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