THE ROAD TO MAGDALENE PART TEN (FINAL) - THE END OF THE BEGINNING

Sat, 11 Sep 2010 14:03:24 +0800

At the time of the Magdalene shoot in 2007, I had been indulging in photography for seventeen years; fourteen of those years in analog film and a mere three years in digital. It would be folly to think that one could master the secrets of digital in that short a span of time. On more than one occasion, I felt like an archeologist, patiently excavating through the layers upon layers of this exciting new find. Though the pyramid had yet to yield to me all of it's treasures, I had at least penetrated the outer defences.

I did not realise the significance of that shoot that day. It would be a year later, in 2008, that I would look back on that shoot and realise that it was at that moment that I had anchored my fundamental approach to digital imaging. As I create my images now, the basic way in which I think of the shot and apply the techniques embodied in the Eye of the Pyramid schema, from capture to post processing, are built upon the lessons learnt during those experimental years leading up to that shoot in 2007. Although it would be foolish to think that we ever stop experimenting or trying to find something new, I would be so bold as to say that those first three years represented the steepest part of the digital learning curve.

Years ago, there was song by Baz Lurhman, based on a editorial article by a writer who mused what she would have said, if she was ever to have given a valedictory speech. The song was called “Everybody’s Free to Wear Sunscreen” and it starts by saying "Wear Sunscreen. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it.” "

In an analogous echo, my one little piece of advice is "Build Your Style".

When we first come face to face with digital, we are often bewitched and enraptured by the gazillion techniques that exist. They are like mythical Sirens, luring us into their den. Soon, we think that technique alone is the end all and be all of digital, as we keep chasing the next great action set. The truth is that the techniques must marry with a creative vision, which ultimately manifests in real life as your “style”. The secret to consistently high quality shots is indeed a clear understanding of your own style.

This is the final installment of the Road to Magdalene mini-series within my blog. My aim when I started this little series was not to preach, leech or seek acclamation. It was to share a personal journey that I took, one that started with no destination and ended up leading me to the Eye of the Pyramid. To each man or woman who embarks upon this road, there can, and will, be different destinations. Take not my words as gospel but rather as another perspective on the quest for the greatest image.

The Eye of the Pyramid remains the mainstay schema that my style is built upon. Visit it on your travels, take what you want from it, and forge on, to discover your personal destinations.

Cherish, Protect, and Nurture your style.

Forever.

THE ROAD TO MAGDALENE PART NINE - THE ENDLESS FRONTIER

Sat, 28 Aug 2010 00:29:55 +0800

For the hundred years that was the 20th century, the chemical darkroom and the retoucher’s airbrush defined the practical limits of creativity in photography. The photographer’s job was to get as much of it right in-camera and the darkroom was there to put the all important icing on the cake, the good to great. In many ways, photography was like movie making. If you had a big budget, you could build elaborate props and attempt to suspend the audience’s disbelief. You could not build new worlds if you had no money! There was only so much one could do after the shot was made.

The fact that digital photography changed all this and empowered a whole generation of artists and photographers is bloody obvious. This little article is not about how wonderful digital is in making normal people look like elves, or super-imposing Mount Rushmore on your travel pictures!

I would like to bring you back to the American Wild West in the mid-19th century. In the epoch of that unchartered frontier, many sallied forth, in search of their destinies. Those that succeeded, defined themselves in some unique way, be it a legendary Apache war chief, an honourable Calvary officer, a lucky gold prospector or a stunningly beautiful bar-maiden. In this frontier that is digital photography, the exact same philosophy applies. One must attempt to define oneself within this great expanse of talent and technique, to create images that endure not only because they are good, but also because they are recognisably yours.

There are some realities that one should realise.

If your technique is a two-minute quick and dirty process that relies heavily on the word “AUTO”, then it is highly likely that 90% of the world has a similar technique.

If your technique is part of a published system, like a 13-step dance routine, or five “magic moves”, or a commercially packaged gazillion photoshop actions set etc, then possibly tens of thousands of photographers who devour such books (myself included!) or purchase such sets will end up with a similar style as you.

