Saturday, July 21, 2007

A conspiracy of "fictions"


Chendering Fisheries Garden, Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia (_DSC1535), originally uploaded by hackspot.
Taken with a Nikon D50 and AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G lens
Location: Chendering Fisheries Garden, Kuala Terengganu, 21080 Kuala Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia

Honesty is a loaded word when describing photographs, which are "fictions" the photographer and the person photographed have conspired to create -- but where the photographer clearly has loaded the deck and holds the upper hand. But still, as in all fiction there can be honest emotions and ideas expressed. So I don't mean honest in any sense that a philosopher or jurist would accept. I mean honest in terms of creating a response in me, the viewer. It's something you know when you are experiencing it.

To be clear, the only truth a photograph holds for me is that is a photograph, something a photographer created. I think it is intellectually dishonest to hold one art form, photography, to a standard that we do not hold other arts to. Experiencing art involves a certain suspension of disbelief. After all, when we listen to music that evokes the sea, do we demand that it is only worthwhile if actual sea made sounds are used and that someone is throwing buckets of seawater on us while we listen? But I do want to "connect" in some way with what I'm looking at, tasting, listening too, or touching.

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Posted by Mohd Fadzly Abdul Mubin at 1:46 AM |

Portraits that feel false


Chendering Fisheries Garden, Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia (_DSC1485), originally uploaded by hackspot.
Taken with a Nikon D50 and AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G lens

Certainly, there are many portraits that feel false, for various reasons. Those reasons can range from too much gauze effect to make a woman's skin supposedly look better to a snapshot-like smile on the subject that makes the emotion feel barren.

I like the more straightforward portraits (I tend to work in black and white) but ones that seem to capture a particular moment or gesture, one that feels vital. Yet some very "staged" portraits feel genuine as well, in the right hands. You seem to use both "honesty" and "reach me emotionally" as criteria. I think the former is more problematic than the latter. For me, emotion from a portrait is crucial. But I'm never sure what "honesty" means with respect to photography.

I think there are great portraits that reach people emotionally, are extremely expressive, and seem quite genuine but are not necessarily what a lot of people would consider "honest." In other words, one may catch a crabby older woman in a gesture or look of sweetness. That still may be a very much "real" look of that woman but not a represenatitive one. So is that honest? If most people who don't know the subject come away assuming that the portrait has captured the woman's "essence" (which I don't believe a portrait does do or should do - I tend to see portraits as capturing essential moments), is there a lack of honesty?

And, sometimes a portrait is able to capture a universal emotion, gesture, or moment that is more a statement of the photographer than it is a representation of anything about the subject. Depending on the situation, that can be a very valid and honest portrait as well. Dramatic lighting may change someone's appearance a lot yet may capture something very poingnant that the photographer is feeling at the moment.

Subjects are "used" all the time in photography just as Hitchcock, for instance, "used" his actors. That could be, but would not by me, considered dishonest. As far as cloning out blemishes, etc., I think that will also depend on the type of portrait, whether or not someone is paying for it, and what the goal and vision of the photographer is.

Sometimes blemishes add to personality, crows feet add great character and lines to faces, bags under eyes can be very telling. But if one has been hired to do a portrait that will hang on the subject's wall, it seems perfectly legitimate to do a little flattering in the post processing. That flattering, however, is where most people get carried away, making their portraits look like plastic and losing any sense of skin texture or life. A refined and gentle hand in the post process would be my preference.

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Posted by Mohd Fadzly Abdul Mubin at 1:36 AM |

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Points to keep in mind when printing


_DSC1637, originally uploaded by hackspot.

Taken with a Nikon D50 and AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G lens

Since the total pixel count for digital cameras is fixed, the size at which an image will be output on a printer will be calculated from the target resolution. Take the example of a photograph recorded with a digital camera at a size of 640 x 480 pixels. To print the image at a target resolution of 200 dpi, 1 inch requires 200 dots.

