Album title: November Breeze, Model: 蓓蓓 (read: bei bei), Photographer: Edwin Setiawan (me), Place: 雙溪公園 (read: shuang xi gong yuan), Date: 2009/11/08.

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Long time I didn’t join model photo session ~ I hope this album wasn’t too bad…..As usual comments, suggestions, critiques are welcome. Thanks for visiting my blog, if you interesting you can see my portfolio.

These photos were taken during my flight journey from Taipei (Taiwan) to Jakarta (Indonesia). Fortunately I sat on the window side so I could take these beautiful views.

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Hope you like it, thanks for viewing my website – comments and critiques are welcome….

This article is written by me based on my experience using fisheye lens, I hope it is useful for you. Maybe some tips/ technique just good for several cases ~ I think it’s difficult to write the perfect ways to use the tool in every condition and situation, it should be have limitation and exception for some conditions. Anyway you can try to experiment by yourself and I am sure the best way to know how to use the tool (lens) isn’t only read but also try, try and try.

Here is some tips how to use fisheye lens creatively:

1. Try to get repetitive pattern in your photo as much as possible ~ simple pattern will become interesting when you use fisheye lens. You can see two examples below, I think the pattern looked more interesting hehe….

2. Too messy and crowded?! why not….. Sometimes when you play with fisheye lens its interesting to take some (crowded) activities such as traffic jam or people who getting rush in train station or (maybe) people do business in market ~ everything that looked messy and crowded will become an interesting combination. See the photo below, I took this photo on the top roof of building and can see construction project with old building far away, in addition I also can see many cars in the left side. Anyway it’s not a regular pattern but a combination of many pattern ~ totally different with tips #1.

3. Try to take photo in a “crazy” way. If you ready to use fisheye lens means that you ready to accept lens distortion. When someone buy fisheye lens, actually he buy “distortion” – seems like distortion is the important value for fisheye lens. But in fact some people try to avoid too much distortion in his photo – for some cases I agree but if you use it’s ability to produce “crazy” distortion – definetly you will surprise when you see the photo. The example below is an example to prove that the world is round hehe…..

4. Use open wide aperture to empasize something in your photo. When using fisheye lens people seldom to use open wide aperture, people usually use large number f  (ex: f/16) to make sure that everything in the photos are sharp. I agree with that opinion but sometimes when you need to emphasize something maybe you can try to use maximum aperture. See the example below, in this example I want to emphasize the curve shape of the (front) fence ~ it looked like a (window) frame which the blurred pattern as an object behind it.

5. Try to take photo from different position and distance. When you use fisheye lens don’t forget to change your position and distance with the object. You can’t think that position is not good without try it ~ when using fisheye lens the close object to the camera will produce the object bigger (sometimes it makes the object large inproperly). See examples below, even with the same object the different is much (maybe) when you change your position.

6. Rotate your camera to get amazing photo. In previous tips I usually rotate the camera almost facing the earth/ground. In tips #6 I give you examples when you rotate the camera facing the sky – the results also not bad or better (maybe) hehe……

That’s all – I hope this article useful for you – comments, suggestions, critiques are welcome. Thanks for visiting this website.

Long time I didn’t post a photography article in my blog because I busy to work. The other reason is I don’t have something special that I need to write. This topic actually is a basic for photographer but it is essential ~ since I learn photography by myself, everything I do just read, read, read…… and of course try it. After that I write it on my blog ~ I think it’s good to share your experience for others, life isn’t just for you but also for others.

What is Exif? Exif stands for Exchangeable image file format, it is a specification for image file format used by digital camera.  Exif usually content information such as date time information and camera setting. Learn Exif data is a fast way to learn other photography technique, of course learn the technique without good practice is just nothing. Anyway if you interesting about Exif in detail you can go to this link.

Let see sample photo below, I use ACDsee to see this Exif data, anyway you can use other software to open it, or just right click on your photo and choose properties then choose details.

See Exif data in detail, I just explain 2 sections that I think important:

Camera section:

Important things in camera section are camera model and date/time. The quality of the photo depend on the camera and lens ~ I agree photographer never blames his camera but I also agree that good photographer with good camera will produce good photograph.  Date/time is important (especially) if you are landscape photographer. For example you want to take photo in Mt. Fuji, it’s better to check other people photo before you go there. If you learn others people photo you’ll get information the right time I should go there to take photo.

Image section:

~ My 25th birthday anniversary  ~

1st  -  Thanks to GOD for everything ~ without YOU I’m just nothing

2nd -  Thanks to my parents and family

3rd  -  Thanks to my friends

the last – thanks to you who read this blog – without your comment I can’t improve my photography skill

Album title: The Pursuing of Elegance, Model: Naomi, Photographer: Edwin Setiawan (me), Photo Editor: Edwin Setiawan (me), Place: Taiwan, Date: 2009/08/15.