To differentiate oneself, at the frontier, one must have no fear, one must experiment.

Do not be too rigid on yourself to impose “rules”.

Do not be too indisciplined and throw every digital manipulation in the book at the image.

The truth lies in the space within. Though the frontier is vast, there are places where one can prospect gold, and other places where one can only find dust. If we follow the “rules” of digital imaging too closely, we are akin to the tradesman who wanders no further than the town’s edge, we will find no treasure. If we are wanton in our technique, then we are the headstrong warrior whose destiny is to meet an untimely end, though this time only metaphorically and not at the hand of a Sioux brave!

The digital world is young and has not yet given up all its secrets. For those who dare explore, there is always a chance of stumbling across the next great technique, or the next “magic move”. More importantly, it is not just about discovering technique, but rather the combination of techniques that makes one not just a quick draw but a real gun fighter!

For those who discovered photography in the last ten years, you have joined us at a most exciting time. Whilst we celebrate the greatness of our forefathers and the wonderful image makers that have come before us, it is also with great anticipation that we await the next legend of the endless frontier.

It could be you.

THE ROAD TO MAGDALENE PART EIGHT - THE LOST PARADISE

Sat, 14 Aug 2010 23:56:07 +0800

I have no illusions. The day Planet Earth began the inexorable shift to digital imaging, it had nothing to do with image quality. It was all about convenience. It was about instant results, on the spot previews and removal of the perceived tedium that was the chemical darkroom. Thus the day digital hit the big time was when its images became “acceptable” and that acceptability was hastened by the consumer shift to viewing photographs on computer screens, which at only 72 ppi, allowed 2MP images to be “acceptable”. Digital has come a long way in a short time, but it is still chasing shadows, the shadows of analog imaging.

I gaze now upon one of the core elements of the pyramid. Until digital is good enough, we must learn how to reclaim the lost paradise during post processing. The bits that made analog great that were lost in translation must be reclaimed in the final image. Of all the skill sets in photoshop, this is the hardest. How do you achieve seamless colour gradation, especially within the shadows? How do you mitigate the harsh “digital” look of the image that characterises the typical JPEG and RAW file? The answers are not immediately obvious.

No. In fact, they are bloody difficult to find and learn. Simply because not everyone has realised that “something” is missing from their digital masterpiece, and that something is the analog feel!

Trying to create analog techniques in digital consumes me. I spend hours working from first principles, trying out various tools and their combinations, trying to bend stubborn digital pixels to do my bidding! So, the naked truth is, the lost paradise has not yet been found. There have been some breakthroughs, some acceptable moves in the right direction, but much of which makes analog what it is remains hidden from the digital practitioners.

I offer one piece of the puzzle. To properly evaluate the value of any technique, do not assess it when applied to still life or product shots. It needs to be applied to something that is wonderfully analog. Apply it to life. Apply it to something living. Be it a portrait, animal or landscape, it is living things that beguile digital. Inanimate objects have a greater tolerance to the digital look but life, life is different. It is evidently all too easy to over sharpen portrait until the pores on the skin resemble craters on the moon’s surface.

I have met photographers who disagree that analog is desirable. They explain that digital manipulation opens frontiers that make analog obsolete. I do not disagree. But in my mind, even as I create an obviously digitally manipulated image, I seek to try to make that image analog, to create the illusion that it could have, should have, would have been captured in an analog fashion!

Have you ever watched the legendary cult movie Bladerunner? Much if not all of the effects in that film were created via analog means. Computers had not yet become de rigeur in the film world when that movie was made. Fast forward to the recently completed re-make of Battlestar Galactica. When I saw the cinematography and the digital effects, what enraptured me was the analog undertones of the effects, the desire to make digital more lifelike, warts and all. It cemented my faith. It could be done. The lost paradise is not mythical, not a whispered legend or a fairy tale. It was the reality of our forefathers.

Now all I have to do is find it again.

