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Harry Ho Zi Le
@hharryhho
Winner #FFAnomadict Editing Contest
I was born and raised in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Growing up, I was surrounded by the rich culture and diversity in Malaysia. However, I knew little about the enormous world until I discovered my passion for photography.
My dad passed me his used camera at the age of 8, and this camera has since accompanied me to Australia, Japan, China, Switzerland, and the UK. It has given me purpose. It has shown me that creativity knows no boundaries. It has pushed me to experience things I never thought I’d experience. Photography has brought me across the world.
"It has made me truly appreciate the little things in life that many people have been taking for granted."
"Nevertheless, without a feeling for art, photography probably wouldn’t have brought me so far."
I created my first artwork with Lego when I was just a little boy, and over the years I discovered many other ways to create artworks. I had attended numerous art lessons, which provided me with an understanding of the elements of design and a fundamental sense of creativity. I found the footsteps in this creative direction through painting and drawing, through artists such as Pablo Picasso & Vincent van Gogh, and through Mr. Mc Escher (the famous Dutch graphic artist). The work he produced influenced me to appreciate 3Ds and dimensional graphics. So when I found my way to photography, I always felt that something was missing; I craved that feeling that painting gave me, where you would start with nothing but a blank canvas, and slowly work your way towards something – something beautiful. And that was when I was introduced to the world of Conceptual Digital Art.
"I am now entering into A-level studies at the Alice Smith School."
The school offers both Photography and Design Technology, which I hope could further expand my passion for both creativity and technology and bring my skills and knowledge to new heights. Learning photoshop from 0 and the fundamentals of photography have been frustrating and often overwhelming. I spent hours on Youtube and Pinterest to gather my inspirations and ideas. Nevertheless, with Photoshop, I can create anything I want, without limitations. That’s why Photoshop has always been so alluring for me. I have always thought that I saw this world differently from those around me, and I am only able to express my sentiments through my Photographs and Digital Art.
"Since beginning my photography journey, I’ve worked on many different types of projects that have expanded my experience and added to my portfolio."
It started with my first ever paid commercial food photography collaboration, where I assisted a local restaurant by producing food menus. I earned €105 for 50 digital photographs. This was a huge turning point in my life. It gave me the courage and belief to grow as a teenager as well as a creative. After approaching other local restaurants and cafes as a freelance photographer, I thought of collaborating with international brands such as Sudio and Gaston Luga to gain more exposure. During the summer of 2021, in a very fortunate manner, these two companies reached out to me for a collaboration before I started my A-levels. These collaborations and projects boosted my confidence and I learned more about product photography and commercial creativity which had a positive impact on my portfolio.
"Every time, I realize again that the mentality to never be complacent with your work is a driver for success."
This mindset has driven me to create work that I could never imagine I would be doing. If I had been satisfied with one great photo, my passion would probably have ended in early 2013. I sacrificed most of my time on and off the camera, whether it’s a photoshoot or edit, I would be spending hours and be fully committed to what I wanted to accomplish at the end.
"Setting targets for myself has been crucial. Rather than staying passive, I regularly pushed myself to seek out opportunities."
Reaching out to people improved my public and socializing skills, and I found out that business studies played a huge role here too. So, I implemented my marketing knowledge to attract customers and collaborations. In this regard, Instagram has provided me with a mega platform to connect people and brands around the world, exchange ideas, and develop my creativity in Digital Art. In the summer of 2021, I was announced as the SONY #shootwithalpamy Malaysia Winner of the month. I believe I gained first place as a reward for my actions. I was eager to work, be productive, gain exposure and earn money so I could spend it buying my own camera gear and accessories. As a teenager, being able to buy my own gear with the money I managed to make through my passion, and winning this national competition, gave me a huge conviction to continue my passion for photography.
"To summarize, I believe that life is a journey in which you need to utilize what you have and stay hungry."
