Blog Exercise 4 - Singapore Biennale 2008

The theme of the Singapore Biennale 2008 is "Wonder". As defined by the dictionary (and the guide to the Biennale), "Wonder" is a feeling of surprise and admiration caused by something beautiful, unexpected or unfamiliar. It is a feeling not only of curiousity or a desire to know, but is also to feel doubt.

This year's exhibition was jointly held at four seperate locations, at the City Hall, South Beach Development, the Singapore Flyer and at the Marina Bay.

I felt that the exhibitions at South Beach Development were slightly more interactive and interesting than the ones at City Hall. Perhaps the nature of South Beach Development (an ex-army camp) provided a raw, rustic feel to the experience of viewing the exhibits there. Experiencing intricate artwork in a non-airconditioned and sometimes non-ventilated environment certainly was quite an unique experience.

One piece of work which I thought was interesting was Location (6)(2008) by Hans Op de Beeck as seen below.



This is a 18 metre long installation which is housed inside the Containerart Pavilion created by Shigeru Ban at Marina Bay. One has to walk through a long, white corridor before he is greeted by the sight of a seemingly vast, snowy landscape. It is upon closer inspaction that one realises that the "depth" of the installation is created by the use of tilted angles and the manipulation of the sizes of the visual elements (the trees) in the installation.

Indeed, one does experience a sense of tranquility and wonder as he/she takes in the panoramic view of the snowy landscape in this environment. This is a work that transports the viewer from reality into another world, but as mentioned by its creator, the aim of the work is also to generate scepticism about one's location and to highlight the human ability to imagine being in other places.

This work seems to represent how our eyes seem to fool us sometimes, or how we seem to be able to make ourselves disillusioned and force ourselves to see things that we only want to see. Without the context of us entering the long corridor into this "alternate realm", would have even realised that we were actually enclosed in a 18-m long installation? I think the theme of this work would be "Don't judge a book (reality) by its cover".

A work which I thought was not so good at the Singapore Biennale was Bachelor - The Dual Body (2003) by Ki-Bong Rhee. I have no photos of this work as the exhibit was placed under low light in one of the rooms of City hall.

This work is an installation in which a book of philosophy is thrown into an aquarium. Jets of water are then used to create current to keep the book from rising to the surface or sinking to the bottom in the closed, isolated environment.

The "dancing" motion of the book represents Western logical thought having "fun" (as described by the artiste). The artiste wants the "dream-like image to be dominant over the meaning or the material".

Unfortunately, I guess the streams of water current did not really work as well as the artiste had expected. When I viewed the installation, the book did sink to the bottom quite frequently instead of it being suspended in mid-air. Perhaps the artiste could have used a less isolated style of presentation to keep the installation interactive. The writings on the book were not really visible while the dark settings and blue tone of the water creates quite a dull mood which does not seem to bring out the concept of "fun" nor "wonder".

Assignment 6 - Conceptual Photography

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Blog Exercise 5

Two interesting questions to ponder about:

1) What are the ways readers can judge the credibility of an image even in this era of digital manipulation?

I got to agree that in this digital age, almost any image can be manipulated using photo-editing software such as Photoshop, Lightroom or Aperture. Actually, even photos taken using film can be manipulated,as in the case of double exposures where one image can be super-imposed onto another.

I think there are a few ways that readers can judge the credibility of an image. One way would be to look out for photo manipulation errors or signs of "complacency". One can most probably spot repeated patterns or graphic elements which look out of place in the picture due to inadequate photo manipulation. This would be one of the most basic ways of spotting a manipulated picture.

However, for photos which have been manipulated by someone who is highly proficient in photo-editing software, perhaps the line between true and false depiction by an image will even merge. Often, photos are usually used together with video or words to provide news information to viewers.

I personally feel that unless we experience these events ourselves (meaning we were present at the place and time when a particular event occurred), one can never really have a good idea of what exactly happened. I don't mean to be cynical, but all we can do is to interpret images and words with a pinch of salt. This is not to say that we can't believe in EVERYTHING, but means that one should perhaps refer to a few more sources to gain a better understanding of a particular situation.

