Goldfish Photography ~ 留金歲月

快照留住了即將流失的時刻。

A Good Snapshot Stops A Moment From Running Away. 

~Eudora Welty

In those days of the film camera, Goldfish photography was more than a challenging feat - it was also extremely costly as the films were expensive. Moreover, the photographer could not preview the outcome of the shots and had to snap more photographs and develop them all, hoping that there would be a few good ones.

One of the most avid Goldfish photographers in Singapore is none other than Alvin, who is never short of Goldfish models from his club members. Rain or shine, he would be braving the elements in the open almost every weekend,  either cursing the unaccommodating weather or the uncooperative Goldfish that turned away from the camera or pooped at just the critical moment.

The advent of digital photography technology made it much more cost effective, time-saving and easier to compose and archive the photographs compared to the olden days. However, new technologies does not alter the fact that to take good photographs of the Goldfish, the photographer needs to have lots of patience and a good feel of the subject. This is also true for any photographer attempting to specialise in any subject matter, for without understanding the appreciation of the subject, it will be difficult to deliver the "wow" factor in his/her photography.

Though I have learned much about Goldfish photography from Alvin, unfortunately, I do not have as much patience and time for studio-style Goldfish photography. I am still eagerly awaiting his new set of studio photographs that he had promised to update in the Vermillion Goldfish Club website. Stay tune to the Vermillion website by following the club's new twitter updates!!!

Photos:

1. Alvin and his weekend pass time.

2. One of my first attempt in studio photo taking in 2005 - over exposure in some parts of the picture.

3. One of my favourite Butterfly Dragon Eyes - it is relatively easier to set up and shoot top view pictures of Goldfish compared to side view pictures.

Haze ~ 煙霧

自我是光明的遮眼紗。

Ego Is The Veil That Shuts The Light

~Author Unknown

It's hazy these days - the unwelcome haze has returned to Singapore again :( Rain, shine or haze I would still have to tend to my beloved fishes. Every end of the year is both my Pearlscale breeding season and a time to bring my family for a holiday. I have to reduce my Pearlscale spawns to a manageable number in order to enjoy my overseas holiday with peace of the mind.

The game plan is to grow them bigger as fast as possible so that their flaws  are more obvious for me to cull confidently. Structural and feature flaws in the back curve, scaling, and finnages of the Goldfish would not be discernible until they grow bigger. 

Interestingly, we can usually see more of our own flaws as we "grow" - in skills and self-esteem. When we failed, our pride supports us but when we succeed, very often, our ego would betray us. Ego results in a swollen head and arrogance while pride gives a swollen heart and the pleasure of accomplishment with humility.

Fortunately for us, the haze in Singapore is still very minor compared to some cities in Malaysia. Let's hope the rain and the cooler weather would bring respite to the hazy conditions. 

Pictures:
1. Moderately hazy Singapore's skyline

2. Month old fish have not develop the scaling and rounded body

3. 6.5 weeks old fishes with more matured features

Balance ~ 平衡

我夢想著掌握平衡的藝術。
What I Dream of is an Art of Balance

~ Henri Matisse

It would be getting even tougher for me to balance new commitments in both family and work from this year onwards. One of my resolutions is to spend more quality time with my family as I have been doing with the Goldfish hobby all these years.

Having overcome most of the technical issues with regard to Goldfish breeding,  it is time to move on to more refinement in the process. Hopefully with improvement in techniques and more stable bloodlines would make it more time and effort efficient to manage my Goldfish breeding programmes.

"Balance" would also be the focal point for my Goldfish breeding road map, especially so when I have chosen to breed two varieties of short-tailed Goldfish. I think it would be as challenging to create a well balance and graceful swimming Pearlscales with Dragon Eyes and Pompoms just as the Top View Ranchu. In order for a fish with heavier front portion of the body to swim with balance, I would need to work on specific features to offset its CG (Centre of Gravity).

I am currently busy with breeding my Pearlscales. This would be very exciting yaer as the F3/F4 are usually important milestones after a major outcross. I am keeping my fingers crossed.

Pictures:

1) Bred in 2010, a Calico Short Tail Dragon Eyes Pearlscale displaying excellent balance.
2) Red white Short Tail Pompom Dragon Eyes Pearlscale.
3) Red black Short Tail Pompom Dragon Eyes Pearlscale with some head wen.