Saturday, January 16, 2010
Friday, January 01, 2010
010110
The date is in binary again. Just an observation.
Anyway, I’m back at the same spot, with (almost) the same composition as of 2008. Dunno why i couldn’t find the spot on 2009, but heck. Things have certainly changed, with the casino almost ready, some building behind the statue, and a new double helix bridge on the extreme right.
2009
2008
2007 (Not on Jan 1st)
![[esplanade_morning04.jpg]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimhWiAVp_5V1jCvx0lrH7qcoZdkIL6bA_viKv_Vnu2_trYhBUj-MuFRIs0JYADkafV-qKkwr4B-FGt3pjTkGjEMxG1ybjYXFx1D5xvJumFNWIwi6d-zU4zzD0X069whul44ACGFg/s1600/esplanade_morning04.jpg)
These photos also show the gradual change in processing techniques I’ve developed over the years. Mind you.. the merlion (and now the IR) is still a tough job to blend with the sky.. but hopefully it’s getting less obvious over the years. 2007 was just disastrous post processing. In 2008, the image was almost 2 stops underexposed (with a GND), while the 2009 one was shot using double graduated filters. This year, I used HDR and some smart object blending. (Maybe in a few years time, there’ll be cameras that can take it all in!)
Somehow, I felt the buildings in Singapore lacked consistency and character. Soul-less towers of glass and steel.. Is it a fad of the 21st century or what? They should rebuilt the merlion with glass and steel to match the theme then…
Due to the countdown last night, the area was barricaded, and this is the closest I can get to the merlion. There also seemed to be a lot more photogs this year. (Last year had the least of all 3), and I had to book my prime spot for this shot.
Ok enough of complaints. Happy new year to my loyal readers! Treasure 2010. You never know how many more years you have ahead….
Thursday, December 31, 2009
The last decade…
2010 is imminent. And recent news reviews made me start pondering over wad happened in my life, from 2000 to 2009. Indeed, many things happened, and i was just a sec 1 noob back in 2000. The most memorable events, in chronological order:
- Introduction to the internet (Singtel magix being the 1st ISP, at 256kbps)
- O levels
- Introduction to MSN
- 1st handphone (which eventually got stolen)
- 1st personal computer
- Started writing daily diary entries
- A levels
- 1st prosumer digital camera (Panasonic FZ30)
- National Service (which helped me lose weight significantly)
- Started taking photography seriously, with the purchase of the Nikon D70
- The launch of this blog
- Overseas exercises (including a missile launch)
- Introduction to SheYingDui (and TXY in general)
- Acquiring the D300, and several other photographic equipment
- University (and the lack of) Life
- Knowing you….
I’ve certainly grown up over the years, but my interpretation of the world around me, and my idea of life, is far from mature. What will happen in the next 10 years? Will I still be alive? Only time will tell… But the last decade have certainly been exciting =)
The end of 2009
“Capturing more than the eyes can see” – That was the theme I set out to achieve in 2009. Have I achieved it?
Only to a certain extent. I have almost 30% less pictures this year, and that is because i refused to post any pictures that i don’t have strong feelings for. In addition, most feelings are transient - they come and go quickly, and hence are hard to capture when my gear remains in the drybox most of the time. Luckily for me, this year also sees a lot more feelings and emotions, and I’ve managed to illustrate it with a few pictures as and when the opportunity arises. (not many are posted here though)
Photographically, what have I improved? Workflow wise, the greatest change is the switch to adobe lightroom, and shooting entirely in RAW. This allows for a much faster turnover of images, and loads of flexibility in editing.
Gear wise, I have not bought anything for my camera this year! I’ve no temptations to add anything else (perhaps only a prime, or a 2nd flash, or a softbox…oops!). The only major expenditure is the repair for a fallen tele. A lot can be accomplished with my current rig, the bottleneck being my own talent. Somehow, I felt that a good compact would see a lot more use than more DSLR gear. This blog has seen a lot more images from compacts (and even handphone) this year too. Let’s see which company can produce the ideal compact in 2010.
Composition wise, nothing much has changed. I find my composition largely predictable. I may have developed a habit of semi-defishing my images, resulting in uber wide pics like the one above, but I see no breakthrough in the way I see things. Still much room for improvement!
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Merry Xmas to all
Christmas (and New Year) may be holidays, but I don’t really look forward to them most of the time. They signal the imminent end of school holidays, and reminds me that it’s time to tidy up my stuff and prepare for another semester of mugging.
To my dear friends who celebrate Christmas, happy (belated) Christmas Day!
Special thanks to you for making this Christmas a different one =)
Saturday, December 12, 2009
乱走
Somehow this year’s orchard walkabout pic is also in duo-tone. I guess I’m not someone attracted to the glitters and colours of Christmas decorations…
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
New toy
Apparently my E65’s camera didn’t have much chance to serve me. Hope it’s replacement will get more chance to see the light. It has proven to be able to resolve more detail and have a surprisingly acceptable dynamic range too. Meet my new… E72!
Exams are over, and my new hobby is to write some code for my new toy. Symbian anyone?
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Are you ready for the storm?
The storm of the semester is here! Are you up to it yet?
Click on if you are a techie..
Although Singapore have a very high occurrence of lightning storms, it’s still a rare chance to get to photograph one conveniently. Firstly, the storm took place quite a distance from my house, so it wasn’t raining at my place, allowing me to open my window wide and plant my tripod without worrying about getting wet. Secondly, the timing was just right, not too dark, yet dark enough for a long exposure of 40+ seconds (on bulb, iso200, f/16). Thirdly… the bolts came huge and fast!
