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A nice stroll along Punggol Waterway Park this afternoon...

 

SAFRA Punggol3.jpg    Punggol Waterway13.jpg

SAFRA Punggol                                                                                   Punggol Waterway

Punggol Waterway23.jpg    Punggol Waterway33.jpg

Punggol Waterway                                                                               Punggol Waterway

Punggol Waterway43.jpg

Punggol Waterway

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12 hours ago, jcho said:

A nice stroll along Punggol Waterway Park this afternoon...

 

SAFRA Punggol3.jpg    Punggol Waterway13.jpg

SAFRA Punggol                                                                                   Punggol Waterway

Punggol Waterway23.jpg    Punggol Waterway33.jpg

Punggol Waterway                                                                               Punggol Waterway

Punggol Waterway43.jpg

Punggol Waterway

din see any photographer when i walked from waterway pt to safra around lunchtime... saw joggers (1 topless) cyclists and lazing uncles...

nice shots

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4 hours ago, Kars said:

these would look even greater if you shot with telephoto lens

The age-old debate between using WA and zooms.   And a "teaching moment".

Do you know why both were shot with ultra-wides?

Do you know when to use long telephoto zooms?

 

Often you hear "instructors" or "experienced uses" (in SEA, this often translates to those who have been using a camera for a few years) tell you at camera/gear forums/courses that you should use type A or type B lenses, or XYZ bodies, or post-process how much in PhotoShop, or use Apples/Chempedaks.  The thing is - do you ever ask WHY, and receive a substantiated answer (that means backed up by evidence in large prints).
If you (and anyone who has ever asked me) look my replies to "which camera should I buy, Canon or Nikon or Sony" questions, you will always see the same gist - get what feels comfortable in your hands.  Similarly every time someone comes up and makes announcements like "your photo will look greater if you shot using XYZ lens/RST body/ABC card", my reply is always the same - do you know why you make that claim.


 

To truly understand such nonsense (and yes, they are really nonsensical claims by truly DUMB camera-users) you have to do 3 things :-

1.  Get a full resolution view AND a large enough print (at least S8R) to look at the said photos.  That is when you get to see the real detail in each form.  And when you may (or may not) have some idea, why a particular shot was taken in that manner.

2.  Look at the person's kit - what the photo's author carried with him/her when he goes to take those pictures.  For different genres, a REAL photographer will carry a different setup, and will carry more than one lens.

 

3.  Learn the person's style/preferences.  Most people have a preference or a style, some have more than one.  This is usually evident in the pictures he/she takes.  Some like to shoot exclusively with telezooms, and ALL their shots will show close+tight frames of their subject.  Some shoot exclusively with short primes, and ALL their shots show the same shallow DOF.  It is only when you see and learn his/her preference then do you understand why he may make such "teaching" comments.

 

Using the 3 points listed, lets analyse Wide and Zoom pictures.  For that, you only need to look at the pics shared in the last 2 weeks of posts here.
Wides, especially ultra-wides (which I admit I use a fair bit) - do you see the greater expanse of space, and in some cases, extra details in those pics?  Lets use the ones Kars had quoted.  Both shots if viewed in their full files, you will see people on the beach of the first (on the mid-left edge), and rockclimbers on the cliff of the second (on the lower right).  Both shots comprise of a foreground that leads to the midground and onward into the distance.  Both use leading lines.  Both use a play on curving and vertical elements.  In short, both were shot with at least 3 compositional elements (on print/full-res you may spot a couple more).

Carried kit.  Do you know that most lazy people then to stick a zoom lens on their camera and that's it?  Kit lens, esp those 18-105 or similarly ranged are telephoto zooms.  In this example, the quoted images are travel landscapes.  Telezooms can only capture a middle range, definitely will not be able to capture either framing at all, nor can they zoom up to the fine detail of the rockclimber or the beachgoers.  
Ask yourselves this question - what do you normally carry?   Yes, even for enthusiasts, some do carry a very mixed bag, because they want to.
In this case of the travelscapes - I always carry a 10-24, an 105 macro, a 70-200, and a 50/1.4 on travel.  A fisheye usually sits in my backpack for very rare uses.  So, a wide, a macro, a long and a portrait.  Each has its use and place on a trip, think about it.  For my outings around Singapore, a lighter bag with a wide, a zoom and a 50mm is my standard carry.  Even when I get for my monthly fix at Gardens By The Bay, I carry a wide and a 50mm together with my longer 150mm macro.  

