My Photography Journey So Far: A Positive One

Just finished my 3rd monthly contest, and have been happy with my progress. I am assuming I've been doing things right in the past, but just haven't honed the process quite well. At least now, I feel that I'm making good use of my investment, both financial and my time, in this hobby. Honestly, I'm just aiming to pass by contests but more importantly, learn new things, gain confidence to appreciate my own work and maybe develop my style in the process. It's all about learning for now, and I'm happy that I've been improving bit by bit. I don't expect to always be on the positive side but I do feel more motivated now that I know I'm making progress. I hope I keep the momentum.

During the second contest which was an On the Spot Contests on the field, I got my two photos in the Top 15 which was really surprising. I focused on one thing: taking a unique shot, something that will differentiate me from others - which has always been a goal of mine. Ironic because I was feeling pressured to shoot since I haven't been shooting for a while. It took a while to get into the groove, and I still wasn't satisfied since I didn't get the shots I wanted. But I was happy I was able to get some shots (those unexpected ones) that are good enough to submit. It also helped to get mentored by Corrine and Armi who kinda pose as the "motherly" figure in our club. I also showed my photos to Angela who offered to help select shots. I had a shot that I knew was unique but I thought was imperfect because of certain objects caught in the frame that I thought was distracting, turned out to be a great shot after some adjustments made to the highlights and shadows. The other shot I submitted I really wanted to submit it cause it was a moment in time, complemented with some technical techniques like reflections, etc.

I continued to do well on the third contest. Contrary to my default mindset, I forced myself to again ask for the help of others. This time, I got mentored by two of the best photographers in the club, Angela and Jeff, I felt really lucky they were so welcoming, I kinda feel guilty taking away some of their time but I was happy I tried and asked which resulted in getting more than I expected. On a side note, this feeling seemed familiar, back in high school when I managed to get the courage to ask for help from one of our teachers who I look up to, after making a mistake of being too shy which resulted in a lost opportunity to succeed. I didn't get to the Top 15 for this, but I passed!

Yesterday was the 4th contest I entered. I've spent the whole month or so selecting a photo from my archives. This time, I asked another member Arlene to vet my entries and it was pretty helpful. And I got at least one in the Top 15. The thing is, because it's the end of the year, they don't publish the scores of the Top 15 which in a way makes it hard for me cause I don't know where I stand, but I guess they do give feedback during the mtgs anyway so I still benefit from learning real time.

So far so good, I'm motivated as I mentioned and I'm ready for my next contest which is another on the spot contest. I'm joining the club on an international trip to Fukuoka next week. Of course, when I succeed like this, I have this tendency to feel the fear of failing again, that's something I have to work on. Like my mentor Angela said, Aim High!

 

Making Good Use of A Great Opportunity, Set Aside Your Insecurities

What a timely message from God!  I just came back from a learning session with two of the best photographers in our camera club and I'm feeling very grateful and inspired! The message given below is somehow a preview of the cycle of things. For now, I'm the one being inspired by others. But hopefully, in the future, I can also inspire others with my skills and talent. It is definitely a goal of mine to achieve such in my lifetime.

Message from God

Daily messages to connect you with God

Today, Tina, God wants you to know that greatness is your birthright.

Who are you to shine brighter than others? Who are you to take a step forward when others are shrinking back? Who are you to make others feel insecure with your greatness? You are a child of God. Take a step forward, shine bright, and inspire others with your light to their own greatness.

It took courage for me to ask for help. As I prepare to do my submissions for the 2nd photography contest, I find myself overwhelmed. I've been choosing photos for the last few weeks, and I'm having a hard time. I find them so mediocre and I feel hopeless and just want to throw away these photos. But today after the session, I became aware of the possibilities of transforming my mediocre photos into something very much interesting. It is not hopeless after all. I've seen amazing photos from these two photographers and from many others too and I'm genuinely curious as to how they were able to shoot them that way. And why am I not able to come up with photos like that.

I never had the courage to ask for help as it makes me feel stupid and ashamed. Asking for help makes me feel weak which is really a misconception or a reflection of how lowly I view myself. And I always feel awkward imposing on someone else. But hey, I am given another opportunity to learn (many in fact), and I better not waste them again.

Tired of Dealing with my Self-Confidence Issues

There are always these thoughts in my mind that I get so excited with a plan. In this instance, it's a plan to improve my photography and achieve my dream of being able to get recognition. In my mind, things seem so easy and maybe, just maybe I will be able to achieve this dream.

But then again, I have these feelings at certain times that I may just get my hopes up, and then just as situations in my life end up in disappointment.

Just like my love life. Several times, I get excited, I humble myself and surrender to God. I start to feel good about my dream, then days past and it's just gone. That dream just seem to fizzle out, I really don't know why!

And like my small business, I get excited, I work out a business plan, but then again, I only earn a bit despite my own thinking that I've been successful. But in reality, it's such a small win in the eyes of others. Is it just because I look down on my own success? Or I let other people's standards turn off my fire to easily.

I'm feeling like that again, after a month or so of this project. I hate to be disappointed again. Because honestly, I'm so tired that all my dreams just seem to fizzle out so easily. Am I not working hard enough? Am I so privileged that I feel I can be successful in this world too like others? Don't I deserve this? 

Restarting the Journey: Musings Part Three

Part 3, the OTS Fellowship Night. So ok, another social challenge for me, probably the biggest one. But long story short, I was again proven wrong for having self-confidence related anxieties.

This community is probably the most welcoming group I have ever met. Despite my anxieties, I immediately felt like I belonged. So this makes me think, is this just because I finally found the right group of people or is it just because I didn't want to entertain those opportunities in the past due to my fears.

I had no choice but to volunteer to be the program host for the night, despite not being familiar with it as this was my first time to attend such as event. And my first time after so long to do public speaking. But thankfully, I was not that nervous to be honest and I attribute this to the training that Accenture had given me. I was always very self-conscious and shy when I was young, even when I was in higher education, but due to my job, I was forced to learn and honestly, I am pretty happy of the result. I felt more confident about myself over the years and a lot of the anxieties have gone away, I hope for good. I couldn't imagine myself doing this without my Accenture background. Of course, there were still some anxiousness at first, but knowing that I could do this with at least half an eye closed, I gained that courage to push forward.

I knew that I had to be prepared, I knew that I needed to ask for inputs from others, but when given little, I knew that I needed to just take a stand and incorporate my own style here and it wouldn't really matter. After all, we're all adults here, and not really newbies in a sense waiting for things to fall into your hands, despite being probees. The experiences that life has given me in the past brought me to where I am today and I'm glad and proud I did achieve something in the 5 decades of my life. This was definitely a major improvement in terms of personal development.

A side THOUGHT: speaking of asserting myself, when I assert myself due to this newfound confidence, there's a danger of appearing aggressive and arrogant to others especially when people don't understand you.

Lessons Learned:

• One can avoid projecting aggressiveness and arrogance by changing the communication style. For example, ask for feedback, or share your thoughts and apprehensions with others so that they understand your real intentions but last thing you should do is stay quiet and avoid this opportunity

So, how did my hosting go? Not perfect, but I think I was able to wing it, people did laugh at me and that makes for a more casual ambiance, it doesn't matter if they are laughing because of me or what. I also thank God that a live band was around, and actually drove the energy of the group and let me get away with our simple plan. Anyway, there's always a next time, when and where we can do better.

Lessons Learned:

• Get to know your audience, get feedback for your plans from someone who knows better, run through what you're thinking with them so that you can avoid being surprised
• Always prepare for backup activities
• Be game and learn how to dance and sing, even if not perfect

Restarting the Journey: Musings Part Too

It was a busy few days, from the first monthly meeting to the On-the-Spot Shoot and Fellowship Night, I was fully immersed in my role as a probee and there was no time to recover from the stress of being an introvert exposed to so many people in such a short time.

Soon after the 1st monthly meeting, I had my first on-the-spot shoot at the Ayala Triangle Gardens in Makati, interestingly a place where a major part of my career started, not my first job, but my 1st official office in Makati. It was a good visit back to memory lane and seeing the many changes over the decades.

While on location, I met so many people that knew me but I am so ashamed I couldn't remember their names. Faces did seem familiar, and their quick reactions and smiles when they saw me were there to confirm that I should know them. I guess they can easily identify me since we were introduced several times over viber and during the face to face meetings while it is hard for me to remember all their names.

The shooting activity was okay. At first, I was wary of the fact that I'm shooting with two people who have done this for a long time, and may not be as pressured to get that shot as I am. But I was glad that I joined them especially since it was my first time. Within 5 minutes, one of them had already gotten their shot, and that made me feel pressured. Then we met with others who are also pros, and with similar behavior as the first two, they could afford to take a break and have coffee before they go to work.  But then again it made sense to make use of the downtime while the weather is bad and there's nothing much to shoot yet. They seem to know how to where and when to channel their energy, so I'm glad I joined them and were able to observe this.

Of course, I had to weigh the odds of simply following their lead vs walking on my own, I didn't want to seem like I wanna be too independent or proud to do things on my own but I also don't want to miss being able to explore and learn how to spot things on my own. It was interesting to be aware of this type of thinking, because it may be one of the things that hindered my growth in the past.

While there, I also got the opportunity for someone to provide me on the spot critic, and got some good ideas on how to make things different and special, such as including a human element, and something to give a sense of scale. Very interesting tips indeed. My only concern was whether I had to exert more effort and go the second day, or just live with the first day's output. What if these weren't good enough? I had a little bit of contentment but not without looking through my photos.  The only risk is that I haven't had it vetted yet.

Lessons Learned:

• I know that I have this tendency to keep things to my self, sometimes a bit secretive and maybe a bit selfish to share, building a wall around me. This is something I need to improve on cause basically, I'm just hindering myself from growing. In hindsight, I could have asked one of the experts to show me what he's shooting since we were walking in the same path. Instead, I walked on my own. It's as simple as asking "do you have any tips for me"?
• When being challenged between being able to do things on my own and asking for help, I need to learn how to do this better. after all, I can do both. In the end, the feedback will be useful irregardless and I'll still have the final say. - this is exactly the meaning of humbling down.
• With the new learnings, try to critique my own photos and see how I can improve, ask questions if needed to get outside perspective

Restarting the Journey: Musings

Took that first step, submitted my letter of intent to join a camera club and this where I am now. I got accepted as a probee and I attended my first meeting and joined the first photo contest sponsored by the camera club.

First of all, it was an adjustment to be back in a formal organization. I missed the structure and this surely gave me a shot of excitement to be back. I'm also back in the city where I started my work and this weekend's photo walk would be in the same block where my first job took place. A run down memory lane indeed, but even more excited about the changes that the three decades brought about.

Talking about structure, yes I had to formally submit a letter of intent, fill up an application form, submit a sample of previously shot photos, a visit to observe one of the monthly meetings, and finally an interview with the board of directors.  Long story short, I got accepted as a probee.

But the challenge doesn't stop here. I still have to meet eligibility requirements to become a member within a 2-year period, attend the monthly meetings, achieve a certain number of contest points, participate in other club activities such as exhibits, join photowalks locally and out of country, and do the mundane probee stuff that all probees do. Yesterday I learned to make the cutest blue-tak balls, and now I've been prodded to volunteer to be a program host for a regular event that I haven't even attended in the past. That's just a start! But honestly, I am pretty excited to do all these as I'm starting :-)

So how did my first meeting go?  It was great, I introduced myself and mentioned a bit about my previous work and company. I got to talk to a couple of folks who knew about Accenture, and even Andersen Consulting back in the days. It was interesting.

As for the photo contest, I get to submit 2 entries with the theme called "curves ahead."  I took one of the shots in Tagaytay after I learned of the theme, made a bit of effort to shoot it, and the other shot I digged up from my "baul" or archives. My recent shot got a 3.5 out of a 5 score which is a passing grade, but my older photo got a 2.8 out of 5 score which is a failing grade. Not so much that I didn't expect this, but I was just happy I was not the only one who had a failed entry. In fact, I was telling one of my mentors that as soon as I saw the photos of others being posted, I knew my entry wasn't going to make it despite hoping it would at least get a passing mark.

Thoughts in my mind: I didn't ask for help first because I want to know how I select photos now so that I can see what's wrong. And because of this, I intentionally didn't ask for help on my first try, although I know that the other club members are very much willing to help even in providing feedback, providing tips, helping select photos and even helping to edit and post process the photos.

Things I learned:

• Never be content too early, do a bit more work and spend more effort to get the best shot. Don't be lazy, success comes from hard work.
• Ask for help, after all that's what I am here for. Admittedly, I intentionally didn't ask for folks to review my entries even after they mentioned it's ok. Because I also wanted to understand my own selection process and thinking and maybe in the next round, I get to find out what I've been doing wrong.
• Don't be afraid to fail, don't be afraid of criticism
• Learn from others, understand why and what makes a good photo, ask!

My Photography Journey: Dreams and Challenges

No doubt I enjoy photography. Imagine, I bought my first DSLR back in 2008, so why am I still an amateur or maybe not even, maybe just a beginner?

I see other folks excelling in this field in such a short time. I envy their creative minds, unique perspectives, and every one of their photos just seem to have that "wow" factor. I've been to many places to shoot, I've attended photography workshops, tried many photography techniques, joined many photography trips, but yet, I'm not good at what I do.

Especially lately, I feel like I've lost my focus on the subjects and themes I wanna capture. It used to be easy, I shoot when I travel, I see beautiful sceneries or eye popping backgrounds and I want to capture them all, but that is precisely what is wrong, I only aim to capture the scene, but not the experience, the emotions, nor the story.

The thing is I am aware that I'm not good at it, but I also have no idea what is wrong and what I should be doing to change the outcome. Doing this on my own isn't going to help, so I decided to take steps. I've attended photography courses to learn the technical side, I've watched youtube videos for many tips, I've joined many photography trips which gave me the opportunity to learn and shoot better, and yet there's something missing.

Many years ago, when I started joining photography trips, I got some exposure to being on print, on the web and on TV.  My first shot at fame were 2 photos I submitted to CNN's ireport program. My photo of the white albino snails in Itbayat, Batanes, got featured on TV as part of a feature news and a friend saw it on TV. And my photo of the colorful houses in Burano Island reflected on the canal waters, was selected as CNN's photo of the day. I was thrilled of course, and it gave me the push to further my photography journey.

Then I got some photos on print as part of a feature article which talked about these trips in general. Our best shot was selected to be included. I knew that the selection of my photo is not necessarily selected for its merit alone, but just by being part of the workshop, I get to show my best shot which in reality, could make a mediocre shot in the real world. But it didn't matter to me, it was still an opportunity and it make me enjoy my journey even further.

The photo trips weren't as easy as some people would think. It wasn't really vacation, it was more of a learning experience. I got to experience my first critic sessions, learned to overcome my shyness and got the courage to interact and shoot people I encounter, learned how to shoot unexpected scenes when the weather does not cooperate, and many other tips and techniques as well.

But then pandemic happened and everything came to a full stop. Although this was part of the reason, I kinda felt that my focus was already all around the place before the pandemic. And the break surely made things worse. I still tried to spend my time doing different photography exercises while confined at home such as macro, bubble photography, miniature people photography, and all sorts of techniques to try out.

Then one year while out on a photo trip, my photo trip buddy invited me to join a camera club. But you see, I never really entertained the option since first of all, I was still a bit busy with work. Then when I was not so busy anymore, I felt intimidated to join one since I feel that it's more for the boys and it's more for the pros. Seems so much competition plus being an introvert, I can be anti-social. Although I was told that I would probably fit well with the group due to similar range of age, and quite a number of female photographers who have a similar profile.  It had to be a perfect solution for all my hesitations, right? And yet, I brushed it away.

A year ago, I got this 2nd invite from another photo trip buddy and even back then, I hesitated... again. I made excuses for being busy, but I knew it was more because I am anti-social. Yes, this has always been a challenge for me.

But this year, after much prodding, I felt a bit ashamed and guilty that I was again trying to make excuses. I so appreciated her invite to shoot together, camera club or not cause I realized that I needed that push. Plus my realization that I needed to change and improve my ways to be able to achieve something. I also felt very welcome even before I seriously thought about joining. I got to meet more members on a casual basis and I felt it was a nice and interesting community that I would love to be part of. I admit I felt excited. And so I made a decision, and felt nothing was going to stop me. I submitted my letter of intent... finally!

It's always been a dream to be a good photographer, and to win a photo contest, or get exhibited and published is just the validation I needed to be considered one. But I also realized that my fears have been blocking my growth and I'm the only person that can change that.

Top Five Enhancements In-Camera For Better Looking Photos

When I first started, I had no idea where to begin.  I tried reading the camera manual to no avail.  Well, I fell asleep after a few pages!  Anyway, the issue is not laziness nor lack of interest.  But the way a camera manual is designed does not teach you how to apply those settings in real life.  Yes, it teaches you how to set it, adjust it, and tells you just a bit about what it controls.  But nothing about how you can apply it in your photography.  In fact, a lot of photography books and courses are designed that way, creating a longer learning curve for beginners.

So, I find myself shooting and mastering ISO, aperture, shutter speeds, white balance, but I still find myself producing ugly looking pictures, far from those I've seen pros do.  Well, of course, I can't compare myself to the pros, but even some friends of mine who shoot more have better looking photos directly out of their camera.  So this is what I found out, only after years of learning and trial and errors.

So you shoot in JPG or maybe you even attempt to shoot RAW with JPG.  You compare your shots with your friend's shots on his/her camera.  You find your photos much duller and you blame in on your LCD.  You download your photos to your computer, view them, and find them even worse than in your LCD.  You load your photos into Facebook anyway, and find that the color of your photo on Facebook differs from the color on your PC.  You get frustrated and you think about throwing away your DSLR ;-)

Well, here are my top 5 settings that I use to enhance my photos that come out directly from the camera.  Basically, the JPG files that you download to your PC. By the way, the terms are based on Nikon cameras.

1. Picture Control - I find my photos to be too dull.  It is a personal preference, but if you'd like your photo to look vibrant and vivid, like capturing the blue of the sky and the green of the grass, then set your Picture Control to Vivid.  Normally, for landscape, it is recommended to set to Vivid and for portraits, it is recommended to use Natural to keep the skin pinkish and natural.  I set my default to Vivid though for all my photos, including portraits and just adjust it for individual photos if needed.  I've rarely had to do it though.  So no more dull photos.
2. Noise Reduction for ISO - Set noise reduction to High.  When you shoot a high ISO ratings during the night for example, the photo gets grainier, sort of like dots or blotches that appear.  It is a normal behavior of High ISO.  So to me, I'd like to call it a "side effect."  Just like taking medication may be good for one condition, but causes side effects that are not so positive.  This is the case with ISO.  So there is  setting to use so that it auto corrects that side effect to a certain extent.
3. Noise Reduction for Long Exposure - some cameras may not have this setting, but if you have it, then you can also set noise reduction to ON.  If you shoot long exposures (shutter speed slower than a second for example), you let more light in, as a result, noise also increases.  Again, a side effect.  So this setting is also used to auto correct this side effect.
4. Active D-Lighting - this is a setting where you can set to Auto or High.  This is usual with those shots outdoor that has a very bright sky in the background then the land in front is too dark.  Setting Active D-Lighting will try to balance out the bright sky and dark land by adjusting the highlights and shadow.  Don't expect it to be a large adjustment, that will require a more complex process, but it does help in most situations.
5. Auto Distortion Control - Set this to yes.  If you notice that when you shoot a building or something with a straight edge, the photo comes out a bit distorted, meaning the straight edge or horizon for example comes out a bit rounded.  This is irritating and sometimes the distortion is too much that your photo no longer looks good.  This is a "defect" if you want to call it that, of the lens.  Because you are shooting through a glass or lens, just like a window on the bus for that matter, it will not be 100%.  This setting simply corrects this defect and you get photos that are close to perfect.

Note that these settings affect the JPG file only (not RAW) because what the camera does is capture a photo as is, save it in RAW without any adjustments then process the enhancements above and output to JPG. If you shoot in JPG only, the RAW file gets deleted by your camera.

For the most part, this is good enough for sharing with friends and family on social media or even the usual 3R, 4R or 5R prints as well as keeping memories of your travels on your personal archive.

My Cheat Sheet: ISO

This is my own cheat sheet for setting my ISO, something I created for my own use.  Generally, I'd use ISO 100-400 outdoors during the day and go ISO 1600 and above indoors or in the evenings outdoor, then fine-tune according to the actual conditions.

The biggest drawback of using high ISO ratings is noise.  Your photo turns out grainy starting at ISO 1600.  Some camera models do better than others in terms of noise reduction, but this is a general behavior.

ISO Setting	Conditions
100	Lots of Light, Sunny Day, Outdoors
	Evening – with tripod for long exposures
200	A Bit Cloudy, But Still Bright, Outdoors
400	Overcast, Outdoors
800	Bright, Indoors (Indoor places with Big Bright Lights like Chinese Restaurants, Hotel Ballroom, etc)
	Dawn or Dusk, Outdoors (after Sunrise or close to Sunset)
1600	Warm Lighting, Indoors (Well Lighted Restaurants & Rooms)
	Well Lighted, Evening, Outdoors – with no tripod
3200	Poor Light, Indoors (Restaurant Lounges)
	Poorly Lighted, Evening, Outdoors – with no tripod
6400	Very Poor Light, Indoors (Clubs, Shows)
	Poorly Lighted, Evening, Outdoors – with no tripod

 * Nikon D60 only has ISO settings to 1600 then HI is set to ISO 3200.  Some new models to day can even go ISO 12,800 or higher

During my practice, I've tried to fix my ISO first based on my guidelines then adjust my aperture and shutter speeds.  This meant that sometimes, I would reach the thresholds where I could no longer get the right exposure.  Let's say I set my ISO to 1600 because I'm in a room with poor lighting, get the aperture to go the widest my lens could do like F3.5 and then adjust my shutter speed.  To get the right exposure, I will need to push my shutter speed to open the longest therefore, the slower side, below 1 second for example.  As a result, my photo because I could not hold my hand steady or there is movement in my subject.

Basically, we just got to face it.  The conditions are sometimes just too complex for my camera equipment.  And this is one example of maximizing my equipment till the time I find it is no longer sufficient for the type of photos that I'd like to shoot.  Then, maybe I'll upgrade.  But there is always one challenge that plague us, the cost of upgrading.  In the meantime, I can still shoot comfortably as these conditions are rare for me, and on the other hand, I could try to be resourceful and find other workarounds.

It's great to learn this way as you force to practice with the limitations and you practice your problem solving by finding other ways to resolve these challenges.  For example, I could try to push my ISO to HI, 3200 in D60, and just do noise reduction in post processing.  For the issue of lack of steadiness, it could be addressed by using a tripod.  And the issue of the moving subject, I could probably add lighting to my subject among other solutions.  I could even try to capture that moment where the subject will pause for at least a second or two by practicing my anticipation skills.  There are a lot of information on the web as well so use it.

A Mix of Learning Methods For a Serious Hobbyist Photographer

When I started out with photography, I was actually intimated by formal classes or workshops.  Someone actually suggested this to me, when she learned that I was interested in photography.  But I like learning on my own and it's not new to me to learn things myself.  After all, there's a whole lot of information out there on the internet these days.  I also didn't feel the need to spent money for classes as this is just a hobby.

I never realized how those first workshops and classes actually boosted my learning.  Here are some reasons where I believe taking formal workshop and classes would be beneficial:

Well Directed Outline

• Despite the internet having so many information, the information may not be organized and conducive for learning.  It is often hard to know where to begin, which topics to choose or which to prioritize.  Everybody's interpretation of "beginner" is different.  And you end up with a spaghetti-like program.  On the other hand, the formal workshops and classes compiles the topics that I needed to start off as an amateur photographer and presents it in a sequence where I can follow through to advance my skill level.

Learn, Apply, Feedback

• Formal classes and workshops also allow me to quickly apply concepts to real life applications. I got to try the concepts out there and then and most importantly, I got feedback immediately and I learned on the spot.  I believe feedback is crucial.  Photography can't be learned through one-way information loading.  It is very difficult to get quality feedback from the internet, if at all any, and some could actually direct you off course.

Commitment/Focus

• Formal classes also forces me to focus on it either for a day or for a consecutive few days depending on which program I take.  I dedicate time for it from my day to day activities.  If I learn on my own, the tendency is to do short sessions whenever I'm free.  Thus, continuity is not achieved and this hinders learning efficiently.

So when I said it boosted my learning, it surely gave it a big push.  Then after doing these, I can always supplement with continuous self-learning.  For example, these days, I find those how-to articles in DPS quite helpful.  They are usually specific topics or answers to very detailed questions.  I subscribe to Facebook and I browse through them in my newsfeed.  I save the ones I'm interested in and go through them.  Sometimes, I also choose refreshers and some are actually questions that I would ask myself.

Then comes practice.  I rarely shoot other than when I'm travelling so that's also a challenge. I travel a couple of times a year, so it's still quite good.  But sometimes, time passes and it takes some warming up before I could shoot well again.  I've joined special interest photography trips as well over the last few years and that greatly helped not just to practice but also to get feedback from pros and improve.  It's like taking formal classes or workshops, but the focus is on shooting, critique and applying solutions/improvements, and not on concept learning.  I've even informally piggybacked on my niece's prenup shoot just to observe pros in action.

I think this particular combination of learning methods works well for me as a serious hobbyist photographer who do not necessarily shoot regularly but still wants to advance my skills.  And I go through the same cycle every year or so as I advance my skills in photography.

When I look back at my photos a few years back, I find myself critiquing my own photos and identifying areas where I could have done better.  And this is a good sign that I've at least achieve some positive progress and it feels good :-)

Story Behind the Shot: Burano Island

Minimal Post Processing
Burano Island, Venitian Lagoon, Italy, December 2010
Nikon D60, ISO 100, F4, 1/640 sec

This shot was taken 4 years ago and is still my favorite shot.  I was just starting out then with my DSLR which ironically was bought 2 years earlier by that time.  I shot with Manual Mode but I was new at it.  I still shot with JPG only and I didn't even know post processing.

We were on a family trip.  In fact, two of the individuals in this shot are my brothers also exploring the island with their own cameras.  We had some free time and instead of going to see how lace was made in Burano, we went to photograph the colorful houses.  It was nice walking around and seeing the locals going on with their day to day activities, ignoring tourists like us.  I guess they are so used to it.

I loved the reflection and the stillness of the water which makes the reflection really clear.  At that time, I loved the shot, cause the conditions were perfect.  I composed my shot.  I made sure I had some people for perspective.  I had my reflection. I had my leading line.  I had the vibrant colors.  All I had to do was click the shutter button and made sure I had my camera still to get a sharp photo.  This was the original shot I got, no post processing, right out of the camera.

No Post Processing, Right Out of Camera, Normal Picture Control
Burano Island, Venitian Lagoon, Italy, December 2010
Nikon D60, ISO 100, F4, 1/640 sec

Awards/Recognition
I submitted this shot to CNN iReport on May of 2012 and they featured my shot under their website Travel Photo of the Day.  See my blog and screenshot of May 9, 2012's Travel Photo of the Day.  I was ecstatic!  My first published shot online!  Well, technical published, but not paid work, LOL. Good enough for an amateur eh?

So didn't I already tell you I love this shot?  So come 2014.  I resurrected my photo.  I was trying out some of my photos in free photo contest sites like Pixoto and Viewbug.  I wanted to see if any of my older photos could win me some awards or recognition at least.  Of course, my first choice was still my favorite photo.

Lessons Learned and What I Can do to Improve

I reviewed it and felt it required a bit of basic post processing, just to enhance what's already captured.

• I love my photos vibrant and this shot definitely shouts vibrant because of its bright colors.  I didn't know about the Vibrant Picture Control setting when I first shot this so even my out of camera shot was a bit dull, but probably saved by the originally bright colors anyway.  Now the color of the sky looks like what it was in reality.  It was a very nice day that day and really, the scene was exactly like out of a postcard.  But I didn't realize the photo I shot was a bit duller than reality.  I'm sure CNN also did a bit of auto-correction before they post it in their website.
• I brightened the shadows a bit to show more detail on the darker areas and balance the entire photo
• I put a bit of contrast and clarity as well to make the picture crisper
• And lastly, I did a bit of sharpening on the edges by using mask

If I would shoot this again today, I would be shooting it in RAW+JPG.  And I would shoot it with a slower shutter speed.

I was happy with the result of the enhancement and I entered it in Pixoto under Buildings and Structure Category.  It was #1 for Day 1 and Top 5% for Week 1.  Let's see how it goes for the rest of the weeks, and hopefully stay on top for the Best of the Year awards.  I entered it in a few of the Pixoto Challenges as well, so we'll see how it fares over there in a few weeks when the contests end.

Here are some other shots I took that day:

Same thing here, I prefer this with more vibrancy

Thought this was artistic framing, but turned out to be dull,
maybe can still salvage this with some enhancements in post processing

Wish I hadn't cut off the left edge of the 1st door :-(

Story Behind the Shot: Theodor-Heuss River

Long exposure shot with the makeshift tripod, exposure 13 sec
Theodor-Heuss Bridge, Rhine River, Mainz, Germany, December 2014
Panasonic GF5, ISO 160, F10, 13 sec, Cropped for Panoramic, Makeshift Tripod

It was a cold night, and we just returned back from dinner.  Instead of going back into the warm fireplace in the lobby of the hotel, we headed to the back lot to search for the famed musical steps, a set of 9 brass metal plates on the ground when you step on each, will create a tone.  Dark as it was, we walked around the back lot and finally heard the voice of some teens and the tones that sounded like the musical steps.  It was in the farthest corner of the lot alongside the river, without any lights or landmarks to attract attention, and we wouldn't have found it without hearing someone else playing it.

As the other group left, we went and tried it ourselves, but we were no musicians, and all we could come up with was just a random mix of tones.

Feeling the cold air was nice, but it was also getting windier, being beside the river.  But the night view was spectacular.  Who would have thought that a back lot would have such a good view.  This place definitely deserves a few benches for people to enjoy it.

My photographer in me could not resist getting a shot.  Imagine a bridge, night lights, traffic, water.  This is a great opportunity to attempt a long exposure shot.  I didn't have my usual DSLR, but had a micro-four thirds that I use, just not as often.  So my familiarity to do long exposure with this camera was quite weak.  Also attempting this without my trusty tripod requires me to crank up my ISO, which would give me a good shot, but not really a great shot.  I wanted to test out my long exposure skills here and try to capture light trails, starburst lights, reflections and silky water.  So I walked around a bit and found a metal pole at the adjacent parking lot.  To my disappointment, it was a hollow pole and my camera was too small to even sit on its rim.  Tried a shot anyway, but was not really happy.  It was getting even colder and windier, but the urge to take another shot was just so strong.  So despite the cold, I walked down a bit further, and luckily found a pole that was filled with cement.  Not entirely flat but I think will work.  So I attempted my long exposure shot here.  Wasn't happy as it was still wobbly and windy.  But persistence pays, as I tried a couple more shots and found one useful one out of the 15 shots I took!  Not bad for an amateur, I guess ;-)

Another long exposure shot with the makeshift tripod, exposure 40 sec
Theodor-Heuss Bridge, Rhine River, Mainz, Germany, December 2014
Panasonic GF5, ISO 160, F18, 40 sec, Makeshift Tripod

1st clear shot taken handheld, exposure 2 sec

Theodor-Heuss Bridge, Rhine River, Mainz, Germany, December 2014

Panasonic GF5, ISO 160, F3.5, 2 sec

  

  

Learning From Mistakes: Shadows, Lighting and Basic Framing

While searching through the internet for common mistakes photographers do, I encountered a very good website that talks about the very basic mistakes.  You'll probably laugh at these, but these are mistakes that most people make, even if they have taken photographs before.  Let's not even talk about rule of thirds or handling difficult lighting situations.  Most of these mistakes relate to basic composition and framing and lighting. This website provides scanned copies of real printed photographs so you can see that it is not much different.  Most of these are very much applicable to digital photography as well except for the 3rd and the last, which are unique to the use of films.  As you probably already know, the only advantage of digital photography is that you can probably filter out these mistakes immediately after taking the shot, and thus, have the opportunity to take another shot.


Here's a summary of the common mistakes presented by the author.  I suggest you visit the website.  It's a good opportunity also to get a glimpse of photography in the early years.

1.) The photographer's own shadow is in the picture.
2.) Distance from subject: Too close, too far away
3.) Forgot to advance the film: The Double Exposure
4.) Blocked the lens with a finger or a thumb or something
5.) Somebody moved, either the subject or the photographer
6.) Not framed right, Missing heads, feet, people
7.) Improper lighting (Overexposed, Underexposed)
8.) Fogged negative from miss-loaded film or a damaged camera.

Challenge: Half-Baked Learning

Ok, so here I am, embarking on a journey to take my 1st shot with my new DSLR.  I got my camera just now, and super excited to start using it.  So I referred to the quick start manual, typically comes in a easy to read 1-2 pager leaflet with equipment like this.


I knew a little or two about electronics and I knew that the battery was the first thing to ensure it's charged, so I quickly glanced through the manual whether I needed to charge it first.  Some batteries come charged nowadays, but mine had to be charged.  I quickly set it up, then proceeded to finish reading the leaflet.  I inventoried the contents of the box and attached the strap to the camera.  Then I proceeded to set aside all the unnecessary plastic pouches and boxes.  I was eager to take my first shot, but had to wait for the battery to get charged.  I spent a little time exploring the camera buttons and tried to figure out what they are.  I could decipher half of them, but others felt alien.


I figured that I could not wing it, and had to read the users' manual.  Shoot!  I could not get away with it!  Ain't we all like that at times?  We want to do the short cut :-)  But handling a DSLR isn't as easy, and you will need to know your camera in and out, to be able to maximize it.  Remember the behavior that the point and shoot cameras affect us?  It urges us to be lazy, to not think and just click.  Well, I found myself being a bit lazy there.


Anyway, I can't do anything with the camera anyway, since I don't have power yet.  So, I decided to read the manual.  As I read through several pages, I start to be bored.  This is just so technical.  But I forced myself to go through it.  Then later, the manual refers to some menu on the camera.  I was eager to turn on the camera so that I can walk through while reading the manual.  I am a bit of a graphic person and I would like to see the real thing versus reading some words to describe it.  I still have no choice, so I skipped that section and went to the next one, which seemed more interesting and easier to read.  Oh well, after the first 3-4 chapters, which is less than halfway through the manual, I couldn't take it anymore.  I watched TV instead.


After a few hours, the battery is fully charged.  Finally!  So eager to start, I took out the battery from the charger and put it in my camera.  I turned on the power button, and there it is!  The screen shows a filter cleaning process is in progress.  Seconds after, the camera is ready, and I aimed at the photographs on the wall and took my first shot.  Well, not too bad, but it was too dark.  I turned the program to Auto, and took the shot.  Wasn't happy as well as I wanted a warmer color.  I knew that I had to adjust the white balance.  I tried to tinker with the settings but failed to do it.  I've never handled a digital SLR before, and neither have I tinkered with these settings on my point and shoot, so really no idea how to adjust the settings.  Ok, I admit I probably skipped that section in the manual.  So I had to go back to the manual to read that part.  I looked at the index page and went directly to the page that talks about white balance.


I took a couple more shots, and I now I couldn't get the lighting right.  I started with Aperture Priority and Shutter Priority modes, since it was easier.  I only had to adjust one setting.  So I peaked into the viewfinder and tried to find the middle ground by turning the dial for the shutter speed or aperture.  That part, I had at least read earlier.  Ok, not bad.


After a few shots, I was tired.  I figured that I had to do more reading, but it was late.  So I headed to bed.  The next day, I had to go to work, and when I got home, I was too tired to do any reading.  The day after was a Saturday, and I realized that I had run out of time to finish the manual.  I did a bit of reading the night before, and I focused on the basics.  I ignored the advanced settings like ISO, White Balance, etc, for now.


Saturday came, and I had to head out to do some sightseeing in Washington DC.  I haven't been back since the first time years ago, so it was nice to go around and explore.  I brought out my new camera hoping to get some shots.  The weather was great, so most of the shots were easy.  But after a few hours, clouds start to get darker and the rain came.  I found myself at the base of the Washington Monument waiting for my turn to get up to the top.  The rain stopped a bit, but the clouds were dark, so I took out my DSLR and tried to capture some shots, which I failed at.  I wasn't prepared to take these types of shots.  I did get some shots, but my lighting was not good.  I begin to feel frustrated.  I was finally able to go up top and got some good shots, but I wish I had a zoom lens.


Anyway, I just focused on enjoying my Saturday out in Washington, DC.  I went to see the White House as well, was able to get some average shots of the White House, and also of the squirrels running around the garden.  


Overall, my photos weren't that bad, given that it was my first time to use my new camera, and also that I wasn't able to read the manual in full.  But of course, it was opportunity wasted.  I could have gotten some good shots had I known how to use the camera. I knew what type of shots I wanted, but I just didn't how to work the camera to create those shots.  Oh well!


I'm sure we all had situations like that at one point or another.  Half-baked learning is such a waste.  You spent hours reading up, but really, this is time wasted, as nothing got absorbed.  I was lucky that I knew how to take pictures so I could wing a couple of things.  I probably got only 50% of my shots right, and none of them really stood out as great shots.


Learning requires commitment, nothing is easy, and you can't always take short cuts.  You see this when you were in school before, and you see this also in any type of learning that you do.  And even if you're doing something that you're extremely passionate about, you will need to find the motivate to push you ahead.  You will find excitement, but you will also find frustration and discouragement.  That's all part of the journey.  From time to time, I still do a bit of this half-baked learning, but now that I am aware of the consequences, I try to find inspiration so that I get excited about it again, and this really pushes my motivation level up.  Learning then becomes more interesting.

Challenge: How To Ask The Right Questions

I am one of those people who love details.  In choosing the camera model or lens to buy, I would usually go through a comparison and selection process.  I would gather all the features and put side by side, then I would identify then categorize these features into must haves or nice to haves based on my own requirements and preferences.  Call me OC (obsessive compulsive), but yes, this has helped me over the years to select the right thing for me, and I've never regret selecting it.  The internet has been a great resource.  And in today's world, you can also find great reviews from people who are in the same boat as you.  But be careful, cause not all reviews will match your situation.  So don't be too quick to just rely on a review, even the ones that appear in guides inside professional magazines or websites.  For me, I look at features first and foremost, then I only use the reviews to validate my choice.  My suggestion: don't be lazy.  It does pay off to do the research, and more importantly, be sure to be clear about your requirements and preferences.


On another instant, I've also used the internet, esp Google search to find and know more about a technique recommended by a critic.  For instance, one of the reviews to my photos suggested for me to review the "golden rule."  I encountered the Rule of Thirds before, but I wasn't really familiar with the Golden Rule.  Or another review suggested for me to do "focus stacking."  Although he explained that it refers to making the near and far in focus, I wasn't sure how to do it.  Apparently, I found out that it involves some post-shot processing.  There are so much resources out there, it's a shame not to use them.  And if you get stuck, then ask people for help.  At least they know that you've done your research first.  And even if you don't know where or what to search, that's one of the questions you can ask help for, rather than appearing lazy and just outright asking questions that could otherwise be answered easily somewhere else.


Then lastly, review the basics.  Even if you've been shooting for years, it's always good to go back to the basics and find clues to your questions.  A lot of times, I've managed to answer a question on my own, by simply going back and reviewing my user's manual, or basic photography book.


Don't get me wrong, a lot of people will be happy to help and answer your questions, especially in the forums, but when a question gets asked too many times, people get tired of it.  Helping yourself is essential, and you'll see, it will attract the right level of help from others too.

My Equipment Through The Years

As mentioned in 1st blog entry, my first camera was a Canon Analog SLR.  Honestly, I don't remember the model, but it had the full manual controls that allow you to create your shot.  It was dad's camera and I only got to borrow it so that I can join the camera club back in school.  I pretty much used it to take black and white pictures.  I must still have those photographs lying somewhere, something to target during my next spring cleaning.


For the point and shoot, my dad had a very small 110mm camera.  It was quite a small camera, rectangular in shape, and quite thin, about 1-1/2 inch thick.  It had a flash attachment that slides in and out of one end of the camera.  The camera had a door to open where you put in your film.  And if I remember right, it was Fuji brand and I had to buy the green boxed 110 Fuji films.  The old cameras used regular batteries, some penlight and some use the more advanced lithium batteries, but basically, you had to buy extras.  There are no rechargeable batteries yet at that time.


Then when camera models advanced, dad bought a Pentax point and shoot.  The camera was quite heavy but it was a very durable one.  It still used film but this time the Kodak films with the round yellow barrel casing.  This was a very good camera.  Also used regular batteries, but this time lithium.  The flash was built-in to the camera and there was a slight zoom feature.  I also learned to use different ASA films (not referred to as ISO) but honestly, I didn't quite understand these till I went digital.


The first one that I bought myself was an Intel high quality digital webcam.  It had the shape of a regular point and shoot so that you can bring it around, and there is an option to attach it to its dock so that you can connect it to the computer.  The camera had a white and blue casing so it was like a toy.  The camera was quite heavy though for a webcam and it was very durable.  In fact, I still have the camera today, and I was able to attach it to my computer.  The quality of the picture is still much better than the webcams we have today.  Lighting was much brighter.  The memory storage is built in, unlike the ones today where you can insert an extra memory card.


After a few years, I bought myself a Sony Cybershot point and shoot with silver casing, from Wan Chai in Hong Kong, potentially a 3.2 megapizel.  It was an impromptu purchase, my brother bought one and was recommending me to buy the same model.  Again, a great camera, but I didn't like that it uses a Sony memory stick which wasn't compatible with other cameras or card readers.  I had to buy a separate card reader so that I can transfer the photos to my computer without connecting my camera each time.  It also had a video recording feature which was neat.  I still remember the camera came with an 8mb memory card, and with the high quality shots I took, it just saved about 6 photos, hahaha.  I had to buy a bigger sized card, which was expensive because it was Sony brand.  But I was pretty happy with my camera.  I remember bringing it to the cruise trip and it even fell on the ground and sand during our stop in Langkawi, Malaysia.  It got a couple of big scratches but it was ok.  I had it cleaned by the service center when I got back from the trip, which took about a month or so.  But other than that, it was pretty reliable.  Unfortunately, I lost my camera when my stuff got stolen in Melbourne, Australia, while I was there on a foreign work assignment.  I guess it was time to change my camera, haha.


I asked my friend from Hong Kong to get me one, and she recommended a Canon Ixus 700, with 7.1 megapixels and 3x zoom.  At that time, 7.1 megapixels was extremely large, and not really necessary (was comparing with a 5 megapixel one), but I wanted to get the latest model as these easily go out of date, just like computers.  I also relied on my friend's choice since she was better in photography than I was.  Good thing I got this, I was really happy with the quality of photos resulting from it.  The high resolution feature surely gave me an option to shoot for more detail and handle difficult lighting.  But it was still a point and shoot, and I pretty much relied on the Auto or Scene program which will give me the right settings off the bat for night shots, sports shots, and macro shots.  The camera is quite heavy, but very compact, which is a plus.  A very durable one too, as it fell a couple of times and never serviced.  One time, I was visiting the Arlington Memorial Park in Washington DC, US.  It was really cold and I had my big coat and gloves on.  I brought my Canon Ixus to take photographs and at one point, I noticed my coat pocket was empty and my camera was missing.  I panicked and quickly traced back my steps.  It was outdoors and no one was around, so I was hopeful.  But I didn't really know when I lost it.  I just remembered that I had it when I entered the park as I was taking a lot of pictures.  I was blessed, I found the camera lying on the side of the street amongst the red dried leaves.  Phew!  First of all, I was lucky it didn't fall into the gutter nearby.  And secondly, I was able to retrace my steps and immediately found it.  I was sweating despite the ice cold weather.  But the challenge wasn't over.  I found out the battery door was shifted and it was slightly open, but then it was stuck and I couldn't open the door.  I turned on the camera, and it worked.  And despite my fear that the shock could have damaged my memory card, I was able to see my photos.  Now, I was worried about the battery door.  When I got back to the hotel, I tried to pry it open.  I thought to myself, anyway, if the camera is damaged, I can't do anything, but at least I could access the memory card.  After some time, I was able to open it, and with a little push and adjustment, I was able to bring back the door into position and close it tight.  What a relief!  I still have this camera to this day :-)  I also bought an extra battery to extend the use of my camera.  Some days when there's a lot to shoot, one battery is not enough.  I decided to just get the generic one since it's a secondary battery and I would like to save some money, although I regret it at times, cause it doesn't always work fine.  Sometimes, the newly charged battery appears as empty.  I searched the internet later on and found that there are some unofficial reports of incompatibility.  I guess that's the risk you take, for paying less.


Two years ago, I bought my 1st DSLR, a Nikon D60 with a 28-55mm VR lens as part of the kit.  I wanted a basic one so that I can practice without worrying about the high price of the equipment.  And then if I'm serious about photography, then I can get myself a more advanced one.  To this day, I still have the D60.  I'm sure one day, I will buy a more advanced one, but I wanted to master the techniques first.  After all, good photographs are created by good photographers and not necessarily an advanced camera.  I got an extra battery for this, and I opted again for the generic brand which I bought in a Best Buy store in the US.  Despite my bad experience with the Canon Ixus extra battery, I still felt it wasn't worth the investment for a back up battery.  This time, I was happy since the Nikon batteries actually last quite long and it's very rare that I have to use my second battery.  But if I needed to use my second battery, it worked quite well with no hitches this time.  I bought my kit from the US, so all this time, I was plugging my power adaptor to 110V.  It was only recently that I was having problems finding a 110V during my trip, did I try to search for a 220V adaptor or at least very compact transformer.  Then I found out that I was so stupid.  All this time, my adaptor can actually be plugged into 220V despite the fact that it says 110V.  Apparently, there is a small fine print that is not very readable, at the bottom of the adaptor label that says for non-US countries, you can plug into 220V.  My reaction?  Why the hell didn't they just say 110-220V?  Oh well, thank God for people posting on the internet, I didn't have to buy another adaptor or transformer.


A year after I bought my kit.  I also bought myself some UV filters, and Sigma zoom lens (80-300mm).  I decided to get Sigma instead of Nikon, mainly for the lower price.  The only disadvantage, after doing all the comparison research in the internet, is that the Sigma lens is quite noisy.  And indeed, sometimes, I get irritated myself, because it invites unnecessary attention, people around me would react when I adjust my zoom and look at me like I'm weird.  Anyway, aside from that, it works quite well.  And this year, I bought myself a close up filter set for my kit lens and a Canon D550 close up lens for my zoom lens, as I want to learn to do macro photography without spending too much on the equipment.  I have yet to use this in more detail.  I am also eyeing the 17-200mm lens, which is a wide angle and zoom lens in one, great for travels, so that I don't have to switch lenses.  Maybe in a year or two.  I want to maximize the use of my existing equipment first.


Last year, to supplement my point and shoot, I also got a Canon Powershot D10 waterproof camera.  I wanted a camera I can bring under water or at least a camera I am not afraid to get wet, but I didn't want to buy the Olympus brand.  My brother had some bad experiences with Olympus, so I was really hesitant to get an Olympus, even if they were the first ones to go into waterproof point and shoot cameras.  When my brother's Olympus camera fell, it died, and wasn't servicable.  So far, I am quite happy with my Canon Powershot.  The quality of the photos are great, the LCD screen produced clear and bright photos as well.  The only thing I don't like about it is that it's a big round in shape and can easily fall off your hands, it's not as compact as I wanted it to be.  I would love for it to have a darker casing though, cause if I use this other than the beach, it looks a bit too casual :-)


In reality these days, I still use a combination of my D60 and either the Canon Ixus or my Canon Powershot depending on where I go.  For quick shots, I would just pull out my Canon Ixus point and shoot, so I just throw this in my everyday bag.  When I want landscape shots or night shots, I would use my D60.  And when I go to the beach, I would bring my Powershot D10.  It's also practical and more secure at times to just use a point and shoot.  Like on my recent trip to Brazil, it wasn't really safe to bring out my DSLR in the middle of the city park in Sao Paulo, but when we were up in Corcovado Mountain in Rio, I definitely needed my zoom lens and I had more time to change lenses and compose my shots too.  Anyway, a lot of people had their DSLRs there as this is a major tourist area.