Art of Photography by Gary Bridger (c)

Final conclusion and feed back

2011-03-30T01:01:00.000-07:00

The Art of photography.

My Conclusion:

I had just started to get into the swing of this course. The path to learning methods and the way a photograph reads, has certainly been an experience.

How I feel about my accomplishments is open to thought. I feel that my approach given time , could have had a more simple artistic out come.

Other than what I have produced for the exercises: The main assignments are showing work that I have taken during my journey in the art of photography, Building on what I have been learning. I have gathered so many photographs that I would like to show to the world.

So many I am spoilt for choice to select from the fast amount.

In reading the book Oxford History of art. by Graham Clarke The photograph.

I was surprised what is referred to as art.

With set backs of my job here in Sabah, and the effecting reality to what effects us in the world today. I have sacrificed much time to improving my skills and to gain expression.

Reading the book on the Oxford history of ART, I found my self slowly unfolding what photography is really about. Looking through his web site, I changed my views on the way I see the world, and the elements that are the make up the world we live in.
As before, My approach to photography was more,get in close! make impact! All very well to impress those who just snapped with a pocket range finder camera.

Much has changed now. Digital is in full swing, especially now and the last past 2 years Cameras have leapt forward. What cannot be done through the lens can be in the digitally.

Nevertheless, making that statement, I did find, that what Graham Clark has researched, opened my mind. I must say, the use of creative words had me struggle, keeping up with the book. A Note book and Dictionary helped me to understand the concept to what Graham Clark is telling us. I went over page after page, to understand what exactly was to be portrayed.
I am still reading this book now. Going over, to in bed, what truly is missing in to days photography, that we have lost.

Mush of the photography to day, is a make up of what sells. Or is examined to be the goal of the avid photographer.
Other books I find easier to read, like Tom Ang. The Complete Photographer. These book teach you how, but not how to look for that magic that brings all what this course has to offer.
However. Still missing is the individuality. The DNA, that marks ones work, as the imprint that I have taken the photograph. Am I looking to far? Or is my refection fooling me? Stile is hard to find now. with so many photographers trying to prove them selves.

Taking photographs is to day a past time for everyone. Here in Asia I see so many people with SLR cameras. Some of such high specification, Most just like to say “ I own top gear” But do they know how to use that tool.

Photography in the commercial world, also has to make a statement. Wether it has been taken with a large format for vogue, Time, or even, travel photography, with National Geographic. Even those photographs are not Technically perfect. But are for good reason sound images that speak for them selves. They can be blurred or unsharp. there is a reason or something seen it the image, that makes the image say something.

How many times have you been given photographs to look at. And with lack of interest, gone through them, like a pack of cards.

When I am given photos, Those family, or holiday snaps. I go through them looking to see how I would take or what may come from them if I had the camera in my hands. To often one gets involved to capture what they sees. I still have to think, when looking through the lens, to focus on more than just the subject. This is when I found looking back on my photography. Many times I wish I took more thought to just move the camera to one side.

One can eat food and look for more. You can you understand the reason to why you like that food so much? And what went into it to impress you. Like listening to music. Amongst all the clutter, the classical mess that music has become. One out of so many songs, tunes, will make you want to hear that one, thats so unique again and again. And it will become famous.

Photography is much the same.
I wanted to express and be more creative. In what I have undergone here, is much to what I, as a photographer have avoided,

Let me explain:

When I was in full time photography, I felt trapped to explore what I wanted to photograph, and how a photograph inspires my self and others.

Although this course pushed me to explore and discover my approach. I still feel something lacking.

That special something.

As Graham Clark emphasises: A picture just on its own, like the twins, Cuts off much to what the mind can wonder. One just sees two girls side by side. Its not until you look closer, do you find something els.

A photograph may have a key to unlock the imagination. Also, other photographs put together, can unlock the story that the photographer wants to portray. How much do you need to place or crate to express what you want to say?

Sadly most have become lured into the digital perfection. Looking for the sharpest detail in the image, like modern life.
We lose who we are, and lose culture. The very reason photography is meant to record, what may not be here tomorrow.

Many photographers have forgotten to capture what is meant to be told, and focus on what geeks would look at to accept as a technically good photographs.

Grain and Noise, so what if it captured the moment and paints the mood? Art is meant to be admired from a far. And not examined under a magnifying glass. It’s what the image tells the person.

Today' I wonder with HD TV now 3D and 3D cameras, how much can the eyes take to the brain to analyse.
What do we honestly relate to in quality. An image may be perfectly sharp, and focussed, well exposed. If the image lacks to say something, then its just an image. And nothing more.

Moving pictures are of short term impact. The mind soon learns to filter out what it does not need to see. Where a still photograph imprints itself or dismisses its self from the on looker.

Therefore, the main image content, like a famous painting, will pull you in.
To stop the passers by, of those who appreciate the life that surrounds them.

Those who appreciate art, photography, and the makeup of the world around them.
They most certainly will have life meaning.

Observation is the key word here. Without it we are just snappers. Observation, creativity. What is there? and the reason for being? Like life it self.

Relating to this: I have taken a closer look at photography to day. What sells and what does not.
I feel more like a learner still. Looking at some of the work on Getty images, and I stock photo. We find a jungle of standards, Styles yet to be explored.
Standards are high. Yes! some of the advertising photos can be so simple, yet they have a statement. I have giving this a try with photostockplus.com

Still I have not found that something in my work. That I can hang and say" I am content." What is it I am looking for?

I feel that some how digital photography and the instant play back of images has stolen that glory.

I have so many photographs now. Perhaps 30,000 or so. Yet so few have I had in print. They seem meaningless.

Before digital: That carful exposure with the light metre; Setting up: loading the film. The shoot and the magic of the waiting: That wait gave time to contemplate on the moment, to take in the set: the scene. When the prints came back, and an enlargement made. That moment all came back. Somehow digital makes it all to easy. Yet harder to impress! And time lost in processing.

Finally I ask my self.
When will that moment become evident. To crate a photograph is much like a chef cooking a meal. To cook it your self , you soon lose your appetite. Especially when you have to cook when not inspired.

I am still waiting for the moment when everything comes together. When I can sit back and say." I love this photograph." As when I did back in the 80s. Although I have shown and learnt how to put together pictures. I am still yet to crate the master piece of fine art.

Finally for this part of my journey in discovering my self in the world of photography.

I at this time would like to ad, that not just still, movie also, I see more then just the film. I have done this for a long time, Films stimulate me as so does the still photograph. Like a good film. If it captures something that gives me good reason to watch or look at it, time and time again, Then its got that something special.
Sorry to many,words to whom may find this statement conceited, To this I am saying that I do find emotional feeling when I relate to art. film , News, If I was asked what film I would reflect on as a work of art. I have to say the french Movie (Emalie) And if it were to be a photograph, Then , I have yet to find that photograph. One thing I find missing in my life, And this is where I wish I could attend collage or University in person, Is the lack of reaction to share comment, and stimulation in conversation about what we see and do with others.

So many to day, seem locked up in the jail of the rat race, of modern life, Or lack the awareness to appreciate the world around them. And the things that are left behind.
This is why I love photography so much. Its my escape!

Assignment Narritive 5

2011-03-10T00:03:00.000-08:00

Applying the techniques of illustration and narrative :

To produce an Article, using photographs that tell a story for a magazine. Linking up two or three photographs that relate to each other, using the previous skills on a page, plus others that bring together the story visually .

Story: BORNEO

My story is about life in Borneo. Relating to the City Kotakinabalu. The Jungle. With its indigenous people.
I would have liked to have added more on the wild life. Like the Proboscis monkeys, The diverse mixture of culture. This is more focused on the people. Not being the modern rat race its become.
The National Flower, Hibiscus is the top picture.

Covering page. This is Borneo .

COVER

Exercise: Rain

2011-03-05T05:25:00.000-08:00

This is the last of my work in this section. The art of photography. I feel i could have been more creative and arty if time allowed.

Rain :
Something we get allot of now, here in Sabah , After my escape from the weather in the UK , I am followed by weather that is wet.

Armed with my camera , To dare the elements of a tropical storm. Or make up a set up replicating rain. Ideas again avoiding the cliche of this subject. An open street: I will focus on colour, umbrellas and rain drenched people, or animals. May be as simple as a puddle.
Action shots of people running for shelter. Flooding.

Rain dripping from petals , drenched girl. Make up running from being wet through. just some thoughts on the subject. So many I can think off. Ideas to explore. But the subject is not How, who, or what is rained on ? Its Rain.

Still looking for something more appropriate. After a number of photographs taken, I chose this one. It's not as artistic as I wanted , But its statement is quite clear.

Rain. the problem with a front page picture is ( people and model release).

Exercise: Juxtaposition

2011-03-05T05:12:00.000-08:00

Juxtaposition:?

1 photograph showing two linking objects in a photograph:
Something interesting, and has good moody lighting. Two or three objects can be used in still life. Or using a person with a linked subject, job or hobby .

Looking at other photographs:
http://www.google.com.my/images?client=safari&rls=en&oe=UTF-8&redir_esc=&q=juxtaposition+front+page+photos&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&sa=X&ei=axx_TfaoE4m3rAfEwLy1Bw&ved=0CCUQsAQ&biw=1108&bih=745
Some confusing photos have been produced including the girl titled 'definition of juxtaposition" bazar not to say the least .

1 photograph To be used on a cover of a book. This one I took relating the fish munger in Sabah, relating his catch to the back ground. Fish for sale.

Exercise: Symbols

2011-03-05T04:37:00.000-08:00

Symbols:

Listing items that can be used to show the following, as you would in advertising :

Growth
Excess
Crime
Silence and
poverty.

Starting with Growth. Money used, small change, and then big notes. A seed to a flower.

Or seedling pushing up through the soil. A Child and Adult, stood side by side. Bricks, building a sky scraper. 9 toys side by side .

Excess:
Over flowing mug. A jar with to much in, with the a hand trying to push the lid down. Bath tub over flow, a basket of oranges over flowing, with two or three captured as they fall , blurring the falling one to show movement, . A Over loaded toy car. Money pot over filled. A woman with to much make up, or over dressed. A persons mouth with to much in it. list can go on!

Crime :
A smashed window, a crow bar in a gap of a door or car. Hands round some ones neck.
A knife with blood on it, A hooded person. Smoking gun. Hand cuffs . A Justice hammer. Jail bars. Hans holding the bars. Money and a shot gun opened with spent cartridges, A syringe and burnt sugar on a spoon representing drug taking.