If an image looks too good to be true, it probably is haha... this probably applies a lot to the images we see in magazines which depict the aesthetical aspects of the human body. I guess this cynical view has to do with the perceived credibility of the medium itself, and magazines are usually read for leisure and as a source of entertainment.

Unfortunately, a lot of people do perceive images portrayed on news article (eg: The Straits Times, Lianhe Zaobao etc.) to be of high credibility. In this case, a manipulated image would probably be interpreted as being real without much thought from the viewer. The ethical views of the journalist/writer would then come into play here. If a journalist decides to be unethical and manipulate images in order to sensationalise or shock audiences, I wouldn't think that there would be a way to detect this form of "pseudo-forgerty", unless the journalist confesses.


2) Imagine yourself as a reader representative for a newspaper. What would you tell a reader who complained to you about a picture of a car wreck that was particularly upsetting?

I would tell the reader that actually that's the exact purpose of the newspaper, which is to report factual news and provide information and images which best represents a particular event.

I can understand how the reader feels, but if I were to have shown an image that was digitally manipulated, would that be ethical from a journalistic perspective? This reader feedback would definitely be reported to the exectuive management. Perhaps then the next best thing would be to not display any pictures at all for any news articles on car accidents.

A few other things to consider:
Perhaps the newspaper firm at which I'm employed could be one that is considered as tabloid. If I were to not display any images that leave readers in "shock and awe", would this affect readership and ultimately cost me my job?

This is the moral dilemma which plagues the minds of many journalists perhaps.

Assignment 5: Mood without human expressions

For this assignment, we were required to use 2-4 photographs that depict a certain set of adjectives without using any form of human expression as the subject.

We were given the following sets of adjectives.

1) Peace, serene, calm, harmonious, tranquil
2) Happy, cheerful, satisfied, delighted, joyful
3) Progressive, active, advancing
4) Lonely, abandoned, desolate, solitary
5) Sad, gloomy, miserable, depress, solemn
6) Chaos, disorder, turmoil, mess

Can you guess which mood am I trying to portray with the following pictures?

Update:

For this picture, I was trying to portray the mood of "happy, cheerful, satisfied, delighted or/and joyful". As human expressions weren't allowed for this assignment, I decided to use bright pastel colours to bring out the "happy" mood instead.

I think this relates a lot to how children's toys are usually made with bright, pastel colours. Children playing with toys are usually very happy doing so (unless they start arguing and fighting over toys of course haha...), so there is this natural connection between "happy", "pastel colours" and "children's toys" i guess...

This picture would be the depiction of the theme "sad, gloomy, miserable, depress, solemn". It's actually taken from the perspective of someone staring out of a window grille with broken glass panels.

The worn-down texture of the buildings in the background and the texture and lines of the broken glass panels and window grilles in the foreground add to the gloomy and depressing mood. Perhaps I should desaturate the colour of the grass to bring out the mood in this picture even more. Suggestions anyone?

I had goosebumps while editing this picture haha... I thought something was going to come down from those staircase at any moment. I think it's how the railings of the staircase leads you to the corner of the picture, which leads to nowhere it seems.

Added a bit of saturation to bring out the colour in the background and upped the exposure levels to create "noise" add to the "lonely" and "abandoned" mood haha... perhaps the light coming from the glass panel is too bright and I should adjust the contrast and brightness of that portion of the picture.

This picture would bring out the notion of "isolation" and the "solitary" figure. I desaturated the colours from all other parts of the picture except the arm chair in order to portray this particular "mood" in the picture. Perhaps I can saturate the colour of the armchair even more to create better contrast.

Makes you wonder who sat there before. Or can you imagine someone sitting there? haha.

This picture represents "chaos, disorder, turmoil and mess". Although this was taken at a "warehouse" of a spare-parts collection company (and the parts are actually sorted out into different components), I still felt that this could be a form of "organised chaos".

