20-11-2011 松孽

昨晚辗转了一夜，终于放弃与失眠搏斗，凌晨五点半便离床准备到滨海湾鱼尾狮公园拍日出。心情有点沉重，因为我预算了今天下午有一笔父亲留下来的孽债待松解。

Dawn at Marina Bay (view from Merlion Park).

债，因赌而生下祸根。因此来到眼前面对滨海湾金沙赌场的这一幕，环境和景色超级无可鼎 (Cantonese : moe dak ding)，但心中那股酸气还是冤魂不散。

心情好，稀白粥成燕窝露；心情烂，凤凰美景也只不过是一堆乌泥湫。

Something old (the Merlion), something new (Marina Bay Sands).

其实，我觉得双方都因生父好赌的恶习受了委屈。他们感到不平，可我也是受害者。不过我是他的儿子，我必须吞下的委屈，应当比别人还要多。

所谓欠钱换钱，父债子换。。。我也不希望欠谁的人情，就算是亲戚家人，就算钱不是我借的。

Spray day today. Hooray！

父亲本来就没留下什么东西给我。他在马来西亚没名分的第二个家庭还算给他们留了一桩生意，一府店面，而我继承的却是一大堆的伤忆。

我是觉得很不公平，但我的性格就不爱跟人争讨任何东西。

Perspective under the Esplanade Bridge.

这闷气就自己想办法化了吧。所以就来拍日出。让艳阳升起的时候提醒自己，黑夜过后，白天就要来领。

经过磨难之后，心胸就要懂得放晴。

Flower Dome and World Orchid Show

Okay, it’s not very macho to admit this, but I love flowers.

They represent the ‘enlightenment’ that a plant achieves. After going through periods of rain and sunshine, the plant reaches a certain point in maturation and one day, colours and fragrance burst forth. 

Much like the blossoming of our innermost human consciousness. When we reach a threshold of self-awareness and can be at peace with all that is within and around us, we bloom.

A bridge on Level 4 of Marina Bay Sands links directly to Gardens by the Bay. The scenic walk provided a nice transition from urban livin' to nature lovin'.

So when I received an invitation to attend the preview of the Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay in conjunction with the 20th Orchid Conference, I had a bee to honey moment.

The media event was supposed to be on 13 Nov but I was running a temperature and missed it. Thankfully, an additional invitation allowed me to visit the dome and conference between 14 – 20 Nov so I made my way down during my off day yesterday. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a good day to go. The sky was overcast.

Glad I had the Casio Exilim ZR100 with me. Using the HDR-Art mode, I was able to capture colours on an otherwise very muted shot due to the dull weather.

However, as the Flower Dome received visitors only during that 1 week period as a preview ahead of the Gardens by the Bay official June 2012 launch, I was determined to get the best out of my visit come rain or shine. It’ll be a challenge to get nice shots that day, which was a perfect opportunity to test out the new Casio Exilim ZR100 (EX-ZR100). I brought along my DSLR so you’ll see photos from both cameras.

Pictures with a thin black frame around them are taken with the EX-ZR100.

Awaiting full bloom. Gardens by the Bay is Singapore's new approach to greening the city with environmentally-friendly technology and sustainable resource management.

The above few photos were taken with EX-ZR100′s HDR and HDR-Art modes. I tried taking those shots with my DSLR but the colours were very bland and the subtle presence of clouds were lost, making the sky look white-washed.

So for anyone who thinks that the bigger the camera the better the photos, well, that’s not always true.

Inside the air-conditioned Flower Dome... the plants all so hoh mia (good life)! The conservatory replicates the cool-dry climate of the Mediterranean and semi-arid subtropical regions like South Africa and parts of Europe such as Spain and Italy.

Consisting of several ethnic-themed gardens by the southern coast of the Marina Bay area,  the sprawling horticultural development will showcase flora and fauna from different continents of the world except Antartica.

Around 226.000 plants are expected to be featured when the project is complete. I’m sure it’ll become a photography hotspot.

Love the dome design and architecture. The lines form such a dramatic webbed background when shot with fisheye. Just from the looks of the Flower Dome, Gardens by the Bay is already on my super like list!

Was greeted by a row of red gerberas upon entering the dome. Shot with EX-ZR100's HDR-Art mode.

