I clicked before the camera obtained proper focus.
Photography Tip: Many cameras have a fail safe mechanism to prevent shutter click before AF is locked. You may need to go into options > settings to bypass the release setting or switch to manual focus.
Panasonic Lumix GM-1, ISO 200, f5.6, 1/125 sec.
#ioicitymall #mall #shop #lights #focus #photographytip
If you park in the mall basement, you are forced to return to the car park by walking through the very long vehicle tunnels after midnight. All human exits and access were closed due to the enormous crowd and security concerns. Not a pleasant walk when you have to lug your heavy tripod and camera gear. Pity those with young kids or elderly parents.
The standalone multi-storey car park behind was ideal but it is now closed and to be demolished. Park your car outside on the roads and it can get ticketed or towed away. Going back home and negotiating the crazy gridlock is another nightmarish story.
To secure a good camera spot and to avoid traffic congestion, one may need to go as early as 9pm. Many eager beaver photographers ended up pointing their cameras at the wrong direction through wrong prediction or guesstimate. Talk about over planning and early set up. There was always a last minute scramble to re-frame or even to change to a wider lens. The fireworks will usually shoot higher than the towers. Use a wide zoom for flexibility,
A close proximity spot presents another problem. Hot debris and burning ash remnants from the sky will rain on your head and equipment. Wear a hat, don safety goggles and cap your lens in between.
There was another struggle or scramble. Getting the exposure correct in the first minute or two after first ignition. The surroundings will be obscured by a pall of lingering or trapped smoke; destroying your pics.
The results may be pretty but the backstory is ugly.
Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 100, f10, 1.3 sec.
#newyearseve #newyear #nye #fireworks #countdown #bungaapi #petronastwintowers #malaysia #sonyalpha #a7r #zeiss #tbt
My intrepid friend Mohamad Amirizzuan Ramli (@amirizzuan on Instagram) was lamenting about how poor a shot he got with his phone. It wasn’t too bad, actually. He was at the Ampang Lookout Point on top of Bukit Ampang. My shot from the same location, on a different night, is shown on the lower half of the pic.
He noted that he wished he carried a spare camera as I do. The problem wasn’t just the limitations of a phone. The phone camera’s auto exposure algo probably saw it as a night scene and kept the blacks black while maintaining the highlights.
Also if you notice carefully, there is camera shake (visible when magnified) that degraded the overall quality of his picture somewhat. Always take note of the shutter speed if it is shown. You may need a tripod or some sort of stabilisation below 1/60th of a second. Hand holding can cause camera shake resulting in blurriness. Try putting your elbows on top of a car with its engine switched off.
The key is manual control and many phones nowadays can now do that. Without understanding the principles and dynamics, a spare or another camera won’t necessarily produce a better picture.
The thing to remember is part of the atmosphere of a night shot is created by the ambience. This can be the city’s light pollution trapped by cloud cover. Avoid a hazy night, though.
Yes, don’t go to the lookout point when it is already pitch black. Go before 9pm or earlier and the camera ought to be able to see lingering light from the earlier sunset. A tripod and manual exposure helps. Play with the white balance setting too.
Mine: Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 50, f6.3, 13 sec.
Amir: Huawei Honor 5X, ISO 3555, f2, 1/15 sec.
#skyline #cityscape #cityview #nightview #gothamcity #gotham #nightphotography #nightscape #landcape #night #hazefree #kualalumpur #bukitampang #lookoutpoint #skyline #sonyalpha #a7r #zeiss #landscape #demo #tvsexample
She saw the sunrise rising in Penang and chased after it, ending up at Lee Jetty at around 7:15 am. The takeaway is scenic or beautiful scenes can be found at your own backyard, if you care to see it. You don’t need to go to Mauritius 🙂
Important to note that she kept the horizon or sea level. A slanting sea from careless framing can ruin a nice seaside shot.
I used the free Nik Collection suite that included HDR Efex Pro2. I think Nik’s mobile Snapseed will be able to accomplish the same with its Drama filter. Making the rain clouds visible added drama to the sunrise. The blue and red hues can be adjusted to taste. Additional lens flare was rendered by Photoshop CC.
Sony Xperia Z3, ISO 50, f2, 1/400 sec.
#landscape #penang #sea #sunrise #processing #contrast #demo #tvsexample
For photography, do go when the sky is still visibly blue and not already pitch black (before 7:15 pm on a normal non-rainy day).
