Obviously is out. Abuden is in!

My dearest friend pointed me to this very obvious video...

Yes, yes, yes, sometimes it's really very irritating when people state the obvious but we are all guilty of doing it all the same, abuden!

Left Standing this 立春

I'm totally excited being able to make an egg stand this very first day of Spring! But why do eggs particularly stand on 立春? That part I have no idea. o.O

HDR In Photojournalism

My initial interpretation of HDR (high dynamic range) photography was over-processed photos but after a long period of web surfing and reading more about it, I find it can make a photo more realistic (in terms of dynamic range) than straight out of the camera. Before I go further, HDR is basically combining a few photos taken of the same scene at varying exposures.

Back to the purpose of this post, I came across an article from dpreview.com which mentioned about a debate in using HDR in photojournalism. You can read more about it here. I find the pro-HDR reply pretty much agreeable. Below, excerpts of the reply:

There is no camera in existence, digital or film, which can accurately reproduce what the human vision system can capture and process in real time. While today’s digital cameras capture a much larger dynamic range in a single shot than any color transparency film ever could in the past, they still can't match the tonal range humans can see. And so, using HDR software and processing tools is the only method a photographer has to deliver precisely what he or she witnessed at the time of an image capture. 

and...

Improper use of HDR can clearly create a misrepresentation of the photographic moment, but when HDR techniques are used as they should, they absolutely meet, and might, in fact, go above and beyond the standards of the NPPA’s code of ethics which state, in part:

• Be accurate and comprehensive in the representation of subjects.
• Editing should maintain the integrity of the photographic images' content and context. Do not manipulate images or add or alter sound in any way that can mislead viewers or misrepresent subjects. 
• Respect the integrity of the photographic moment.

Proper use of HDR does not alter, mislead or misrepresent a scene. In fact, true color HDR processing and tone mapping techniques restore the integrity of the photograph, and is the best way to reproduce the original high contrast scene, in low dynamic range media such as newsprint or on our LCD computer or handheld displays.