Sometime, my friends do question me like "Hey, Michael, don't you feel awkward when you lie on the ground to take picture in the public?"
As a human being, of course I feel awkward but to get something once in a lifetime, I will force myself to do it. It is like the fight between an angel and devil you see in the cartoon.
Now, some people are going to raise their eyebrow seeing you position like that in the public. It is normal for them to behave like that because they don't understand our passion. Before I got drawn into photography, I also can't understand how people can go so far to get a picture. They will climb a tree, crawl into a hole and spend thousands of dollar on their camera just to get the picture.
During that time, I thought photographers are crazy because if I have those money in my hand, I will invest into something profitable. Now, I am so into photography that I am willing to work my bud off to upgrade my camera.
This is because when you have a better camera, you will have a better picture and you have more control over the picture you take. Then, when you look at the picture you have taken, that indescribable satisfaction is so overwhelming that other things just seems unimportant. I am not sure about other photography fan but that is the feeling I am trying to get from all my pictures.
So, when you want to get something done, you just won't care about how others think.
Happy photographing,
Michael Wong. :-)
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Playing With Aperture
Basically, aperture is an opening which light is allowed to pass into the photosensor. It is use to control the amount of light reaching the photosensor. The amount of light will then determine the sharpness of your photo.
How aperture works is when light is low, it will open wider and when light is too much, the aperture will be narrow to a smaller opening.
Aperture is classified as f/value (sometime F-stop, f numbers and aperture value) and they are double in the classification, like f/4, f/8, f/16 and so on. I used to wonder why they classify the aperture with double number. Then I found that as the value double, it actually allows double the amount of light into the camera compare to the previous f/value.
When comes to photography, aperture doesn't work alone. It usually works with the shutter speed to give you a good picture. Fast shutter speed is to use for capturing motion picture like a soccer player in action while slow shutter speed is for you to take portrait and landscape pictures.
Since you are playing with aperture and shutter speed, I might as well let you know that for you to really feel the satisfaction of capturing the perfect picture, you need to take into account of the depth of field too. When you have a small aperture, you will see a picture with focus from the foreground to the background. When you have a larger aperture, you will have a picture that only focuses on your foreground and this is usually applied in macro photography. So, the smaller the aperture, you will get higher depth of field.
However, the aperture of most of the compact digital camera in the market now are set to be automatic and as disappointing as it may sound, sometime you just have to compromise with the picture quality you get.
Some of you might ask that don't photography become easier when things are set to automatic? Don't you have less frustration when the camera select the aperture and shutter speed automatically as require during the circumstances?
I too used to think that leaving the aperture setting to automatic will be easy on me. I can just point the camera to my subject and shoot the picture. But as you gain more exposure to digital photography, you will feel that something is missing in your picture.
And that is when I realize I really need to look into a more advance digital camera and you should too if you want to enjoy better picture quality.
By the way, the festive season is here. So, I would like to wish you merry Christmas and a happy new year. :-)
Have fun photographing,
Michael Wong. :-)
How aperture works is when light is low, it will open wider and when light is too much, the aperture will be narrow to a smaller opening.
Aperture is classified as f/value (sometime F-stop, f numbers and aperture value) and they are double in the classification, like f/4, f/8, f/16 and so on. I used to wonder why they classify the aperture with double number. Then I found that as the value double, it actually allows double the amount of light into the camera compare to the previous f/value.
When comes to photography, aperture doesn't work alone. It usually works with the shutter speed to give you a good picture. Fast shutter speed is to use for capturing motion picture like a soccer player in action while slow shutter speed is for you to take portrait and landscape pictures.
Since you are playing with aperture and shutter speed, I might as well let you know that for you to really feel the satisfaction of capturing the perfect picture, you need to take into account of the depth of field too. When you have a small aperture, you will see a picture with focus from the foreground to the background. When you have a larger aperture, you will have a picture that only focuses on your foreground and this is usually applied in macro photography. So, the smaller the aperture, you will get higher depth of field.
However, the aperture of most of the compact digital camera in the market now are set to be automatic and as disappointing as it may sound, sometime you just have to compromise with the picture quality you get.
