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Welcome to my BLOG. My name is Stefan and this is the place where I post my ideas, opinions, likes and dislikes. I am a photographer in the Kitchener/Waterloo area and my interests range from philosophy, Christianity, photography, music, politics, to arts, small talk, tea and coffee. You can contact me under: stefan.chirila@gmail.com. For more, read on =)
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
U2 no line on the horizon + anti-Scientologists
Great News for all U2 lovers! The band of choice of so many will be on tour this year and be in concert in Toronto, Ontario on September 16th 2009 at the Rogers Centre (the former Skydome)
Also here's an online player where you can listen to their songs:
Anti-Scientology protest in Kitchener
As I was walking downtown today, I noticed a group of people standing near City Hall. The thing that intrigued me about them was the fact that they were wearing masks and holding posters. I came closer, took a few pictures of them and soon enough I realized what it was all about.
They were protesters, gathering as a statement against the Church of Scientology. They were very friendly and allowed me to take pictures of them, even posed for me. I asked them about the purpose of their protest and their reply was that they were speaking against the fact that the Church of Scientology was infringing human rights and putting people and families in danger, as well as maliciously convincing people to sign contracts which make them legally obliged to pay large debts to the Church of Scientology, in money or in physical labour.
An anti-Church of Scientology protester in downtown Kitchener, Ontario
What they said the church of scientology does:
The protesters explained how the church of scientology recruits people on behalf of the religious beliefs that it proclaims, then in order for the person to join the religion, they are required to sign certain documents which require them to obey the rules of this organization.
The purpose one has, as a member of the church of scientology is, in short, "purification". The way this is conducted is through "courses" which the church of scientology provides and teaches, at a cost. The cost can reach up to $128,000, roughly, and the member is obliged by law (since he/she signed the document to become a member of this church) to pay this debt, either in money or optionally in physical labour, at the construction sites of their churches (possibly other locations as well).
Some of the people endebted, I was told, who ended up paying their debt in physical labour, were children. Which is an infringement of human rights in Canada.
In the case of a church member's intention to quit their membership in the church, I have been told that the Church of Scientology legally charges them a considerable cacellation fee, which is legally enforced by the document the member signs upon enrolling into membership.
Also the church of scientology obliges its members to quit contact with friends and even family members who question or deny belief in the teachings of the church of scientology. This, they told me, has already led to many people ending up unable to speak to half their family, since that half of their family was part of this church.
Who are these people who were protesting?
I asked them whether they were members from within the Church of Scientology who were revolting against its means or whether they are all part of an organization.
I received the answer that they were not part of an organization, instead they were people of different walks of life, some of them ex-members of the church of scientology, some just people who learned these things and are appaled by them, and thus would like to speak against the practices of the church of scientology and warn others about the danger they believe this church poses.
Why do they protest?
I asked them what moved them to protest. One of the protesters then explained how they do not protest because they have anything against the church of scientology as a religion. He expressed how he believes in a God who is invisible, who came to earth, impregnated a woman with himself, then lived among us and sacrificed himself to himself. The same way that this protester has the right to believe this, he said, so do the people of the church of scientology have the right to believe whatever they find worth believing in, be it an invisible God, or aliens. So neither he nor the other protesters have anything to bring against the religious beliefs, however, the protesters hold it as imperative to share their opinion with the world, which is that the Church of Scientology is using legal means to bind people to the payment of large debts. This being a fact that they hold as dangerous and people should be warned about.
My own thoughts:
I personally love doing photo-journalism and getting in contact with people like this who have something to say and are not afraid to say it. It is often not a little thing to do, to stand up against a strong economic and perhaps somewhat political power and openly express your discontent.
Up until this day I have not much come in contact with the issue of the Church of Scientology. I did not know many details about it, its beliefs, or its practices. I find that this has been a very educational experience to me which I value a lot. Whether these things that I was told are truly fact or not, I can not guarantee since I have not had direct contact with the church of scientology, but I find that no warning is too much of a warning. One can never be too careful and should always be as informed as can be.
