[{"content":"","date":"2025 07 31","description":"","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"https://aperture2iris.com/posts/","section":"Posts","thumbnail":"https://aperture2iris.com/images/others/default_post_cover.png","title":"Posts","type":"posts"},{"content":" Site Currently Under Construction # Please come back around Q1 2026.\nTo get notified, subscribe to the RSS feed, thanks for your support.\nDocumenting My Photography Explorations # Welcome to aperture2iris.com! Thanks for visiting my photo blog. This is my little corner of the Internet where I discuss topics that fuel my passion for photography. Join me as I delve into themes such as shooting styles, tips \u0026amp; tricks on post-processing with FOSS photography software, and my experience across various photography genres.\nMy blog posts are organized into different series and tagged for easy navigation. Alternatively, you can use the search function on the top right corner to find something specific. I hope my musings inspire you—whether it\u0026rsquo;s providing a small spark of creativity, a twinkling of motivation to go out to shoot, or helping you learn a new editing shortcut. If, like me, you are a lifelong learner, I invite you join me on this endless journey that is photography.\nIf my work resonates with you, please consider subscribing to my RSS feed for future updates and follow me on social media. Consider buying me a coffee to show your support—I really appreciate you checking out my work!\nThank you for your support. Happy shooting \u0026#x1f4f7; and stay safe!\nNaty\n","date":"2025 01 10","description":"A photography blog exploring open source photography software (Darktable \u0026 Digikam), urban street photography, and my journey as a hobbyist photographer.","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"https://aperture2iris.com/","section":"APERTURE2IRIS: Photography Blog","thumbnail":"https://aperture2iris.com/images/others/default_post_cover.png","title":"APERTURE2IRIS: Photography Blog","type":"page"},{"content":"If you prefer not to contact me via social media, you are welcome to leave a message below and I will get back to you by email.\nOr you can send me a secure instant message using Matrix.\nI will respond to your message promptly!\nName Email Message Send ","date":"2025 01 10","description":"Use the contact form to send me a message, ask questions, or collaborate on photography projects. I’d love to hear from you! I speak English and Chinese.","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"https://aperture2iris.com/contact/","section":"Pages","thumbnail":"https://aperture2iris.com/images/others/default_post_cover.png","title":"Contact Me","type":"pages"},{"content":"This copyright notice applies to all photography content found on this website; https://aperture2iris.com.\nCopyright © 2010-2025 N.S. APERTURE2IRIS. All Rights Reserved.\nAll photographs on this site (aperture2iris.com) are copyrighted.\n1. Ownership and Proprietary Rights # The images and content on this site are the property of N.S. APERTURE2IRIS.\nPhotographs, text, and other content on this site are protected by Hong Kong and International copyright laws.\nUnauthorized use, reproduction, or distribution of any material from this site without explicit permission is strictly prohibited.\n2. Usage Rights # No reproduction rights are granted without the express written permission of N.S. APERTURE2IRIS.\nNo permission, either express or implied, is granted for the electronic transmission, storage, retrieval, or printing of the photographs contained on aperture2iris.com, other than that which is related to the normal \u0026ldquo;caching\u0026rdquo; practices of web browsers.\nNo parties or individuals visiting or viewing images on aperture2iris.com, may otherwise use, borrow, display, copy, modify, publish, transmit, or distribute the photographs found on this site.\n3. Commercial Use # For those who wish to use the photography found on this site in a commercial setting, they must receive written consent from me, N.S. APERTURE2IRIS, prior to its commercial use.\nTo obtain consent, interested parties should fill in the contact form and provide the following information:\nImage(s) you would like to use Where they will be displayed How they will be displayed Intent of its display Duration of their public viewing Any other relevant information 4. Requesting Permission # If you would like to use any of my images or content, please send a request via the contact form. I will review your request and respond promptly by return email.