Mastering Light.

I realize if I am to make a living from photography in 2 years time, I will have to master light. Light is the raw ingredient of photography. The word photography comes from the Greek words “Photos” for light and “Graphien” draw. How do I draw with a good picture with light if I do not have a proper understanding of how lighting works and how best to exploit it?

The NAFA course has provided me with a good introduction to studio lighting. It is up to me now to take it further. This long weekend will be a good time for me to start.

I have started off with some theory:

The Nature Of Light

-energy that travels in waves

-photography makes use of visible light

-photons are the raw material of light; when atoms are excited or energized, photons are emitted.

-white light is made up of a mixture of colours

Light can be:

i) Reflected ~ light will always come off a flat reflective surface at the same angle at which the incoming wave of light struck the surface ( angle of incidence = angle of reflection)

ii) Scattered - reflection off a rough surface which diffuses the light

iii) Refraction - light slows and bends when it passes through certain materials

iv) Absorption - Absorption results in the production of heat and not light.

Light intensity
–Illumination from a light source declines considerably over distance ~ inverse square law holds i.e if you double the distance between the subject and the light, the illumination is reduced to a quarter of what it was originally.

Colour of light

- Coloured gels are important and very useful tools for anyone interested in flash photography. They are commonly used to get the light from your flashes to match the surrounding light.

Street Photography

This afternoon on the Mrt, from Marsiling to Toa Payoh.

Apart from the product/still life photography we are doing in the studio at NAFA, in the next 2 months, I would like to explore street photography.

What is street photography? A reflection of every day life – real, unaltered impressions ofpublic places, places that everybody visits every day, the street where you live, the parking lot of your favorite grocery store, the subway. Street photographers document the truth – Often likened to a mirror held up to society, street photography reflects reality. There is no set-up involved, no manipulation of the scene and little or no post-processing of the image.

This realism has provided an accurate and insightful record of street culture throughout the world. With images portraying everything from the ugly, gritty side of life to more humorous situations, they are moments that unless captured would otherwise go unnoticed.

At the heart of street photography is the 'decisive moment'. This is the split second when an image becomes complete in its composition - when each element of the image is in balance, in context and essential to the scene. This is when the shutter is released and the moment is captured forever.

If you, like me are interested in Street Photography too, here are some tips, from Canon's website,

10 QUICK STREET PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS

1. BE INVISIBLE. Dress and behave discretely. Don't affect what lies before you. Some of the best street photography are captured when the photographer and camera are unobserved by the scene and its subjects. 3. PRE-FRAME. PRE-FOCUS. Frame the scene, preset your focus and wait patiently for the right elements to fall into place, before you click. You’ll be surprised at the results of this simple technique. 5. SHOOT FROM THE HIP. Learn to frame your images without looking through the viewfinder or at the LCD. Shoot with the camera away from your face - from the hip or low at your chest work well. Low angle shooting also gives an interesting perspective. 7. BE PATIENT. Street photography is a test of patience. Either waiting for the scene to evolve or just capturing the right shot, a great photograph takes time to realize. Don't rush that special moment before clicking. 9. SHOOT. SHOOT. SHOOT. Practice makes perfect. The more you shoot, the better the photographer you'll become, and ultimately the better your photographs. There's much to get used to with your camera, so get out there and use it.

2. USE A COMPACT CAMERA. Compact cameras like the PowerShot S90 are small, quiet and appear less threatening to subjects. They also offer deeper depths of field allowing more spontaneous captures with sharp detail across the image. 4. SHOOT WITH A WIDE ANGLE. A wide angle lens allows you to get up close to your subjects. A preferred focal length for street photography is 28mm. A wide angle also allows you to capture more of the environment to add to composition and context. 6. OBSERVE. OBSERVE. OBSERVE. Keep your eyes open and be aware of your surroundings. Observe everyone and everything around you. You’ll be surprised at how much is going on in front of you, and how much you can anticipate - ready for that next perfect shot. 8. ALWAYS CARRY YOUR CAMERA. Great moments in photography can happen at any time. In fact it's often the ones that occur when you least expect them that make the best images. With this in mind make sure your camera's always close to hand ready to shoot at a moment's notice. 10. BE SELECTIVE. The more you shoot the more pictures you'll take but they won't all be worth keeping. Be selective and only keep those that make the grade. In this way you'll develop a sharper editorial eye, and your standards will rise in the process.

Last Places on Earth.