Some of you might ask that don't photography become easier when things are set to automatic? Don't you have less frustration when the camera select the aperture and shutter speed automatically as require during the circumstances?
I too used to think that leaving the aperture setting to automatic will be easy on me. I can just point the camera to my subject and shoot the picture. But as you gain more exposure to digital photography, you will feel that something is missing in your picture.
And that is when I realize I really need to look into a more advance digital camera and you should too if you want to enjoy better picture quality.
By the way, the festive season is here. So, I would like to wish you merry Christmas and a happy new year. :-)
Have fun photographing,
Michael Wong. :-)
Thursday, December 18, 2008
What Is So Fascinating About Photography?
"Hey, Michael, what is so fascinating about photography that you are willing to carry the heavy camera around? We saw you taking pictures of food, grass, sky, us and almost anything." That is what I get most of the time when my friends see me taking pictures.
Well, to tell you the truth, I don't really have a definite answer to that. You just like it. I guess.
Maybe the thing that inspired me to take up photography was my father death. When I went through his stuffs, I found that was hardly any picture of me and him. That again maybe is because my parents are working very hard to put us (the kids) to school. At that time, having a camera for photography is just a luxury we can't afford. I can still remember the time we used to borrow camera for our family outing.
Every outing with the family was fun and I can still recall what we did. The beach, the picnics and the laughter. I wish that I can show you the pictures but it is quite impossible now as we rarely have any pictures together.
Maybe the incident was locked into my subconscious and pushed me to take up photography. I am not sure. But what I can tell you now is that I enjoy taking pictures. Snapping the moment of my friends laughing, I have one great shot that she was laughing with her mouth wide open and her eyes close to a tiny slit. The pictures were hilarious but she prohibited me from publishing it. Great things are supposed to be shared. She just doesn't understand that. Sigh...
Another great thing about photography is the memory. When you look back at your pictures, the feeling of that moment just flow to your mind automatically. It is as if you can see the event, hear the laughter and feel that day again. I can't really put that into words because that is a feeling you need to feel yourself (also maybe I am not a good writer).
Just like that picture of my friend laughing, we never fail to make fun of her and see her blush and again taking her picture. :-)
You can have this kind of fun only when you have photography in your hands. Hehehehe......
Happy photographing,
Michael Wong. :-)
Well, to tell you the truth, I don't really have a definite answer to that. You just like it. I guess.
Maybe the thing that inspired me to take up photography was my father death. When I went through his stuffs, I found that was hardly any picture of me and him. That again maybe is because my parents are working very hard to put us (the kids) to school. At that time, having a camera for photography is just a luxury we can't afford. I can still remember the time we used to borrow camera for our family outing.
Every outing with the family was fun and I can still recall what we did. The beach, the picnics and the laughter. I wish that I can show you the pictures but it is quite impossible now as we rarely have any pictures together.
Maybe the incident was locked into my subconscious and pushed me to take up photography. I am not sure. But what I can tell you now is that I enjoy taking pictures. Snapping the moment of my friends laughing, I have one great shot that she was laughing with her mouth wide open and her eyes close to a tiny slit. The pictures were hilarious but she prohibited me from publishing it. Great things are supposed to be shared. She just doesn't understand that. Sigh...
Another great thing about photography is the memory. When you look back at your pictures, the feeling of that moment just flow to your mind automatically. It is as if you can see the event, hear the laughter and feel that day again. I can't really put that into words because that is a feeling you need to feel yourself (also maybe I am not a good writer).
Just like that picture of my friend laughing, we never fail to make fun of her and see her blush and again taking her picture. :-)
You can have this kind of fun only when you have photography in your hands. Hehehehe......
Happy photographing,
Michael Wong. :-)
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Black & White Photography
As far as my memory brings me, I have never plays with black and white photography before. One of my friend show me some of his black and white pictures and it amazed me. Then, I started to do more research about it.
Do you know you can use color filters to create special effects on black and white film that no software can do?