THE ROAD TO MAGDALENE PART SEVEN - THE WOUNDED ANGEL

Sat, 31 Jul 2010 09:11:38 +0800

When you hear people waxing lyrical over the image quality of analog photography, do not make the fatal assumption that these are the anguished cries of diehard fanboys, or of elderly gentlemen that tremble at the thought of switching on a computer and have never heard of Facebook or Photoshop. There is a very good reason why the analog image is, at present, the de facto gold standard, the holy grail of imaging.

Analog imaging is well over a hundred years old. Have you ever seen a Daguerreotype, a cyanotype or a wet-plate collodion process image? They are “quaint”, which is a polite metaphor for rubbish. However, we readily forgive them, for these are the names of our forefathers, the early photographic technologies developed in the middle of the 1800s. Since then, luminaries such as Vogel, George Eastman and Edwin Land, together with the technological prowess of engineers at Kodak, Fuji, Agfa and Ilford have given us the pinnacle of analog imaging, in the guise of legendary formulations such as Kodachrome, Velvia, Portra, Tri-X, APX and HP5. However, it is also accurate to say that analog imaging has stagnated at this level, in fact, we sadly mourn the passing of Kodachrome, APX, Polaroid and scores of other unique emulsions. Research in new films has all but ceased except for the efforts of the Impossible Project who are trying to revive instant film. As I pen this, they have just released their first ever formulation called Silver Shade. It looks promising but it has some way to go.

Digital is a baby compared to analog. Photographers have only used this medium seriously in the last ten years. Although it is good, it is not yet as mature as its analog cousin. Without any doubt, it is clear to me that the day will come when digital imaging will surpass analog, of this I am certain. But that day is not yet here.

Although I firmly believe that, at present, analog is the king of the mountain, it is far from perfect. In fact for those that murmur lovingly about the heavenly tonal smoothness of analog, I whisper gently that this angel is wounded, handicapped by certain characteristics that have plagued photographers for generations.

The single biggest gaping scar, an ugly chasm that rakes across analog’s spine, is undoubtedly, colour control. Analog is truly in its element in the domain of black and white photography but feels less surefooted and requires more calculated effort when dealing with colour. True mastery of colour in pure analog is a myth. In analog, we cannot dial in Kelvin values and magically counter the heavy orange of the sun or the eerie green of fluorescent lighting. The only control we have are filters of numerous fixed strengths, or by flashing strobes with various colour gels, implying that the correction is essentially by “brute force” with no hint of subtle control. Furthermore, the whole exercise is complicated by the fact that the colour sensitivity of each type of film is very different from the next. Whilst this sea of variability effectively fuels creativity, it also introduces more variables when trying to compensate for an unwanted colour cast. If you talk to photographers who grew up on film, they often have a set of favourite emulsions that they swear by, be it film or paper. This loyalty is not driven by blind fervor but rather by the comfortable warmth of familiarity.

Familiarity with what?

Colour. The way your emulsion of choice interprets the world around us. How green is green? And how warm do you really want the flesh tones to be?

Early into my journey, I already realised that digital not only has the potent spells to heal the scar, in fact, it has the amazing power to resurrect a dead angel! In Photoshop, there resides a collection of the most powerful colour correction tools available today. I spent many hundred hours learning this single craft. Make no mistake, the digital wizard that fails to master this set of spells is headed down the road of parlour tricks and circus stunts and will never walk the path of the Grand Magi!

Seriously. It is worth repeating. If you cannot bend RGB and CMYK to your will, if you remain ignorant of the gamut of colour tools available, if you do not have the eternal curiosity to learn the latest in colour craft, your images will forever be mired in the tepid swamp of mediocrity.

Forever.

THE ROAD TO MAGDALENE PART SIX - THE DEMONS WITHIN

Sat, 17 Jul 2010 00:44:01 +0800

Do you remember the first Motorola mobile phones, those that were as large as a brick, and weighed as much? It would begin a revolution that changed the way we communicate and interact with each other, ushering in an epoch of SMS, MMS, 3G wireless, mobile e-mail and a host of other technologies.

However, that was not how it began.

It began with tiny monochrome LCD screens that displayed pixelated text, with battery life that could not last a day without charging, with barely more than a phone number contact list as an application. But millions bought it and it changed the world forever. The sheer overwhelming power and convenience of mobile telephony masked all the rough edges of those early years and allowed technology precious time, time it used to fix the flaws and mature the platform.

