A message of thanks to Mr Peter Leow who was kind enough to remember me and send me an interesting photo from iPhone 15 Pro Max.
I have written an article under ADVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE, using his photo as an example.
The article is as follows:
ADVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE - A window of opportunity opens briefly
Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow).
ADVICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE - A window of opportunity opens briefly. Dr Sing Kong Yuen, BVMS (Glasgow).
25 Feb 2024.
Merdeka 118 is 118 storeys high.At 678.9 meters tall, theMerdeka 118is currently the tallest skyscraper in Malaysia, but it is the 2nd tallest building in the world.
The building has been architecturally topped out in 2022 and finally completed in November 2023. I share my accountant, Mr Peter Leow's interesting photo of Merdeka 118 building in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, taken from another hotel at around 8am on 17 Feb 2024.
The photo from his iPhone 15 Max is interesting as it has clouds and golden streak in the sky directing the viewer towards the 118-storey skyscraper. Hundreds of photos of Merdeka 118 in the internet sites, but most are average. I rate his photo as 5-stars.
Capturing such a photo depends on luck and your initiative as timing is very important. If you wait till you have breakfast, you will miss the opportunity to create this beautiful visual with your smartphone.
In photography, as in real life, the window of opportunity will open briefly and it is up to you to be aware of the moment which may never repeat itself.
PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS: iPhone 15's excellent image of city views –
Merdeka 118
17 Feb 2024, 8am. City views
Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur is the 2nd highest building and
structure in the world.
Merdeka 118 is 118 storeys high.At 678.9 meters tall, theMerdeka 118is currently the tallest skyscraper in Malaysia, but it is the 2nd tallest building in the world.
The building has been architecturally topped out in 2022 and finally completed in November 2023. I share my accountant, Mr Peter Leow's interesting photo of Merdeka 118 building in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, taken from another hotel at around 8am on 17 Feb 2024.
iPhone 15 Pro Max.6.9mm, 1/210sec, f/1.8, ISO 64 captures great cityview photos from another hotel.
25 Feb 2024. Hundreds of photos of Merdeka 118 in the internet sites, but most are average.
I share somebody's interesting photo of Merdeka 118 building in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, taken from another hotel at around 8am. The photo from iPhone 15 Max is interesting as it has clouds and golden streak in the sky directing the viewer towards the 118-storey skyscraper. I rate his photo as 5-stars.
Capturing such a photo depends on luck and your initative as timing is very important. If you wait till you have breakfast, you will miss the opportunity to create beautiful visuals with your smartphone.
In photography, as in real life, the window of opportunity will open briefly and it is up to you to be aware of the moment which may never repeat itself.
MANUAL MODE. To get a great Moon
shot and little else, set your camera to ISO 100 or ISO 200 and the
aperture to between f/5.6 and f/11, and adjust your shutter speed to
between 1/125sec and 1/250sec. The exact settings will vary depending on
your camera and the brightness of the Moon, which depends on its exact
phase, but these base settings will get you started.
The Moon is a moving target; the combination of Moon's 2,288
miles-per-hour orbit and Earth's 1,000 miles-per-hour rotation makes our
satellite a fast-moving target. However, it's usually bright enough for
a relatively fast shutter speed to yield good results.
How to focus on the Moon
Although
you can autofocus on the Moon as it rises, or as it becomes visible
just before sunset, it's a good idea to focus manually. With your lens
set to manual focus, set the the focusing ring to infinity. It takes
some practice since most cameras can focus beyond infinity, and finding
the exact point that works for your lens takes trial and error.
Take
some test shots and zoom in on the result on your camera's LCD screen
to see which one works best. Don't skip this step; only once you've done
it correctly will your Moon photos be reliably sharp.
How to expose for the Moon
It's
a common mistake to overexpose the moon but it's actually much brighter
than you think. However, if you want to photograph the foreground and
not just the moon by itself you will need to make sure your exposure
works for both or use bracketing to take multiple shots with different
exposures.
To get a great Moon
shot and little else, set your camera to ISO 100 or ISO 200 and the
aperture to between f/5.6 and f/11, and adjust your shutter speed to
between 1/125sec and 1/250sec. The exact settings will vary depending on
your camera and the brightness of the Moon, which depends on its exact
phase, but these base settings will get you started.
Taking
a landscape photograph that includes the Moon is more difficult because
during that 'blue hour' after sunset the Moon is already too bright.
