tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-278133902024-03-13T08:10:16.274+08:00Darren in Taiwan ... or Somewhere ElseMy little spot to vent. I love to travel, take photos, drink coffee and many other unrelated and unimportant things. Anything might come up here.Columbia Photography Class.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05095370532639978702noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27813390.post-52833601580618290522007-08-30T00:13:00.000+08:002007-11-06T00:13:57.199+08:00<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Shooting People<br />Part Five: Hitting the Streets<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">Now, we are ready to head out and start shooting pretty much anywhere.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHaOckvWw9G-QshO5u2K9snosuRTF15phVeT-p8d2Jd0uyhmukYppsOhXfeYVE9ANjjl1jy-9FIpGk7uGyvH-oKl99q6SfLPx2rqwe09g8waVrD0CbMC5SDSx3JKbHPH4r_3Tc/s1600-h/holga3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHaOckvWw9G-QshO5u2K9snosuRTF15phVeT-p8d2Jd0uyhmukYppsOhXfeYVE9ANjjl1jy-9FIpGk7uGyvH-oKl99q6SfLPx2rqwe09g8waVrD0CbMC5SDSx3JKbHPH4r_3Tc/s400/holga3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104157932886688834" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">A Face on the Street<br />Xindian, Taiwan<span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;">Now, I feel a little nervous in writing this, as I don't consider myself a great photographer, so I don't believe it is within me to help others take great photos. What I do think though is that I am a decent enough photographer and I also know enough that it is likely that you can take the information I am offering and make photos better than I do. This section is designed to pass on some of the things I have learned, as well as some of the things in photography which always seem to work.<br /><br />My first and foremost suggestion when shooting strangers is not to rush. Nothing puts people off more than when you walk into a situation and immediately start snapping. That very act is enough to ensure that you get lots of nasty looks as well as lots of photos where people look stiff and uncomfortable. If you are in such a hurry to get your shot, maybe people shooting isn't to be your thing.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1unQWZqZk2yNnC4XkygojK_7oLn3iHr-yC-u0tdBh7DnF6xjb3p5dId7uH9aIDMHvbXEapeqz29AhcCPrtof_JsnwzpOVKGN7OFe3612xfhYi_hpfO1kw6aQ0-7nFP3qkrW7/s1600-h/September28.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1unQWZqZk2yNnC4XkygojK_7oLn3iHr-yC-u0tdBh7DnF6xjb3p5dId7uH9aIDMHvbXEapeqz29AhcCPrtof_JsnwzpOVKGN7OFe3612xfhYi_hpfO1kw6aQ0-7nFP3qkrW7/s400/September28.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129389545498247826" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Watching Some Tube<br />Taipei, Taiwan<br /><br /><br /></span></div>What I suggest doing is to walk into an area and just hang around for a while. This has so many advantages. First off, it allows people to get used to you. You will be surprised at how quickly people even forget that you are there if you simply stand around and observe for a while first. The more at ease people are, the better they usually look in photos. Secondly, by hanging around for a bit first, you can get a real feel for the flow of that area; you will know in short order who are the most interesting folks around, in what direction and at what pace things move and just know in general how things work in that little ecosystem. Another plus to spending a little time first before shooting is that you can spend some time thinking about what spots will give you the best angles, what nasty things might end up in the photo if you work too quickly, if there is light in some way which is interesting, such as an odd reflection, or a shaft of light that you might not have noticed, or any number of other little details which are most easily seen once you give yourself the advantage of time.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsJsUAQcXxurV5Ok5LpzDEklF3dt96SKj9yWHHaSXIQpVQR_8QmkUHm3ExSSCCiLNX56Z1NHkIdFKw1Z8UlQAZGFJZYbO1hVi2JaeLU7hHXxmIhoZOeqk4ZvoZLhtKlCm7qo6X/s1600-h/imgp2101.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsJsUAQcXxurV5Ok5LpzDEklF3dt96SKj9yWHHaSXIQpVQR_8QmkUHm3ExSSCCiLNX56Z1NHkIdFKw1Z8UlQAZGFJZYbO1hVi2JaeLU7hHXxmIhoZOeqk4ZvoZLhtKlCm7qo6X/s400/imgp2101.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5108939824920003746" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Bifocals<br />Taipei, Taiwan<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:100%;">The above photo is a good example of noticing something simply because I was not rushing around. I was out shooting with a photographer friend when we came across this guy. As his head was down towards his newspaper, his eye ware set up wasn't really obvious to the passerby. My friend moved right on by, but since I was wandering more slowly and looking at details, I noticed and was able to get an interesting shot.<br /><br /></span></span></div></div>Now, it does not have to be ages that you spend waiting before you shoot. Once you have practiced this and your body language is such that you seem nonthreatening and natural in that element, you can sometimes be ready to make some great photos in less than a minute. In other cases, it might take ten minutes; every circumstance is different, as is every photographer. The bottom line though is that if you rush, you will most often damage any chance you had at taking good photos at that scene at that time.<br /><br /><br />Ansel Adams once said, <span style="">""A good photograph is knowing where to stand. While Ansel was most likely speaking of landscape photography when he said that, it is no less true when it comes to shooting people. Like all things in life, we are best when we start off at a somewhat elementary level and progress into the more challenging (albeit more rewarding) zones. With this in mind, it is much more difficult and daunting to stand close to someone and shoot than it is to shoot from a distance.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxU58mBYuXJYJQ9Q2b1I2l8rz16NBt6Tja-7vbtSn70Gb7Xb62PaGP8zXO2xhzDdWOLR-XajKWA1F-p99q5uf5SSLN0ws8_dh49dI0j3eWfE0B65u8qcPu7XeZ1_WjsyjFBgvm/s1600-h/September25.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxU58mBYuXJYJQ9Q2b1I2l8rz16NBt6Tja-7vbtSn70Gb7Xb62PaGP8zXO2xhzDdWOLR-XajKWA1F-p99q5uf5SSLN0ws8_dh49dI0j3eWfE0B65u8qcPu7XeZ1_WjsyjFBgvm/s400/September25.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129389940635239074" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">The Conductor<br />Xindian, Taiwan<br /><br /></span></div><span style=""><br />Shooting from a distance seems easier then. Let's start there. Standing back from a distance and shooting with a telephoto lens, or with your lens zoomed out, can make for some really attractive photos and is a very worthwhile starting point. The advantages to doing so is that you give both you and your subject some breathing room. I still like to see some of the photos that are done this way, and I would take more of them myself if I wasn't just too damned lazy to carry my heavy telephoto lens around more often.<br /><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3tO_e56dlZ25ccffJd1FYcbyfSJoTeENsl8RSmliegiGH-V6CrgfovIPbb9TNPK_jkGtp0e_8gmqqz7kYduHha4CoXKyo09N5dlfUU0R1T_BBRYVrrEcH345Nyuh8_uu8yCQn/s1600-h/7th.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3tO_e56dlZ25ccffJd1FYcbyfSJoTeENsl8RSmliegiGH-V6CrgfovIPbb9TNPK_jkGtp0e_8gmqqz7kYduHha4CoXKyo09N5dlfUU0R1T_BBRYVrrEcH345Nyuh8_uu8yCQn/s400/7th.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104872950452192338" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Man With a Smoke<br />Saigon, Viet Nam<span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;">With the comfortable working distance and a tendency for a long lens to blur the background (not exactly true, but close enough for what we are discussing here), there is a lot of fun to be had working this way. I will talk about the disadvantages to this method later, but those should not dissuade you from giving things a go.<br /><br />Now, it is really important to me that I make this point. Shooting with a longer lens from a bit further away does NOT mean hiding behind trees and shooting when people are totally unaware. I consider that guerrilla photography and I believe it verges on immoral. Such practices give all photographers a bad name and there is no way in the world I would ever give you a pat on the back for doing so. If you want to join the paparazzi, move to Hollywood and chase Paris Hilton; just don't think you are adding anything positive to anything. Some things are right, some are wrong and hiding behind things to get your photos is the latter in my not so humble opinion.<br /><br />So, there you have a starting point. Keep a respectful distance, don't hide, zoom out and snap away. There are lots of reasons why this works and as we want to build on success, this all makes sense.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ljp_AyjWB4oj-9ByHRyS5kK8o5P4PWLsm1AfZkpRdZ-YTQN-6wptKMPHmFk4VjsgNu-f7H1bIu7oRXcayl1YUs0KSaw4jGwfuUU5GG8aFfnkIzeukIDx53F2kJdPOUULQ7It/s1600-h/imgp4576.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0ljp_AyjWB4oj-9ByHRyS5kK8o5P4PWLsm1AfZkpRdZ-YTQN-6wptKMPHmFk4VjsgNu-f7H1bIu7oRXcayl1YUs0KSaw4jGwfuUU5GG8aFfnkIzeukIDx53F2kJdPOUULQ7It/s400/imgp4576.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104877434398049378" border="0" /></a></div></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Into the Light<br />Damnoen Saduak Floating Market<br />Nakhon Pathom, Thailand<span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;">So, get out there, shoot from a distance and have some fun!<br /><br /><br /></div><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span><br /></span></div></div></div></div></div>Columbia Photography Class.