Also shot with the HDR-Art mode, this albino gerbera turned out yellow! Interesting.

The essential "I was in the Flower Dome" shot.

I used to be crazy about orchids for a while and would spend hours visiting the Thomson Road stretch of nurseries. I even attended a course on orchid cultivation and indoor gardening by NParks.

Unfortunately, my heart may be green, but my fingers are not. Many orchids withered in my care no matter how much attention or nitrate fertilisers I fed them. Maybe they got smothered by my over-zealousness. I even managed to kill a couple of common dendrobiums, the hardiest of orchid species. Think I should just see and don’t touch!

Name of Orchid : Renanthera 20th WOC Singapore 2011. The flaming red blossom was the official flower of the 20th World Orchid Conference. It was polinated in August 2003 (Renanthera Bangkok Flame + Renanthera Klsom) and first flowered in June 2005. That's the fun thing with orchids, different species can be spliced to get new ones.

My favourite species... lady slipper orchids (Paphiopedilum)! This specimen has such vibrant, bewitching colours. During a garden festival at Dempsey many years ago, I bought a jade green slipper orchid for S$60! The flower lasted for about 3 weeks. After that, I didn't manage to get it to flower again and it died of root rot.

Cymbidium Chen's Ruby 'ORCHIS'.

Another shot of the Ruby 'ORCHIS' taken in HDR-Art mode. Such radically different colour results from the original. So cool!

Close-up of a giant phalaenopsis' lip in HDR-Art mode. Can you see a face with raised arms? Looks rather comical don't you think?

The wide sepals of the white Phalaenopsis has this aura of virginal purity around it. I'm used to seeing Phal sprays with several flowers but not this single bloomer.

The dancing lady orchid (Oncidium) on steroids! These big florets have the sultry allure of a yellow-skirted flamenco dancer.

Forgot to get the name of this orchid species because I was so enthralled by the patterning and colours saturated by the HDR-Art mode.

So heartwarming to see everyone enjoying the flowers. There was this couple who asked me to take a photo for them. I think the husband suffers from cerebal palsy coz he couldn't walk very well and very slow. But his wife was patiently guiding him to stand next to her for their portrait. I was so touched.

After the Flower Dome, I took the 10-minutes walk to cross over to Marina Bay Sands Expo and Convention Centre for the 20th World Orchid Conference’s World Orchid Show. First thing that struck me was… so many people! I wonder if I would find my little piece of paradise in the crowd. 

The conference was a massive gathering of orchid societies all over the globe showcasing their native species, winning breeds, as well as floral art culminating as the World Orchid Show. I’ve never seen so many real orchids at one place in my life.

Orchid-laced corridor leading to the exhibition halls. Very grand indeed.

A triennial international event, this year's conference also heralded the largest orchid show in Singapore featuring over 75 decorative floral installations.

I think this is a Vanda orchid. With so many hybrids crossing the distinctive properties of various parentage, it can sometimes be confusing trying to identify an orchid species just by its flower alone.

Champion of the floral display at the World Orchid Show.

The show was a platform for countries to show off their creativity with all things floral. These were entrants for the best table floral arrangement competition.

Inspiration for Lady Gaga's next fashion fantasy?

Hwah!

Love the gorgeously rich velvet hues on this slipper orchid. 'Orchid' comes from the ancient Greek word 'orkhis'. It means testicle. Doesn't this orchid's pouch remind you of something other than a lady's slipper?

Before the orchid show, I didn't know there are so many different species of slipper orchids. I was over-stimulated and had the urge to buy one home. But I know my housing condition isn't suitable for growing the slippers as they are rather fussy.

Sprays of pure yellow dancing lady orchids without the species trademark spots and markings on its petals and lip.

Look how small these papery purple orchids are!

This orchid feels so retro-groovy. I thought it was fake initially.

First time seeing more than one slipper orchid on a peduncle.

This orchid looks so bizarre! It won the Gold Medal Award and Best Bulbophyllinae Award.

Wanted to take an underside photo of this strange orchid that resembles a green squid with snake skin but it was placed close to the ground. I couldn't go any lower with my DSLR so I shot it with EX-ZR100's Super Macro mode. A compact camera really comes in handy to capture odd angles. But most importantly, it must be able to take decent shots or the effort at framing from an uncomfortable perspective will be wasted.

