Jing Magsaysay aka jingmag
From the Philippines .
Member Since: 2006-02-07
From the Philippines .
Member Since: 2006-02-07
Camera: Nikon D-70s, Nikon D200, Nikon F-3
Note: Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Workshop Editor/Silver Note Writer (298)jingmag is a favorite of 48 members.
You can checkout his photo gallery here.
You can checkout his photo gallery here.
How did you become a member of Treklens?
Just by chance, i came across it when surfing about photography sites.
Photography to some has different meaning, for you what is photography?
Photography for me is a language everyone understands. Like, music and all the other art forms, it transcends words. It is a tool by which we can communicate with others through the images we capture. As the photographer who captures the image, there are feelings or emotions we want to convey or share through the image. As a viewer of the image, we see the image from our point of view, from our heart, or mind. if somehow, there is connection between the photographer and the viewer, then the image fulfilled its purpose.
Let me ask about; who/what is your major influence in photography?
i don't know if there is a single person who has influenced the way i capture images. i may admire so many photographers but when I’m capturing an image, something else is at work, my entire being goes into capturing the image. But if you want names of photographers I admire, Ansel Adams and Nick Brandt.
There are others who have the constant urge to upgrade their gears; do you think gears in photography really matters in getting the "perfect shot"?
There are two parts to this question. My answer to the first is: as long as you have the minimum amount of gear to get what you want. It really depends on what photos you capture. If you're a nature photographer, then you would want long lenses and equipment protection. If you're a fashion or portrait photographer, you may need lights or a good flash system, if you're an underwater photographer, you obviously need underwater accessories, if you're a sports photographer, then you need long and fast lenses and a fast camera. Constant upgrades are a luxury, not a necessity. Once you have your basic gear, you're good to go. You don't want bringing tons of equipment around anyway, unless you're a pro with a staff to do that for you.
second question: you may have the best equipment in the world but if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time or the right place at the wrong time or the wrong place at the right time, then you don't have your image. Of course I’m talking as a landscape and street photographer. If you're doing studio shots, then you have control over most elements of your process, subject, lighting, time, color, design, etc. if you're out in nature or on the street or a sports photographer, you're hostage to so many variables: weather, lighting conditions, positioning and the effect all of these have on your equipment. And when you're out there, its 1% equipment, 1% skill and 98% luck. over time, you develop a feel for certain things and you attune yourself to some elements like where the sun is setting, if its rainy this time of year, where to set up for a particular shot. Nature is such a big subject and everyday you spend outdoors is a day in school. The perfect photograph is a gift. a good photograph is a product of learning.
We have seen many sunsets in your posts in Treklens, does this signify anything? How about Long exposure shots?
i particularly like sunrise and sunset images. I’m not alone in this, millions of other photographers like sunrises and sunsets, in fact, so many photographs are taken of these subjects that some groups ban sunrise or sunset images. But for me, sunrises and sunsets are celebrations
Sunsets can be gregarious, vivacious and opulent even. Sunrises on the other hand are subtle affairs. There's a softness in sunrises which just rightly and gently brings you into the new day. It is when time and place are both suspended and restless, the night laboring to give birth to a new day. But like sunsets, every moment of a sunrise is different. Every second is a second in motion, on so large a scale that humans can only perceive it over a long period. But try taking a photograph every three seconds or so and look at the photos after. It is only then that the insidious character of change can be observed. Clouds of mist change the fastest, enslaved by the wind and changes in the atmosphere; they take on a different shape every second, always there but never the same. Water dances to a steadier beat, drummed by far off trade winds and transcontinental currents. Land is slowest of all. Motion so slow no man or series of photographs can be witness to its gentle grind. But every moment is a world in itself.
How do you separate your photography from others? Any general classification or photography in which you attribute your work?
I really don't "separate" my photography from others. I just take photographs of whatever catches my interest. Mostly landscapes, seascapes and street photography.
If only one picture from your pool is to represent your work, what will it be and why?
Each of my photographs is a message so they are "equal", if you may, in terms of being representative of my work. But there are special ones. One of those is "Children of the Sea", a photo taken along the seawall of Roxas Blvd. on a summer day. The elements of the photograph, the sunset hidden by the cloud but still casting an orange glow on the horizon, the play of light on the water, the 4 boys in the water, progressing from the farthest to the nearest who is actually out of the water making his way to the rocks and the man with a child beside him seemingly "watching" over them. All the elements just came into play in one photograph. My series of long exposures of the Grotto on Boracay are also special to me. Those photographs were taken in the middle of the rainy season and I was fortunate to catch a full moon "moonrise" with the monsoon clouds. They are just so powerful for me.
Can you give us an idea of your typical work flow from capturing the shot to posting to TL?
I try to frame my subject so I won't have to crop during post processing so I don't lose any quality. I also bracket shots whenever the circumstances permit. In post, I just usually adjust for light, contrast, levels, curves, just enough to get what I want, not overdoing adjustments. Mostly global adjustments.
Lastly, advice to those who want to start photography?