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05095370532639978702noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27813390.post-8990959804628907002007-08-29T21:33:00.000+08:002007-11-06T00:01:10.042+08:00<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Shooting People<br />Part Four: People in Their Elements</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb2Lc9TsUXueZE-8qagyCL_OqzVA1YkTRe2vXI5t6kPjIhrbmvnRcY-AmocsshEFbL4k-gm0g0iD_MncigeuxWWtsNsEwAU7Ijo1JVuw0mCZ90DnP4th7UPkIcuDYr1zZcsray/s1600-h/imgp1925.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb2Lc9TsUXueZE-8qagyCL_OqzVA1YkTRe2vXI5t6kPjIhrbmvnRcY-AmocsshEFbL4k-gm0g0iD_MncigeuxWWtsNsEwAU7Ijo1JVuw0mCZ90DnP4th7UPkIcuDYr1zZcsray/s400/imgp1925.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104115734833005570" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Would You Buy Your Meat From This Man?<br />Taipei, Taiwan<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;">Now we move to the last scenario; shooting people as they are in everyday life. Guards, festivals, parades, rallies and all sorts of other events are great but they occur too infrequently to be counted upon as a regular stock of photographs. Plus, there is an artificiality to them. They may look great and interesting, but both the photographer and the viewer knows that what they are seeing isn't quite "real life".<br /><br />My friend, and one of my biggest photographic influences, is very fond of saying that photos should be of someone doing something. This is where we will start.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8EVTNOgq9ddGd2yte7NTZsrxA7O60AmEMnW1uhhgL1xfiUH-TM7hmIKGjWbmbdR_bSW-VCmElC4_PmDX3ev46oqUE24o5Zg4y5fvZkPejdwhyBf5tPmtShPH8zq6v2YCxdbeG/s1600-h/imgp7368.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8EVTNOgq9ddGd2yte7NTZsrxA7O60AmEMnW1uhhgL1xfiUH-TM7hmIKGjWbmbdR_bSW-VCmElC4_PmDX3ev46oqUE24o5Zg4y5fvZkPejdwhyBf5tPmtShPH8zq6v2YCxdbeG/s400/imgp7368.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5108968635560625346" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Brewing Chai<br />Mumbai, India<br /><br /><br /></span></div>Doing something can mean a lot of things.<br /><br />Doing something might mean people doing their jobs. This is quite typically a fairly non threatening subject as well, as people at work are most likely to be on their most pleasant behavior and they also might be more interested in what they are actually doing than in the person with the camera pointed their way. Also, if you are like me, you will find people at work to be both noble and interesting.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuSuIcJ80GGrhJhrJP5OFUClDrAUKLvQVi0UkTwnJXkp7zaIBN88dqV9oFFnTxiVTUSTgmFEX_8fULqJWKUdifi2P8PK9pDRiJ-2n9EsJJweNwpKOB-8F4UjjKtuCu717YVz6z/s1600-h/imgp2195.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuSuIcJ80GGrhJhrJP5OFUClDrAUKLvQVi0UkTwnJXkp7zaIBN88dqV9oFFnTxiVTUSTgmFEX_8fULqJWKUdifi2P8PK9pDRiJ-2n9EsJJweNwpKOB-8F4UjjKtuCu717YVz6z/s400/imgp2195.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5108958026991404210" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Pigs' Knuckles<br />Taipei, Taiwan<br /><br /></span></div><br />I am quite fortunate in that I live in a part of the world in which many small businesses are run out on the street, rather than being tucked away out of site. I am also lucky in that However, I am very sure that no matter where you live, there are good photo opportunities to be had of people taking care of business.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Now, as we are moving up on the difficulty scale, this is a good time to start thinking about taking more complex, interesting photos. Getting pleasant photos of interesting or good looking people, but which only show the people themselves, is fun and rewarding but it is also a little bit easy. If your photo is of nothing more than the person, ultimately, the question becomes what makes the photo? The photographer or the subject? In shooting someone in their environment, it is both important and beneficial to show not just the person, but the environment too. </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;">Showing more than just the person adds the all important context and just importantly, it allows you to make the photo you own. In the long run, it also leads to much more interesting photos.</div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><div style="text-align: left;"> </div><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span></span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh73P0WNlXa-vQQ_9AWN8CCjOunMQ1APtvQ1eSKg5kAVLEw2Lo3j1Np45nlk_TcriquQHMzl0a3KB-HSYxDkEJCRQJql3W5l-0_DllZENp2PicPbp3CbbPBqgNkwUgkGRD62BBn/s1600-h/imgp7258.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh73P0WNlXa-vQQ_9AWN8CCjOunMQ1APtvQ1eSKg5kAVLEw2Lo3j1Np45nlk_TcriquQHMzl0a3KB-HSYxDkEJCRQJql3W5l-0_DllZENp2PicPbp3CbbPBqgNkwUgkGRD62BBn/s400/imgp7258.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5112667792329392754" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;">Master of His Craft<br />Yangoon, Myanmar<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;">Once again, when you are out shooting people in their element, thinking outside of the box is to your great advantage.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_gDe-xHG-jJLOSSVCinp7AB5QyFn3KlZm0DOYWfxNOE7scjtvq6x2moZtWcPj0X6X5oCUNJxBHYbahuMstPicrj-1MkRB2qV3gJMScTomY-k8Xo-aDpomila3a9ZsQd03Ahg-/s1600-h/October2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_gDe-xHG-jJLOSSVCinp7AB5QyFn3KlZm0DOYWfxNOE7scjtvq6x2moZtWcPj0X6X5oCUNJxBHYbahuMstPicrj-1MkRB2qV3gJMScTomY-k8Xo-aDpomila3a9ZsQd03Ahg-/s400/October2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129367447891509810" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Night Market Treats<br />Xindian, Taiwan<br /></span></div><br />Small details which might otherwise go overlooked can make terrific subjects for a photo of a person at work.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRGAuOUWJodrlphMARmf5o2RZKM8OEe3tSizChIKe5LVRta2VcjV4k36Cj3aH-1mQbT1VoXpJlXAKf02lC7BvvtaeUJzd_8ESuO5vuDwrSxeGNPFPj25DLN3CsKWgN1dJGDLWT/s1600-h/bw5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRGAuOUWJodrlphMARmf5o2RZKM8OEe3tSizChIKe5LVRta2VcjV4k36Cj3aH-1mQbT1VoXpJlXAKf02lC7BvvtaeUJzd_8ESuO5vuDwrSxeGNPFPj25DLN3CsKWgN1dJGDLWT/s400/bw5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5112672546858189442" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Hands of a Betel Vendor<br />Yangoon, Myanmar<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;">Conversely, showing someone to be a tiny part of a much bigger whole can often be something which is overlooked, but which can lead to great photos.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.darrenmelrose.com/shots/shootingpeople/imgp6196.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 275px;" src="http://www.darrenmelrose.com/shots/shootingpeople/imgp6196.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Nun Under Stupa<br />Bagan, Myanmar<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;">Once you have been shooting a particular scene fairly regularly, it is a good option to mix things up a bit by using different angles,<br /></div><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOEnieQncyT5PbwElc8wlRe8h9wIpVcieW63y9WdK3c0WDsHHUdGNtdWtvnpNQLQ4Ej1uwSTA4MbqZaotIfLwgKortG3-gsdIEzIer8aqMx7WA8_NhZ60pvSnsOK0Kn3ku-x6J/s1600-h/august17.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOEnieQncyT5PbwElc8wlRe8h9wIpVcieW63y9WdK3c0WDsHHUdGNtdWtvnpNQLQ4Ej1uwSTA4MbqZaotIfLwgKortG3-gsdIEzIer8aqMx7WA8_NhZ60pvSnsOK0Kn3ku-x6J/s400/august17.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129365128609169954" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Green Onion & Egg Pancakes<br />Xindian, Taiwan<br /><br /></span></div><br />choosing to focus on what is not the obvious subject,<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFG82cB1J_Hr5MVWkGppH0lvO9qR0cJRTdoUwJ5Z4umAwjEYMGvbGXkjHZgsdOCzvd9oJIHdFh2DPa9ILPsmLbgK4ubsZS9adGPOKY2cdHyJZ252Cv3JcAx08cBavilPYehhg1/s1600-h/October10.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFG82cB1J_Hr5MVWkGppH0lvO9qR0cJRTdoUwJ5Z4umAwjEYMGvbGXkjHZgsdOCzvd9oJIHdFh2DPa9ILPsmLbgK4ubsZS9adGPOKY2cdHyJZ252Cv3JcAx08cBavilPYehhg1/s400/October10.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129368336949740098" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Not Welcome Here<br />Taipei, Taiwan<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">or using extreme wide angles, from in close<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQSgKdBvfH1Rl2MBEXQUDid82kGaZKsRhJE_Iqsbc3HBTbEPQHfAubE_9TW2npId4HMTwnrc3gFLSJIHwJh_Al8f4XEhLeZ1fhKAVxhBWW6-oFZNkF6WyMnWjuIsmRMuDrD4nt/s1600-h/September15.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQSgKdBvfH1Rl2MBEXQUDid82kGaZKsRhJE_Iqsbc3HBTbEPQHfAubE_9TW2npId4HMTwnrc3gFLSJIHwJh_Al8f4XEhLeZ1fhKAVxhBWW6-oFZNkF6WyMnWjuIsmRMuDrD4nt/s400/September15.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129369135813657170" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Cotton Candy Man<br />Xindian, Taiwan<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">can all bring new life into older scenes. They can also keep you, as the photographer, feel as though you are taking more control over the photos, rather than simply catching what you see.<br /><br />Getting specific moments, those which might be important to the people you are shooting, but easily overlooked by others<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlcnjxUECF48womMmH4z_Pj8dPfSuhHgZrnrFxDhlmc01iJ8o0Uiiie8JA12qgBnP0ugxav5rcfHDjIsdy3Kz4G5ZjSmPFQxjQ0hzq8Z2uv5SDUJv3OHs1DXHVv6JLPPHA7wsx/s1600-h/IMGP3431c.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlcnjxUECF48womMmH4z_Pj8dPfSuhHgZrnrFxDhlmc01iJ8o0Uiiie8JA12qgBnP0ugxav5rcfHDjIsdy3Kz4G5ZjSmPFQxjQ0hzq8Z2uv5SDUJv3OHs1DXHVv6JLPPHA7wsx/s400/IMGP3431c.