A couple of weeks ago, I picked up Eric Meola's from the national library. It was borrowed with Jaime's card as I was unwilling to pay the $7.80 fine.

"Photographer Eric Meola masterfully blends portraits and landscapes in this exploration of the disappearing beauty of various cultures, customs, ceremonies, and wildlife in remote areas of the world. An abstract look at the surviving remains of unique physical and spiritual beauty, this book features photographs taken in countries such as Burma, New Guinea, Africa, India, the Galápagos Islands, Mongolia, India, and Tibet."

I agree wholeheartedly with the book description. The photos were truly amazing. I look at them and then I look through photos I have taken so far and I feel so inadequate. 9 out of 10 of them now appear amateurish in comparison and I almost feel like trashing them away. Meola's photos are an inspiration to me. I must continue to learn and improve. Staying humble, one day I will take photos like these.

I also enjoyed Eric Meola's introduction.

Theisiger talks about this contradiction in Arabian Sand. " I wondered if he(an old man)....sensed the threat which my presence implied, the approaching disintegration of his society and the destruction of his beliefs. Here especially it seemed that the evil that comes with sudden change would far outweigh the good. While I was with the Arabs I wished only to live as they lived and, now I have left them, I would gladly think that nothing in their lives was altered by my coming. Regretfully, however, I realize that....I.....helped others, with more material aims, to visit and corrupt a people whose spirit once lit the desert like a flame."

In February of 1995, while on a personal trip, I photographed a young boy in Rangoon named Lwin Aung as he kneeled befroe a monk and had his head shaved. In this ceremony know as "Shin Bu" that marked his initiation as a monk, he"became Buddha". At that moment of his transformation, as a witness to this most sacred and intimate even, I felt that I, too had crossed into another place and found the key to these other worlds I had imagined. I was no longer an outsider. I had been to one of my last places on Earth, and it was as much a spiritual journey as it was a physical one.

I should think, reflect and write more on the subjects I photograph. On a sidenote, I bought Jaime a crumpler laptop bag today, she was happy and so I am :)

Photographer Spotlight: James Nachtwey

I have been a witness and these pictures are my testimony. The events I have recorded should not be forgotten and must not be repeated. - James Nachtwey.

http://www.jamesnachtwey.com/

Another photographer I admire, James Nachtwey is one of the world's leading photojournalists, and he twice won the World Press photo. He originally studied art and political science. Self taught, he started out as a newspaper photographer in New Mexico, and in 1980 moved to New York where he began his career as a freelancer. Like Robert Capa, he devoted himself to covering conflicts worldwide.

James Nachtwey has often spoken of how the Vietnam War shaped both his political sensitivities and opened his eyes to the power of photography. Still pictures from this confused and doomed conflict played a significant role in turning public opinion against American involvement in Vietnam. Moreover, the conflict was far from clear cut; there were no definite good guys or bad guys and military and civilians were implicated together. This sense of ambiguity shaped Nachtwey's approach to covering conflicts. He does not take sides, nor is he interested in the grand strategy, war in general or what he refers to as 'history with a capital H'. War for him, is about the tragedy of the individual, the single man, the family. His pictures zoom in on the terrible moments and random acts of indiscriminate violence that conflict produces time and time again. His pictures have a visceral quality, where the viewer is transported right into battle.

Read,learn, shoot, reflect, read more, shoot more

I think perhaps I have been visiting Clubsnaps too often (BnS section) and shooting too seldom. The Shooting Thematically workshop, conducted by Mr Chow Chee Yong, that I attended over the weekend awakened me to that. Over the last 6 months I have accumulated so many books on photography - composition, philosophy, photoshop, the works of famous photographers. I should be picking them up instead of reading up on the latest specs of the latest cameras or scouring the forums for bargains. Read, learn, shoot. Reflect, learn, read and shoot more.

Changing Perspective: Adopting a new eye level. (From the Tao of photography: Seeing beyond seeing.)

Pretend to be shorter, taller, different. Go to unusual places. Look at your surroundings from uncommon perspectives. Be a cockroach; crawl under the bed, hide in a closet. Be a bird, sit on a branch and look around with your bird's eyes.

Explore new avenues. How would a the cat lying on a car's hood see a parade? What would a grasshopper see peering up through blades of grass. What does the salad in your refrigerator see when you open the door?