Well, we now repeat this same story with digital photography. Digital photography for the masses is younger than mobile phones, and it also has its ugly gaping flaws. Haunted by its limitations, we await technology to keep improving this medium, for without doubt, it too has changed the world forever.

Understanding that digital imaging was flawed was a significantly illuminating fact for me, one that I encountered very early in my Photoshop-induced self flagellation. The first inescapable fact that I realised was that the inherent flaws of digital were one of the key factors that makes an image look digital. Thus, the logic was mind-boggling simple. To make the best possible analog image, we had to first overcome the inherent flaws of digital capture. We had to defeat the digital demons within.

The demons are many, ranging from moire, shadow transition, colour gamut issues to the limitations of the Bayer sensor pattern that is the heart of most digital capture. However, the biggest demons of them all consumed my initial attention. Their names are Noise and Softness.

We can get deeply technical about digital noise. We can explore the causes of luminance and chromatic noise, seek to understand the physics behind the CCD or CMOS sensor and enter the realm of signal to noise ratios and electrical signal transmission. I did crawl up this arduous path but it would be macho-istic of me to suggest that this was the necessary path. What is most important is recognising the fact that naturally occurring digital noise (NODN) is a flaw. A flaw that needs to be fixed. The world of digital imaging knows this and there are excellent third party tools to augment the basic noise reduction algorithms of Photoshop.

BANG!

I just shot the guy who suggested that NODN is like film grain, that it can be used to our advantage. Horse shit. Photographers born and bred in the the era of film know that the grain of Tri-X is nothing like digital noise, that even the golfball sized grains of ISO 3200 film is a universe removed from NODN. Yes, expensive plug-ins use crafty manipulation of artificially created noise to mimic film grain. This is not NODN. There is no control of NODN in the camera, you cannot predict with any degree of certainty what your noise is going to look like. What is luminance and chromatic noise? It is like tossing a handful of rainbow-coloured candy rice sprinkles on a piece of black canvas. Real life does not have this effect. Film does not have this effect. The presence of NODN equals a digital image, a distinct DNA fingerprint of a digital cancer that robs an image of its analog life. It does not matter how you wish to slay this demon, if you desire to use on-board camera NR algorithms, low ISOs, bigger sensors, Noise Ninjatm etc, but slay this demon you must. The better your sword, the more sophisticated your fighting style, the closer to analog your image will become!

Digitally captured images are inherently soft. The limitations of the sensor technology makes it so. It is further worsened in consumer cameras by the addition of a filter in front of the sensor to combat moire. Do not be fooled by the seemingly sharp preview images on your camera’s LCD screen. Those are all post processed JPEG preview images, not the native RAW files. Take heart. You do not need to climb the highest mountain nor meditate under the coldest waterfall to discover the mystic truth about digital softness and its attendant sharpening strategies. If you are to read only one book in your whole life on digital image sharpening, then this is the one.

Real World Image Sharpening with Adobe Photoshop CS2 by Bruce Fraser. Peachpit Press. ISBN 0-321-44991-6

Err...CS2? Are we not at CS5? This pioneer of the digital frontier sadly left us in 2006, having penned the preface for this book a mere six months prior, and we are all poorer for it. Without doubt, his insightful work remains a fundamental bedrock that all current sharpening strategies are based on.

Read the book. Nuff said.

Postscript: A newer edition has since been released in 2009 called Real World Image Sharpening with Adobe Photoshop, Camera Raw, and Lightroom (2nd Edition), Peachpit Press, ISBN 0-321-63755-0.

