Mystical Waterfall

Waterfall at Milford Sound, New Zealand

Waterfalls are always delightful to see. This is one of my favourite waterfall photos. Milford Sound – a must-go destination in New Zealand. This is another composition of a similar picture posted earlier.

Does this scene looks like it was taken in a cave? Not quite. It was taken in broad daylight with bright sunshine in winter. Always experimenting, I switched the setting to Night Landscape and this was the result. Ghostly and mystical that’s what I hope it conveys. For comparison, pictures in its bright natural colors are in this posting – Waterfalls Galore at Milford Sound, New Zealand.

One of fun things I learn in photography – while it is good to know some of the rules, rules are meant to be broken! Have fun shooting!

Waterfall Shadows and Lights

It is tricky to take pictures of waterfalls at night. Pretty much dependant on the light source. I have a strange aversion for taking pictures with flash. Good or bad lighting, I will just grab the shot whatever I can. Night is about lights and shadows, brightness and darkness. Here is an urban man-made waterfall, taken at night during a walkabout at Punggol Waterway. Spotlights shine at each waterfall or as some call it water curtains. The lights shining on the plants cast interesting shadowy shapes. One thing to take note, it can be very slippery after the rain. Walk slow with care. Night is about mood. For more intricate details, waterfall pictures here are best taken during day time.

Heartwave waterfall as seen during night time

Shadows and Lights along the Heartwave Wall

Punggol Waterway Colorful Waterfall

This is a series of night landscapes at Punggol Waterway.

If you are here during day time and have never seen it at night, here is a view. This is the side view of the center stage waterfall at Heartwave Wall. Daytime, you may have walked underneath the translucent glass ceiling. When the waterfall is operating at night and water cascades down the glass, lights shine in multiple colors and hues.

I had to stand on tiptoe and hold the camera up to get this view. Pots of plants blocked the view and some squeezing was needed. So refreshing and cooling to be standing so near.

Tempted to go at night yet?

If you are keen to get here, links are provided – How to go to Punggol Waterway, Punggol Promenade, Punggol Beach

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Heartwave Wall at Punggol Waterway

At the Punggol Waterway Fiesta on 23 October 2011, the Heartwave Wall was the center stage for the grand performances of the night. Let’s take a closer look at the features.

Boats carrying VIPS during Punggol Waterway Fiesta

Waterfall at the Heartwave Wall

These two photos were taken during the Punggol Waterway Fiesta. Punggol Waterway really looked romantic at night. The boats ferried the VIPS to the platform at the front of the Heartwave Wall. Then they walked through the waterfall underneath the staircases. That curtains of waterfall underneath the staircases are not always in operations. Maybe only during special events.

Day Scenery at Heartwave Wall, Punggol Waterway

Waterfalls along Heartwave Walll

A view of the Heartwave Wall during day time.Two rows of waterfalls cascade to the water. Climb up to the second level and have a closer look at the vertical garden landscaping. Do you notice the wavy structures? Maybe that is where the “heartwave” name come about.

Waterfalls at Heartwave Wall - left angle

Waterfalls at Heartwave Wall - right angle

A closer look at the waterfalls along the Heartwave Wall. They are really very cooling if you stand next to them. This is a great place to practice slow shutter speed in taking waterfall pictures. Always best to take a tripod along for such pictures. If not, practice handhold techniques constantly.

Technical specs for the waterfall pictures. Aperture : F22, Shutter Speed : 1/10 secs, ISO : 100, EV : +0.3 (because the wall was in shadows). Will experiment more later in the late afternoon when the sun is facing the Heartwave Wall instead of behind it in the morning.

Murals at Heartwave Wall, Punggol Waterway

Murals at Heartwave Wall, Punggol Waterway

These are two of the murals along the Heartwave Wall, in between the waterfalls. Each mural tells the story of Punggol, from its past history to the inception of Punggol 21. So take the time to read each mural while you are here.

Have a great time exploring Punggol Waterway with friends and family!

Waterfall

Since I blogged about waterfalls in the last post, how about another picture of a waterfall? This was taken way back in February this year. At the Merlion Park, Sentosa, there are various waterfalls to photograph.

I just like the peek-a-boo rays of lights on the left frame. Photographing waterfalls are very tricky if there is no tripod. I just used whatever is available on scene. For this photo, I just placed the camera on the metal railing and hold it as steady as can be.

If facing the sun, it is important not to point the camera directly at the sun or point upwards. Bound to have flares, or worst, damage the camera sensors. On a hot day, try to shoot underneath the canopy of trees instead. It helps to diffuse the bright lighting at times.

Till next post, have a great day ahead!

Waterfalls at Jurong Bird Park

It has been a really long time since I was at the Jurong Bird Park. About two weeks ago, I was there mainly to take photos of the waterfalls there. It was a really hot day and glare was apparent. Did the best to minimise it by darkening the pictures.

The first picture was taken near the entrance at the flamingoes enclosure. The main attraction of the Jurong Bird Park, in my opinion, is the man-made waterfall in the aviary. Birds are free to roam at leisure and the cooling sprays of the waterfall is a welcome sight from the heat.

Waterfalls are always a delight to see and photograph.

Mini Waterfall at Flamingos Section

Waterfall at Jurong Bird Park

Waterfall Droplets

Through the waterfall

Another picture of a waterfall today. This time, a vertical view with a faster shutter speed. Frozen droplets.

Taken at the entrance of Resort World Sentosa. In the caves. There are various waterfalls at the entrance to photograph. Even at the basement, where the carpark is, you can see cascades of waterfall there.

It makes for a cooling effect against the humidity.

While you are here, don’t forget your camera! See ya on the next post.

Photographing Waterfalls – Fast or Slow Shutter Speed

I love seeing waterfalls. In Singapore we don’t have the natural wonder in our habitat. But waterfalls can be made. As a young kid, I remembered vividly staring at the tall waterfall in the Singapore Bird Park. The waterfall is still there, last I heard. Haven’t been there longer than a decade. Due for a visit soon.

But in this post, I will be talking about another waterfall. At the Merlion Park in Sentosa, cascades of waterfalls surround the base of the Merlion. Experimenting with different shutter speed yields different results.

In this photo, a faster shutter speed of 1/60 seconds was used. A slight freeze in the water movement result in more droplets. Increasing the shutter speed would result in more frozen moment.

Fast Shutter Speed

For this photo, the slower shutter speed of 1/15 seconds was used instead. This results in blurry movement of water, which is my preference.

Slow Shutter Speed

Ideally using tripods are the recommendation for using slow shutter speed to prevent any shaky photos. But it is not possible to do so in every situation. I just prefer to travel light so very rarely do I use a tripod. In such a case, just use whatever support is available on scene. If there are railings, place the camera on the railing for support or lean back against a lamppost. After a while, it becomes a bit of second nature.

Best of luck in your shooting!