Photography can be very simple in its form yet contain a powerful message. It is not how many or what type of elements you decide to frame with your lens but how all of them composed together will make the viewers feel, or what they will make them think of. Photography, or even art in general, is like flirting, you either click immediately or not. You either relate to what you see or you don't. Art is there to make you feel, not think. Once you start analyzing it it loses its charm and elegance. Leave thinking and pondering for snobs. I took this image yesterday during private photography workshops in Tokyo. I like to challenge my students bu placing them in front of tricky to compose views, or just asking them to find me a photo in surrounding chaos. We were inside Tokyo Big Sight in Odaiba and I have noticed this salary man resting on a couch. He was checking his phone and I took a few shots, but I was not fully happy with them. Then I saw him pass out and that was the moment I was waiting for. Perfect image to summarize Tokyo, with faint and very organized geometrical pattern (symbolizing Japanese life style by the manual) in the background, lots of negative space (traditional simplicity), a tiny bit of white shirt sticking out suggesting an office worker, bald spots on the head - a result of stress perhaps, and the plant that slightly resembles bonsai (traditional pass time), tucked in a corner because no one has time here in Tokyo for having fun.
The fewer the elements on the photo the less distractions for the mind. Viewers are immediately drawn to where you want them. Eyes do not wander about and subjects really stand out. It is a bit like writing in capital letters. Such images are harmonious but at the same time striking and powerful. There is no room for error or unnecessary elements. Even that reflection plays a role of an anchor that helps you to bounce back and forth between that highlight and easily recognizable shape of human head. Square to the top right of this guy's head is contrasting with its roundness, helping to frame it but it does it in an abstract and misaligned manner. The couch top provides a slide for the eyes to move left and right. Always look around you because great photographs are happening everywhere, it is just a matter of being able to see them. Some of them can be anticipated, some need time to happen so you will have to be patient, and some just happen right in front of you. If you feel like something would make a good image then take it, do not waste time on thinking, your inner child's intuition is most likely right. Buy prints with my photography and calligraphy art Photography workshops in Tokyo Hire a photographer in Tokyo Photography blog about Japan Google+ For more tutorials and how to videos check out my photoshop and photography tips and tricks YouTube channel Secrets of composition in street photography - a conversation between a moment and the environment.3/24/2016 Street photography is based on two elements: a moment or mood, which is the kinetic part, and the environment or scenery, which is often very static and forms a structure, sort of a framing, to which all the strings are attached. Even the most emotional or candid street photography must have some sort of static reference to bring balance into the composition. However, what is static and what is kinetic does not have to be so clearly defined. If you look at the photograph below, you will notice several things. There is a dialogue between certain elements that create balanced composition. The tree to the right is quite heavy visually, but it is introduces intimacy into the photo. The diagonal branches and deep shadows create an illusion of a shelter. The shoe, the guy the second tree behind the car and the car itself create an off weight to that tree. All photo elements are static. The guy sitting upright like in a church, the trees, no wind, even the car seems static and that is because we can only see the rooftop. Stillness is further emphasized by parallel horizontal straight lines running across the photo from top to bottom. From the shadows on the ground, wood planks the bench is made of, folds and layers of dissipating horizon and so on. The shoe also suggests a pause. Hard sunlight adds warmth and sensation of relaxation. The kinetic element of this photo is indirect. It is hidden inside knowledge of the viewer that this guy is on a short break outside the office. He is taking a breather and will soon rush back to work. This is Tokyo, there is no such thing as rest here. To be able to capture great street photos you not only have to learn how to see photos in your surroundings, be able to predict what is about to happen (things happen in patterns in real life), but also be very patient. Patience is a sign of certainty. People do not wait for no reason. You find a great spot, and you know that there is a photo about to happen, and you know what you are waiting for. That skill of envisioning images is so important, especially if you wish to venture deeper into the realm of photo retouching. All those elements are interconnected. Private photoshop workshops via skype - http://www.ryuurui.com/photo-retouching-lessons.html
