The Korea Times

When color can be too much

Jamsil. All photos by Tom CoynerBy Tom CoynerI love color ― sometimes too much. But there are times when color simply gets in the way of a good photograph. Bright colors can enhance, but they can distract. Often the better photograph focuses on tone and patterns. In such cases, monotone (black and white) photographs are the better way to go.Wonseo dong.When shooting black & white photos ― or selecting color photos for conversion to monochrome ― here are some of the elements to consider: 1. Texture. Can you find or bring out texture that adds to the image? 2. Look for lines of composure that build the image. You may wish to crop the image differently than if the image had remained in color. 3. Does your image in color have colors that detract from the overall composition? Distracting colored sections that you may wish to crop may remain in the monochrome version.Most digital photographers shoot in color and later do most of their preparation in color before converting to black and white in LightRoom, Photoshop or with other tools. Why? Color files contain more informatio

Apr 8, 2018By Tom Coyner

Finding your kind of street photography

Bhutan, February 17, 2018. /All photos by Tom CoynerBy Tom CoynerIf you ask serious photographers just what is “street photography,” you are likely to find many definitions. At times, street photography can resemble travel photography. But travel photography tends to be less artistic and more about personal documentation of one's experiences when in unfamiliar locations. Often travel photography tends to look “National Geographic-y,” focusing on the exotic. But just what is exotic is pretty subjective. What may be exotic to you can be very mundane to me. It really depends on one's background. In any case, street photography is almost always outside, involving people in either candid or very informal portraits, conveying a mood or feeling of the place or the people.Another Bhutan street scene, February 17, 2018.Street photography is ultimately about people, or something directly relevant or caused by people.  When photographing people, I have found there are essentially four basic situations. First, there are truly candid photographs when the subject

Mar 29, 2018By Tom Coyner

Festivals make great photos

Jongro-3ga, Lantern Parade. All photos by Tom CoynerBy Tom CoynerWith the warming temperatures, come festivals and similar events. These colorful events are both challenging and rewarding. They can be confusing as a three-ring circus in determining what to photograph, and it can be surprisingly tricky to get sharp photos with all the swirling action.It is important to do one's homework and look at other people's photographs to understand the possibilities in terms of subject matter, angles and locations.Once you have selected your festival, try to arrive early. There is always something to photograph before the festival officially begins. Also by arriving early, you can occupy one of the prime shooting locations.Make a mental list of all you want to photograph. This should include all key events, but also any behind the scenes shots, key portraits, details and even food shots. Imagine you are shooting for a magazine and trying to create a portfolio of images to capture the essence of the event. Focus on things that tell a story: It's like the classic writer's motto ― show, don't tell

Mar 24, 2018By Tom Coyner

Maintenance time: Preparing for spring photography

Biwon, April 8, 2016. All photos by Tom CoynerBy Tom CoynerThere is nothing subtle about the changing of Korean seasons. As we finish off the last of the cold weeks of the year, we anticipate the sudden advent of warmer days and accompanying spring blossoms.But right now we are in the short middle period between winter and spring. This can be a time of preparation for one of the special seasons of Korean photography. At a minimum, this is the time to go through one’s gear and give it some maintenance. For example, review and clean the front elements of lenses and filters and check/replace batteries in accessories.Inwangsan, April 12, 2017.Biwon, April 8, 2016.If you know how to do so properly, clean your camera’s image sensor or, better yet, go to an authorized after sales (AS) service center to get the sensor professionally cleaned. If you have bought your camera in Korea, there is usually no charge. Otherwise the fee is small and the work can be done while you wait a few minutes. But if you do, be sure to hand over just your camera, since some AS centers may swap out yo

Mar 8, 2018By Tom Coyner

Maintenance time: Preparing for spring photography

Here Comes the Sun!