Personal style/preference.  There was this guy I saw who goes everywhere with only a 70-200IS/f2.8, he just likes to zoom.  There was this birder I met who does not own any lens shorter than 200mm.  There was this chap who only carries a 14-24 and nothing else.  And there are shooters I've met who use a 24-70 for 95% of all their shooting.  It works for them.  Whether the resulting images are of a quality is something else altogether.  To gauge, simply have them print several of their best shots in 8R or larger, and send it for real critique.  You'd be surprised how many of them won't want to......


All that said, my outings are always open (capacity constraints notwithstanding) to all.  And I'd be more than happy to share some of this points in detail at the end of each outing.  

Hmmmm..... shall we do a National Day one?

Instagram @the_meowprince

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5 hours ago, MeowPrince said:

The age-old debate between using WA and zooms.   And a "teaching moment".

Do you know why both were shot with ultra-wides?

Do you know when to use long telephoto zooms?

 

Often you hear "instructors" or "experienced uses" (in SEA, this often translates to those who have been using a camera for a few years) tell you at camera/gear forums/courses that you should use type A or type B lenses, or XYZ bodies, or post-process how much in PhotoShop, or use Apples/Chempedaks.  The thing is - do you ever ask WHY, and receive a substantiated answer (that means backed up by evidence in large prints).
If you (and anyone who has ever asked me) look my replies to "which camera should I buy, Canon or Nikon or Sony" questions, you will always see the same gist - get what feels comfortable in your hands.  Similarly every time someone comes up and makes announcements like "your photo will look greater if you shot using XYZ lens/RST body/ABC card", my reply is always the same - do you know why you make that claim.


 

To truly understand such nonsense (and yes, they are really nonsensical claims by truly DUMB camera-users) you have to do 3 things :-

1.  Get a full resolution view AND a large enough print (at least S8R) to look at the said photos.  That is when you get to see the real detail in each form.  And when you may (or may not) have some idea, why a particular shot was taken in that manner.

2.  Look at the person's kit - what the photo's author carried with him/her when he goes to take those pictures.  For different genres, a REAL photographer will carry a different setup, and will carry more than one lens.

 

3.  Learn the person's style/preferences.  Most people have a preference or a style, some have more than one.  This is usually evident in the pictures he/she takes.  Some like to shoot exclusively with telezooms, and ALL their shots will show close+tight frames of their subject.  Some shoot exclusively with short primes, and ALL their shots show the same shallow DOF.  It is only when you see and learn his/her preference then do you understand why he may make such "teaching" comments.

 

Using the 3 points listed, lets analyse Wide and Zoom pictures.  For that, you only need to look at the pics shared in the last 2 weeks of posts here.
Wides, especially ultra-wides (which I admit I use a fair bit) - do you see the greater expanse of space, and in some cases, extra details in those pics?  Lets use the ones Kars had quoted.  Both shots if viewed in their full files, you will see people on the beach of the first (on the mid-left edge), and rockclimbers on the cliff of the second (on the lower right).  Both shots comprise of a foreground that leads to the midground and onward into the distance.  Both use leading lines.  Both use a play on curving and vertical elements.  In short, both were shot with at least 3 compositional elements (on print/full-res you may spot a couple more).

Carried kit.  Do you know that most lazy people then to stick a zoom lens on their camera and that's it?  Kit lens, esp those 18-105 or similarly ranged are telephoto zooms.  In this example, the quoted images are travel landscapes.  Telezooms can only capture a middle range, definitely will not be able to capture either framing at all, nor can they zoom up to the fine detail of the rockclimber or the beachgoers.  
Ask yourselves this question - what do you normally carry?   Yes, even for enthusiasts, some do carry a very mixed bag, because they want to.
In this case of the travelscapes - I always carry a 10-24, an 105 macro, a 70-200, and a 50/1.4 on travel.  A fisheye usually sits in my backpack for very rare uses.  So, a wide, a macro, a long and a portrait.  Each has its use and place on a trip, think about it.  For my outings around Singapore, a lighter bag with a wide, a zoom and a 50mm is my standard carry.  Even when I get for my monthly fix at Gardens By The Bay, I carry a wide and a 50mm together with my longer 150mm macro.  

Personal style/preference.  There was this guy I saw who goes everywhere with only a 70-200IS/f2.8, he just likes to zoom.  There was this birder I met who does not own any lens shorter than 200mm.  There was this chap who only carries a 14-24 and nothing else.  And there are shooters I've met who use a 24-70 for 95% of all their shooting.  It works for them.  Whether the resulting images are of a quality is something else altogether.  To gauge, simply have them print several of their best shots in 8R or larger, and send it for real critique.  You'd be surprised how many of them won't want to......