I often say to myself: “If you want to succeed, you must stay true to who you are. No one can do it better than yourself. Being unique and true to yourself is the one determining factor that will set you apart and stand out from the rest. And the only competition you have is yourself and being the best you could be. Don’t waste energy focusing on someone else’s dreams, go out and conquer yours.” This ultimately brought me here.
In that line, my highest satisfaction comes from being able to express myself. The creative process is about knowing myself and then expressing myself through visual stories. I have a habit of not immortalizing particular moments in my life, but instead, turning my emotions into images. Being able to do so makes me happy or at the very least relieved. The visual stimulation that I get from looking at my photographs, and the satisfaction of knowing that I created these photos and that they represent my feeling, often bring me joy. Photographs are the universal language of our era, and I use my photographs to communicate and to story-tell an important event that I personally treasured. The subjects I captured represent my life, what I visioned, what I physically experienced. The composition I chose and the colors I manipulated, represent my emotions. The mood and atmosphere I created, represent my senses.
"Photography and digital art have become my strongest and most distinguished voice."
During the Covid-19 pandemic, digital art became a bigger interest. Staying at home during this period encouraged me to participate in the Nomadict FFA Editing contest. I have been following Nomadict since 2020. Back when I started photography, I wondered if I would be part of Nomadict one day. It always seemed to be impossible; I was just a teenager with a camera and a dream.
A close senior friend of mine encouraged me to participate in this FFA contest. I wasn’t attracted to the prizes, instead, I wanted to take this opportunity to improve my editing skills and see how far it could take me. I set high expectations for myself, especially in open competitions like this. I wanted people to acknowledge the art I produce, and introduce myself to the world showing what I am capable of. I submitted 3 entries in total, each photo tells a different story and shows a different approach. Although it’s very time-consuming, my love and passion for creating digital art have never stopped.
"There’s just so much I could compose and express using a “blank” canvas to create a very influential digital photograph that then becomes mine."
This contest allowed me to create new compositions that are fantasies. I had taken part in many FFA editing contests in the past. This particular contest, however, inspired me to create unique compositions. It gave me a chance to combine and re-create a photograph that’s beyond reality. I wanted to take this contest to a whole new level because editing to me is more than just color-grading. I wanted my edits to look spectacular, something that represents me, and more importantly, to deliver a significant message.
I’ve selected @fabiooliveira’s photograph to create my winning piece. I felt that his photo best suited the vision that I wanted to express. I wanted to create an image that asked more questions than it answered. A simple story, intriguing enough to evoke emotions. As Fabio’s photograph was minimal, it gave me a lot of room to develop my ideas and let my creativity run free.
I titled my artwork, “Breakthrough” : summarizing a recent experience. At the age of 17, I like to look back at where I began. I think it’s important to take some time to not only appreciate how far I’ve come but also to acknowledge that life is an ongoing journey with ups and downs. At the start of 2021, I experienced a significant turning point in my life, and my mom used to tell me that when I would embark on a journey outside of my comfort zone, change is inevitable. Change has the ability to open the mind, shift perspectives and establish one’s purpose. Creating digital photographs gave me belief, and I tend to understand myself better. I can express and convey my emotions through photographs. And the winning edit does exactly that.
The Diver ideally represents me – A moment of belief, which encourages me to leave my comfort zone and be ready to embark on new challenges and obstacles in life. The composition, splitting the photos into two horizons, suggests that the diver is attempting to breakthrough. The light beams peeking through the surface of the water represents hope and guiding lights. The blue represents both the sky and the sea, conveying freedom, imagination, and inspiration. I often emphasize the choice of colors in my photos; I want it to be a statement. I had this kind of image in mind for some time, shaped by the important experiences of 2021. However, @tomnoske & @tedslittledream inspired me in the process of creating this image and in regard to digital photographs in general and their potential impact on society.