Silence:
As a still life, this one is difficult . Easy to go out and capture Poverty, As its every where.
To show in Illustration as a still life a little harder . Silence?
Eg
Ear Plugs. A mouth gagged . A candle resting, burning incense. A Broken deff aid, broken loud speaker. A boot in a loud speaker. Person with finger over lips. Hammer through a radio.
Hands over ears. Volume control set to zero.

Ok Poverty ?
Cupped hand holding rice , Cliche I hate that word, but so true , and so hard to avoid.
Empty wallet , Crumbs and empty cupboard. Cockroach on a plate . Or a rat .

Ol come back to this page later with some photos when I have time.

Exercise: Evidence of Action.

2011-02-28T06:43:00.000-08:00

One Photograph showing Evidence of Action:

Photograph the rubbish thats left on the beaches. Pollution !Then I thought ? "Not interesting, or artistic enough. Wow! silly me. Ive done this already and have the perfect picture.

How and what does it say. Abandonment ! Take it Home! (c)

(C)

Exercise: A Narrative Picture Essay

2011-02-28T04:45:00.000-08:00

A Narrative Picture Essay.
Assignment 5

This is when I had to think hard, to put together a story that gave interest. Humour about an everyday event . I decided on many things. Trying to to work out what would be interesting .

Then it came to mind, A cup of coffee. But how to make that into a story?

As every story has a start, a middle, and an end.

So I stared from the mug. The keys, cleaning my teeth, going out, locking the door. In the car. at the cafe. The coffee being made and a Indian Rotti for breakfast.

To make the images have action and movement , I used a low ISO and slow shutter. As the Caffe did not render much colour. Some of the images converted to black and white. This way I can ad contrast.

As I looked at the empty mug. Tipping it , looking into the bottom, A the story unfolded.

I have to produce 5 to 15 photographs small and large :

An Empty mug.

An empty coffee jar too!

Off to the shops to get some coffee.

Umm may take breakfast out instead.

Clean my teeth!

Lock the door. And off I go.

Always a jam and red traffic lights to hold you back. So slow.

At the Cafe they are happy to serve ,

Coppy Panas means hot coffee, Sweet and strong.

Made with an art in its own.

Pored from here pored from there.

High

And Low

Served with Roti, Its an indian pancake .

Needed And flipped high

And flipped low

All to getter its a little show.

At last My Coffee . Looks a work of art , Don't you think so?

Stirred blending both parts.

So sweet strong and Drink!

And no washing up at the sink.

The End.

If you look at the photos. You can see how I thought them through. From the first two: Round and Straight.

The keys, a slight slope ( right to left and left to right.)

The tooth paste. Something out and the locking of the door, something in or release, and closed.

Look at the arm on the traffic lights, and the the left arm on the man, How the link and frame in some way relate. A definite connection yet so far apart.

The next two are focussed on the two cups, and the second in these two photos shows again, two cups.

High and low: Although one photo is similar. I used a vertical frame on both a large photo for the high, and smaller, for the low.

Ending with the Roti, and the making of the Roti. Movement, to flipping and tossing the Roti.

Then I brought in the coffee, with colour. Bringing in Colour to my life, as I refreshed, drinking the coffee, and satisfied with the Rote .

The End.

Assignment 4, Applying lighting technique.

2011-01-18T06:15:00.000-08:00

Assignment 4, Applying lighting technique.

Shape
Form
Colour
Texture

To Photograph any subject, to show Shape, Form, Texture, and colour using all the skills I have learnt . Any subject that can be moved for photographing in different lighting conditions .

Here I have chosen a wooden carved Buffalo. A symbol of Malaysia Borneo.

Photographing the subject as written : 8 photographs :

Shape:

Taken on a table top, lit from window light behind. Stopping down by 1 stop, to rim light the subject, and darkening any detail., As the light dims in my apartment. Shadows and colours change. Capturing what you see, and want to portray in a photograph, takes quick thinking of adjustment of the camera. Nature will not wait.

In this subject I wanted to separate the back ground , so I focused on the rim lit area 2.8 making the out line more pronounced .

Shape

Low silhouette taken in very low dark light as in subdued lighting. Showing shape, this picture was darker. So to enhance the back lit wall from the low lighting. I brightened and aded a hint of warmth.That would have been noticeable at the time . I like this very much, as the direction and positioning ads to composition. I think enlargement on a wall would give a much calming feeling.

Form

Texture and colour making form:

Lit from the setting sun, shining through the window. Front lit on a tripod. I had to work fast to set this up. The light was dropping fast. As It does here in Borneo. As sun light lowered, I watched the casting light from the window move along the wall. Inspired by this beautiful light , I moved quick to grab my carving . Setting up on a chair , At first, to much wobble needed some card board laid across to make a small table top. My black cloth thrown over the back of the chair to make a backing.

The camera needed to be on the try pod. As exposures were long. and I required depth . As you can see from the camera setting below.

This orange light I found acts like an orange filter in Black and white film, bringing out the grain of wood, showing of this carving in its true form.

Form re done from fist submission:

This photograph was taken on location .

The day was early, and overcast. Some Mosquito repellent and set to the task. My tutor on my first set said what I had taken was good. Just seemed to point that the images were to much the same. So this one , I took laying on the floor. Then over head. on top of the car. But to much clutter in the back drop .Trees and wires . So I tried the table.

Just did not seem right. I could not get low unless the window of the house came into frame.

I looked at the bank wall. with the shoe stand. Moved the shoe stand away from the wall to give some separation . Made some space . The wide angle lens I use allot when doing culture photography. A feel it gives that national Geographic look. the hardest part as viewing and positioning to frame the carving just right.

Taken with a 10 to 22 mm WA to fill the frame showing a different perspective of form . Stopped down to get maximum depth. Lit by day light, out side on a cloudy day.

I like this picture, from the rest as it fills the frame . Showing all elements .

Colour :

Again making some changes from my previous picture . As my tutor comments were that I had to many the same angle . The above, and this one I took later in day light . This gives a definite example of the colour of the wood. At the same time showing good detail of the back view of the carving.

Colour

Side shot lit from window light on a cloudy day from the right side . Giving a softer light, thrown over the subject, surrounded by the white wall, and slight fill in from the back. Right side. I had attempted to lighten the image . in doing so would have lost this richness and nice Bronze look

the colour showing the bronze richness of the wood.

Texture:

Lit from low darker light, on a very dark cloudy day in my apartment on the table . Window light can make some interesting lighting, if you watch it .To take this I wanted to bring out the texture. Instead of taking the hole subject into the frame, I moved in close. Paying attention to detail and composition. Allowing the back ground to drop off. By positioning both the camera and subject, so the back drop faded away into the darker part of the room. I could have used the back drop again. But one more moment and the light would have been lost.

Texture

Texture at a different angle, in low dark side lighting.

Again working, thinking fast. How to make this different.?

I first took this, on just the table. With its glass top and under lace pattern , The hole image looked ammeter and snappy. Iv shown the texture of the wood on the little man. Now to show off the Texture and detail in the carving. Grabbing my green T shirt , spreading it over the table. To show of the wood more. I gave my self another problem.

Framing. And angle , Not to include the edges of the shirt, so it was not obvious the back drop was an old T shirt.

Turning the carving and taking 3 or 4 shots. I finally got this pleasing image showing texture.

I feel that there may be a lot of shadow here , but using the fill card would have softened the carving making the shadows in each carved knife cut less effective.

8 photographs were asked for , I have taken others I would have liked to have shown taken with flash. The ones above using available light show a much more dramatic, and in some cases less artificial image .

Shiny Surfaces

2011-01-12T21:22:00.000-08:00

The goal is to photograph a very shiny reflective object like a chrome or highly polished steel pot . Pot to big?

In still life and catalogue photography , many Items my be just like the above and demand a great challenge to Eliminate all most if not all refections.

Some use a large light tent where others use big studios with fish flood lighting from the sides through large diffusers. And some adjustment in photoshop.
For this exercise Im using just what is asked, A sheet of tracing or grease proof paper made into cone .

A week later and I am still waiting for low sun to do the other project.
Searching for a shiny object. Frustrating to find tracing paper in malaysia , as no one new what I was on about. Until I found an Art shop that had large sheets.

Now to find that pot or something 18th jan . Alloy yes. Old steel pots yes! new ones . cutlery or thing in the kitchen , all to dull.

20th jan still no shiny objects that I can use. Shiny Idea, looking at the taps. I found a new water tap in my tool box. Just the right size. And a nice shape. Umm by gone the old days when making witches hats. Fumbling with the tracing paper. i wonder , Am I getting old as this used to be fun and not so much of a challenge . After some effort to get the large tracing paper to a cone. And tape in in a way it would not collapse. I managed to to get the job done using a 60 mm macro lens cutting the narrow end to fit. I used the flash on the camera , and then covering the flash as I did on the previous exercise, used off flash at different angles.

Results Much brighter and no refections only the tracing paper giving over all shade.

Moving the flash did not make that much change , Only when placing it at the base of the cone level with the TAP.

With out diffused

First mistake. But what a picture! , The inside flap of the paper cone got in the way.

An idea for special effects.!

Lit with the camera flash from above.

moving the subject :

lit mid way to one side

Side lit

Lit from one side and mid way up the cone .

Side lighting gives a nice effect The flash was place level with the subject on the floor.
I remember an advert shot just like this of a beer . Also still life of perfumes .

Concentrating light

2010-12-23T10:14:00.001-08:00

Focussing light in a studio is interesting, to see how one can manipulate the light, to give an effect to what you want . From back, front, and under lighting. I miss my Bowens Mono lite with the barn doors. However , a trip to the art shop. You can get most metals to govern your creativity. From black plastic sheets to diffusing sheets. Or the builders DIY .

Here I simply for the exercise, took a sheet of black plastic . A4. Rolled it around my flash, using off flash . This can be done wirelessly, or by darkening the room using the bulb setting and firing the flash manually, or using energy saving bulbs or even to day bright LED lighting. Leds are bright and cool.

But with out going through crazy expense. Unless you going to be doing allot of studio work. This method is simple, and costs less then £2 .

I have a Tip Im putting on U tube. How to get the flash to set the off flash without the flash on the camera filling in the light, Well it could be re directed , But then you still have stray light. The Answer came to me when I put my finger over the flash and found it still fired the external wireless flash unit. ( read your flash Guide book for settings!)