Like everything else, put your heart into it. And that's not as simple as it sounds. Putting your heart into it means time, effort, investments. And keep learning the functions of your equipment, learning these things will bring you closer to the "style" or "feel" you are looking for. Learn from others. Look at other photographs and join or read the many forums on photography. There are so many intelligent technical and philosophical discussions which will surely contribute greatly to your craft.
Photography for me is a language everyone understands. Like, music and all the other art forms, it transcends words. It is a tool by which we can communicate with others through the images we capture. As the photographer who captures the image, there are feelings or emotions we want to convey or share through the image. As a viewer of the image, we see the image from our point of view, from our heart, or mind. if somehow, there is connection between the photographer and the viewer, then the image fulfilled its purpose.
Let me ask about; who/what is your major influence in photography?
i don't know if there is a single person who has influenced the way i capture images. i may admire so many photographers but when I’m capturing an image, something else is at work, my entire being goes into capturing the image. But if you want names of photographers I admire, Ansel Adams and Nick Brandt.
There are others who have the constant urge to upgrade their gears; do you think gears in photography really matters in getting the "perfect shot"?
There are two parts to this question. My answer to the first is: as long as you have the minimum amount of gear to get what you want. It really depends on what photos you capture. If you're a nature photographer, then you would want long lenses and equipment protection. If you're a fashion or portrait photographer, you may need lights or a good flash system, if you're an underwater photographer, you obviously need underwater accessories, if you're a sports photographer, then you need long and fast lenses and a fast camera. Constant upgrades are a luxury, not a necessity. Once you have your basic gear, you're good to go. You don't want bringing tons of equipment around anyway, unless you're a pro with a staff to do that for you.
second question: you may have the best equipment in the world but if you're in the wrong place at the wrong time or the right place at the wrong time or the wrong place at the right time, then you don't have your image. Of course I’m talking as a landscape and street photographer. If you're doing studio shots, then you have control over most elements of your process, subject, lighting, time, color, design, etc. if you're out in nature or on the street or a sports photographer, you're hostage to so many variables: weather, lighting conditions, positioning and the effect all of these have on your equipment. And when you're out there, its 1% equipment, 1% skill and 98% luck. over time, you develop a feel for certain things and you attune yourself to some elements like where the sun is setting, if its rainy this time of year, where to set up for a particular shot. Nature is such a big subject and everyday you spend outdoors is a day in school. The perfect photograph is a gift. a good photograph is a product of learning.
We have seen many sunsets in your posts in Treklens, does this signify anything? How about Long exposure shots?
i particularly like sunrise and sunset images. I’m not alone in this, millions of other photographers like sunrises and sunsets, in fact, so many photographs are taken of these subjects that some groups ban sunrise or sunset images. But for me, sunrises and sunsets are celebrations
Sunsets can be gregarious, vivacious and opulent even. Sunrises on the other hand are subtle affairs. There's a softness in sunrises which just rightly and gently brings you into the new day. It is when time and place are both suspended and restless, the night laboring to give birth to a new day. But like sunsets, every moment of a sunrise is different. Every second is a second in motion, on so large a scale that humans can only perceive it over a long period. But try taking a photograph every three seconds or so and look at the photos after. It is only then that the insidious character of change can be observed. Clouds of mist change the fastest, enslaved by the wind and changes in the atmosphere; they take on a different shape every second, always there but never the same. Water dances to a steadier beat, drummed by far off trade winds and transcontinental currents. Land is slowest of all. Motion so slow no man or series of photographs can be witness to its gentle grind. But every moment is a world in itself.
How do you separate your photography from others? Any general classification or photography in which you attribute your work?
I really don't "separate" my photography from others. I just take photographs of whatever catches my interest. Mostly landscapes, seascapes and street photography.
If only one picture from your pool is to represent your work, what will it be and why?
Each of my photographs is a message so they are "equal", if you may, in terms of being representative of my work. But there are special ones. One of those is "Children of the Sea", a photo taken along the seawall of Roxas Blvd. on a summer day. The elements of the photograph, the sunset hidden by the cloud but still casting an orange glow on the horizon, the play of light on the water, the 4 boys in the water, progressing from the farthest to the nearest who is actually out of the water making his way to the rocks and the man with a child beside him seemingly "watching" over them. All the elements just came into play in one photograph. My series of long exposures of the Grotto on Boracay are also special to me. Those photographs were taken in the middle of the rainy season and I was fortunate to catch a full moon "moonrise" with the monsoon clouds. They are just so powerful for me.
Can you give us an idea of your typical work flow from capturing the shot to posting to TL?
I try to frame my subject so I won't have to crop during post processing so I don't lose any quality. I also bracket shots whenever the circumstances permit. In post, I just usually adjust for light, contrast, levels, curves, just enough to get what I want, not overdoing adjustments. Mostly global adjustments.
Lastly, advice to those who want to start photography?
Like everything else, put your heart into it. And that's not as simple as it sounds. Putting your heart into it means time, effort, investments. And keep learning the functions of your equipment, learning these things will bring you closer to the "style" or "feel" you are looking for. Learn from others. Look at other photographs and join or read the many forums on photography. There are so many intelligent technical and philosophical discussions which will surely contribute greatly to your craft.
