May 2010 FM10 experience!

He-Hi!

May was indeed a great month as far as photography is concerned. In am able to place myself! and I can see a focus on my subject selection. As always, I loved people photography and Market. This time I enjoyed clicking people where I can establish their character! Few shots at the market where more on the produce than people. I love the colour. This is one genre which would be showcased at its best in colour photography than anyother format. The green of raw mangoes/guavas, the yellow of banana, red/pink shades of flowers... these subjects have better visual perception in colour photography.

The month of may is indeed a month of blunder as well... Photography, at least, never works when you are in a haste. You either adorn the role of a subject or a photographer...if u would suggest the self-timer mode, it doesnt work in haste as well... I ruined 1 entire rolll of a 400 ASA roll in the name of hasty loading. anyway, Its a lesson well learnt!

few pics i shot ths month:


f5.6, 1/60


f5.6, 1/60
This subject of roses, at a florist's desk, was shot with a normal lens. Yet it moves towards macro photography which tend to have very little depth of field because the subject is so close to the lens. I was just too quick to capture these roses. This was shot at the bus stop i frequent to commute to Adyar. I was rushing for another task around 5pm in the evening. My bus was just there, but I was engrossed by the lighting on these roses. Couldnt experiment with many shots sue to lack of time and haste. Most important reason is: This shop is a roadside encroachment and was close to moving vehicles. I feared an accident. Wish I could have clicked more pictures of this subject.


f3.5, 1/30
Ah! Children...one of my favorite subjects for their candid nature. You engage them with something and they are busy and helps you expose their candid nature! A doing something is much more engaging to the viewer than a posed-shot! This picture was shot on a cloudy/ sparingly rainy day. My lil fellow was fascinated by the umbrella and was busy with it. Not a planned shoot. I found that I had a loaded camera and I was quick to make use of this opportunity. No haste though... Wish I had a b/w film. I feel a b/w picture of this setting would be a better match.


f3.5, 1/30
My biggest challenge was to make him pose. Wish it was a brighter day.


f8, 1/60


f8, 1/60


f8, 1/60


f3.5, 1/60


f5.6, 1/60


f5.6, 1/60
I love this picture for its composition. It is a vivid example of geometry. Shapes, lines and contours are present in our everyday surrounding. But we hardly pay attention to these elements of design. When I captured this picture, I was only thinking about the green and yellow placed at different levels. I was looking fr a vantage point that would give me an interesting composition. After developing, I noticed the angular and circular shapes in the image. Though there are many elements in this frame, it looks uncluttered because of its "grouped" nature.



f8, 1/60
This picture is indeed an abstract i shot this month. Much later, I read an article on clicking shadows. A well-written one which taught me more. Mid-day sunlight can be harsh and unappealing in many cases.In fact, a picture I shot of my colleague had ugly harsh shadows below her eyelids and on her philtrum. But this kinda mid-day lighting is perfect to capture shadow and texture on walls/ground. A strong shadow of a recognizable object falling on a texture makes it all the more interesting. this photograph includes the object as well as its shadow. I wish the emphasis was more on the shadow. Shadows are affected by characteristics of the place they fall on and this will make the picture more engaging. In this picture, the shadow seems like a reflection and the nature of the ground affects it to a certain degree.

Human Eye & Camera

How Does The Human Eye Work?

Ok...Now that's a bit of biology from school... we will just look at it as a process in brief in comparison with a camera. When reading this, you will be introduced to few parts of a camera (which would be dealt in detail, later!)



The individual components of the eye work in a manner similar to a camera. Each part plays a vital role in providing clear vision. So think of the eye as a camera with the cornea, behaving much like a lens cover. As the eye's main focusing element, the cornea takes widely diverging rays of light and bends them through the pupil, the dark, round opening in the center of the colored iris. The iris and pupil act like the aperture of a camera.

Next in line is the lens which acts like the lens in a camera, helping to focus light to the back of the eye. Note that the lens is the part which becomes cloudy and is removed during cataract surgery to be replaced by an artificial implant nowadays.

The very back of the eye is lined with a layer called the retina which acts very much like the film of the camera. The retina is a membrane containing photoreceptor nerve cells that lines the inside back wall of the eye. The photoreceptor nerve cells of the retina change the light rays into electrical impulses and send them through the optic nerve to the brain where an image is perceived. The center 10% of the retina is called the macula. This is responsible for your sharp vision, your reading vision. The peripheral retina is responsible for the peripheral vision. As with the camera, if the "film" is bad in the eye (i.e. the retina), no matter how good the rest of the eye is, you will not get a good picture.

The human eye is remarkable. It accommodates to changing lighting conditions and focuses light rays originating from various distances from the eye. When all of the components of the eye function properly, light is converted to impulses and conveyed to the brain where an image is perceived.

Courtesy: http://www.pasadenaeye.com/faq/faq15/faq15_text.html (This had the simplest explanation!)

So...What's Photography All About?

Ah, There's the basic question! What's Photography?
An art? A science? A hobby? A process? The most expensive "Whatever"? lol... I would say it's all of it. To be more precise, photography means light drawing. Ah, when i say drawing i need something to draw on and something to draw with. Now these have undergone super advancements that photography has its own history, from its evolution to now.

Photography involves not just light but camera and film/memory card. With this one can capture images permanently. you call it sweet memories or evidence, photography is a revolution that helps in reliving moments through still images.

For beginners in photography, here is Vaidyanathan's perspective on photography! Vaidyanathan is the winner of ¨It happens only in Bangalore¨ theme in the recently concluded Bengaluru Infinite 2010 photography contest. I borrowed this excerpt from his interview on


Photography is so much more than taking pictures, it’s my way of connecting with people, it’s my way of inner happiness. The happiness you see in people’s faces when they ask you if you are from the press and if their photo would make it to the front-page tomorrow is something so valuable that it is difficult for me to say the truth about my hobby. Photography is a way to capture a moment in time which is never ever going to come back again ! I can go on about the philosophical aspect, but practically speaking, I think everyone is a learner, there is so much to learn, but without any deadline ! that’s the best part, you don’t have to hurry to learn photography, keep learning it little by little. Initially, Importance should be given to the physics behind photography, understanding the terms and looking at them practically. After that it’s all about composition and your good luck :) You never know when something interesting would come up before you, it’s about keeping your eyes open and capturing that moment! never ever stick to the “best practices”! Try out different things and that’s the only way you’ll be content with the art called Photography

Oh yes! A little bit of physics makes photography much more fun because u know how it works!

Not a tutorial!

Hi!

My maiden write-up claims that this blog would serve as my mentor. Yes, Definitely! I wish to give it a better shape...as in make it more unique. I am going to click pictures on pre-determined genres/categories. Since it has taken 4 years for me to re-connect with practical photography, I wish to brush up a little starting from scratch.

So, this is not a tutorial! Absolutely!

Looking forward to more photography! :)

With Smiles et Sunshine as always,
Ramalakshmi L