shutterhack

Style comes with time and is a difficult thing to force. The tendency at first is to copy a well-known photographer (witness how many young photographers are trying to shoot like Eugene Richards or Mary Ellen Mark), but you must move beyond emulation and develop your own strengths. Be aware of the literal nature of your images and strive to go beyond them in an aesthetic sense, but avoid mere self-indulgence.

Labels: AF-S Zoom-Nikkor ED 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G DX, Night, Nikon D50, Philosophy of Photography

Posted by Mohd Fadzly Abdul Mubin at 6:09 PM | Permalink

The best lens for the camera is any which provides greater resolution than the sensor. When zooming in on any image made with that camera if a point, line, or edge can be defined by 1 or 2 pixels, then that lens is meeting or exceeding the resolution of the sensor. This is why DSLRs have such poor glass compared to high-end P&S cameras with crisp definition in all details. DSLRs have larger sensors, larger pixels, so they can get away with vastly lower tolerances for the glass. DSLR owners never realize this, they always want to believe they are getting what they pay for. They *are* getting something, but it's not what they paid for. They are getting the chance to play the fool is all.

For a clue on which P&S camera will have the ultimate lens attached, research any number of the resolution tests at dpreview.com. Download the high-resolution charts to see if edges and lines are defined by 1 or 2 pixels, from edge to center to edge. You'll find that those sporting designs from famous makers of glass (such as Carl Zeiss and Leica for example) will often surpass others.

Labels: AF-S Zoom-Nikkor ED 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G DX, Night, Nikon D50, Photography

Posted by Mohd Fadzly Abdul Mubin at 6:09 PM | Permalink

A higher ISO setting allows you to take digital photos with quicker exposures at the expense of overall image quality. This can be crucial when taking photos at night without a tripod. To get enough light for a decent photo, you may normally have to keep your digital camera still for 1/15th of a second or longer else blurred photos may result. This is extremely difficult to do if you are holding your camera; even if you brace yourself up against a wall some shake is bound to occur.

With a higher ISO setting, you could get away in the same situation with perhaps a 1/30th of a second exposure or faster. The higher the ISO number, the faster you can take the photo, but more grain (noise) will be introduced. You should be able to get by with an ISO of 200 with medium and high-end prosumer cameras. With a digital SLR, even an ISO of 400 or 800 might introduce just an acceptable level of noise into your photos.

Labels: AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G, Night, Nikon D50, Photography

Posted by Mohd Fadzly Abdul Mubin at 6:07 PM | Permalink

When talking about composition, we often hear people say you must follow the golden rule or you must follow the rule of the thirds or the rule of the quadrant or your image must have a foreground - middleground - background and that you cannot use the center of the frame and thats reserved for somebody else other than you and thats a bad composition to bull's eye.

No! If you do that what occur is that you risk of falling into your Einstein theory for definition of lunacy which is doing the same things over and over and expecting results to change. So what winds up happening is you get images that starts to look the same because you have defined "you must do this". So, is it important to understand the rules of composition? Yes, but you have to understand them completely so you could break them correctly. There are great shots where the image is bulls eye but its using pattern. There are more things to a composition than simply those so-called golden rules. Theres light gesture color shape geometry all those things come into play... time for instance.

What I think is most important is to first understand that you are responsible for each millimeter of the frame as you shoot it. And to make the image look cool that it has to move you first. Well, how do you practice that well you practice at "Alright, I'm going to use the rules of thirds but I'm not going to be governed by them. Whats most important is whats most frustrating to people that take pictures is that they see something, they feel something whats more importantly is that they feel it but they cannot manifest that feeling because they are limited by these "rules that they have to follow".

My point is that the more you understand what you're looking at the better-off that you will be when you are taking the picture. Because the better understanding of how light works, how glass works, how focus works becomes the static choices that you can make at the point of capture. And if you did good enough at it you can do them in such a way that you do them without having to stop to think about them. That they are so automatic that you're making these choices as you shoot consciously because you spend so much time practicing up to point the where you break the rules sub-consciously.

Labels: AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G, Night, Nikon D50, Philosophy of Photography, Photography

Posted by Mohd Fadzly Abdul Mubin at 6:07 PM | Permalink

Strive for a blend of style and content. Professional photographers from my observations are experienced journalists with singular, well-developed photographic styles who use both color and composition in a unique manner.

Labels: AF-S Zoom-Nikkor ED 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G DX, Night, Nikon D50, Philosophy of Photography, Photography

Posted by Mohd Fadzly Abdul Mubin at 6:06 PM | Permalink

Taken with a Nikon D50 and Nikon AF-S Zoom-Nikkor ED 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G DX (kit-lens)

While you should always try to take digital photos at nighttime that avoid the blurred results of 'camera-shake' due to long exposures with an unstable digital camera, realize that blur is not always undesirable. Some blurring can be used creatively, such as that created by cars driving on an interstate at nighttime.