My portrait photography service, Tokyo - website http://www.portrait-photography-tokyo.com/ Photography workshops in Tokyo: http://www.ryuurui.com/photography-workshops.html Hire a photographer in Tokyo: http://www.ryuurui.com/hire-a-photographer-in-tokyo.html Photo blog: http://www.japan-in-photography.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ponteryuurui Twitter: https://twitter.com/PonteRyuurui Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/+PonteRyuurui/posts For more tutorials and how to videos check out my photoshop and photography tips and tricks YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEOVGZ2rpLhR7gSPvaexxxQ Street photography is not easy. You have to be observant, patient but at the same time quick and precise if needed. You have to know your gear inside out to be able to act fast. You should have good understanding of human behavior and psychology, just like in portrait photography, although street photography is not all about capturing people. Running around like a rabid dog with your camera will probably not grant good results. Most of the time street photography is all about finding the picture with one element that is missing. Then all you do is wait for that element to appear. Things happen in patterns, so if you saw something you liked, but it was too late,there is a good chance it may happen again. When I visited Narita temple complex north of Tokyo, there was some sort of traditional event going on. I did not really care what it was, all I cared about was that it was a feast for a photographer. So I found myself a spot, with a small shrine framed by a massive branch, and small stone figurines lined up along the path, and the only missing element was someone passing. I saw a few people pass but they did not fit the scene, so I waited some more. And then I saw this guy, not only was he dressed to match the noren (banner) on that shrine, but he even turned his head towards the light in a perfect moment. Patience really pays off when it comes to street photography. If you are looking for a photographer in Tokyo to take you on street photography workshops, then feel free to contact me.
My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art Check out my new portrait photography services in Tokyo website! Depth is one of very powerful tools in your photography tool box if you know how to use it to make your photos stand out even more. Depth adds dimensions, expands a photo visually, enhances the story telling, adds movement and helps the capture the viewer's attention for much longer, by creating a visual puzzle. Depth can be achieved by use of many techniques. One of them would be simply photographing your subject in a way that the background is visible but not detracting, still reading and adding to the story but not in an overpowering manner. The Other way would be working with contrast, sharpness and saturation, which can be done in post production, but not only. If you know or can control your light while shooting, those three elements can be captured on camera and then enhanced even further in photoshopp or lightroom. You can achieve depth via other means, such as motion blur, compositing photos, photo manipulations, and so on. Naturally capturing as much as you can on camera will help a great deal, so whenever you are out there shooting, try not to focus only on your subject, but also what is in front of it, behind it, on each side, and also on what is about to enter or leave the frame.
My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Buy original Chinese and Japanese calligraphy art Check out my new portrait photography services in Tokyo website! In this video tutorial series I will show you how you can easily create a time lapse in photoshop. I will be using Bridge, Adobe Camera RAW, and Photoshop. Tutorial is split int part 1 is about preparing the files for the time lapse, and the second part will explain how to assemble a time-lapse in photoshop. Time lapse photography is great fun, it does require a lot of patience though, and quite a bit of post processing, but thanks to photoshop and other tools, it can be automated to a great degree. If you want to learn how to create a time lapse with ease, then watch my video tutorials. My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Buy fine art photo prints at my store on SmugMug. Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Hire a photographer in Tokyo Hell no. Photography, like every art, has certain rules. Picasso said, "Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist". And he could not be more correct. The true art starts when you gain the ability of looking beyond the fingers, beyond what other people can’t see, but when they do they like it and find it appealing. It is the knowledge of art, creativity and imagination that bring those visions to life. Using the language learning example here, once you start thinking in a foreign language, it is when you truly understand it. Now, in art, you need to learn how to think in visions. You need to be able to see what is not there. You see what you make on top of or from what you can see. I remember watching a very interesting interview with a great photo retoucher Natalia Taffarel, who said that one can become the master of photoshop tools, but that does not make him or her the master of using them in an artistic way. You have to unlock yourself. I took this photo in Odaiba yesterday, it is a blend of two exposures, one was zoom-blurred, and the other was sharp. I combined them both, edited them, then applied radial blur, and just masked in the middle.
