Joshua Ong

I’m not very good at composition, but I definitely agree with the rest that the second picture looks better. The first seems to be underexposed, while the second is not only brighter but also has a path creating a leading line. Seems like you have gorgeous sunsets in Adelaide. We get beautiful sunsets over here in Perth as well. They get better…[Read more]

@jamesstaddon, thanks for the feedback. May I know how you edited the picture?

More than two years ago, I posted a picture of Perth’s cityscape on this thread and was encouraged to take the photo during the golden hour. Here’s the same cityscape taken a few minutes before sunset. I was wondering if the picture would look better had the buildings reflected more sunlight (i.e., if I had arrived a little earlier when the sun…[Read more]

I decided to follow your suggestion, @jamesstaddon, and have the tail end of the chili wrapped around the “1” of the dollar bill. However, it was the “1” on the bill’s upper right-hand corner, not the circled “1.” I also experimented with the pepper on the lower half of the bill. This time I used the “documentary” approach rather than the…[Read more]

@joshua, yes, it does help to enhance the color in some situations.

Since they enhance picture quality, my guess is that these filters would reduce post-processing time. How much do they cost on average, and are they compatible only with SLRs?

Thank you very much for the wonderful comments and suggestions. @dan-cope, you helped me see how this picture could be better taken from a different perspective; I guess it didn’t occur to me that everything interesting was located in the middle of the picture. If only there were a higher vantage point in the vicinity, I would have grabbed the…[Read more]

Thank you very much for your comments and suggestions. In conjunction with the posted picture, I did take another shot, closer to the subjects and at an angle. The problem with the photo is that the chili looks somewhat out of focus.

Thanks for the wonderful comments and suggestion! The only problem is that a majority of the peppers have already been consumed, and I would have to wait for the plants to produce more chilies.

My thought on the picture with the couch….what if there was a little boy curled up on the couch just gazing at the tree? Just a thought….

Here’s the picture with my brother gazing at the tree while sitting on the couch.

Thank you very much, James, for the nice comments and wonderful suggestions! I’m happy to explore different aspects in photographing “starburst” Christmas trees. Thanks for boosting my creativity. By the way, are you serious that an amateur like me could actually sell these kinds of pictures? If so, for how much could I sell them?

I’m posting a…[Read more]

Thanks, @sarahanne and @jinnyschober, for your nice comments! It’s been a hobby of mine to take starburst pictures of Christmas trees during the festive season. I just love the vibrant splashes of colour! A very Merry Christmas to you all and the Lenspiration community from “down under!”

Thanks, @abbie! I’m glad you like it!

Yes, I agree with @elianafranzenburg regarding a lower angle. That way you can capture the front of the cup together with the hot chocolate. But I realise that a majority of the cream may not be visible from such an angle unless the cream is closer to the brim. By the way, would your mum mind sharing the recipe of that amazing drink?

The electric cord seemed to be a distracting element to me too. I tried my best to use GIMP’s clone tool for elimination. However, I still think that the picture looks more realistic with the wire providing power to the Christmas lights—that’s just my opinion.

Thank you very much for your comments. I moved the furniture aside and took several shots of the tree, both from the ground and a coffee table, just to explore different angles. Here’s one that I took from a coffee table.

@jinnyschober, I really liked your sunset pictures, especially the last one you posted. I noticed you had lens flares on them, a problem that I had encountered when I took my own sunset photos. However, I learned to correct this problem by applying GIMP’s clone tool. The following link will give you tips on clearing up the lens flares:…[Read more]