Leaves

Canon 5D ISO400 1/200s f5.6 50mm

Pond Holes

Wetlands Park, black and white

Canon 5D ISO200 50mm f8 1/400s

In most situations, when there aren't any specific subjects in a landscape, focus to the foreground or a close subject, and blur out the background.    

The light was harsh; I shot this on a bright and sunny afternoon.  The black and white conversion saved the day.  I deliberately used the diagonal line, cutting across the entire frame.  It lead the audience through shining crystals towards the ponds.  Worked quite well for my taste.  This final picture was slightly cropped on the top.   

Brutal  (explicit)

The original title is de lys or of lily in English.  I renamed the picture on my first impression when seeing it.

Excellent treatment on the mask.  The mid tones on the body are comparatively dark, creating a dramatic contrast with the subject's face.  

Tea

Canon 5D 50mm f2 1/160s ISO400

Photo, explicit

B&W conversion using Photoshop Express. Fateful skin tone renditions. The online tool is getting better everyday. The best of all: the original file is available if one decides to reverse all changes, much like a Picasa revert all changes command.

Love Angel

Mysterious Cupid

Canon 5D 50mm f2 1/1600s ISO100

Didn't have black and white in mind when I was shooting this statue. All in all, the treatment works great. The sorrow face isn't affecting me until now.

Bride Approaching Groom

Canon 5D 100mm f2.8 1/100sec ISO1600

I added a touch of diffuse glow to this image. It certainly adds a bit of dreamy feeling to the scene.

Postures

Canon 5D 50mm f2.8 1/100sec ISO1600

Father and Daughter

Canon 5D 100mm f2.8 1/50sec ISO1600

I kept the grain and noise in the picture. Works really well for my taste. I used a yellow filter for the black and white conversion.

Revealing the Bride

Canon 5D 50mm f4 1/100sec ISO1600 +1/3EV

Maid of Honor over Flowers

Canon 5D 100mm f2.8 1/100sec ISO800

I upgraded to Photoshop CS3 today. It's a godsend. In particular I find the black and white conversion filter spectacular. Ditto for the new camera raw. Highly recommended. You can find a video introduction here.

Updated tonal adjustments. Black and white conversion is really a matter of art and personal taste.

Chai, Engaged

Canon 5d 50mm f2.8 1/60sec ISO 1600 +1/3EV

Kiss Me

I Love You

Canon 5d 50mm f2 1/1600sec ISO 100

Beautiful portrait of my friend. She sent me this earlier and I am still enjoying it. The conversion was done brilliantly, with dominating high contrast, and yet interesting details and textures on the fabrics. She performed at the Dazzle earlier; I really wish I was there to support her.

Keep dancing.

Flashes are hard to master. The first rule of thumb is take them off the camera shoes. In this picture you can immediately see the unnatural lights on our faces. Notice the harsh shadows formed under my arm. I really liked the gestures and the smiles on our faces; black and white conversion seemed the last saving grace.

Next I will post some examples of good uses of flashes.

Have a wonderful weekend.

I noticed her outside a local restaurant when she was starring at the menu. She seemed confused about the descriptions. She is about six feet tall in a very tidy, lovely pink stripes shirt. I reached out for her when she sat down on her table.

She is from France and she works for the Quantas Airlines. I can immediately sense that she was just off her duty and feeling exhausted. But she was glad of my company. We chatted for a minute or two and I asked if I could take a picture. "Sure", she said, "this is one of strange encounters I have in the city."

I love square crops. They provide the right balance for head portraits. I converted it using the red channel.

I am following examples of The Online Photographer, Ted Matsumura and Craig Tanner. In between my busy times I will pick some of my work and post them here with comments. I hope this serves as a journal of my photographic thoughts and experiences.

This picture was taken by my friend in Yun Nan in China. The moment I saw the photo I immediately thought of converting it to a black and white, in order to emphasize the old lady's smile and skin tone. This was done in Photoshop using the green and the red channels.

My friend spoke with many farmers and children in the countryside, and she reiterated how peaceful and fortunate they feel about their lives. I definitely see it in the smile. It's good to feel fortunate, everyday.