HDR-Art of liliac-coloured Phals. So psychedelic!

I spent about half a day taking in the sights at Flower Dome and the orchid show. I wished I had more time but I had a dinner appointment and my eyes were getting all flowery.

Really glad I made it before the show was over. I must say that the orchid show was well organised and I super like what I saw at Gardens by the Bay. Can’t wait for it to be completed.

EX-ZR100 Night Landscape mode.

As I departed Marina Bay Sands, I was greeted by the dusking skyline of Marina Bay. Oh, how beautiful it looked in that evening blue!

Like a flower that is the enlightenment of Singapore.

DAWN – Day After Wonderful Night

Attended a friend’s birthday party at the roof of Singapore and stayed the night because, for the lack of a better word to describe it, that night was magical.

When I awoke from the couch the next day, I saw the sun, and it was spectacular. It felt as if I was seeing its magnificent splendour for the first time.

Maybe because I’m looking at it with a different frame of mind.

When the heart lights up, everything else around you catches fire.

View of Singapore's Marina Bay from Crest Suite (No. 6454), Swissotel The Stamford (30 Oct 2011, 7:17 am).

Crossing BorderLINES in Photography

Do you want to take better photos no matter where you are? Are your photos looking well composed but lack a certain umph to push it from the borderline of beauty to the pedestal of admiration? Well, you’re in luck. This post contains tips that might just help you develop your photographic eye and boomz-ify your pictures regardless of your surroundings!

Last Saturday (26 Feb 2011), I had the privilege of going on a photo outing conducted by one of Singapore’s multiple award-winning photographer and veteran instructor with SAFRA Photo Club, Mr Low Soon Leong. I met him during SAFRAPC’s Chinese New Year gathering and he casually mentioned that if we would like to go shooting with him, he could give us a free lesson. See the second last word in the previous sentence? Need I say more of why this outing happened?

Mr Low used to give photographic instructions at SAFRAPC till his job posting overseas and was slated to come back to teach at the club again when his work contract ended. But his contract has been renewed for another year, so he won’t be back in Singapore until next year. Feeling bad that he agreed to teach a new batch of students this year but retracted, he offered to go on an outing with us who were interested. A chance to learn from a master at no cost, we’d be out of our minds not to squeeze him dry.

Crossing to the other side towards better photos. Our outing took place at 8:30 am and spanned the scenic Marina Bay area to the Esplanade to Raffles Place. Although I've shot these places before, I discovered new ways to look at them for the first time.

While I was invariably enlightened by the tips he gave and the examples he showed, what really stuck with me was his infectiously jovial, devil-may-care personality. The outing with him was a laugh-a-minute, and even though he’s 50, he has the lung capacity and energy of a 5 year-old. He’s a delightful kind of wacky; a crazy genius to say the least.

At this outing, we focused on sharpening our photographic composition based on lines. More often than not, whenever we see a subject, be it a building or object, we immediately take a face-on shot or apply the Rule of Thirds in composing the photo. They could turn out to be pleasing shots. But to really add a dimension of creativity, stop and assess the scene before you and look for lines that can create a more dynamic image.

The sail of the Esplanade outdoor theatrette with a capital 'S'. The components that worked in favour of this photo are the S-curve that leads the visual trail from the sun to the foreground & the heightened definition of the pointed pillar by the piece of cloud in the background.

The shots here were all taken during the outing. I had tons of bla photos before getting these few that Mr Low said can make it. I’m sharing the shots here to illustrate the pointers I’ve learnt and hopefully spur ideas in you when framing your photos in future.

Physical Vs. Psychological Lines

To the naked eye, physical lines and curves are very obvious. However, Mr Low pointed out to us that there’s another kind of lines, psychological ones. It is human intuition to follow the gaze of others so when looking at a photo with people in them, we will naturally follow the line/s of their gaze. And that could form powerful invisible lines that holds your photo together. I don’t have a photo to show as an example. Hopefully I’ll get a chance to shoot a scene that illustrates this principle and put it up next time.

Lines are powerful agents that control our visual emphasis subconsciously & can add an interesting texture to a scenery.