However, maybe there are too many elements in the picture itself, which distracts the viewer by not giving him/her an area to focus on, but hey, isn't that fitting for this theme? hahaa...

My classmates thought that this picture was a bit "Saw"-like (in reference to the sadistic cult movie haha...) This was actually taken at an abandoned army barrack in Changi but the original picture was not like this at all.

It was via colour treatment that I managed to create this "Holga/Lomo/street photography" feel to the picture. Maybe I should crop away the right portion of the picture to remove the lines of the corner where the walls meet each other.

Assignment 4 - 2nd draft

Ok I think this post is long awaited haha... This is the 2nd prototype of my work on Surrealism. As you can see, I made quite a revamp from the original prototype I came up with.

The idea is still the same of materialism and us being stuck in this never-ending cycle of material pursuits. (On a sidenote: Please do watch "The Graduate" (1967), a film starring Dustin Hoffman for a theme that is quite similar to the one I am depicting)

However, I've put in place a human element this time, with his gaze firmly fixated on the visual elements in front of him. This "frame" that I have placed in front of this person can be interpreted either as a mirror, showing the "reflection" of the person himself; or it can also be viewed as a "frame" which the person can use to peek into a pseudo-society.

I've also slightly adjusted the arrangment of the "wall" and I thought I portrayed the theme of a "labyrinth" pretty okay this time, with the repeated patterns. However, one drawback would be that I am unable to place the money notes on the wall this time around, because it would add to the clutter of the picture.

I'm thinking of incorporating elements from both the 1st and 2nd draft in my final piece of work. Perhaps showing how even the person viewing the photo is also trapped in this "labyrinth" will bring out the theme even better. We'll see how hahaha...

Blog exercise 3

This picture was taken by Arko Datta, an Indian national who has worked with Reuters as a photographer since 2001. It was taken in India after the December 2004 tsunami incident and won the World Press Photo of the Year 2004.

It comes under the category of photojournalism and depicts a woman bent over on a sandy ground, crying over the death of a friend or family member, with her palms turned to the sky. The arm of a tsunami victim can be seen on the left of the image.

This image can be viewed as a representation of realism, where the photographer wants the viewer to look at the image as a portrayal of society at a point in time, like a window. If one were to look at the formal elements of the image, the aspects that catches the eye would be light quality, focus, angle of view, colour and the composition of the image.

The main source of light in this picture would be from coming from natural sunlight as this picture was most likely taken in the outdoors, and it would be highly unlikely that any artificial lighting (except maybe a camera flashlight) would be used in capturing such a tragic moment. The light is coming from the top of the picture and this casts shadows on both visual elements (the victim's hand and the woman) in the photo. The shadows formed are rather harsh and this could be interpreted to serve as a juxtaposition to show how the tsunami was a dark and tragic moment for all those who were affected by it.

All visual elements in the picture are relatively in sharp focus and I feel that Arko Datta chose to do so in order to retain viewer attention on both the facial expression and posture of the crying woman in the picture, together with the outstretched, lifeless hand of the tsunami victim. I feel that both elements need each other in order to create meaning to the picture to tell a story. If either visual element were portrayed on their own, the picture might not evoke as strong an emotion from the viewer than if both were placed together in the same image.

The angle in which this picture was taken is from a top-down perspective. I think this serves to reinforce the isolation of the victim and the woman in the image, perhaps to show the close relationship they had prior to the disaster. Somehow I feel a sense of surreal-ness by look at this picture. The angle of view of this picture makes me feel as if I am looking at an "exhibit" from a third-person perspective. The woman's mouth is open and she was probably crying or wailing in sadness when this picture was taken, but one can only use imagination to figure out how the situation was like.

The colour of the soil dominates in this picture and the colour of the victim's hand seems to blend into the background. Only the attire of the woman provides the more obvious colour elements in the picture. I feel that the lack of colours in this picture creates a "lifeless", seemingly monochromatic mood to the image. Even the colour of the woman's attire is slightly washed out and muted.

