EyeMindSoul

A Bit Of Colour ...

2018-01-18T10:22:00.001+07:00

Two flowers in our garden. Don't know what they are

Taken with my X-E1 and then processed using my pp tip but using Velvia - PP Tip 21

Same two flowers taken with my Fuji HS30 EXR and then processed using my pp tip but using Velvia - PP Tip 21

In Day's Gone By - Part Two ...

2018-01-06T19:08:00.001+07:00

... Last time I posted some images from the Fuji cameras I have owned. These ones are from various Canon, Nikon and Sony cameras I have owned. The oldest image dates back to about 2001

In Day's Gone By ...

2018-01-01T20:31:00.001+07:00

... Over the years I have owned many Fuji cameras. S100fs, A850, F200 EXR, HS10 and currently have the HS30 EXR, HS50 EXR, XF1 and X-E1

Some were/are good some brilliant

Anyhow some images (about three hundred) below from them

To Market ...

2017-12-31T14:31:00.000+07:00

... Went out for a hair cut today and decided to take my HS30 EXR with me and take some images at the wet market. First time I have touched the camera in four years

All edited using my PP Tip 21 but using Velvia instead of Provia

I was originally planning to take the X-E1 but as I wanted to mainly shoot at waist level it was more expedient to take a camera with a tilting LCD which neither the X-E1 or XF1 have and the HS30 was sitting on the desk in front of me

Stopped at an eclectic coffee shop first for a coffee and a sandwich

Wat Arun Bangkok Thailand

2017-12-28T15:40:00.000+07:00

An old image with a fresh edit. Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn) on the banks of the Chao Praya river in Bangkok

This image was used as the cover image for the Dreams of Thailand - Bangkok book

Sunset At Krabi

2017-12-26T19:36:00.000+07:00

Not a new image. In fact I think it was taken in 2004 or 2005. Shot with my GA645 using E100VS. I really miss that film emulsion

Glad I Blogged My PP Tips

2017-12-24T22:52:00.000+07:00

I've barely touched a camera in the past four years but this week charged the batteries on a couple and took some images. Having done little photography I had forgotten many of the PP tricks.

The two below were both done using PP Tip 5. Not new images but new edits today

There's A Track Leading Back ...

2017-12-24T13:06:00.001+07:00

If you're an Ozzie you'll know the song

An oldie from my Fuji HS-10 - Wish I still had it

New edit using my PP Tips 17 and 21

Ayuthaya Revisited

2017-12-24T11:29:00.003+07:00

Some recent pictures taken at Ayuthaya (Ayutthaya) which was the capital city of Siam (Thailand) and was sacked and destroyed in 1767

All taken with my Fuji X-E1. Great camera

Bokeh

2017-12-23T14:34:00.002+07:00

Bokeh ? What is it ? And, how to avoid stepping in it.

The reason I say how to avoid stepping in it, is that there were recently two posts on one of the forums I participate in. One was titled 'The Bokeh Thread', the other 'The Anti Bokeh Thread'.

Now, the two original posters are both photographers whose work I admire. I doubt either was looking to start a fight, simply expressing their point of view. However all the usual wannabees jumped in quickly to offer their tuppence worth.

Quickly, some of the resident armchair authorities dived into the 'sea of opinion' and totally muddied the waters. Well, I think it was mud, but could have been something less pleasant.

They quickly attempted to stamp their long winded authority on the subject and determined that in every minions best interest they would write the authorative text book on the subject. Seriously ! I hope they trip over a pile of bokeh in the street and have a very unpleasant end.

The threads became a total waste of time to read and headed toward 'train wrecks' at an alarming rate.

The point here is that few participating in the threads understood what bokeh means, and certainly did not understand how to describe it.

In the end, I doubt anyone learned anything.

Do I understand it ? Yes, and no.

The word bokeh is a Japanese word and the definition is fuzzy in itself.

Fuzzy ? Yes, that's basically what the word means. Is it any wonder we cannot get a clear understanding of bokeh if all the word means is - Fuzzy.

What does fuzzy mean ? When I was a teenager and into my early twenties, I had 'fuzzy' hair. It was long, curly and frizzy. Fuzzy. Well that is what polite people called it.

What does hair have to do with bokeh ? Nothing, except that my describing what my fuzzy hair looked like is completely meaningless unless you can see an image which shows it. I'll bet you've got a dozen different pictures popping up in your head now, as to what fuzzy hair looks like.

I'm not going to show you an image but to help with the general 'picture', if you're familiar with Jimi Hendrix you're on the right track, except that his hair was short.