Width 2.54 cm x (640 / 200) = 8.1 cm
Height 2.54 cm x (480 / 200) = 6.1 cm

Output image quality will decrease if an image is printed larger than the above calculation allows. The standards for optimum output size for images recorded with 350,000 pixel, 800,000 pixel, 1,000,000 pixel, 2,000,000 pixel and 3,000,000 pixel CCD digital cameras and printed at a target resolution of 200 dpi are shown below.

DIGITAL CAMERA IMAGE SIZE OUTPUT SIZE

350,000 pixels 640x480 8.1cm x 6.1cm
800,000 pixels 1024x768 13cm x 9.8cm
1,000,000 pixels 1152x872 14.6cm x 11.1cm
1,300,000 pixels (E910) 1280x960 16.2cm x 12.2cm
2,100,000 pixels (E950) 1600x1200 20.3cm x 15.2cm
3,300,000 pixels (E990) 2048x1536 26cm x 19.5cm

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Posted by Mohd Fadzly Abdul Mubin at 2:51 PM |

Exposure is...


_DSC1601, originally uploaded by hackspot.
Taken with a Nikon D50 and AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G lens

Exposure is the sum of 3 things...

1. How quickly light can get inside the camera.. This is affected by the aperture. The size of the hole that lets the light in.. smaller = high f number = less light, bigger = low f number = more light
2. The amount of time light is allowed into the camera.. This is affected by the shutter speed. Faster = less time = less light, ... slower = more time = more light
3. The speed at which the image sensor reacts to the light coming in.. This is the ISO rating. Higher = reacts quicker Lower = reacts slower

A correctly exposed image has these three things in balance to produce the correct amount of light hitting the sensor for the correct amount of time. Giving an image with as much detail as possible with out blown highlights and lost shadow detail. Now, these thigs CAN be chosen by your camera.. but YOU can manipulate these variables to get other desired effects too!

Aperture...
Large apertures, small f numbers have limited Depth of field (DOF). ie. your focal point is sharp but things in front or behind are out of focus. You also need less time for the light to get in, so faster shutter speeds are required. Small apertures, high f numbers, have greater DOF and much more of the image will be in focus. You also need more time for the light to get in, so slower shutter speeds are required and may need a tripod.

Shutter Speed...
Fast shutter speeds ( 1/big number) allow you to freeze action and stop any movement. they also enable you to "hand hold" the camera to take the image. Slow shutter speeds allow you to creatively imply movement by producing motion blur. they also allow good exposue in poor light, and also allow for small apertures for large DOF. BUT.. they require a tripod to prevent camera shake.

ISO...
The higher this is set, the faster you shutter speed can be or the smaller your aperture, BUT you get more "noise" (grain) in the image. Sometimes this is desireable, but it's easy to do in software. Removeing noise is more difficult. Keep this as low as you can unless you can not achieve the shutter speed you need to get the shot at the aperture you've chosen!

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Posted by Mohd Fadzly Abdul Mubin at 2:51 PM |

Conversion to DNG from proprietary RAW


_DSC1665, originally uploaded by hackspot.
Taken with a Nikon D50 and AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G lens

DNG is not an open standard, and conversion to DNG from proprietary RAW is bound to lose some information because there is no way that any universal format can represent the multitude of unique parameters which camera manufacturers currently include in their RAW files. That's why it takes so long for new cameras to be supported by RAW conversion software. If only it was as simple as converting the files to a universal format - DNG or otherwise - there would be no need for software companies to spend so long creating unique profiles for each camera.

The solution would be for all camera manufacturers to agree on a standard RAW format, but I don't see that happening soon if at all.

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Posted by Mohd Fadzly Abdul Mubin at 2:50 PM |

Warning: Nikon NEFs and Vista


_DSC1434, originally uploaded by hackspot.

Taken with a Nikon D50 and AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G lens

If anyone is using, or thinking of using, Nikon NEF files with Windows Vista, here's something to watch out for.

