Making the ordinary special

Whenever I bring my camera out, my family members always wonder what is so interesting in the place that is worth taking pictures. As photographers, we need to pre-visualise in our heads what can make a good picture...

If we have already set our mind that there is nothing interesting to take pictures in a place, we shut off our creative pre-visualisation that is critical to make photographs stands out from random snapshots. Of course composition in crucial to ensure the image is conveyed strongly. In most scenarios less is more...and a tight composition ensures powerful images...

The following pictures are from a steamboat dinner outing with my family in a small restaurant in town...


The play of the depth of field focuses the interest on the main dish while the background is being blurred, there is still some context showing bowls and cutlery.


The simple picture of a display boat model is made more interesting when converted to black and white as the intricate details are much more obvious. The enhanced shadow and tonality create a 3D appearance to the picture. The end...