The Art and Science of Photography

I always thought I was a left-brain person - good in logical analysis but poor in arts. When I was a secondary student, I liked mathematics and sciences. In the university, I studied engineering. After graduation, I worked as an engineer.

At the mean time, I picked up photography…

The two important aspects of photography are composition and exposure.

Composition – how to position subjects and background in a photo – is an art.

Exposure – in technical sense – refers to amount light received by the film or sensor (CCD/CMOS). A picture is underexposed if it is too dark, or overexposed if it is too bright. Exposure is determined by 3 factors: exposure time (also called shutter speed), aperture of the lens, and sensitivity of the film or sensor.

Exposure is usually a science but it can also be an art. For example, in the two pictures shown below, I altered the exposure time. Can you spot the difference?

If you look carefully, you will notice that the water in second picture (exposure time = 1/2 sec) has a 'silky' appearance.

While most people hold camera in horizontal or vertical position, I sometimes tilt it at an angle – say 45º. While ordinary camera users usually take photos at ‘eye level’, I often squat down or stand on chair to get a different perspective.

I come to realize that my right brain isn’t so bad after all. I can be creative too!

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I took this picture from the top of a table. These guys thought I was crazy. I used to think artists were weird people. Today I understand them (^_^) .