The Vista codec can modify the headers (adding tag information) when importing files using the inbuilt wizard. The NEFs are modified in such a way that the only RAW editor that can open them is Nikon Capture NX. D70s NEFs have been tested with CS2 Camera RAW 3.6, Bibble Pro 4.9.5, DXO Optics Pro and RawShooter Premium, and none of these could read them until they were reopened and resaved in Capture NX.

The Vista codec is supplied by Nikon, so they've either dropped a clanger or it's a deliberate attempt to prevent the use of third-party converters.

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Posted by Mohd Fadzly Abdul Mubin at 2:50 PM |

Nikkor lenses: What do the various AF designations mean?


_DSC1471, originally uploaded by hackspot.

Taken with a Nikon D50 and AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G lens

D Works with 3D matrix metering.
ED Extremely low dispersion.
G Has no aperture ring.
DH Battery Charger ??????????
DED Combo of the top two
PC Perspective control.
IF Internal focus.
DC De-Focus control
CL-43A A hard lens case

For more info read here.

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Posted by Mohd Fadzly Abdul Mubin at 2:50 PM |

DX-Nikkor Lenses


_DSC1483, originally uploaded by hackspot.

Taken with a Nikon D50 and AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G lens

DX-Nikkor Lenses for D200/D80/D50/D70/D100/D2X/D1X/D2H/D1H/D1 Digital SLR cameras

10.5mm f/2.8G DX Fisheye £445.00
AF-S 12-24mm f/4G IF-ED DX Zoom-Nikkor £669.00
AF-S 17-55mm f/2.8G DX IF-ED £849.00
AF-S 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G DX IF-ED £199.00
AF-S 55-200mm f4-5.6G DX Zoom-Nikkor VR £249.00

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Posted by Mohd Fadzly Abdul Mubin at 2:50 PM |

Ain't no such thing as a "real" photograph


_DSC1670, originally uploaded by hackspot.

Taken with a Nikon D50 and AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G lens

For some reason there are photographers who believe that photographs and the real world have more than a passing relationship to each other. When they see a photograph that has been in some visible way altered, modified or manipulated they cry "foul" — taking on the mantle of protectors of the sanctity of the inviolate image.


Sorry folks, but there ain't no such thing as a "real" photograph. Every photographic image that you have ever seen is but a pale reflection of reality, and a distorted one at that. Let's see what I mean by first looking at the ways in which a simple and straightforward photograph is abstracted from reality.

Reality: Without getting too philosophical about it, let's define this as our direct experience of the outside world. All five senses are involved, not just our sense of sight. As well as seeing the sky we feel the wind and smell the grass and hear the rustling of leaves. We're in reality, not simply observing it.

Direct vision: For example, watching the passing scene outside through a picture window. It is as visible as if we were in it, but input from senses other than that of sight is limited.

Motion picture / TV: This would appear to be similar to viewing a scene through a picture window but we have lost binocular three dimensional vision, and our other senses, other than hearing, are completely absent. Also, we are not seeing the actual subject but rather a two dimensional mechanical reproduction.

A colour still photograph: Here the scene has been reduced to a frozen moment in time. Motion and continuity are lacking.

A Black & White photograph: Colour has been removed from the image, replaced by shades of gray.

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Posted by Mohd Fadzly Abdul Mubin at 2:50 PM |

The camera never lies! Oh, really?


_DSC1438, originally uploaded by hackspot.

Taken with a Nikon D50 and AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G lens

Let's think about the process of turning three dimensional reality into a photograph, and the factors that go into determining how that image will appear. None of the items below is a manipulation, just the basic tools of the technology that every photographer must manage to produce a photograph. Yet, each has a profound affect on how the image will appear.


First, there is the choice of lens. Depending on whether its a wide angle or a telephoto, or anything in-between, the perspective created by the choice of lens will have a dramatic affect on how the image appears. The use of a telephoto will cause the primary subject and any background objects to appear very close together. The choice of a wide angle lens will create the impression of spaciousness or distance between objects at varying distances within the frame.