So, in it's purely literal sense - Bokeh (boke) is a Japanese word which means fuzzy, dizzy, hazy, (mentally) confused.

For photography purposes, the term can be simply used to describe the out of focus areas of an image. Hence, we get terms like good bokeh, smooth bokeh, creamy bokeh, even bad bokeh.

If you read a dozen internet articles you will get a dozen different opinions on what bokeh means.

I am not going to link to any of them, you can search them out at your own peril. Afterward, take a couple of 'Tylenol' and have a nap. You may wake up feeling a little less confused.

One of the better internet articles makes a simple statement, to paraphrase, that Bokeh has come to describe the quality of the out of focus areas of an image.

The key point here is quality. An image may have out of focus areas but that does not necessarily mean those areas represent any form of bokeh or even 'quality' bokeh as bokeh has an indeterminate life of its own dependent upon how you interpret the condition.

And, for the purposes of this article, that is what I will focus on, or not. Pun intended.

First of all, photography is basically about capturing a subject and ensuring that the subject is in focus.

Depending on your lens, camera, technique, etc., etc., you can achieve differing degrees of focus through a scene. All the elements in a scene can be clearly in focus, or it may be that our desire is simply to have one element in the scene in focus.

For a portrait photographer, it may well be that the desired 'plane' of focus is very narrow. Maybe the desire is to have an eye clearly in focus and let other elements, particularly the background, drift into a peaceful blur.

Conversely, for a landscape photographer, the greater the 'depth' of focus (field), the more advantageous it is to render all elements in the scene with clarity.

It all comes down to what is preferred. More specifically what is your preference.

When I think about bokeh, I am not just thinking about the amount of blur in parts of an image, I am thinking more about how aesthetically pleasing is that blur as contributing to the composition of the total scene.

Exhibit 1

I like this image for it's 'slice of life' feeling. There is a degree of subject isolation but one can still get the sense that it is a 'road' image and that the youngsters are out cruising on their motorbike.

The background displays what can rightly be described in the unpublished (never to be published) bokeh rule book as bokeh. 'Fuzzy background yet still almost discernible as to what it is and with an ever so slight drift to 'smooth' bokeh'. BS. It is bad bokeh.

For me, the background is purely and simply out of focus. It is not what I think of when I think of bokeh even though the background is certainly 'fuzzy'.

Exhibit 2

As far as I understand (stated/mis-stated) bokeh rules then the background of the below image would be called 'creamy' bokeh or 'smooth' bokeh as the background is slightly visible and looks smoothly out of focus and its inclusion enhances the foreground.

This is what I would call bokeh but dozens of other webizens may differ in their view

Reality is bokeh is a non-tangible, non-definable abstract and the perception of such can only be defined within the imagination of the individual.

Anyway, confused ? I bet you are.

I suggest you search the web if you want better answers than I can provide here. Not many photography web sites mention bokeh though as bokeh is the boogey man to be avoided at all costs.

However after your search have the Tylenol on hand again as I 100% guarantee you will end up with a worse headache than you had before.

The key to understanding bokeh is first to understand that if an image is pleasing to you then the image is pleasing and this is true of any image you may take.

If no-one else likes it but you do then you are most likely way in front as simply others cannot appreciate art as you do.

Make sure that if someone does not like it that firstly you have a full appreciation of their own body of work as there are so many armchair critics/experts out there who will tell you black is white when after all you took the image in colour and their own body of work comes nowhere near your own - I have some thoughts on this, have a look here - Frankly My Dear

And that does not apply just to bokeh but to all myriad aspects of an image.

For me and dependent upon the image bokeh can be good or not so. My examples may not necessarily be the greatest but they may start your journey to a better (limited) understanding.

Buddha Face

2017-12-23T14:25:00.001+07:00

Spider Flower

2017-12-23T14:01:00.001+07:00

Not quite sure of its real name (perhaps Peruvian Daffodil) but here 'tis

Lotus

2017-12-23T13:16:00.000+07:00

A few Lotus pictures from my collection. The last is one of my favourites

Last but by no means least. The Lotus gatherer

I was crossing a bridge and spied this lady out of the corner of my eye and pulled up quickly, jumped out, and was lucky enough to capture this image

Erawan Falls

2017-12-23T11:01:00.001+07:00

Erawan Waterfalls near Kanchanaburi Thailand. Beautiful place.

All taken with my Fuji X-E1. Great camera

Pattaya

2011-09-15T11:58:00.002+07:00

Several years back, I was given an assignment to shoot photos for a book on Pattaya.

Pattaya ?

Well, I've been there many times but really had to query my editor as to what was photogenic about Pattaya ?

