Thursday, August 12, 2010
Today I am will sharing my photos i took during ndp :) yay! feel free to comment:P
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& Jason Cher signed off @ 9:04 PM
Sunday, July 18, 2010
" The RAW vs JPG image format debate has come more to the fore in recent times with the introduction of specialized software for handling RAW images. If you use a digital camera and that camera is an SLR, then it most likely can record images in RAW format. In general, you should record your images at the highest resolution possible. If you only have a small memory card and are worried that you can only records a few RAW images on it, then it's time to buy a bigger card! . You can always shrink an image after it's taken but you can't enlarge a small one without introducing artifacts. At the very least, you should have your camera record images in Hires JPG format but RAW format is even better.
Any kind of JPG written to your camera's memory card will be processed in some way. JPGs, by their very nature, lose information in an image. If you repeatedly save a JPG, you'll lose more and more detail in it and see more artifacts appearing. Also, if you've set your camera up to do some image manipulation (e.g. contast/brightness adjustments), these will also be applied before your camera writes the image out to the memory card. In such cases, you could end up with images that have burned out highlights or shadows that are so deep that they contain no detail. Such areas of an image may be irreparable even with the likes of Adobe PhotoShop.
RAW images, on the other hand, are simply that - raw. What the camera sees is dumped (without any image manipulation whatsoever) onto the memory card. RAW images also tend to contain more information and detail and have larger file sizes than similar resolution JPGs. The problem with RAW files is that they've not been the easiest to work with; for example, Windows Explorer cannot show RAW files as thumbnail images so, unless you've renamed your image files with meaningful names, you won't know what the images are when you come back to them a couple of months later.
This is where software such as RAWShooter Essentials (RSE) comes in. This software lets digital photographers of all abilities import, view, edit and convert large batches of RAW files (to TIF files). RSE is currently free - it won't be for too long - so grab a copy now. Having used it, I can say it makes working with RAW files a doddle; much easier than using the software that came with my Canon EOS Digital Rebel.
With your converted RAW files, you have full control over what manipulations will be carried out to produce the final image, using packages such as Adobe PhotoShop,Adobe PhotoShop Elements or Paint Shop Pro. The better RAW conversion packages also include basic contrast, brightness and color management controls, so you may not even need a separate image manipulation package. Some even provide tools for compensating for over- or under-exposed images.
By shooting RAW images, you give yourself complete control over color and exposure and it's you, rather than the camera, that decides what adjustments are applied to reproduce the tones and contrast of the original scene. It also lets you maximize the quality of your final image for whatever output you want, whether that's on a monitor, as an inkjet print or sent to one of the digital photo labs for printing.
Various RAW conversion software is available to allow you to process digital images to the highest quality possible.Capture One and Breezebrowser are both highly regarded, although you have to pay for these. A demo version of Capture One is available so you can try before you buy."
In all,
not an image file per se (it will require special software to view, though this software is easy to get).
• typically a proprietary format (with the exception of Adobe’s DNG format that isn’t widely used yet).
• at least 8 bits per color – red, green, and blue (12-bits per X,Y location), though most DSLRs record 12-bit color (36-bits per location).
• uncompressed (an 8 megapixel camera will produce a 8 MB Raw file).
• the complete (lossless) data from the camera’s sensor.
• higher in dynamic range (ability to display highlights and shadows).
• lower in contrast (flatter, washed out looking).
• not as sharp.
• not suitable for printing directly from the camera or without post processing.
• read only (all changes are saved in an XMP “sidecar” file or to a JPEG or other image format).
• sometimes admissable in a court as evidence (as opposed to a changeable image format).
• waiting to be processed by your computer.
A jpeg file is:
• a standard format readable by any image program on the market or available open source.
• exactly 8-bits per color (12-bits per location).
• compressed (by looking for redundancy in the data like a ZIP file or stripping out what human can’t perceive like a MP3).
• fairly small in file size (an 8 megapixel camera will produce JPEG between 1 and 3 MB’s in size).
• lower in dynamic range.
• higher in contrast.
• sharper.
• immediately suitable for printing, sharing, or posting on the Web.
• not in need of correction most of the time (75% in my experience).
• able to be manipulated, though not without losing data each time an edit is made – even if it’s just to rotate the image (the opposite of lossless).
• processed by your camera.
& Jason Cher signed off @ 5:26 AM
Friday, July 2, 2010
Hello once again we are back on photography. yay! Guess what, the topic today is on food photography. You might be thinking, are there even any techniques about food photography? Don't we just take the photo of any food that looks nice and taste good?(thats what I thought food photography was when I was sec one) Well, you are wrong then, there are techniques such as the correct lightings and BOKEH.
1) Lightings :))
My senior told me to treat the food you’re photographing as you would any other still life subject and ensure that it is well lit. Indeed, one of the best places to photograph food is by a window where there is plenty of natural light – perhaps supported with flash bounced off a ceiling or wall to give more balanced lighting that cuts out the shadows. This daylight helps to keep the food looking much more natural. In layman terms, it means that the lighting for the photo had to look natural and balance.
My analysis: This photo below shows how a lighting is used. The picture (yummy) is taken from a window outside the building as the water vapour can been seen at the bottom of the photo. However, when the camera had its back facing the natural sunlight, bounce flash had to be used to create natural lighting so that the picture will look good. Furthermore, the picture is very sharp, hence we could tell that the shutter speed is very fast so as what I had shown before higher shutter speed will cause photo to be darker. Therefore lots of lighting is important for such photos.