Expand your repertoire of photographic positions: Kneel, Squat, Lie down, on your back, your side, your stomach. Stand on your head and watch how the world changes.

Avoid stiffness. Approach your subject quietly and move around it, under it and above it, then back off and observe how the background changes. Keep moving and observe how new relationships can be created by changing your eye level. A cup of tea in the background suddenly becomes a skyscraper when we step a little closer and view it from below.

Experiment with juxtaposition of objects, create a new world, permit yourself to see as never before. See the world dance.

DOF

Depth of field depends on:
1. Aperture size
2. Focal length (mm)
3. Distance

The smaller the aperture, the deeper the depth of field.
The shorter the lens focal length, the deeper the depth of field
The greater the shooting distance, the deeper the depth of field.

Color Relationships in photography.

 Needless to say, color is an important component in photography. If composed carefully, images with intense color, even those having little variation in light and shade can have lots of impact. In envisioning the image, we should pay greater attention on how we use colors.

What you see above is a color wheel. The colors of strongest contrast lie opposite to each other on the color wheel. Blue lies opposite and is complementary to orange. Harmonic colors lie next together on the color whel(e.g yellow with orange or red with orange). The mood when these colors are brought together is passive compared to complementary colors. 

Photography Tips from National Geographic. 
Focus on People - National Geographic photographer Maggie Steber is your expert mentor in the People category.

Photograph by Maggie Steber

Photographing people has fascinated Maggie Steber ever since she decided that becoming a French teacher in Texas just wouldn't be as exciting. "As photographers, we ask people to be vulnerable before us, and before the world," she says, "so we should approach with humility and be prepared to be open and vulnerable too.

"Spending time with people establishes a trust and shows that your interest is genuine," says Steber. "It will also give you a much richer experience." Reading up on culture and history is another way to bring depth to your work. "Knowing a people's art and literature gives you clues to what makes them unique," she explains. "Travel with an open mind, without preconceptions, and let people teach you. I went to Haiti to photograph a country in civil strife, but because I'd read about its culture and history, I also discovered people of great beauty, mystery, and imagination. Haitians live by their wits—they see straight to your heart. And when I listened, so many facets were revealed—they were playful, dangerous, sweet, cruel, and excited to tell their story."

Steber has observed the rich, the poor, the powerful, the unknown: "Photographing people has opened my eyes to the world in wonderful ways. It's given me a life so rich, because people have shared their lives with me."

Maggie's Tips.

Talk to people with respect and curiosity, and you’ll never have to "steal" a photo.

Using a digital camera to show people portraits makes for a closer, more collaborative process—and richer rewards.

Be aware of backlighting —unless you're deliberately silhouetting subjects.

Be playful: Put people at the edge of the frame, shoot from different angles, and explore creative possibilities.

Make yourself invisible: Teach yourself to walk like a cat, tread softy and gracefully, dress appropriately, equip yourself lightly.

Be warned, another photography post or in the words of Jamie, "Geek-talk".



Framing: Some notes.

The setting for any photograph is the picture frame and the borders of the frame places limits and influences composition. The frame can be made to interact strongly with the lines of the image. They are commonly used as references for diagonal lines within the pictures as well as to form angles. The usual frame standard for 35mm DSLRs is the 3:2 aspect ratio, for compact cameras 4:3, and these different aspect ratios will have ramifications upon the image.

Orientation, switching from 3:2 to 2:3 with a simple tilt of the camera may sometime be desirable, especially for standing human figures.

Filling the frame - varying the size of the subject in the frame will result in different perspectives. One must make the choice whether to close right in onto a subject so that it fills up the picture frame or to pull back so we can see something of the surroundings.

Placement - Other than how to fill the frame, the other decision to make is to where to place the subject within the frame, whilst remaining sensitive to the proportions of the space around the subject. One useful way of doing this is to consider the vectors in subject. To aid placement, the frame may also be divided up. A useful division is the rule of 3rds. Other more complicated methods of division include the Fibonacci Divisions, as well as the golden section proportions.

Other things to consider: Where to place the horizon line, looking for frames within the frame.

Portrait Photography

Taken off http://portraitphoto-micartttt.blogspot.com

When people have a camera in their face it usually makes them nervous and they will try to put on a face that does not portray who they really are. The real skill to portrait photography is trying to capture photos when the subjects are comfortable and not worried about a camera.
Many professional photographers try to capture their subject’s true essence by using tricks. One example of this is counting to three so the subject prepares and then while they are relaxing after taking a planned photo the photographer will snap a few more unplanned photos. In most cases the subject won’t even know that more than one photo was taken but it’s usually the photos that the subject wasn’t expecting that capture their true essence.
Another more common strategy professionals use is to tell funny jokes that make their subjects genuinely laugh or smile. I’m sure that you have probably experienced something like this yourself.

