First sunsets from Randwick

As stated in an earlier post, I have come to Sydney for my university education. Finding a place to stay took some time, but finially, I did, renting an apartment together with a friend from Singapore.

Our place was in Randwick, not far from the university. And fortunate for me (in my inexaustable quest for more photos), we got a few days of pretty nice looking sunsets on the first few days after we moved in. (In July - this is a delayed post.)

#1 - Fields of Sunset

#2 - Violet Stormclouds

#3 - Evening Clouds

#4 - Sunset Silhouettes

Hoping for more great sunsets!

Trip to the Blue Mountains

Before the semester started and after I had finally settled housing issues and most of my uni admin stuff, my parents and I, along with Samuel and his dad, felt that it was time for an actual 'holiday'.

So we thought about it, and decided to go for a day trip to the Blue Mountains and Jenolan Caves, west of Sydney. And we did so, on 18 July (The weekend before sem started).

We went by tour coach, and the drive out west took several hours, passing suburb after Sydney suburb (This is where I first realized how spread out Sydney was). Unfortunately, I didn't get photos of this part of the trip...

Our stop in the Blue Mountains was at Katoomba, the major town and tourist destination of the area. The photos in this article (above and below) are mostly taken at this stop (unless stated otherwise).

Scenic World, Katoomba. The place where we stopped for views and for toilets. We also went for two short cable car rides, a steep mine train, and a short walk through the forest.

Two of the views from the cable car that went over a deep valley:

We also saw many white Cockatoos in the area. Apparently, they were quite common in the wild.

On the way back to our coach, I saw some buds on a leafless tree - I couldn't really decide if they were going to turn into leaves or flowers...

The journey to the Jenolan Caves from Katoomba took quite some time more, as the caves were actually beyond the main range of the Blue Mountains, which meant that we actually were crossing the mountains to the inland plains.

Views along the way to the caves included giant wind turbines:

And some traffic along the long, long, roads.

We arrived at the caves in time for lunch, and while we were doing so, we saw several wild parrots of some sort, perching around. They must have been hungry too...

We had a tour of one of the cave systems there, which was not too bad. Unfortunately, caves are absolutely difficult to photograph (for me anyway) so I didn't manage to get many good shots at all.

Here's one of them:

After the tour, we returned to the coach, and went on the long drive all the way back to Sydney...

Fireworks and Rain

Several days before I was due to fly to Sydney, a friend called and asked if I wanted to catch the NDP preview and shoot some fireworks. I, already having the desire to do just that, agreed.

So on 11 Jul 09, one day before I flew, I met up with my friends to shoot the fireworks of the NDP Rehersal that was held that evening.

The sky was overcast long before it got dark, but there was no rain. In fact, by 745pm or so, the sky had started clearing up somewhat.

Our relief, however, was shortlived.

The very moment the fireworks start, not too long after 8pm, so the the dounpour. Yep, Downpour. As people started dashing for the nearest shelter (Which wasnt all too near, for we were at the middle portion of the Esplanade Bridge), my friends and I used our umbrellas, in a rather hopeless attempt, if I might add, to shelter our cameras while we continued to shoot the fireworks.

After most of the fireworks were done, we too, dashed for cover. The end result, we got pretty wet, our lenses got a little wet, but at least we managed a few shots worth putting online.

Here are mine:

#1 - Colours of the Nation

#2 - Vivid Green

#3 - Fireworks and Rain

#4 - Rain of Joy

This photo makes me think of "Feu de joie" for some reason...

#5 - Light Sparks

Some of the blurred parts and the bokeh like bits in the photos is actually rainwater that had gotten onto my lens.

Of course, the above are not my only shots. I have several other shots that were mostly too blurred to be posted.

Settling Down

It's been more than 2 weeks in Sydney.

My internet has finally been set up, and I'd start updating the blog again soon.

Stay tuned, as I clear up my backlog of photos...

