The lady will be happy too
_DSC0091, Perhentian Island, Besut, Terengganu, Malaysia, originally uploaded by Fadzly Mubin.
Taken with a Nikon D40 digital camera and Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM lens
Kamel, my close friend since high school. He runs a holiday resort in the beautiful Perhentian Island, Malaysia called The Reef Chalets.
The Reef Chalets provide scenic and peaceful seaside accommodation and personalized services in 12 spacious seaside chalets set in a semicircle around an indigenous island garden. The Reef is strategically located on the big island a few minutes walk to the best snorkeling area and the most beautiful swimming beach with resident turtles.
Virtual Tourist - Pulau Perhentian Besar Travel Guide
Plan a Pulau Perhentian Besar vacation with reviews, tips and photos posted by real travelers and Pulau Perhentian Besar locals. link
My notes:
I notice that there seems to be a predominant opinion among most photographers/viewers that a portrait photo is BETTER when it is processed in a certain way. Especially with portraits of (younger) women I feel that most viewers automatically expect a face to be retouched in a way that it appears FLAWLESS.
This flawless look - in my opinion - is something extremely artificial and inhumane. In fact I often see portraits that remind me of a doll, or of the characters in my daughter's SIMS computer game, more than of live human beings.
I know how to produce this effect of slick perfection in my portraits. But - I simply don't WANT it. I don't WANT to remove the skin from my model's faces and replace it by a piece of plastic foil.
I think this "glamour look" is ok for a certain kind of "beauty photograph" style. I don't want this kind of cold and unpersonal perfection in MY pics though because I am interested in authenticity - true emotions, true beauty - whatever...
If I want to take a picture of my beautiful girlfriend I think it's the atmosphere of beauty more than anything else that does it. If she FEELS beautiful when I take her picture (because I let her know that for me she IS beautiful), then the picture will radiate this atmosphere of beauty...
I find it a little tedious to read remarks like "the lady will be happy too" if I would do some more "corrections". I believe actually "the lady" would have more reason to be INSULTED than to be HAPPY.
Labels: Nikon D40, People, Perhentian 2007, Philosophy of Photography, Photography, Portrait, Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM
