photos to speak for themselves. Many times I wish I was a more obnoxious and shameless person, who would boast of his skills and invincibility without being a jerk.

There’s always this fear that things won’t work out. No matter how well you shoot, if you can’t get the business, you can’t survive. Still, “don’t stop believing,” as I hear so much in the song by Journey, from Glee and movies. Have faith that it’ll work out, even if you won’t become a millionaire in the process. Doing something I enjoy has always been my aim, and that something is still photography.

In 5 years, I attended 4 graduation ceremonies, half split between a walker and an attendee. As you can probably guess, I love graduations! It’s almost like getting married — it usually only happens once, and is the culmination of years of effort to get you to that final day. So what if you’re not the main star (unless you’re valedictorian)? Everyone dresses up for the grand occasion and it’s all about smiles, hugs, and photo-taking.

This year, I returned to The Big House because of my girlfriend, who was graduating from undergrad, and also to see President Obama grace the university as a commencement speaker. It was my second time seeing an American president take the stage, the first one being Bill Clinton back in commencement 2006. I don’t know what is it that the school does that draws in these influential people, but I dare say it’s because of the school’s great reputation and prestige.

So I marked the start of my 3-week return to the U.S. with this big graduation ceremony. I rented a really expensive lens just for the occasion, and lots of the photos you see above are from it. Like always, my personal goal was to capture the best, brightest and beautiful moments, because I know my girlfriend and her family will look back on them many years in the future.

Because of the grand nature of the day, and also because some photos look rather good (ahem), I’ll probably be doing some larger prints of selected photos. Maybe hang them up somewhere. Now that I’m back in Singapore and look back on these photos, I’m really satisfied with my effort, and glad that I can keep my photography at a high level. That last point worries me because of a recent development, which has led to a rather uncertain future. Stick around, and I’ll fill you in very shortly.

Yes, ladies and gents, I’ve been back in Singapore for a week, and even started a new job. So much happened in my three weeks in the U.S. – a non-stop barrage to visit as many new locales as possible. On one of those legs — Los Angeles — I rode the public bus for 40 minutes to get to this place you see above: The Annenberg Space for Photography.

I was first acquainted with this exhibit space almost two years ago, while I was still a student at Columbia’s journalism school and getting my first high on photojournalism. The Space was branded as exclusive in its presentation and lofty in its vision. This was a place dedicated for the kings of photography, and not just a community museum looking to add another section to its many departments.

But when I got there (and got lost finding it), what struck me was its diminutive size. It really isn’t a museum because even the smallest I’ve seen is a giant compared to the Space. At about the size of two basketball courts put together, there was only room for one exhibit — a multimedia treatment of National Geographic’s recent special issue on water. Photos in that issue were enlarged and hung on walls. Okay, nothing special. The glory came in the Space’s cinematic-style amphitheater, which sat about 20, that projected those images in such vividness that I swore it was more detailed than high-definition.

Apart from a few shelves of classic books on photography, that was pretty much it. I spent a little more than an hour watching photographers’ video clips, flipping books, and admiring wall prints.

There were certain signs that the Space wanted to be more than a little alley with a few hanging prints. A couple of those Microsoft Surface computers allowed visitors to browse the digital files. It was my first experience with this next-generation device, though now that I think of it, it’s really like a giant iPad. I wasn’t allowed to take photos within premises (how ironic), but I did snap off a secret shot in the restroom. When you find an LCD screen on the restroom mirror, you know you’re not in Kanses anymore:

While not completely blown away, I’m proud to say I’ve visited the Space. In time, it could grow to become a household name in the U.S. It’s an impressive showcase, and a must-visit for the serious photographer/photojournalist.

Score one of the team! The photos from a recent portrait shoots (for customized wetsuits) were used for last weekend’s ADEX 2010 at Suntec City, Singapore. When I shot the photos, I didn’t expect them to become part of a stand-up poster! It does bring a certain sense of joy seeing your photo up there. And the best part is — it looks professional and of high quality. That’s what Ted Chen Portraiture is all about!

Business and product portraiture are definitely two very big markets, markets that I hadn’t paid much attention to. My mind was all over the general consumer, the everyday you and me who could appreciate well-taken portraits. Now I see that companies and corporations also have a need for excellent portraiture, and are able to afford the prices that come with the high quality.

Branching out is something definitely worth exploring, while staying close to my focus of portraiture.

Everyone likes a little bit of security, and sometimes businesses don’t offer much assurance that you’ll get complete satisfaction from what you’re paying for. I’m changing that game so that you, the client, gets more power and peace of mind when you engage my photography service.

Here’s how it works:

• Every single package or service from Ted Chen Portraiture will be eligible for this guarantee.
• Upon engaging any photography service from me, 50% of the agreed price will be due at the signing of the contract and serve as a deposit for securing the date of the shoot. This 50% covers the operating costs of the photo shoot.
• The remaining 50% is where the power lies with you. Once the fully-edited photos are ready for delivery, you’ll get to review the photos first before deciding if you’re satisfied. If you are, great for both of us! And if you’re not, keep the remaining 50% and just walk away! It’s that simple!

Does that put you at ease? I really hope it does. And this guarantee doesn’t take away the fact that I put in 110% effort into getting the most beautiful images of you, for you. I gain as much self-satisfaction in taking special photos as you when you look at them!

If you have any questions about this new, great policy, feel free to e-mail me or call at +65 9768-3816 !