010110

The date is in binary again. Just an observation.

Anyway, I’m back at the same spot, with (almost) the same composition as of 2008. Dunno why i couldn’t find the spot on 2009, but heck. Things have certainly changed, with the casino almost ready, some building behind the statue, and a new double helix bridge on the extreme right.

2009

2008

2007 (Not on Jan 1st)

These photos also show the gradual change in processing techniques I’ve developed over the years. Mind you.. the merlion (and now the IR) is still a tough job to blend with the sky.. but hopefully it’s getting less obvious over the years. 2007 was just disastrous post processing. In 2008, the image was almost 2 stops underexposed (with a GND), while the 2009 one was shot using double graduated filters. This year, I used HDR and some smart object blending. (Maybe in a few years time, there’ll be cameras that can take it all in!)

Somehow, I felt the buildings in Singapore lacked consistency and character. Soul-less towers of glass and steel.. Is it a fad of the 21st century or what? They should rebuilt the merlion with glass and steel to match the theme then…

Due to the countdown last night, the area was barricaded, and this is the closest I can get to the merlion. There also seemed to be a lot more photogs this year. (Last year had the least of all 3), and I had to book my prime spot for this shot.

Ok enough of complaints. Happy new year to my loyal readers! Treasure 2010. You never know how many more years you have ahead….

The last decade…

2010 is imminent. And recent news reviews made me start pondering over wad happened in my life, from 2000 to 2009. Indeed, many things happened, and i was just a sec 1 noob back in 2000. The most memorable events, in chronological order:

1. Introduction to the internet (Singtel magix being the 1st ISP, at 256kbps)
2. O levels
3. Introduction to MSN
4. 1st handphone (which eventually got stolen)
5. 1st personal computer
6. Started writing daily diary entries
7. A levels
8. 1st prosumer digital camera (Panasonic FZ30)
9. National Service (which helped me lose weight significantly)
10. Started taking photography seriously, with the purchase of the Nikon D70
11. The launch of this blog
12. Overseas exercises (including a missile launch)
13. Introduction to SheYingDui (and TXY in general)
14. Acquiring the D300, and several other photographic equipment
15. University (and the lack of) Life
16. Knowing you….

I’ve certainly grown up over the years, but my interpretation of the world around me, and my idea of life, is far from mature. What will happen in the next 10 years? Will I still be alive? Only time will tell… But the last decade have certainly been exciting =)

The end of 2009

“Capturing more than the eyes can see” – That was the theme I set out to achieve in 2009.  Have I achieved it?

Only to a certain extent. I have almost 30% less pictures this year, and that is because i refused to post any pictures that i don’t have strong feelings for. In addition, most feelings are transient - they come and go quickly, and hence are hard to capture when my gear remains in the drybox most of the time. Luckily for me, this year also sees a lot more feelings and emotions, and I’ve managed to illustrate it with a few pictures as and when the opportunity arises. (not many are posted here though)

Photographically, what have I improved? Workflow wise, the greatest change is the switch to adobe lightroom, and shooting entirely in RAW. This allows for a much faster turnover of images, and loads of flexibility in editing.

Gear wise, I have not bought anything for my camera this year! I’ve no temptations to add anything else (perhaps only a prime, or a 2nd flash, or a softbox…oops!). The only major expenditure is the repair for a fallen tele. A lot can be accomplished with my current rig, the bottleneck being my own talent. Somehow, I felt that a good compact would see a lot more use than more DSLR gear. This blog has seen a lot more images from compacts (and even handphone) this year too. Let’s see which company can produce the ideal compact in 2010.

Composition wise, nothing much has changed. I find my composition largely predictable. I may have developed a habit of semi-defishing my images, resulting in uber wide pics like the one above, but I see no breakthrough in the way I see things. Still much room for improvement!

Merry Xmas to all

Christmas (and New Year) may be holidays, but I don’t really look forward to them most of the time. They signal the imminent end of school holidays, and reminds me that it’s time to tidy up my stuff and prepare for another semester of mugging.

To my dear friends who celebrate Christmas, happy (belated) Christmas Day!

Special thanks to you for making this Christmas a different one =)

乱走

Somehow this year’s orchard walkabout pic is also in duo-tone. I guess I’m not someone attracted to the glitters and colours of Christmas decorations…

New toy

Apparently my E65’s camera didn’t have much chance to serve me. Hope it’s replacement will get more chance to see the light. It has proven to be able to resolve more detail and have a surprisingly acceptable dynamic range too. Meet my new… E72!

Exams are over, and my new hobby is to write some code for my new toy. Symbian anyone?