The position of the camera relative to the subject is critical. The choice of camera position could mean that some parts of the potential frame are deleted while others are accentuated. Remember, the painter includes while the photographer excludes.

Shutter speed can mean a totally frozen moment in time, or a blur. Which is real? Which moment is chosen? Again, the photographer exercises considerable editorial discretion though the use of photography's basic tools.

Aperture along with focal length determines depth of field. We are all used to this photographic conceit. Some items in the frame are sharp, others are out of focus. This seems quite natural to us because we have learned that this is part of the photographic reproduction process. But the real world does not appear this way. Our eyes are constantly autofocusing, and we are usually completely unaware that when we are focused on something close by distant objects will be out of focus, because the moment we look at them they jump into focus. Not so in a photograph, which forces us to see the world in a quite artificial manner with regard to focus. Yet, we accept a portrait of a person with a blurred background as being quite natural. Seeing this way needs to be learned.

The ISO of the film used, or the sensor setting, can mean the addition of grain or noise. Many fine images over the past century and half since the invention of photography have been grainy, sometimes for effect and sometimes of necessity. But, grain doesn't exist in the real world. It is a function of the technology.

In the end the image produced will likely be regarded as a straight photograph. Unmanipulated, unaltered, undoctored and unmodified. Ya, right!

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Posted by Mohd Fadzly Abdul Mubin at 2:50 PM |

_DSC1470


_DSC1470, originally uploaded by hackspot.

The research arms of the Department of Fisheries (DOF) is the Marine Fishery Resources Development and Management Department (MFRDMD) in Chendering, Terangganu. MFRDMD acts as a center to plan, coordinate and implement research on fishery resources in Malaysia and on regional fishery resources research programmes sponsored by South East Asia Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC). FRI is responsible for research on marine capture fisheries, marine aquaculture and ecology, with seven branches of various special areas of research.

Location
Chendering Fisheries Garden,
Kuala Terengganu
21080 Kuala Terengganu
Terengganu, Malaysia

My opinion:

The choice of lens does not signify anything except for the fact that it is only an instrument to capture the moment, if using a tele lens has better chance of capturing the moment isolated from the background and if it improves the chance of being unnoticed then so be it... I use a 70-300 and a 18-55 and shoot from a distance or from close range... but it is true that a street photographer cannot afford to be shy or be afraid to confront or pacify his subject in situations.

I like to capture fleeting moments, candid portraits and this does not give me an option to introduce myself to my subjects with my visiting card before I take the shot... I believe that empathy for the subject - if important to the photographer - should show in his/her work... morality is a subjective issue, not an absolute one... I am not the one who can figure out whats on a person's mind if and as he knows that he is being photographed... did he like being photographed? Did he dislike but was too polite or shy to tell me that he didn't want to be photographed? Well... as long as I do not know, I assume implicit permission from my subject. If I wanted to find out explicitly I would be talking and not capturing the moments that I wanted to capture.

I wonder what would one do if he was required to obtain permission before he took the wonderful pictures showing the moods and moments of dogs. [this is not no imply that dogs are same or different from human beings as photographic subjects ;-) ].

As Elli Wallach said in the movie 'The Good Bad and the Ugly' - "When you shoot, you shoot, don't talk"...it was shooting of a different kind though but its principle applies to street photography as well.

But it is also true that the photographer can introduce himself to his subjects and win their trust and take pictures over weeks and months...this improves the chances of better framing, lighting and yet capturing the candid mood and the moment since the photographer is not viewed as an alien any more and can work at close range without worried about being spotted.Often I visit a place where I am familiar face now, at least to quite a few, and returning with gift prints helps to build a friendship. I can take pictures with the candid mood working at close range...sometimes point blank with a wide lens But that is fundamentally different from the pictures you take as you walk down the street while trying to keep yourself inconspicous.