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129374109385785954" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Moment of Purchase<br />Taipei, Taiwan<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkEyDOP9OupybMePxS4zEQ2ylcPj26ii_wr4yYbhA5VPoeRtEBTlHLEQtka6iDORGIt2en3ujhTadsKXVY3YLHD0RkZp0Wj3S1ElN1PwvzosqO6pAsQO4_hwOkdkTnyx_u7eFM/s1600-h/August3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkEyDOP9OupybMePxS4zEQ2ylcPj26ii_wr4yYbhA5VPoeRtEBTlHLEQtka6iDORGIt2en3ujhTadsKXVY3YLHD0RkZp0Wj3S1ElN1PwvzosqO6pAsQO4_hwOkdkTnyx_u7eFM/s400/August3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129375329156498034" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Came so Far for Beauty<br />Taipei, Taiwan<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimcHobnSPtvgQGmx2adMkqWGbi2CTf8nBrsAm5ZBU9qeOzDueJLsh0WJ5g-psQyMkDg0NcVa4FkhWAvMh9W0sB7CDhBRRjrCkFkld3bzqZ9dxBYdngVATPvqe55SYEEQfRppYq/s1600-h/IMGP2519.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimcHobnSPtvgQGmx2adMkqWGbi2CTf8nBrsAm5ZBU9qeOzDueJLsh0WJ5g-psQyMkDg0NcVa4FkhWAvMh9W0sB7CDhBRRjrCkFkld3bzqZ9dxBYdngVATPvqe55SYEEQfRppYq/s400/IMGP2519.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5129385375085003394" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Applying Henna<br />Delhi, India<br /><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">There are so many possibilities out in the real world; the quality and quantity of original photos you take is limited only by your imagination.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span></span></div></div><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span></span></div></div>Columbia Photography Class.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05095370532639978702noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27813390.post-59210897957289760652007-08-26T02:10:00.000+08:002007-09-08T00:30:31.294+08:00<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Shooting People<br />Part Three: Moving Into the Real World<br /></span><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNiRdlKiOCmy5RdgP2U9nS8kIdKcEQGVxL2fDvHREdeAuPcvaFsj1QB5be2eliz2JPhHjBpJ0kYz-zWoNam1A4348iJgtJdR5xjtOFYUhBTgIDoau11Ydcep79aYyshk_i2Vby/s1600-h/IMGP1532.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNiRdlKiOCmy5RdgP2U9nS8kIdKcEQGVxL2fDvHREdeAuPcvaFsj1QB5be2eliz2JPhHjBpJ0kYz-zWoNam1A4348iJgtJdR5xjtOFYUhBTgIDoau11Ydcep79aYyshk_i2Vby/s400/IMGP1532.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103536537018303426" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Marching Band<br />Daja, Taiwan</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Now, guards and the like are a good starting point and they can lead to some good and interesting photos. They can't be the only folks you shoot though. Unless you travel the world weekly, you just won't be able to find enough ceremonial guards to keep you, or those who look at your photos, interested.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKqSl0n29iNW0v_p7k583PAg-zph-iEjrdCx3TsW1f1AgT1VXy0lqSJtLmqcjEpYlrXOJI_tBw2gPoH8YoCZdFTRNoDI_TrTSeqOLKKO1lgV6Mg0KJJsgRpXAOSO1BBDA1fvFW/s1600-h/IMGP1245.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKqSl0n29iNW0v_p7k583PAg-zph-iEjrdCx3TsW1f1AgT1VXy0lqSJtLmqcjEpYlrXOJI_tBw2gPoH8YoCZdFTRNoDI_TrTSeqOLKKO1lgV6Mg0KJJsgRpXAOSO1BBDA1fvFW/s400/IMGP1245.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103385109356348338" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Make Up For the Opera<br />Taipei<span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span></span></div>Let's move on to stage two. I don't quite think the experience of getting some good shots of ceremonial guards quite makes someone ready to compete with the likes of David Alan Harvey, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Gary Winogrand or any of the others who have made their names and their salaries on the streets. It does make you ready though to make a pretty big step towards a different subject. As handsome as guards are, and not negating the fact that they are living, breathing people, they are still somewhat emotionally isolated from the rest of us. In some ways, a poorly done snap of an everyday person has more emotional attachment to many simply because we can imagine ourselves or someone close to use as the subjects.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6gsLclEKtZQK937scJwq1GsqiFwKQFj_FLGa_JHZJFUZ1O2db1tfkYknzCkl55bFEAu6GIIwwLvDntbJZaNzrbSWvbfh1U-u-UtfbJDjKAJZ2W065BvPCutnXkV2S-WadMpU5/s1600-h/early2004+022.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6gsLclEKtZQK937scJwq1GsqiFwKQFj_FLGa_JHZJFUZ1O2db1tfkYknzCkl55bFEAu6GIIwwLvDntbJZaNzrbSWvbfh1U-u-UtfbJDjKAJZ2W065BvPCutnXkV2S-WadMpU5/s400/early2004+022.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103757899632739298" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:78%;">A Face in the Crowd<br />WOW Philippines Festival<br />Intramurous, Manila<span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span></span></div>Unfortunately, it is a pretty big jump for most to go from shooting guards who can't react to shooting those who can. Maybe a good mid point is to find someone who is able to react, but unlikely to do so. Here, our prospects broaden.<br /><br />Maybe a best intermediate step between the absolute safety of shooting guards and the free for all that street shooting can be would be to find a parade, public demonstration, religious procession or other such public performance. Here, the people won't be completely unable to react to your photographing them, but because of the atmosphere, they are probably either expecting to have their shots taken, or more concerned with other things.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_q_cGFzGjg4wBdb2-FCMWJFdqP19_yb1kb8ftRcKBIvTgaoSAyRAeJKgm-ntnnNVJLhRtSnvRqHDKbwp1LALp6ZdQMNLagn_CbqVDE-Atcg6UFr-0BXbxoljW9LykPi7VYmvu/s1600-h/IMGP1626.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_q_cGFzGjg4wBdb2-FCMWJFdqP19_yb1kb8ftRcKBIvTgaoSAyRAeJKgm-ntnnNVJLhRtSnvRqHDKbwp1LALp6ZdQMNLagn_CbqVDE-Atcg6UFr-0BXbxoljW9LykPi7VYmvu/s400/IMGP1626.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5103755275407721426" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Little General<br />Matsu Pilgrimage<br />Daja, Taiwan<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">Similar to shooting the guards, you can find people who are very dressed up and photogenic. Also, you won't be the first to take their photo that day which hopefully can lead to them being more comfortable in front of the camera, with less chance of a bad response towards you.<br /></div></div><br /><br />There are other good spots to consider practicing people photography. One even which has become a yearly happening in many larger cities throughout the world is that of a gay pride celebrations. It is hard to compete with many of the gay pride festivities when it comes to color, a festive atmosphere and people who are not only willing to be photographed, but who have put a lot of effort into looking their very best for just that one day. Not only all of that, but they are great fun as well.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDtavJte73DnnbEsvUxqJNYu6fsDosJWd45Dn7XsY0IOyBFf0utWWSgJMmMEJvOLqV-qVv0M8uTqMd2dteXiwmjmA5Xj4CFu6LRuE4vqEl4WsMPflGEJxKgxRiuXk_TqfAQgRw/s1600-h/IMGP5915.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDtavJte73DnnbEsvUxqJNYu6fsDosJWd45Dn7XsY0IOyBFf0utWWSgJMmMEJvOLqV-qVv0M8uTqMd2dteXiwmjmA5Xj4CFu6LRuE4vqEl4WsMPflGEJxKgxRiuXk_TqfAQgRw/s400/IMGP5915.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104083217635607538" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Taipei Pride<br />Taipei, Taiwan<span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;">Political rallies can also provide a great backdrop, coupled with colorful signs a sometimes circuslike atmosphere.<br /></div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwCTERy_oPEObCC9eB7aroBVNo0lYOZ5DKtdnU8KOOwK6HG_fEDgt5QCXD0OoVaP1wjIjDY1tS0mKZV7P3jrlYZOGYYV_NLKH6vrN1a0gKS6BmrFymbvs2dFgwCkWcT25gb-I/s1600-h/oldguyatrally203.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwCTERy_oPEObCC9eB7aroBVNo0lYOZ5DKtdnU8KOOwK6HG_fEDgt5QCXD0OoVaP1wjIjDY1tS0mKZV7P3jrlYZOGYYV_NLKH6vrN1a0gKS6BmrFymbvs2dFgwCkWcT25gb-I/s400/oldguyatrally203.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104117774942471186" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Man At Anti-China Demonstration<br />Taipei, Taiwan<br /><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">Rallies can be great, for many of the same reasons all the other events I have mentioned. They can be colorful, people can be at their most outrageous, there are lots of props (think signs, flags, banners, etc) to give the photos more context and color and there is typically a high energy level. All these things can be great for photography. However, I would say that they present a more advanced venue than the other locals. First off, emotions can run high, especially here in Taipei, and this could lead to not only nasty looks from people you want to photograph, but possibly even physical confrontations. I don't think this is a huge fear, but it does take a certain level of confidence and body language to reduce the risks; those attributes come with experience. The second reason that rallies pose a greater challenge is that they tend to be fluid and ever changing. Being quick enough to think about who you want to shoot, compose the shot, think about any adjustments which might need to be made and then firing off a shot before things change is something that takes time and practice. Still, rallies provide a relative wealth of photographic chances; if you miss on, there will be another one available in moments.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Churches and temples are favourite haunts of mine and are great places to take photos of people, especially in Asia. In some ways, they are not the easiest, as many feel uncomfortable taking shots of moments as private as that of religious worship.