I signed up for 500px a while ago; it’s given me a chance to look at a lot of photographers’ works.
And, you know, they’re really good. Very good indeed.
But I have come to the conclusion that I’m not that bad.
I started with the intent of using my tools to assist my “eye”– my ability to see a story in an image, and the intent to capture that story in a single frame.
And I am getting somewhere.
Fig 1
Fig 2
What I needed to see was to find out what other photographers were doing; what I needed to see was find out what they did to bring their images to full vibrancy and life. I’ve heard people mention things like “popping” colours and so on, but I didn’t have the ability to see what they meant.
Until I started seeing a lot of work in one place.
I wouldn’t use those words.
But I mentioned some time back that I try to generate depth with lines.
It never occurred to me that you can generate the sensation of depth with colour
Fig 3
A more intense colour, harder shadows, balanced out by a gentler lens, and suddenly there’s magic.
Fig 4
Light, shadows, vignetting around the edges (just a hint), and everything changes
Fig 5
Gives the images some bite:
Fig 6
And when I get everything together… the outcome is magic
Fig 7
Sometimes it’s too magic, to the point that Facebook images can’t capture it:
Fig 8
and I can only use 500 500px to carry the image clearly
And what happens is that once you learn this skill in one place– this series of steps that becomes a systematic processing of your images into something called “workflow”– then it becomes applicable everywhere
Even if all you’re photographing is scenery and the story thereby.
Fig 9
(For reference, here is the same image without processing.
I don’t consider it cheating, because the first image is how the world looks to my eyes.)
Non-cosplay pictures of people in this album here
Fig 1 Random lady waiting for someone just outside Bugis Market
Fig 2 Photographer doing macro flower photography at Gardens by the Bay, Flower Garden
Fig 3 Random photographer at same.
Fig 4 Real Teo and Christy Bell at Singapore Cosplay Club Show 2014 (Full album here)
Fig 5 Naoko Lee (Ibid)
Fig 6: Mochitake Mido as Laito Sakamaki (Diabolik Lovers), Ibid
Fig 7, 8: Caffeine in a private, semi-impromptu photoshoot one Saturday evening. (full album here)
Fig 9: Singapore CBD. (from my 2014 landscape album)
Fig 10: Same, but archived one year ago in a different album[(my 2013 landscape album)](https://www.facebook.com/yuen.xiang.hao/media_set?set=a.10151687903074085.1073741839.571969084&type=3
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