Photo Tips: Lighting Reference

1/640 sec, 17-50mm f2.8 @ f5.6, iso 200
it is a cloudy day, and i use stronger flash power to push down the sunlight to make the background slightly under exposure to create mystery atmosphere.


1/200 sec, 17-50mm f2.8 @ f8, iso200
fill in flash light at left hand side to compensate the exposure which sunlight cannot cover.


1/80 sec, 17-50 f2.8 @ f4.5, iso 320
it's cloudy day, however the subject is under a kiosk and the surface of lake is reflecting light, hence the exposure is not balance. flash light fill in to compensate the exposure.

Photoshop Tips: Film Effect

Digital SLR is flooded in the city nowaday, then there is some ppl start to thinking bout film slr. However, not everyone dare to step into film world. So, now photoshop can help u to create a fake film photo by few click =)


select gradient map. (click to see large image)


double click on the color bar, the gradient editor window will pop out, and then select the blue, red, yellow preset gradient. (click to see large image)


change the color bar into orange, blue, red and yellow, then click on ok. (click to see large image)


change the opacity into 10%. (click to see large image)


change the saturation into -20. (click to see large image)


at the layer side, select the background. and then click on filter > noise > add noise. (click to see large image)


set the amount as 5%, done. (click to see large image)

Photo Tips: Lighting Reference

This post will share on how do i capture sun light, where do i place my flash light and how do i compose the photo.


1/200 sec, 85mm f1.4 @ f2.0, iso 200
the flash light is act as fill in light, the power have to same as sun light so it will not look too unnatural. How to adjust the flash light? Just use trial and error until u get!


1/250 sec, 17-50mm f2.8 @ f2.8, iso 200
this photo i have place the subject in the middle of two bushes, to create the front, middle and back layer.


1/250sec, 85mm f1.4 @ f.2.8, iso 200
the sun has been block by the bush, hence this time the flash light power is slightly higher. To remain two subject is clear, aperture may not be too large, so i stop down to f2.8 (watch out, aperture will affect flash light, smaller aperture need higher power).

I will share more reference from time to time, stay tune =)

Photo Tips: Composition

Composition is very important in photography, it is the way how the cameraman describe the subject through photo. Simple to say, is how the cameraman choose the angle to bring out the subject. Whenever you wanna take a photo, you have to know what is your subject. A good photo should have clear subject.

1. Keep the background clear- not messy, no eyesore, when people look at the photo, they will straight away focus on the subject.


2. Lighting- using light to bring out the subject, which the subject is brighter than the background or other object in the photo. this is very useful method!

subject is brighter than background


subject is brighter than another object which cameraman don't wan to describe.

3. Depth of field- also called as depth of focus, which is the area in a photo that is clear under focus point. Photo talk thousand of words, lets see photo below:


deeper depth of focus (focus point is on the lamp of black car)


shallow depth of focus (focus point is on the lamp of black car)

this method is to blur out other object(or messy background) that the cameraman don't want to describe, to bring out the subject. To create narrow depth of focus, there is several method. First is to open bigger aperture if your camera able to manually adjust aperture. Second is zoom to the far end of your camera lens to capture the subject. Third, choose an angle that your subject and other object is not parallel, either it is in front or back (not side by side).
e.g:


Lastly, where to "put" your subject in the photo? Normally people tend to place the subject in the center of photo. There is a rule, called Rule of Third suggest that you can place your subject in the one third area of the photo, rather than just center.

imaginary divided your photo into 3 equal area, either horizontal or vertical. See photo below:





However, rule of third suggest to place subject in one third area rather than just center, but doesn't mean you must follow this rule all the time, there is no fixed rule in art. =)

Photo Tips: Legend Of | Polypterus

Continue from the previous knowledge and experience about the aquarium photograph, today we add on some lighting effect. The flash light effect is concentrate the light on a small area to create a mystery atmosphere as you see in the photo. Normal flash light shooting degree is about 80+ degree, which is quite large coverage. To make the light stream concentrate, this actually very easy and simple. What you need to do is just wrap your flash gun's head with a thick paper, the function is same with you spend about hundred ringgit to buy a honeycomb snoot. After you wrap the flash gun, the dispersion degree has been narrow down to very low.