To the protesters:
If you read this then I would like to thank you for letting me photograph and interview you. I find that what you people do is a great thing, you are exercising your right of freedom of speech, which is a thing that I give thumbs up to!
More photographs:
What they said the church of scientology does:
The protesters explained how the church of scientology recruits people on behalf of the religious beliefs that it proclaims, then in order for the person to join the religion, they are required to sign certain documents which require them to obey the rules of this organization.
The purpose one has, as a member of the church of scientology is, in short, "purification". The way this is conducted is through "courses" which the church of scientology provides and teaches, at a cost. The cost can reach up to $128,000, roughly, and the member is obliged by law (since he/she signed the document to become a member of this church) to pay this debt, either in money or optionally in physical labour, at the construction sites of their churches (possibly other locations as well).
Some of the people endebted, I was told, who ended up paying their debt in physical labour, were children. Which is an infringement of human rights in Canada.
In the case of a church member's intention to quit their membership in the church, I have been told that the Church of Scientology legally charges them a considerable cacellation fee, which is legally enforced by the document the member signs upon enrolling into membership.
Also the church of scientology obliges its members to quit contact with friends and even family members who question or deny belief in the teachings of the church of scientology. This, they told me, has already led to many people ending up unable to speak to half their family, since that half of their family was part of this church.
Who are these people who were protesting?
I asked them whether they were members from within the Church of Scientology who were revolting against its means or whether they are all part of an organization.
I received the answer that they were not part of an organization, instead they were people of different walks of life, some of them ex-members of the church of scientology, some just people who learned these things and are appaled by them, and thus would like to speak against the practices of the church of scientology and warn others about the danger they believe this church poses.
Why do they protest?
I asked them what moved them to protest. One of the protesters then explained how they do not protest because they have anything against the church of scientology as a religion. He expressed how he believes in a God who is invisible, who came to earth, impregnated a woman with himself, then lived among us and sacrificed himself to himself. The same way that this protester has the right to believe this, he said, so do the people of the church of scientology have the right to believe whatever they find worth believing in, be it an invisible God, or aliens. So neither he nor the other protesters have anything to bring against the religious beliefs, however, the protesters hold it as imperative to share their opinion with the world, which is that the Church of Scientology is using legal means to bind people to the payment of large debts. This being a fact that they hold as dangerous and people should be warned about.
My own thoughts:
I personally love doing photo-journalism and getting in contact with people like this who have something to say and are not afraid to say it. It is often not a little thing to do, to stand up against a strong economic and perhaps somewhat political power and openly express your discontent.
Up until this day I have not much come in contact with the issue of the Church of Scientology. I did not know many details about it, its beliefs, or its practices. I find that this has been a very educational experience to me which I value a lot. Whether these things that I was told are truly fact or not, I can not guarantee since I have not had direct contact with the church of scientology, but I find that no warning is too much of a warning. One can never be too careful and should always be as informed as can be.
To the protesters:
If you read this then I would like to thank you for letting me photograph and interview you. I find that what you people do is a great thing, you are exercising your right of freedom of speech, which is a thing that I give thumbs up to!
More photographs:
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Contrast
Interesting to see the contrast between the theatrical French version of a scene as opposed to the Disneyfied English version of the same scene.
