Black and white photography

Black and white photography is popular with Journalist and artist. It can provide a classic and historic look. Beautiful black and white photography doesn’t attract with its play of colors, so close attention to composition, lighting, perspective and the context are important.

To take a beautiful black and white photography, it is better for you to shoot in RAW because an image saved in the RAW file format is the digital equivalent to the (exposed but as yet unprocessed) film negative. However, if your camera doesn’t allow you to shoot in RAW, shoot in color and do your conversion to black and white later on your computer.

In addition, you should shoot with the lowest possible ISO, because the noise created by ISO will be more obvious when it comes to black and white photography. Also, choose a time to take white and black photos. Many digital photographers actually prefer to shoot images for Black and White in low contrast situations. So a dark or overcast day can be a great time to shoot out door shots.

( Toni Frissell impresses with a strong trend toward surrealism or realism.)

(Taken by Pawel Swinarski)

(Taken by Janine Mizera) 

Uncertainties and certainties of a photographer

Photography heavily depends on equipments which keep changing with new technologies. It makes photographers feel uncertain. They always ask themselves “should I change my camera?” To be a good photographer, you do not need to be equipment-oriented. You should master some basic principles.

The most important basic is that shooting who or what you love. For instance, the photos you are proud of have nothing to do with the big name folks you captured. But you can demonstrate the characters of the person with your pictures. So no matter how common your model is, you need to understand the uniqueness and express it with your thinking. As a result, your art will not have life if you do not put your passion into it, even if you own the most advanced camera and the most famous models in the world.

Also, you should follow your passion to tell a story. When I take photos, I would like to listen to stories and then tell the stories I understand. Stories will make objectives special, even for an unknown flower. I always believe that when you spend time telling a story with your arts, your audience will feel it.

 (Guess what they are doing?)

 (love between Micky and Minnie)

 (a beautiful morning, calm and serene)

Colorful photography

The colorful images jumped out at me today. It has nothing to do with technology or the composition. Just the color and the mood they expressed. We live in a colorful world and we can feel its color as long as we use our heart. A good artist always can express mood through objects in a creative way. Here, Colorful colors brings mood to life.

I taste sad from the picture. Sometimes, although you are exposed to the crowded environment, you just feel alone and helpless. The crowded people contrast the loneliness. Just the same, the colorful color highlights the sad of the girl.

The picture expresses hope. The hands with wet colorful paint and flowers in full bloom just mean that the colorful life is beginning.

Others:



News photography: Japan earthquake and tsunami

Nearly two weeks have passed since Japan suffered its worst crisis. I hope Japanese citizens can recover from this historic disaster as soon as possible. At the same time, I am very appreciated for the journalists and photographers to stick to their positions in spite of the dangerous situations.

I once worked as a journalist, so I deeply understand the dilemma journalists always face. On the one hand, they should value their lives for their families. On the other hand, it is very hard to say “no” to their job responsibilities. They always have a dream to take part in every event and spare no efforts to record the history seriously. When I was in TV Station, my tutor, a young girl, persuaded the director to allow her to participate in the rescue during Sichuan Wenchuan Earthquake in China. The moment she arrived at the disaster area, she just wanted to cry — the horrible smell of dead bodies, the mudslides and the continuous aftershocks. It was just the end of the world for her. But she still needed to encourage herself so that she can communicate facts to audience and support victims.

I respect the photographers witnessing the scene of the Japan earthquake. They are not afraid of the dangers and at the same time, they can still integrate their thoughts into their pictures. They capture the thrilling scenes and moved moments, contributing to the memories of the crisis.

People take shelter as a ceiling collapses in a bookstore during an earthquake in Sendai, northeastern Japan March 11, 2011. (REUTERS/Kyodo)

Buildings burn after an earthquake near Sendai Airport, northeastern Japan March 11, 2011. (REUTERS/KYODO)

A rescue helicopter lowers a man in search of victims along a remote hillside near Kesennuma City on March 15, 2011, days after the area was devastated by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake and tsunami. (REUTERS/Adrees Latif)

Evacuees stretch while doing exercise at a makeshift shelter in Minamisanriku, northern Japan, Tuesday, March 15, 2011. (AP Photo/The Yomiuri Shimbun, Tsuyoshi Matsumoto)

Capture the taste and smell of food~~

After enjoying the taste and smell of food, gourmet would like to take pictures of their sweeties.

However, since neither taste nor smell can be captured on photos, taking good photos of food is not as easy as it looks. As a result, gourmet should find ways to make the food as delicious as possible.

Here are some tips to help take attracting food photography:

1.       Food photos usually need to be taken at close range. Texture is your friend. You should photograph the most dominant texture of the food. If you were photographing chocolate, for instance, you would want to focus on their smooth, silky texture.

2.       Keep the food in focus and the background out of focus, drawing attention to the food.

3.       Lighting plays an important role in food photos. Proper use of light and shadow can make meals look three-dimensional.

4.      Garnishes and accessories can transform average pictures of food into art. A dessert fork next to a cheese cake with a bite out of it implies that the cake was simply too good to resist.

It's time to be confident about night photography!

When I was a little girl, my mum used to tuck me into bed and read me a story. It was always about a princess...This spring break, i went to orlando. Disney world made me crazy. I was so excited to see all the princesses in the fairy tale. In the evening, I went to Cinderella’s castle very early and waited for the fireworks show eagerly. I prepared to take photos to record amazing veiws. However, it is very hard to take clear photos at night. Even the slightest movement can make the picture came out blurry.

(it is a failure photo taken by me)

Following are some tips to help me to take decent-looking images. I am eager to share with you.

1.      Switch your camera to manual mode by turning the mode dial to “M’.

2.      The trick to successful night photography is to get much more light into your camera. So you need to choose the smallest f-number available and a relatively long shutter speed to record the lights.

3.   Keep your camera very steady. Preferably use a tripod.

4.      Check your photo. If the lights aren’t bright enough, try a slower shutter speed. If the lights are too bright, try a quicker shutter speed.

(i am successful :))

You can have a try!

Explore the fantastic function in your smartphone and camera

I fell in love with HDR (High-Dynamic-Range) photos the first time I saw them. They look surreal just like paintings, blurring the differences between the reality and the illusion.

High-dynamic-range photography is the art of creating one image by combining multiple exposures. Traditionally, HDR images have been created by taking three photos of the same scene at different exposures -- regular, underexposed and overexposed -- and then combining them using a digital editing program.

Now Free HDR applications are available for smartphones, automating the process for amateur photographers. Also, for guys owning the Sony NEX 3 or NEX 5, you can also shoot HDR pictures with HDR mode.

So why not explore the fantastic function in your camera or smartphone right now?