\n5. Attribution # When and if permission is granted, please give credit as follows:\n\u0026ldquo;Photo By N.S. APERTURE2IRIS.com\u0026rdquo;\n6. Legal Disclaimer # This copyright notice serves as a reminder that all rights are reserved. The unauthorized use of my work may result in legal action.\n","date":"2025 01 10","description":"Copyright notice and usage rights on APERTURE2IRIS.com.","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"https://aperture2iris.com/copyright/","section":"Pages","thumbnail":"https://aperture2iris.com/images/others/default_post_cover.png","title":"Copyright Notice","type":"pages"},{"content":"","date":"2025 01 10","description":"","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"https://aperture2iris.com/pages/","section":"Pages","thumbnail":"https://aperture2iris.com/images/others/default_post_cover.png","title":"Pages","type":"pages"},{"content":"You can find me elsewhere on the Internet!\nInstagram Flickr Mastodon My Other Sites # Tech Blog \u003c?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"iso-8859-1\"?\u003e\rHobbies Blog ","date":"2025 01 10","description":"Let's connect—find links to my photography profiles on Flickr, Pixelfed, Instagram, and follow me on Mastodon for current updates. Or check my two other blogs!","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"https://aperture2iris.com/links/","section":"Pages","thumbnail":"https://aperture2iris.com/images/others/default_post_cover.png","title":"Social Media Links","type":"pages"},{"content":" Hi, I\u0026rsquo;m Naty! \u0026#x1f44b; # First off, thanks for checking out my work! \u0026#x2764;\u0026#xfe0f;\nI\u0026rsquo;m a third-culture-kid from Hong Kong who has spent most of my life living abroad. My field of work, healthcare, doesn\u0026rsquo;t offer much room for creativity, so creating photographs serves as a captivating outlet for me to express my aesthetic visual perception of the world around me. To date, photography remains my first and most significant hobby.\nWhat You Will Find Here # I will be blogging and sharing my passion for all things photography, where you can explore a variety of topics like:\nBehind The Shot: Insights into the thought processes behind some of my favourite photos. Edit With Me: Go with me on a new journey using free open source software (FOSS) and perpetual-licence alternatives to Adobe Lightroom Classic, namely darktable and digiKam. Gear Chat: Discussions about my camera collection, including both 35mm film / digital bodies and lenses. Making The Switch: Details on transitioning from a DSLR system to my first mirrorless setup; and the possibility of leaving Canon after nearly two decades! Infrared Inspection: Exploring digital infrared photography with an IR-modded (850nm) Panasonic G1. Copyright # For details regarding copyright and usage rights of my work, please read my Copyright Notice.\nAI Usage # All content, opinions, and ideas you find here are from my own experience and musings. It will never be generated by AI.\nI am using GenAI tools for the following:\nLight proofreading (i.e. grammar, spelling, sentence structure) with LanguageTool and generation of meta descriptions Help with backend/Hugo customizations (e.g. js/css, troubleshooting Hugo errors, website layout/styles, etc) Generating diagrams that help illustrate my points on certain posts1 using tools like Napkin.ai Who Is This “Naty” Person Anyway? # Self-reflection I am a strong advocate for online and data privacy and I believe it should be a priority for everyone in this data-breach-prone era. This is why you won’t find anything too personal on my site; I’ve made a conscious decision to limit my digital footprint. I try to use open source software as much as possible and opt to use only privacy-friendly tools2 on my sites to ensure my commitment to your privacy is also up to my standards. Let\u0026rsquo;s prioritize privacy3 together!\nLike My Work? # Your support means a lot to me and it fuels my passion for creating more photography content! If you enjoy my work and like to contribute; you can:\nBuy me a coffee at Ko-Fi, or make a single/recurring donation at Librepay (an open source and non-profit donation platform) Consider purchasing a print of my photo (coming soon) Commissioning a custom piece Sharing my work with your friends who might also appreciate it Using my affiliate links for products I trust and use Thank you for being part of my journey!