Off to Sydney...

By the end of today, I'll be on my way to Sydney, starting my university education at UNSW...

There'll be lots of things to miss about Singapore, but hopefully, I'll have a good time there studying (And taking photos, of course).

I probably would not have time to update for a while, and I already have a pile of stuff that's backlogged...

Sengkang Skyscapes

Old post alert!

Walked around Sengkang several times a few weeks ago, and took some skyscapes.

Not my best efforts by far, I'll have to say.

#1 - Purple Sunset

(A pano shot)

#2 - Shades of Sunset

(Colours are natural)

#3 - Cloudscape over Sengkang

May update with more clouds if I can...

APAD and other matters

My APAD thread (Here) recently surpassed the 10000 view mark. It's an accomplishment, I guess, and a good one.

Maintaining a constant flow of daily photographs for the thread, whether taken or edited on the day, is no easy task. Well, I found it okay most of the time, especially after I had left NS and had more free time to concentrate on my photography.

Now, however, I seem to have come to a bit of a block. My recent photographs aren't of my usual standards; Blurred shots, photos with no proper composition, etc. In addition, I'm a little short of ideas as well.

Maybe the fact that I'm starting University soon (In a foreign country too...) is causing me more worry than I really know (I'm feeling anxious/nervous/excited/confused?).

I really do hope to improve and take better photos, not just so that I can maintain my APAD, but so that I can show people (and myself) that photography is something that I can be good at.

Fireworks!

Having seen many beautiful photos of fireworks, I have always wanted to shoot fireworks myself. Before I had my DSLR, I have tried once or twice, but never really achieving much.

On Saturday, together with fellow CSers, I went to shoot the closing event for the Singapore Arts Festival 09, Crackers!.

It was my first proper attempt at shooting fireworks, so I was suitably anxious. I didn't have a remote, but a friend lent me hers (It was a spare). In the end the remote didn't work well, so I used the timer instead.

Here are my photos from that evening (In no specific order of appearance) :

#1 - Burst of Light

#2 - Extravaganza

#3 - Blues and Greens I

#4 - Celebrations

#5 - Two Sides

#6 - Blues and Greens II

#7 - Feathers

#8 - Rainbow Lights

#9 - Rings of Fire

#10 - Pyrotechnic Arcs

#11 - Red Sprinkles

#12 - Final Bursts

Overall, it was a great expierence. Although I do wish I could have shot better, I am satisfied with most of the results I got (It's just my first time after all).

Many thanks to Xhui and Ryan for their help and teaching, without which I might not have managed as well as I did :)

Can't wait to shoot more fireworks!

Bedok Reservoir

Went to Bedok Reservoir last Thursday in an attempt to get the sunset there. Unfortunately, by the time I reached the place, the skies had become cloudy (What luck).

The clouds looked rather nice, however, so I attempted a Panorama (Yes, again). I didn't take the shots too well, so the final product wasn't that good :

(As usual with Panos here, click for a larger image)

The sunset itself was completely blocked by the bank of clouds seen above, so I didn't manage to get anything.

Fortunately, the sky in the opposite direction had clouds which did manage to reflect some of the colours of the sunset...

Not much, but better than absolutely nothing, I suppose.

I hope to return there another day to catch the sunset (Or maybe even sunrise).

A Five Hour Walk Around Town

Last Tuesday, I was a little bored. So I decided to head down to Orchard to look for a book at Borders and Kino, and to walk around a little. So I did that.

But after that, instead of heading home, I decided to walk around and maybe take some photos, since I had my camera with me (Which is almost always, actually).

I ended up walking around town for a total of 5 hours (+/- a few minutes), with a few photos to go along (not a lot though)...

Stage 1 - Orchard MRT - Somerset MRT - Dhoby Ghaut MRT

Instead of taking the MRT down to town, I decided to walk there. Ion Orchard looks almost ready, and Orchard Central is already partly open. And they both look really massive...