The composition of this picture may seem slightly imbalanced at first, with the right side of the image being "heavier" than the left side. However, I feel that this can be explained from ethical and emotional/cognitive aspect of photography. I guess if Datta had included more of the victim's body in the picture, attention would have been drawn away from the emotions protrayed by the lady in the picture. I think it wouldn't be too ethical to show pictures of a deceased person on mass media as some people may find the image too disturbing.

Another explanation for the imbalance created in the image would perhaps be how just the visual image of a dead person's arm can evoke anyone to imagine the presence of a larger "entity" behind the hand to actually "balance" the picture; perhaps to show the scale of destruction of this natural disaster and represent all the victims who died in this tragedy.

Assignment 4 - 1st draft

For this assignment, we were asked to create a work that depicts surrealism through the use of photograms, photo montage or photo manipulation. The theme given was "Urban phenomena/Urban fantasy".

I wanted to use the photo montage technique orginally, but I decided to use photo manipulation instead due to the large amount of distinct visual elements in my final work.

"Labyrinth"

Introduction

The idea behind this work was to capture the urban phenomenon of materialism and juxtapose it in a fantasy form. I did some read-ups and decided to use the Greek legend of the Labyrinth.

The Labyrinth was an elaborate structure designed and built by Greek artificer Daedalus, and the strcture's main function was to hold the Minotaur, a mythical creature that was half man and half bull.

The interesting thing is that the Labyrinth itself was built so cunningly that Daedalus almost could not escape it after he built it. It was only with the help of his friend Ariadne, who passed him a line of thread at the entrance, that Daedalus could exit the Labyrinth successfully.

Explanation

This notion of being trapped and unable to escape fits into the theme of materialism which I was trying to portray. In a modern society, people are usually so obsessed with the seemingly never-ending pursuit of material comfort that they seem to become entrapped in this whole cycle of material pursuit.

I tried to form a "wall of money" using $10 notes and lining them up against the surface of a brick wall to form a pseudo-Labyrinth. As one can see, the "standard 5Cs" (as defined in the Singaporean context of: "Cash", "Car", "Credit card", "Career" and "Condominium") are included in the work created above. This piece of work may be slight Singaporean-centric, but I think the theme of materialism should be pretty universal.

Human and non-human elements are used to create the "Minotaur" in the centre of the Labyrinth. The face is formed using different parts of a car, while the body is in the shape and form of a credit card. The hands and legs were cropped out from those of a human figure.

2nd draft is coming soon!

Blog exercise 2

Selected masterwork:

Geopoliticus Child Watching the Birth of a New Man by Salvador Dali (1943)

After the lecture on Surrealism on Thursday, I realised I related more towards the Veristic Surrealist camp, where images of the subconscious are created and their meanings are deciphered through analysis.

My own personal feelings are that artworks are usually created with a purpose; with a story to tell. As the lecture mentioned, they are usually a representation of the link between abstract realities of the human mind and the real forms of the material world.

This masterwork by Dali shows a mother pointing out to her child, the emergence of a "man" from a round object that represents the globe/world. It is interesting to note that the man is emerging from the location where America is on the world map.

My take on this work would be that perhaps Dali was trying to narrate how America was slowly becoming a world superpower by the 1943, especially with the country's involvement and show of military might in World War Two after the attack on Pearl Harbour by the Japanese.

Perhaps the emerging motion of the man, which is similar to the birth of a child, represents how America was beginning to spread its influence all over the world. The hand of the emerging man can be seen to be reaching out towards the European regions.

It is interesting to note, however, that Asia was not represented on the "globe". Perhaps the emerging leg of the man can be interpreted as the extent of American influence towards Asia, which was slow, but with growing significance during that period of time.

Assignment 3 - Focal length, Sensor latitude and Others!

For Asssignment 3, we were instructed to submit photos from 3 categories (Perspective, Zoom and Close up) with regards to focal length, 2 categories (High-key and Low-key) with regards to sensor latitude and a photo which depicts the theme "Symbolic of the Sun".