This effect is best performed if the roadway is next to a lit skyscraper or cityscape. Frame a photo containing the cityscape and roadway, and take an exposure of half a second or longer as necessary (use a tripod!). The skyscrapers should look clear and crisp, and the roadways will turn into streams of light.

Labels: AF-S Zoom-Nikkor ED 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G DX, Night, Nikon D50, Photography

Posted by Mohd Fadzly Abdul Mubin at 6:06 PM | Permalink

A digital camera's self-timer mode can reduce some camera shake when taking night photos.

While most digital camera manuals describe the self-timer mode, where the camera takes a picture several seconds after the shutter speed is pressed, as "good for portraits", the self-timer mode can be very useful for night photos as well.

Most night photos, especially in situations where you cannot reliably use flash, require a shutter speed of half a second or longer else the subject will be too dark. This is to compensate for the lack of available light. Unfortunately, these situations, especially when you don't use a tripod, can result in camera shake.

However, if you use the self-timer mode, you might be able to get some acceptable shots just holding your camera very steady. Any shake caused by pressing the shutter button will be eliminated, as the camera will not take photos until several seconds after the button has been pressed.

Labels: AF-S Zoom-Nikkor ED 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G DX, Night, Nikon D50, Photography

Posted by Mohd Fadzly Abdul Mubin at 6:05 PM | Permalink

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

My opinion:

Light is light, is light... its diffused, its direct, its reflected, its coloured... yes. But its also different in each context because it changes the mood of a photograph. A park at noon is quite likely to be much more drab than a park in the morning. Both in direct sunlight, but the morning's sun a bit more yellow/golden, and streaming through the branches at an angle...

Light is all around you, but actually looking for interesting light will help you understand it better. I'd also add that looking at just the light is not enough, look at the textures, effects, patterns and paths that it creates, look for colour casts, reflections, flare, and sparkles as it reflects off various surfaces...

If you're a photographer who wants to work in a studio at some point of time, looking for, and remembering lighting moods and feels is invaluable when you're trying to recreate emotions in a studio environment.

Labels: AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G, Night, Nikon D50, Philosophy of Photography, Photography

Posted by Mohd Fadzly Abdul Mubin at 10:06 PM | Permalink

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

Labels: AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G, Night, Nikon D50, Photography

Posted by Mohd Fadzly Abdul Mubin at 10:04 PM | Permalink

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

One of the most commonly overlooked elements you can focus on is texture. Trying to show someone how an object feels can be as difficult as describing the colour green to a blind woman.

Noise reduction algorithms smooth out the luminance and colour variation between nearby pixels. This is great when you’re shooting something that should be a uniform colour or gradient. Unfortunately, noise reduction will suck out a lot of the textural detail you’re trying to preserve. However, if you followed my earlier advice and shot the photo at your lowest ISO, you shouldn’t need to worry about this. If you have to clean the noise up, create a Photoshop mask to ensure you’re not applying the filter to your subject.

Labels: AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G, Night, Nikon D50, Photography

Posted by Mohd Fadzly Abdul Mubin at 9:59 PM | Permalink

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

Labels: AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G, Landscape, Night, Nikon D50, Photography

Posted by Mohd Fadzly Abdul Mubin at 9:57 PM | Permalink

Taken with a Nikon D50 and Nikon AF-S Zoom-Nikkor ED 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G DX (kit-lens)

If you look at the exposure display in your viewfinder you will see two numbers. On a normal sunny day you might see something like '125 16' or '500 5.6'. The first number is the 'shutter speed' and is simply the time that the shutter will be open for, expressed as a fraction of a second. So 125 means that the shutter will be open for 1/125th of a second, and 500 means that it will be open for 1/500th of a second.

The second number, sometimes referred to as the f-stop, tells you the size of the hole (aperture) in the lens. This number is also a fraction. The number represents the focal length of the lens divided by the diameter of the aperture. So an aperture that is 10mm in diameter in an 80mm lens will have an f number of f/8 and the setting f/16 on the same lens will be 5mm across.

From this you can see that if you change the lens to one of, say, 160mm focal length then the size of the f8 aperture will be 20mm. However, because the diaphragm is now twice the distance from the film the same amount of light will reach the film. This is a bit complex but if you have a mathematical bent and you draw it all on paper you will see why (see inverse square law). If not, just take my word for it. Now you can see that a larger 'f' number, say f/16, is actually a smaller hole and lets in less light than f/8.

Labels: AF-S Zoom-Nikkor ED 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G DX, Landscape, Night, Nikon D50, Photography

Posted by Mohd Fadzly Abdul Mubin at 9:52 PM | Permalink

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

Labels: AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G, Night, Nikon D50, Photography

Posted by Mohd Fadzly Abdul Mubin at 9:38 PM | Permalink

Taken with a Nikon D50 and AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G lens
Location: Ladang Kuala Terengganu

A photographer friend once told me, “there’s only one sun, so why should I use 4 lights” what they mean is that the more directional lights you have, the more unrealistic your photograph will look. While this is not always a bad thing, you may want to take simple photographs with clear cut lighting so that the lighting does not take meaning away from your subject.

