The Art of Observation

Photography is an art of observation. It's about finding something interesting in an ordinary place.... I've found it has little to do with the things you see and everything to do with the way you see them.

Each photograph was captured because of how the photographers saw the people. They saw something special about each person and captured their true essence. The pictures make you wonder, what are they thinking about? It is left to viewers to really see the story.

There are myriad tips & techniques to take into consideration when photographing people. The one thing that is hard to teach - is really seeing the photo before taking it.

Most of the great picture we know, do you belief its just about luck, the photographer just at the right place at the right time? NO! most of them are the photographer make himself halfway there to meet the moment, its all about pre-observation.

i call this "to coin the moment".

The bees and the flies (we see what we wanted to see)

The bees, a creature we belief always heading to their goal restlessly; the honey and the light sources. And the flies, a creature we belief who fly randomly without a direction and always hoping for a pond of honey, somehow their may drown by honey.

But if you put them together into a bottle and place the bottle beside the window, and you will notice the bees, because of their nature of heading to their belief; light sources, their will fly toward the light sources restlessly, if unfortunately the direction is not the bottle open, their will struggling to the same direction till hungry and death. But for the flies, because of their nature of fly randomly sourcing for opportunity, within a min, all flies has out of the bottle.

This tell us, if in life we always struggling to what we belief without a second though that searching for the alternative direction. We will end up like the bees.

Therefore, think creative.

The Image That Matter

Sophisticated equipment is used more and more to make a photographic image. As a result, it seems to many people that the best way of improving the results is to rely on technology. Favoured solutions are on the lines of longer focal lengths, faster film, techniques for focusing, and so on. To an extent, of cause, technical answer do help, but they encourage a one-sided view of photography. There is much more to the making of a good photograph than being able to wield the equipment proficiently.

The important decisions in photography are those concerned with the image itself: the reasons for taking it, and the way it looks. Camera and film technology remains vital, but the best it can do is to help realize the photographer’s ideas and perception. Moreover, there are many different ways of seeing anything, and consequently a great variety of possible images. Using more equipment may not always be the best way of improving a photograph; simple changes of framing or viewpoint are the more sophisticated solutions for good images.

The reason why the intuitive approach to the image is so common lies in the way photographic images are made. Whatever level of thought goes into a photograph, the image is created in an instant, when the shutter release is pressed. This means that a picture can always be taken casually and without thought, and because it can, it often is. Bad habits apart, intuitive design is, however, necessary in any active photographic situation, such as in street photography. If there is really no time to consider the image, the only thing to do is to rely on experience and training.

Intuitive photography, therefore, can be based either on natural ability (or lack of it ) or on a good knowledge of the principles of design. In other graphic arts, design is taught as a matter of course; only in photography has it received less attention than it deserves.

Recently, i just accidentally read a forum, a guy who has enjoy shooting with his D70, beautiful colour rendering may be nice picture, but lately when he upgrade his camera to D300, and start to complain the camera produce bad colour image and bra... bra... bra... I was just wonder what he mean good picture and nice colour when he is using the previous camera. Images matter or equipment matter?

The Chronological of An Images

Even the technology has taken over the pass method of process an images, but the chronological order of process an images still the same, the difference is the process become more personal, and yet to say the photographer have more responsibility for the whole process.

At the pass, the film age, to be a full responsibility photographer, is not that easy. They need to have a lot of experience and knowledge starting from camera and how it shutter and aperture benefit the images, the flash light and what film should use, the difference brand of film and it gain, how it benefit your images in the darkroom equipment and the photo print you use, the darkroom exposure and develop of the print. From the start till the end, some require to rent a darkroom, or a studio, or its rare you have it all. The knowledge to handle all the equipment, it need a particular knowledge and skill to complete.

But with today technology on computer and software, are the process the same?
Yes, its. The difference is only on the process become more personal, more visual base, yet to say closer to "WYSIWYG". what make this process didn't? no matter what technology has come, to display an images on a master photo print paper, it no yet been change, even today most of the printer manufacturer claim that the ink-jet and the special ink-jet paper can protect the images all most 100 years. its just a claim, we need to wait 100 years only can proof it. But silver deposit photo print paper's photography images, today after a few decade, its display in the art gallery or museum.

What is the actual chronological order to process a digital images?
• Capture and exposure the images according to photographer previsualized end result.
• Develop the digital images via a photo editing software, to ensure it closer to the previsualized result.
• Optimize the images dynamic range to match the end result for display on print yet meet the require previsualized result.
• To optimized the printing process to maintain and achieve the previsualized result.
• Display on print and match the previsualized result while the shutter is pressed.

What knowledge is require to complete the process?
• Knowing the images you capture, ensure your images contain the detail you need for the process.
• Develop the images to achieve the desire dynamic range and ink limit.
• Knowledge of the paper selected and it total ink limit and dynamic range.
• Further adjust your images to match the paper specification.
• Knowledge on calibrate the printer and paper matching, to achieve the balance of all colour.

ho...ho...ho...
its very scientific, yes its, therefore, when you have learn the scientific way, later you have to forgot about it, and previsualize and shoot emotionally.