Make a little hood from brown Parcel tape . About 4 layers will do, Just rap it round your fingers, if you wish. This brown tone still admits the wave length that sets of the other flash. Place it over the pop up flash on your camera, and off you go. Without spilling light all over your subject. Giving you full control . You may have to adjust the head angle so the computer of the flash picks up the unseen wave length.

Here are some samples with flash . A modelling light or lamp as mentioned above has more control to see the end effect.

I moved the slave flash as would with the lamp in the exercise with the angle of light !

Over head to the front

Directly over head

Side lit left

Slightly to the left over head

Overhead high above

Overhead slightly to the back

Overhead Closer to subject

These are also good subjects for my next Exercise Reflections.

Contrast and shadow fill.

2010-12-19T22:20:00.000-08:00

Photographing an object as with a still life. Using a modelling light, eg Flash or tungsten- key light

And the use of a silver reflector at different distances, to show the how the shadows can be filled.

11 photographs:

The camera and lights are set at right angles from each other . The camera at same level as the subject, and the light shining from one side .

First photo taken as.

1 / without diffuser

2 / With

3 / with white card reflector on opposite side of lamp 3ft away

4 / the same with card 1.5 ft away

5 / this time using the same size reflector, using dull side of tin foil

. A Simple exercise gone bad. I was using a 283 Vivtiar flask on M f16 mains powered. As tungsten lamps are hard to find here in borneo at a reasonable price.

After 3 shots it packed up.

So I charged up the Metz . Again . to use for this exercise, Auto mode or set to F stops does not work, due to the computer adjusting the light. So on Manual, the batteries drained to fast.

Frustration ! Only my Landlords Blue lamp. trying to set this up with there energy saving bulb was getting to much. Then SMASH on the floor it went !

So now faced with no lamp, no strobes, have to wait for the shops to open to buy a replacement, and some sort of lighting to do still life table top photography.

11 photographs: It does not explain what other photographs are required to make up the 11? Or does it say continue to use the diffuser over the Key light.

The following picture were re done. The next morning using a metz C45 Set to M giving an exposure setting F stop of F18 . Camera and flash settings did not change through out the shoot.

Would I be right to do this:

6 / Same tin foil dull side 1.5 ft closer

7 / Same tin foil using bright shiny side 3ft

8 / Same this time 1.5 ft

9 / Same using crumpled flattened tin foil 3ft shiny side

10 / Same as 9 but 1.5 ft closer.

11 / ???? I think take with diffuser and as 10

Clearly showing the dramatic change in shadow and contrast , When using a diffuser and a reflector makes highlights softer showing detail. Shadows show detail also. Yet the picture still holds texture and form.
picture 2 and 11 are the best here.

The Lighting Angle

2010-12-11T02:28:00.000-08:00

Set up as in the previous exercise , this time using a lamp with ES bulb through an umbrella .for the Key light. subject Indonesian Mask

I had difficulty getting the silhouette due to the back drop and diffuser size , so I had to place a large white flat diffuser in front of the lamp.

Same exposure throughout.

1. Lit front by the side, level with the camera

2 lit from the right side of subject.

3 lit right side, just little behind

4, trouble with the reflector, diffuser
I found by either spilling light of the back ground or by in this case using a large nylon diffuser lit from behind.

4 A lit directly behind with a large diffuser. In doing this exercise. I discovered by not having a much larger diffused light. Back lighting causes allot of flare.

5 lit 45 Degrees front

lit 45 degrees from the right top , used a key light in studio Vembrant lighting.

Lit over head and right back.

over head to the right

Lit over head.

Lit from top slightly to the back.

Top frontally lit

The lighting I like, is just using the key light at the full frontal, and 45 degrees top, and lastly the last top front .

Softening The Light

2010-12-10T23:12:00.000-08:00

2 photographs

Table top photography: Japanese fisherman.

using Flash, over head lit, with Vivtar 283 camera 400D lens 22.135 ISO 400 M

Result on the above is harsh shadow and bleached hight lights

Same set up as above . This time the flash was bounced off a white umbrella .

Resulting in a much better picture over all. with soft lighting hardly any shadow. More detail in the lighter areas .

Out doors at night

2010-12-07T09:11:00.000-08:00

10 to 12 photographs.

In Kotakinabalu the building are not well lit nor are they high. So I did my best with what is here in the city.

Flood lit The Mosque :

Try Pod

2 sec F 4 iso 800

1 sec F 4 ISO 800

Hand held

hand held camera

1/60th f5.6 ISO 800

hand held

1/50th f5 iso 800

Hand held

1/30 sec F4

1/40th 4.5

Hand held

Try Pod used

F22 1.3sec 100 ISO

F22 13 sec 100 ISO

F9 2 sec ISO 100

F 18 30 ISO 100

f16 15 sec ISO 100

Tungsten and Florescent lighting

2010-12-07T01:46:00.000-08:00

The world is a rapidly changing place . More Florescent ( energy saving CFL) Bulbs they give out more to a whiter light . They are every where now a days.
Sadly, reflecting back on my days when I used to do Interior and exterior hotel photography. much was lit with low and warm lighting.

So yes Lighting with to days energy saving lights have over taken the house hold Bulb
But lucky some are still used, where dimmers are in use and chandeliers .

Excuse the basic un photographic composition, this image is just to show the effect.

Resulting when using day light settings. taken at dusk in a room lit with Tungsten lighting .
The interior is very yellow, and the out side light very blue.

Auto setting White Balance

Giving the walls are white.

They became a off egg shell colour. And the window light, a more to day light!

Day light settings

The tungsten very yellow. Brown

day light , a warm tone.

Tungsten setting.

The yellow has gone. But the day light has become Blue .

Taken with CFL lighting.

Auto setting White Balance.

With a Florescent filter

With AUTO setting

with Florescent filter

In this Occasion The Auto setting wins hands down . Unless my eyes deceive me , the lighting in the first two with Auto setting are more natural to the eye.

Cloudy Weather and rain

2010-12-06T13:03:00.000-08:00

Part 1

In land The clouds clings to a front when the wind starts to blow. And then a tropical storm.

Sun set is dramatic, as you can capture three types of weather all in one go. And the colours are amazing !

Cloudy weather!

The next two photos have been taken on different days Exactly at 11.32 am of the same setting , both taken wit the same camera lens and ISO 800.

First: in Sun light

Second: in rain cloudy weather.

Conclusion : the fact that F stops are more accurate in Digital cameras we have F13 as well as F14. So I assume this is F1.5 stops more open in aperture . To allow for the lower light level.

Step 2

Two past photographs taken on a cloudy day.
The reason why they would not have been better in sun light?

Land scape . I would never have taken this picture on a clear day. Cloud gives depth and fills the sky. Making the setting more interesting. Reflecting in the water. softening the light , making colours richer. If the picture had been taken with a clear blue sky and harsh sun . The colours would have been bleached. Shadows, to harsh, the sky would bring the eye direct to the foreground and split the land scape in two.

The same reason with this photograph,
The over all image would have no meaning, the whites would have been bright and blinding. making exposure difficult, causing the white to become dark or the sky over exposed. Shadows would have been extreme.

Second part 3 photos taken on an over cast day. This is to show shadow and colour :

Well here it is . My trip to the tip of borneo to take low light low level sun. And all I got was over cast weather.

This photograph of the pools at the tip of Borneo would not look clear if taken in bright sun light . The sun would have been burning out high lights reflecting of the water. And the over all picture would have been harsh. this soft light brings out colour of the sand stone.

This picture also may have been better with a bit of broken cloud in the back . Nevertheless, the shadows are softer, giving detail in the shadow area. Losing texture and mood.

This works in sun light, and in over cast lighting due to the depth of the wind eroded rock being held by mini over hangs. Giving slight shadow. The three photos are as they were un re touched . Giving some sharpen and contrast . They can be made much more of a stronger image.

RAIN : Part 3
Armed with a 1D MKIII body and a 70-200 L lens . As they are said to be water resistant sealed. I braved the tropical storm out side my apartment, and took the following pictures, and many more. At Some time I would like to do a port folio on just rain. As I love the change and refections of what rain produces. Using High ISO 800 or higher and fast Shutter speeds. Because of the fuzziness that rain produces . High ISO I find , the noise is not a concern. To capture droplets the water droplets, plunging into puddles, and bouncing off objects. Running of cars, leaves, and drain pipes. I must get to the street and take more.

Rain !

Variety with a low sun

2010-11-27T00:15:00.000-08:00

Taken early morning:

low sun direct.

direct sun

Side lit

back lit

Rim Lighting from the back to left side

Light through the day

2010-11-27T00:13:00.000-08:00

Lighting throughout the day.

The light in Sabah borneo changes through the day, fast and varies considerably. From morning light, to mid day storms , to wonderful sun sets.
Many photographers and people with compacts , Mobile phones flock to the sea front, to capture the amazing colours of sun set. Personally The sun sets are OK . Its after when the rays pass through the clouds if any, that are a picture painted by light.

Because light here changes that fast, you have to be at the location for 6am . well before sun up. Once the light strengthens . Colours change, Birds sing. And soon People are doing their thing. 7 am the sun is becoming hot . 7 - 8am as the sun shows its first rays across the scene, depending where you are. To hot to be in it. Harsh shadows fall , unless its cloudy of course. Draw backs for me having no car and living in the city. It takes a good 45min to get out of town. My choice was to set up at home. Tightly frame the area behind the apartment , and shoot all day. First hour from 6 am, I have taken photos about every 10 min, when the light changes most. 7am to 8am 2 photos 20 min apart.
then, when the light changes. Till 5 pm when the light drops fast, through to sun set, at 6.20 pm, and just after, to dusk. During the day , the light hardly changes except for shade.

dawn

an hour later

sun just starting to peak and show its warmth

1 hour later

Sun just shining through

Lowerish sun

High sun from the left

Over cast

Rain

The photos were taken at first on the hour . Then after 10am the light stayed much the same, till about 4pm. Only from sun to over cast did the light change mid day. The morning went from blue light through the day to Golden towards the evening. Not sure what I like most . I think the last as I love the sun sets here in Borneo. Morning sun rise too, if you can get away from the surrounding mountains.

RAIN
There is Plenty of that here. almost 12 to 2 pm we get rain , recently , all the time at any time. The photos for rain I shot on this day.

The colour of light : Judging colour temperature 1and 2

2010-11-26T23:53:00.000-08:00

For this Exercise 3 photographs are required.