Many beginner photographers think that people don't like to be photographed and this may be true in many places but from my experience in taking people shots in streets of Tokyo, New York and Calcutta, I can say that it is not generally true...many do like to be photographed, many dont even know if they are being photographed and most apparently dont care even if they know. There are a few who are paranoid about being photographed and certainly I am not going to let the moment pass by making such an assumption. If someone finds out - as sometime someone always does since not everybody can blend in like a fly on the wall - and expresses dissent, I shall respect that. Although, in some situations I have also asked permission before shooting.

The street is a public place and the photographer has as much right as the artist with a sketch book making sketches of people. The problem is that the barrel of the lens pointing at someone could have a different psychological effect than the brief glances of the sketch artist.

Street photography is not about photographing poverty, squalor or misery, it is not about photographing homeless people on the streets, it can show humorous, funny, sad, joyful etc moments. A true street photographer's natural instinct is to shoot first and to worry later.

Taken with a Nikon D50 and AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G lens

Please visit my other sites
hackspot@flickr
fadzlymubin@flickr
Hackspot on Wordpress
Picasa Photo Album
shutterhack@blogger
shutterhack@flickr

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Posted by Mohd Fadzly Abdul Mubin at 2:46 PM |

_DSC1444


_DSC1444, originally uploaded by hackspot.

The research arms of the Department of Fisheries (DOF) is the Marine Fishery Resources Development and Management Department (MFRDMD) in Chendering, Terangganu. MFRDMD acts as a center to plan, coordinate and implement research on fishery resources in Malaysia and on regional fishery resources research programmes sponsored by South East Asia Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC). FRI is responsible for research on marine capture fisheries, marine aquaculture and ecology, with seven branches of various special areas of research.

Location
Chendering Fisheries Garden,
Kuala Terengganu
21080 Kuala Terengganu
Terengganu, Malaysia

Taken with a Nikon D50 and AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G lens

Please visit my other sites
hackspot@flickr
fadzlymubin@flickr
Hackspot on Wordpress
Picasa Photo Album
shutterhack@blogger
shutterhack@flickr

Labels: , , , ,

Posted by Mohd Fadzly Abdul Mubin at 2:46 PM |

_DSC1440


_DSC1440, originally uploaded by hackspot.

The research arms of the Department of Fisheries (DOF) is the Marine Fishery Resources Development and Management Department (MFRDMD) in Chendering, Terangganu. MFRDMD acts as a center to plan, coordinate and implement research on fishery resources in Malaysia and on regional fishery resources research programmes sponsored by South East Asia Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC). FRI is responsible for research on marine capture fisheries, marine aquaculture and ecology, with seven branches of various special areas of research.

Location
Chendering Fisheries Garden,
Kuala Terengganu
21080 Kuala Terengganu
Terengganu, Malaysia

Taken with a Nikon D50 and AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G lens

Please visit my other sites
hackspot@flickr
fadzlymubin@flickr
Hackspot on Wordpress
Picasa Photo Album
shutterhack@blogger
shutterhack@flickr

Labels: , , , ,

Posted by Mohd Fadzly Abdul Mubin at 2:46 PM |

Skin tones (_DSC1531)


_DSC1531, originally uploaded by hackspot.

Taken with a Nikon D50 and AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G lens

RAW won't create noise. If anything it should minimize it since there is very little in the way of in-camera processing which itself in a large way often contributes to noise. However you still have to set your ISO and exposure values correctly even if you are using RAW. If you don't you'll end up shooting underexposed often and this will create a RAW image file that when processed in any RAW image processor result in increased noise, particularly in the shadow areas when you try to bring out the shadow detail.

Skin tones are what most meters are set up to consider an 'average tone', they are also usually the part of the picture that we most want to get right.

If I am photographing a group of people in difficult circumstances, like bright sunlight for instance, I will often move close in to the group and take a light reading from someone's face or, if we are all standing in the same type of light, I will take a reading from the back of my hand.

This is no good, of course, if the subject is in bright sunlight and I am in the shade. Brown parcel paper is also an extraordinarily accurate surface to take a light reading from.