First off here's why I was impressed with the French video:
the words (if you read the captions) are very ...blunt. straight forward and sometimes almost hintingly graphic. the words talk about how this woman got them all mad with desire and the words definitely paint a vivid picture.
also, the characters are guys, three people from 3 completely different walks of life. one is a handicapped beggar who lives inside a church tower, one is a cleric, a priest, well regarded and such, and the third is a plain boy who is engaged to a girl. they seem to have nothing in common, yet the passion for her unites them into the same story. now, cool thing is this, they are not just three completely different walks of life, theyre also Bass, Baritone and Tenor, the three main voice types. and the fact that the passion for her binds them is symbolized by them singing together in the end harmonizing so nicely since each sings their own voice type and they dont clash that way.
the acting. i think we both agree the hunchback guy is a genius. he'd do the part well even without makeup the way he moves and moves his lip. the priest also almost embodies his character of sombre seriousness in the way he speaks. you can also sense the despair in his mind but of course in character with the seriousness and hold-back-ness that goes with it.
and of course the themes that show up. they all say basically the same thing going through the same stages. they proclaim that theyre driven mad by her beauty, then they wonder what on earth they could pray for to escape this, and eventually ask Lucifer (satan) to allow them to stroke through her hair just once. epic
French video:
English Video:
The High Resolution Copy of an Artwork
I have written a blog entry on this before, here, where I explained how the people at google earth are making 14 giga pixel sized digital "copies" of famous artwork, see the video by clicking here, which very very much inspired me to try something similar, while not at the same size since my computer right now can not handle blending 300, 10 megapixel, images all at once.
I have talked to a friend of mine, Emily Shields, who I knew had some artwork that I could work with, and I managed to convince her to allow me to make such a "digital copy" of one of her oil paintings. Here's the result:
Sunday, March 01, 2009
Thursday, February 26, 2009
multimedia
Movies:
The Love Guru
Guess Who: - Movie on YouTube
The Kite Runner
1 2
Bruce almighty: - movie
The devil wears prada: - The Devil Wears Prada
About a boy:
"Indeed, no man is an island!"
About a Boy Movie
Music:
Oliver Twist 2005 Soundtrack
U2 - no line on the horizon
Nice classical music
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
candle light photography
Original Link: http://digital-photography-school.com/14-tips-for-great-candlelight-photography
15 Tips for Great Candlelight Photography
27
Happy Valentines Day! In celebration we thought we’d publish this post on the romantic topic of Candlelight Photography!
Have you ever tried to photograph a candle lit scene with your digital camera?
The results can be stunning with the warm glow of flickering flames reflecting off your subjects face (can you feel the romance?) but the shooting in such a low light environment make it can make it a challenging situation.
Here are a few tips on how to get that perfect candle light portrait!
1. Turn off Your Flash
Lets start with the obvious ones and work our way back. We’ve all taken shots using a flash in low light situations and have been disappointed by the way it totally destroys any ambient light in a shot. If you want to get the warm glow of candles it’s essential that you switch your flash completely off. There is of course an exception - see point 15 below.
2. Use a Tripod
Stating the obvious again - but shooting by candlelight means you’re shooting with very little light which in turn means you’ll almost certainly be shooting with slower shutter speeds that increase the impact of camera shake on your shots. Make sure your camera is as secure and as still as possible during shots by using a tripod and by considering the use of a remote shutter release to take out any vibrations from hitting the shutter.
3. Extra Candles
The biggest challenge with candlelight photography is the lack of light you have to work with. Using more candles will obviously produce more light which gives you a little more flexibility when it comes to shutter speed, ISO and aperture settings.
4. Spread Your Candles
Using a single candle or positioning multiple candles all closely together in one position will cause there to be harsher shadows cast upon your subject’s face. This might be the look you’re going for, however in most cases you’ll want a more even spread of light on their face. This can be achieved simply by spreading the candles out a little. I would still recommend more candles on one side than the other as this will create a nice side lighting impact - however don’t get the sides too uneven unless you’re after a pretty dramatic impact.
5. Natural ‘Reflectors’
The few times that I I shot by candlelight I made an accidental discovery that has been helpful since. I noticed that those times I shot my subject sitting at a table with a white table cloth that the shots were better exposed than those without a white table cloth. Obviously the table cloth reflected light back up into the face of my subject. Similarly white walls and ceilings can have this type of effect also (it’s slight - but everything helps when you’re shooting in such low light situations).