Postscript 2: The Demonic List - a list of the issues in digital capture that may affect image quality. I do not go into any detail here as millions of words have been written on these issues on the internet. Google cum Wiki are your best friends.:)

a. Noise - both chromatic and luminance.
b. Image softness.
c. Moire
d. Lens cast.
e. Colour depth (or the lack thereof if you are anywhere short of 16 bits. I have never yet seen capture above 16 bit colour depth so I have no idea if my eyes can perceive that greater difference, or if it affects the analog quality of an image.)
f. Colour interpolation as a requirement of the sensor Bayer pattern (this is a known recognised issue from day one digital capture but I am not sure if it materially affects final output. The only sensors in the world not to have this issue are the Foveon sensors and I cannot honestly say that it is better than the standard Bayer CCD/CMOS sensors.
g. Posterisation in shadow transition areas (this is related to colour bit depth issues).
h. The anti-aliasing filter (related to camera manufacturers trying to defeat moire.)
i. Long exposure limitations.
j. Highlight hard clipping (the R255 G255 B255 wall.)
k. Resolution limitations with very large enlargements.
l. Sensors designed with Microlens arrays (majority but not all are).
m. IR (infra-red) sensitivity and the IR filter (this was not thought to be a problem until the Leica M8 showed how it could become a problem.)

THE ROAD TO MAGDALENE PART FIVE - THE EYE OF THE PYRAMID

Sat, 3 Jul 2010 00:27:10 +0800

It was a windy night, late in 2006, the incessant humidity defeated by the frequent gusts of cool air. I sipped my teh tarik, the milky tea flavours swirling in my mouth. I was talking to an old friend, one who had spent several years in the 1990s shooting street candids but who has since not shot more than ten rolls of film since the crossing of the Millennium. Digital was a foreign word to him, even the now ubiquitous digital compact point and shoot cameras, not a part of his worldly possessions. He was quietly listening to me talk about my digital road, the journey thus far and where I wanted to go. His handphone beeped an SMS, momentarily distracting him as he squinted at the little glowing screen. He tapped out a quick reply, snapped his phone shut and said,

“Sorry, tell me the last part again, the part about the pyramid.”

When I began down the digital road in 2004, digital as an acceptable photographic medium was only about five years old. For much of those early years, digital was only embraced by the news photographers where the quality of digital was enough for newsprint and the immediacy of the image, sans the darkroom, a clear game changer. Many wedding and studio photographers that I knew were still faithful to their film-based medium format cameras, and for the few that did begin on the nascent path to digital, it was often still the tentative steps of scanning in their Velvia and Kodachrome transparencies. I had decided not to take this “dip the toe into the water” approach, not because I did not believe in it but that my analog gear was seriously aging and beginning to show its age. So, like a prospector in the olde Wild West, I headed to the frontier, with not much of a caravan, to find my fortune.

On my road to the Magdalene shoot, still a year away, I claim no innovation, no secret patented devious 30-step action set that magically made your image great with one click. There was no shortage of techniques described in books, magazines and the internet, from the simplest effects of tweaking exposure and contrast to more sophisticated masking and compositing tricks. Voraciously, I read and digested these pearls of knowledge, trying out each technique, trying to make sense of this smorgasbord of digital morsels. I have previously written about my early euphoria and misadventures, and now, we fast forward the clock to 2006, and to the crucial piece of my puzzle that is the Eye of the Pyramid.

The Illuminati symbol I refer to is that of a pyramid, different from the pyramids of Giza in Egypt, as it has three sides instead of four. The three sloping surfaces rise up to meet at the apex, where an all-seeing eye is represented. In Illuminati lore, the symbol is often referred to as the Eye in the Pyramid, with the legends surrounding this secret society further reinforced by this icons presence on the American dollar bill. However, the desire to describe my digital methodology with this image had nothing to do with the Freemason world domination conspiracy underpinnings of this icon, but rather the simpler interpretation of three crucial sides, each supporting the other, leading to the Eye.

The three sides represent the three key concepts I use to create the images I desire. They symbolize my beliefs and are the core components that define my approach to digital imaging. Looking back, I realise that they are in essence, the heart of my style, the fundamental building blocks of a Squall image. In the weeks to come, we will go on a little adventure as we explore the allegorical three sides of the pyramid. We will bear arms and join the battle to defeat The Demons Within, search for the magic spells needed to heal The Wounded Angel and unearth the blueprints to restore The Lost Paradise. Finally, at the top of the pyramid, we will gaze through the Eye in wonderment and behold, The Endless Frontier.

Come, walk with me.