This particular assignment gave us students a lot more room for self-expression and I really enjoyed the shooting process for this assignment.

1) Perspective

"Endless"

Technical specifications:

Aperture (f/10), Shutter speed (1/250), ISO 200, 18-70mm (22mm)

Self critique: 7/10

This was taken at Haji Lane, where the alleys seem to lead to "nowhere" in a long straight line. The composition is quite symmetrical, with the straight asphalt road running down the middle. I thought the shadows falling on the road were quite nice. Perhaps the shadows can be enhanced by some photo-shopping to enhance the look.

"Awaiting congregation"

Technical specifications:

Aperture (f/4.5), Shutter speed (1/200), ISO 200, 18-70mm (18mm)

Self critique: 7.5/10

This picture was taken inside at a Church at the city area. I thought the uneven shadows caused by the light coming in from the side doors of the church was quite interesting. The stained glass on the right also helps to narrate that the setting and place in which the picture was taken. The row of neatly-arranged chairs also give a "perspective" to this picture.

2) Zoom

"Breakdance"

Technical specifications:

Aperture (f/16), Shutter speed (2s), ISO 400, 70-300mm (155mm)

Self critique: 6/10

This picture was taken at the Esplanade underpass. I was trying to capture the movement of the dancer but I guess the effect didn't turn out too well. I wanted to capture a "freeze frame" as well, but the lack of lighting prevented me from doing so haha...

3) Close-up

"Which move next?"

Technical specifications:

Aperture (f/4.8), Shutter speed (1/60), ISO 640, 70-300mm (180mm)

Self critique: 7.5/10

This shot was taken at a corner in Chinatown, where many groups of senior citizens sit down and have a game of Chinese chess with one another. I stood around to observe the people there for quite some time while holding on to my camera, trying to make sure that they were comfortable with a photographer hanging around them.

"What do I do?"

Technical specifications:

Aperture (f/4.8), Shutter speed (1/60), ISO 640, 70-300mm (165mm)

Self critique: 8/10

The same subject was captured in this picture, but the positioning of his hand against his forehead and the smile provides a better composition and gives the picture a lighter, more candid mood.

"Bloodless war"

Technical specifications:

Aperture (f/5.0), Shutter speed (1/100), ISO 640, 70-300mm (210mm)

Self critique: 9/10

Overall, I was really quite satisfied with this shot. The seemingly elegant posture of the hands also helps to "narrate" the picture.

"Lighting up"

Technical specifications:

Aperture (f/4.8), Shutter speed (1/100), ISO 640, 70-300mm (190mm)

Self critique: 8/10

This shot would have been even better if I had managed to capture the lighter and the first puff of smoke haha......

"Pondering"

Technical specifications:

Aperture (f/4.8), Shutter speed (1/50), ISO 640, 70-300mm (180mm)

Self critique: 8.5/10

Somehow, I like to shoot portrait shots of senior citizens because their facial features are more pronounced and really help to create a certain nostalgic "feel" about the picture.

4) High-key shots

"Angel"

Technical specifications:

Aperture (f/4.5), Shutter speed (1/40), ISO 400, 18-70mm (65mm)

Self critique: 7.5/10

"Gateway"

Technical specifications:

Aperture (f/5.0), Shutter speed (1/60), ISO 400, 18-70mm (18mm)

Self critique: 8/10

This picture was taken at the Armenian Church, and the shadows casted on the columns and contours of the Church still managed to provide a rather clear outline of the building structure, despite the picture being overexposed on purpose.

5) Low-key shots

This series of low-key shots were taken at a video exhibit at the Singapore Biennale 2008. The exhibit was placed in one of the rooms at City Hall.