Break the Rule of Thirds

Now, don’t Mr Low wrong. The Rule of Thirds is very useful but his point is to not let it be a dogma. The main objective in any photo is to achieve a pleasing visual balance. Therefore, always keep in mind the relationship of your subject with its surrounding elements and frame the shot according to the story you want to tell by including or excluding relative details. Rule of Thirds are what the classically-trained generation of photographers like. Time to break free and experiement!

It's the weekend & the CBD is closed for business. That's the story I wanted to tell with this photo. Visually, the yellow contrasted with the overall blue & made the barrier stand out as my subject while the diamond-shaped patterns lent a uniformity that anchored the disarray of buildings in the scene.

The above two pointers were the major take-away message for me during that session with Mr Low. Of course there are many other photographic principles, skills and techniques that go into shooting a masterpiece and the notes presented here are just part of the gamut of decisions a photographer has to make to go beyond a good shot, but a stunning one.

Below are some more photos and the pointers that were given to me. I would like to thank Mr Low Soon Leong for his generosity in time and guidance during the session which he conducted purely on his personal capacity. Before we could come up with an idea to thank him properly for his effort, he had coyly evaded our offers to buy him meals.

Something old & new. The classical architecture of our colonial heritage that is now the Asian Civilisation Museum contrasted with one of our strapping financial skyscrapers. Let the stories guide your composition.

Let the lines complete their motion & form the shapes they are meant to. Don't 'chop' them off half-way unless it is for artistic effect. Again, when being 'artistic', balance is the key.

I wouldn't have thought of taking a photo of the financial skyscrapers of Singapore using the corner of another building as a frame. Looks like the archway of a cathedral... the cathedral of $$$.

The challenge posted to us in capturing the Cavenagh Bridge was to look for triangular shapes. This is the first time I'm seeing this bridge I've passed many times at this angle with the framing of Raffles City in the background.

Took this photo with my LG Optimus One phone after our lunch at a hawker centre. Even mundane, everyday scenes can make for a great abstract photo. That's the fun and the challenge. To start looking at our surroudings and see lines and shapes to compose an interesting shot out of a boring setting. It takes practice. When we can acquire this skill, we can take good photos anywhere!

Before I end this post, there’s one thing I found really incredible about Mr Low Soon Leong, and this, you all should know. He is missing his first finger on his right hand. That’s right. The finger we use to click our cameras with, he doesn’t have it. He lost the finger in his younger days to an accident.

The whole time I’m learning from him, I can’t stop my eyes from looking at his missing finger. And I kept thinking to myself, “Wah, this guy got no clicking finger and he can still take so many breathtaking shots that won many accolades. We have all 10 fingers. What’s our excuse for taking bad pictures?”

Making that Fire Work

31 Dec 2008, 11:59pm. A year ago, counting down to 2009, at that very same moment, I was experiencing a firework of a different kind. The kind that shakes you to your very core and ignites new hope. This countdown to 2010 however, I had to be satisfied with fireworks that filled up the night sky, but not the barrenness of heart.

For the first time, I went to Marina Bay to catch the countdown fireworks that heralded the start of another decade. How love and fireworks share the same lifespan. I waited 6 hours to catch but a 5-minutes display of pyrotechnics. I waited 4 years to catch but a 10-months romance.

But better to have had than to have nothing at all. And while I’m at it, I took lots of photos. Photos last longer. Which brings me to the purpose of this blog to share what I’ve learnt about photographing fireworks. May we all remember the brilliance of the fireworks and forget the reasons that diluted a chemistry that made sparks fly. Yes, the darkness returns, and it’s necessary because we can’t be staring at bright lights all the time. And there’s always the next countdown when the fireworks will return so long as a relationship is kept alive.

So here’re lessons I’ve learnt about prolonging the beauty of a split-second…

1. Go REALLY Early

The fireworks don’t happen till midnight, but my friend, Siow Har and I arrived at Marina Bay at 6pm. The front row spots along the bay were already lined with photography enthusiasts! We were lucky to find an empty space just nice to fit our tripods towards the end of the bayside, next to the floating stage. I was told that people go as early as 3pm to get in the front row. I thought it was ridiculous. I was the one ridiculed.

