IMG_0268-Edit-Edit
Apr, 2016Views
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brian19869
June 09, 2016
It looks like a scene from a game. Awesome work on the reflection. Keep it up
Platinum
Behind The Lens
Location
It was taken at Marina Bay in Singapore. It is close to where I live and I have always wanted to photograph the skyscrapers in this area.Time
My initial plan was to shoot it during the golden hour at sunset. However, it was raining and I felt slightly disappointed at the time. I thought I wasn't going to get any photos that evening. I went to a nearby restaurant for dinner and the weather cleared up later on. I was really excited to see the how to buildings have light up and how the clouds were moving fast. I thought it was a great opportunity to get some motion blur effect with the lights.Lighting
I really like how the lights from the buildings and its reflection. I wanted to capture it while preserving the details. In my experience, I know that a single exposure would cause the highlights to clip. So, I took 5 exposures manually to make sure I cover the whole dynamic range of the scene.Equipment
This was shot with a Canon 5D Mark 2 on a 16-24mm f/2.8 lens. I used a tripod to stabilize my camera while keeping the composition consistent for each exposure. I also used mirror lockup and a 2 second timer to minimize any movement from the camera and to optimize the sharpness of the image.Inspiration
I love cityscape photography especially at night. I've came across work by other photographers such as Jimmy McIntyre. It was inspiring to see how he transforms ordinary cityscape images to a stunning masterpiece. This image was inspired by that and also the fact that the beautiful scene was just irresistible not to take a shot!Editing
I took 5 different exposure of the scene and blend them together with luminosity masks in Adobe Photoshop. This was mainly to recover the details in the highlights where the building lights were very bright. I have also accentuated the reflection and added a tinge of blue color to the lights to make it look futuristic. Singapore is modern developed country and I felt this style of post-processing suits the theme.In my camera bag
I like travel, landscape and cityscape photography. I'm always on the move during my photo shooting trip so I like to keep my gear light and simple. I have a Canon 5D Mark 2 that is almost always attached to a 16-24mm f/2.8 lens. Apart from that, I carry a 70-200mm f/4 and a 50mm f/1.8 with me all the time. I also have a circular polarizer, a Lee Big Stopper, a remote release and a light weight carbon fibre tripod.Feedback
Cityscape photography is very popular and common. I always tried to make my image stand out by looking for a different perspective, or adding a different effect such as long exposure. I would say always walk around until you have seen it from all the angles before choosing a spot to start shooting! In terms of post-processing, don't be afraid to experiment with new technique. Be bold and process the way you feel it justifies your subject. In this image, the lights were obviously not blue but I added it to reflect how modern and advanced Singapore is as a country.