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I hope you like this album – this album is specially made as a gift for my 25th birthday…..  as usual comments, suggestions, critiques are welcome.

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My Portfolio: Edwin Setiawan Photography

Recently I have been influenced by another hobby – digital painting. Since I am a photographer (not a painter) so it’s a little bit difficult for me to start painting with a blank paper. So my idea just turning photo into a digital painting. If you find in google there are many ways to do that. Honestly I can’t find a good way to turn photo into a real digital painting.

I can give you some digital works example by other people (they start from blank paper): gseoning, ahon, etc. Other people create from 3Ds Max and post work by painter and photoshop – my favorite: Soa lee. Maybe you realize that most of digital painter produce a fantasy/dream work but recently I also found other people who create a realistic work – click this link.

Anyway I just improve my way because my first digital painting was too bad – you can see here. I know this one also not good – but I believe practice makes perfect. I hope someday I can turn a photo into digital painting which similar with other people paint from blank paper. I think it can be an option for people who are born not to be a painter – sorry no tutorial for this one. As usual comments, suggestions are welcome…. thanks.

Note: I just use mouse + keyboard (without wacom) and photoshop (without painter) – original photo by me.

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Today (August 10, 2009) I am very happy because I have been chosen by Fotografer.net as a FPGE (Fotografer Pilihan Editor – Editorial Chosen Photographer (I am not sure about this translation hehe….) )

If you interesting to see my photos on FN you can check this link – thanks all for your feedback…..

~ without your feedback, I am just nothing ~

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My Portfolio: Edwin Setiawan Photography

Album Title: Summer Touch, Model: 小豬(read: xiao zhu), Photographer: Edwin Setiawan (me), Photo Editor: Edwin Setiawan (me), Place: National Taiwan University (國立台灣大學, read: guo li tai wan da xue), Date: (2009/08/02).

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Hope you like it…. comments, suggestions, critiques are welcome ~ thanks.

My portfolio: Edwin Setiawan Photography

Have you ever  get this kind of problem? Is this problem really annoying you? if your answer is yes and you want to know how to fix this problem, please read my simple tutorial.

Actually there are two main ways in order to get rid of backlight problem. First is avoid this problem and second is fix this problem. Avoid backlight means you need to take photo in good condition, good technical setting, good lighting, etc – and it can be done before you take photo. Many people use reflector and flash to avoid backlight problem – they also use spot metering and increase exposure bias to avoid backlight problem. Fix backlight problem means you have a backlight photo but you try to fix it – many people will delete the photograph because the photo is really unacceptable (except you take shillouete photograph). In this tutorial, I will share my simple way to fix backlight problem – I use photoshop CS4 but you also can do this in other version of photoshop.

How to fix backlight problem:

1. Open a backlight photo.

2. Duplicate photo (Ctrl+J).

3. Click Image->Adjustment->Shadow Highlight.

I set the properties such below: (you must have experience to set the properties, each photo has different number to fix the shadow area and highlight area)

The result after step 3 is like this:

The result still disappointed regarding skin tone and the contrast, but it better than original photo hehe…..

4. Increase contrast – you can do this by level, curve, brightness&contrast, etc – the result is like this: (maybe you can’t see much different because I just increase contrast a little)

5.  Correcting skin tone:

Change the skin tone by using curve adjustment – modify the RGB channel:

Apply masking so only the skin will be fixed by the curve:

The detail how to correct the skin tone can be seen in my previous tutorial (the idea just like step 4 ).

I think the result from step 5 is good except the background and the object have different saturation – the background colors are very dull so we will fix this in the next step.

6. Correcting environment tone.

I use hue saturation adjustment to correct this problem – for this photo I increase the saturation by +40, the result is like this:

What a terrible result !? – oops we forget to add masking for hue saturation adjustment. After we create masking for this adjustment, the result is like this:

7. Fix contrast and white balance to mix the object and the environment – about correcting white balance you can refer my previous tutorial. The result is like this:

8. Finalizing the photo – sharpening and noise reduction (about sharpening you can see the basic idea in my previous tutorial). The final result is like this:

Here it is before and after:

I hope after you read this tutorial, you learn how to fix backlight photo. If you read my tutorial and get stuck with some steps that means you need to read my other tutorials. I don’t like to write (again) something that I have written before. Anyway if you have questions, critiques, or suggestion don’t hesitate to write it out – I always open for your feedback. Thanks for visiting this website – if you have time you can see my portfolio here.