Photography Thailand Forum

[Marc Schultz]

Lots of great photo already going up in the gallery I am very happy to see. Please keep them coming.  

Also, Khun Tida will be emailing me the introduction video she was kind enough to shoot for us and I will put it up on the Forum server to make it easy for everyone to see. Once it is online I will send the link to everyone who attended the outing yesterday to watch.  

If anyone is having any difficulty posting photos in the Gallery you might be interested to read this tutorial here:

http://www.photographythailand.com/Forum/index.php/topic,764.0.html

I would also like to start a discussion for people's thoughts and ideas about what they experienced during our photo outing yesterday. It would be great to hear some feedback from everyone who attended the outing and hear what you might have learned or gained from the experience, as well as any questions you have now, or technical problems or challenges you faced during your shooting. All of this will be great feedback to have as it will help others who attended the outing to possibly understand more about what we observed and experienced yesterday. The floor is yours now  

[Gregg Spradling]

First, I really loved the theme of the shooting and consider it a learning tool in and of itself. Maybe it's because I"m new, but I tend to focus on the big things like the temple architecture and Buddha statues. Having the discussion before shooting really helped me to focus on the little things like the smoking incense, people's hands when praying, etc... The little things really do tell a great story, maybe even more so than just taking shots of architecture and statues.

I hate to sound like a broken record, but composition tends to be the most difficult for me. I feel like I got some shots that were ok, but they didn't really portray the essence of the temple. I'm sure it will come with more practice and thought about what story I'm trying to tell and does this image fit the story. I think a separate thread about composition tips and practices might be in order.  

One mistake I did was going a bit too fast. I think I missed some shots because I moved on too quickly or I just flat out didn't see something that would have been a nice shot. I was talking with Mark Standen earlier in the day and he was speaking about time to get the right shot and the virtue of patience and timing. Looking back on the day and my shots, it impressed on me just how necessary patience and taking your time really is.

Kind of off topic a bit, but when I go to a temple I go to pay respect to Buddha, not really shoot. I have shot at maybe 6-7 temples over the last 5 years, but I mostly concentrated on statues and architecture. I'm a little apprehensive about getting in people's faces so to speak to get a shot, especially the monks. Watching all of you yesterday gave me more confidence to just shoot and not worry so much. (besides, if they want to get me they have to get the group...right?   hahaha)

I think the biggest things I've taken from this trip is to look for the small things that tell the story and to have the patience and timing to get the shot.

[Marc Schultz]

Gregg - Excellent feedback, many thanks.

In regards to composition, yes, a lot can be learned from practice and also from looking at other people's pictures. When you see a good picture ask yourself why is it good. Dissect all the elements and see what it is made of. Stopping looking at it as an overall picture. Notice the lighting, framing, depth of field, placement of subjects, and background. Distracting backgrounds are often a problem, even if they are properly blurred. Look at depth of field. Decide if it is too much, not enough, or just right. Look at colors, detail, sharpness, and also point of interest. Is the main subject outstanding, obvious, well represented, and most of all interesting to look at for the viewer? Should you frame the subject using something that is close to the subject or not? Would the subject look better with something blurred or in focus within the foreground? Should you crop it tightly or give some space to show the subjects surroundings? These are all questions you can ask yourself when you are shooting something and eventually a lot of it becomes more instinctive. Those are just a few tips off the top of my head. Maybe Mark Standen will be kind enough to write something more about composition  