Please allow me to take you to my editing process :
(1) I opened @fabiooliveira’s raw photo in photoshop and started by manipulating the colors, ensuring the hues, saturation and luminance are perfect. Using the camera raw filter tool, I then darkened the shadows and desaturated the colors to achieve an extremely moody atmosphere.
(2) After color-grading the base photo, I used Unsplash.com to look for stock photos that I wanted to use in this composite. I was fortunate enough to find an image of a diver swimming upwards, and an underwater photograph that fits perfectly in my composition. I then removed the foreground and replaced it with the underwater shot.
(3) Afterwards, I did some basic color-grading using the hue/saturation and curves tools to match the colors of the ocean. I personally love pulling up the shadows, as it creates a faded look on the surface of the photo itself.
(4) Next, I added some extra elements such as the bubble particles and light beams. These elements are highly crucial in a composite, as they are the details that complete the entire composition, often making it more realistic.
(5) I used the Gaussian blur technique to blur up some parts of the composition. This tool allows you to create depth in your image, achieving more of a dimensional feel by creating “space” between the foreground, the mid-ground, and the background.
(6) I generally use the blend mode (screen or lighten) to achieve a soft-looking object combined with the use of the masking technique to remove the unwanted parts. Using a soft brush with an opacity of 80% and a fill of 10% is the best way to create fog or fake light. This technique ensures that the artificial fog you created is likely to look natural, not overpowering.
(7). Lastly, to achieve a dreamy and softening effect. I do the following:
– Duplicate your original layer.
– Apply a Gaussian blur filter (+15).
– Apply and change the blend mode to either (Lighten or Screen, it varies depending on the lighting).
– Use the layer mask; you could either mask out the unnecessary areas or choose to keep them.
(8) To finalize an image, I export the file to a jpeg file. Upload it to Lightroom for one last time and carry out a final color-grading edit. This is to ensure that the colors are corrected, and I would usually add a few graduated filters to place focus on my subject.
These steps sum up the entire process of me editing this photo. I spent almost four hours creating this composite.
"Four hours is slightly above average for me. I would spend at least 3hours creating a mixed composite in photoshop & Lightroom."
When it comes to my editing work, I would spend hours on my laptop, just to get the color and the composition right. I best describe myself as a perfectionist (in art) as I have high expectations and I would love to accomplish them in a very challenging manner. I care about the details a lot because it is used as a compositional element to create a great effect. Composition is all about contrast, and how to make important parts of the artwork stand out the most to have the impact you want to have.
In a routine, I have various color tones that I like to use in order to maintain my personal preferences and styles. When I edit my photos I casually emphasize the blues, greens, and oranges hues of the image, often desaturating them to make it look moody and cinematic. I also like to ensure that each photo has one primary tone that is consistent throughout and no more than two or three other colors that complement it. Then, I would do some touch-ups. Either add elements to enhance the mood or remove elements that I found distracting in the photo. My art teacher used to remind me that less is more, so this is a theory I try to incorporate into all of my edits. I love to keep it minimal, not too hectic or fancy.
At the end of the day, I want my photographs to evoke emotions and casually ask questions to the viewers. Above all, I believe that the editing process is ultimately what transforms a normal photo into a work of art. An art that I am proud to showcase to the world or even hang on my wall. That, as a matter of fact, is how I began my digital photography journey.
"There is no such thing as an overnight success. To be great, I have to put in the damn work and do it consistently."
It is said that it takes 10,000 hours to master your craft, but I feel that once you reach 10,000 hours, it is just the beginning of the journey. To SUM-up a nine-year learning path, I collected a few lessons that I have learned to live by every single day. Photography is more than just taking pictures, it’s a never-ending process of self-discovery, accomplishments, and failures. Photography, to me, means never giving up on dreams, having the persistence to keep shooting, and having the vision to change the world.
Finally, “Trust The Process” – This quote resonates with me and it is something I have to constantly remind myself. Great things take time. It’s okay to grow slowly, as long as I’m making positive progress.
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