Location
Chendering Fisheries Garden,
Kuala Terengganu
21080 Kuala Terengganu
Terengganu, Malaysia

Please visit my other sites
hackspot@flickr
fadzlymubin@flickr
Hackspot on Wordpress
Picasa Photo Album
shutterhack@blogger
shutterhack@flickr

Labels: , , , , ,

Posted by Mohd Fadzly Abdul Mubin at 2:46 PM |

_DSC1518


_DSC1518, originally uploaded by hackspot.

The research arms of the Department of Fisheries (DOF) is the Marine Fishery Resources Development and Management Department (MFRDMD) in Chendering, Terangganu. MFRDMD acts as a center to plan, coordinate and implement research on fishery resources in Malaysia and on regional fishery resources research programmes sponsored by South East Asia Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC). FRI is responsible for research on marine capture fisheries, marine aquaculture and ecology, with seven branches of various special areas of research.

Location
Chendering Fisheries Garden,
Kuala Terengganu
21080 Kuala Terengganu
Terengganu, Malaysia

My opinion:

The choice of lens does not signify anything except for the fact that it is only an instrument to capture the moment, if using a tele lens has better chance of capturing the moment isolated from the background and if it improves the chance of being unnoticed then so be it... I use a 70-300 and a 18-55 and shoot from a distance or from close range... but it is true that a street photographer cannot afford to be shy or be afraid to confront or pacify his subject in situations.

I like to capture fleeting moments, candid portraits and this does not give me an option to introduce myself to my subjects with my visiting card before I take the shot... I believe that empathy for the subject - if important to the photographer - should show in his/her work... morality is a subjective issue, not an absolute one... I am not the one who can figure out whats on a person's mind if and as he knows that he is being photographed... did he like being photographed? Did he dislike but was too polite or shy to tell me that he didn't want to be photographed? Well... as long as I do not know, I assume implicit permission from my subject. If I wanted to find out explicitly I would be talking and not capturing the moments that I wanted to capture.

I wonder what would one do if he was required to obtain permission before he took the wonderful pictures showing the moods and moments of dogs. [this is not no imply that dogs are same or different from human beings as photographic subjects ;-) ].

As Elli Wallach said in the movie 'The Good Bad and the Ugly' - "When you shoot, you shoot, don't talk"...it was shooting of a different kind though but its principle applies to street photography as well.

But it is also true that the photographer can introduce himself to his subjects and win their trust and take pictures over weeks and months...this improves the chances of better framing, lighting and yet capturing the candid mood and the moment since the photographer is not viewed as an alien any more and can work at close range without worried about being spotted.Often I visit a place where I am familiar face now, at least to quite a few, and returning with gift prints helps to build a friendship. I can take pictures with the candid mood working at close range...sometimes point blank with a wide lens But that is fundamentally different from the pictures you take as you walk down the street while trying to keep yourself inconspicous.

Many beginner photographers think that people don't like to be photographed and this may be true in many places but from my experience in taking people shots in streets of Tokyo, New York and Calcutta, I can say that it is not generally true...many do like to be photographed, many dont even know if they are being photographed and most apparently dont care even if they know. There are a few who are paranoid about being photographed and certainly I am not going to let the moment pass by making such an assumption. If someone finds out - as sometime someone always does since not everybody can blend in like a fly on the wall - and expresses dissent, I shall respect that. Although, in some situations I have also asked permission before shooting.

The street is a public place and the photographer has as much right as the artist with a sketch book making sketches of people. The problem is that the barrel of the lens pointing at someone could have a different psychological effect than the brief glances of the sketch artist.

Street photography is not about photographing poverty, squalor or misery, it is not about photographing homeless people on the streets, it can show humorous, funny, sad, joyful etc moments. A true street photographer's natural instinct is to shoot first and to worry later.

Taken with a Nikon D50 and AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G lens

Please visit my other sites
hackspot@flickr
fadzlymubin@flickr
Hackspot on Wordpress
Picasa Photo Album
shutterhack@blogger
shutterhack@flickr

Labels: , , , , ,

Posted by Mohd Fadzly Abdul Mubin at 2:46 PM |

Using auto exposure to your advantage (_DSC1532)


_DSC1532, originally uploaded by hackspot.

