This might well be a revolution in my photographic life. First, the "discovery" of the SU-400 remote flash mode hidden withing my SB800. I now have 2 lights, the first being on camera, and a second, the flash. This allows me to side/back light me subject, with the on camera for fill. However, the built in flash is still very much restricted as it is.. well.. built in. Direction is still flat
I've always been tempted to get myself the tamron 17-50mm f/2.8, given its affordable price and exceptional performance. Yesterday made this temptation even more so. I was practically struggling to get sharp enough photographs, working in dim lighting and high ceilinged indoor conditions. Pushing my iso to the top, i still have plenty of blur shots, from motion and noise reduction. My sb800 worked hard as well, trying in vain to light up an auditorium. This is a pretty pitiful situation.
While many would find the musical fireworks display put up by the Spanish a mesmerizing experience, this is certainly not the case for the throngs of photographers who lined the coast along Marina Boulevard. The fireworks were by no means symmetrical, and the bursts were heavily stacked. A huge cloud of smoke also threatened to engulf the marina bay skyline.
Photoshop saves the day once again. I brutally edited the pictures, developing a work flow that might classify my pictures more as a digital art than photographs. So long as they look good, who cares?
A tribute to the trilogy by Philip Pullman which I just finished. Very interesting and original storyline. Worth a read.
I'm not expecting anybody to remember my Bday. Nonetheless, I still took off from camp just in case somebody remembers and insists on kiwi-ing you-know-where. Took myself for a trip to NLB to visit photo exhibition "eye e city". I'm inspired on how a normal photo can look like a masterpiece if one has enough pertinent stories to go with it. (no offence, there are some really nice ones on show as well)
Took to the streets the moment the sun begins its final decent. Immediately realized that Bugis is a very vibrant and distinct area and is really worth more trips down to bring out the local flavour.
Life
The golden sun climbs over hills,
Lightpaint
I'm very sad to say that most of the photos were blurred, due to poor judgment of manual focusing. (with the exception of the group shot, which i uploaded at full res) I've resized them for web use.
This has to be one of my favourite pictures. The big bright moon was behind the observatory, creating the glow in the sky. The observatory was lit by streetlamps though, making it obsessively red i had to adjust saturation levels.
The night sky is crystal clear in SA. Galaxies are clearly visible, and the place is so deserted light pollution is minimal (unless the moon comes out) Apparently that's why there are 2 observatories in a village the population of 300.
Snapped this picture with a tokina 12-24mm, with the setup dangerously propped by stones (maybe bones) i picked up around me. The camera dropped once (no serious injuries though). The picture had better be good.
There is always one important advice when it comes to landscape photography: Patience. Wait for the golden moment, which is usually during dawn and dusk. This is the moment when the colours of the sky are most intense.
It struck me how contrasting the sunset in South Australia seemed. One side of the sky was red with fury, blazing as if a phoenix just made a crash landing. The other was a moody purple, with a rainbow of red, yellow and blue. It was a wonderful sight, and well worth the dinner i missed for the photographs.
Shot through an 80-200mm f4. Colours straight out of camera!
This looks pretty much like a rainbow...
This is the part of the sky in between the red and blue. Wonderful colours i must say!
Shan't mention what i've been doing in this bone-dry, fly infested land, with hardly any soul 129000 sq km around me. Any Singaporean male (or their girlfriends) would have guessed.
Nonetheless, i took the risk and brought out my full kit of photographic toys. No regrets... even though my d70's on/off switch came back faulty. The scenery was simply stunning. Never would one find such lighting conditions in this wretched island of Singapore. The strong sunshine made the "ray-of-light" phenomenon almost an everyday matter. On other occasions, the sky could be so blue i wondered why i needed a polariser. Its a totally different land.
The above is the first picture i processed when i returned. Granted it may not be the best picture yet, but it sure got a seat in the "best shots" folder on my hard disk. Watch this space as i bring more and better photos taken from South Australia.
Wedding #2 Coffee Table Layout
Another special opportunity for me to learn, a wedding of my relative. Unpaid... of course, given the amatuerish pics i took. Anyway, i decided to make a quick debrief to myself.
Biggest mistakes:
