This is a very, very long overdue entry. I have been meaning to write this review quite a long time ago but I don't know somehow I got lost half way and totally forgot to do it. Let me just be honest, Wazari is one of my favourite photographers. Some people always adore the work from other international photographers and sometimes they could be quite unappreciative towards our very own local talent. But the truth is that nowadays there are actually so many great local (Malaysian) photographers out there and some of them even already received a lot of international recognitions like Wazari.
By profession, Wazari is a photographer who works for the government of Malaysia. Even though his daily work is mainly involved photojournalism but he has so much passion in photographing his son, Haiqal. You can simply tell from all the great pictures of Haiqal that he has been taking ever since he was born. Once in a while he does conduct photography workshop mainly on photo editing. Another great thing is, he has already produced three e-books as a medium for him to share his knowledge and expertise in photography from his years of experience as photographer. I know, this entry seems quite personal as if I have known him for years, to be honest I have never met him before (I wish I could one day!). I think it is just because I have been following his work that he shares in his blog, flickr and facebook for quite some time, ever since I involved in photography. Once in a while I do contact him through e-mail and facebook asking about photography stuffs and him, being a very down-to-earth and helpful individual, he never reluctant to answer questions and share his knowledge with other people.
I had mentioned earlier that until present time, he has written three e-books on post-processing and I own all of them! So this entry is mainly to review all those e-books and maybe to share with you on the outcomes of my post-processing work based on the tips and techniques that he shares in his e-books. The first e-book is "The Secret of Texture" where he shares his knowledge on how to incorporate texture(s) in a photo, be it a landscape or a portrait, whether it's coloured or just monochrome, it's your personal choice. As for the first example, I chose Adam's picture to experiment with the textures that Wazari provided together with the e-book. Hope it turns out well.
The second example is the picture of my wife with Mia taken at St. John Wood Road playground.
The second e-book is entitled "Retro Photoshop" which is about producing a certain tone for your chosen picture. In the e-book he shares 4 techniques of toning a picture; Old School Effect, Film E.F.X., Warmth and The Lightness. I think amongst all, I prefer and always apply Warmth technique the most, whenever I feel like toning my picture. Sometimes I try to mix and match with other methods to get the tone that pleases my eyes like those pictures that I share below.
This is our family picture that was taken quite recently when we went to Disneyland, Paris.
The second picture is a landscape picture of the view of River Thames from London Eye taken quite a while ago.
The third one, is the picture of Adam and Mia playing together in Kensington Gardens, London taken a couple of months ago.
The third and final e-book by Wazari is "Master of Colors" where he shares quite a number of techniques on colour enhancements such as LAB Color, Color Correction etc. He also gives some tips on how to enhance the "catchlight" which gives a great impact on portraiture photography. I think this e-book about colour enhancement is the most sought after because most people love to have a vibrant colour in their pictures. I think Canon users probably benefit the most because the colour reproduction is a little bit off due to the lack of vivid mode like Nikon...hehe...
The first example is our family picture taken during last autumn in Kensington Gardens, London.
The second one is the picture of a pirate ship taken quite recently in Adventure Land, Disneyland, Paris
The third one is the picture of a water lilly taken at The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew or simply, Kew Gardens in London.
I personally think that all the three e-books are presented in a very well and structured manner. For each technique that he shares, he describes it step by step with the aid of clear screenshots which make it very easy to understand even for a beginner photoshop users. I do agree that there are thousands of ways to do a certain thing in photo editing, but for someone who has lack of knowledge like me, I prefer something that is very straight forward; hence very easy and quick to follow. I think this is the strength and advantage of Wazari's e-book and this is why I personally prefer his techniques over others.
Like what he always shares in his personal blog or facebook, editing techniques or skill or a good camera for that matter is just one small part of it. The one that makes or breaks is the person behind the camera. For example, a particular tone or texture does not always applicable for every picture. Therefore, it is important to get the original picture is right in the first place before a certain editing technique can be applied in order to evoke an emotion or to make sure the viewers manage to grasp the message that the photographer wants to deliver. After all, the years of experience and the knowledge that count the most and would differentiate between great photographers and the ordinary ones. So if you think those pictures that I share in this entry are not successful in conveying any message or emotion to you, please do not have doubts over the techniques that have been shared in the e-books, it's my lack of knowledge/experience in choosing the right picture to apply the editing techniques that makes it look ordinary or less meaningful and I do apologise for it.
Oh another thing, do visit his blog here: www.wazariwazir.com because he always share simple tips and techniques there! You can also view his wonderful photo collections in his flickr here: Wazari Flickr
