By Raffy Paredes Michael Comeau, the editor of OnPortraits.com, an all-new online community dedicated to simple, classic portrait photography shared early this month on PetaPixel his take on The Ten Commandments of Portrait Photography. His highly recommended list of commandments: Commandment #1: A Portrait Is About the Subject, Not the Photographer. Commandment #2: To Call a Picture a Portrait, You Need Consent. Commandment #3: A Portrait Is About a Person, Not How They Look. Commandment #4: A Portrait Can’t Ever Tell You Everything About a Person. Commandment #5: An Effective Portrait Makes You Curious About the Subject. Commandment #6: We Learn from the Masters, Not the Latest “Influencers.” Commandment #7: Ideas Are More Important Than Technique. Commandment #8: Technique Is More Important Than Tools. Commandment #9: A Portrait Does Not Have to Flatter the Subject. Commandment #10: Do No Harm. Access the article “The 10 Commandments of Portrait Photography” online on PetaPixel for a more informative read. If you happen to be an Instagram user who’d like to quit the platform and delete your account, but would like to save the photos, videos, and stories you’ve posted, the new Instagram “data download” option will allow you to take all your data with you when you leave. To access this service, log in to your account, go to your profile, click “edit profile,” and then go to the “privacy and security” area. You’ll see a “Data download” header with a link to request a download of your data. Once you make the request for your data, keep in mind that you won’t receive it right away. Instagram says that it could take up to two days in some cases. This download option is in compliance with the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) privacy law, which requires organizations to let individuals download any data that’s been gathered on them (nakedsecurity.sophos.com). NASA has developed a special camera called the “Fluid Cam” that can see and shoot clearly through ocean waves. The resulting photos can be used by researchers to study the health of reefs. The camera was developed by research scientist Ved Chirayath of the NASA Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley, California. It’s based on a state-of-the-art hardware and software technique Chirayath developed called “fluid lensing.” “Imagine you’re looking at something sitting at the bottom of a swimming pool,” NASA writes. “If no swimmers are around and the water is still, you can easily see it. But if someone dives in the water and makes waves, that object becomes distorted. You can’t easily distinguish its size or shape.” Fluid lensing solves this problem by calculating and removing the optical distortions caused by waves at the surface of water, allowing the sensor to capture clear, sharp photos that look as though they were captured from below the surface—the details are on the centimeter scale. The camera itself has impressive hardware and specs. On the front is a $2,300 Leica Elmarit-M 28mm f/2.8 ASPH lens, and inside are 16 cores of processing power and 1 terabyte of memory. Data is transferred from the camera at a rate of 550 megabytes per second. “So far Fluid Cam, the imaging instrument that carries the fluid lensing software, has flown only on a drone,” NASA writes. “Someday, this technique could be flown on an orbiting spacecraft to gather image data on the world’s reefs” (PetaPixel). And now to our featured readers with five new contributors. Anna Santua, a registered nurse and a photography hobbyist from Marinduque, shares an untitled late sunset photo taken with her smartphone. Krislyn Cacao of the Philippine National Bank also shares an untitled sunset photo, taken in Malabrigo, Lobo, Batangas. “I love taking photographs since I have enjoyed the beauty of nature since I was a kid,” writes Krislyn. “I love to go to the beach with my family and friends and I’m looking forward to learn more on photography.” From Katrina Diesta, a fourth year education student at Bataan Peninsula State University is the photo, “Bangui,” featuring the windmills of Bangui, Ilocos Norte. She shares: “Ever since I was a child, I have really wanted to become a photographer. Then in 2017, I was engaged into mobile photography. Another opportunity knocked when I became a photojournalist in our student publication.” Rodel Bartolome Jr. from Nalook, Kalibo, Aklan sent in an untitled photo of ants carrying a feather which he shares has been given good reviews in online photo competitions. He relates the photo’s special meaning for him because it was taken during the wake of his late father. “Siguro ito ay simbolo lamang ng katatagan na ang bawat suliranin sa ating buhay ay makakaya natin at magaan kung tayo ay nagtutulungan.  Simbolo or ipipinahiwatig lamang ni itay na dapat magkaisa kaming magkakapatid para gumaan at mapagtagumpayan namin ang problema sa aming pagkakaisa.” The photo titled “Marikeno” comes from freelance photographer / kitchen staff  Von Francisco. Other photos on today’s page come from previously featured readers, some of whom regularly contribute photos to this column. Gilbert Laroda submitted the photo, “Ubing Baldo.” He took the photo in Puro, Magsingal, Ilocos Sur. “Natuwa ako kay Baldo dahil isa siyang tahimik na bata at kahit saan sulok man uupo basta may pagkain,” shares Gilbert. “Simpleng pamumuhay lamang ang pamilya ni Baldo. Isang mangingisda ang kanyang ama at naglalako naman ng panindang isda ang mama nya. Naiisip ko kahit hirap man sila sa buhay ay nagsusumikap pa rin sila. Parang ako lang dati, ganyan din simpleng bata na maraming ambisyon sa buhay na ngayon pilit tinutupad at kahit ano pa man ang mga pagsubok ay kakayanin ko. At sana sa pag laki ni Baldo ay marami ding pangarap sa buhay gaya ko.” Mhikie Manzanares, a teacher at Jose Rizal University who does photography in his free time contributed the photo, “First of Summer.” “I would like to share my photo taken at Mt. Balagbag, Bulacan,” writes Mhikie. “For over a year, I started doing some hikes to escape the concrete jungle of Manila.  The best thing about it is, I get to shoot things that cannot be taken in the city. It was early in the morning, just in time before the dew disappears, when I took this photo.” The cityscape photo, “In Progress” comes from Woody Sarmiento. His description reads: “Sunset cityscape in the heart of Makati City. This is what I got after a long traffic jam. Just like the famous saying, ‘Kapag may tiyaga, may nilaga!’ Photography is really a passionate hobby. If you don’t have the patience in you, you may not be suitable in this field. But once you see the result of your tiring endeavor, all those sacrifices are paid off. Just always keep a bucket of endurance and never cease to chase the perfect timing.” Junn Davad sent in an untitled black-and-white silhouette photo. And from Jin Dela Cruz is “Chasing Sunset” which he tags as his stress reliever. Readers may now view issues of Picture Perfect including this column at www.mb.com.ph. For comments, suggestions or just to share an image or idea, email [email protected] or [email protected].