It started life as a small fishing village with a superb stretch of white sand. Over time it developed(?) into something which resembled more of a long bar with a beach in front.

Now I don't wish to paint a negative picture, as with a little effort it was easy to find it's redeeming features.

So, some images below which were taken for inclusion in the book. Some used, some not.

Enjoy.

First, a little look back to how it may have looked. Originally a fishing village, if you look hard enough you can still find vestiges of life as it has been for generations.

Some views over modern day Pattaya and around the town.

Views of the beaches and some beach activities. Shot at Pattaya and Jomtien beaches.

Some other activities for those who wish to skip the beach.

Culture ? There's not too much that you would deem historic, but there are still some attractions to be found round about.

Nong Nuch Gardens.

For me, at least, one of the major attractions near Pattaya is Nong Nuch Gardens. This is a very large complex of gardens, temples, sculptures and has an Elephant and Thai dancing show. It is about 20 minutes South of Pattaya and is well worth a visit.

The night life.

And finally, South of Pattaya is a beautiful beach called Bang Sare. Great place for shooting sunsets.

Cheers

...

PS - If you would like to join the EyeMindSoul Photography Forum, click for details here

The Big Mango

2011-09-13T07:47:00.001+07:00

Similar to my last post about Ayuthaya, one of the Dreams of Thailand series books was about Bangkok.

I lived in Bangkok for about five years and found it be an extraordinary place. A city which has infused its ancient culture and history with all that is modern, good or bad. Whilst there, I spent endless hours exploring as much of the city as possible as the sites and scenes are incredible.

Anyway, just some images which are representative of Bangkok and not shown in any particular order.

Some were used in the book series, some not.

Enjoy.

Cheers

...

PS - If you would like to join the EyeMindSoul Photography Forum, click for details here

Dreams Of Ayuthaya

2011-09-12T08:20:00.000+07:00

Some years back, I was fortunate to participate in a book project called Dreams of Thailand. This consisted of several small travel books on various destinations within Thailand and each book contained about 50 images.

One of the books was about Ayuthaya (also spelt as Ayutthaya) which was the capital city of Siam (old name for Thailand). The city was destroyed by invading armies in the late 1700's and parts of the ruins have been (somewhat) restored.

For some further information about the ancient kingdom of Ayuthaya, and about the city, have a look at the wikipedia entry here

Some of the photos which were selected for the book, but not necessarily used. The images were taken with several different cameras and are not in any particular order.

Enjoy.

Cheers

...

PS - If you would like to join the EyeMindSoul Photography Forum, click for details here

Angkor

2011-09-12T06:27:00.001+07:00

I had the opportunity to visit Angkor, Cambodia, some eight years back.

Only there for a few days but I found the whole area simply amazing, and the photographic opportunities boundless.

It is one of those places I have always wanted to re-visit but have not had the opportunity to do so yet. One day.

If you wish to read more about Angkor, have a look at the wikipedia article here

Anyway, here are a few images which I took whilst there.

Cheers

...

PS - If you would like to join the EyeMindSoul Photography forum, click for details here

EyeMindSoul Photography Forum

2011-07-15T10:48:00.001+07:00

A while back, some friends and I started a photography forum and, whilst it currently only has several dozen members, it is growing steadily.

Why a new forum ? Well, the main idea was to have a forum which was more photography centric, than equipment centric. Also a forum, which had as it's founding premise, an attitude of being (and remaining) a friendly and informative venue.

Membership is by application and if you would like to join in, then please follow the link here

Cheers

...

End Of An Era

2011-07-09T13:22:00.003+07:00

Well, as they say, it was fun while it lasted.

Late last month I closed my gallery and dismantled the business. I thought it would take a couple of weeks to close it all down and move out, it took all of five.

Amazing what stuff you collect over the years !!

Anyway, after eight years of galleries, shops, etc., it was time for a change.

That is definitely the one constant in life - Change.

Just a short pictorial history :

The first gallery in Bangkok, which also doubled as a studio.

A little later on we also opened shops at the Suan Lum Night Bazaar in Bangkok. This proved to be a great sales outlet.

In early 2006, we closed all the Bangkok outlets and moved to Hua Hin.

We found a shop-house in the main night market street which would be suitable for a small gallery. Having street access, when the night market was open, was a major consideration.

The gallery when we took possession of it.

Over time it went through several cosmetic changes. These are in chronological order.

When it first opened.

A travel documentary film crew shooting a series.

Looking in from the street access.

The final configuration of the gallery.

And, sadly, empty walls as we closed it down.

Over the years, many exhibitions were also held in a variety of venues.