As you already know, red, blue and green are primary colors and cyan, magenta and yellow are opposite of them. So, when you want to make Bumblebee (the yellow Chevvy Camaro in Transformer I mean) to be specially black for your picture, use a green filter for your black and white photography.
Everything for the picture will remain fine, just that the yellow Camaro will turn darker. Imagine your Bumblebee became black instead of yellow. What will things be then? I never did that before but it certainly worth a try. :-)
That is why it suddenly hits me that I can have a lots of fun with black and white photography. But I have been a "color" boy for so long and it might be different to do something different. Still, I try to keep myself open and see what else I can find with black and white photography.
Until then,
Happy photographing,
Michael Wong. :-)
Do you know you can use color filters to create special effects on black and white film that no software can do?
As you already know, red, blue and green are primary colors and cyan, magenta and yellow are opposite of them. So, when you want to make Bumblebee (the yellow Chevvy Camaro in Transformer I mean) to be specially black for your picture, use a green filter for your black and white photography.
Everything for the picture will remain fine, just that the yellow Camaro will turn darker. Imagine your Bumblebee became black instead of yellow. What will things be then? I never did that before but it certainly worth a try. :-)
That is why it suddenly hits me that I can have a lots of fun with black and white photography. But I have been a "color" boy for so long and it might be different to do something different. Still, I try to keep myself open and see what else I can find with black and white photography.
Until then,
Happy photographing,
Michael Wong. :-)
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Tips To Taking Pictures of Moving Water
Sometimes, I like to take pictures of water movement. I can't explain it. It is just fascinating to look pictures of still water. I bet some of you do share the passion (I hope).
You might think that it is difficult to take pictures of the streaming water. Actually things can be much easier when you slow your shutter speed and you can emphasize the water flow.
Go to the setup and select shutter speed. Your shutter speed is usually shown 1/X where the larger the X, the slower the shutter speed. And to get the maximum for your picture, you should use a larger aperture size (if you have that control for your camera) when you are using slow shutter speed.
Also when you want to make the water looks as smooth as single thread, you should take your picture under dim light. This is because your shutter speed might not be slow enough during a sunny day.
Since you need dimmer light to take better picture for the streaming water, you can actually change the white balance of your camera "cloudy" setting. This will help to make the picture more bluish hence making the water more natural.
One thing you need to remember when you are using slow shutter speed is that your picture will get blur easier. This is because your camera can't capture the water fast enough. So, it is better tat you stabilize your camera with a tripod when you are taking picture with slow shutter speed.
You might think that it is difficult to take pictures of the streaming water. Actually things can be much easier when you slow your shutter speed and you can emphasize the water flow.
Go to the setup and select shutter speed. Your shutter speed is usually shown 1/X where the larger the X, the slower the shutter speed. And to get the maximum for your picture, you should use a larger aperture size (if you have that control for your camera) when you are using slow shutter speed.
Also when you want to make the water looks as smooth as single thread, you should take your picture under dim light. This is because your shutter speed might not be slow enough during a sunny day.
Since you need dimmer light to take better picture for the streaming water, you can actually change the white balance of your camera "cloudy" setting. This will help to make the picture more bluish hence making the water more natural.
One thing you need to remember when you are using slow shutter speed is that your picture will get blur easier. This is because your camera can't capture the water fast enough. So, it is better tat you stabilize your camera with a tripod when you are taking picture with slow shutter speed.
The picture above was taken at 7-8am with shutter speed of 1/32. I am sorry that I didn't include another picture with faster shutter speed for comparison because I deleted that picture after it turned out horrible.
Still I hope you enjoy the tips about taking picture with water. :-)
Have fun photographing,
Michael Wong. :-)
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Red Eye Monster...
When the light is dim and the people are having fun, with a sudden flash, the monsters are revealed. These monsters only reveal themselves for that short period as they will not shoe you their true self when the flash is gone. You can only indentify them later in the pictures that you took.
I think that was a very familiar scenario for any person who has taken a picture under dim light with flash on. But why does that happen?