I have just finished my English Assignment. 2500 words about materials evaluation and adaptation, non-teachers need not bother about what that means. My hands are cramping from being scrunched up too long over the mouse; that usually only happens after a long game of DOTA, so you can tell how long I have been at it. Before i go collapse in a heap on my bed, I thought I'd include another photography post. Heh.

A picture is well composed if it constituents - whether figures or apples or just shapes - form a harmony which pleases the eye when regarded as 2-dimensional shapes on a flat ground.
Pete Murray

Seeing the extraordinary in the ordinary
From photographs we can learn more about the world. Images not only inform us about the products we never knew we need, the events, people and places too distant or remote for us to see with our own eyes, but also tell us more about the things we thought we already knew.
Most of us are too preoccupied to stand and look at something for any great amount of time. We glance at something briefly and think we have seen it. Our conditioning or desires often tell us what we have seen or would like to see. When we look at a photograph of something ordinary however, it may show us the object like we had never seen it before. With a little creative imagination and a little photographic technique, it is possible to release the extraordinary from the ordinary.

Filling the frame
When the photographer moves closer, distracting background can be reduced or eliminated. There are less visual elements that have to be arranged and the photographer has much more control over the composition. Many amateurs are afraid of chopping off the top of someone's head, but that is permissible if your intention is to draw the viewer's attention to the face and the subject's features or expression. Eliminating a part of the background can bring the the attention of the viewer to the intended subject of the photo.

Diagonal Lines
I think I have this down in previous entries on photography, but I thought I'd add it anyway to reinforce - Diagonal lines are more dynamic than horizontal or vertical lines. They set up a dynamic tension or sense of movement within the picture.

Quality of light.
The smaller the light source, the harder the light appears. Hard light create dark shadows with well defined edges.
The larger the light source, the softer the light appears. Soft lights, eg sunlight diffused by clouds or light that has been reflected of a large bright surface, have less dark shadows and the edges are not clearly defined.

Another photography post, unavoidable, considering I attended Magnum photographer, Chang Chien-Chi's talk at the national museum on Friday. For the uninformed, Chang Chien-Chi's is the only Asian in the elite Magnum Photo agency founded by legends Ropert Capa and Henri Cartier Bresson. 3 of his works, The Chain, Double Happiness, and China Town, some 130 photographs are now on exhibition at the national museum. Don't miss this one!

For the talk, I went with Cheeleong, and although I was troubled before the talk began( I thought I had lost my wallet together with all the important documents; it has since been recovered), I quickly forgot all about, with hindsight, my little problem, once we took our seats to await the great man. He was eccentric, but very witty. He started off talking about his work, but then his train of thought would wander, and it became very obvious that he hadn't come with any clear theme or message, rather he just spoke on whatever came to his mind as he looked at the stimulus of a slide show, probably prepared for him by the museum. But it was enlightening enough, as he talked about how he prefers one camera, one lens, thats all you need, keep it simple.


Keep it simple. Great advice.

Just a quick post before i head for the showers and after that, reluctantly to school for class and all the assignments deadlines.

Some learning points from the RSPB guide to Wildlife Photography that is also applicable to all the other genres.

Backgrounds and Lighting.

Backgrounds.
The background of a picture can make or break it. Distracting elements in the background of an image, can draw the viewer's eye away from the main subject, and impair its success. When your attention is devoted to the subject in your viewfinder, it is easy to miss distracting elements that will weaken a picture. When taking images, it is useful to scan your backgrounds first before releasing the shutter.

To overcome a bad background:
1. Move your position, sometimes, it is only by a few centimetres to the side or up.
2. Using Depth of field to throw out any distracting element. A Shallow depth of field is a great way to make your subject stand out from the background.
3.Using a long lens to isolate part of the subject, so the background doesn't matter.

Some points on lighting.
The direction and quality of light on your subject will give the image its mood, and will play a big part in the impact a picture has.

The best light of the day will always be in the early morning or in the evening, when light moves towards the the warm end of the colour spectrum. Colours are then intensified and a more 3 dimensional form to people, animals and things is created.