The best thing about seeing everyone else's pictures is that it helps to show you what you might have missed as you said. It gives you new ideas, new ways of looking at the same subject, but with different eyes and, then next time, you can use that inspiration to capture things in a different way. As for what you say about Mark talking to you about spending time to get the right picture, his advice is 100% correct. You saw how long I also spent photographing those flowers in the tree with the temple roof in the background. A very simple subject to capture, but I must have taken 50 shots or so with various different focus points, orientations, and angles before moving on. Maybe out of 50 I will use 1 or 2 shots, but nothing wasted except time when shooting digital and the idea is that photography should also be approached like drafting a story. Take your time (if you have it) and do many drafts until you find your final draft. Don't decide what will be your final draft at the time by shooting only 1 or 2 shots of the subject and then moving on. Shoot a lot to give yourself a chance later to take a step back from the shots and then choose what you feel is the best shot in the bunch. If you feel it is a strong subject, then definitely take your time to study it with your camera. I often look through the view finder and move my camera around the subject to see how it might be framed the best before shooting. Sometimes if I can't decide I shoot it a bit loosely so that I can crop again later. You can always take away, but you can never add back what wasn't there. So don't shoot too tight I learned. It is one thing to see it with your eyes and another thing to see it through the camera. You can also use the DOF preview button to see how blurred the background may be or not. All little ways of working towards the right shot. Some of the masters in photography shoot more frames of the same subject than you can imagine. But they only show us one final shot. We don't need to see all their working drafts. Just the final draft, which has them place their best foot forward.

Also, yes, no need to be shy about sticking your lens in people's faces. Many photographers also have different techniques they use as well to blend into a crowd and not disrupt the natural environment in order to get a very natural looking moment. A long zoom can also help, as well as spending time in a place and giving people time to check you out and then lose interest again so that you can go about your work without them being influenced in their expressions by your picture taking. Other times though a bit of interaction with your subjects can help to bring out a more interesting moment. Again, something that comes with practice.

Anyway, thanks again for your good feedback and glad to hear you feel like you learned some new things yesterday. That is what it is all about  

[Marc Schultz]

Gregg, I wrote a short tutorial here on some of the principles of composition using one of Han's photos as an example.

http://www.photographythailand.com/Forum/index.php/topic,1649.msg7806.html#msg7806

[Gregg Spradling]

Thank you very much for the write up Marc and making the post about composition. 
 reading it very soon.... (got home so late tonight)

[Mark Standen]

Hi everyone, great to meet up again with people from the last outing and nice to meet everyone for the first time. I enjoyed the outing very much and the get together after was great also. Regarding composition, it depends what kind of image you are focusing on. If it is a people scene where things move quickly, you can spend a little time to see and observe how people move around a particular spot and then compose the image and wait for the right moment for when people cone into the shot, similar to how you saw a the original potential shot. If you are lucky and all set up with the right exposure and focal length, focus etc you can grab quick shots as everything moves, but you may need to have a more open crop of the scene to crop tighter later. Observation and time is everything and anticipation derived from your observation is everything. For more static shots you need time also to get the best out of the shot. Like Marc says, spending time looking at the scene and deciding how to shoot it best with your technique. Beware though, lighting conditions can change quickly, so with more experience you can quickly come up with an idea of how to take the image.

[Thida]

1. Thanks Marc for arranging such a nice outing.

2. Thanks Marc and Mark for the beautiful samples and technique sharing.

3. Thanks everyone for the warm gathering.

4. This is a kind of learning by doing.  It was great.  Same as Greg said, it made me look differently from usual.  I was opposite to Greg.  He looks for big and overall shots while I always look at the detail until sometime I forgot what the subject I took really was…
The assignment makes me think to get the picture with purpose and that was really very helpful.  
All pieces of art from different eyes, and camera + lens characteristic is also very helpful.  The special beautiful close up by Khun Hans and Michael, lively shots by Jayesh, Greg, Thaifreak, stunning beauty and grand shots by Marc and Mark, sweet pretty shots by Lalida.. and all the comments.. all are really helpful.  
I could only say how the pictures effect my feeling but unable to comment why it was that good.  The comments gave me hints.  

5. My problems are
    5.1 How to take the picture when the lighting are so different?
    5.2 With assignment of Photo Assay, it was a little difficult to imagine what kind of story it could be that would need the photo, for example traveling, life, believe, cultural etc..  Should that be covered in 6 pictures?