Subject : Agness
camera 1D MKIII
Colour balance set to day light.

Photo 1 taken in Direct sun, mid day.

Not as blue as I hoped it would be, From personal experience, often mid day light can often reflect the surround. Perhaps the grey stone work gave this cool colour. If taken in a garden of green. The subjects takes on a green tint. Cast.

Photo 2: Taken about 12.30pm
In the shade . A nice soft light but lacking colour. Needs warming .

3rd Photo: Taken at sun set. Little. Diffused from some cloud. Here for sure the colour had become allot warmer then I could remember.

Judging Colour temperature 2

This exercise is to show the use of colour correction. Using Colour balance .

As above: but this time with filter correction.

This photo taken, mid day, day light lit in the shade with shade (cloudy filter)

Almost to studio quality

Although skin tone are not so orange . The light does not do the subject any justice, Much adjustment in colour, even when the camera is set to AUTO is required . However the photo looks a little greyer on here, then in the original. Better then the one taken without the Auto setting as above .

higher and lower sensitivity

2010-11-25T13:24:00.000-08:00

Taking a min, of12 photograph different subjects at different ISO, 100 , 400, or 800 ISO.

In to days cameras After this course was written. Modern cameras have come far. Giving 24,000 ISO extended . you can take photos in almost total darkens. At dusk still freeze moving subjects with out flash. Noise is apparent . Noise is different from grain. It tends to show colour specks on long exposure. When I used film like Ilford 400 ASA American standard association if I rightly remember. The grain was often used to its advantage with ART form. Some time we used to Over over develop the film to gain grain, for that reason. In todays Digital world . Sadly thats fallen away with everyone looking to pin sharp imaging, High MP camera SLR35mm 21MP and Medium format 40 MP Noise is now being lost in the 800 ISO stage. However on my trusty 30 D at 8 MP
I took these on 100, 400 and 800 ISO hand held, cloudy day and under shelter.

One main advantage against yesterdays cameras and film. The use of a Trypod has become less required. With amazing high ISO and image stabilising. You can get away holding the camera, and most subjects including shooting sports in low light.
Nothing can replace the quality of a photograph taken on a solid support.

100 ISO

30 sec F 4

800 iso

100 sec F6.3

Looking at the two above photos. Not to much difference is noticeable. Its only when the enlargement is made you can see any change .

100 ISO

160 Sec F 5

400 ISO

100 sec F 7.1

With the above also . 400 ISO renders a slight, hardly noticeable difference in the shadow areas or in the detail as I will show later .

100 ISO

1/25th f 3.5

The above photo had better shadow

800ISO

1/80 sec f 5.6

Even in the shade. Taking these two pictures from 100 to 800 ISO . The print would have to be enlarged, double to see any real difference. With todays cameras, having auto and program modes. As ISO is adjusted , so is the speed and aperture. Later I used Manual mode.

100 ISO

100 sec 5.6

800ISO

320 sec f 10

Movement can be over come using higher ISO as the much more higher shutter speeds can be used. And Depth of field has a much wider span.

100 ISO

1/50th f 3.5

800 ISO

1/160sec F8

The only difference here is a paler shade of colour tone, as the pixels like grain become less dense.

100 ISO

1/125th sec F8

800 ISO

1/400th sec f14

100 ISO

1/80 F5

800 ISO

1/250 F9

100 ISO

1/250 f 10

800 ISO

1/640 f16

here a difference can be seen in the shadow area . As the aperture gives more depth ,

100 ISO

1/50th sec f4.5

800 ISO

1/125 sec f 7.1

In lower light levels. also the noise become apparent .

100 ISO

1/40th sec F4

The lady sat on the left magnified by 200%

800 ISO

1/100sec F3

The same lady also magnified 200% clearly the noise Just like grain in a film is much grater.

100 ISO

800 ISO

100 ISO

1/250th F9

Magnification x 200

I notice with the lower ISO that the sea here looks much denser, with out adjustment contrasty

800 ISO

1/800 th f14

Now you see how much higher speed is required to freeze action,And can be used, and giving greater depth .

So over all, ISO makes the use of aperture and speed more flexible. Draw backs, If you want to make big prints or drastic cropping. You do need to use lower ISO Best to use a Try Pod, and images will become sharper and more detailed.

Soon ISO will just be another method of adjustment, and noise will be a thing of the past. So grainy fuzzy photos for effects will be left to filters.

Photography 1 Light Measuring exposure :1 and 2

2010-11-22T19:52:00.000-08:00

Taking 4 -6 photographs that are lighter or darker, and explain why they are so.
So here are pictures that are darker .
photo 1 :

Darker

Read the Exercise looking at what to take. I know I had already taken some for the task at hand. However . The lights rays beaming side ways, gave me this : My grinding pot. Full of texture . Meter reading in SLRs are set on an average like the grey scale . And the first exposure just looked like a Pot in a catalogue . Bland, and no mood. No shadow , Mood is what i wanted to capture. like thos cottage food photographs.
By stopping down once and then twice . I found the mood I was after . You see how a darker image with bright high lights sets a mood. Making the feel, more relaxed. keeping detail in the high lights and in the shadows.

Lighter

Big Bean: To be able to capture this shot of my nephew, and a big jungle bean . I had to open up the aperture. This was to make the shadow show detail of the big bean, , in doing so bleached out some of the back ground. What I could have done was balanced the flash for fill in. By exposing for the shadow with the back lit scene. The the background has been almost lost.

Darker

This photo of a quick meal I nocked up, took with the 30d

In doing so, noted how the food looked unappealing on normal exposure. I stopped down about 1.5 stops for two reasons. To get more depth and to darken the image making the high lit parts more apparent , making it look tasty.

lighter

The Orang Utan, when I took this photo, it was in it self quite dark So I lightened it to bring out the shadow area. But the back ground as in the photo above loses its detail. dark subjects, back lit, always give a challenge.

Darker

This naturally dark photo taken at night of a girl in thought lit with just an out side florescent light. I have named: Pensive.

Exposing for the skin tones letting the rest fade into darkness. Capturing the image as the eyes see it.

Darker

This photo taken along the seafront of kota kinabalu.

Stopping down to darken the picture, makes the storm look more dramatic. At normal exposure , the suns rays would have been lost, and more detail would have been seen in the boat .

Next under, over exposure :

Section 2

Taking 5 to 6 photographs . Bracketing from 1 stop down 1/2 average exposure 1/2 stop up 1 stop up.

This is not accurate, as the 30d does not have 1/2 stop increments only 1/3 so i have use 1 stop and 1/3 + or -

To save up loading loads of photographs that would like forever as my broad band has now cut my usage . I am using contact sheet type screen shots of the results .

Some good examples here to show the difference in exposure and harsh conditions, and normal conditions. Taken at the Culture Museum, here in KK.

Thoughts in taking these pictures, and my feeling towards todays digital photography. Its well worth taking the time on static objects to bracket your exposure to get the best result.

In the film days, with transparency we had to bracket or spot meter . As latitude of the film was restricted. Film however had the more wider latitude to play with.

So digital honestly has no excuse for bad exposure with the wide range of manipulation in the camera or software.

You will note, depending on the mood and what your intent to portray, depends how you expose. Opening up, to gain detail in shadow areas . Stopping down to expose for back light, and gain mood. The red flower shows much better stopping down giving richer colour.

Darker 1stop down 1/3 down Average 1/3 lighter 1 stop lighter open

Top middle average, top 3rd picture. I like and the 4th. :6346 and :6347

Middle same frame.

Bottom left, again the same. Using the 30D, I tend to top down on most pictures of 1/3 to give richer tones.

Darker 1stop down 1/3 down Average 1/3 lighter 1 stop lighter open

Looking at the above. The far right, Top, would be the better for detail in the subject, 6333. The picture before: 6332 balances better.

The far left middle: 6334 of the old mangle could even take 1/2 a stop more down, with a bit of contrast to bring out the texture.

Bottom 2dn picture seem right. 6340

Assignment 3 Colour

2010-08-29T23:40:00.000-07:00

4 Photographs of each 16 in all
Colour harmony through complimentary
Colour harmony through similar colours
Colour contrasting through contrasting colours
Colour Accent using any of the above

Just looking back over this course. To get some scope on what I am aiming at . I notice in some cases, in the book, that from pages 92 to 93 Not all colour is not true. Enfaces on the tree with the orange back ground. in fact the shadow is dark orange and not red . Same with the opposite sea scape has golden yellow , To me this does not render Purple, Move in any way, but for the little strip in the Horizon.

Feeling puzzled to my aims . I endured to understand the point of this exercise. Shot these pictures, and found that I still am not thinking of the matters that counts for a picture. Although I have been told I take good photographs . Some elements are still missing., I now realise, in each course I take, I take on another element, and have to ad when taking a photograph, so to make that picture stand out from any other.

Its not merely viewing the subject and taking the picture, or moving the camera to gain some composition. Factors of many are taken into account, to put the picture together. A form of psychological balance of colure, shape and imagery to lead or fool the viewers eye. To manipulate what you want the viewer to understand and read.

I wrote down all the elements required for the assignment. I keep a camera with me where ever I go now. be it SLR or compact. This way a shoot what I see and feel may be used in future assignments . Planning ahead is important. I made notes to what I have to do. But when approaching the goal. I found this matter much harder then I expected. I found that the world is dominated in RED GREENS AND BLUES AND YELLOWS. However to find these colours as asked for this assignment, became a little more frustrating to put together.

My results.

Complimentary colour Yellow and Violet :
Here I searched for a different natural form from what I had achieved in the previous exercise. Although the flowers take about1/4 of the frame the colour clearly compliment with the yellow. The yellow framing the violet and boosting their impact. To capture this ocular is quite difficult . When I uses a compact. The task when even harder to reproduce the depth and richness. So some adjustment was made. The flowers I found above my the parking space at home on the fence . Using shallow depth to separate the back drop of yellow.

Green and Red.
This one has given me a problem to find a picture that is not the same, or like others I have taken, To find these, other then using flowers, or fruits, became a challenge. Here when photographing street in Manilla . I noticed two working men wearing opposite colours that complimented. Taken from a moving van. I had to crop the picture and adjust contrast to bring out the colour.

Orange and blue

Finding the Proboscis monkeys at sun set against the back drop of blue. Much less volume taken here . The balance is pleasing . However the colours rendered a much lower tone , being that they were taken at dusk with the setting sun. So I brightened the hole frame, to bring out the orange and Blue. Here in Borneo , when I aim to find the picture I am after. I have to work fast, as Mid day produces harsh shadows. The colours on a cloudy day tend to have no depth. So 2 hours before sun set time or before a storm is about the best time.