Taken with a Nikon D50 and AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G lens

If you have a modern camera, the chances are that the default metering system is 'centre weighted average', which means that, although it takes an average reading of the whole scene, it takes more notice of what is in the middle of the frame. Which is good news for us.

The other good news is that it takes this reading at the time when you take 'first pressure' on the button to take your picture. When you push it halfway down and it beeps at you, not only is the focus now set (on an auto focus camera) but the exposure reading is taken and the aperture and shutter speed are set.

So, if your main point of interest is not in the centre of the frame, it's a good idea to put it there temporarily while you focus and take your light reading, then move the camera whilst still holding the button halfway down and compose the picture the way you want it to be.

A common use for this technique is when you are taking a close up shot of two people and there is space between their heads, if you're not careful the camera will focus on the wall or trees behind them. If the background is very dark or very light this can alter the exposure significantly and result in faces that are too dark or too light.

Location
Chendering Fisheries Garden,
Kuala Terengganu
21080 Kuala Terengganu
Terengganu, Malaysia

Please visit my other sites
hackspot@flickr
fadzlymubin@flickr
Hackspot on Wordpress
Picasa Photo Album
shutterhack@blogger
shutterhack@flickr

Labels: , , , , ,

Posted by Mohd Fadzly Abdul Mubin at 2:46 PM |

_DSC1517


_DSC1517, originally uploaded by hackspot.

The research arms of the Department of Fisheries (DOF) is the Marine Fishery Resources Development and Management Department (MFRDMD) in Chendering, Terangganu. MFRDMD acts as a center to plan, coordinate and implement research on fishery resources in Malaysia and on regional fishery resources research programmes sponsored by South East Asia Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC). FRI is responsible for research on marine capture fisheries, marine aquaculture and ecology, with seven branches of various special areas of research.

Location
Chendering Fisheries Garden,
Kuala Terengganu
21080 Kuala Terengganu
Terengganu, Malaysia

Taken with a Nikon D50 and AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G lens

Please visit my other sites
hackspot@flickr
fadzlymubin@flickr
Hackspot on Wordpress
Picasa Photo Album
shutterhack@blogger
shutterhack@flickr

Labels: , , , ,

Posted by Mohd Fadzly Abdul Mubin at 2:44 PM |

_DSC1435


_DSC1435, originally uploaded by hackspot.

Auto Exposure

The camera manufacturers have come up with all sorts of ingenious metering systems to try to help, there are now multi mode metering systems, which give you a choice of 'centre weighting', 'spot metering' or 'multi spot metering' on many of the better cameras, but none can guarantee to give you what you want every time.

The temptation to think that your camera 'knows what it's doing' is great, even for more experienced photographers, which is my main complaint against automatic cameras. It's easy to get lulled into a false sense of security, switch your brain to more interesting things and end up with a pile of rubbish.

Location
Chendering Fisheries Garden,
Kuala Terengganu
21080 Kuala Terengganu
Terengganu, Malaysia

Taken with a Nikon D50 and AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G lens

Please visit my other sites
hackspot@flickr
fadzlymubin@flickr
Hackspot on Wordpress
Picasa Photo Album
shutterhack@blogger
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Posted by Mohd Fadzly Abdul Mubin at 2:44 PM |

_DSC1499


_DSC1499, originally uploaded by hackspot.

The research arms of the Department of Fisheries (DOF) is the Marine Fishery Resources Development and Management Department (MFRDMD) in Chendering, Terangganu. MFRDMD acts as a center to plan, coordinate and implement research on fishery resources in Malaysia and on regional fishery resources research programmes sponsored by South East Asia Fisheries Development Center (SEAFDEC). FRI is responsible for research on marine capture fisheries, marine aquaculture and ecology, with seven branches of various special areas of research.