6. conclusion : I am waiting for the next outing.. 

Thank you

[Thida]

Another thing that I notice is that the photo of each person have their own characteristic and it represent the self of the photographer...

Taking good photo is both the science of art,
and the art of science,

[Khun Hans]

It's all said in Marc and Marks post here. Nothing to add. Seeing is photographing. The subject, with or without surroundings, parts of it etc. (beside knowing the basics of taking pictures) In digital time know you can shoot and shoot and shoot without any more costs. Later in PP you have the time to choose which one is your composition. Isn't it wonderful
Hans

[Marc Schultz]

Thank you Thida for your wonderful comments and Khun Hans for your great feedback as well.

I am really so pleased to see all the photos that were posted and all the many different styles that evolved. All the Forum member participation from this outing is great and it really shows how we can all look at one thing, but see it in so many different ways.

After seeing many of the pictures that have been posted so far, I really feel Thida's pictures overall show the most intimate selection of images in terms of the brief I was aiming for us to achieve. The artistic, abstract, but yet emotion evoking element of some of her pictures is really strong. My only comment would be that in a reportage series of 6 to 8 pictures it would be good to have them say be 70% abstract and detail oriented and 30% which are slightly broader shots which show a couple of key elements of the subject in a more documentary type way.

I am not usually a big fan of war photos as I don't like the emotions they evoke about innocent people dying needlessly, but the photos on the following link from the ongoing Cambodian conflict do have some good reportage aspects to them and some abstract photos which give some strong messages. I think some of these could be good examples for us in terms of the style of reportage imagery I was hoping to achieve during our outing:

http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/02/08/6009882-battle-over-11th-century-temple-on-thailand-cambodia-border

I was away on an assignment for a couple of days and just got back, but I will try and will post a few more of my photos from the outing in the next few days.

[David Salmanowitz]

Good comments all. Always amazed how a group of photographers can all photograph the same thing and come away with many different versions. Often I have seen someone's pic who was standing right next to me and I thought "How did I miss that?!" Out of the country for a bit but I have wifi on a bus--how cool is that?! Pretty busy with photographing, ... but will look at more of the pics when I can. Battery needs to be charged. Happy to see all the photos and how many people got involved. Thida, big congratulations--for someone who claimed not to know too much you did very very well!

[Khun Hans]

I am not usually a big fan of war photos as I don't like the emoptions they evoke about innocent people dying needlessly, but the photos on the following link from the ongoing Cambodian conflict do have some good reportage aspects to them and some abstract photos which give some strong messages. I think some of these could be good examples for us in terms of the style of reportage imagery I was hoping to achieve during our outing:

http://photoblog.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/02/08/6009882-battle-over-11th-century-temple-on-thailand-cambodia-border

Hope that all will end in peace for both countries.

[Khun Hans]

I really feel Thida's pictures overall show the most intimate selection of images in terms of the brief I was aiming for us to achieve. The artistic, abstract, but yet emotion evoking element of some of her pictures is really strong.

Thida's Photos show the most different angles of views combined with details shots of the temple. 
Hans

[Mark Standen]

Yes I agree, Khun Thida's work is outstanding but some slightly broader shots would have fitted the brief exactly. Well done Khun Thida, love the bird and bell silouhette.

[Thida]

 
 
 

Thank you very much.  I need no food today... hi hi

After a a night and a day thought, I think, you may find it different because it is Asian Point of view.

I just try to present what my heart see. 
I can't explain which one is good or why, just that I like much or not much, even could not explain why I like.. hi

Many times my camera did not agree nor cooperate. 
Many times even my heart confused, could not decide where to put to subject in.. 

My elder sister is very artistic.  She said I should be concerned more on composition.. 

Actually this is the very first time photographing is the main objective or the day and  very educative, enjoyable one. 
all other times, photographing is only by product, taken by stolen time..

I am looking forward to the next outing.