6. Fast Lenses
If you’re shooting with a DSLR and have multiple lenses choose the ‘fastest’ one you’ve got as this will allow you to use a larger aperture and let more light into your camera. My personal preference for this type of shot would be one of my 50mm lenses (f/1.8 or f/1.4). I would then generally shoot with the fastest aperture setting possible (or close to it) which enables a faster shutter speed and lower ISO. Keep in mind however that the larger your aperture the smaller your depth of field will be and the more spot on you focussing will need to be.
7. Zooms and Aperture
Keep in mind that when you’re shooting with many zoom lenses that the maximum aperture changes throughout the focal length range. ie shooting at the widest setting on many zooms will give you a larger aperture than when you zoom in. As a result it might be better to move in closer to your subject with a wider angle focal range than using the zoom.
8. Context and Backgrounds
Compositionally I like to keep these types of shots as uncluttered and simple as possible. I will generally shoot in front of a white background (keep an eye on harsh shadows cast by your subject and consider one or two behind them) and with minimal props. It might be appropriate to include a glass of wine and some basic table settings if you’re going for a shot at a table - but the less distractions that you have in the shot the better.
9. Shutter Speed
An obvious way to let more light into your camera is to choose a slower shutter speed. Keep in mind that as you decrease shutter speed you increase the chances of capturing any movement (both of your subject, the flames of candles and movement of your camera). If the environment is completely still (so flames are not flickering) and with a subject keeping as still as possible you might set your shutter speed as slow as 1/15th of a second - but any slower and you might be asking too much of your subject.
10. ISO Settings
Another way to compensate for low light environments is to increase the ISO settings on your camera. Of course the trade off of doing this is shots with more grain (noise) in them. Attempt to keep your ISO under 400 if you can and you should get reasonably clean shots. Any higher and you’ll start noticing the noise - especially if you’re blowing shots up to larger sizes.
11. Expose
If candles are in the shot, your camera will usually underexpose the shot as it’ll see them as such a bright spot. You might want to try overexposing by a stop from what the camera recommends. Don’t beef up exposure too much however or you’ll end up with your candles being burnt out spots in your image.
12. White Balance
It is well worth experimenting with white balance when shooting by candle light. Candles emit a very ‘warm’ light - something that you’ll want to include in your shots as it creates a wonderful atmosphere. However your camera may want to get rid of this warmth if you have white balance set to ‘auto’. Try different settings to get the right level of warmth (I find ‘indoor’ or ‘tungsten’ settings can work). Alternatively shoot in RAW and you’ll have a lot more flexibility with white balance in your post processing.
13. Composition of Candles
There are two main ways to deal with candles in a compositional senses - you can include them in the shot or leave them out unseen out of the frame. Both alternatives can create lovely shots so experiment with both.
If you’re including candles in the frame remember that they’ll impact the settings your camera wants to us (see section on ‘exposure’ above) but that they’ll also create points of interest in your shot that can potentially draw the eye of those viewing your image - competing with your main subject. As a result you’ll want to position your subject in a prominent position and consider placing candles in a way that doesn’t distract too much.
If candles are in the frame you’ll also want to make sure they’re nice ones. Smaller details matter in portraits and ugly candles might prove to be a real distraction.
14. Other Light Sources
Sometimes candles just won’t product enough light on their own. If this is the case and the above techniques still don’t leave you with enough light consider adding a little extra from another source. You might have a lamp or a dimmed light that you can use for example. For best results try to give your extra light a warm glow by using some red or orange material to drape over it (be careful of heat).
15. Using a Flash with a Colored Gel
In point number 1 I talked about turning off your flash to help you get that warm glow from the candles rather than a bright flash blowing out the image. The only exception that I have seen people use for this using some sort of a warm (red or orange) gel over your flash. This dims the impact of the flash and gives it a warm light. You might also want to decrease the output of the flash manually if you have control over this. Experiment with different color gels to get the color just right.
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