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUwwTr6BHEECKwz_sWLvpPh4o3cvagtsu8ezZta_n2FgUPYDtmH96pHjeOrSeigCRNROUsM-QNFLoRMa8fzqLVjdgEPpg45zUDJ9_St1QW9wZOoHEKBH2uT6deaVfeYeM_PR0x/s1600-h/candlekeeper2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUwwTr6BHEECKwz_sWLvpPh4o3cvagtsu8ezZta_n2FgUPYDtmH96pHjeOrSeigCRNROUsM-QNFLoRMa8fzqLVjdgEPpg45zUDJ9_St1QW9wZOoHEKBH2uT6deaVfeYeM_PR0x/s400/candlekeeper2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104122920313291810" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Beautiful Candle Keeper<br />Schwedagon Pagoda<br />Yangoon, Myanmar<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><br />I fully respect those who feel this is an activity best left uncaptured, even if choose to capture this myself. My feeling about shooting in houses of worship is that I am capturing faith and beauty. Although I am not religious myself, I am very respectful of those who are and I do find the practice of religion to be visually beautiful more often than not.<br /><br />Probably the next bit should go without saying, but I will mention it anyways. Please be respectful if you do choose to shoot in a temple, mosque, synagogue, church or equivalent. This respect should include keeping a respectful distance from your subjects, making sure you don't interfere with the prayers those who are there to worship, keeping quiet and non disruptive and generally being aware so you don't stumble over others. Obviously, if the location or members discourage photography, you should obey that without question.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZtTiUYA_qsVVmeIXreeZ3Jypq39MpZQVTex0t4D7qCKToo2dC-agn_kdEIgoFX2BBILLs-3SfxOZXOjYsQ6t-qsnolnA20qTQff0OGcCyNnPf3yvwe7UkVvn5CaHkgDuMHhK7/s1600-h/IMGP9803.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZtTiUYA_qsVVmeIXreeZ3Jypq39MpZQVTex0t4D7qCKToo2dC-agn_kdEIgoFX2BBILLs-3SfxOZXOjYsQ6t-qsnolnA20qTQff0OGcCyNnPf3yvwe7UkVvn5CaHkgDuMHhK7/s400/IMGP9803.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5104126850208367666" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Hand of Devotion<br />HsingTien Temple<br />Taipei, Taiwan<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><br />I will cover this more in a later post, but I believe that generally, places of worship are good places to use longer lenses. I believe that as a general rule, the shorter the lens, the more personal and impactful a photo is, but this doesn't hold as true in a church, temple, mosque or the like. For the time being, I will try not to be too technical, but generally people are pretty sensitive to perceptual cues. They know when the photo was taken from in close and they also know when it was taken from a distance. Almost universally, prayer and worship are regarded as personal, solitary things. Because it is considered a solitary thing, seeing a photo taken from in too close can make for an uneasy experience for the viewer, not to mention the worshipper. For this, I do recommend keeping a respectful distance.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd06_2QRTmFOtXtcNwic43W3OOix1Me9qMV_l0FN9vsWm-TAUnMU5ZDfdU-9PxLKptecXRPOmApOLPvc1ixdE-kNLvnTxX4p6g6GH-tQ0e1UXi-gK0Bzc7g5eE-US4Gy27HSgI/s1600-h/imgp0085.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd06_2QRTmFOtXtcNwic43W3OOix1Me9qMV_l0FN9vsWm-TAUnMU5ZDfdU-9PxLKptecXRPOmApOLPvc1ixdE-kNLvnTxX4p6g6GH-tQ0e1UXi-gK0Bzc7g5eE-US4Gy27HSgI/s400/imgp0085.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5107478621211329650" border="0" /></a></div></div></div></div><span style="font-size:78%;">Calm and Good Light<br />Lungshan Temple<br />Taipei, Taiwan<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;">This is not to say that you can't take effective photos in a temple from up close. It just means that you had better be aware of the prevailing emotions and you had better have the body language to show your confidence and keep those you are shooting at ease. I would consider it an advanced level attempt in the genre of shooting people.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRCecEo_oQVuRvQTJdj738b_JJVmZCX_Stm4prIUj9flSBWjJShgYv60HirV2VEkhJtSa0LJjUFdqD88Lv2A4FT40pcoEjpxRyX0zP0Oj1CLv9DWnLMrqqtlDL-eZaDHFqVDoF/s1600-h/imgp7203.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRCecEo_oQVuRvQTJdj738b_JJVmZCX_Stm4prIUj9flSBWjJShgYv60HirV2VEkhJtSa0LJjUFdqD88Lv2A4FT40pcoEjpxRyX0zP0Oj1CLv9DWnLMrqqtlDL-eZaDHFqVDoF/s400/imgp7203.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5107485579058349186" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Incense<br />ChihNan Temple<br />Taipei, Taiwan<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;">Of course, if nothing else is working for you, it won't hurt if you have a truly beautiful model.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzNYHPqzcONrHgOGp_g3bowOQyqji0tGfvYs0Ii6AteoaaaQK2HwxQzlADiEQzmS8FRIKWJcrwatnISn2hbT6goX7OtVU40Rh2XqKhuQesnPlvuHS_9ln-1gDYhLFS2drHLi4F/s1600-h/_IGP0859.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzNYHPqzcONrHgOGp_g3bowOQyqji0tGfvYs0Ii6AteoaaaQK2HwxQzlADiEQzmS8FRIKWJcrwatnISn2hbT6goX7OtVU40Rh2XqKhuQesnPlvuHS_9ln-1gDYhLFS2drHLi4F/s400/_IGP0859.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5107486596965598354" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Don't Hate Me Because I Am Beautiful<br />Taipei, Taiwan<br /><span style="font-size:100%;"><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: left;">Next, we will move on to more stuff in the real world. Small steps, but we are definitely moving forward.<br /><br /></div><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-size:100%;"></span></span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Columbia Photography Class.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05095370532639978702noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27813390.post-82691389186036855162007-08-19T00:04:00.001+08:002007-08-28T23:16:35.737+08:00<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Shooting People</span><br />Part Two: Starting Points<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">First things first. I realize that for most people, taking photos of strangers is a very daunting task. It is an oft repeated "fact" that fear of public speaking is a greater fear than the fear of death. Taking photos of people might be the photographic equivalent. There is something about pointing our cameras at others which gives us pause. Many who would be flattered to have a stranger believe that we are interesting enough to capture on film/silicon wafer are somehow totally insecure about turning the scene 180 degrees. I know these feelings well and I fought hard to overcome them. Quite honestly, even to this day there are times when I get nervous and have to remind myself that I have done this thousands of times in the past. I believe that what worked for me can work for you.<br /><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeBcYyUtANitHel6LKJq9r93Ky_9ctfEYXOUtRQzEoIX6UDR1MkVMgUwZww6UJ20Ho6qQJMdtnbv5AM22PpAhMPKTWOVpoBysu4rqSo0HsimFniqmGo8XUiKMKthMPKa80ncoI/s1600-h/August22a.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeBcYyUtANitHel6LKJq9r93Ky_9ctfEYXOUtRQzEoIX6UDR1MkVMgUwZww6UJ20Ho6qQJMdtnbv5AM22PpAhMPKTWOVpoBysu4rqSo0HsimFniqmGo8XUiKMKthMPKa80ncoI/s400/August22a.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5102671504835085218" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Guards Below Dr. Sun Yat-Sen<br />Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall, Taipei<span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span></span></div>This little article is all about shooting strangers. Deciding on which stranger exactly to shoot is step one I guess. Just like when someone is learning to ski, he or she doesn't head straight up to the longest double black diamond run first thing, one should start shooting subjects who provide relatively little danger or antagonism as subjects. Early success leads to greater confidence and greater confidence is the key to shooting people.<br /><br />I recommend as a starting point to find some ceremonial guards wherever you happen to be. Some of the more famous ceremonial guards would be those at Buckingham Palace in London, the guards at the Tomb of the Unknown in Arlington, Virginia, the Swiss Guards at the Vatican or any number of other places where pomp and ceremony are important. If your country has a King or Queen, head to their residence. Look towards the seat of government in your area, be it provincial, state or federal. Some might not be there for the shooting at all times, but perhaps they show up for Remembrance Day, Memorial Day, Veteran's Day, other national holidays or events. These might not be available to all, but if you can get to them, they make a great starting point.<br /><br />Here in Taipei, the ceremonial guards guarding the huge statue of Chiang KaiShek at the Taiwan Democracy Monument (formerly CKS Memorial Hall), the ones guarding the equally huge statue of Dr. Sun Yat-Sen at the Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hall or the guards at the Martyr's Shrine serve the purpose very well.<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUhEckx5XTQ6cEhJe4UHnQbPCh-WdwjBABi5g3m0iaXLInLOfDNcIqVthzqge7f8WbEEwJLITAX9CeRqqnZC9Z-melxWvzY5ZNTkBR1Hsn0CjYk9dKm4PPQhEZ1G40f3zxi6Fj/s1600-h/IMGP3832.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUhEckx5XTQ6cEhJe4UHnQbPCh-WdwjBABi5g3m0iaXLInLOfDNcIqVthzqge7f8WbEEwJLITAX9CeRqqnZC9Z-melxWvzY5ZNTkBR1Hsn0CjYk9dKm4PPQhEZ1G40f3zxi6Fj/s400/IMGP3832.