Posted by Aidan Hammond (Seoul, South Korea) on 6 March 2007 in Miscellaneous and Portfolio.
Another shot from the same market. the amount of produce available, as well as the scale of the market, is really amazing. Boats advertise their products by hanging their wares from a bamboo pole. Smaller boats then sail up to the larger ones and negotiate purchases.
On a technical note, I adjusted some of the colours here - these are not the true colours. I am not sure what others may think of my choices. Likewise, I 've added some blurring to the foreground and background to compress the depth of field. Any comments about my adulterations/manipulations would be appreciated - I am interested in talking about this aspect of photography and hearing others point of view.
My own opinion on this, briefly stated, is that there is a line between manipulating and lying. If the image is altered to change the meaning, without distorting or deceiving, then I don't really have a problem. We don't consider a painting to be an accurate depiction of reality; in the same way we should not expect the same of a photo. But what thoughts do you have on this?
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Nice photo collection you have. I find the tones of the pictures very unique. If I may I ask, what kind of cam do you use to get such nice tones? Or, do you give your photos some post effects? Great work...
6 Mar 2007 4:53am
@juant3: I use a SONY R-1 digital camera - I don't think it is very popular, but it has a great lens and sensor (IMHO). I do some post-processing - mostly with the curves to achieve these tones. There is a tutorial here that I have mentioned before. That's where I got started with this.
Aidan - life is mostly perception! Everything is as good or bad as we respond to it! Every image is as bland or compelling as ow we react to it - I personally like your image! I like the tones and the scene is a wonderful representation of the culture! Well done my friend!
6 Mar 2007 5:45am
@Jerry: Thank you for the comments.
Aidan, thanks for sharing the tutorial link once more! And my apologies if my questions cause any misunderstandings! As Jerry put it very nicely, "life is all about perception". Whether you change, edit, alter, etc., a photo or not is up to you, the creator, in order to achieve some kind of reaction from the masses. I think, what makes a beautiful piece of art possible, is not just how wonderful it is to oneself but what emotions it can bring out from those who sees it!
6 Mar 2007 7:23am
@juant3: I agree. But, I think there is something to be said for the more traditional photography - after all, i learned photography in the darkroom, so i still have great appreciation for the process and craft that traditional methods involve. But for me, this allows
I have no problem with even extrememanipulation, what is important is the final image. Nothing else matters, not the cropping, not the colour adjustment, not the lens, not the filters and not the camera. I love it, especially the water. The only thing that I don't feel works 100% is the sky. There's a good sky somewhere in levels channels or curves. It would be easily separated, but what to do? Perhaps some more green to complement the water?
6 Mar 2007 7:24am
@Lazy Aussie: I agree with you on some of the technical aspects. The sky was quite flat in the original RAW file, so any manipulation that I did to just changed the flat colour - but perhaps reflecting a similar colour, like the water, might work. I'll play around with this. thanks for the idea.
This is a really interesting market and a nice shot Aidan! I think if a photo has the potential to be better than reality manipulation is ok or even desirable. I like the details of the water here but personally I think it's a little greenish, maybe more blue will do the trick?
6 Mar 2007 9:34am
@Bahar: Yeah,... I've been thinking about that too, and others have remarked in the same vein. I might make some changes and re-post. thanks.
I used to remember a quote goes something like this- the most easily forgotten photos are those undergo extreme PP.I agree with juat3,most photos are about expressions,the invaluable emotional messages that can be felt deeply in our heart.However,I don't quite agree with retouching nature and reality which is the way it is as we perceive it,that is bad for our senses,but for purely for ART is fine for me.hmm...really questioning what is considered a Ethical photographer huh ;)
6 Mar 2007 9:56am
@Kheoh Yee Wei: As for ethics, I was interested in discussing it - I don't know if it is necessary to take an ethical stance and divide into groups over the issue. But talking about it, and articulating our ideas about are important I think - as photographers, we sometimes tend to discuss the image as it happened at the instant it was captured. The post processing seems to be a separate issue (either we acknowldge it, defend it, ...whatever). I am interested in talking about it - for example, what does it mean to take a picture with a wide DOF and then compress that DOF in PS?
I think it's definitely possible to get carried away with post processing, as you've alluded to, especially now we're all in the digital age. I think you have to let your sense as an artist guide you - you can fiddle around for hours or days adjusting, manipulating, fiddling with your photos, but knowing what looks GOOD or RIGHT can still elude many people. Digital processing is obviously faster than working in the darkroom so you can afford to take more chances and mess around more. But just like someone in the darkroom you've still got to make a choice and have an 'eye' for photography. And of course, not to forget, the photographer still has to have an eye for subject, composition, framing etc. before images get near the darkroom or computer!
I think you've got a good image here; it looks right, it looks interesting, it's a GOOD PHOTO!
6 Mar 2007 10:55am
@Daroru: Thank you for the comments.
Since you asked, the tones are not quite the ones I would have used. But, that is just me. I salute you for your experimentation and openness! Your a good photographer. Keep up the good work! Imogen Cunningham, a famous San Francisco female photographer, once told me never to listen to a single source for what is right and wrong in photography. Instead listen to many! Looks like you've got a quite a few oppinions to sort through. Great question!!!
6 Mar 2007 2:40pm
@Craiger: Good advice - I've always been skeptical of followers of artistic 'gurus'.
FANTASTIC image aidan! Perfectly done!
6 Mar 2007 2:42pm
@kaveh: Thanks
Hi Aidan. Same as your photo of Cambodia series , this photo is splendid, too.
6 Mar 2007 7:35pm
@Makoto: Thanks
The colors you've chosen here give the photo sort of a faded, 1970s feel. The content of the image is nearly timeless, so your processing seems appropriate to me. I also don't have a problem with your selective blurring, as it does serve to focus the eye. After all, this isn't photojournalism, and your blurring isn't so extreme that it becomes a distraction.
To me, that's the test - the processing should help the viewer see the content, whether it's desaturation or an increase in contrast to focus attention on shapes rather than colors, or other manipulations (such as yours in this photo) to evoke a feeling or another time. People should see the photo, not the Photoshop.
This market looks really interesting, and I'm enjoying your photos from this part of the world.
7 Mar 2007 2:56am
@MarkDM: Thank you for your comments. I'm attracted to these colours for some reason... This kind of travel really was rewarding from a photographic point of view. I highly recommend travel in this part of the world to other photographers. It's refreshing.
Thank you everyone for the comments and opinions. It is valuable, and refreshing, to talk about work in this way. I look forward to discussing these kinds of topics with you in the future. Thanks again!
7 Mar 2007 8:28am
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Photography by Aidan Hammond
Photography by Aidan Hammond