My Youtube channel with free photoshop tutorials Buy fine art photo prints at my store on SmugMug. Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. In this video I will show you my full workflow of how I deal with complex backlit cityscape photos. I am editing photo that contains 3 levels of depth: city at the back, bridge half way between the city and the camera, and a view deck with people just in front of me. In addition the photo is backlit during sunset hours. I will be dealing with ghosting, manual digital blending from a few exposures, removing unwanted objects with clone stamp tool and healing brush, using some content aware fill, too. I will be changing colours and saturating the photo selectively, using pen tool, and other selection tools. I will also work in Lightroom and Photoshop together, and finish it all off with some filters from Topaz and Nik (current Google software). Video tutorial on how to digitally blend images in photoshop - full workflow with many great tips Buy fine art photo prints at my store on SmugMug. Photography workshops in Tokyo - click for more details. Whenever you lift your camera to your eyes and think of taking a photo you should already know which direction you want to go with it artistically speaking. When I press the shutter, I have a complete vision of the final shot. I usually know exactly what I want to do with it in postproduction, whether it will be an HDR image, or a straight forward editing in photoshop, I can see those final touches in the RAW file before I apply them. Having a vision is crucial in any type of art. Night photography is fantastic for this, as you need to take your time. Use the tripod to slow things even more. Compose, align, feel the scene, read the light, dive in the shadows, and live the scene. This video tutorial discusses my thought flow reasoning behind taking photos, and then the editing process. Incidentally, if you want to watch a detailed tutorial on digital blending, then watch this movie here. Here is another photo of Tokyo Tower at night, on a humid, rainy and hazy day. I added modern Japanese calligraphy in highly stylised seal script, which reads 夢中, i.e. within a dream. Anyone interested in viewing my Japanese calligraphy gallery, here is a link to my portfolio. My Japanese and Chinese calligraphy prints can be ordered via my fine art online store, here.
This photo is a blend of two exposures, one was a standard shot of the tip of Tokyo Tower, and the other one was defocused, so I could catch some of that wonderful bokeh (blurred lights). Merged together they look way more dreamy. Post processing was done in photoshop, with a bit of help from Silver Efex pro from Google Software, which is a fantastic black and white conversion plugin for photoshop. Summer is at its full and fireworks shows are happening all over the northern hemisphere. In this video I will give you tips on what equipment you need to shoot great fireworks photos, how to set up your camera (ISO, aperture and shutter speed), what techniques you can use to make your fireworks shots look different, and finally I will edit one of my photos in photoshop, and show you my workflow. In fact, the photo that I am editing is a composite phot, meaning, it is made of two different shots. So you get three tutorials in one. Enjoy! First of all, I would like to thank all who visit my site, and say that I greatly appreciate all the positive feedback and support that I am receiving, whether it is in in regards to my art and learning materials on the Japanese and Chinese calligraphy, or the artistic projects that I am developing. As you can see, I have completely overhauled the Ryuurui's Art Studio website, and gave it a new look and feel. I did that for a few reasons. One was that I have created so many calligraphy and photography art for past few years, that it was simply too much to post it all, and too confusing for you to navigate through. So, I removed all the galleries and created a portfolio tab instead, which shows the scope of the art that I create. All the artwork that was in my art gallery is not gone from the internet forever. I will be republishing my art in the blog section, with educational articles and interesting information for all of you who wish to learn more not only about Japanese and Chinese calligraphy, but also the art photography. In regards to the learning tab of this website, I will keep all the information as it is, but I will reorganise it in a way to accommodate some room for photography tutorials and tips. It is highly possible I will also start sharing some information regarding photography post processing, software and so on, especiall;y that I am venturing now into the HDR photography, photoshop art, composite photography, and so on. In addition, my art will also focus on merging the ancient world of Japanese and Chinese calligraphy with the digital photography and digital art. Naturally, I am still involved in studying classical calligraphy and research, calligraphy exhibitions in Japan, etc., so there is no change in this area, it simply gets expanded. I had some questions regarding my publications. My book on etymology of Chinese characters and Japanese kanji is complete (volume 1), and my Japanese literary agent is in the process of suggesting the book for publishing houses in Japan. My poetry book should be