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100078985265808242" border="0" /> </a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Guard at Marty's Shrine, Taipei</span><br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:100%;">Why are these guards such a good starting point? Well, first off, they are trained not to react. You won't be getting any menacing scowls or uncomfortable looks from them. Also, since they stand ramrod still, you have time to look for the right angle, find the right background and wait for the right light too. Additionally, they are striking subjects. Young, strong, good looking men with polished hardware and formal attire; they look good in photos. That is important, as a good photo of an ugly person is still a photo based around ugliness.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8dlvUgWoafdfdFgtrYrY-bty4Zsn0EHdJMmsuOBTtS6puHDJKoZjc8pI9PAgM3tO0HFaThpFvp3PSznMFjQUSyNBnN3ReEYgVf5Ro7oJZoDfaBJfDDlOpUwv1ye02AaiFQ33U/s1600-h/IMGP5879.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8dlvUgWoafdfdFgtrYrY-bty4Zsn0EHdJMmsuOBTtS6puHDJKoZjc8pI9PAgM3tO0HFaThpFvp3PSznMFjQUSyNBnN3ReEYgVf5Ro7oJZoDfaBJfDDlOpUwv1ye02AaiFQ33U/s400/IMGP5879.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100082004627817346" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Guard at CKS Memorial Hall, Taipei</span><br /><br /><br /></span></div><span style="font-size:100%;">Now, these guards are almost akin to human statues; would shooting statues be a good place to start? Nope, not at all. Shooting statues can be a great exercise in learning light, but it won't help you in the ability to confidently photographing people. Even though they provide little to no resistance to being photographed, there is something in the fact that they are living, breathing folks which does wonders for our confidence. I don't know why this is exactly, but our ability to fool ourselves is interesting indeed.<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;">When you are out shooting guards, it is probably worth considering what you can do to get photos that others aren't. It is a great opportunity to work in close and perhaps capture some details that would normally get overlooked.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihHXXcY9RfOI8i3p8ECSHUVA2_e6pmk2U8_rpw7EHTFqwTBhupQKEHlVmimubOVMAp9m1Q4KHVz9Fw82Nf5e6FIOOHMDY5iemtg4yZO4Fo24kFjWmlvlbF882M7E227UbNDTj5/s1600-h/IMGP5883.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihHXXcY9RfOI8i3p8ECSHUVA2_e6pmk2U8_rpw7EHTFqwTBhupQKEHlVmimubOVMAp9m1Q4KHVz9Fw82Nf5e6FIOOHMDY5iemtg4yZO4Fo24kFjWmlvlbF882M7E227UbNDTj5/s400/IMGP5883.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5100087321797329810" border="0" /></a><span style="font-size:78%;">Hand of Guard and Rifle<br />CKS Memorial Park, Taipei<span style="font-size:100%;"><br /><br /></span></span></div>Such details as the white glove, or the tassel from where the strap joins the rifle can make for interesting subjects in themselves. It is not often that one can get in so close to capture such details from someone they don't really know.<br /><br />After this, I hope at least some of you will venture out with guards, or the equivalent, on your mind. This is as good a place as I know of to start your shooting. Good luck.<br /></div></div></div></div>Columbia Photography Class.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05095370532639978702noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27813390.post-79473397889448191622007-08-13T22:33:00.000+08:002007-09-11T22:12:09.653+08:00<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><span>Shooting People<br /><span>Part One: The Preamble<br /><br /></span></span></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span>My name is Darren and I shoot people...</span><br /><br /><span>If there is a single area in my photography in which I have had the most success, it has to be with people as my subjects. Truthfully, one of the biggest reasons I have had some luck shooting people is simply that I dare to do so. Where many get very nervous and almost frightened when it comes to pointing the camera at a stranger, I have more or less trained myself to do it when I see fit.</span><br /><br /><span>With this in mind, I will try to pass along some of the things that work for me and which I believe can work for many.</span><br /><br /><span>First of all, let me start by saying that I fully understand about being nervous when it comes to photographing people you don't know. I have been there too. If it wasn't for the encouragement, and sometimes disparagement of two photographer friends, I would probably still be sitting back and shooting architecture, landscape and/or other similarly remote styles of shooting. The truth is, I find people infinitely more interesting than anything else and I am proud that I have overcome my insecurities to shoot subjects I truly find interesting.</span><br /><br /><span>In my opinion, virtually all the great photographers, those who have created images which will last beyond our lifetimes, shoot people. The shots burned into our minds are of people, not mountains, green peppers or old buildings somewhere.</span><br /><br /><span>"Wait!" you are screaming. "What about Ansel Adams? The most well known photographer of all time?" Well, I would counter that he is perhaps the exception that proves the rule. Also, did you know that he was an accomplished portrait photographer as well?<br /><br />For all the photos below, please click on the image to be taken to the original. Blogspot does strange things to the images, they all look much better as originals.<br /></span><br /><span>Let's move beyond Adams. What are the photographs that really have made an impression? Almost all are shots of people I would say. Dorothy Lange's shot of the Immigrant Mother<br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/fsa/8b29000/8b29500/8b29516r.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px;" src="http://memory.loc.gov/pnp/fsa/8b29000/8b29500/8b29516r.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>would be one which first comes to mind. Something very powerful and haunting about that. Something very HUMAN.<br /><br />Two photos from the Viet Nam war also come quickly to mind. One would be Eddie Adam's shot of the Execution of a Viet Cong Guerilla<br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://digitaljournalist.org/issue0309/images/life/VCexecute.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://digitaljournalist.org/issue0309/images/life/VCexecute.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The other shot from the Viet Nam war which would stick out for me would be Nick Ut's shot of the naked Kim Phuoc as she flees from a napalm strike.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/05/asia_pac_enl_1115306756/img/1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/pop_ups/05/asia_pac_enl_1115306756/img/1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Robert Capa would have a couple entries on my list. One being the "Loyalist Militiaman at the Moment of Death, Cerro Muriano, September 5, 1936"<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/images/capa/capa_big_pic1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/database/images/capa/capa_big_pic1.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">and the other being the landing photo from D-Day.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.lyseo.edu.ouka.fi/kuvataide/albums/album02/rcapa.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://www.lyseo.edu.ouka.fi/kuvataide/albums/album02/rcapa.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Now, not all memorable photos have to be captures of war or strife. The photo of Neil Armstrong by Buzz Aldrin<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.famousquotes.com.au/userimages/user1204_1144663445.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px;" src="http://www.famousquotes.com.au/userimages/user1204_1144663445.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />would be high on many lists, not just my own.<br /><br />Other moments of triumph that have stuck with me would include Bob Beamon's record breaking long jump<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.sporting-heroes.net/files_athletics/BEAMON_Bob_19681018_EL_R.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px;" src="http://www.sporting-heroes.net/files_athletics/BEAMON_Bob_19681018_EL_R.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />at the Mexico City Olympics.<br /><br /><br />Cassius Clay (soon to be Muhammad Ali) standing over Sonny Liston<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.rogallery.com/_RG-Images/Ali/Ali-Photo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://www.rogallery.com/_RG-Images/Ali/Ali-Photo.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />while urging him to "Get up and fight sucka!" shows both triumph and failure and endures as a lasting image to this day.<br /><br />Alfred Eisenstaedt's capture of a sailor kissing a nurse in Times Square to celebrate the end of WWII<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.historyplace.com/specials/faq/kiss.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px;" src="http://www.historyplace.com/specials/faq/kiss.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>is another image which still impacts today.<br /><br /><br />Other examples would be Steve McCurry's image of the Afghan Girl<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://verdenibilder.jkorvik.com/0015s.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px;" src="http://verdenibilder.jkorvik.com/0015s.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Sebastio Salgado's image of people climbing out of a Brazilian Gold mine (actually, there are a number from that series, but my choice is this one).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.sergiosakall.com.br/montagem/sebastiao-salgado.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px;" src="http://www.sergiosakall.com.br/montagem/sebastiao-salgado.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Yousef Karsh's portrait of Winston Churchill<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/26/95191971_9a3aff8483.