Location
Chendering Fisheries Garden,
Kuala Terengganu
21080 Kuala Terengganu
Terengganu, Malaysia

My opinion:

The choice of lens does not signify anything except for the fact that it is only an instrument to capture the moment, if using a tele lens has better chance of capturing the moment isolated from the background and if it improves the chance of being unnoticed then so be it... I use a 70-300 and a 18-55 and shoot from a distance or from close range... but it is true that a street photographer cannot afford to be shy or be afraid to confront or pacify his subject in situations.

I like to capture fleeting moments, candid portraits and this does not give me an option to introduce myself to my subjects with my visiting card before I take the shot... I believe that empathy for the subject - if important to the photographer - should show in his/her work... morality is a subjective issue, not an absolute one... I am not the one who can figure out whats on a person's mind if and as he knows that he is being photographed... did he like being photographed? Did he dislike but was too polite or shy to tell me that he didn't want to be photographed? Well... as long as I do not know, I assume implicit permission from my subject. If I wanted to find out explicitly I would be talking and not capturing the moments that I wanted to capture.

I wonder what would one do if he was required to obtain permission before he took the wonderful pictures showing the moods and moments of dogs. [this is not no imply that dogs are same or different from human beings as photographic subjects ;-) ].

As Elli Wallach said in the movie 'The Good Bad and the Ugly' - "When you shoot, you shoot, don't talk"...it was shooting of a different kind though but its principle applies to street photography as well.

But it is also true that the photographer can introduce himself to his subjects and win their trust and take pictures over weeks and months...this improves the chances of better framing, lighting and yet capturing the candid mood and the moment since the photographer is not viewed as an alien any more and can work at close range without worried about being spotted.Often I visit a place where I am familiar face now, at least to quite a few, and returning with gift prints helps to build a friendship. I can take pictures with the candid mood working at close range...sometimes point blank with a wide lens But that is fundamentally different from the pictures you take as you walk down the street while trying to keep yourself inconspicous.

Many beginner photographers think that people don't like to be photographed and this may be true in many places but from my experience in taking people shots in streets of Tokyo, New York and Calcutta, I can say that it is not generally true...many do like to be photographed, many dont even know if they are being photographed and most apparently dont care even if they know. There are a few who are paranoid about being photographed and certainly I am not going to let the moment pass by making such an assumption. If someone finds out - as sometime someone always does since not everybody can blend in like a fly on the wall - and expresses dissent, I shall respect that. Although, in some situations I have also asked permission before shooting.

The street is a public place and the photographer has as much right as the artist with a sketch book making sketches of people. The problem is that the barrel of the lens pointing at someone could have a different psychological effect than the brief glances of the sketch artist.

Street photography is not about photographing poverty, squalor or misery, it is not about photographing homeless people on the streets, it can show humorous, funny, sad, joyful etc moments. A true street photographer's natural instinct is to shoot first and to worry later.

Taken with a Nikon D50 and AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G lens

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Posted by Mohd Fadzly Abdul Mubin at 2:44 PM |

_DSC1514


_DSC1514, originally uploaded by hackspot.

Auto Exposure

The camera manufacturers have come up with all sorts of ingenious metering systems to try to help, there are now multi mode metering systems, which give you a choice of 'centre weighting', 'spot metering' or 'multi spot metering' on many of the better cameras, but none can guarantee to give you what you want every time.

The temptation to think that your camera 'knows what it's doing' is great, even for more experienced photographers, which is my main complaint against automatic cameras. It's easy to get lulled into a false sense of security, switch your brain to more interesting things and end up with a pile of rubbish.

Location
Chendering Fisheries Garden,
Kuala Terengganu
21080 Kuala Terengganu
Terengganu, Malaysia

Taken with a Nikon D50 and AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G lens

Please visit my other sites
hackspot@flickr
fadzlymubin@flickr
Hackspot on Wordpress
Picasa Photo Album
shutterhack@blogger
shutterhack@flickr

Labels: , , , ,

Posted by Mohd Fadzly Abdul Mubin at 2:44 PM |