From Lines to Shape

I leave you with my final line shot, one of the train tracks coming out of my local station. I didn't think about it when I shot (I try to be modest), but in a way it's the perfect shot for this entry, as my next composition focus will be shape. Notice how the train tracks lead you to the exit, which is a nice rectangle. More on shapes and their (sometimes) implied meanings.

Some More Rain

In the train, on my way to Kyoto for a very wet KFMH3 run. It was quite hard focusing with the inconsistent rocking of the train. Autofocus couldn't adapted quickly enough, or would focus on the scenery, while manual focus was iffy at best. But I'm fairly satisfied with these.

Here Comes The Rain Again

The rainy season officially started this week in Kansai. A steady rain is currently falling and is forecast for the next few days. I'll need to find new opportunities to shoot. Perhaps work with my strobes? Use windows to backlight subjects indoor? Get into food photography? Develop my photoshop skills? So many possibilities...

More Lines

I have been continuing to shoot with lines in mind. Here are some shots taken since last Wednesday.

For this one, I used the river as a line to mark the divide between the haves and the have-nots.













The lines in the next shots are just there for style and aesthetics. Can you guess what the first one is? It is a color shot, even if it shows as black and white.

Photo Shoot with Tony Flenley

Tony Flenley is a British miso maker in Osaka. I interviewed and photographed him for an upcoming Kansai Scene article. When the call came out for this assignment, I was probably the first to answer (lucky timing), with the added bonus that I knew him: he's an occasional participant with some of the Kansai Hash House Harriers.

His factory is located near the Kyocera Dome near Osaka port, with big red doors as the entrance. The interview was a little different from others I've done since I knew him. Although we have shared a few beers and sake glasses before, it was the first time we were meeting in a dry setting! Some might argue that interviewing someone you know isn't true journalism, and I will agree if it were an interview with a controversial personality. But for a portrait, I think that knowing the person actually helps as (s)he will tend to be more forthcoming with information and feel relaxed, providing a better insight into the character.

In any case, the article should be out in either the July or August issue, and here is an outtake from the quick photo shoot. For Strobists, umbrella to camera left for fill light, as this was shot around noon. A reflector to camera right could have been nice, but I like the shadow as it adds some character.

Elements of Composition: Lines

I'm starting here a little side project based on the basic elements of composition. For those who have already studied composition, it might sound a little repetitive, but I think that some of my readers might not have read about it before. Photography, like any other graphic art, is based on some basic principles of composition. Pick up any book dealing with composition, whatever the media, and the same principles will come up.

The first element I will write about are lines. Lines are everywhere you look. They lead us on roads, they show us limits; they evoke sensuality on an exotic car or frame our thinking in statistical graphics. Vertical lines tend to show strength, horizontal ones often exude stability, while diagonals are dynamic. Include lines in your composition to lead the eye to your subject, add implied motion or just give your picture an interesting background.

All of these were shot in less than an hour, riding my bicycle back from my morning class. They aren't necessarily the best shots ever, far from it, but all of them were taken with lines in mind. I will continue to shot 'linear' shots for one week as a personal direction, before moving onto the next element of composition, shape.

Good Photo Session

On a morning run the other I noticed a bicycle sticking out of a river. I thought it would make an excellent subject for one of my current photo projects, Machine Death. Stupid as I was, I didn't go back the same day, although it wasn't so stupid as I had a fantastic wedding anniversary date instead.

What had struck me was how low the water level was, and I figured that since it hadn't rained since, the level had stayed the same. With this in mind, when I woke up at 5:12 this morning, I grabbed my camera, tripod and polarizing lens, jumped on my bike and went to shoot it. As you can see below, though, the water level had gone up. But that did not deter me and I came out with some interesting shots. This one is not my favorite, you'll have to wait for the exhibition to see the best one(s).

By the way, mom, thanks for the food coloring. I used but sadly the medium wasn't very good for this shot. But the color was perfect!

Perhaps The Last Shot of The Series

When I came back home tonight, this is what it looked like. Perhaps this will the final shot in the series. Godspeed.

Whitening Teeth in Post Production

Often it is the small details that make a good picture into a great one. In general I favor in the 'in camera' camp when it comes to digital photography (i.e. no cropping, very little color adjustments, no freaky effects, etc.), but there are things that cannot be done without the use of post production. Whitening the teeth of subject is one of them, and quite a simple one. Yes, one could argue that a photography should about capturing reality, but when you have a paying customer who couldn't care less about your artistic aspirations, following their lead is the way to getting more clients.

As mentioned, the operations are quite simple. Pretty much all software allows localized adjustments for saturation and brightness, and they will be your best help. What I have done so far with great results is to desaturatize the teeth, and then to make them a little brighter. I usually do not unsaturize them completely as it looks unnatural, and be careful with the brightening, you do not want your subject to look like Ross or that politician whose poster hangs near my building: I get blinded every time.

On the topic of post editing software, a lot of the free ones will do what the common mortal needs. I have used Irfanview and GIMP before with great results. I'm sure there are others out there, and they are probably as efficient. I use Aperture for most of my work, and sometimes turn on Photoshop, especially when I need to frame pictures or make multilayer shots. I imagine that PS can do most of what Aperture can, but haven't gotten used to the first one, I use it all the time. Coming back to the teeth, I guess one could create a separate layer for the teeth before doing the adjustments, but it seems like a lot of trouble for extremely similar results.

As I've said, I'm in the 'in camera' camp, and I like to KISS my post editing. But that's just my thing, I have seen some heavily produced shot, which left somewhat the realm of 'true photography, but that looked awesome anyways as images. To each his own.

Update on The Demoliton

I posted a few days ago about the demolition of my neighbor's house. This is what it looked like last night, Sunday. When I passed tonight, the only things remaining as far as I could tell were some garbage bags, cement slabs that were part of the foundations and musky tatami mats.

'This is the end... my only friend, the end.'