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px;" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/26/95191971_9a3aff8483.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Arnold Newman's portrait of Igor Stravinsky<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.theattractive.com/img/IgorStravinsky1946.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://www.theattractive.com/img/IgorStravinsky1946.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Henri Cartier-Bresson's Boy on Le Rue Mouffetard<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://images.snapfish.com/33%3B4968323232%7Ffp63%3Dot%3E232:%3D6%3B%3C%3D878%3DXROQDF%3E232359974:698ot1lsi"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px;" src="http://images.snapfish.com/33%3B4968323232%7Ffp63%3Dot%3E232:%3D6%3B%3C%3D878%3DXROQDF%3E232359974:698ot1lsi" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Kevin Carter's image of a vulture looking ominously at an emaciated boy in the Sudan<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.fossilizedcustoms.com/vultureJPEG.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px;" src="http://www.fossilizedcustoms.com/vultureJPEG.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><br />(OK, this one is not a happy photo at all, and it in fact led to the photographer taking his own life)<br /><br />Now, before closing out this section, I would like to make a somewhat bold claim. Not only do photographs of people have great impact, but they can shape public opinion and they are capable of mythologizing or demonizing their subjects. Both the Nick Ut and the Eddie Adams photos I mentioned were instrumental in shaping the American perception of the war in Vietnam. This is well known and accepted by this point. I will give a somewhat less obvious example, albeit with another iconic photograph. I posit that things are quite different today because of this photo of Ché Guevara, taken by Alberto Kosta.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://artfiles.art.com/images/-/Alberto-Korda/Che-Guevara-1960-Print-C10287697.jpeg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 300px;" src="http://artfiles.art.com/images/-/Alberto-Korda/Che-Guevara-1960-Print-C10287697.jpeg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Superficial as it may seem, I believe this photo has lasting impact, both for reasons serious and superficial. Superficially, this image is still very commonly found on posters, t-shirts, tattoos, coffee mugs and god knows how much other memorabilia. Now, wearing the t-shirt or getting the tattoo could be viewed as advancing the views of Ché, yet how many of those with the memorabilia know or understand who exactly is captured in the photo? My guess is that it is relatively few, but because of the photo, the name lives on.<br /><br />Less superficially, I think that it isn't impossible that the photo has been a piece in the puzzle in maintaining the communist Castro government in Cuba. Think about it this way, corporations hire models and pay a lot of money to have their product associated with people who their target market consider beautiful and sexxy. Is it outrageous to think that Ché looks appealing and sexxy (in a heterosexual way) to disgruntled anti-capitalist teens and young men not only in Cuba, but in Central and North America and beyond? I think it is not ridiculous to believe this at all: This image is a part of why Fidel has held power in Cuba for so long and why it appears that illness is what will remove him, not overthrow or military action. Likewise, I believe that this photo has bolstered the power of Venezuelan president Chavez, at least to a very small degree. I can't think of a landscape or abstract photo which could make this claim.<br /><br />I am leaving out many, many photos, missing out on shots by some of my favourite photographers, but I believe I have given a pretty good overview.<br /><br />Now, I am sure that not everyone will recognize every photo I have posted here, but I am sure that the majority of people will remember seeing the majority of the shots. Let's think about photos where people don't play into the image. Beyond maybe a few of Ansel Adam's photos and perhaps Edward Weston's Pepper, how many landscape, still life or architectural photos would have that kind of recognition or impact? Very few I think.<br /><br />I shoot people, because it is people who interest me. In my follow ups to this, I will try to give some advice that will allow you to shoot people too.<br /><br />I hope it can help.<br /><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Columbia Photography Class.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05095370532639978702noreply@blogger.com44tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27813390.post-31199128677315312602007-02-21T14:22:00.000+08:002007-04-10T22:18:52.589+08:00<p class="MsoNormal" align="center"><span><span style="font-size:130%;">Signs, Signs, Everwhere There's Signs</span><br/></span></p><div align="center"><div align="center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcWZGhqT2_eUvmyuCTh1mRy-OKk_6f4PgAT5ucucq1SUCsawNWtXmaLw6h_X_j6QJx3QtQC_Wu8jp9k3ujMJmcPco3u7qcwcg6ht0l2ISUIRtbZyal_hkAh9veaJHA_1rTWnAe/s1600-h/4.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcWZGhqT2_eUvmyuCTh1mRy-OKk_6f4PgAT5ucucq1SUCsawNWtXmaLw6h_X_j6QJx3QtQC_Wu8jp9k3ujMJmcPco3u7qcwcg6ht0l2ISUIRtbZyal_hkAh9veaJHA_1rTWnAe/s400/4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5033869516025217634" border="0" /></a><span><br/></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span><span><span>Technically, nothing wrong here.<br/>However, no native English<br/>speaker I know would speak quite like this.</span></span></span></span><span><span><br/><br/></span></span></div></div><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span>OK, here is a little bit of a rant from me. Now, I have lived in Asia for coming up on six years now and have done a fair bit of traveling through both the highly developed <st1:place st="on">Asia</st1:place> as well as the developing area of the continent. This observation is of something that can be cute and endearing in the developing world, but which I find inexcusably lazy and careless when I encounter it in downtown <st1:city st="on">Taipei</st1:city>, <st1:city st="on">Seoul</st1:city>, <st1:place st="on">Hong Kong</st1:place>, etc.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br/></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ9QoMXE5UpuSdAe43xf1qmqlBhdzOLrMUH_1QnJdXMw8863Sh7W1t6WEDP7Xz3AUYaaFbxyvY_LRa18M-AcdUF4bLN8M0_K_cGL69OcXHyvsq1Mj0jfrOg-F25RS-QiwNnObz/s1600-h/2.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ9QoMXE5UpuSdAe43xf1qmqlBhdzOLrMUH_1QnJdXMw8863Sh7W1t6WEDP7Xz3AUYaaFbxyvY_LRa18M-AcdUF4bLN8M0_K_cGL69OcXHyvsq1Mj0jfrOg-F25RS-QiwNnObz/s400/2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5033870082960900722" border="0" /></a><span><span><br/></span></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span><span><span>Heaven forbid one should be scarred.<br/>Being killed might be more of a concern.</span></span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span><span style="font-size:100%;">What I am speaking of is the butchering of the language on English signs. I realize fully that not everyone speaks English as a first language and I do applaud those that have learned to speak it even at a basic conversational level. What I do not applaud though is those who speak/write English at a good, yet imperfect, level but who will not ask others for verification on the work they have done in English. I saw a set of very good examples yesterday at a railway station in Pingtung. Four safety banners were hanging at the station and all four were written in English which ranged from awkward to poor. Now, most certainly it was written in English many, many levels above my Chinese, but every sign needed some tweaking.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br/></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZTBi5nQSoIPZhDXRIHUUUhlBSvnIoe0qp8mfgs7PgHmZ9_uolGFq8zeZOaquLOV4s2eSzPy05WbEnS8Hm2z8nIhAMmJJPYbiHofiTycfn7kUnXXrZ4KagGOZhhzzMbo3d_Vzs/s1600-h/3.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZTBi5nQSoIPZhDXRIHUUUhlBSvnIoe0qp8mfgs7PgHmZ9_uolGFq8zeZOaquLOV4s2eSzPy05WbEnS8Hm2z8nIhAMmJJPYbiHofiTycfn7kUnXXrZ4KagGOZhhzzMbo3d_Vzs/s400/3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5033870572587172482" border="0" /></a><span><br/></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span><span>The worst of the bunch...</span><span><br/></span><span>Words that don't exist,</span><span><br/></span><span>fragments masquerading as sentences,</span><span><br/></span><span>missing modifiers,</span><span><br/></span><span>this one needs a lot of help.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:100%;"><span>Personally, if I am in a small restaurant and I see a menu or a sign with awkward English, I do nothing but appreciate the effort someone has put in. I appreciate this whether I am at a tiny noodle stall in <st1:city st="on">Bagan</st1:city>, <st1:country-region st="on">Myanmar</st1:country-region> or at a mom and pop lunch box in downtown <st1:city st="on"><st1:place st="on">Taipei</st1:place></st1:city>. However, I am not near as forgiving when I see the same errors at a McDonald's, KFC, MosBurger or any other big business franchise. I am constantly surprised at the number of signs that I come across from big organizations where the English is just totally butchered. For me, the government and government subsidized or controlled businesses are the biggest culprit. Why on Earth would an organization with a cash flow of billions of dollars be so careless when an answer is so easily found? There are literally thousands of native English speakers living and working in <st1:country-region st="on"><st1:place st="on">Taiwan</st1:place></st1:country-region>, most either as teachers or translators. Almost any of these would be happy to give something the once over before it goes to press to ensure the language works as intended. The costs would be a pittance in comparison to just the costs of printing the signs, menus, posters or whatever other format is to be used.