\nColophon # A colophon of a website (it was traditionally a term used in the publishing industry) just means \u0026ldquo;what was used to make this website\u0026rdquo;. So here\u0026rsquo;s a list of the tools I used to make mine!\nContent management system (CMS): Hugo Integrated development environment (IDE): VS Codium Hugo themes: Blowfish Theme, hugo-shortcode-gallery Forms: Formspark.io, Cloudflare Turnstile Web analytics: GoatCounter Hosting: Hostinger (affiliate link) Deployment: Git with Hostinger Webhook Typeface: Epilogue (variable font) Favicon: GIMP, Favicon.io, SVG Repo AI generated content will be stated clearly when used.\u0026#160;\u0026#x21a9;\u0026#xfe0e;\nI write about more techy topics in my other blog if you\u0026rsquo;re interested about privacy, open source apps, etc.\u0026#160;\u0026#x21a9;\u0026#xfe0e;\nI recommend reading Privacy Guides to increase awareness and find alternative software or services that prioritize your privacy.\u0026#160;\u0026#x21a9;\u0026#xfe0e;\n","date":"2024 10 14","description":"Explore photography through the lens of a third-culture-kid. Sharing gear insights, open source editing software to my creative choices.","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"https://aperture2iris.com/about/","section":"Pages","thumbnail":"https://aperture2iris.com/images/others/default_post_cover.png","title":"About Me","type":"pages"},{"content":"I hate to admit it, but I am a gearhead. I think I\u0026rsquo;m much better these days at managing G.A.S. (gear acquisition syndrome) because I\u0026rsquo;ve sold a lot of my gear (and stopped buying new stuff!), whittling down my collection to a more manageable size, allowing me to focus more on shooting instead.\nLess is more in terms of gear; as the more options there are, the more likely it will lead to decision paralysis.\n\u0026#x1f4a1; Tip: There is one thing I like to do to keep me in touch with the gear I already own—to force myself to shoot with only one body with one lens for a week. It challenges my brain to focus on adapting to the limitations of that particular setup and to maximize creativity; which is especially true when shooting with a prime.\nDigital Bodies # Canon EOS 6D (2012) Ricoh GR III x Urban Edition (2023) DJI Osmo Pocket 1 (2018) Panasonic DMC-G1 with IR mod (2024) Film Bodies # Canon A-1 Canon Canonet QL17 GIII Olympus 35 DC Olympus XA Fujifilm Professional TX-2 (aka Hasselblad XPan II) Glass # Canon EF 40mm f/2.8 STM Canon EF 16-35mm f/4L IS Canon EF 24-105mm f/4L IS Canon EF 70-300mm f/4-5.6 IS II Lensbaby Composer Pro EF + Sweet35 \u0026amp; Fisheye Optic Canon FD 28mm f/2.8 Canon FD 50mm f/1.4 Canon FD 35-105mm f/3.5-4.5 Macro Helios M42 44-3 MC 58mm f/2 Super-Takumar M42 28mm f/3.5 Fujifilm Super-EBC Fujinon 45mm f/4 Accessories # Canon 430EX II Speedlite Ulanzi VL49 RGB LED Sundisk Softbox Diffuser Flashbender Large + Diffuser Phottix Saldo 200 Sirui T-005 Leofoto MT-03 Peak Design Clutch v1 \u0026amp; Capture Clip v1 Post-processing Hardware # Apple Mac Mini M1 (2020) 16GB/1TB Dell Ultrasharp U2415 X-Rite ColorMunki Display TourBox Controller v1 Owlab Spring Keyboard BenQ ZOWIE EC1-B Mouse DockCase (DPR81C) 8 in 1 USB-C Hub SanDisk Professional G-Drive 4TB (7200RPM Ultrastar 3.5\u0026quot; HDD) Seagate IronWolf Pro NAS 8TB (7200RPM 3.5\u0026quot; HDD) ACASIS (TBU405 Pro) 40Gbps Enclosure with Samsung 980 Pro 2TB Post-processing Software # Darktable (FOSS, raw processor) DigiKam (FOSS, digital asset management) Hugin (FOSS, panorama stitcher) Photomatix Pro 7 (Perpetual-licence, HDR) DXO PureRaw 4 (Lifetime licence, lens correction) Adobe 20GB Photography Plan: Lightroom Classic, Photoshop (Finally discontinued my contract in 2025/06/30! 🎉) Previously Loved Gear # Coming soon.\n","date":"2024 10 14","description":"Discover my photography gear: Canon, Fujifilm, Ricoh cameras, lenses, and FOSS like Darktable and DigiKam for a streamlined creative workflow.","externalUrl":null,"permalink":"https://aperture2iris.com/gear/","section":"Pages","thumbnail":"https://aperture2iris.com/images/others/default_post_cover.png","title":"Gear List","type":"pages"}]