Friday, January 28, 2011

Thinking out of the box

Let's talk probability.

Almost two-third of people shoots 100 to 300 (or more) photos in a single outing, depending on their memory card size.

One-third will delete pictures that they think not worth keeping. The rest will be too lazy to be selctive and just cramped it all into a single folder and stored it into their hard drives, along with the other already disordered folders.

Most will just pile up their photos into their laptops, and probably will be left forgotten forever. Only a small number of them willing to spare some bucks to print it out.

Out of it, one-tenth will put their photos into frame, and hang it on the wall or simply put it at the corner of the table. These are the conventional and easy way of presenting your photos.

In short, there will be possibly two common ways on how your photos will end up; either stored safely in your had drives, forever; or printed out and framed (yawnn...).

But then, what if you can transform your usually boring photos into an attractive piece of art?

Presenting Fotomo, a technique that combines the realism of photography with the physical presence of a three dimensional model. Created by Kimio Itozaki, Fotomo is a photography technique that able to create the presence of depth, perspective and realism, where the normal conventional 2D photos lack. It has a unique realism that gives the viewer a real sense of "being there".

Hard to understand? Maybe the rotating image below will enlighten you.
Although photography is a medium that faithfully records reality, it only does so in two dimensions. Fotomo on the other hand gives a new meaning to reality, as it completes what the 2D photos lack. Fotomo technique arouses the mood to the viewers by just looking into the uniqueness of it. Below are another example of Fotomo created by Kimio Itozaki.


With Fotomo, Kimio Itozaki creates a new perspective on our expectations towards photography. It breaks the simplest rule of the 2D photo, but manages to produce a new concept of art that able to create different reactions from the viewer. As a creative artist, there are many ways for us to improvise our artwork. there are rules, but then they are made to be broken, especially when it comes to art. Try thinking out of the box and find different ways on how to produce an artwork that will amaze other, no matter what the feedback you will get later. After all, there are no limit in art.

For those who are interested with this technique, try making your own Fotomo using the sample below. All you need is a knife, double-sided tape, cutting mat (you don't want to cut through your own table), patience and time (lots of it). Enjoy!

Monday, January 17, 2011

Don't think, just shoot


It is the month of spring, and you found yourself in a vast, beautiful field. Where the roses are dancing in rhythm with the winds, and the birds are singing the song of serenity. A blast of warm spring breeze gusting through the field, forming beautifully synchronized waves on the tall, green grasses; as if seeing a group of ripples hitting the sandy shores.

You can hear the sound of moving water. As you walk closer to the sound, a small river flows in front of you. A group of fish swims slowly under the crystal clear water, moving in motion with the current of the stream. As sunrays reflect upon the surface of the water, you can see beautiful shiny sparks dancing in front of your eyes.

The white dandelion seeds filled the air as the wind blew upon, and the clouds clump together; standing out under the blue sky. Your eyes were closed as you listen to the arrangement of sounds, as if listening to an orchestra on the song of nature.

As the sun slowly retreating to the far reach of the horizon, you then realized that it is the most glorious sunset or the most beautiful scene that you have ever witnessed. The setting is just like a painting you saw in the gallery, where peace and serenity dominated the canvas.

A moment like this will unlikely to come again in your life. It must be stored somewhere. Not just as a fragment of memory, where only you can selfishly admire it. It must be permanently recorded as a proof that some point in your life, you have witnessed the beauty of nature right in front of your eyes.

As your hand move slowly to reach your pocket, you realized something is not right. And suddenly, the sound of your voice cursing and throwing vulgar words breaks the silence of nature.

“God, darn it! I swear I had brought a camera in my pocket!”

And thus, you left the field hopelessly, without even had the chance to brag about your experience to your friends.

Bummer, isn’t it?

Moral of the story, always bring a camera with you, as you won’t know when will another amazing moment going to pop up in front of your eyes. A thing like this happens to almost every person, including me.

There were once when I was on my way back from Johor, where suddenly a Proton Saga rammed through the highway divider, rolled over a few times and suddenly caught into fire. Now just imagine if I brought a camera along with me at that time, and managed to capture the moment of the car’s collision to the end where it burst into flame. Imagine how much I can get if I sell the pictures to the news agency. Imagine the fame I get when my name appeared under the images in the newspaper. And imagine if the editor like my pictures and put it in the front page of the paper, and I can’t get a good night sleep as my phone kept ringing since many of the news agencies demanded me to work with them as a photographer.

That seems a little far-fetched, but you get the point.

Things like this will not happen to you every day, but when it did, you will then realized how important it is to have a camera as your companion. Pictures can be taken and snapped anywhere, but the ‘moment’ that raises the value of the pictures won’t come falling from the sky. It is either you search for it, or it came to you, unexpectedly. As cameras today come in various size and shape, there are no excuses for not to bring one with you since it can simply fit in your pocket; unless if you fill it  with packs of cigarettes in it. And it is even easier for women as their handbags can fill almost anything from their wardrobe, literally.

Told you cameras really are small

As you are wandering outside, every time you saw something that attracts your attention, don’t hesitate to point the camera and just press the shutter. Make it a habit. Who knows maybe one day your pictures might even be hanged on the wall of a gallery somewhere in London. Well, who knows? With the rapid growth of internet, pictures and images can be delivered to every corner of the world in a matter of seconds. If Justin Bieber can gained his popularity from Youtube, and Sean Kingston managed to gather millions of fans worldwide through MySpace, why can’t you have your own fans admiring your pictures from your own photoblog.

The key of taking great images is to shoot as many pictures as you see through your eyes. For now, don’t worry of the arrangement and setting of your picture; just shoot it as how you imagined it. Put all your feeling and mood at the time your finger reach the shutter, and you will be amazed how well your pictures are.

Pictures are amazing, as it seems as the only thing that tells the truth in the world that filled with lies. A picture tells a thousand words. It serves as a memory that will survive for you to cherish, and tells a story of your life.

And for those who care; yes, the Proton Saga driver survived the crash.

Thousand Words

Since the previous week was the holiday, i don't really had the time to post anything on my blog.(well duh, it's holiday. What do you expect)
But no worries as I will make sure to post everything that i have prepared before, starting this week.

Briefly about this blog, Thousand Words is a photography blog, where the topic discussed will be largely about, well, photography. It can be anything from the gadgets and equipments for your camera; to the photographers and their award-winning images; the latest photography trends; or simply about the normal pictures you can take using your handphones.

what i will write in my blog would probably be something that follows the norms of photography,  but sometimes it might even break the common rules. Other than what I mention above, this blog will also represents my own personal thoughts and opinions on photography in Malaysia. As it is my opinions, some people might agree, and some might not. but please use this blog as a medium to discuss anything about photography. Feel free to leave a comment, either its a negative or positive feedback, i don't really mind.

I wouldn't call myself as a photographer, since my knowledge on photography might not matched with the other hardcore and 'old school' photographer. Just consider myself as a photo ethusiast who is trying his best to write a blog on photography as a requirement to pass his class assignment.

But it is really fun to have a blog where people can read my thought, honest!

(more post are coming after I finally get over my holiday mood. Please bear with me)