The signature retro-looking Fujifilm X-A5 was launched less than a month ago and I had the privilege of taking it along with me on a trip to South Korea. I was there for a week to represent Singapore and model for a few fashion shows and shoots, wearing Singapore’s traditional costumes. I would be meeting beautiful models from all over Asia and indulge in the breathtaking landscape blanketed in snow, so I needed a handy yet sharp camera to take pictures as keepsakes.
From Being in Front of the Lens, to Going Behind it
The nature of my job requires me to pose in front of a camera, but after starting the internship at NXT magazine, I grew fond of going behind the camera too. Day one of work began when we had a photoshoot for sponsors’ products. While I was waiting for my turn, I took the opportunity to take behind-the-scenes pictures. Many may think that to produce a picture, all you need is a cameraman, model, and hair and makeup artists. No such thing. I took a backlit picture with some of the staff and equipment in frame to exhibit the amount of effort and manpower needed to produce a picture, while keeping the focus on the model. No extra effort needed – the lighting was already shining bright on her.
I did not want to be intrusive and distract the staff on set, so I used the Quiet Venue Mode that disables the sound of the shutter by using an electronic shutter instead of a mechanical shutter. Disclaimer: I used it to be discreet, not creepy!
Sending Pictures On The Spot
I got dressed in a Nonya kebaya, an iconic Peranakan costume made famous by the Singapore Airlines crew. Here I took a picture with my Nepalese friend in her costume made of Dhaka weaves and accessorised with nose and hair adornments. She confessed to me how she occasionally goes missing in action online when she climbs mountains and loses her data signal, so I transferred the pictures to my phone via Wi-Fi and Fujifilm Cam Remote app and sent them to her immediately.
Beauty is in the Eye of the Camera
At the end of the shoot, I hijacked the set with a model from Hong Kong and handed the X-A5 to a photographer to have our pictures taken together. After all, purple and green are opposites in the colour wheel and we complemented each other very well! The light was too harsh on us and we did not want to burden the team by getting them to adjust it, so I switched the camera to its Portrait Enhancer mode that smoothens our skin and makes us look more flattering in the light.
