With these two new lenses I have to get to know better (check my blogs on Samyang and Carl Zeiss), apart from the kit lenses I already have, then add most of the basic stuff I need to know about photography, it's sometimes overwhelming. Or perhaps confusing.
One of the most frustrating experience is when I see something that I thought would be a great scene. I grab my camera, probably take a random shot, review the shot on my screen, reset whatever needs to be reset, then shoot again. It should have been simple, right? Wrong. Lens and camera does not work as good as human eyes and brain (respectively), and that fact hasn't sunk-in deeply in me.
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| May I Help You? The time I saw these two, they were still (sort of) talking to each other. I was captivated by how the sunlight was striking their fur, they look golden. As I set my camera, they both stared at me with that curiosity look, which made the scene look even better. Alas, after about 4 shots, I just can't show off much of their golden fur, their piercing eyes staring at me, and their story being guard dogs. As the owner in his car was waiting behind me, I just have to give up. |
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| Rustle I wonder how falling leaves make so much noise, it keeps distracting me. So I looked outside my window and here was this dried branch staring at me, poking at my window, with this single leaf cradled in its arms. Yeah, poetic. Not so in this image. |
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| Sole Survivor I was strolling around a Korean cemetery and found this lonely little plant, still full in color amongst the vast field of dried grass. Position after position, angle after angle, distance after distance, I can't just get a good picture to portray the scene, if my life depends on it. |
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| Against the Golden Hour When I saw this scene, I loved how some light struck some parts, and the shadows simply evoke mystery. But all I get is a silhouette. |
But that's the technical part.
Simply put: "It's always a matter of taste." But that's easier said than done. There's a reason why photographers... or let's just say, "I" in particular... post pictures online. To share it to people in hopes they'll give praise. Which means, in most cases, it's not about pleasing myself. It's more about appealing to the masses. But what if my taste in media is just different from the rest of my circle?
There are times when I put much thought into a shoot and it gets ignored. Most of these pictures I put my heart and soul, because it is my taste. I do everything I can to make it technically correct, then I adjust to make it look interesting to those who can't understand. But as a whole, it's one of those images that make me glad I got a camera. But despite all that passion, people went even give a second look.
And then come the images I just shoot randomly. Pictures I take without emotions. Sometimes pictures I take because I know my friends will like it. All of them not for me. These are the photographs I take for granted. Just point, set the camera and lens, click, then monde along. No thought process, no emotions. Strangely enough, it's mostly those images that get noticed. Friends like and comment on Facebook. Some of them even try to make interpretations, even go further as to include emotions, tones, and what not. It amuses me whenever I get this.
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| The Morning I Left I pass by these plants sieged by spider webs every spring morning. At times I end up staring at them for an hour until I need to get to work. How the light strikes individual parts and how the shadows play along keeps me mystified. This image give me chills for some reason. But I guess my story is best told to myself alone. |
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| Footsteps While I was waiting for the ducks to get more comfortable, I was walking around looking for other interesting things to capture. When I saw this, the song "Footprints in the Sand" got stuck in my head. It's concerning since it's been decades since I heard this song. With the glare from the sun's reflection on the snow, I had a very hard time getting a good exposure. But after all is done, I guess, the song didn't come out of the picture. |
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| Nature Has It's Ways This is one of the most emotional pictures for me. Death is inevitable. I also happen to appreciate such gory images and want to focus on them some time in the future. But this has a message for me. I guess, the image of a dead duck doesn't really appeal to everyone. |
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| Vendog Another emotional capture. I believe this dog has no master. And he has a lot of stories to tell. The time I saw this dog, I could almost want to talk to him. Ask how he is. Keen about his life. And this is the best I could do to share what I felt for him. But the emotions didn't show up, perhaps. |
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| Warm Sadness This image wasn't my most preferred for the title. I had that title "warm sadness" on another image I took. But I chose to show this because it was actually my test shot. Believe it or not, it's the only one that got so much attention. Perhaps it's because of the pretty texture, the pretty warm colors, and simplicity. But it's definitely a shot I simply took for white balance. |
Everything I shoot right now is pretty much hit or miss. Nevertheless, it keeps my hobby interesting. For now, I think it's not a matter of taste. It's more a matter of choice. To please other people, or to please myself. It's always one or the other since my circle of friends simply have a different preference than mine. A picture may make me happy, personally. But then it breaks my heart when posted online and just gets ignored.
Note: The images posted here are all taken from my two new lenses. But the article is about all the pictures I've taken and posted from the start.
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