How a Camera Sees and how a Mind Sees by Dr Wong Yin Onn

How a 'Camera Sees' and how a 'Mind Sees'.

   The human eye can see a brightness- darkness ratio of up to 10 times (something like the earthquake Richter scale). The digital camera/handphone sensor like the old negative films can only cope with a brightness-darkness ratio of up to 5 times.

One need to decide which area to expose for, otherwise the too bright or too dark areas will be unable to record any details. The human eye can selectively focus on any specific area of interest and ignore other areas.

  The camera sensor or the old film is calibrated for exposure to give a 18% average grey. So whether one photographs a grey cat or a totally black cat or a pure white cat it will appear as a 'grey' cat. Hence one has to know what to expose for and do the right exposure compensation.

 A picture image depends on many factors, all interdependent. Mainly lighting conditions ( intensity, time of day, direction etc.), aperture, shutter speed, film sensitivity (ISO), lens coverage (normal, wide, telephoto), angle of view, etc.

  Similarly the photographer or the person seeing the view is seeing the world through his own 'tinted glasses' - his own perspective, prejudices, preferences, past experiences and expertise, etc. 'What the Mind does not 'Know' the eye cannot 'See'.

   The Camera and the Eye just capture 'raw data'. In the 'Seeing' only the 'Seeing' ( just like in the walking only the walking, in the eating only the eating, in the breathing only the breathing).

It is in the software embedded by the camera/ hand phone designers that interprets the raw data which than produces the image we see on the screen.

For example Panasonic designs and make identical cameras sold under the Panasonic and Leica brands. The Leica brand costs much more but however produces better images due only to the superior image converting software.

Fuji camera users have a choice of 9 types of image characteristics - standard, Velvia, Astia(soft), Classic Fujichrome, Monochrome, Across, Pro Negative ( slight high contrast or standard contrast) and Sepia.

  The 'True Reality' is just the Raw Image that is captured by the camera sensor/film. The 'Actual Reality' the image we see is the product of the software that converts the raw images and the photographer's choices of exposure, angle if view, timing of exposure, composition and many other factors like his preferences.

It is important to understand all these variable factors that go into making the final image.

Hopefully with this understanding one will not be so insistent in claiming that 'my picture' is the best and that 'my Right View' is the only View.

Do wait or hope to get the 'Prefect Picture'.

Use the 'Present Moment' to do your best to 'See' and produce the best that you can.

One can only take a 'Present Moment' photograph. It is impossible to take a photograph of a 'past moment' or a photograph of a 'future moment'.

  It is a long gradual learning process, a journey - so enjoy the Present Moment and journey. It is not a goal/destination of getting the 'Prefect Picture' ( or Enlightenment or whatever you call it).

Enjoy the journey and give your best shot.

     Be humble and be prepared to learn from others. See from other people viewpoints and interpretations.

GRATITUDE (check Mangala Sutta)

Be grateful for our human birth esp.  being born a Malaysian and a Singaporean.

  Be grateful for having Eyes to See,

Legs to Walk, Ears to Hear, Mouth to Communicate, Health to Travel,

Wealth to Travel and buy cameras and hand phones and having good travel and spiritual companions.

By Dr Wong Yin Onn