2009!

2009!, originally uploaded by arnoldval.

Theme: Bye 2008, Hello 2009!

taken at the marina-barrage, singapore.. the 15th water-reservoir and the very first reservoir located within the heart of the city.

Exposure: 10 sec (10)
Aperture: f/11
Focal Length: 28 mm
ISO Speed: 100

this is my nth try of fireworks and i failed (again)!
we waited for more than 7-hours (whew!) at the marina-barrage to get to get a nice spot ahead of the multitude of spectators and photo-hobbyists alike. This will be the first countdown from this new singapore icon. i only have 28mm on the widest-end of my lens so careful composition must be done before the fireworks goes-up!. after trying several test-shots, i decided to go for this , hoping that the fireworks burst nicely on the upper half of the frame. this way, i could have a few interesting elements: fountain of the marina-barrage on the foreground, the Singapore Flyer on mid-right and a few buildings of the city skyline.. then the clock ticks to 12midnight, greeting 2009 with bursts of fire in the sky, WOW! but hey! the fireworks are way off the left-side of my frame! :-( nevermind, later they will get spread out somewhere to center, even to the right. i said to myself, 'patience!'.. but it never came.. last half of the show i have to re-position my frame towards the left in haste.. struglling with the steady tripod and its controls.. smoke is all around the bursts by this time.. sigh! i may need to get back some other time.. and make sure i have with me my 18-55mm kit lens for a wider perspective.. happy 2009!, everyone..

ties-that-bind

ties-that-bind, originally uploaded by arnoldval.

theme: Christmas 2008

we continue to strive to look through the glittering, sparkling lights.. beyond that is the real essence we celebrate the season..yearn to feel and experience the ties that bind us to our faith.. with Christ our saviour..

Exposure: 0.033 sec (1/30)

Aperture: f/2.8

Focal Length: 75 mm

ISO Speed: 400


Lighting comes from the cristmas-lights of the christmas tree at the lobby of Waterfront Hotel, Cebu, Philippines. Shooting indoor without flash is quite tricky as shutter-speed could go really slow. ISO speed has been bumped to ISO400 and aperture set at its widest opening to give me the fastest shutter-speed possible.. 1/30 sec still not fast enough so holding my breath halfway before slowly squeezing the shutter-button somehow prevented the possible blur..

toys

65521111, originally uploaded by arnoldval.

bare flash at camera-left
white-wall at camera-right serves as fill
shutter at 1/200 knocks the background to darkness..

aside from the bus and MRT in singapore, you can count on the several taxi companies to bring you from your doorstep to anywhere in Singapore.. for in example, you can dial +65 6552 1111 for this blue Comfort taxi.. =)

Mass Transit

Okay so i missed posting an entry for this week! =(

First i planned of taking some commuters inside the MRT station.

Here's the initial plan:
sneak into one side of the station during rush-hour where everyone is walking briskly to catch the next train.. a stationary subject shall stay steady during the entire exposure time to remain sharp while all others around him/her gets blurred to show motion.. Will probably play a relatively slow-shutter speed 1/30, 1/15 for starter and go slower for effects..

somehow i was not able to carry on with this plan.. it may not be allowed for me to setup heavy-gear and tripod in the station (security may caution me or invite me for questioning later hehe). sure i can sneak-in a small compact cam next time given the chance..

Another idea that came to mind is to capture one of those lorries (small open-type truck) that carries most of the construction workers from their quarters to the worksite..

Since i already missed shooting and posting for the 'mass-transit' theme, i will just make it as an excuse to allow late submission of entries every now and then.

helper wheel

helper wheel, originally uploaded by arnoldval.

never had the chance to capture a nice mass-transit photo..

posting this as a filler.. will probably update this entry once i have that photo i have in mind hehe