junsjazz-pinoykodakeros: Paradise Reborn

Monday, December 31, 2007

Paradise Reborn

"The kingdom of heaven is spread out across the earth, only people don't see it."~Jesus (from The Gospel of Thomas). Let me help visitors to this blog see some eden-like places that can be found in the Philippines, starting with the picture above which I took at Panglao Island in the province of Bohol and, of course, exotic locations taken by the Pinoy Kodakeros (featured in the sidebar). Wishing everyone a peaceful and prosperous 2008!

JJ"s Top Photo Editing Tools

I rely heavily on photo editing softwares because, admittedly, most of my photos are far from perfect shots. Of course, I have to do something about it. And I become like an aesthetic surgeon (reminds me of the TV series Nip/Tuck) ready to overhaul a patient, nope, simply ready to put some retouching and enhancements. Hence, these photo editors come handy when sharpening edges, deepening sky colors and the like.

Browsing the web, I came across four softwares that are offered for FREE (bless those developers!) which I highly recommend because, aside from their zero price tags, I have personally used them in my works, and found them convenient, user-friendly, and basically address my photo editing needs. Not in order of preference and just citing individual unique features, they are:

1. Picasa - Have been a user of this for two years now and it is the only software I use to keep tab and neatly organize the thousands of photos I still keep in my PC's hard disk. Has all the basics to adjust sharpness, contrast, brightness and simple effects to provide glow, selective blur and convert colored photos to black and white and sepia. But its most nifty feature is straightening a slanted horizon in just a few clicks.

2. Light Artist - Handy for the creative at heart. Add a sun, a moon or any light source to your photo. Adjust its size and intensity and pick any color or shape for your light. Intense!

3. Merge - For pure play and experimentation, mix two pictures and come up with a unique image. Has options on blending, where to place the second image, adjust image opacity, contrast, and other merge effects. Sheer fun!

4. Photoscape - Powerful and versatile. Does about everything from basic editing to the more advance enhancements and effects. It is a package of editor, viewer, raw converter and combiner. What I like most about it is the easy photo resizing and ability to create "backlighting " effects, brightening and enhancing dark areas of your photo and producing surreal glows in subjects which can be adjusted.

Now worth mentioning are three other photo editors that I use extensively and are offered either as shareware or trial editions, namely:

5. FxFoto - Has the essential editing functions and can also organize, enhance and do layout, but I use it mainly for overlaying text on images (like the above "half" self-portrait), and for its various framing and border styles. Versatile!

6. Photo Pos Pro - If you want to get down "photoshop" style then this is it. "Cut" faces and heads and place it on another body. Transport a person or subject to another background. Create graphics, merge images, put layers and add effects. Creative!

7. TwistedBrush - With hundreds of pre-set brushes, erasers, cloners, blenders, pastels, pencils, backgrounds, textures, layers, patterns, pallettes and everything else, your creativity will only be limited by your imagination. This is one powerful and extensive package. Edit, create, enhance, manipulate, retouch, paint and draw, there are boundless possibilities of what you can do with this stuff. Thumbs up!

Please visit the blog My Digital Art World where I feature all my digital photo art works using the above-mentioned tools. Thanks!

Top 10 tips for travel photography

1. Research your destination before departure - Spend some time researching your destination before departure. A little preparation is all it takes to avoid turning up at a place the day after a weekly market or annual festival and being told how wonderful it was.

2. Know your equipment - Ensure you’re completely comfortable with your kit. Many photo opportunities don’t repeat themselves and missing the moment because you’re trying to figure out how the camera works is frustrating and avoidable.

3. Frame the subject - Fill the frame with your subject so that there is no doubt in the viewer’s mind what the picture is about. If you have to explain that the grey blob is an elephant then the picture has failed.

4. Think about composition - There is no one perfect composition for any given subject. However, if in doubt start with the rule of thirds that teaches that the main elements of a composition should be placed at points one-third of the way from the sides of the frame.

5. Horizontal or landscape? - Consider whether the subject would look best photographed horizontally or vertically. Camera orientation is an easy and effective compositional tool.

6. Consider your viewpoint - Don’t assume that your eye level or the first place you see your subject from is the best viewpoint. Taking a few steps left or right, going down on one knee or standing on a step can make a significant difference.

7. Check the background - Look at the space around and behind your subject and make sure nothing overpowers it in colour, shape or size.

8. Make sure eyes are in focus - Focus on the eyes when photographing people or wildlife. It doesn’t matter if other features are out of focus: if the eyes aren’t sharp the image will fail.

9. Check the horizon - When photographing landscapes keep horizons straight.

10. Lighting matters - The colour, quality and direction of light change throughout the day. Note how the light is falling on your subject and select a viewpoint that makes the most of these elements of natural light to enhance your subject. This can sometimes mean having to wait or return at another time.

~By Richard l'Anson from Guardian Unlimited

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Monday, December 31, 2007

Paradise Reborn

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