And, finally, who could forget the many wonderful folk, from so many different countries, who bought the images. I wish I could show them all but space does not permit.

However, thank you to all as it was a very memorable and enjoyable experience.

Cheers

...

PP Tips 25 - Using Adobe Lightroom

2011-04-29T11:13:00.002+07:00

This is part of a 'How To' series on post process work.

I have put together a fairly simple overview of using some of the adjustment tools in Lightroom. As it will be difficult to see the process steps here, I have created a PDF file which can be downloaded.

It is in two parts - For part one click here, and for part two click here

For reference, here are a couple of the images shown in the tutorial.

Original.

Adjusted.

Original.

Adjusted.

Cheers

...

Other posts in this series - Click here for the index page.

A Little Love And Care

2011-04-27T16:58:00.001+07:00

I love my 'bike. It's not that big, nor that powerful, but it is perfectly suited for getting around the area here on the photo trips I do. Comfortable and quick on the highway, and excellent for getting through the traffic in town.

One year on, it has about 8,400 kilo's on the clock and I took it in today for its 8,000 km service.

One thing I also really like is that the local Honda shop is always so quick and efficient at doing the services. I pulled up at about 8 am and they started immediately. Half the bike was in pieces before I had a chance to start taking pix.

The petrol tank has to come off to get to the air cleaner. The guy at the left has just discovered that the nut holding the clutch handle in place, has disappeared. Glad he spotted that.

Seeing as the tank was off, I mentioned to them that it was 'surging' at about 4,000 to 5,000 RPM and could they check the mixture. Quick as a flash the air box came out.

Next, the carburettor was gone. There's an engine down there somewhere.

The carby getting a clean. They thought the probable reason for the surging was that it needed a clean.

More cleaning. Long story short, after it was all back together and I headed out for a ride, it still surges but not quite as much as it did.

While the 'bike was getting serviced, I had a quick look at the latest model. The new CBR 250R. Yes, I would like one.

Why would I like one ? Its got a bigger rear tyre.

Also, whilst I was waiting I had a look at the patient in the next bay. Ever wanted to remove spokes from a wheel ? This is how you do it.

Not sure why but the whole front of the 'bike got pulled apart.

Here's the wheel after a little surgery on the spokes.

I retired to the office for a bit and noticed the two beautiful young ladies there doing a little grooming also. Not quite sure what they were doing, but I think it was an eyebrow trim.

The patient.

So, after getting the service, I headed off to the Wash Me (Spa for your car). They do 'bikes also and again the service is excellent and speedy.

Didn't take long before it was starting to look a little more like I remembered it should look.

A little fine attention from the owner - Pang (Powder in Thai).

Well, with it all serviced and sparkling like new, I headed off to get a picture of it. It will be dirty again soon enough.

Cheers

...

PP Tips 24 - Using 'Masks' In Photoshop

2011-04-24T03:55:00.001+07:00

This is part of a 'How To' series on post process work.

This one deals with some techniques to create masks in Photoshop, and how to then apply editing steps with/within the masks.

There are several techniques to accomplish this, and I am simply showing some of them.

I have made an overview using several different images, and using different styles of masking for different purposes. As it will be difficult to see the process steps here, I have created a PDF file which can be downloaded - Click here

Due to its size, the document is in four sections. The above link will take you to part one and all the other parts can then be downloaded from there.

Please download and, above all, enjoy.

For reference, here are a couple of the original 'as-shot' images followed by the image as edited using the techniques as described.

In this first one, the idea was to completely remove the background to create a 'clipping mask'.

The original image.

The completed image.

With this next one, the goal was to balance shadows and highlights.

The original image.

The completed image.

Hope you find it helpful.

Cheers

...

For other posts in this series, please click here

PP Tips 23 - Simple Photoshop Black And White Technique

2011-04-24T03:37:00.001+07:00

This is part of a 'How To' series on post process work.

This one deals with a technique to convert a colour image to a black and white one, using some of the tools in Photoshop.

There are many techniques to accomplish this, and to accomplish different effects, this is just one of them.

I have made a very quick overview of a couple of image edits using this technique. As it will be difficult to see the process steps here, I have created a PDF file which can be downloaded - Click here

Please download and, above all, enjoy.

For reference, here is one of the original 'as-shot' images followed by the image as edited using the technique.

Hope you find it helpful.

Cheers

...

For other posts in this series, please click here

Boats, And Stuff

2011-04-21T20:12:00.001+07:00

Also whilst out and about today, we went down to the fishing port at Pak Nam Pran.

Here's a few shots (well, many) from around the area.

Cheers

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