2. Don’t Leave Your Spot

At about 9pm, I crossed over to Marina Bay to do some big business (in the toilet). Then I wandered around the shopping complex to enjoy the air-con since I’ve been out in the open for a number of hours. At about 10pm, I decided to return to the bay area. I wasn’t allowed back in by traffic police.

Apparently, the bay area had reached a quota for human capacity and no one was allowed in. I was directed here and there, walked through and fro, caught in crowds… to cut the story short, I went through an ordeal. And the police wouldn’t let me back in. I was there since 6pm, my camera and equipments are all set up, and I’m sure as hell not gonna miss photographing the fireworks after waiting so many hours and that being my sole purpose of being there!

So I tak-bodoh (act blur) and began crossing the street to Esplanade. A female constable promptly blocked my way. I tried to state my appeal. But don’t expect much from a robotic parrot. All she did was repeating the words, “You cannot go over”, while spreading her arms like a well, squawking parrot.

Thankfully, another male officer came over to handle the situation. I explained my predicament and he promptly let me pass. Good to know that our civil service still has people who listen. More of them would be nice. I understand they’re doing their job, but it was not made known that we’re not allowed back in if the place got overcrowded. Otherwise, I would’ve stink up the portable lavatories.

From one nightmare, I crossed over to hell. Marina Bay was jam packed with people. And many of them spread out groundsheets and sat in groups, making it almost impossible to pass. I can’t remember how many feet I stepped on, got chided by an uncle who stretched out his legs fully in a body-to-body space situation, and said sorry a gazillion times. But I made it back.

I went through a lot of trouble, effort and time. The photos better be worth it.

3. Camera Settings (Nikon D90)

Use a really wide lens (mine was 18mm and still couldn’t capture the full scene)
ISO – 200
EV – -0.3
Camera Mode – S Mode (set to Bulb)
White Balance – Tungsten
Turn OFF Long Exposure NR (Noise Reduction)

4. Photographing Technique

In S Mode, frame and shoot your scene a couple of times with varying shutter speed and determine which shutter speed correctly exposes the background buildings. Mine was 5 secs.

Then switch to Bulb mode. This mode holds the shutter open for as long as the shutter release button is depressed. It is useful to use a wired or remote control shutter release device to avoid camera shake.

Cover the front of the lens with a matt black card. Press your shutter release device to open the shutter. Each time fireworks appear, remove the black card to capture the scene and cover again when the firework is not that nice. You can do this a couple of times but the total capture time must be equivalent to the time determined to correctly expose the background buildings (5 secs). Then let go of your shutter release button (wired or remote control device). Repeat this step to take more photos of the fireworks.

You must also be deft to reframe your shot because your original framing may not capture the full fireworks.

What Really Happened During the Shoot

The settings and technique were told to me and based on further research on the net. But no one told me to turn OFF the Long Exposure NR setting! What happens if this setting is ON is that the camera will go into a ‘Job nr’ mode after taking a photo and I couldn’t depress the shutter release button again to take another shot. I was losing precious time!

As I later found out, the camera will start processing each shot I’d taken in NR on mode and it could take up to 30 secs. Photographing fireworks is very time sensitive so imagine the amount of images I lost because I weren’t able to snap any more after the first shot! I panicked and to rectify the problem, I turned my camera on and off after each shot was completed. It works but the correct way is to OFF the NR.

On top of that, I realized that my lens couldn’t capture the full fireworks. So I had to reframe to the best I can very quickly. And in the race for time, the good ’ol pressing the shutter release button directly method is easier than using a remote control device. But some shots suffered camera shake.

It was my first attempt at photographing fireworks and it was a good learning experience. Although I was somewhat disappointed with the photos as they didn’t turn out they way I thought they should, and I didn’t get to enjoy much of the fireworks because I was fiddling with my camera the whole time, but the process was not without its sweet moments.

Just like the person we’re with may not be the ideal or what we have in mind, it still doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy some fireworks once in a while. This countdown was memorable but I sure don’t want to wait for hours, squeeze with thousands of people and face the trouble of getting home after the show again. Unless my photography skills and equipment improve, it’s just not worth it.

But I sure would like to have fireworks of the first kind any day… any time. And hopefully at the next attempt, I know how to make that fire work a lifetime.