No pictures from this stage, as I didn't feel like attempting street photography (Which I'm totally lousy at, anyway).

Stage 2 - Raffles City, War Memorial Park, Esplanade Park

From Dhoby Ghaut, I walked to Raffles City,

(A dark and gloomy edit...)

then to the War Memorial Park.

(Couldn't decide which version looked nicer...)

From there, I went past Suntec, to Esplanade Park.

(A random "Self-portrait" while walking there - I'm not good at this...)

Then to the Singapore River.

Stage 3 - Along the Singapore River

Walked along the Singapore River opposite Boat Quay,

(Skyscrapers by the River)

(Panorama attempt... Not well done.)

...and ended up at Central.

Stage 4 - Fort Canning Hill

I headed up Fort Canning Hill via the entrance to the right of MICA, reaching the top not far from the old Lighthouse :

From there, I crossed most of the hill, finally passing by the Fort Gate,

...before heading down the other end of the hill and back to Douby Ghaut MRT, from where I headed home.

Abandoned Railway and a stop at HPV

Overdue post again. Enough said.

Basically, it was another outing with the 450D friends. On a hot Saturday afternoon, we met up at Clementi, and went to a nearby stretch of abandoned railway. It was right next to a HDB estate, and I never even knew that it existed (Okay, maybe it's because I live quite far from Clementi).

#1 - Abandoned and Overgrown

#2 - End of the Road

The bridge was pretty high, but I made it across. Quite a nice view, actually.

#3 - Bridge Views

#4 - Railway Bridge

After we were done at the railway, we headed to Haw Par Villa (HPV), which wasn't too far away. I hadn't been there for at least 10 plus years. Unfortunately, most of the photos I took there didn't turn out nice; The ones inside the "Ten Courts of Hell" place were the worst, due to the difficult lighting.

Here's a shot from HPV (Plain ans simple):

He's supposed to be the God of Earth or something, if I didn't remember wrongly.

So much more to improve on!

Stating the Obvious

I'd rather not have to say this, but sometimes, the obvious also needs to be stated.

Please be reminded of the following :

All images in this blog are not allowed to be distributed, re-used, re-produced and published in any forms without prior permission granted by its owner (That's me).

Have a nice day, and keep reading blogs :)

Full Moon

Noticed that the moon was full, and because I was running out of photos for my APAD thread on CS, I decided to try and photograph the moon (It's my second time doing moon shots for APAD, but the first one was a crescent moon).

Turned out quite nicely, although I had to do major cropping and some sharpening.

Fun :)

Lower Pierce Reservoir

Another overdue post...

Actual Date : 01 Jun 09 (Last Monday)

Yes, I know that this over a week late. But at least it's only a week late; I'm forcing myself to write this entry so that I won't have too much of a backlog.

Well, on the evening of the 1st of June, I went with my parents to Lower Pierce Reservoir. I was there to get the sunset; They wanted to catch some prawns to keep in glass containers at home.

This was actually my second time to the reservoir in recent times; The last time I was there, it was overcast, so there was no sunset. This time however, the reservoir was rather calm, and the sky was mostly clear, so I got a good one.

Photos from that evening :

Part 1 - Pre-sunset / Sunset

#1 - Mirror of Water

#2 - Sunset by the Bridge

#3 - Red Sun

Part 2 - Post-sunset / Twilight

#4 - By the Lakeside

#5 - Tranquil Waters

#6 - Afterglow

Went home after it got dark (Couldn't think of anything to shoot in the dark).

Kranji Randoms

Once more, I'm typing out overdue posts again...

This 'trip' took place on 31 May 09, after Jurong Hill (See previous post).

My dad brought my mum and I to Kranji, since it wasn't too far away. The title of this posts tells you what we did - Stop by several random places in Kranji, just too look around.

Stop 1 - A "Farm Resort" sort of place. It didn't look very interesting, and there weren't many people around either, so we only stopped for awhile.

