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.

Gardens by the Bay

Welcome, welcome, welcome, to shinehigh photography! :)

I finally have the resources and the motivation to get this blog back up and running, and I will feature photo trips (like this one), occasional product reviews, rumors and impressions, and some tips and tricks I discover or find notable.

Gardens by the Bay is, well, a very artificial park developed recently in Singapore to introduce some nature into the highly urbanized country. I find it very ironic that these greenery and flora are introduced in such an artificial manner, but undeniably it's exactly this uniqueness that is attractive. And indeed the area is magnificent.

This is a very special photo trip for me because it officially marks the end of my months of grueling examinations (yes, I embarked on this immediately after my very last paper). Another notable thing was that while this trip was good for landscape and macro photography, I was stuck with only my 35 mm f/1.8 DX, which is a very versatile and lightweight lens but really far from ideal for landscapes. So you'll see how I tried to cope with the mid-range prime focal length (52.5 mm on full frame).

The place gets pretty cool (well, the temperature too) in the evening, when the supertrees will light up in a variety of colors, and there will be a form of a light show. It's a great place to hang out, not to mention you get a pretty good view of Marina Bay Sands, the skyscrapers nearby, and the Singapore Flyer. Of course, a wide angle lens will serve you well in this area, and in fact you can only capture a decent scene or a full supertree with a wide angle. But if you have anything short of that, it really forces you to get creative.

Supertree close-up, with the moon. 35 mm DX, 3'', f/5.6, ISO 200.

Here you can see the details of the supertree. It is essentially a trumpet-like structure with some plants densely wrapped around the column, and networks of metal branches that protrude out of the top opening. These supertrees are actually part of the special climate control system for the two domes, serving as something like the heat exhaust I believe.

I was lucky enough to capture the moon together with one of the supertrees, although the moon was pathetically small (the altitude is only around sea level here). I thought this composition gave a rather calm atmosphere of the night, contrary to the excitement of the changing lights most people witness in the area.

The other main attraction is of course the indoor gardens: the flower dome, and the cloud forest. The flower dome is essentially filled with flowers and plants, while the cloud forest features a large waterfall from an artificial mountain which you can climb (or ascend to, in an elevator), and flowers too, while less than that in the flower dome.

Waterfall. 35 mm DX, 1/1600, f/1.8, ISO 200.

And here's the waterfall, which I barely managed to fit into frame. I decided to freeze the water flow with a high shutter speed, instead of doing the typical long exposure to obtain a smooth water flow, to give a fresh and crisp feel of the environment inside, and somewhat show that the area at the base of the waterfall was showered by water droplets. Alright, I was lazy to mount my tripod for a long exposure too, but please, photographers should not be lazy, so don't learn this excuse from me.

Flowers illuminated by the sun's rays. 35 mm DX, 1/250, f/6.3, ISO 200.

While flare is probably on the most-hated list of most photographers, I find it fun to play with it at times. Here, the sun's position can be determined by the burst of light, and the flare looks like a ray of light shining down from the sun. I brightened up the flowers that were in the path of the ray, and made that the subject of the whole photograph. Admittedly I could do without the color fringing of the flare. Nevertheless, this is the photo that I am most satisfied with for this trip.

Pond in Cloud Forest. 35 mm DX, 1/500, f/1.8, ISO 200.

At the very top of the artificial mountain / waterfall there is this pond that had exceptionally still water that the reflection in the water seemed almost perfect. Of course, the water was shallow and there were no animals living inside. You probably have to go pretty low to get one of these angles; my friend had to lie down on a platform to get a good angle. So be prepared for such things.

Ripples. 35 mm DX, 1/200, f/2.8, ISO 200.

I got my friend to tap his foot on the edge of the pond, and it created some pretty nice ripples that I captured. Would be pretty nice if there were some reflections in the way that got distorted by the ripples, though that may instead add clutter to the photo.

Mist in Cloud Forest. 35 mm DX, 1/200, f/2.5, ISO 200.

If you're lucky enough you'll catch the mist spraying. It happens once every few hours. If you have the patience and a good ND filter you can take a long exposure and the place will really look like it's engulfed by clouds. Mist or fog makes this place look like it's floating at high altitudes, and gives your photos a nice mystical touch. I did try a long exposure but my ND was too weak and the walkway was vibrating thanks to people walking and running along it.

Sunsets are overused to symbolize endings, but anyway I shall end this post with a sunset (actually it's the afterglow of the sunset).

Supertrees in the sunset. 35 mm DX, 1/500, f/1.8, ISO 200.

When there is sunset, think of silhouettes. Yup, in such a case when the sunset is behind your subject, you only have the options of taking a HDR or a silhouette, or else your background i.e. the sunset will be blown out. I thought that while silhouettes may be very clichéd, it does appropriately show how the whole landscape is like. I didn't have the option of HDR anyway, because I took this from within the flower dome, and once I raise the exposure there will be horrible flare on the glass walls of the dome. These, by the way, are the supertrees, and the silhouette already seems sufficient in telling you how they look like.

Gardens by the Bay is really worth a visit, especially if you haven't been there before. Do explore the flower dome as well, and it's cheaper if you purchase a ticket that grants you access to both domes. There's also the Skywalk around the skytrees that you can consider exploring; I haven't been up there before but I trust that the view will be beautiful.

I shall conclude with a famous quote (to photographers at least) which is sometimes (not always) true and very appropriate in this context.

"The best camera is the one that you have with you." - Chase Jarvis

Make full use of whatever gear you have, and get creative with it. No doubt there may be equipment you need that aren't available with you, but when you can't acquire them, then what you have with you is the best that you can have. When equipment is out of your control, switch your gear to drive your imagination, for it can also (and most of the time, better) lead you to great photos. :)