Have you ever shined light on a cat or dog at night? When that happens, their eyes will shine back with a white light. This is because they have a special layer, tapetum lucidum, in the epithelium of their retina. We human, however lack that special layer. And when flash hit us at night, you will capture the red color of the blood vessels that nourish our eyes.
How do you remove this annoying issue then?
First off, many digital cameras nowadays come with the red eye reduction feature. Try to pay some attention during the next time you take picture under dim light. You will notice that the flash will go off twice. The first flash is to make your pupil constrict to reduce the red eye effect and the second flash is to take the picture.
Next, is to get your flash further away from the camera lens. This can be a problem for compact digital camera as their flash is build near the lens. Since it is impossible to remove the flash device from these cameras, it is best that you include the red eye reduction feature when you want to buy a compact digital camera.
Then, you can bounce the flash to the ceiling. This don't just reduce the red eye effect at night, it can also help to reduce your subject being too white at day. This is easy for DSLR camera as most of the time its flash can be twist from front to back.
Lastly, when all else fails, you can remove those horrible red eyes pictures by editing your pictures with photo editing software. One good new is that the operating system nowadays are equip with basic photo editing software. Unless you want to do more editing on your pictures, you can save your money from getting a picture editing software.
Have fun photographing,
Michael Wong. :-)
I think that was a very familiar scenario for any person who has taken a picture under dim light with flash on. But why does that happen?
Have you ever shined light on a cat or dog at night? When that happens, their eyes will shine back with a white light. This is because they have a special layer, tapetum lucidum, in the epithelium of their retina. We human, however lack that special layer. And when flash hit us at night, you will capture the red color of the blood vessels that nourish our eyes.
How do you remove this annoying issue then?
First off, many digital cameras nowadays come with the red eye reduction feature. Try to pay some attention during the next time you take picture under dim light. You will notice that the flash will go off twice. The first flash is to make your pupil constrict to reduce the red eye effect and the second flash is to take the picture.
Next, is to get your flash further away from the camera lens. This can be a problem for compact digital camera as their flash is build near the lens. Since it is impossible to remove the flash device from these cameras, it is best that you include the red eye reduction feature when you want to buy a compact digital camera.
Then, you can bounce the flash to the ceiling. This don't just reduce the red eye effect at night, it can also help to reduce your subject being too white at day. This is easy for DSLR camera as most of the time its flash can be twist from front to back.
Lastly, when all else fails, you can remove those horrible red eyes pictures by editing your pictures with photo editing software. One good new is that the operating system nowadays are equip with basic photo editing software. Unless you want to do more editing on your pictures, you can save your money from getting a picture editing software.
Have fun photographing,
Michael Wong. :-)
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Taking Pictures With Compact Digital Camera
Compact digital camera was built to be small, lightweight and easy to carry. This can be the advantage for a point and shoot camera but it also can be a weakness that a lot of people dislike.
For some photography beginner, they tend to block the camera lens or flash with their finger. It is really disappointing to find out that one of your fingers has ruined a great picture.
What you can do is to really have a look at the front part of you camera (strangely enough, many people hardly look at the front part of their camera) to know where your flash and lens are located. Then, practice to hold the side of your camera firmly (always on your anti-camera shake feature if you have one). When you think you can hold your compact camera with your thumb and index finger, make sure that you lift the other 3 fingers so that they won't block the lens or flash.
Some photographers also recommended that you get a heavier compact digital camera so that you can create a more stable picture.
Have fun photographing,
Michael Wong. :-)
For some photography beginner, they tend to block the camera lens or flash with their finger. It is really disappointing to find out that one of your fingers has ruined a great picture.
What you can do is to really have a look at the front part of you camera (strangely enough, many people hardly look at the front part of their camera) to know where your flash and lens are located. Then, practice to hold the side of your camera firmly (always on your anti-camera shake feature if you have one). When you think you can hold your compact camera with your thumb and index finger, make sure that you lift the other 3 fingers so that they won't block the lens or flash.
Some photographers also recommended that you get a heavier compact digital camera so that you can create a more stable picture.
Have fun photographing,
Michael Wong. :-)
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