The Three Sisters - P.O.T.D 19/04/2015

The Three Sisters is one of Sydney's iconic landscapes that attracts many people to visit everyday. There are different aboriginal legends that describe how the three sisters was formed but regardless of their back story, it is still a beautiful site to behold. 

This is a stitched panorama and the settings were 1/160 sec at f/8 and ISO 100. I did a panorama because I want to show not only the Three Sisters but also the mountains behind it. It is unfortunate that the weather wasn't the best, but that's part of the fun with photography. We as photographers should also try to not only find the composition, the angle, the subject, but most importantly, the light. 

Breaking Dawn - P.O.T.D 15/03/2015

One of the many perks of living in Sydney is the amazing sunrise you can get along the coastline. Sunrise is one of my favourite time to shoot because of the amazing colour you can get from. Every sunrise is different and that's the exciting part that motivates me from waking up in the middle of the night. I have shot at the location more times than I can remember but every time I come home with something different and I think persistence pays off this time

The settings for this shot are 1/2 sec at f/8 and ISO 100. I have used a graduated ND filter to balance the exposure between the sky and the sea. I think the use of filter is underrated these days with the advancement in pro processing and HDR, but I am still a big fan of them, I think it forces you to understand how thing works and get it right in camera. It might not be for everyone, but I think if you haven't tried it before, it is definitely something you should try. 

I hope you enjoyed the photo and feel free to share it with your friends and family. 

Jonathan

Red Back - P.O.T.D 03/03/2015

This is my second year shooting for Red Back Racing, UNSW Formula SAE team. I have always been a fan of cars and being able to shoot something different from the usual commercial cars is definitely refreshing. If any of you have seen my previous shoot, then this shot should be very familiar. The team wanted me to recreate this shot with the new car and so here it is. 

Camera settings were 1/320 sec, f/7.1 at ISO 100 and of course it was lit with a flash to the camera right. 

It was a long day of shooting with lots of works being put into it and I am glad that it turned out well and the team got the images they were looking for. 

Tokyo - P.O.T.D 20/01/2015

Tokyo, the capital of Japan, is one of the busiest cities in this world but it is a heaven for shopping and food and many other things. I recently went to the Japan for a short trip and I took this picture on the observation deck of their city hall in Shinjuku, and it just shows how busy and populated this city is. Japan is one of my favourite place to travel to and it is just beautiful.

This was the taken with the Fuji X100s, my travel camera of choice, the settings were 1/2 sec, f/2 and ISO 200. I tried to minimise the noise by keeping it at ISO 200 but I have to take multiple shots to get one that is sharp at that shutter speed. It was still a great view none the less.

Cardboard Cathedral - P.O.T.D 05/01/2014

As most of you probably know, Christchurch suffered from a devastating earthquake 2011 and till now it is still a city in recovery. This is a one of the new icons that came out from this tragedy. The Cardboard Cathedral, also known as the Transitional Cathedral was built in 2013 after the earthquake and the tubes that are supporting its structure are made out of cardboard, hence its name. 

I have always enjoyed shooting architectures as they are amazing accomplishments of mankind. With the light rays coming through on one side, the dynamic range of this image is quite high, hence I have bracketed my shots and combined into a HDR image in post processing.

I hope if you have some time, find out more about Christchurch, it is an amazingly resilient city that offers nothing but joyful spirit and great people making the most from what happened.  

Fox Glacier - P.O.T.D 02/01/2015

Fox Glacier is a 13km long glacier located in the South Island of New Zealand. It was one of the highlights from my recent trip there. We took a helicopter up to the middle of the glacier and was taken on a guided hike around this magnificent location. If you ever have the chance to go to New Zealand, this is definitely worth checking out.  

We were lucky with the weather to be able to get up there and we even managed to get some sunlight, on our way back clouds started to gather and rain started to fall, this is when I created this image. I like the eerie feeling the clouds bring to the glacier because as beautiful as it is to see, the glacier is a very dangerous place and I think the clouds add to that dimension. 

This is a panorama stitched together as this is the only way to get the entire glacier in the shot. It was a great experience for me and I hope my image can do it justice. If you want to check out more of my shots from New Zealand, you can check out this album. If you want to learn more about my trip, you can check out my blogpost here!  

Darling Harbour - P.O.T.D 05/10/2014

Darling Harbour lights up every night and it is one of the other tourist attractions that gets thousands of visit a day. I want to create something slightly different by using miniature effect to create a more dramatic bokeh at the background. 

This photo was taken with the 24mm tilt-shift lens and the settings were 1 sec shutter speed, f/3.5 ISO 100. I always enjoy long exposure and I think the tilt shift adds another interesting layer to the image. 

Jonathan

Cat - P.O.T.D 04/10/2014

Cats are arguably one of the most popular domesticated pets and they were believed to have been domesticated since ancient Egypt. Cats have strong flexible bodies with quick reflexes and sharp claws, but most of the time they are playing cute like this one.

This was taken with the d800e with the 24-70 f/2.8 lens and the settings were 1/100 sec shutter speed at f/2.8. I was in a relatively dark environment so it is important to have a fast enough shutter speed to freeze the subject but it is also important not to boost the ISO too much. Everyone enjoys a cute cat and I hope this photo is doing this cat justice.

Jonathan

Giraffe - P.O.T.D 03/10/2014

Giraffe is the tallest living terrestrial animal and the largest ruminant and I think everyone already knows how cute they are. There are 9 subspecies of giraffes and they are distinguished by their coat patterns.

This photo was taken with the x100s during my visit to a zoo at the feeding area. It is so cute to see these animals up close and this giraffe is definitely not shy to be pose for me. 

