The Lazy Blogger’s Sidekick

Note: This is a media trip made possible by Canon

I like telling stories. I never leave home without my trusty camera. I’ve taken photos like a pigeon eating Kentucky Fried Chicken and a fly squashed by a fry.

It's a Bird Eat Bird World out there.

Fly Death by a Fry. Eat healthy.

I am also a lazy blogger. I do not use Photoshop or any photo editing software.

Canon Powershot SX 230 HS helps me cheat.

Using the Portrait mode, the smart camera automatically brings subject into focus while softening the background. I also suspect it has a beauty mode even though it’s not advertised because it makes my skin look super smooth and soft in some other close up profile pictures!

Shot at High Island Geo-Area, Sai Kung East Country Park.

No need to remove acne or pigmentation marks!

I have encountered countless times where the weather was perfect for photography but alas, the scenery may be nice but the photographed face is dark because of the backlit! 

With the Beach mode, you can have the best of both worlds! The scenery AND a face whose features are actually visible.

Shot at High Island Geo-Area, Sai Kung East Country Park.

Because I am a lazy blogger, I did not want to climb the 268 steps to reach the top. 
Canon Powershot SX 230 HS helped me cheat.

With 12.1 megapixel CMOS sensor, 14x optical zoom and 28mm wide-angle lens, I caught Buddha floating amongst the trees. As good as being up there.

Walk up the steps and enjoy a panoramic view of Lantau and the South China Sea!

This is my favourite function. It is revolutionary! Truly made for the camwhore blogger. 

You know how we like to take multiple shots? If it is self-shot, you may need to crop out your arms later, or sometimes you may even see armpit folds that can’t be edited away. 

Alternatively, you can trouble the people around to photograph you but it is to people’s ire if you ask all the time at every nice spot. Also, if you aren’t that thick skinned or in my case, lazy to open my mouth and ask repeatedly…there is no way for you to get that perfect shot.

Canon understands a camwhore’s woe and so there is the Smart Shutter!

Self shot at SOLO, the only river cafe serving meals at Tai O Fishing Village.

With this mode, the shutter can be activated with a wink OR a smile OR when a new face is detected. Great for self-portraits and group pictures when you want everyone in! 

No more running back into the shot as the time countdowns and risk tripping over in a rush. No more troubling anyone else as you take multiple FULL BODY shots your own. And when I say multiple, you don’t even need to run back and forth as you can set it to snap 3 or more shots, all activated each time you flash your pearlies!

Jumping self-shots? No problem! There is also a function that will take multiple and then automatically choose the clearest shot and discard the blur ones!

Shot at Ngong Ping, Giant Buddha.

I envy artistic pictures that highlight a single colour while the rest is in black & white. Once I tried to do it with Photoshop, I spent 3 hours and still failed!

With a twirl on the dial, the Powershot SX 230HS has Colour Accent where you choose to retain a single colour while the other colours turn monochrome.

With creative fillers like Toy Camera, I don’t even need to waste 5 minutes using iPhoto’s Vignette mode or even Instagm it!

The old man has an interesting eyebrow and he wears a cool tee.

 And for truly unique images? Try the Miniature.

Shot at a seafood restaurant dotting Sai Kung.

 A COMPACT, high-performance, highly versatile Powershot, I get the last laugh when I see tourists lugging heavy equipment like these.

I gloat because i know i will be getting as nice photos as him!

With smart camera functions like these, who needs Photoshop? More time to go out and capture more stories!

I am a flawed but improving photojournalist.