Eiffel

Examining other people's photos is a good way to see how I can improve my photography. From this comparison, I have a long way to go.

Not my image. Image can be found in Daddu.

Image that I captured. Not the best angle. But I like the sunset in the background.

Techniques? What techniques?

Did you know that there were techniques to composing a good photograph? I didn't. Not until Jeff Ascough started his "Image of the week" series where he posts an image he took and explain why and how he took it; what composition techniques he would use to draw out or highlight a subject. Before this, I would happily point my camera to whatever I thought was interesting, having no idea what the grid lines on my camera were for. Then I'd wonder why my pictures were nothing like those taken by professional photographers. Hmm....

Recently, I was browsing through an issue of "What Digital Camera" magazine and came across an article about using lines in our photo composition. This was the first time I came across a written explanation of this technique. However, I've seen many examples of how people have used it. I'm definitely going to try using this technique more and to be more aware of my surroundings, putting more thought into my images. Here are a few attempts at using lines in images:

Love how many (all?) European countries have bicycles for rent in their cities. Excellent way to encourage people to cycle instead of drive.

London, UK 

Champs de Elysees, Paris. Love the trees running along the side of the road.

Seine River, Paris.

Can't say no to beautiful blooms!

Kew Gardens. (*happy sigh*) What can I say? The beauty of this place is indescribable! It is the perfect antidote to being surrounded by the growing amount of concrete jungles. Not that I dislike cities. They have their own charm. But NOTHING can beat nature

On the day Prince William and Catherine were married, my family and headed to the other side of London to the Kew Gardens to get away from the crowds. We figured that we'd see much more in the newspapers and magazines the next day compared with fighting with a million people for the best view. No regrets! The Kew Gardens is one of the most amazing gardens I've ever been to. And since it was spring, we were greeted with an explosion of color as all the flowers were in bloom.

Tulips!!!! Gorgeous tulips!! (We don't have these in Malaysia)

The original photo was a little too yellow and moody for me. It's not that I don't like it, but I prefer natural shades and tones. So I decided to tweak it a little using the Olympus Viewer 2 that came with the camera. I thought that it made the colors stand out more, made them pop. Which one do you prefer?

I have a soft spot for plant/macro photography

Poppy flowers = gorgeous color

I do love the colors that come straight out of the PL2. It usually gets it right, unless I've chosen the wrong settings. Oh well. Just going to have to keep practicing! Speaking of practicing, I just recently came across this website that lets you practice your shooting skills online. It's quite useful in helping people get used to things like adjusting the aperture, shutter speed and ISO settings depending on the shooting environment they're in.

Night shots of Kuala Lumpur

While I still love my point and shoot, I can't help but marvel at what the E-PL2 can do. Take night shots for example. My husband and I took a few friends up to Hulu Langat for dinner and to enjoy the panoramic views of Kuala Lumpur at night. I only had my point and shoot and was playing around with its night scene and manual settings to get a good shot. After several tries, I captured this:

KL night scene. Shot with my Cana Ixus800 IS

I love this picture. I like the little tree that sticks it's head up in the corner as if its having a nice drink and enjoying the view. Then earlier this year I got my PL2, and this is the night shot that it came out with (I can't remember if I or a friend of mine took this photo. Probably her. She's much better at photography than I am):

Petronas Twin Towers in KL. Shot with E-PL2 with kit lense.

Noise? What noise? Maybe if you zoom in. Chromatic aberrations can be seen at the tip of the buildings. However, I'm just happy that I am now able to shoot higher quality pictures with less noise, even at night! 

Recent finds...

As a beginner in the world of photography, I always appreciate advice and tips given by different bloggers and websites. Here are a few sites and/or articles that I found recently:

• Improve Photography
• DIY Photography
• How to make your own lighting equipment (article)
• The Coffeeshop Blog
• Better Travel Photography

Which websites/blogs do you turn to to help you improve your photography?

So you want to upgrade your camera eh?

Ever thought of upgrading your camera, but weren't sure which one to get, so you logged onto DPReview and started looking at review after review of each camera that ever existed throughout human history? You check the official websites of each camera brand and look up each model? You compare the specifications of all the cameras you're considering? You read forum discussion after forum discussion, all containing comments and arguments for or against a particular model (many of them for DSLRs and against mirrorless systems)? In the end, you still don't know what you want and you have a splitting headache?

Yeah, me too.

Problem with reading too much and having all the different specification comparisons is that you always want the best. "Oh, that camera only has 10 megapixels," or "this camera only takes 5 frames a second, compared with 10 fps." And reviews really can influence your views, especially when you're an amateur photographer who does not know or understand all the technicalities of photography, which describes me perfectly.

However, this particular review by Kirk Tuck really helped me decide on which camera suited me the best. Hence, I'd like to introduce to you my (not so new) camera:

My E-PL2 setup.

I love it! It met all my criteria for my new camera, namely:

• it's an interchangeable lense camera
• manual shooting modes
• not too heavy
• great quality pictures
• not too expensive (after all, money do not grow on trees)

I must admit, the deciding factor was really the size and weight of the camera. I love DSLR cameras. Still do. However, I was going on a 3 week vacation to Europe, and I knew that after a few days, I would get sick of carrying it and keep it in my backpack, never to see the light of day until the trip was over. On the other hand, I walked around with the E-PL2 around my neck for almost 12 hours each day during the trip and didn't feel inconvenienced at all by it's presence. 

Taken in London near the British Museum. Photo wasn't meant to be tilted,
but I kinda like how it turned out!

Unfortunately it's so easy to get sucked into all the debates between those who are pro-dslr and those who are pro-micro4/3 cause it can get pretty confusing (just log onto the dpreview website and under the title "forum", choose "micro four thirds" and you'll see what I'm talking about). It's even more confusing for those who are not so fluent in the language of photography, or in the techniques, but who would like to improve. Here are some questions I asked myself that you may find helpful if you're looking to upgrade from a point-and-shoot:

• what will I be using the camera mainly for?
• how much am I willing to spend on the camera and accessories now, and in the future? (new lenses, flash etc)
• will the weight of a DSLR be an issue?
• do the extra mega-pixels, fps, etc REALLY matter?
• and if you are not a professional photographer and don't understand all the jargon like "metering" or "EV steps" etc, do you really need a professional DSLR?

Or you can think of it this way. You can improve your photography skills on a mirrorless camera that has the functions of a DSLR, but not the size. When you do improve become a professional, upgrade to a DSLR. Then you'll have both a DSLR and a more compact camera (for travelling, street photography etc). After all, many of the professionals who have the bigger cameras are getting mirrorless cameras for their personal use as well. =)

So all the best to all those in search for a new camera. I hope you found this at least a little bit helpful. It's a crazy world out there and I hope you find the camera that suits your shooting needs!

Just another day in the office...

Goats on trees? Eh, nothing to it!

Photo by l'insouciant1 from Yahoo! News site. I do not own this photo. More can be found at link below.

 I thought it was a trick, but there are more to show that it isn't! You can see more at this site.