2013-10-27. Magoksa. Photo by Tom CoynerBy Tom CoynerBeyond a doubt, the strongest single element in many pictures is the sun. People love to look at sunrise and sunset pictures. The sun creates shadows and silhouettes. The sun can be blinding or it can be seductive. 2014-08-28. Seoul Grand Hyatt. Photo by Tom Coyner2014-05-20. Seoul DDP. Photo by Tom CoynerToo often, however, people exclaim, “Look! Sunset!” and whip out their smartphones and cameras. But what is often needed is to take into consideration the overall composition. Either the sun should balance other elements in the picture or other elements should draw the eye to the sun. The important consideration is that sense the sun is usually the brightest or lightest element in the photo, so the viewer’s eye will first travel there. So either the elements should line up to take the viewer to the sun, or there has to be strong enough other elements counterbalancing the sun.2015-02-17. Myanmar Bagan. Photo by Tom Coyner2015-02-16. Myanmar Bagan. Photo by Tom CoynerAlso, the sun can create sun rays! The trick for

Feb 6, 2018By Tom Coyner

Liberate your perspective!

By Tom CoynerEveryone seems to be photographing these days, even if their photos are limited to selfies and pictures of friends and family. Particularly with the ease and economy of digital photography, people are becoming increasingly creative. Failures are inexpensive and goofs are readily apparent.At the same time, people tend to confine their creativity to “staying within the box” literally and figuratively. In the first case, most people confine their images’ dimensions to what they can see within their viewfinders or their LCD screens. Some people experiment with panoramas -- and this is great. However, too often panoramas are restricted to giant landscape vistas. Panoramas can be often more effectively used within smaller spaces, such as neighborhoods or even a single room. Unfortunately, we remain pretty much conforming more or less to the aspect ratio of 35mm film negatives and slides when in fact most of us no longer even use film.But when I mention a “panorama,” most likely you will think of an image that is much wider than tall, since that is

Feb 1, 2018By Tom Coyner

Framed: Wait for the 'decisive moment!'

By Tom CoynerWhile it is a given that the most important thing in photography is the light, the most important element of a great photograph can be what Henri Cartier-Bresson labeled as the decisive moment.When taking portraits, this is especially the case: the overall composition and elements may seem to be in order, but something is missing.By “missing,” I do not necessarily mean the element, such as an object or person, is not present, but the position, gesture or even the eye glance is not quite right.Often by employing simple and traditional compositional guidelines, such as the “rule of thirds,” one may gain some insight into what needs to appear or to move into position. Other times, the photographer has an innate sense of the critical moment, developed from studying artwork and photography of the masters, such as Cartier-Bresson, Sebastiao Salgado, Robert Frank and Steve McCurry. Over time, one can develop mental templates that can be freshly applied to whatever appears in front of the camera. Often these mental guidelines are intentional, other times

Jan 25, 2018By Tom Coyner

Choose a theme: Let it take you some place new

By Tom CoynerA couple of years ago, I decided to try to push myself beyond my comfort zone and explore a new type of photography -- photographing the “inked culture of Korea.” In the process, I met several wonderful people, participating in parts of society I was not familiar with. What I discovered were people who were committed to self-expression by permanently tattooing their bodies. Since tattooing is frowned on by large parts of Korean society, I discovered an alternative culture that operates almost in defiance to mainstream Korea. I found several highly educated and courteous young Koreans and foreigners striking out to create their own society -- sometimes by choice, other times by necessity. In the process, they have adopted tattooing and sometimes unconventional -- or at least very informal -- apparel. In a Busan alley: Min-ho Hyun with Daesung ‘Wild Boar’ Byun. April 17, 2016. Photo by Tom CoynerMiki Kim giving a tattoo at Badlands in Seoul. October 22, 2015. By Tom CoynerAs I networked among the people whom I was photographing, I learned more about

Jan 17, 2018By Tom Coyner

Choose a theme: Let it take you some place new

Happy snaps: Relating to strangers with your camera

By Tom CoynerIt goes without saying that people appreciate looking at pictures of other people -- particularly if they are emotionally accessible and yet different from the viewer. By that, I mean when traveling in Korea or overseas, an objective may be to capture people images that give some insight into the local culture -- be it mundane or exotic. When taking travel photos of people, most people take candid shots. Professional travel photographers, however, often take the time to build a rapport of some kind with the person before taking the photograph. It really helps if the photographed person is psychologically participating in the picture's making -- even if only for a split second. There is a middle ground where the other person is aware of the photographer’s presence but does not give explicit permission to be photographed. Regardless, in most cases, the strongest images are created when the subject is staring directly into the lens, thereby creating a connection with the photographer and viewer.Siem Reap old monk by Tom Coyner, December 6, 2009.Bali cremation Hindu pr

Jan 14, 2018By Tom Coyner

Practical Photography Tips