"Proximity"

Technical specifications:

Aperture (f/4.5), Shutter speed (1/40), ISO 640, 18-70mm (65mm)

Self critique: 7.5/10

"Reach"

Technical specifications:

Aperture (f/4.5), Shutter speed (1/40), ISO 640, 18-70mm (46mm)

Self critique: 7/10

"Alone in the dark"

Technical specifications:

Aperture (f/4.5), Shutter speed (1/40), ISO 640, 18-70mm (62mm)

Self critique: 8/10

6) Symbolic of the Sun

"Dome"

Technical specifications:

Aperture (f/8.0), Shutter speed (1/125), ISO 400, 18-70mm (27mm)

Self critique: 7.5/10

This is more of a iconic representation of the Sun. It was taken at the entrance of the Singapore History Museum and this picture captures the inside of the dome roof. The round shape captured is meant to be a comparison to the shape of the Sun.

Actually I think this picture resembles the wheel located in the Indian national flag haha...

"Join me!"

Technical specifications:

Aperture (f/5.6), Shutter speed (1/250), ISO 400, 70-300mm (300mm)

Self critique: 8/10

Now, this series of pictures are more symbolic in their representation of the Sun. Think of the Sun and you think of radiance, vibrance and energy. These attributes are actually quite similar to what the Sun possesses, so I decided to head down to the water fountain at Bugis Junction to capture the children who play with the fountain.

"Ouch"

Technical specifications:

Aperture (f/4.5), Shutter speed (1/200), ISO 200, 70-300mm (130mm)

Self critique: 7.5/10

"Hands up!"

Technical specifications:

Aperture (f/5.6), Shutter speed (1/400), ISO 400, 70-300mm (300mm)

Self critique: 7/10

Assignment 2B - CNM action

For this assignment, we were required to capture CNM "action shots". We were instructed to sit in for a tutorial class conducted by the CNM department and capture the class in action. The team comprised of myself, Weiye, Zheng Guo, Mabel and Zhiyun. We positioned ourselves at different corners of the classroom in order to capture a better variety of style.

I used mainly a 70-300mm zoom lens to prevent myself from becoming a source of distraction to the class, especially with all the movement around the classroom and the incessant clicking of the camera shutter. Natural and candid actions and expressions could also be captured in this manner as I did not have to go close to my subjects in order to photograph them.

Contrast 2008, a game design competition organised by the CNM department, also provided another opportunity for us to capture more action.

Human subjects after often unpredictable and interaction between them can produce the most interesting scenarios, hence the pictures taken were really more of "capturing the right moment at the right time".

1) NM3217 - Publication Design

"Now that's funny"

Technical specifications:

Aperture (f/4.5), Shutter speed (1/50), ISO 640, 18-70mm (55mm)

Self critique: 6.5/10

The tutorial class itself was pretty light-hearted, and the students were learning how to use the software, Microsoft Publisher, so the tutor, Charlene, was going around to help the students with the software.

There were quite a few amusing situations during the tutorial (as you will see in the following pictures), and this one was one of them, captured just as both tutor and students were laughing.

However, I thought the background was a bit messy and distracting with all the posters on the board, so I can't really say that this is quite a nice photo for the department to use, but at least it captures the lighter moments of a tutorial class, showing that tutorials aren't always boring haha...

"Bemused"

Technical specifications:

Aperture (f/5.6), Shutter speed (1/80), ISO 640, 70-300mm (200mm)

Self critique: 7.5/10

I would prefer this picture over the previous one as this depicts a closer interaction between teacher and student, which brings out the elements of care and nurture; important aspects of education..

Through the use of a long (zoom) lens, I was able to capture the candid expressions on the student's face, though the focus of the lens was placed on Charlene. I guess this picture would be good for brochures or flyers for new CNM undergraduates.

"Amused"

Technical specifications:

Aperture (f/5.6), Shutter speed (1/80), ISO 800, 70-300mm (240mm)

Self critique: 7.5/10

This is a close-up shot of a student staring into his computer screen, amused by something he sees on-screen. Again, with the use of a long lens, I was able to capture the natural expression on his face..

Although the computer screen that is captured on the bottom left corner seems a little jarring and out of place, I feel it provides continuity and a sense of the space the student is seated in. if I were to crop out the screen, the picture would look rather weird since parts of his head (which help to give a complete picture of his whole head) are also protruding out from behind the screen.