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br/></p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj65Bv95Xq0SnvRMOZT9myA26-7-x1JAo3O8MIdyuEbtTKs5LMSXfsi3nW1faqouHPRxQHzgmU7g8oVY7w2giIU4z1PgebBicipb03Q2wUynQ8onBSzdAftCWAlpUTCIUyQsajS/s1600-h/1.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj65Bv95Xq0SnvRMOZT9myA26-7-x1JAo3O8MIdyuEbtTKs5LMSXfsi3nW1faqouHPRxQHzgmU7g8oVY7w2giIU4z1PgebBicipb03Q2wUynQ8onBSzdAftCWAlpUTCIUyQsajS/s400/1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5033873153862517394" border="0" /></a><br/><span style="font-size:85%;"><span><span>While only a few grammatical<br/>slip ups, this is still pretty<br/>awkward.</span></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span><span><span style="font-size:100%;">These four banners would not have been super cheap to produce and I am sure that the same banners are visible at a number of stations. I am sure that those in charge could have found someone to proofread and adjust for the price of a single meal at a mid level restaurant. Why they wouldn't bother is totally beyond me.</span></span></span></p>Columbia Photography Class.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05095370532639978702noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27813390.post-9786259493006845912007-02-14T23:30:00.001+08:002007-02-20T23:52:07.082+08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5dToWE7uJHVwd_Mb0bKgu2PAcpuYHfVEpXK7YiPFDm2pwpy8-ZjM-BliCF3_BgUQ6ZRUeSv-mOknNlXejc2sFmPvkUgEzbQEd8ZUDVRYLG8wcEFagVoM-iGrxb1lffH81T4ya/s1600-h/IMGP0431small.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5dToWE7uJHVwd_Mb0bKgu2PAcpuYHfVEpXK7YiPFDm2pwpy8-ZjM-BliCF3_BgUQ6ZRUeSv-mOknNlXejc2sFmPvkUgEzbQEd8ZUDVRYLG8wcEFagVoM-iGrxb1lffH81T4ya/s400/IMGP0431small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5033643729594466818" /></a><br/><div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_xkx9FV_iD3w/RdMrRHxZwfI/AAAAAAAAAB0/tgcWU-4tzlA/s1600-h/IMGP0431small.jpg"><br/></a><br/>Observations on the Press<br/><br/><div>OK, I am not intending to be a political blogger at all, I will leave that to those, such as <a href="http://michaelturton.blogspot.com/" target="_new">Michael Turton</a>, who do it much better. This is merely an observation of the slant two different dailies in how they cover a fairly major set of political events here in Taiwan.<br/><br/>I am sure I am not alone in interpreting "Ma quits, announces his bid for presidency" from being the glass half full take on the current KMT Chair Ma Ying-jeou scandal, while "Ma indicted, quits as KMT chair" is the glass half empty version.<br/><br/>Political games certainly exist in the press every bit as much as they do within the participating parties.<br/></div></div>Columbia Photography Class.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05095370532639978702noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27813390.post-78165419382514251682007-01-30T21:25:00.000+08:002007-02-04T22:08:40.290+08:00<div align="center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN87HNz9DpfsOHlmfqy0ZM0EYhmyp2pLYm9ORzP7hVfJduN5EjlEklVrpinEHErkznANRy3DPZYPZ5Tn8Uh8T28Xc-k38W5TUU_5cFH21VMYn_HeYGhe6ZbtzD1oqhfNtiiuin/s1600-h/MRT.jpg"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN87HNz9DpfsOHlmfqy0ZM0EYhmyp2pLYm9ORzP7hVfJduN5EjlEklVrpinEHErkznANRy3DPZYPZ5Tn8Uh8T28Xc-k38W5TUU_5cFH21VMYn_HeYGhe6ZbtzD1oqhfNtiiuin/s400/MRT.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5027327348293350402" /><br/></a><br/><div align="left">I have been in Taiwan for a little over four years now. In that time many things which were a mystery to me at the beginning now make sense; maybe not perfect sense, but some sense anyways. I no longer salivate with dreams of ice cream when the garbage truck comes by. I can appreciate, if not fully understand, the chaos involved in in a transportation system where scooters rule the road. Hell, I can even enjoy stinky tofu.<br/><br/>At least one mystery remains though. I really don't understand the morning commute habits of many who ride the Green Line MRT. I live very close to the Xindian MRT station, which is the terminal station of that line. What this means, is that once the train reaches this station, it heads back in exactly the same direction from which it came. The station the train just came from (Xindian City Hall Station) is also the next stop after Xindian. Logic would suggest to me that this being the case, the train should empty out at Xindian. Logic fails me here though, as this is not the case at all. A good 70% of the people on the train, maybe 25 per car, remain on board, wait for the six minute stop time and head back to exactly where they came from. I just don’t get it.<br/><br/>Now, I am sure you are thinking, “What is his problem? What difference could it possibly make to him how someone uses the train?” Of course, you would be right. Then again, you would be wrong. It affects me in that because so many are remaining seated, I have difficulty getting a seat I like. This means a seat facing forward, next to the window. Many others seem to like these too and those who stay on board are either already in those seats, or they shift to them before I am able. Now, since I ride for 13 stops and approximately half an hour, good seating has a real value to me. Why these people are taking it away from me is bothersome to someone as petty as I.<br/><br/>Maybe I should be able to easily move on past this, but I can't. As mentioned above; I am petty at times. This is one of those times.<br/><br/>All I want is a good seat for my journey....Is that too much to ask? Get the hell out of my seat people!!<br/><br/><br/></div><br/></div>Columbia Photography Class.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05095370532639978702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27813390.post-12649840932460184372007-01-29T22:16:00.000+08:002007-01-29T22:34:37.684+08:00Bombing in Varanasi: Too Damned Close <br/><br/>I originally wrote this March 8, 2006 and it has sat on my laptop, unedited since March 9. Upon writing this, I didn't really know the details/results of what happen that evening in Varanasi. That was not the point in my writing; I was trying to capture my thoughts and feelings having experienced what I did. <br/><br/>If you want to read some more details about the events I am talking about, it is covered in a post on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006_Varanasi_bombings" target="_\">Wikepedia</a>.<br/><br/><strong>It was strange.</strong><br/><br/>I had my first encounter with terrorism last night, yet it took me until this morning, more than twelve hours later to find out what I had gone through. For being so close, it all seems so distant.<br/><br/>Last night I was ready to go from Varanasi to Agra. My train was to depart at 6:15 and I had arrived about 10 minutes early. Through the station I went, I found my train, secured my luggage and sat down. This being India, the train did not depart at 6:15, but sometime later. While sitting on the train, awaiting departure there was what I could only describe as a really loud bang. It sounded not unlike a car backfire, although you could tell at once that it was both much louder and also more distant (I realize that scientifically these two counter each other, but it was the instinct I have). The sound was enough to shake our train and it certainly caught the attention of everyone onboard and on the platform. <br/><br/>My first though was “Bomb!”, but I quickly put that thought behind me, actually scolding myself for being a paranoid foreigner. Looking back towards the platform, it seemed as though things were back to normal in an instant. No one was running, screaming or otherwise panicking; life was seemingly back to normal. I chalked things up to it being just another noisy event in what I have found to be a very noisy country. I couldn’t explain it, but if nobody else was stressed, why should I be? I settled back in, turned off my mobile phone and readied myself for another long and tedious train ride.