Mysterious Forest

Rays of light through a forest in the early morning while a figure strolled by in the far distance

Forest to me are very earthy, mysterious and at times haunting. Going through a long mental block had me looking for inspiration in older pictures.

I posted this picture a few months ago and reprocessed it with a tinge of hdr this time. That tiny figure awashed in the early morning light drew me into the forest every time.

Hoping to re-create that scene some day but with a different vibe and lighting conditions. Misty morning would be good. It could look eerie then.

Red Dawn – Fire in the Sky

One of those breathtaking scenery at dawn is to be greeted with a red sky before sunrise. One moment, grey clouds blanket the morning. One second later, nature’s light switch has been turned on. Red rays, like a torchlight lights one section of the cloud. Then a few moments later, crank up the saturation – the whole sky is red!

When there is water reflection, the vivid color glows and all the surroundings are either in shadows or scattered with red rays. Simply breathtaking to be in the presence of such nature’s brilliance. I hope you have the occasion to see such fire in the sky. Once seen, never forgotten.

Stormy Weather

Thunderstorms brewing in tropical Singapore

They say the best natural light is before or after a storm. April, May and November are the peak months for thunderstorms in Singapore. Go outdoors but beware of stormy weather that bring along thunder and lightning. Do you know that Singapore has the second highest rate of lightning strikes in the world? That is the hazard of living so near the equator.

This picture is a little dark and moody. Cumulonimbus clouds signaling an oncoming storm. I could not decide if that dark shape in the cloud is a snake, dragon, lizard or a shark? Looks like it is breathing fire on the land. Such brooding premonition.

Sunrise along Lorong Halus Wetland

Sunrise along the path from Lorong Halus Wetland to Serangoon Reservoir East Dam

This morning I wanted to photograph at the Serangoon Reservoir East Dam but left the house a bit late.

Beautiful storm clouds on the horizon. Just made a few short stops before crossing the red bridge at Lorong Halus Wetland and hurried on my way. Heavy clouds on the right side of the horizon with orange-red hue. Hope those on the river bank at Punggol Promenade and Punggol Waterway had good pictures.

I was after something else today. Came across the above scene before reaching the Serangoon Reservoir East Dam. The sun had risen by then. Plenty of mist this morning. This was the sunrise scene over Pulau Ubin this morning.

Happy Easter for those celebrating!

Sunrise over Pulau Ubin, opposite Serangoon Reservoir East Dam

Dawn of April’s Fool Day

Dawn at Punggol Beach at 6.46am on 1st April 2012

Good Morning! Happy April’s Fool Day! It is a day of pranks celebration, hah.

It has been a while since I was at Punggol Beach for a sunrise photo shoot. Surprisingly, there weren’t many photographers there.

Photo specs : F8, 0.62 secs, ISO 100, -1 EV, White Balance = Shade with Spot Metering.

It rained heavily yesterday so for today it was mostly clear sky with dashes of light clouds. What a beautiful blue sky we have today. Enjoy it while it last!

Winter Collage in Engelberg, Switzerland

Winter landscape in Engelberg, Switzerland

Winter is not so easy to photograph especially when white is so prevalent. When the sky is dull, I find that changing the pictures to sepia or black and white reveal more of the texture and tone of the scenery. Well, I finally figured how to use the collage preset. Just add the pictures into the box template then…Voila! Here is one collage for today – a mixture of color, sepia and black and white winter landscapes in Engelberg, Switzerland.

Misty Forest

Normally I like to shoot upwards with the sky as a backdrop. For shooting trees, shooting vertically somehow make the trees look taller. On that particular morning, I saw this particular tree with two branches dividing low from the ground. It gave a nice “V-shape” point of view. Instead of shooting the whole tree from top to bottom, I just composed the picture to take in the middle section, with the ground showing the tree trunk and a misty background. Sometimes less is more. I like how this turns out.

Have a great weekend! Don’t forget to bring along umbrellas – the monsoon season is here.

V - View Point from a Tree.

Green

Square Landscape

It is hip to be square. 

What do you think of the square format landscape? I like to look at those types of photos. There is a certain symmetry to it. Composition plays an important part in deciding if that format works. If cropping from a vertical or landscape photo to make it a square picture instead – it takes a lot more work. Sometimes the elements in the photo does not make it suitable for a square photo.

Of the three pictures I posted yesterday, this one is possible for a square format. The others don’t quite work so well.

Green meadow landscape

In some ways, I still prefer yesterday’s vertical panoramas.

It is always fun to experiment. If your camera has a square format setting, try it. Then snap a photo vertically, next horizontally. Compare and see which one you like best. It is all a matter of personal taste.

Vertical Panorama – Less Can Be More

Forest Landscapes in Vertical Panorama

Vertical panoramas are some of my favourite photos nowadays. Two of my nature bestsellers are photographed vertically. Not these photos below. This blog is mostly for fun and information sharing.

Sometimes less can be more. A landscape or vertical photo can be cropped further. Becoming a narrower vertical panorama – more like a banner now. The trick is choosing an interesting foreground or background to make the tight cropping works. Composition is everything.

For banners to work – useful for designers – leave some space for text to be edited in the banner. Leading lines from one corner of the frame to another add some scale to the pictures.

I hope these pictures convey the emotional visuals as I saw them.

Misty Landscapes

Continuing with the misty landscapes theme – two nature landscapes on a misty morning. Who knows such scenes are within distance from my home? Which is why it is good to explore the surroundings. There is always a surprise. I will leave you guessing where the pictures are taken.

Misty Landscape

Sunrise in the Woods