Bermain Cahaya Demi DSLR

Walau sudah menabung untuk sekolah anak, masih ada aja pengeluaran tak terduga awal tahun ini, uang yang sudah dipersiapkan untuk 550D terpaksa kembali digunakan. Tak tergapai lagi deh DSLR, but I'm not just going to give up.

Kebetulan Sony mengeluarkan kontes "Low Light Photography" dengan hadiah utama DSLR Sony Alpha, this might just be the ticket. Duduk deh gue sambil berfikir apa yang bisa gue lakukan dengan kamera digital pocket untuk membuat sebuah foto low light yang bagus.

"Its not the tool that makes the best work, its the user"

Mantra yang sudah ku kumandangkan sejak SMA. So what if pocket camera doesn't have the best features, limitasi sesuatu terbatas pada kreativitas seseorang, dan saya tidak mau terkekang. I'm going to do a light show dengan kamera pocket saya.

Sebuah trik yang amat mudah dilakukan dengan kamera DSLR, tapi lumayan mumet dilakukan dengan kamera pocket. Saya sempatkan beberapa malam melakukan eksperimen. Dari banyaknya kegagalan, akhirnya menemukan juga rumus untuk mengakali kamera pocket saya.

Esok paginya, dengan bantuan anak perempuan saya serta keponakan-keponakan yang siap sedia jadi model, dimulailah pengambilan gambar di ruang tamu yang saya buat gelap gulita.

Permainan exposure, cahaya dan kesediaan anak-anak untuk tetap diam selama pengambilan gambar (dengan iming-iming somay tentunya) Alhamdulillah menghasilkan gambar yang membuat saya cukup puas untuk memasukkannya dalam Low Light Photo Competition. Hasil-hasilnya adalah sebagai berikut:

Click disini dan rate foto ini agar menang :-)

Click disini dan rate foto ini agar menang :-)

Terima kasih jika anda telah merating foto diatas di website sony agar saya bisa mempunyai kesempatan untuk mendapatkan DSLR. ^_^

Berikut beberapa foto lainnya yang tidak diikutkan dalam kompetisi.

ToniJacks once more...

My momma always said: "If you want to do something right, don't do it because of anger".
6 months ago I gave a review on ToniJacks, a family restaurant that arised after a bitter battle between McDonalds and it's major franchise holder when McD decided to sell some of its Indonesian franchise shares to Rekso Group (Sosro's holding company).

As promised 6 months ago, I'd go back and give a new review since the first time ToniJacks opened, it was rushed, copycat-ish, and the feeling of bitterness in the air (I mean its meals were called Marah1, Marah2, etc. Marah is Indonesian for Angry) and not to mention that sore loser slogan.

I mean, rather than starting a new business that looks back and tries to outmatch its former name, ToniJacks should just launch itself as an original and give a great attitude rather than trying to outbest and prove its better that that other one (McDonalds). I think the company got on the wrong start and the wrong attitude.

But being the ever neutral critic that I am, I'd thought I'd give ToniJacks another try after 6 months, things should change for the better I hope.

Unfotunately, ToniJacks closed its nearest outlet to my office in Arion, and to add to the humiliation, McDonalds will re-open in its old spot, its like they've won and they were being cool about it. And so the fast-food war continues...

Disecting ToniJack's Branding
Most companies try to keep their feuds and secrets locked in internally, especially if they are in the industry that cater to families. One of the first mistakes of ToniJack's branding is their slogan "Better than that One", which automatically means that they are claiming to be better than McDonalds. Unfortunately, it also means that they praise McD because they have a capital "O" in One, and also makes people think they're a sore loser. That slogan or tag line is the first thing thats gotta go. If they want to keep the tagline, at least change it to: "Cheaper than that one".

On the corporate image side, the brand and food doesn't match. Pirates isn't synonimous with beef burgers. If I was a person who doesn't know ToniJack's past, I'd be expecting some seafood on the menu. The logo is a pirate, the decorations are pirate ships, where's the seafood?? At least offer some fish/shrimp burgers or fish n' chips on the menu.

Last, make it fun. Develop the characters. When you have a pirate as a logo, people expects more characters. Adults aren't into pirates, so focus on the kids. Change the name of those meal packages from Marah (makan murah) to something a bit more fun. Get spongebob license for instance since it'll match with the theme.

The point: be original, be yourself, focus on your customers, and be better. If you do that, one day ToniJacks will be better than that one without even trying. Good luck ToniJacks, and remember: I'm always available as a brand consultant :-D

A Tribute Comic

Click gambar diatas untuk ukuran yang lebih besar.

Tribute untuk orang-orang yang menjadikan saya "HUMAS" dalam organisasi selama hidup saya. Tidak semua orang dan pengalaman bisa digambarkan disini, tapi tanpa kalian tentunya saya gak bisa secerewet sekarang.