Front lighting
- with the sun coming from over your shoulder. Front lit objects will show greater detail and will lack shadows; colours will also be at their best. However without shadows the image looks flat s there is less contrast.

Side or Backlightiing provides a more moody feel and a more creative image, however the photographer needs to exercise greater control.

Rim lighting - with backlighting, the subject may be back lit against a dark background; the edges of a person or an aimal is lit up producing a beautiful effect - or glowing halo. Things to watch out for when shooting backlit scenes include lens flare, but using a good deep lens hood or holding your hand over the top of your lens should eliminate this.

Side lighting - 3 dimensional field, but harsh shadows may occur, therefore it is best to shoot side-lit subjects at the start or the end of a day. Side lit objects are often photographed best when low to the ground. The low angle accentuates the drama in the image.

So last week, I traded in my Fz7, 12x Zoom and all for the Lumix Lx1, quite a beauty as you can see above. With 2 slrs sitting in the dry cabinet, the Fz7 was collecting dust and it makes a lot of sense that someone else would be making better use of it. With the money from that sale I was able to get myself a compact small enough to carry around everywhere - the Lx1 also known as the Leica D-lux 2. (Although Jaime shook her head at me buying yet another camera.) With an abundance of choices in the compact market, the Leica connection was the clincher for me.

The cool thing about the Lx1, besides its sleek classic look is that it shoots in RAW, so if you are willing to spare the time and play around with the processing, you get pretty good quality from a point and shoot. Another cool thing is it shoots really wide, in 16:9 perspective if you know what that is. I have been carrying it around, getting to know it. Here are some samples.

First Outing with the Bigma. It was nice and sunny.I am rather pleased with the results.

More shots from around home. I need to budget for some home improvement. My clothes cabinet is broken. Was at Ikea for dinner last night with Jaime, where I have got my eye on a replacement at a good price. The government's giving out money next month, and it isn't even election year!

My dad in the midst of his favorite past-time, reading.

In line with the last post, I went around the house, taking photos hoping to bring a new perspective to the familiar and mundane.

I have been reading up during the one week break. Some notes on photography:
A photographer composes his shot, deciding what to include, what to omit; and how to arrange the elements within the frame. Good composition or arrangement of elements within the picture frame is vital to the task to achieving high impact. Images that have balance, order and rhythm are pleasing to the eye. Some of the aspects which go to make up a strong composition - Balance, Line, how to divide up the frame and depth of field.

Balance
Usually, placing your subject off-centre will be more dynamic, leading the viewer's eye around the picture the balance is created by using another feature for contrast, one ideally of a different shape size, or colour. Two shapes of equal size compete for attention, cancelling out the interest in each other and the emphasis is lost. Two unequal shapes will take the viewer's eye across the picture from one to the other Colour contrast also helps, e.g balance a pale area against a strongly coloured object. For some pictures, symmetry also works.

Line
Strong lines in a photograph serve to direct the eye towards an object. Good placement of lines can guide the viewer, connecting different areas of an image together, creating movement and depth. Linear direction affects the overall mood of the image. A diagonal road in an image will be more interesting and exciting than if it went straight across the frace. Diagonal lines tend to impart a feeling of motion and vitality - they seem to be rising or falling, or moving from or towards the viewer. They instil your image with a vigour that vertical and horizontal lines do not.

Horizon line.
Where you place your horizon line gives emphasis to a particular part of the image. Placed towards the bottom, it gives importance to the upper part, vice versa. Placed across the middle, equal importance is suggested ( symmetry) This may create tension because the eye keeps moving back and forth unsure which half of the frame is more significant.

All points noted, the most important thing is to keep shooting and then study your images and think about how you can improve them, what you have done well, what you have not done well. Starting now! Go shoot.

The Hidden Side of Singapore

It is 7pm, the evening is a gloomy blue hue. At a back alley, sandwiched between Geylang and Sim’s Drive, wrinkled old men and women push makeshift trolleys, which grind upon the asphalt, stacked with cardboard, empty soft drink cans into a ramshackle industrial lot. I watch as the old man strains to get his load across a protrusion on the ground. That heavy pile of newspapers and cardboard is dinner as I watch money change hands, the green of a $5 bill. And it burns my heart.

Was looking through some concert pictures on the web this morning and decided to try my hand at some black and white rendering. This one's from last month's Jump! Concert at Genting, What do you think?