2) Bokeh :P
Bokeh is kind of a macro feature where the important feature of the photo is made sharp the background blur. Really focusing in upon just one part of the dish can be an effective way of highlighting the different elements of it. As the food does not look appetizing for long, we have to make sure that the photo is taken fast before the food cools down and looks yucky. I remember on a photo assignment last time, I did not have enough time to prepare and decorate the food so I went down low, closer to the food, so that all the distractions in the background would be blur and the part of the dish is focused well. Yay:P
My analysis: There is probably a lot of distractions in the background as this photographer had to line up the cakes in one row to block the background and if u had noticed the first cake looks the nicest, biggest and most important the sharpest. The bokeh used is good way to cancel off all distractions and make the food more appetizing and appealing.
Btw, I like cakes :P
& Jason Cher signed off @ 7:03 PM
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Wow. It had been quite a while since I last posted (exams). Now, it's holiday so I shall post more frequently like once or twice a week. I will try to post often when school reopens but I can't guarantee that I will accomplish that. :P
I guess let's take a break about photography. Lets talk about what I had done so far since the Summer Holiday. (pst pst, haven't done any homework yet. :O). Well, just came back from summer retreat. We went to changi safra resort to have our activities. We also booked two chalets to stay overnight for 2 nights (yay!). Well, we play some games and get ourselves dirty, then we went for SWIMMING. (*wish there's a like button here). We also went for bowling, barbecue, horror movie screening (eee..). The horror movie is shutter and it is very scary. (*shivering).
Sorry but I did not take any photos there. Well, I promise that I will show you my photos next time. :P
After that, Eagan, Yi Fan and I went to have a meal at Macs. (unhealthy* XD) That was a really great meal.
& Jason Cher signed off @ 6:41 AM
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Point of view
This poem is written by an american soldier fighting in that times as they are disgusted by the use of "Agent Orange". Agent Orange highly dangerous chemical, used against the Vietnamese soldiers, causing them to have a painful death. The persona probably hate the use of Agent Orange in war. An evidence would be " Reflective about all illness, birth effects and prematurely dead". These are very strong words which in turn show the strong negative feelings towards the war. Besides, the persona felt that the Americans are very evil through this evidence - "Nefariously, american led astray" which meant that the americans are extremely wicked.
Situation and Setting
This is a poem written in war time when the United States fight against the Vietnamese.
The persona have very negative feelings towards the war.
"Expecting others to pay high price"
The persona probably felt that the United States army are morally despicable and selfish as they expected the Vietnamese to pay the "high price" which is death.
Language and Diction
"Toll"
Toll is a pun which meant that it had 2 or more meanings. The meaning of toll is to charge a fee for service etc. However in the poem the toll is used to describe the damage caused the Agent Orange used in the war.
"Rainbow Death"
It is a kind of irony as rainbow always refers to something very optimistic or good. However the rainbow death refers the deaths caused by Agent Orange, so irony is used in this poem.
Personal Response
I felt that this poem has a very strong feelings against war due to immense diction and the irony used. I think the persona is kind of confused also as there were questions asked in the poem. He is confused as his own country are killing his enemies but he felt that his own country soldiers are evil.
& Jason Cher signed off @ 6:04 PM
Rainbow Death
America did not foresee
Green, pink, purple and other colors death potpourri!
Expecting others to pay a high price.
Now thinking twice?
Toll on the innocent and unborn.
Omnipotent and disregarding who will mourn.
Reflective about all the illness, birth defects and prematurely dead.
All the deceit continues to spread.
Nefariously America led astray -
Generations untold WILL pay -
Execrable effects of agent orange spray!
Hubert Wilson
This poem is by Hubert Wilson. Huber Wilson was a soldier who was involved in the Vietnamese war. Hubert Wilson served in the USAF security service He was sent to a Agent Orange hotspot during the Vietnamese war. As agent orange was used a lot in those areas, the environment was contaminated and it affected him. His health problems progressively got worse. At first it was only headaches and limb pains, then his central nervous system deteriorated and he started to experience spasms, severe headaches and worse limb pains. However, nobody could detect any specific medical conditions. Thus, he was not able to receive any medical help or assistance from any doctor.
The rainbow death which Hubert Wilson mentions in his poem refers to the Agent orange. Agent orange was a chemical substance used during the Vietnamese war against Vietnam. Agent orange was a herbicide and defoliant- contaminated with TCDD or Tetrachlorodibenzodioxin). Approximately 4.8million Vietnamese were affected by Agent Orange and which resulted in about 400,000 deaths among the Vietnamese people and many more babies deformed at birth.
This poem “Rainbow Death” is basically to bring up the issue on the consequences of war. He tries to show that even after war has ended, the effects of these wars would still stay. Hubert Wilson also tries to show us the horror of modern warfare. As technology continues to improve, our weapons of war becomes more powerful and more destructive.
& Jason Cher signed off @ 5:49 PM
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
High Speed Photography
High speed photography is the science of taking pictures of very fast phenomena. In 1948, the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) defined high-speed photography as any set of photographs captured by a camera capable of 128 frames per second or greater, and of at least three consecutive frames. High speed photography can be considered to be the opposite of time-lapse photography.
Tilt Shiift Photography
"Tilt-shift" actually encompasses two different types of movements: rotation of the lens plane relative to the image plane, called tilt, and movement of the lens parallel to the image plane, called shift. Tilt is used to control the orientation of the plane of focus (PoF), and hence the part of an image that appears sharp; it makes use of the Scheimpflug principle. Shift is used to change the line of sight while avoiding the convergence of parallel lines, as when photographing tall buildings.
Black and white photography
Since the first film was shot and developed, black and white has been
a favorite choice among master photographers around the globe.
Why is it that this medium is preferred by so many fine artists and masters of the trade?
• It's classic and elegant, even romantic and special.
• When learning photography, the simplicity of black and white helps you focus on the important stuff.
• You can often turn a drab color shot into an amazing black and white.
& Jason Cher signed off @ 12:40 AM
