= Stefan's Weekly Singapore City/Landscapes II =


The desat is a perfeect touch to what is a fine fine image
 

Thanks guys, I'm glad you liked it as it kinda took a while to figure out the shooting and post-processing method.

Anyway, I thought I would like to slow things down a little bit and post something dedicated to someone in my life that meant so much to me.

#286
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Dear Dad...

When I was young I was stubborn, rebellious and I didn't liked school. Yet you didn't give up on me. You also taught me how to use a camera and you didn't mind if I wasted a roll of film and shot many off-focus shots when I was a kid. Well, look where I am today.

Now that I am 25, I sat by your side and I held your hands as you left this World peacefully on 7 Feb 2014. You have lived a life of no regrets and you have been a great inspirational role model in my life, and to mom. Through the years, you have been a great father.

All I'm saying is, you have taught me how to straighten up and fly right. And I did.

Single Image RAW, handheld. Church of St. Francis Xavier, Singapore.

Rest in Peace, dad.

Mike & The Mechanics - The Living Years:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGDA0Hecw1k&feature=kp
 

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Sorry to hear that man... my deepest condolences to you and your family. Stay strong for their sake.
 

Thanks man for your condolences. Hope all is fine and well with you.

#287
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Cinematic Adventure

3 Image HDR/DRI, 3 image verto+pano to relief spatial proportion. Pearl's Centre, Singapore.

Was there for a school project, and was also exploring and playing around with some camera angles for a personal film project to be done sometime in the future.

Would be better if it weren't me in the picture but a karate or dance pose.
 

Condolences.

Love the last one. Did you consider standing closer to have the presence of your shadow on the right? :)
 

Deepest condolences. Hope you are coping well
 

Stefan, I'm sorry for your loss
 

Thanks everyone for your condolences. Me and my mom are still trying to get back on our feet. Now that he has passed on, just today I had to send my grandma to TTSH. :rolleyes: Doctors say she might not live long. Sigh, one after another...

Anyway....

#288
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The Boring Ritual


3 Image HDR/DRI 3 image panorama. Pearl's Centre, Singapore.

I didn't bring my entire GND set as I only brought my camera and tripod. Thus I had to enable AEB to blend, correct and balance the exposure tediously.

Had to shoot this one as means of exploration for my school project. It's not that I don't like the view, it's just pretty sterile looking to me. As I said before, I dislike shooting the city unless of course there's something to be told; but in this case it has to be done. It's like, "This is a view of Chinatown" and that's pretty much it that sort of thing.

So... yeah, in a nutshell I had to do what I had to do.

Thanks for looking. :)

UPDATE: Fixed left side distortion + 35% sharpening.

UPDATE II: Fixed right side pano-mismatch.
 

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Condolences Stefan.

All the best for your granny.
 

Hope all is well for you. Condolences Stefan.
 

I have always admired your work. take care and my deepest condolences to you.
 

Take care Stefan.

Hope all is well for you. Condolences Stefan.

Deepest condolences. Take care.

I have always admired your work. take care and my deepest condolences to you.

Thank you guys for your kind words, I'm touched. :) I hope all and well is fine with you.

Anyway...

#289

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Red Letter Day [Re-Processed]

Single Image RAW, 3 Image vertorama using GND 0.9 soft (?) + GND 0.6 soft (?) + ND 0.9 for smoothed water effects. Upper Seletar Reservoir, Singapore.

This is a reprocessed shot that I've taken on May 22, 2011 right here.

I will never forget 22 May 2011 a day of calling to my adventure. Looking at it just makes me realise how far I've come in terms of post-processing. I couldn't recall what were the exact GNDs/NDs I used at the time, and I realise I did not take an 11 image HDR to do this, but I did recalled using Photomatix, which I hated. It was also a lie to say no editing was done, which I think I did played around with the sliders on Photomatix - yes that is another form of processing as well. I was an amateur back then.

I had to re-process as it needs to be printed for an exhibition/presentation. This shot is highly significant to me as was the best sunset I've ever seen in my entire shooting adventure, and I'll probably will never see this again (Or maybe, but I probably missed it). I remembered storm clouds came charging in and it was about the rain. The whole sky suddenly turned an intense glow of red (Really, really red), even on RAW it looked as though faked and I had to intervene by lowering the temperature to around 4000k and lowered its exposure to -0.75 in Photoshop.

For most sunset days in Singapore, we usually see a major tinge of pink/orange, and a minimal dash of red but for this one - as I said, it was literally blood red all over and I could not believe my eyes and lens.

The day I shot this was indeed Red Letter Day - a sign - or a calling if you will, to further my photography adventures around Singapore. True, it's 2014 and I'm still doing it.

PS, I've taken the liberty to screenshot the original RAW file thumbnails on my computer as proof of the sky's authenticity. Note the changing hue of the sky of last few shots from red to purple.

Click to enlarge:
 

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Back from the dead. :) Don't worry, I'm still around, just not as much as Stefan's "Weekly" anymore. :p

#290

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Plight of Toa Payoh

2 Image HDR/DRI 4 Image Panorama. Toa Payoh, Singapore.

Initial plans were to execute a Verto+Pano to include much, much more of the bottom and the condominium at the left but does not seem to work compositionally. Decided to shoot and crop the good ol' way and include a little bit of the block located right to establish architectural context, continuity and framing.

It's the right time of the year, the sun appears directly where I wanted to. Simple one though. There is a reason why I call this shot a plight. I'm not gonna say publicly as it has got to do with getting there, but yes there is a rational for it.

Sorry I've been buried in paper work for the past 4 weeks, and might probably go on. I'm gone but only for now. Stay tuned folks, I've got couple of shots to be uploaded. ;)

UPDATE: Brightened foreground scene by 20% and fixed distortion at right side.
 

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#291

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Armed To The Teeth [Re-Processed]


2 Image HDR/DRI, 2 image time lapsed for water waves. Sembawang Beach, Singapore.

Had to re-process this shot for use for a friend's project about marine life and sea debris. Looking at the previous shot really does look like **** - 11 Image HDR? What was I thinking?? Worst still, I don't know how can I even approve of that piece of crap I did in 2011 right here: www.flickr.com/photos/_stefano_/5601677497/

But on the other hand, that was so long ago; everyone starts as an amateur.

Ah, I miss going to Sembawang Beach... All I need is time and decent weather.
 

#292

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Land of The Monoliths (Experimental)


3 Image HDR/DRI, 6 Image Panorama. Toa Payoh, Singapore.

Technically, this is a rather finalised experiment I've been toying and experimenting for months, to stitch a panorama and achieve the least amounts of distortion as possible. From past attempts as seen in my gallery, I may continue to apply this method of shooting and processing for both vertorama and panorama photographs from now on.

Anyway there has been lots of views of Toa Payoh from me recently, and there'll be much more. Was technically late for sunrise, but somehow got the sun in. Toa Payoh to me is just a land of concrete monoliths of HDBs that I love to explore and it's pretty much a 15 minute journey from where I live. Enjoy.

UPDATE: Corrected right side colour balance.

UPDATE II: Fixed Pano mismatch.

PS, I just realised flickr sharpens your photos when choosing a size to be shared. (Hate the new layout as well!! :()
 

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Perfect stitching! And I love the clouds formation.
 

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