Labels: Night, Pentax K100D, People, Photography, Tamron AF 70-300mm F/4-5.6 Di LD Macro

Posted by Mohd Fadzly Abdul Mubin at 5:26 PM | Permalink

"People in the public eye... pretty much know how they look and how to best to present themselves. Is that dishonest?... yes, I think it is, but that's just a persona they are presenting, one that is carefully cultivated and expected. In this regard, note the excellent work of Annie Leibowitz, who makes elaborate portraits of fictional characters, that sometimes contain sly references to the hidden character (as in Karsh's portrait of Krupp, consider Whoopie in a tub of milk, the comedian Steve Martin with paint brush and paint (he is an excellent artist) and many other deceptively honest illustrations of celebrity personas).

Contrast that with Avedon, who found a way to pull back the curtain and reveal, even in an atypical moment, the fact that celebrities have imperfections that make them seem more like the remarkable humans that they are, rather than elaborate "airbrushed" constructs of perfect archetypes and the collective imagination.

Yet another approach is the way Duane Michaels photographs famous people, as if they were the interesting face next door. See his early portraits for a refreshingly honest approach to portrait photography.

This brings me to the realization that dishonesty in a photograph doesn't necessarily mean successful dishonesty, in that the insightful viewer is not fooled by the attempted deception, but actually gains a greater understanding of the deceiver. The un-intended consequences of a too obvious diversion.

Labels: AF Zoom-Nikkor 70-300mm f/4-5.6G, Night, Nikon D50, People, Photography, Portrait

Posted by Mohd Fadzly Abdul Mubin at 2:20 PM | Permalink

Every picture must be technically perfect, even if it doesn't say anything, or no one would bother taking a look at it.

Nonsense. If a shot is compelling, if the execution reinforces the mood, most people don't care about "technical perfection."

Instead of going out and looking to capture intersting scenes with your camera, you go out with a Microspcope looking for scenes that happen to be under perfect conditions.

More nonsense. Knowing how to utilize the conditions to convey what you want is what makes for a successful photo--there aren't "perfect conditions" that make your photos good.

Am I getting out of line here, because my technical skills are not up to par?

Frankly, yes. Instead of making up nonsense stories to rationalize why people aren't impressed by your shots, you should spend your energy improving your skills and trying to develop a better understanding of how to make your shots work.

Labels: Night, Nikon D40, Philosophy of Photography, Photography, Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM

Posted by Mohd Fadzly Abdul Mubin at 6:38 PM | Permalink

Perhentian Island, Besut, Terengganu, Malaysia

Taken with a Nikon D50 and Nikon AF-S Zoom-Nikkor ED 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G DX (kit-lens)

Labels: AF-S Zoom-Nikkor ED 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G DX, Landscape, Night, Nikon D50, People, Photography

Posted by Mohd Fadzly Abdul Mubin at 6:28 PM | Permalink

Location: Perhentian Island, Besut, Terengganu, Malaysia
Taken with a Nikon D40 digital camera and Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM lens

Monitor Calibration Part 5

After selecting a color temperature and gamma, the next calibration step involves setting the black (brightness) and white (contrast) levels to their optimum values.

Start by setting the black to zero and the contrast to 100%. On CRT monitors, contrast at 100% usually gives the most possible colors, but is sometimes uncomfortably bright. LCD monitors usually need the contrast reduced slightly to avoid blowing out all fine details. Your calibration software will guide you to getting the optimum level.

The brightness should be set so almost black is just barely distinguishable from pure black. Set brightness too low, and all your shadow details go dark. Set too high, the shadows get washed out. Again, follow the instructions in your calibration software. Most calibration software and/or hardware works best, however, if you start the adjustment process with the brightness and contrast controls set to their extremes. (Continued...)

Labels: Night, Nikon D40, People, Perhentian 2007, Photography, Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM

Posted by Mohd Fadzly Abdul Mubin at 8:13 AM | Permalink

We sometimes call him "Datuk K"

Taken with D40 and Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM lens
Location: Perhentian Island, Terengganu, Malaysia

Labels: Night, Nikon D40, Perhentian 2007, Photography, Sigma 30mm f/1.4 EX DC HSM

Posted by Mohd Fadzly Abdul Mubin at 3:27 AM | Permalink

Taken with a Nikon D50 and Nikon AF-S Zoom-Nikkor ED 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G DX (kit-lens)

Location: Perhentian Island, Besut, Terengganu, Malaysia

Labels: AF-S Zoom-Nikkor ED 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6G DX, Landscape, Night, Nikon D50, Perhentian 2007, Photography

Posted by Mohd Fadzly Abdul Mubin at 3:14 AM | Permalink