<br/><br/>As expected, the train ride was long, tedious and pretty much without event. People started stirring about 7am, which was already about a half hour behind our scheduled arrival time. Word on the train was that we were about two hours behind schedule, but this seemed completely normal. I may have switched on my mobile and found no reception, to be honest I can’t remember if I did or not. Slowly, people began to awaken, the sleeping bunks were put back up so that we could sit again and everything was seemingly normal. Not long after this, and I can’t be certain of the exact order of things, some things did start to happen. First, the unmistakable chirp of cell phones which had received SMS messages were heard throughout the train. Also, at about the same time, we pulled into some unknown (to me) station, where some could get off, drink chai and even grab a newspaper. These two events seemed to happen within minutes of each other. <br/><br/>At this time though, things most certainly changed. The sound of the people on the train was suddenly quite a lot louder and with a different tone. People seemed to be moving about more on the train as well. I turned on my mobile phone again and instantly I was hit with six messages. This is hugely unusual, as there are less people than that who know the number I am using and of those who do, there are maybe two who would send a message. Six was really unique. Again, I am not totally sure of the sequence of events, but within moments, I heard from those on board that it had in fact been a bomb we had heard last night and that there were multiple deaths associated with it. The number of deaths varied and other details were sketchy, but it was no doubt a serious event that had happened not 150 meters from me. I immediately sent out a text to let those who were most worried know that I was ok, although this was after they had been worrying for more than 12 hours. Just after the text was sent, my phone rang again; a number I didn’t recognize. When I answered, it was a friend of a very good friend of mine, calling from Mumbai. I had met him a couple of times, but we were not in any real way close. There was clear relief in his voice when I answered, along with remnant fear: Apparently the group of them had been up much of the night trying to get through. Of course with my phone turned off, it was all to no avail. <br/><br/>The next while on the train was an interesting experience. Now, the foreigners on my car were suddenly talking to each other, trying to piece together what Spartan information was available. Those who spoke Hindi were doing the same and those conversant in both languages were often acting as third parties, or reading from the more current morning newspaper. The information from the Hindi language newspapers was more up to date, as all the English language paper had was a tiny paragraph about the bombing with no real details. On the front page of one of the Hindi papers was a sickening sight: A woman, sitting against the wall, both of them splattered in blood. I clearly recognized the area as the train station and a spot I had been in not 20 minutes before the blast. This one shot, more than anything else, is what clearly nailed down the impact of the act for me. <br/><br/>Now, in the grand scheme of things, I guess my safety was not really the closest of close calls: Yes, I had passed within a few meters of where the bomb went off and not too long before it did so. However, so had hundreds, if not thousands of others. I guess that since the authorities believe the devices were either set to go off on a timer, or remotely triggered, it is possible that I unknowingly walked right by the bomb, but that is nothing more than speculation. Whether I was technically close or not, it was certainly close enough for me to think about things differently.<br/><br/>Anyways, there you have it: My first, and hopefully last, experience with terrorism.<br/><br/><br/><br/> Columbia Photography Class.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05095370532639978702noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-27813390.post-24937103105178613892007-01-28T22:55:00.000+08:002007-01-29T18:07:21.394+08:00<br/><span><span><span>Rebirth Through a Toy Camera</span></span></span><span><span><span><br/></span></span></span><span><span><span> <br/></span></span></span><span><span><span><span>My first post and I am surprisingly (to me) nervous.</span></span></span><span><span><span><br/></span></span></span><span><span><span><br/></span></span></span><span><span><span>A few things about me, both as background to me in general and as a background to this post. First; I am a traveler. I have been to quite a number of spots in Asia and I am as comfortable in a low budget guesthouse in Laos as I am in my own bedroom. Second, I am an avid photographer. These two hobbies mesh together beautifully, and one does well in charging the other. However, I haven't really been on a trip for six months and nothing serious for almost a year now. The lack of travel is causing me to stagnate photographically, and while I want to change it, I just can't find my muse here in Taipei.</span></span></span><span><span><span><br/></span></span></span><span><span><span><br/></span></span></span><span><span><span>Well, a new and rather expensive DSLR gave me a short shot of adrenaline, but it didn't rocket me forward in any particular way. Not that I was expecting a new camera to make me a new photographer, but one can always hope.</span></span></span><span><span><span><br/></span></span></span><span><span><span><br/></span></span></span><span><span><span>Enter the Holga; one of the very worst cameras ever built. </span></span></span><span><span><span><br/></span></span></span></span><div align="center"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt1fmvpStqJpUzuiEiD8amLhZCJ9v0ihefygqtW4xXUjA7IQ73AT5nMxsFtOa1Hk8CjvKIHPsK4fDqdprNe98cOobAR6Di3Wb7ZCEJx5COiaQCxly9Voh70HT8vZX5eHdWc6Y5/s320/holga.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5025061435217130370" /><span><span><span><span><br/></span></span></span><div align="left"><span><span><span>Worst, that is, if what you are looking for in a camera is decent build (calling the Holga a toy camera is an insult to decent toys everywhere), good light metering abilities (the Holga has none), a good, bright lens (on the Holga you get a cheap plastic lens with lots of irregularities and distortions), the ability to take a bump or a drop and keep on going; even a new Holga can use some tape to make sure it doesn't pop open at a bad time (see photo). The very plastic body is also very famous for allowing large amounts of light to leak into the body of the camera, which is one of the only things a camera body is really not supposed to do. Really, if I was to suddenly start a new camera company and was to hire an engineer to design the best possible camera, what I would do is to buy a Holga and simply instruct my new engineer to make the new camera everything that a Holga is not. </span></span></span><span><span><span><br/></span></span></span><span><span><span><br/></span></span></span><span><span><span>The one image quality positive to the Holga is that it is a Medium Format camera, which means it uses larger film and produces a negative/slide which is 6x6cm rather than the 3.6x2.4cm most are used to on 35mm film. This little tidbit is directly involved in how I shot my first roll. </span></span></span><span><span><span><br/></span></span></span><span><span><span><br/></span></span></span><span><span><span>A Holga is much like a Harley Davidson, in that it is quite rare for their owners to use them as is out of the box. Now, much like Harley Davidson owners, there are two types of Holga Owners. With Harley's, one is the typical, hardcore biker and the other is the stock broker who wants the prestige of ownership, but doesn't really fit the true lifestyle. With Holga owners, there are the hardcore, who do the mods themselves and there are the wannabes who go to </span></span></span><strong><a href="http://www.holgamods.com/" target="_blank"><span><span><span>those who are truly dedicated</span></span></span></a></strong><span><span><span> to have the modifications done for them. I have to admit that I am the cheesy ass wannabe and I bought the mod for my Holga. My modification is one which allows me to use 35mm film in the camera and allows for the photo to go all the way to the edges, right overtop the sprocket holes. My choice for going this route was twofold. First, I like the look. Second, I have extra 35mm film in my fridge and no way to scan the 120 film normally used in the Holga. Being a digital baby, I want the fast access that developing my own b&w film gives me. </span></span></span><span><span><span><br/></span></span></span><span><span><span><br/></span></span></span></div></span></div><div align="center"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlWxvgyhcv5OFONQYYd_R0dPHqD0GBxEe0SgwlIpHUGiiUpvUslj1xjmE_d6hjU4J4hr1_KZYLabrei_5JMgy8cjZNOYfR-0wrhunTuR8wyM45vkLwmr5Se2-2RcUxPKsiDLs1/s400/holga1small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5025097117805425634" /><span><span><span><br/></span></span></span><span><span><span><br/></span></span></span><div align="left"><span><span><span>Being a cheap bugger, I also like the reduced costs involved in doing the processing and scanning myself too. The downside to such an approach is that because scanner is only designed for the smaller image size, producing a single frame requires four scans and a fair bit of PhotoShop time to create a single image.</span></span></span><span><span><span><br/></span></span></span><span><span><span><br/></span></span></span><div align="center"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdaRq8q5pAU1i5f69yuAXuPU-WC8LsBsClhI9TzECNgHB0O0qKzPpSaTT40ykPCU0Dq1YYU8HqS_I6fQT0fp9fRas2BCouonA54z51A8vcdgzQPlBJWK3Rpny_ELXbFZqS745I/s400/holga3small.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5025096915941962706" /><span><span><span><span><span><span><br/></span></span></span><span><span><span><br/></span></span></span></span></span></span></div><span><span><span>Now, above I gave a number of reasons why the Holga can be considered the worst camera ever made. However, there is something about the Holga that also makes it one of the best ways to spend $1000nt for a little photographic fun. There is just something really special about having a camera where the only control you have is how you frame your image, and even that isn't too accurate. What this leads to is for me to stop thinking about the photograph and just thinking about taking pictures. To me, this is more than just a semantic distinction.</span></span></span><span><span><span><br/></span></span></span><span><span><span><br/></span></span></span><span><span><span>There is also something about the distortions, light leaks and irregularities of the Holga which make for beautiful photos. Hopefully I can show some of those in future posts.</span></span></span><span><span><span><br/></span></span></span></div><div align="left"><span><span><span><br/></span></span></span></div><div align="left"><span><span><span>Right now, taking photos is simple and fun again. What more could I ask?</span></span></span><br/></div></div>Columbia Photography Class.http://www.blogger.com/profile/05095370532639978702noreply@blogger.com0