So, if you take a longer exposure for the landscape, you'll overexpose
the Moon, and if you expose for the Moon, the landscape with be
under-exposed. So what do you do?
The
answer is either to photograph the Moon just before sunset when the
light levels are higher (they drop-off so quickly at the point of
sunset), or to take two exposures and combine them in photo-editing
software. The latter approach, however, often looks fake. Another way is
to expose for the Moon, and use a flash to light the foreground.
When to photograph the Moon
The
full moon is probably the lunar event that most photographers will want
to photograph first - but it is actually one of the most difficult due
to the glare that this creates and July's supermoon is the biggest and
brightest of them all. Some of the most impressive shots of the full
moon are those where it is seen behind a building or a natural structure
– which makes the moon look much larger than it does to the naked eye.
If
you want less of a cliche, go for other phases of the Moon when you can
see a line between the light and dark sides. This is called the
terminator line, which is when the craters on the Moon throw shadows,
particularly near its South Pole. You can see this most nights, but
perhaps the most precious kind of Moon is visible only on the few days
on either side of New Moon. At this time, you'll also see a waxing or
waning Crescent Moon close to the horizon, and it comes with the bonus
of Earthshine.
How to capture Earthshine on the Moon
Although 50% of the Moon is
constantly being illuminated by the Sun, there are a few days each month
when the Earth gets involved – and it's a beautiful event to capture.
Earthshine
is a dull glow to the unlit area of the Moon that's the result of
sunlight reflecting off Earth's surface and onto the lunar surface. Its
subtle and mesmerizing, and easy to capture if you time it right.
Set
up for the first (or, more likely, the second) sunset after New Moon.
Using a lens with as long a focal length lens as possible, and with your
camera on a tripod, dial in a sensitivity of ISO 400, an aperture of
f/2.8 (or as wide as your lens aperture will go), and open the shutter
for between one and four seconds.
In fact, Earthshine is always
being reflected onto the Moon to some extent, but it's only around New
Moon that the crescent of sunlight is small enough for the camera to
expose for both the lit and unlit areas.
This
is also a good time to combine Moon photography with night-sky
photography because the Moon will set soon after you've photographed it.
You can then go looking for stars and the Milky Way.
How to capture a moonrise or moonset
There are two exceptions to the advice to avoid photographing the Full Moon.
The first is when there's a total lunar eclipse,
and the second is when a Full Moon as it rises or sets, as it's a great
alternative to a sunset. The sight of a Full Moon peeking above the
horizon and turning from deep orange to pale yellow to bright white
during twilight is a spectacular sight. It also presents an opportunity
to get the Moon in the context of a beautiful landscape.
The
colourful spectacle lasts mere minutes and is easy to miss, but, like
everything else in the night sky, a rising Full Moon is predictable down
to the second. Simply find out exactly on what day the next Full Moon
is going to be where you are, and exactly what time sunset is on that
date, then look to the east for the moonrise. Start-off with your camera
set to ISO 100, f10 and 1/125.
If you've ever seen photos of
someone or something silhouetted against a seemingly giant Moon, perhaps
while standing on top of a hill, they were taken during a moonrise.
They were also ruthlessly planned; The Photographer's Ephemerisand PhotoPills apps are ideal for this kind of project.
To
make the Moon look so large in the background, photographers need to
use superzoom telephoto lenses of at least 1,000mm while being
positioned a mile or so away from the all-important foreground subject
that introduces that sense of scale.
Composites, moon-stacks and super moons
It's possible to shoot the Moon and add it to another landscape shot using Photoshop.
However, almost everyone who attempts this either makes the Moon look
way too big, or they place it somewhere in the night sky that it doesn't
occur (such as in the norther hemisphere's northern sky).
To anyone with a trained eye, most composites look like what they are: fakes. There is one exception; moonstacks,
a lunar time-lapse, in which you take several photos of the moon as it
moves through the sky, and then use Photoshop to composite them into a
single image.
Although
it often grabs the attention of photographers and media alike, pay
little attention to the term 'Super Moon'. A recent term that merely
means that the Moon is slightly closer to Earth than normal, it has
little practical meaning or use. However, while a Super Full Moon does
look larger as it rises above the horizon, it's only by about 10%-15%,
so it's barely noticeable to eye or camera.
The very finest way of getting a
close-up shot of the Moon – and the only way to get enough magnification
for it to fill the entire frame – is to mount the body of a camera on a
telescope using a cheap T-adaptor; it's like having a very large
telephoto lens. Try to find a telescope with a focal length of over
1,000mm, but under 2,000mm to capture the whole of the moon.