The light stream is narrow, hence you point into somewhere in the aquarium, and wait for your fish to pass through the area, and you capture it. If you feel frustrated waiting the fish to pass through your target area, you can get an assistant help you holding the flash light to aim on the fish. Well, you can try this lighting method on other field. Let try it out! =)

Photo Tips: Aquarium photograph

Recently, i fall in love with fish, and taken several aquarium photograph. So, i would like to share some of my experience and what i had learned. The first thing i learn, is never NATO (no action talk only). I have found that, a lot of person will talk about CPL filter (kind of filter to reduce reflection of glasses) when they heard about aquarium photograph. Theoretically, aquarium will have reflection and CPL filter is needed. But, this is only theoretically, the fact is, not necessary. First of all, to avoid reflection of glasses, we just need to understand why there is a reflection. Simple reason, reflection occur when inner lighting is lower than outer. Same reason apply to building glasses and window, why we can't see through the window at day time, but can see through at night. Hence to avoid reflection, we just make the inner lighting higher than outer, just simple as that, we don't need CPL filter at all. We can switch off the lamp to lower down the environment light (outer), or increase the flash light power which the flash light is remove controlled, and place at the top of aquarium(inner). Build in flash is not able to reduce reflection.


01. If the inner lighting is lower, reflection will occur.


The next is about technical part. When taking aquarium photograph, try ur best to make ur object far from the aquarium glass which is close to ur camera, because we don expect the aquarium is crystal clear. If ur object is too close to the glass which is close to ur camera, u might capture some dust or scratch on the glass. (Refer to photo below)


02. Fingerprints on glass... =.=

Secondly, try to place ur camera 90degree to the glass. If ur camera is not 90degree to the glass, refraction will occur (refer to photo below). Hence ur image might be distorted, and ur camera might not able to focus well, or out of focus.


03. Refraction occur.

Lastly, apply what u have learn, heard, or read. Never NATO. Trust me, u will know more than what u known =)


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Photo Tips: Why Portrait

I have been concentrate on portrait photography quite a long time, but i guess, not much people know why i concentrate on it, even some of them misunderstood the reason behind.

Well~ I seldom explain why. But since i have organize few times of model shooting activity and invited some of my friend to join, i hope they themselves understand why are they here, but not because of my invitation, not because of pretty girls =)

So, why portrait? the reason behind is a very subjective perspective, u not necessary agree on it. It is all about VALUE, the value added into my art & photography. Maybe when u capture a so called "meaningful" photo: a very upset old guy with lots of wrinkle on his face, smoking in a broken wooden house and a piece of old lady photo on the floor... Well~ this photo is great, u may win in a competition~ but do u think the old guy will appreciate what u have done? u make use of his bitter moment for your own art work, and u HAPPY with his SADNESS. Because of others sadness/bitterness = art or the so called meaningful photos, the great photographer of "The Starving of Sudan" has commit suicide. So, who appreciate your 'meaningful' photo?

So u see, the value added is, photo i have taken, there is someone appreciate. I capture their happiness, i capture their beauty, and important is, they happy with it. If i have capture for 1000 people, 1000 ppl appreciate my work, likewise, if u have capture 1000 of 'meaningful' photos, who else appreciate? Maybe only one person will appreciate, is you your self. A very simple example, if one day one of my portrait photo has been publish in a magazine, for sure the model of the photo will quickly buy the magazine, share with her friend and keep that magazine for life (perhaps.. haha), but if my "old guy" photo publish in the magazine.... well, will someone QUICKLY buy that magazine? share with friend? keep the magazine? will u?

I'm not a rich guy, and i have invest a lots of money into photography, so i think i must do something which is more valuable. At least I'm not 'syok sendiri' with the so call meaningful photo, but someone appreciate my work. That is the VALUE behind.

Others happiness, my art =)

Same reason, if there is any miss Malaysia competition, cat walk, bikini and what so ever, even though it is so call portrait as well, but i definitely won't go for that.


"The Starving of Sudan"
A very great photo that alert the world about the famine in Sudan, but the photographer commit suicide because of the pressure being blame by the world for not saving the girl. There is always a ethic conflict if others sadness/bitterness = art.