"Concentration"

Technical specifications:

Aperture (f/5.6), Shutter speed (1/80), ISO 800, 70-300mm (210mm)

Self critique: 8/10

This focus of this picture is more on the eyes of the student than anything else, which explains the caption for the picture above.

The presence of the computer screen that is captured at the bottom left corner of the picture again helps the viewer to visualise the space where the student is seated in, and the picture would look slightly odd if I were to crop out the student's mouth (which is partly covered by the screen). The crop would be too abrupt and disrupt the continuity of the photo itself.

"Row of five"

Technical specifications:

Aperture (f/4.5), Shutter speed (1/40), ISO 800, 70-300mm (90mm)

Self critique: 8/10

This picture is more of a abstract representation of a tutorial class in progress. I realised that by squatting down at a certain height and angle I could capture the whole row of students seated in line.

The use of shallow depth-of-field also helps to isolate the side image of the student seated closest to my camera. Jing (my lecturer/tutor) mentioned that the side profile of Asians are not really as sharp and strong as that of Caucasians, so I guess photographers need to make use of lighting effects to enhance the features of Asian portrait shots. Then there's always Photoshop... hahaha

2) Contrast 2008

"Discussion"

Technical specifications:

Aperture (f/2.2), Shutter speed (1/20), ISO 640, 50mm

Self critique: 6.5/10

"1-1"

Technical specifications:

Aperture (f/4.5), Shutter speed (1/30), ISO 800, 70-300mm (130mm)

Self critique: 7/10

This picture is more of a "capture-the-moment" shot. The subject in the picture was gesturing to his team-mates how they should go about designing the game, and I pressed the shutter button on camera while it was on multi-shot mode.

"Work in progress"

Technical specifications:

Aperture (f/4.5), Shutter speed (1/100), ISO 800, 18-70mm (56mm)

Self critique: 7.5/10

The anime-like character on the computer screen was drawn by the girl using nothing but her free hand. I was really impressed by how she managed to create the character with just a few strokes of her stylus, so I decided take a picture of her at work.

The composition turned out quite well and I thought the picture could be used as publicity material for future Contrast competitions or Interactive Media modules.

"Two-face"

Technical specifications:

Aperture (f/5.6), Shutter speed (1/50), ISO 800, 70-300mm (300mm)

Self critique: 7/10

A picture with a rather interesting composition, especially with the expression on the subject's face, who must have been hard at work and at full attention.

"LOL"

Technical specifications:

Aperture (f/4.5), Shutter speed (1/80), ISO 800, 70-300mm (145mm)

Self critique: 8/10

A very candid picture with the subject in "all-out" laughter haha... I like the natural "feel" of the picture. Follows the title of my blog banner haha... "It's the candid moments that are special.

Assignment 2A - Aperture and Shutter speed

For Assignment Two, we were instructed to show in our pictures how different aperture sizes and shutter speed can be used to portray different effects.

Larger aperture size would create a shallower depth-of-field while a smaller aperture size would create a deeper depth-of-field. I found out from surfing a local photography forum that the effect of shallow depth-of-field is also known as "bokeh" (apparently derived from a Japanese term).

A fast shutter speed can also help to freeze action, and this is especially crucial sometimes in sports photography in order to show atheletes' expression and action clearly. Slow shutter speed on the other hand, can be used for panning or used on its own to create motion blur.

"When we were young" - Shallow depth-of-field

Technical specifications:

Aperture (f/4.2), Shutter speed (1/100), ISO 200, 18-70mm (35mm)

Self critique: 8/10

I like my pictures to be able to tell a story or depict a certain scenario, and I think the caption of a picture plays an important role in bringing out the "feel" of a picture.

For this picture, a shallow depth-of-field was created by using a larger aperture size. ISO setting was set at a minimum to ensure image quality and a slightly slower shutter speed was used as the picture was taken under the shade of trees.