Orange and blue.

Was a little hard to locate. These two colours together . I feel often red and Oranges are taken as the same. Equal to each other complimenting blue and Orange, I have cropped out much of the overhead and under side of the picture. To frame the the colours, blue and oranges closer. And adjusting contrast , Exposure , Brightness, and also temperature. To give richer denser colour. I think these tones of the same ratio work well to harmonise one another. As the photo when I took it, had accent in mind. Due to the composition, this did not work well due to clutter, I had to cut out. Linking the balance of the two colours. Persuaded me to use this image for this reason.

Colour harmony through similar colour

Reds blues yellows Shades that blend, give a warm softness to this picture, complimenting the resting kitten below. The warmth of the fawn helps graduate the colours, to the front of the frame. Similar colour, as the colours that are not opposite on the charts, and also off shade with a warmer tone .

Green and Yellow. Looking hard at this. To find colours that do not become opposite as in complimentary, But off set on the colour circle. I felt this one balances nicely . Wondering through the City of kotakinabalu , the view through the trees, backed by the yellow building, is most at ease with the green as a hint of blue, from the window reflecting the blue sky ads to the mix .

A morning in the hot sun In KK. The sun rises and becomes very hot fast. But still holds a warming tone. Even then the colours were a little strong, some warming was aded to get this tone. Final result of Greens Blues yellows. Blending mans creation and nature. The Colours here graduate nicely .

Although some of the samples in the program had described similar colours. Using warm tones of the original colours, and for the task was to find your OWN exact colours that your looking for. I could not help capturing this building using the three colours that here compliment, and are, I feel contrast in strength. But also using similar colours using green and yellow that make Blue.
has a nice Rhythm too.

Contrasting colours.

I actually love contrasting colour. Those that stand out from one another .
This rap, tucked in the Owning cords, Bright orange, agains a gentle shade of greens . Especially the darker toned more to true green, boosts the colour Orange . I had to move some people to get this picture.

Violet and green.

On the circle of colour, I note that the three contrasting colours, linked by a triangle . Where orange, Violet and Green link. And Blue yellow and red Link

Oddly enough I find that linking the colours Red yellow and blue in everyday life was somewhat harder then I thought. Some yellow and reds or blues and reds.

To move away from the colours I have used before was also difficult. So I have opted to use this picture. I took in my favourite place , the market.

Violet and green. Sadly no Orange .

Contrast again of similar colour material. Broaches in the market stall, made into butterflies, captured my eye with this vibrant rich contrasting colour. The move or Violet seem to be the in colour in Malaysia right now. And I have captured so many pictures including this colour.

These buckets caught my eye in a shopping mall

The contrasting green, blending with the red, and blue back dropped, by the terra cotta deep red.

Accent .

A small or direct point of colour, or object that distinctively stands out from all other elements in the picture. With the following picture. With one small object placed or appearing in a void of colour. Placement plays an important roll / Where to put the subject?
In most cases left to right 2/3 or 1/3 depending on the structure of the back ground. I did my best not to repeat or make the subjects repetitive.
Nevertheless This Is what I managed to produce.

First . A Flower of Red, Orange immersed in Green.

Along the sea front of KK. Many people stand and fish.
I had to use the full length of my lens to capture and avoid other objects, entering the frame. Here, one boy stands in red with his red dish. Pensively waiting , taking the subject to the left as he was facing right, took this composition into Accent.

Sweets still life

Gummy bears

My fist endeavour when thinking of the subject was to create. Accent from using similar colours, as there were not enough green. And red that throws its self at any on looker. Could I say contrast, or clash. Its bluntly obviously saying I want to be eaten.

I fist used available light . The over all subject was to dull. So I then used flash. Ring Flash with 60mm macro

Last off all of this assignment in the task of ACCENT!

A number of photos were taken. But my aim was to get the extreme. From discarded coke cans, in green grassy waters, to a man waring an orange shirt against the bright green wall. All seemed similar to the above.
Needing more impact of colour, I have taken out the red. Air Asia plain against the blue sky. I was going to use this, and submitted this one of blossom . Cropped to lesson the amount of yellow . I feel the yellow and blue have a much a better relation then red and blue, when this bright.

Colour Black and white

2010-08-26T06:31:00.000-07:00

Exercise Black and white .
Digital : I took an average exposure of this set up of still life, lit by window light. .
Tomato, lemon, and green peas against a blue backing.

From aperture 3. In my mac. I use black and whiter converter mode. Then used the red green and blue filters. Interesting to see which way they swing to give the effect of close shade to colour.

neutral

By reducing the red filter, sliding to the left, darkens red Slightly, bringing the tone to what would represent a tomato.

Same with green, but adjustment is slight. As green renders a similar tone to blue, and blue here would have taken a darker tone.

Here, sliding the blue filter. Most certainly changes things . Is this why blue is used for blue screening?

Using the colour sliders :

Here I mad changes with red, Yellow, green and Blue . The other sliders not used were light .Violet and light blue.

Stating with RED

Here using the yellow. I found I had to slide to the right to brighten .

Blue very slight adjustment

Colour relationships

2010-08-12T18:06:00.000-07:00

3 photographs:
Supporting a colour and its opposite complimentary colour.

Red Green 1:1
Orange Blue 1:2
Yellow Violet 1:3
Section 1

Quite difficult finding such colour in the proportions required. More so, the matching colour. However I have managed to produce using my a 680 camera compact cyber shot, to take these un cropped as originals. Cropping a bit more would pull them into a to smaller size. However, The conditions at the time , were not the bast. I was limited, as the vegetable market is dark and busy. i was a bit frowned upon, when shooting their produce. Violet being the hardest to find.
Red and green

Parts of a boat

Orange and Blue

Yellow and Move

Section 2

In this section, i can express colour to show that there are no set rules. using many colours. there must be some balance.

. Section 2

Primary and secondary colours

2010-08-11T08:34:00.000-07:00

In this section I am required to photograph natural colour and bracket the exposure .

I chose the green of leaves. Banana plants. Also fruit and vegetables, flowers. However being in a city. Right now has proven difficult So I turned to the sunday market. And the beach. Finding natural colour became a task . Other then man made painted walls and tarpaulin, left little to explore.

Even with digital photography, bracketing the exposure can give a much wider margin of colour exploring to how the image may end in portraying. Rich to pastel colours . As in the previous exercise. Here I have to matched close to the colour chart. 6 colours RED BLUE AND YELLOW , VIOLET Orange and GREEN.

Colour we take for granted, Till we look for it, or use it in to crate in art or textile. Or its colour over powers us.
I found the hardest colour to match the chart was blue. Getting it dark enough Sky sea? Even stopping down , Was hard to replicate. I could have cheated and used the tools in the computer. But here are the raw images I took : fist to be correct exposure the second under and the third over exposed. All by 1 stop .

Green

yellow

Depending on the colour contrast , Some colours are better over exposed like this yellow orchid. And other give richer colour by being under exposed slightly .

orange

red

Some colours can even change with change in exposure . Like red become almost pink. As one would ad white on an art pad.

Violet

blue

1 Colour 3 what makes a colour ?

2010-07-08T20:52:00.001-07:00

A simple colour. Filling the frame and exposing 5 different exposures from dark to light . I remember making a grey scale like this. ! exposure as :

Middle 5.6 stating F 4 f4.5 f5.6 F6.3 F8

The higher the number the darker the image . Lighter the lower more open the aperture.
the colour become richer under exposed but when taken further loses contrast .

10: Assignment 2 Elements of design. Street.

2010-05-12T11:08:00.000-07:00

My own subject.
Culture. Or nature . It covers most things here in Borneo.

This theme. City life. In a way its Street.

10 photographs showing all that I have discovered in this course to date.
Took the camera out on a number of times, still I cannot get to that wow factor.
What I see others taking. This it not what I want.
Where do I go from here.

Single point, the dominating composition : With the wet weather in Borneo, I had to move indoors for some Ideas.
Top of the shopping mall. : Giving a single point perspective from the top floor.
Looking for all the elements, then breaking them down. First I saw the curves that led to the man. One point of focus.:

Diagonal lines

The sky light in a shopping mall

Several point in a shape : This was allot harder . Everything seem so out of shape and confused in KK City. My hope to see people gathered, or cars parked from an above view.
I came up with this of the mosque . Shapes making a shape. a curve . A triangle.

Curves

Curves Many . But nothing artistically attractive.

Centre point car park

Implied triangle :

Again in the mall . I waited for a pattern. crating a match with the street lamp.Triangle.

Curve

steel hanging from a crane

Pattern:

At the ground floor of Centre point

Taxi cabs : out side centre Point, forming a pattern

2 Point and contrasting colour Hydrants

Implied Triangle

Curve: Late evening. The setting sunlight on this fly over.

Implied triangle : This one I played with. As the two men looking at the big screen were to close . So using the clone tool I moved them apart . To make this applied triangle. there are two. the bottom two men connecting with the screen. or the three men.

irregular Shapes: I think this one speaks for its self . The irregular shapes made in the walk way that is badly worn.

Not sure if this is what I am looking for .

Several points in a deliberate shape :

Another example.

A combination of vertical and horizontal lines
KK Sea front. I liked this one as the boards take yore eye to the back of the photo to the many lines of the hotel.

Triangular line

Three people making a connection.

9:Rhythm And Pattern

2010-05-11T09:26:00.000-07:00

Exercise: 2 photographs :

This in turn is one I looked forward to. Life has Rhythm In music and in sight.
light its self has waves , But to see the world and see pattern is something els.

All my life I have noticed Rhythm and Pattern . From travelling on a train watching the telephone line jump from pole to pole. To the clicking of the joints in the line. To the ploughed fields that flash by.
The ripples of sand from the waves on the beach, Wind blown rocks. Animal tracks . Man made tracks.
Nature its self, in flowers and creatures produce pattern and Rhythm. Flight.

From the exercises previously done to this one. One can see how Natures natural Graphic Design flows through out life its self. Man for years has mimicked this and created his own. By repeating shapes and sounds. Animals, Birds sea life too. All do the same. If its weathered Naturally, it becomes life's own work of art, to be captured. If its displayed by plant or creature. Its for one reason. To be noticed!