Life View Vs View Finder

With today technology, most of the SLR camera has in build with LifeView feature. It seem like SLR has begin to merge with point-of-shoot feature, in marketing wise, its to merge the point-of-shoot customer over the SLR sector, and also for the winning of market competition, but in reality, does LifeView LCD view finder does better job then optical view finder?

The magic of the design of SLR, is the what you see is what actual at the scene you plan to shoot, the magical of cinema view inside the SLR view finder, do give the shooter the stimulation of the "stage", which display the viewing images in a isolated black viewing tunnel. Yet to say, its the best way to isolated from the distraction of the surrounding environment. And it giving you the "see what you gone shoot" and "see what it gone happen" instantly.

and for the LifeView LCD finder, the viewing LCD angle is differ from the angle from the lens, and when you viewing the LCD, your eyes is distracted by the surrounding of the camera, but may the best thing is you can judge the exposure more accurate, yet to say is good for people who still haven't handle the exposure yet.

The distraction surrounding the camera when you aiming the view, can be a very bad point which influence your judgement of the framing view. And also the life updated exposure value, it really distrubt the framing process.

The LifeView feature only has one thing is useful, framing at the weird angle, ex. on the floor view or from the top view.

Photography is an art, the viewing and framing process is the most important moment, you can't be a second delay, the losted moment will not repeat, therefore, sophisticated exposure experience is the first step toward capture better photography.

"first you have to learn is scientifically, second, you have to forgot all you have learn from science, and capture it emotionally"

The basic yet advance - Light & Colour

Our living environment is light up by the great sun. The direct sunlight light up half of the earth, and just a source of direct sunlight is not enough to light up every corner and every shade wihich behind the light source, so what helping sunlight to achieve that?

The answer is the reflected light. Don't look down on this reflected light, it shift the colour of the visible light of the day, a warm sunny morning, a cold gray raining day, a bright, clear and shape sunny afternoon, a gray and blur overcast hour, a warm yellow, orange and purple evening, that is just the basic of the colour shift every can see and feel.

This reflected light especially obvious when it capture by your camera, i belief you do realize why some of the picture you taken is very shape and clear but also have some, even you very sure it is in focus but still look blur and grayish..�


When a pure natural light source projected to the earth atmosphere, light diffused and project to the object on the earth surface. With our earth surface full of colorful object, like green leaf, red flower, blue sea, colored building and colored vehicle. The original natural light source has been mixed with the reflected light from a colored object, therefore when you shot people in a colorful garden at noon(especially), your portrait shot with contain the mixture of all the colour at that garden, especially the shadow, you might reliase there so many colour in the shadow, like green, red and even blue from the blue sky.

Therefore why most of the professional photographer like to choose shoting outdoor either is morning of evening. Well the direction of direct light at the morning and evening, has been reflected outward from the atmosphere, and the diffused reflected light become more expect able, its always the shadow contain the blue sky reflection.

As you can see, the scientific explanation from the above explain that, the light source carries the light source original hue, and the shadow carries the reflected diffuse light from it surrounding object.�

Does Gray Matter?

Most of the people who take up on photography, basically know what gray matter to camera exposure, and even when you taking up a course, the lecture will tell you to either carry a gray card or use your skin as a gray card to identified the exposure value at that time.

Yes, all the camera exposure today is using mid gray as a guide for the camera to judge the exposure value, but that is not the definite exposure technical or knowledge.

Try this:
First, set your camera setting to either P(program), A(aperture priority) or S(shutter priority)
a) point your camera to a total white card and frame it till the white fill your viewfinder, shot one picture. b) point your camera to a total black card and frame it till the black fill your viewfinder, shot one picture. = The result images you got is a mid gray images, no matter white or black card.

try another one:
a) point your camera to a total black&white checked box card and frame it till the black&white checked box fill your viewfinder, shot one picture.
= Now, you get exact what your eyes see images, black&white checked box.

The conclusion is, your camera exposure system will adjust the combination of shutter & aperture value to balance whatever value receive by the camera sensor and average it to a mid gray value exposure reading. That is what we so call "normal exposure".

Therefore, pre-visualization become the most important skill for you to land the correct exposure on your pre-visualized image.

Before that, The most basic exposure value, they is three initial level:
A)High Key
- total exposure value tend toward high light and mid gray, no prominent dark gray and black.
B)Med Key
- total exposure value distributed over the whole images, highlight, mid gray and shadow.
C)Low Key.
- total exposure value tend toward dark gray and black, no prominent highlight and light gray tone.

High Key, Average and Low Key Histogram sample:


and below is the difference of camera program exposure and after pre-visualized manual adjustment exposure:

A) High Key Images


B) Average Images


C) Low Key Images


now, what is the exposure in your mind when you plan to take a picture?

Mastering Exposure
For anyone who wanna take up on photography, you may being told that "with to day technology, you can take a lot of picture to get the right exposure, even you can't get the right one, you can make a good exposure by today advance technology".

True or false? Is up to you. But the true is if you can't master the exposure. Your career in photography will stuck someway. Cause you're dealing with art, beautiful art is not luxury, is necessary.