Took a photo of some flowers that I spotted there...

Stop 2 - At the carpark of the Sungei Buloh Wetlands Reserve(which I had just gone to the day before), we noticed a trail that started from a small side gate, so we went for a walk there instead of entering SBWR.

It was a nice trail, following along the Kranji coastline, through the mangrove swamp.

We turned back after the trail turned inland (The trail would end somewhere near the Kranji dam).

Stop 3 - SBWR's visitor centre, where I spotted this:

I think it was trying to hide. We didn't go into the Reserve, as it was almost closing time.

Stop 4 - Kranji Dam, where I tried to get the sunset, but failed, due to overcast skies. I met a rather friendly cat though... (It posed for me a little).

After the dam, we went on home, as it was getting dark.

Views from the Hilltop

Had a little short trip to the top of Jurong Hill yesterday afternoon, somewhere that I've not been to before. Although you could see a great distance from the top of the tower on the hilltop, there wasn't really that much to see as the surrounding region was mostly industrial.

What I did do, was to try out another panorama. This one's a "seaward" view of the area.

(Click for a larger image)

Outing to Sungei Buloh

The 450D Club had it's outing to Sungi Buloh Wetlands Reserve (SBWR for short) on Sat morning. It was my first time there after more than 5 years, so everything felt unfamiliar.

Although we were forced to return to the Visitor Center and wait when it started raining in the mid-morning, the weather cleared up later, and we had a pretty good time there (Apart from the mosquitos, that is). Also, Joe and Ryu were amazing with their knowledge of insects and birds.

Here are some of my shots from the trip :

#1 - Grasshopper

#2 - Brown Butterfly

#3 - Wasp Butt

#4 - Crab on Leaf

#5 - Mudskipper

Didn't really get many bird shots, mainly because my lens, at only 200mm, isn't the best for birding. Maybe I'll think about doing what Ryan did (100-400mm FTW)the next time I go to SBWR.

Here's a rather nice one, except that it's really blur and full of noise (heavily cropped too)...

Abandoned places in LCK

Went out with fellow 450D people yesterday to Lim Chu Kang to explore some old abandoned areas. Weather was wet, but at least it stopped raining when we arrived at the location. Some photos from the trip...

#1 - Numbered Past

#2 - Emptiness

#3 - Towering Gloom

#4 - Dark Corridors

#5 - Stairway Mysteries

Photos taken at the end of Lim Chu Kang will be in the next posting (though there isn't very much).

Sidetrack to Chinatown

After the "Glass/Reflection" themed Tangshooters outing on Sunday, when the whole group of us were on the way to the MRT station, we got sidetracked by the sunset, and headed for one of the HDB blocks facing the CBD. Went up to the 24th floor, then realized that the sunset was in the other direction. Then someone found that the roof access was open, and most of them went up to take a look. I, having a fear of heights, decided not to risk it. Instead, it took pictures of the direction of the CBD instead.

However, lacking tripod and a UWA lens, I didn't come up with anything really interesting. (To see my UWA shots, see my flickr - Chinatown Nights I and II)

I did experiment a bit, and managed this :

(Not perfect, but I think it looks cool :D)

Glass : Reflections, Refractions, and Other Shiny Things

Went for yet another Tangshooters outing last evening. It was a rather major one, with over thirty people gathering together at Raffles Place. From there, we walked and shot all the way to Tanjong Pagar. I'm sure the people who were around must have wondered about our large group of photographers.

In any case, here's five of my photos which I'll also be posting on Clubsnap :

#1 - Twin Illuisions

#2 - Visions In Stone

#3 - Grid of Glass

#4 - Double Vision

#5 - Warped Distortions

Overall, it was a tiring, but really fun outing.

(The Chinatown minor-shoot will be posted separately)

And before I end this post, a special mention : Sprintist, the organizer of the outing :)