Nonetheless.. the above was a merge of 3 exposures in photoshop. The file ended up over 500mb (16 bit Tiffs) and almost crashed my com. Damned.. I need an SSD and more RAM!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Ricoh GXR? Hmm…..
This is a rant post. Ranting is a side effect of mugging… Got a few minutes to spare?
Innovation is good. I applaud Ricoh’s bold new move to come up with the GXR. Go google if you don’t know what’s special in this camera. But basically it is a system of interchangeable lens+sensor, (instead of lens only). Yea.. so for USD500+ you buy yourself a body without a lens and sensor.
Advantage?
- A different sensor for a different application. Low light? An APS-C sensor and a fast prime (and you lose some compactness). Street? A 1/1.7 inch sensor with a useful 24-70 (which is similar in size to a G11) Travel? Probably an even smaller sensor, but a 10x zoom…
- Still get to shoot RAW, and the same amount of control, regardless of the modules used
Disadvantage?
- $$$. Close to USD450 for the 24-70 module, and USD800++ for the prime module. Together with the body, i might as well get a 35mm 1.8 (for my D300) and an LX3 for street use (only about SGD1K)
- I have doubts that Ricoh will remain loyal to this product, and make more modules for it in the future
(The list will be populated with more pros and cons as and when I thought about them)
If you’ve read my previous posts, you’ll probably guess that I’m one of those waiting for a perfect point and shoot. I already have a pretty good DSLR system so I know what to bring if I want real speed and quality. I’m willing to sacrifice a bit of those for something more compact and portable and less flexible, yet still produce decent images with good controls. (and at least 24mm wide coz I’m a wide junky)
How can Ricoh tempt me with this product? Make it affordable, and comparable to alternatives. Something like SGD300 body, with <SGD500 lens modules is what I’ll consider reasonable. Otherwise one might as well buy new compacts as an when better options are available, as there isn’t any incentive to remain loyal to a camera body. And keep the size down… I will wait for a year after release and see how successful this concept will turn out to be…
Ok.. back to work..
Saturday, November 07, 2009
It’s that time of the year again…
The stress… the gloom… the deadlines…
Good luck my friends! The sun is still shining beyond the clouds!
=)
Thursday, November 05, 2009
What is a camera?
Isn't it frustrating every time when one sees a nice scene, and realizing that you don’t have a “camera” with you?
To me, a camera used to be something that shoots in RAW, has manual controls, responds quickly and produces decent detail up to iso 800 (for compacts), or iso 3200 (for dSLR). The problem is that while I have one that meets these requirements, it pulls my pants down if I force it to go into my pocket.
Well.. the heavy rain in the late morning today created such a different atmosphere, I was beginning to regret not bringing a “camera” with me. So I whipped out my handphone and for the first time (i think) i started using the camera function.
Whitebalance? Atrociously green. Responsiveness? Lag like siao. Noise? Plenty…
But when converted to monochrome… I thought this was a great representation to what I felt and saw at the moment…
So.. what is a camera?
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
How many sunrises have I passed sleeping?
I shouldn’t dread waking up early in the morning for school.. seeing how much there is to enjoy by waking up just 1 hour earlier than usual, and how much more enjoyable the walk to school seemed to be, with someone to talk to..
Ok now back to work =)
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Thursday, September 24, 2009
无言
Sitting under the deep blue sky, watching the clouds roll by… singing to myself, and dreaming of yesterday…
Light you don’t normally see…
Finally gotten around to do some IR pictures. Shot this handheld while on the way to school. It takes quite a bit of estimation to compose this picture, as you can’t see through the R72 filter.
I admit this picture has nothing special, but i missed the IR tonality…
Nice blue skies today!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
So happening, yet so boring…
MAF again. The bigger the crowd, the lonelier you feel. Is there any point left in going back?
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
有阳光，有流水，还有微风吹 ……
When placed strategically, texts can make an otherwise mediocre picture look polished, giving it an additional point of interest, and helping to balance the elements in the scene. I personally refrain from adding them as it will make me lazy with my composition. (with the exception of photos taken from assignments)
Not in this case though.. coz I really wanted to use this picture.
5 exposure HDR (photomatix) + manual blending + slight-defishing
Saturday, September 12, 2009
To watch a Sunrise…
It’s a race against time.. to see who reaches the spot first… the sun or you.
It’s a bet against nature, your precious (and most comfortable) hours in bed, in exchange for a show that is unknown and unpredictable.
It’s test of endurance, to move around with no food in your stomach, but a sole purpose in your mind.
It’s a lesson on determination, to learn not to despair should you come back with nothing.
It’s an appreciation of life.
In summary.. it’s a great way to start the day with you =)
Monday, September 07, 2009
Sunday, September 06, 2009
嗡嗡嗡。。。
Insects are amazing… especially flying insects. The control involved in keeping such a lightweight frame aloft, to be able to react with such accuracy and agility… all packed into a processor measured in terms of millimeters… from an engineering point of view, the technology involved is simply incredible. It is humbling to know how backward human knowledge is compared to the power of nature.
First time using a dedicated macro lens (a borrowed sigma 150mm F2.8). It’s great to have AF, as it helps to save time when shooting subjects that vary their distance quickly. (and i can MF by just grabbing the ring to fine tune the focus) A great lens with beautiful bokeh, but I doubt I have the budget and time for macro anytime soon…
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