One must be carful when photographing pattern not to get to rapped up in graphic repartition IE( the patterns that so repeat them selves in textiles) These are seen by many and every day are in your face.

So what I tend to do is look for the un obvious. An angle or the wow factor. I know thats hard to do. To make Pattern impress. It should show in a story, a Mood Or impact of contract and colour.

For this exercise just to photographs are required min. So here I am placing these .

Pattern may be much easier to see and find

Rhythm tends to be harder to portray to the onlooker, As we are now looking for a picture, expressing Thyme of Rhythm . Here I have been asked to show,
Graphically Rhythm:

A Good example But simple not to be confusing with colour and shapes. Foam lit from window lighting, Giving texture and shade. Looking directly down at the foam from above . the foam looks plain and consists af a basic pattern . Criss- cross. But with the use of a wide lens I have managed to capture the Pattern and sense of Rhythm . Although your eyes dance over the humps it gives a sort of Optical elution, Like the Ocean waves.
Like many patterns do. You can see lines moving left and right. Rhythm of bumps.

Rhythm can also be seen in the dragons humps. But the timing seem constant and not as a Rhythm, as I would like to show. Like music it does not have its highs and lows. like a rope . The fetch of a wave.

This picture has more Rhythm in is graphic spirit, as the Rhythm is broken, and then repeated again and again, Simply, a roof top from a road bridge. I have cropped this photograph. I have seen this in another pattern. I hope to go back and photograph it again. Its like the bass sound, pounding from a loud speaker.

Pattern

Shadows in a car park exit, made by the setting sun. Often I get frustrated when travelling and missing the shot But this time, topped the car to capture this contrasting pattern.

A banana leaf back lit from behind . Natures Own work.

8:Shapes : Real and applied triangles

2010-05-10T09:11:00.000-07:00

Two sets of photos using 1 real triangles the other implied triangles.
6 photographs :

To find a subject in itself portraying a triangle .

I found many images, from volcanoes to wood. Roof tops and windows. This Umbrella I took in Jakarta, Indonesia. Found most appealing with the colour and shape, with the back arching door way.

F 10 1/50th sec iso 800 22mm 400d

Converging triangle, using a wide lens, making the chimney reach higher into the sky .

High rise buildings . Still an interesting perspective showing a triangle. As the far part Top. become smaller , as it moves away from the camera to the sky.

A triangle converging towards the camera at the bottom of the frame:

To get lines to converge to the bottom I would really need rafters in a roof or something of that nature. But even then it would depend on the angle, the photo was taken at, the under part of a stairway. So the bottom is leading away.

Next Implied lines making a triangle in still life :

Apex top:
Taken on table top, using my black shirt as a back drop . Fishing flys . using what I had available.

Using ring flash over head, 17-40 L lens. Wide lenses are better for deeper depth . However The flash was only giving me f4 iso 3600 1/ 60sec some sharpening had to be done.

Apex bottom

Similar method used here. But using available light from over head florescent blobs

Focusing manually to get the closest part of the fruit sharp.

F16 3.2 sec ISO 800 took a little arranging to get this just right to produce a triangle Apex at the bottom. More so to the front bottom.

Now to photograph 3 people to make a triangle:

I personally hate those static line up photos. I would love to show some of my work from previous.

People can be fun if you smile . but try to do something formal in a none formal setting . this is going to be fun. !

Ok Lack of willing subjects So for now until I can take an up to date photo.

here are some I took a long time ago

And implied horizontal & triangle

7:Using Lines in Composition

2010-04-22T10:04:00.000-07:00

Implied lines:

Exercise:
Evaluate the lines within the illustrated two photographs.
1 The bull fighter.
2 The man trying to catch his mules .

Find 3 photographs of my own and do the same.

The Bull fight :
Here Although I have drawn the arrows as you see . looking at the curve in the sand flowing up through the fighter. I could go further to say, the swerve relates to the direction of the bull.

I the picture of the Man trying to catch his mule . This is much of a loop. Or an over all connection, bringing the man and his Mule together.

Here any 3 photographs .
This picture I used the white line to lead the eye into the night scene
As you see, it leads the eye into a wave (S) shape. Connecting with the roads street lights It then flows into the street lights. Towards the back of the frame.

With out the elements in position, there is in no way I can show lines of either connecting or leading to. Unless accidentally applied or deliberately using such composition by use of what is available. I have unintentionally put the subject in another part of the frame , using images in the frame to cheat the eye to lead directly to the subject.

So the conclusion to this.: The point of focus may at times be put out of normal composition with other distracting points If there are lines of such, to direct the eye to the main point. Lines can also be used to create the story.

The Land scape here taken on a OCA work shop in the Cotswolds.

At the time of taking. My thoughts were to capture the lighting of the trees, and shade. I wanted to show the valley, and the distance too. To do this I positioned my self in a way so that the camera could look up through the valley. using the pathway to lead the eye to the back ground in the distance. This would then break up the crossing of the trees, stopping the break up of cutting the image in half.

Interesting that three lines hold the picture round the tree, then like a funnel, flow to the far back.

This photograph, taken at the dragon boat festival in Kotakinabalu of the chief minister of Sabah. his wife far right. The two ministers in conversation, takes the main counterpoint. However the space between him and his wife is filled with the glancing man from behind, listening to the conversation. Making a line from the top right through to the two men in conversation.

I used the pathway of the stream and the dug earth, leading up to the gardener.

Eye line

Showing how a picture can be composed and be a persons viewpoint. Bit like the one above. This photo includes two men. What are they looking at? Immediately you look at them, Then you wonder "is the man on the bench sleeping or what are they looking at"?. HA HA a small black bird.

The same photo in BW close up does not have the same thought that immediately come to mind. You see the man on the bench is awake.

Some times times Black & White works better, as colour can make distraction.

The above station photos were taken at Bridge North. 7th valley railway .

6:Curve lines

2010-04-21T00:15:00.000-07:00

Exercise: Curves
4 photographs.

Curves .
Nature loves them. They are the finish off. When lines need to come to and end. Curve them. The human body has them all over. Man has become obsessed by them Sculpturally and sexually. We all like curves. Who ever it was in the EEC who said a cucumber or a banana should be straight, was not from this planet.

Curves are the beauty of this world as we see it. Some one said to me a straight line is not truly straight.
Ummm . In photography. We like to bend and distort perspective to create Curves. when I flipped through this course. I was eager to get to this Exercise, Only to be disappointed to find Only 4 Photographs required.

I wanted to fill the entire course with them. . Arching in a cat. The Human Body. Rail lines. A table. contours of a car. Some you have seen already in the exercise balance and contrast. I collected many.

So here is My 4.

Man made curve in this simplistic picture of a lamp.

Curves of nature ; As I was departing to go for another dive. I noticed the contour of the beach at Sapi island and the beauty of colour contrasted by light from the storm building up in the back ground.

Brisbane again the architect surly likes his curves in this creation.

At the Sydney opera house. The curves here leads the eye, and an S snake fashion to the main subject.
Created from Curves of shell shapes.

As for the text in this exercise referring to circles. I feel circles are more then Curves and should come into a category of there own.

5:Diagonal lines.

2010-04-20T21:39:00.000-07:00

Exercise producing 4 photos using Diagonals.

Lines that merge away or cross you . Neither horizontal or vertical.

These can be of the same subject. just viewed an another way. By looking at the place you sit right now. look Up and what you see it a complex make up of lines Just like a line drawing.
Take a way the solid fill ins. and you have lines that make up our world.

Here are 4 photographs showing diagonal lines.

Planks on a varanda in the late evening sun. Diagonals can lead the eye into and out of a picture At the same time bring a picture together.

This is the inside of the beach hotel kota kinabalu. Lit with available light. The Diagonals lead the eye to the back of the picture.

The Islands of KK about to be hit by a monsoon. . The front hear building up in a dramatic fore of nature, about to burst in a torrent of down poor. Hastily Taken, coming back from a scuba dive. I could not miss this. One reason for carrying a compact camera, where ever I go.

As the sun hits the steel line of the railway. Although I like this, and its a good example of Diagonal

4:Lines

2010-04-20T20:06:00.000-07:00

Exercise Horisontal and vertical lines. 4 photos of each. Not being the same .

This project I thought would be simple , Landed up being a task. To photograph Vertical lines is simple. They are everywhere. And very apparent. They stand out over the rest. But where there are vertical lines, There are Horizontal lines to hold them up. Trying to capture and image, where the line or lines are the first thing your eyes are drawn to. Well that creates another challenge.

Building have many lines. however, as much as I like architecture. Often lines are not always vertical. At least not the ones that catch the eye. Most are going away from you. Look up and they lead away . Some thing in photography I taught my self to avoid . Was Horizontal lines . As they tend to break up a picture or destroy the composition.

Time to break that rule. Here are the photos I have taken to show this. as said before . Some lines are clearly evident and stand out. But are crossed with others that may waiver the eyes.

Lets see : The bridge In Brisbane Clearly Horizontal, Because the bridge does not cut the picture in half, due to the tonal balance, and being slightly lower in the frame. This works.

Lines deliberately to capture lines and the shadows crossing the lines of the wood. Here the eyes focuses on to the Horizontal lines the larger being most dominant here, before moving off to scan the rest of the image. I feel the eyes are swept to the top right of the frame, Following the shadows.

A window display:
Aluminum pipes, to give a modern futuristic look, attracted me right away. Noticing these horizontal lines . I could use this for light and dark .

Calm Before the storm

This I could not help noticing the build up of cloud, with this horizontal line of day light managing to squeeze through the clouds, and Islands.

Again with out cutting the picture in two. The tone of the cloud and of the sea balance well with the islands and water.

Verticals.

Feeling we have been here before, in the exercise of frame, format.

Sat outside where I have breakfast. This wonderful building towers above me in vibrant colour.

No touch up on these, as it stands as it is. Freshly painted.

I got a bit carried away with this building. And went back, when the lighting was better, to see what els I could bring out.

This was my favourite. Taken on A680 compact. set to land scape mode to give maximum depth.

Verticals are everywhere, more so then horizontals. Although they are there. As the world is made up of them, The Verticals are more dominant. And architects love them. As they make a building look taller.

Proud and up right, is the statement that come to mind from this building. Taken around 7am I some times think that I take better pictures with my compact then with my SLR.

Vertical lines give a sense of high status. This was taken out side the hotel on the river bank of Brisbane Australia. For some reason they asked me to leave . May be some one important was there.

And lastly:
The twin towers in KL. Lines that reach into the night sky. !!Tall relating to success.

3:Multiple Points

2010-04-14T01:01:00.000-07:00

Multiple Points In a photograph.
A Simple Exercise using Desk top photography. Its Been many yeas from when i last done this sort of work. Now I miss having a studio. Perhaps again one day.

Arraignments of multiple Points. Quick think. back drop ?!. Use brown paper roll. Using two cameras . use of 17-40 L lens Stopped down max F16 Bracket exposure. Using Glass mats as a backing to
brighten up the image .

Shells:.
Choosing and arranging these Items. Was not to much trouble.

Pattern. Visualizing an image and creating it.

I done three attempts, showing different Arrangements of the shells.

End result for that after cropping and adjustment .

The first was a blunder. Second attempt to remember the basics. The above was badly lit. Not sharp, Lack of depth. Although the brown paper aided the over all tone. I could have taken it a step further and used white sand. I think it would have made to much of a mess in the home. But would have been a nice touch. And contrast.
Also the Horizontal format gave to much, for the eye to scan. Just the shells on the glass would have been enough.

This was my second attempt:
The balance seemed a bit static, and to focused to the centre. Although the large shell is dominant over all. From the arrangement of the shells . The Placement leads the eye into the center through to the bottom right. So a quick re think.

Simplistic is the key. Fewer shells.

Although I had used less, and tried a curved approach to the composition. The end result was still not what I was looking for. I still had the centre focus point. It shows that some Objects are more powerful in cheating the eye to be lead astray. I noticed the cone shells, being long and pointed like arrows. they were over coming the objective. Making dominant lines . Over all I like this one best.

Take a look at the two pictures here where I have drawn lines to show the line of sight. Although the top larger shell, again is dominant in size. The eye follows through the picture. As the cone shells seen on the right are more leading. The picture comes together By balancing the two dominants, blocking the direction with the smaller shells. Diverting the eye down the curve of the bottom right shell helps this.

2:OCA AOP Relationship Between Points

2010-04-07T06:30:00.000-07:00

3 photographs :

As Done perviously But unintentionally for this Exercise.

Taken in the UK on Charmouth beach. My aim was to make a stone look interesting. However, As in the the picture in the course. Two points of focus here. The eye leads back and forth. Trying to make up your mind decide where to rest. In doing so you get the feel from looking at the wash of the sea, that the stone and the sea are going to make a connection. A 50, 50 balance. Despite the opposite tones. The back stone being smaller. The white wash being larger with a mid tone bringing both together. May be you may feel the white wash is more dominant? In which case it is true as it will soon over come the stone.

This Picture took my eye as the colour of the doors and walls impressed me. Then my eye took to the contrast of the red car against the blue. A Nice balance of colour. And the main dominating point being the car. If I had just took the car and placed it in the middle filling the frame It would have been a picture of the car. However By taking the car far to the left as it is pointing to the right. Into the frame. The eyes scans the picture to and from the car to the door. analysing the setting giving a story to the over all photo. And then rests back on the car.

Taken in the setting sun in a Village in Borneo. I took many photos here as the doors windows just begged to be photographed. And inside too, were a setting to be captured. They are for future viewing.

I enclose the finishing photo. cats eyes as Eyes seem to be the theme. A close up cropped photo of cats eyes. Green as ever. The right being the dominant one.

Some other examples . In this case for for ground of the identical subject in the picture become dominant.

Either because its closer to the viewer. Or more in focus.

Close up of eyes:

Looking at the relationship between two points.

Firstly the close up, that was my end challenge. I have already taken the premeditated photos. Here I went out to take the full face . Surprisingly, to ask any one? " may I photograph your eyes? ) Is a total NO NO!

I have taken photos like this before. Not so full on, thinking to get the eyes Equal distant to each side of the frame.

Here In Borneo. People love having their photo taken .

Two Philippine girls shouted "photo one ringet?! HA HA . RM is malaysian Ringet. I smiled they posed. They asked One ringet ser. I said . 3 photos and took the shots "close" ? Hold still. And click! the other one rolled in Laughter trying her best to hold still.

I got my shot. I will include the other photos for fun. I did not have 1 rm, so I gave them 5rm = £1.00

Eyes of innocence? I thin k not .

Even in life subjects . None of us are perfectly balanced . Even here looking at the girls eyes. One tends to be more dominant then the other. For the on looker.

one can have difficulty in letting ones eyes come to rest. when looking at the girls eyes. But I feel, or tend to look mostly to the eye on the right side, now the left.

This dominance may also be controlled by expression and lighting.

This was the first photo taken. Same here but my viewing rests on the right eye.

1:Part 2 Elements Of design . Positioning a point.

2010-04-06T07:42:00.000-07:00

What is a Point :

A point of Focus? mealy the Aim, of the photograph. A place where the photographer wants the Viewer s Eyes to rest. Governing all aspects of the picture, The Point of subject. Not the theme. The place Observed. The main subject or deliberate distraction, Of what is going on. This is my definition and conclusion to this practice.

Quite interesting to read about, how points are made. As looking at the photo of the boats. Its feeling to me, passes emptiness. I feel a lack of point, or subject in the photo. I feel that something is needed to break the empty space in the middle of the photo. As stated the eye is cheated to move back and forth, without rest. Even from the dominant ship, cannot totally over come the objective.

I have avoided such photographs and many have put aside or rejected. Because of this Viewing mater. I like the single simple approach, or the law of threes. Triangles and loops. One way to cover such a picture, if one has control over the positioning of subject, or framing. Is to move in such a ways so the objects either move, or you set the frame, so that the frame (the Rectangle that you see through the camera) Compliments, or ads composition.

6th march: Read over what I have to do. yesterday I searched for that capture of two object. I covered the next task photographing a face close up.

Its deciding what to use and expresses this subject the best. Reading this Exercise I wondered . Is it one point or two in the picture. Its a single point as in the previous exercise.

I am going to use deliberate photos I took for this

Exercise:

This photo I took when I was in the UK. Early morning down by the river Axe .

A Duck separated its self from its mate. Looking Isolated in the water. My thoughts was to take this picture to give a relaxed mood. Just bringing the duck to the left of the frame . At fist . I felt when looking at the photo , to edit out the twig at the top. Then I felt by leaving it in, It gave a more feeling of the duck, not being in a mass of water but mealy away from the bank, with out adding to much distraction. This way the duck did not seem lost in the expanse of emptiness. As most pictures read from left to right . If the duck was on the right. It would look to the viewer, The duck was drifting out of the picture. May be it could have just come down a little more.

This exercise has really made me think. As of so many photographs I take, I balance the point with the surroundings. Now I have read over the project time and time again. I see, and think of a total new approach. It makes a Dramatic impact to where the subject is placed when there is nothing more then a plain background to compromise a simple subject.

Although 3 photographs are required here. I am going to throw in some more. As when I am doing underwater photography. More then often I am face with this exact problem.

When it come to just a picture of a sea creature. Be it a fish or a Nudybranch. ( Slug) I see many of my photographs looking like documental pictures, and nothing so artistic. Boring to say the least

Here are two classic examples :

One can be over whelmed by the subject and colour. Looking at these photos, They are more a reference photograph then of something of beauty. To much in the centre, and very Static.

So Back to my Exercise !

Picture 2

A mollusk creeps across the morning sand. Leaving a pattern in the sand. taking the picture with the point to the left bottom corner makes the picture more interesting. As the old saying. dead in the center. Bringing life to the subject. More visual Impact A 680

Locks .I took many like this. Some rich in colour, others rust and old.

This one captured my eye . The pastel colour .More to the eye. The locks shining and some how, giving a resting mood.

Placing the locks to the right made the picture come together. at a slight angle breaks the continuos repetition of static lines.

My View on other photographers work ( Critics corner)

2010-03-15T10:30:00.000-07:00

My thoughts on the extreme vast void of photography to day, and yesterday.

I will start with yesterday, starting with Fox Talbot . I wish now I Kept all my books from the 60 through to the 80s Books read. The Ilford manual of photography revised: John Hedgco what a picture. through the eye. Books By heather Angel Like Close-up. Studio and lighting: secrets of still life By Gary Perweiler.
photographic composition by Tom Grill and Mark Scanlon. Nude photography. Pro lighting product shots:
Photographing women Beautifully ! : Wedding photography to day: ModernWedding and portrait photography. And many more that I now wish I kept. Over all, the approach to photography has changed some what. More people are taking better pictures, as the skill is taken out by the use of modern cameras. Sharper more well focused images.

Nevertheless, there are some that still cannot take a picture, if they tried.

Looking at many photographs, and those who show me there work. Its sad that digital photography is giving most, a clouded view on what is a good picture. Its seems in the art world, anything goes.
Yet from reading this course and other books. Those who manage to pull an image to bits and warp the thoughts of others, have come up with some funny but valid rules. Should there be? Here is a definite line that you cross to producing good photography or stay the other side taking snaps.

I am Now reading the Oxford History of ART!

Back in the 60. I must say, photography was exiting 70s much to explore. But what is in this book. I fail to think. What is pleasant or moving about some one showing there back side. OK photographing Nude has come a long way in Art. But Much is portrayed by the use of good subdued or high key lighting.
I Like to look at Art and photographs.
My self. I am a person of simple words. Like most things on this planet to day. Some one has to jump on the band wagon, And make a purse out of a sows ear. And get allot of credit for it. Although I have an opinion on many subject like photography and art. Who and what one looks at as being wonderful to
taste may be of other personal taste to another.
I always found it funny when a person out of every day life shoots a picture displays is . And be fore you know its under the microscope. With thousand of words and books on the subject.
What pleases one, may not the other. Yet if that image holds a key to capture peoples eye. Then its a master preference! A baby monkey could do just as well. Or an accident of spilt paint. Same in photography. From the simplistic, to the Damn right Obscure craziness of those who dare.

After so many years, and winter nights back in the UK, photography books was my way to pass time. Photography was still braking exiting boundaries.
Not forgetting magazines far more interesting with new ideas.

To days book are focused on photoshop. Underwater photography. Photoshop artistry: Camera Raw Studio skills . These are ref books. Of my own.

Now I focus on magazines Like Color for collectors of fine art photography: The same But in Black and white. So lets look at photographers from the passed David Baily Lord Litchfield.