Whatever
kind of Moon-shot you try for, photographing our satellite provides a
good lesson in the role of precision timing in composing unique
landscape and nature images.
Although 50% of the Moon is
constantly being illuminated by the Sun, there are a few days each month
when the Earth gets involved – and it's a beautiful event to capture.
Earthshine
is a dull glow to the unlit area of the Moon that's the result of
sunlight reflecting off Earth's surface and onto the lunar surface. Its
subtle and mesmerizing, and easy to capture if you time it right.
Set
up for the first (or, more likely, the second) sunset after New Moon.
Using a lens with as long a focal length lens as possible, and with your
camera on a tripod, dial in a sensitivity of ISO 400, an aperture of
f/2.8 (or as wide as your lens aperture will go), and open the shutter
for between one and four seconds.
I was looking for Manga books in this beautifully designed re-opened Central Public Library (CPL). There is a section stocked with some manga and Western comic books.
The re-opened Central Public Library is impressive at the entrance and inside. No more shelves of international newspapers now! More nooks and corners and a variety of reader's seat arrangements and lots of open spaces.
I rate this new layout of the Basement One CPL as 5-stars.
PHOTOGRAPHY TIP: Use a tripod or support your phone/handphone on some railings to get a stable image. Use ISO 400 as the entrance is dark.
I share a photo of the impressive entrance (as compared to the dull gates of the older library) with viewers.
21 Feb 2024, 3.33pm Canon R5, AV, tripod, 35mm, 1/6sec, f/11, ISO 400.
Today is the first time in over 70 years of living that I visit the Family and Juvenile Court. I had to be present as a bond 'guarantor' for my friend who attends the hearing with his lawyer.
Some days ago, he was issued with a warrant of arrest for failure to attend a family court hearing although he did not receive it. When he drove to go to Johor Baru, he was arrested at the Woodlands check point and sent to the Woodlands Police HQ detention cell to stay. He phoned me. I signed a bond of S$2,000 at the Woodlands Police HQ so that he could be released from detention.
So this is how I visit the Family and Juvenile Court for the first time at his hearing at 11am.
The service from the auxiliary police screening my belongings and the counter staff keeping my camera and tripod was excellent. I noted that the staff attending to my friend's case was courteous and helpful too.
Keep up the good work. Five stars for the good services.
The entrance has a set of bronze sculptural figures named "Family". They were contributed by Brother Joseph McNally in 2002!
I cannot understand why the figures look badly maintained - see photograph.
If you visit the Esplanade forecourt garden, there are statues of the family. They look very clean and well maintained!
I hope the authority will consider cleaning up the sculptures yearly and brighten the visits of anyone who has to go to the Family and Juvenile Court.
PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS: Central Fire Station, Singapore - No busy
traffic which is distractions. Take photo on the least busy day.
SINGAPORE - 18 FEB 2024: 6pm. Sunday.
The Central Fire
Station or Hill Street Fire Station is the oldest fire station. Built
in 1909, this National Monument also houses the Civil Defence
Heritage Gallery.
Hill St Fire Station, 18 Feb 2024, 6pm. Canon R5, AV, 1/125sec,
f/11, ISO 200. No distracting vehicles make subject outstanding.
INFORMATION FROM A GOOGLE REVIEWER The Central Fire Station in Singapore is a historic building that was built in 1909. It was the first fire station in Singapore and served as the main fire station for the city until the 1960s. The building was designed in the Edwardian Baroque style and features a red brick façade, white stone ornamentation, and a clock tower.
The Central Fire Station was in operation until 1989 and during its operation, it was responsible for protecting the city from fires and responding to emergencies. The station was also the headquarters for the Singapore Fire Service.
After it was decommissioned, the Central Fire Station was gazetted as a national monument in 1989 and underwent restoration works in the 1990s. Today, it serves as a museum and heritage center, showcasing the history of the Singapore Fire Service and the role that the Central Fire Station played in the city's history.
It's open to public for visiting and exploring the rich heritage of firefighting in Singapore and the history of the building.
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GOOGLE REVIEW.
PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS: Central Fire Station, Singapore - No busy
traffic which is distractions. Take photo on the least busy day.
SINGAPORE - 18 FEB 2024: 6pm. Sunday.
The Central Fire Station or Hill Street Fire Station is the oldest fire station. Built in 1909, this National Monument also houses the Civil Defence Heritage Gallery.
PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS: Many visits resulted in my failure to get an attractive photo till today, 18 Feb 2024, 6pm. Sunday.
Canon R5, AV Mode, 24mm, 1/125sec, f/11, ISO 200. No distracting vehicles make subject outstanding. On this Sunday evening, there was much less traffic than on weekdays. The sun was setting and brightening the Fire Station.
I had to wait till there was no vehicles zooming by. The photograph on a blue-sky evening, without crowds or vehicles, looks good for sharing with the viewers.
PRO ADVICE - WIDE-ANGLE TIPS. It is common to have your lens right on top of the foreground elements, esp. with a 16-35mm or a 10-20mm zoom. Compose carefully to make sure your point of interest isn't too distant making it look insignificant.
Using a wide-angle zoom means you can use the foreground to draw attention to your main subject in the frame.
Walk around the structure to allow the foreground to mask out the industrial clutter, fences and access roads on the lighthouse's base.
A bin liner to protect your clothes from the low-angle used.
To have both the foreground and distant subject in sharp focus, use a small aperture of f/16. Set your focus point about halfway into the foreground interest. Test a test shot and check. If the closest part is too soft, focus on a point a little close than before and shoot again.
Travel advice, gear recommendations and camera technique. Charles Glatzer
19 Feb 2024. www.outdoorphotography.com June/July 2021.
1. Seasonal habits of the bears of Katmai. Conducted over 150 trips. 2. Bear behaviour and safety. 3. Gearing up for Katmai National Park. 4. Photo gear for bear photography 5. Tips for bear photography success.
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Photo gear for bear photography
CAMERA AND LENSES. Bring two camera bodies. He uses Canon EOS R5. At least 3 lenses. Canon RF 24-105mm wide-to-telephoto zoom, RF 100-500mm tele-zoom, either Canon EF 400mm f/2.8Lsuper-teleprime or 600mm f/4 super-teleprime.
If he wishes to go lighter,
Canon RF 24-105mm wide-to-telephoto zoom, Canon EF 200-400mm f/4 Extender 1..4X which has a built-in 1.4X tele extender.
Filters: Rarely used as animals are most active at dawn or dusk. Does bring a polarizer and a 3-stop neutral density for times he need a blur effect or reduce glare in water highlights, 1-5 hard stop graduated ND for video.
Stuff sacks. Photo backpack Raincovers Tripod - no use if you intend to freeze motion at fast shutter speeds.
Tips for bear photography success.
Visualise and figure out tools and technique to capture that vision. Look for the best vantage point, angle of view and direction of light. Your image should tell a story, not fill the frame with the subject. H maintains a subject size 25 - 30% of the image to provide viewer with a sense of context and scale. Composition and background.
As the Alaskan weather is overcast for most day, same light equals to same exposure. So he uses manual exposure mode, lock the exposure in-camera. Check histogram frequently, making sure youare close to the right edge without clipping highlights.
Try to get low. Shooting on the same level as the subject provides a more intimate and impactful glimpse into the animal's domain.You observe and share the world from the bear's perspective.
PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS: Distortion Image of financial district of
Singapore
A Distortion Image. Its foreground elements
are much larger and visually distinct from the background.
A
Compression Image. All elements of the image are stacked on
top of each other.
REFERENCE: Reframing the Concept - How a multi-week project, repeatedly photographing a nearby location (during Covid-19 pandemic) helped me let go of expectations and "see" in new ways. Jon McCormack. www.outdoorphotographer.com May 2021
SINGAPORE - 17 FEB 2024: 10am. Financial district. UOB Plaza 1 at 280m (5th from R) and One Raffles Place at 277.8m (10th from R) are respectively 2nd and 3rd tallest building in Singapore today.
GOOGLE REVIEW
17 Feb 2024: The skyscrapers of the financial district of Singapore as seen from the Esplanade on a Saturday morning at 10am. I manage to get a good photo of the 2nd and 3rd tallest buildings in Singapore todate. They are respectively UOB Plaza One at 280m and One Raffles Place at 277.8m.
PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS: This is an example of a distortion image where the foreground elements are much larger and visually distinct from the background. I focus on the bougainvillae, 1/3 from the bottom of the frame. Canon R5, AV Mode, f/11, ISO 100 and 1/250 sec. Lens was 24mm.
5-star rating is for my photograph sharpness as you can read the names of the other smaller banks in the background at 100% magnification.
