Photo of the Week 2014: #4 Phuket Boat Tour

Today I bring you a photo from Phuket, Thailand. This shot was taken on a boat tour to James Bond island. On the way the boat anchored at an island and we were brought into a bat cave on water rafts. I found the style of the tour really unique (at one point in time, we were given time to jump into the sea to swim).

11 mm DX, 1/2000, f/2.8, ISO 100.

It's a fresh shot for me mainly because I've not used a wide angle for a very long while. This was shot on a Tokina 11-16 II, which on DX gives an equivalent of 16.5 to 24 mm. The wide-angle distortion I get here gives the shot an amazing perspective: I'm looking up from a low point to observe the magnificent surroundings (yes, I was on a water raft).

Of course, I was lucky to capture this scene with a beautiful sky, where thin streams of clouds form patterns. Phuket has wonderful skies. This I feel is the key attractive feature of this shot. Without a wide angle, you could barely capture that much of the sky, undoubtedly.

You would have noticed that the boat isn't very sharp. I was careless enough to shoot wide open at f/2.8, because just before this I was in the pitch-dark cave. Furthermore this was shot with my new D7100 which I was not very used to. In bright daylight and when shallow depth of field is not necessary (and not evident in wide-angles anyway), I've learnt to shoot at around f/8. Nevertheless, the loss in sharpness, I suspect, is not due to the focus but more of a faulty UV filter which was insecure and hence may not have been parallel to the front element. I've had a great deal of focusing and sharpness problems in Phuket, and after I obtained a change, the problems were much less prevalent.

If you like beaches and the sea, do visit Phuket. It's a pretty nice place to visit for a holiday.

Photo of the Week 2014: #1 Sunset at CBD

I have decided to launch the Photo of the Week (POTW) series this year, where I will present a photograph and describe how I obtained the shot, and the significance of it. The post may come anytime in the week, but most likely on weekends, so do stay tuned!

Today, I present you a shot of Singapore's famous but clichéd landscape, the Central Business District (CBD), in the light of sunset.

11 mm DX, 1/5000, f/2.8, ISO 100.

The sunset is evidently very strong and overpowering the blue sky with its orange light. Coincidentally, it shines behind the skyscrapers at the CBD, which stand tall and prominently in the scene. The intended message in this photo is that the CBD seems like Singapore's powerful driving force and adding live and functionality to the city, just like how the sunset behind it is influencing the uniform blueness in the rest of the skies to have some more vibrant colors and making the sky more dynamic and attractive.

The original shot was obtained with the sunset nicely exposed, and hence the buildings were underexposed. Exposing accurately on the sunset will ensure that you capture the correct colors and tones in the sky. It was initially meant to be a silhouette shot, but in this context the silhouette evidently did not look nice.

A great deal of the effect was brought about in post production. On top of the usual adjustments, I added a white balance gradient to make the left side of the photo cooler than the right, where the sunset is happening. I also used a brush to brighten up the buildings (hence they won't be in shadows) and add some extra clarity to them, so they will look (artificially) shiny and metallic. Yes, the artificiality is intended for vibrancy in the architecture. And note, this is not a HDR, I have to emphasize.

I have received some critiques online, one regarding the perspective of the photo, and another regarding the color temperature gradient. I understand that the buildings are leaning backwards which can be very ugly at times. However, I have tried correcting the distortion only to realize that the shadows in the water will then be slanted instead, hence making the photo look weirder. Furthermore, on second thoughts, the perspective gives us the feeling of inferiority towards the humongous skyscrapers, giving us a better sense of perspective and context instead. The color temperature gradient, as I previously mentioned, is intentional. The left of the picture seems boring, this I fully agree. But it's the intended effect, that the left shows a rather monotonous environment (though in real life the left is yet another beautiful scene). I have placed the buildings towards the side specially to create the effect that I described above. Thus for this particular shot I did what I did and not anything that critiques suggested. I'm thankful though that the critiques pointed out these points, which would definitely help me make better photographs in future :)

This photograph is not without flaws, definitely. One very very annoying flaw that I can't fix is the reflection of the buildings, which clearly show the buildings in shadows, but the buildings appear to be not. For my situation the only way to fix it probably would be a HDR. In fact a HDR in this scenario may be a good idea. But I choose to keep my shot as a single shot, and perhaps accept this flaw. After all, I feel it doesn't look that bad and glaring as a flaw. Do tell me what other flaws you spot, and they may be worthy of some discussion.

I find it absolutely fascinating how scenes transform from what we see into what is captured by the camera (film, digital RAW, or digital compressed), then into the final product after being put through layers of layers and rounds and rounds of edits. I started off photography fully objecting post processing, because I feel that post processing is to cover up for your shortcomings and mistakes in the actual handling of the camera i.e. taking of the photograph itself. This may be true, but nevertheless you do have to cover up your glaring mistakes. And post processing will give the photo a meaning that the camera and photography skills will not produce, and you need to manipulate your photos for it to become the piece of art that you desire it to be, and for it to convey the message you want it to convey. That's often a key purpose of photographs, isn't it?

Therefore, post processing is yet another world of art, one that I now subscribe to.