These photographers broke new ground and set standards for others to follow.
Davids work: http://davidbaileyphotography.com/site/ First thing that come to minds is consistency and warmth. Some may say different . From Black and white through to colour. I love his work. You see some rules that are broken. Like the man with his face resting in his hands looks like a long day in the hospital . And the time of day is late afternoon, in a hot country. It tells a story. yet the image is slight to the right facing out of frame. . ..... Yet taking this man and moving him back into the middle or to the left. makes it like any other. It takes away the mystique ness out f the hole impact you get.

At the end of the day , I was told I would develop a characteristic style. If I gave randomly davids work to a famous Critique . Would he know who took it? Unless he's studied and has a mental image of this , then yes. but to day with the fast amount of photographers on earth. I wonder?

Lord Lichfield. http://www.flickr.com/search/?q=lord+lichfield&w=all&s=int&referer_searched=1
just some of his work . Basic Clean. With impact.

Well my view . He had a title and the money to play with. Obsession with women, An Envy to many. he produced Calendars and books. Photographs the royals and again broke into new ground. Sadly He scraped the digital world. before he died. I would say more, the king of amateurs. His work is not dramatic. But its a record of the time. He showed many different views on life. I would not say, take it to the extreme.

More of a commercial and over looked approach. Many have done the same. Others Inspire s my self. as a goal. looking at digital photo magazine . I see the a ray of work heavily photoshopped. This to me is not photography.. Photography is painting and capturing with light. And recording what is there and how one sees the world. As to , an artist would do. But saying this. I find my own work now changing, from what we see each day to another view point. From that exploring all possibilities of angel and light shade contrast, mood. From the simple to the abstract. a person or a place. Now with digital, anything goes, and has become possible.
So many photographers. just where does one start.

Places to see photography : Flicker and Photo.net.

Lets start here http://photo.net/photos/l4ado by Leon Farado

Top line photo left to right : 10 photos chosen

1st Left The man in the middle . OK a pleasing photo , some thing about the framing lines that distract me. I dont like the way he is sat. Its un appealing. Although he balances with the lanterns top L lamp;R
The hole image leans to the right . where as I would have taken this bringing the camera more to the right. So the eye feels more comfortable reading.

photo 2 Chinese Butchers:

Black and white work. Well in some scenes, but not in others. My thoughts as being a ex butcher my self is, This lacks the main points . What are they doing. Well you can say , Let the imagination go. And they are splitting some carcass open with what looks like a samurai sword. In colour , this would be more obvious. As a black and white image. It could be toned down a bit more. For the kind of action, it lacks sweat and blood. The hand closes,t is to bright.

Photo 3 Girl on horse :

Nice lighting. A nice freshness feel. but to make this an amazing photo. It needs to be shot candidly, You can see its been set up from the the horse being roughly handled. and the direction of the horses face, un balances the composition. the rains are held to tight to make it real . bit crewel.

photo 4: carp pond

I honestly Like this due to the contrasting grey and yellow lips. would be nice to see the Original, as a little to much crop on the top. Taking a shot turning the camera anti clockwise to bring those yellow lips a bit more into the picture .

Photo 5 The city

Nice tone . Good photo lack of point of focus . Its an Athena type picture . Need something in the sky but still nice keeping it simple.

Photo 6 the Bridge:
Again nice photo. Could have been taken on a longer lens . and a little later blending the evening sky with the lights of the traffic.

Photo 7 The wall.

Interesting approach. Not my angle, but totally candid. Pleasing over all. But it would have been great to have shot it at a low angle .

Photo 8 girl in the wall

So many photos inspire others to take the same. I have done it my self.
Like fashion and music, we photographers face the wall our selves. By repeating what others have done. And history is catching us up.
Perhaps bring the subject to the right or left a little . Its OK.

Photo 9 Dragon Fly on cable:

I have taken many like this my self . And rejected them. If this is what pleases one as a picture then what have I been doing. ? You tend to look more into the cable then the main subject. I personally disagree with the way this has been taken and would have taken in much closer.

Photo 10 gossip

I named this gossip, for the simple reason the men have not got eye contact in their conversation . The picture seem a mystery to what they have to say with an added humor or sarcasm reflected. A good story could be made from this photograph.

My dream To own one. http://www.hasselblad.com/masters-2009.aspx

Assignment 1: Contrast

2010-01-29T02:52:00.000-08:00

The task is to produce 8 pairs of photographs. Contrasting with one another, complimenting at the same time.

Here I had to do more research into the type of images that apply to the art of photography. In doing so, I found two books from the paper shop. Both dedicated to the art of photography. One in colour, the other in monochrome.

These books gave me much inspiration to what is seen to be art. But I appreciated the rage of images, that the images the other photographers portray as art. From images that are abstract and simple, and also complimenting each other, in the way they have been laid out vier colour, shade shape and tone. Through to real life drama have been captured to be a pleasing image, that can be looked upon as artistic. Most making a statement and telling a story.

Here I have chosen work that I have taken in the past, and work taken recently in this course.
This is my submission for the assignment.

Heavy and light

Heavy load

The heavy load of felled logs, from the Borneo rain Forrest, that stretches up through the Kinabatan River. Not only heavily depletes the rain forrest but also erodes away the river banks. As its heavy load displaces the water producing heavy wake. Hard to capture heavy, Unlike other photos I have seen, A person on scales or something of weight lifting. Here I tried to express that feeling I had when I saw this monstrosity grumbling down the river.

Light

Simply delightful but so hard to capture, butterflies on the mating (on the wing). This picture gave me that feeling of how delicate nature is. How two butterflies also mate, yet in such a complex fragile way. It shows lightness. Weightlessness.

Diagonal Rounded :

Diagonal:
The rooms in the hallway of a Hotel.
The lighting and the way each floor pulls its self from the camera. Giving depth and pattern.

Round:

A water feature in Sydney.

I am always looking for pattern shape colour and texture and shade

Although I would have like to of taken this picture at a later time. To show more tone with lower light Sadly the light was over cast as you can see the clouds reflecting in the swirl. This is a water feature . I will turn it into Monochrome and see the effect ,

However it expresses round.

Large.:
The national flower of Malaysia.

Hibiscus flower. Made from water bottles that got the worlds largest flower in the world. Record breakers.

StelaMaris School Kotakinabalu.

I like this photo taken on my 10-22 mm lens . I have changed this picture. This one showing scale against the pupils in the foreground.

Some how the picture balances with the grey sky in shape. It was the best view point I could find.

Small:
An Orchid . Not just an Orchid, But the smallest in the world. found in the mountain range of Mount Kotta kinabalu. Not much larger then a pin head. taken with a 22-135 macro lens reversed. I like this as its one that I always look onto as a challenge .
Its so small, and the contrasting side lit flower stand out from the back ground.
I have made a much larger picture of this.

Many:
Gold fish taken at the Crock farm KK
This picture amongst many I took impressed me with the sheer volume of carp. All fighting to get some pellets of food, as the food was thrown into the water. To capture the feeling of the rush. Not rush hour its crush hour!

Few gold fish taken in a pond at Lunkowei. I have seen chinese calendar paintings like this. This picture was cropped to get the balance more to what I was wanting.

Much:
Mosque much more have attended the contrasting mosque below. Impressing how the less expensive place of prayer is more attractable then the expensive one.

little .

Pointed

The end of my Japanese Katana Pointed and extremely sharp!

I do love Japanese swords. They are an Art in there own form. From each part made, Spiritual and deadly. yet so Beautiful . You have to own one to appreciate it.

Blunt
The red Oak Boken A wooden sword, very blunt to be used in practice.
Totally contrasts the above. Yet respected in battle the same way.

Rough is the sand stone taken at the tip of Borneo. The weathered face like shape pushing through the rock. Rough And hard. Appealed to me as artistic form of nature.

Smooth:

Photographed using a slow shutter, as speeding penguins flashed passed my view point .In an underwater aquarium.

And abstract of smooth .

Straight

Sand tracks made by a hermit crab.

Again mother nature supplies . I love the simplicity of the above and below pictures. Un touched by man, only the movement of the crab has unsettled the evenly washed sand.

Curved

Its funny how nature can provide even the works of art. The amazing things you can discover, if only you get up early and look.

Light and dark.

Finally after many other photograph that I would love to ad to this collection.

The final contrast in one frame.

Light feather contrasting with the Dark sand. And ironically heavy sand and light in weight.

Taken early morning, as the hot Borneo sun rose. This feather untouched by my self, photographed naturally as it sits,

14 Cropping .

2010-01-29T02:45:00.000-08:00

Chosen here are 3 photographs that I would crop to improve composition, to cut out un wanted areas, to make impact.

The original photograph is nice as it stands. Nevertheless, I could not move in with out getting wet, so I took the shot, adding foreground to give depth. Some how, the flowers over power the photograph , So some cropping is required. Although I will lose size if this was to be enlarged.

This is how the image was cropped :

End result

This result seems allot more balanced with the tree becoming dominant, leading down the river towards the other two trees.

The next red soft coral from Borneos Reefs.

Taken with an a640 compact in housing.

The over all picture is OK however , moving in closer, cutting out the blur.

Bit of a job going through all my photographs. I chose this one as it had a number of options to crop. The main one being the boat.

As it is, the setting is pleasing, taken at dusk.

Above you can see 3 possibilities.

Here is the final crop. More focused on the boat its self. Yet still remaining tranquil. Framed by the rock and shadow.

Art of Photography by Gary Bridger (c)

Final conclusion and feed back

Assignment Narritive 5

Exercise: Rain

Exercise: Juxtaposition

Exercise: Symbols

Exercise: Evidence of Action.

Exercise: A Narrative Picture Essay

Assignment 4, Applying lighting technique.

Shiny Surfaces

Concentrating light

Contrast and shadow fill.

The Lighting Angle

Softening The Light

Out doors at night

Tungsten and Florescent lighting

Cloudy Weather and rain

Variety with a low sun

Light through the day

The colour of light : Judging colour temperature 1and 2

higher and lower sensitivity

Photography 1 Light Measuring exposure :1 and 2

Assignment 3 Colour

Colour Black and white

Colour relationships

Primary and secondary colours

1 Colour 3 what makes a colour ?

10: Assignment 2 Elements of design. Street.

Further reading And Observing of others work.

9:Rhythm And Pattern

8:Shapes : Real and applied triangles

7:Using Lines in Composition

6:Curve lines

5:Diagonal lines.

4:Lines

3:Multiple Points

2:OCA AOP Relationship Between Points

1:Part 2 Elements Of design . Positioning a point.

My View on other photographers work ( Critics corner)

Assignment 1: Contrast

14 Cropping .