Photos

Sunset in Fremantle:

Recent Photos:

People quite frequently ask me what my hobbies are, and fail to understand how programming and data analysis can be fun. I often reply that if it weren’t fun I would be doing it as my chosen profession. This often leads to interesting discussions about the nature of work, and whether one can work too much. Now… I just say I take photos for fun.

I actually took up photography in high school and picked it back up again when I was working as a networks programmer at iiNet, as the work was quite demanding, and I was risking burnout.

Photography is one of those beautiful overlaps between art and science. While it requires an understanding of aesthetics, it also requires a complex understanding of how light works.

However, in my very short and amateurish attempts at taking photos I can honestly say I’ve picked up a few easy tips to help beginners improve:

• Never take photos at eye-level. They are boring, simply because these are the angles everyone sees.
• Shoot slightly wider than what you intend to capture. You can crop later, but you can’t add stuff that wasn’t there.
• Never shoot with light straight to your front. You’ll wash the shot out.
• Never shoot with light straight to your back. Light that is off center from you makes wider shadows, and won’t include your own in shot.
• Break rules early and often. Photography isn’t hard to get mediocre at, but once you understand the basics you can improve quickly. So don’t constrain yourself to a simple list of does and don’ts once you feel like more of a challenge.