This picture aims to remind us of how we all, as kids, used to enjoy playing on the swings. Even today, some of us still enjoy the occasional "play-time" on a swing. The swings in this picture have already been in use for quite some time, thus some wear-and-tear can be seen on the swing in focus, representing the "time" (when we were young) which has left us, as young adults.

"Singapore skyline" - Deep depth-of-field

Technical specifications:

Aperture (f/22), Shutter speed (15s), ISO 200, 18-70mm (25mm)

Self critique: 7/10

A tripod was used for the creation of this picture. Aperture size was kept at a minimum while the shutter speed was increased by quite a bit to allow the camera sensor to "take in" all the available light in a rather dark environment. The small aperture size also allows for a deeper depth-of-field to keep all the buidings in the skyline in focus.

This picture actually looks a bit like the kind you might find in postcards in Singapore which are made for tourists haha... I must say that it doesn't really have a story to tell, but it does depict the CBD (Central Business District) as a economic "power station" and shows the economic development of Singapore.

"Singapore skyline (II)" - Deep depth-of-field

Technical specifications:

Aperture (f/18), Shutter speed (25s), ISO 200, 18-70mm (18mm)

Self critique: 8/10

A tripod was similarly used for the creation of this picture. This picture aims to do the same as the previous picture "Singapore skyline", which is to represent the economic prosperity and wealth of Singapore.

However, the previous picture had the Esplanade Bridge spanning across the picture from the bottom right-hand corner of the picture. This version effectively removes the potential distraction of the Bridge. The clouds and darker sky also provide a better backdrop in which the focus on the buildings can be brought out.

The reflection of the lights off the surface of the water in the Singapore River also help to improve the aesthetic feel of this picture.

"Freekick" - Freeze motion

Technical specifications:

Aperture (f/4.5), Shutter speed (1/80), ISO 800, 70-300mm (85mm)

Self critique: 7/10

"Freekick (II)" - Freeze motion

Technical specifications:

Aperture (f/4.5), Shutter speed (1/80), ISO 800, 70-300mm (85mm)

Self critique: 6.5/10

This series of two pictures attempts to capture the moment at which the football player strikes the ball. "Freekick" depicts the moment just before he strikes the ball, while "Freekick (II)" depicts the moment just after he strikes the ball. This motion of the football player is "frozen" into stages.

I thought the background was a little cluttered for both pictures but unfortunately that's the backdrop of the location where the match was being played, the Padang. I'll see if I can come up with a better idea for the theme of "freeze motion".

"The Merlion" - Motion blur

Technical specifications:

Aperture (f/22), Shutter speed (5s), ISO 200, 18-70mm (48mm)

Self critique: 7.5/10

At first glance, one may wonder "where is the motion blur being depicted in this picture?". Well, the motion blur is not depicted by the movement of the Merlion in any manner in this picture, but more of the water that comes out from its mouth.

As seen from this picture, the water that comes out from the Merlion's mouth has quite a "soft" feel to it. The water seems to come out as mist rather than as a continuous stream. This effect was acheived mainly by the usage of a long shutter speed, which is compensated by a very small aperture size to prevent overexposure (the lights that were cast on the Merlion were pretty strong).

ISO sensitivity was kept at a minimum to ensure image quality, and it also explains for the longer shutter speed required, since the camera sensor's sensivity towards light is reduced.

"Indon highway" - Motion Blur

Technical specifications:

Aperture (f/22), Shutter speed (20s), ISO 200, 18-70mm (50mm)

Self critique: 7.5/10

This picture was taken from an overhead bridge which spanned across a highway. The motion blur effect depicted in this picture was captured by using a long shutter speed with a conversely smaller aperture size. ISO setting was also set to the minimum to ensure image quality.

The problem faced with taking pictures of this nature was that one can't really control how people drive their cars. So, at least 15 attempts were made to capture a shot in which there were cars travelling on all lanes of the road. A lens hood was also employed to block off the lights which were coming from the street lamps along the road, which could cause lens flare. However, I thought the end-result came out rather well.

I named this picture "Indon Highway" because this picture resembles (to some extent) the state flag of Indonesia hahaha...