All that said, my outings are always open (capacity constraints notwithstanding) to all.  And I'd be more than happy to share some of this points in detail at the end of each outing.  

Hmmmm..... shall we do a National Day one? 

 

Hi meow,was not really trying to instructions or anything. Maybe I should have put it in a interrogative way. I was more of looking into options in a kinda talking to myself way. I am really bad with composing a photo. I was just wondering if it would look better if the cliff is cropped from the photo. I felt it limits the space, making an open space a bounded one. This does sound like that I got obsessive compulsive disorder though :P:P. I was never personally there so proposing telephoto lens is just throwing a wild guess. And also as u said, it's more of a personal preference. very likely I could have shot the same thing if i were standing on ur position.

I am sure you got lots of gorgeous shootings and it is shooting itself that improves skills, instead of my wondering or talking here. By the way, I absolute agree with you about carrying zoom lenses with full focal length coverage and one or two prime when travelling. 

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 2 weeks later...
On 5 September 2016 at 8:05 PM, kidster said:

What software do you use to edit photos?

Is there any free online courses to learn editing of photos?

Photoshop is the most common. Versatile and easy to use. Tis days with phone apps and tablet apps u can easily find simple free apps for simple editing like color corrections, depth of field effects etc. More advance technique like image editing to erase or add on certain images still have to rely on more Pro software like Photoshop.

 

as for lessons, again tis days most things can be found on YouTube. Just need to search and you will get great stuffs. Many generous people sharing great tips. All depends on which area of editing are you interested in. 

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On 9/5/2016 at 8:05 PM, kidster said:

Hey Guys!

 

What software do you use to edit photos?

 

Is there any free online courses to learn editing of photos?

 

Thanks.

Depending on your needs... but Photoshop Lightroom is the most used among photographers. 

 

Photograph manipulation wise, if you're cheapskate (like me), you can try download GIMP (https://www.gimp.org/). 

Have fun playing around with the tools!

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Hey photography enthusiasts. I'm organizing a small photo contest for my family gathering and I want them to shoot photos on the location and not cheat by going to Google, typing the theme and taking a screenshot of the image.

 

Any tips on how I can detect a photo taken from their phones and the one that is taken by a screenshot from Google?

 

Many thanks!

 

 

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42 minutes ago, radialhead said:

Hey photography enthusiasts. I'm organizing a small photo contest for my family gathering and I want them to shoot photos on the location and not cheat by going to Google, typing the theme and taking a screenshot of the image.

 

Any tips on how I can detect a photo taken from their phones and the one that is taken by a screenshot from Google?

 

Many thanks!

 

 

Many ways to go about it! 

 

1) Ask them to switch their location tags on for their smartphones and show that they have taken the photo there. 

2) Use a very specific theme that do not have a lot of photos online (e.g. kids blowing bubbles in the 

3) If you suspect the image was taken from the internet, reverse google image search by uploading the photo here https://images.google.com/ !

4) Many other creative ways like including a small toy or figure in the photo...

5) or just trust them lah ;)

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2 hours ago, Psst said:

Many ways to go about it! 

 

1) Ask them to switch their location tags on for their smartphones and show that they have taken the photo there. 

2) Use a very specific theme that do not have a lot of photos online (e.g. kids blowing bubbles in the 

3) If you suspect the image was taken from the internet, reverse google image search by uploading the photo here https://images.google.com/ !

4) Many other creative ways like including a small toy or figure in the photo...

5) or just trust them lah ;)

 

Thanks for the help! =)

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  • 2 weeks later...

im hardly a pro but i love taking photos. im decent at composing a nice shot too i guess

smartphone cams these days rly marry convenience and quality. here're a few of my photos taken w an iphone 6 and subject to minimal edits using the same phone app

photo648895487875852961.jpg

photo648895487875852962.jpg

photo648895487875852963.jpg

photo648895487875852964.jpg

photo648895487875852965.jpg

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  • 1 month later...
11 hours ago, Phil said:

Did your cats enjoy the trip?^_^

Haha of course!  

Unfortunately am too busy catching up on work and animal rescue to clear the backlog of trip photos yet.  Shall post hopefully next week or over the weekend.

 

Next photo trip will be to Saxony/Bavaria in spring 2017.....

Edited by MeowPrince

Instagram @the_meowprince

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1 hour ago, MeowPrince said:

Haha of course!  

Unfortunately am too busy catching up on work and animal rescue to clear the backlog of trip photos yet.  Shall post hopefully next week or over the weekend.

 

Next photo trip will be to Saxony/Bavaria in spring 2017.....

Looking forward to seeing your next posts!

And there are some nice places in Bavaria too...

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