Jonathan

Looking Straight - P.O.T.D 02/10/2014

Butterfly is one of my favourite insects to photograph with their variety of species and amazing details. I don't know which species this butterfly is but I enjoy photographing it regardless. 

This photo was taken with the micro-nikkor 200 f/4 which is my favourite macro lens. I found this shot interesting because of the pose. I chose a smaller depth of field to just focus on the eyes to go with the pose. 

Jonathan

Santosa Merlion - P.O.T.D 01/10/2014

Merlion is undoubtedly the icon for Singapore but for those who doesn't know there are actually 2 Merlions in Singapore, while most people knows about the one in Singapore but there is also another one in Santosa Island and this is the one there. 

This was taken with the x100s and because I don't have a long focal length with that camera, I want to try some slightly different composition hence I used some more negative space and I have turned it into black and white because the sky was slightly gloomy hence the colour aren't great. Hope you enjoy the photo and feel free to check it out when you are around Singapore!

Jonathan

Blooming - P.O.T.D 30/09/2014

Spring is here for our fellow Australians, so it is time to share some spring themed flower photos. Flower is such a beautiful creation and it is definitely a joy to shoot!

This was taken with the x100s and even though it is not the conventional flower shot with everything in focus but I like it somehow. I like the colour on the flower and I hope you like it too.

Jonathan

Cloud Forest - P.O.T.D 29/09/2014

Cloud Forest is one of the two conservatories within Garden by the Bay, Singapore. The magnificent waterfall create a refreshing atmosphere once you step in the conservatory.  

This photo was taken with the 16mm fisheye and it creates a very interesting perspective to exaggerate the curvature of the dome shaped roof and bring more focus to the water fall itself. A slightly long exposure was used to create some blur in the water but because I didn't have a tripod, hence I am limited to a handheld speed. I hope you enjoy the photo and you should definitely check out Garden by the Bay when you visit Singapore.

Jonathan 

Floriade Night Fest - P.O.T.D 28/09/2014

Every year during this period of time, Canberra is hosting its annual flower show, Floriade, This year, I decided to try out their Night Fest and see how it would look in the dark. 

This photo was taken with the 24-70 f/2.8 lens and the settings were 3 minutes shutter speed at f/2.8 and ISO 400. I probably should have used a smaller aperture with lower ISO but I was pressing for time, so that's the compromise that I have made at the end. Nevertheless, it was a very different experience to enjoy a flower show at night. It was definitely challenging to photograph with the constantly changing and coloured light but I think it is still a great event to go to if you are around Australia.

Jonathan

Church - P.O.T.D 27/09/2014

I have always find old architecture fascinating because without the use of modern technology and engineering, they were still built with tons of details and precision and I think that definitely makes them great subject. This church oddly enough was in GuangZhou China within a neighbourhood that doesn't seems at all european. It is a small church but definitely one that was interesting.

This was taken with the Fuji X100s and it is definitely a great travel camera with its compact size and good image quality. I picked this perspective because it is slightly different to the usual front on view and I included some leaves in my frame to add something more to the shot. I hope you enjoy the photo and stay tuned for more.

Jonathan

Gymnast - P.O.T.D 26/09/2014

As a gymnast since a very young age, it is probably one of my favourite sports because of the combination of technicality, power and from. I enjoyed photographing sports because it gives you a different perspective in trying to see how impressive some athletes are in a different way.

This photo was taken with the d300 and the 18-200 lens. It was the kit that I started off with and I understand its limitation, so I have to worked out a different composition to make it work. I didn't have the range, so I decided to use the banner as a backdrop in the negative space to accompany the gymnast and after I got the composition that I want, it's just waiting for the right moment to happen and create that picture. So next time when your gear is putting some limitations on you, work on it but do save up for that next piece of gear that we all want! 

Jonathan

Fish - P.O.T.D 25/09/2014

There are thousands of species of fish in the ocean and we are lucky enough to have them in aquarium where we can admire them. This photo was taken at the S.E.A aquarium at Santosa Island Singapore and it was a great place to visit if you are around the area.

This photo was taken the 24-70 and in order to shoot inside an aquarium, it is definitely tough but what you need to keep in mind is that photography basics still hold. Make sure you have enough light for your exposure and work on your composition and create the shot you want. I might work on a long post which detailed how to get the most of the aquarium shots later so stay tuned.

Jonathan

Flying High - P.O.T.D 24/09/2014

Shooting upwards is always an interesting perspective and sometimes that moment just came to you. The juxtaposition between the urban architecture and the lively bird is what interested me and I am glad I got the shot.

This photo was taken with the fisheye and I think that makes the shot just that bit more interesting. Once again it's the story of getting ready will get you lucky when the moment is right and you are pointing at the right direction at the right time.

Jonathan

Sculpture by the Sea - P.O.T.D 23/09/2014

Sculpture by the Sea is one of the great events that merges the beauty of nature and the artistry of these sculptures. Finding the right composition to complement both is definitely an interesting experience and I just enjoy it very much. 

This photo was taken with the 24-70mm and the settings were 1/80sec at f/2.8 and ISO 100. It is important to balance the exposure between and foreground and background just like any landscape photos. I hope you enjoyed the photo and you can see more of my landscape photo by clicking here.

Jonathan

Red Back - P.O.T.D 22/09/2014

Red Back Racing is the racing team at University of New South Wales and I had the opportunity to photograph their car for them. It was definitely a cool experience to have full control of such an awesome subject and that allows me go wild with different ideas. Because the car is mostly black with cool red details, i decided to go for a low key look to add to the whole picture.

I have written a blogpost about this shoot, and you can check out all the details here. I highly encourage you to jump on any opportunity that come your way because it is one of the best way to grow, I have learnt a lot during this process and I hope you can get some inspiration as well.

Jonathan