published this year, I have the entire text ready, I am now deciding on which calligraphy art I should add to it. In regards to my calligraphy book - this will have to wait, for two reasons. One is that I have two calligraphy books written. The first one is more philosophical and the other one is more factual and history related. I am considering combining them both into one volume, and at the moment I simply do not have the time to do this. I plan on finishing it after I am done with publishing the poetry tome. In regards to other projects of mine. The Japan in photography now has a new blog. It will be a daily photo blog with pictures of my travels around Japan, and short articles with interesting facts regarding Japanese culture, traditions, interesting places, events, and so on. Majority of those photos can be purchased in a form of fine art prints at my store on Fine Art America. I have large plans for Japan in photography in motion, but it is still in early stages, so I will share more when it is all ready to go. The digital art store area will also be expanded. Ryuurui Foto Studio is a site exclusively for my work as a commercial photographer in Japan, which purpose will probably remain unchanged. Last but not least, the Ink Treasures project, which we have started last year with the ink painter Mariusz Szmerdt. The project was on hold for a while, but we are already discussing its future, including rebuilding the site to give it a new look and more focus on the artwork. This will be a very busy year for me, but since it is The Year of the Horse, I think it should be. If anyone has any suggestions, ideas or wishes to share his or her thoughts in regards to any of my projects, please feel free to leave you comment below, or contact me at ponte@ryuurui.com. I would like to invite you all to my new store front at fine Art America. You can purchase there prints of my art works in various format (canvas, metal, acrylic prints, photo prints, smart phone and iphone cases, etc.). I plan on introducing several galleries there. there will be a few galleries devoted to my photography art, including calligraphy body art, and Japan in photography projects. I will also upload my calligraphy art in various formats and on various backgrounds. Possibly, There is also a gallery for my calligraphy and photography art project. Japan in photography will be split into several categories, which will follow the order of the galleries on my new website www.japan-in-photography.com. I will also add links from each of the gallery on the website to a respective gallery in my store on Fina Art America. I am already working on expanding the offer (which will possibly involve other similar online stores and galleries), and types of items in the store. You can comment on my artworks in the store, by logging in with your facebook account, which makes things easier. There are also share buttons. Like, share, and enjoy! Tokyo station is one of the most peculiar buildings in Tokyo, architechturally speaking. Its red brick walls stand out from the landscape of surrounding it modern glass buildings. Tokyo station building was completed in 1914, and its construction lasted 20 years. Today, about 3000 trains leave Tokyo station, and over 400,000 people pass through the Tokyo station on a daily basis. It is a main starting point for majority of Shinkansen trans (bullet trains), and hosts about 30 train platforms. Tokyo station is also a major bus terminal (intercity long distant busses). The underground of Tokyo station is a most complex maze of corridors and shopping alleys. There are hundreds of stores and the passages connect a few Tokyo metro lines, some of them being as far as 2km from the Tokyo station main building. I was wandering the streets around the Sensoji temple. It was quite early, the stores were still closed and there were only a few people passing by. Then I saw this little kid with her mom. I came over and asked if I can take her a picture. They were standing, waiting for someone, perhaps some friends to go to school together. She said "sure", and so I sat down on the opposite side of the street, grabbed my zoom lens, and waited for a good moment. And then I saw her mom reaching out with her hand, and that was it. The girl had this face expression as if she did not know what to do, and there was her mom to guide her. Just a brilliant moment. There are many types of cakes in Japan, but those containing a sweet adzuki bean paste, made of a mixture of whole and mashed beans, are very popular. Bean paste is found in many types of cakes, but one of the most traditional ones are known as ningyouyaki (人形焼), which literally means "doll shaped cakes". This picture was shot in front of Sensouji Temple in Asakusa in Tokyo, and shows a store front of a typical ningyouyaki place. Cakes are made on the spot, and sold fresh. Personally I hate the sweet beans in any form. You can find it here even in ice creams... Buddha knows why. For me it tastes a bit like a squashed bug, mixed with earthworm's pâté. When I arrived at Tokyo in 2001, the first thing I bought in a convenience store was a doughnut. I thought it will be filled with delicious jam, as they are made in Europe. Alas, it was the earwax tasting sweet beans paste. I still have nightmares about it. |
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