An NQN Pre-Workout

© 2023 Martin Liew Photography

It's been a long time since my last night photography outing and postings. The previous night (5th May 2023, Friday), I made an effort to roam around after work. I came across this worn-out building and noticed the beautiful ambient lighting in the nautical twilight hour. I didn't have my digital camera and tripod with me, as it was an impromptu. The best camera is the one that I carry with me every single day i.e. my phone camera.

Yes, I have not been doing any night photography for my NOT QUITE NIGHT a.k.a. NQN project for more than a year (the entire 2022 was an unproductive year). So, consider this an NQN pre-workout for me.

This night scene strongly attracted my attention. The ambient lighting, the beautiful texturized walls, and the white window frames, along with the casted shadows on the foreground. All these elements set a strong contrast between light and shadows. I intend to go back there with my proper gear and tripod. Also, to explore more around that area for interesting subjects and sceneries.

© 2023 Martin Liew Photography

A black & white version was made in Snapseed. The color version was post-processed in Adobe Lightroom mobile app. Which version do you like best?

I hope you like the new photos. Thank you for your time and support. Have a great week ahead. Cheers!

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Spacetime – Night Streets on Slow Shutter V

Good evening nightographers! Last week, I shared 2 photographs I took of these dark "mirror" reflections, and tonight I'll be showing more photographs. In the top photo, I took a different approach to compose the subjects along with their own reflections, and also to show the surrounding environment. Read on as I share more...

Spacetime – Night Streets on Slow Shutter IV

Good evening and welcome to another night photography blog post featuring the fourth Spacetime photo shown above taken with a Nikon D70s on Tamron 17-35mm lens.

Make the jump and let me share with you a little fact about this photo. 

Spacetime – Night Streets on Slow Shutter III

Good evening and here's a night street photo on a slow shutter speed that was shot with my Nikon D70s on Tamron 17-35mm lens. I was attracted by the water reflection of the bicycle and the surrounding ambient lighting. I was lucky to capture this man walking by the parked bicycle with his right hand holding a can of drink. Somehow his hand was frozen still and in focus sharp while his whole body was in motion blur. Coincidentally, the drink can seem like resting right on top of the bicycle's rear mount rack. Move the slider to reveal the close-up of his hand and the drink can, and you'll know what I have just described.

I was so stoked when I was editing this photo in Photoshop. I believe I pre-focussed on the bicycle mount rack waiting for any subject to enter the scene. A few subjects walked by and I kept shooting and fumbling with the right shutter speed setting. I wasn't shooting in Burst mode but in Single-shot mode instead because my good old Nikon D70s' 3fps is pretty slow in spite of the super low light condition of the scene. I was shooting with the widest aperture of f/3.3 and a 1/4 second shutter speed at ISO 200. 

In street photography, shooting either in Burst mode or in Single-shot mode requires the shooter to follow the momentum of the subject's body/gesture motion in order to capture that "decisive moment" as opposed to much anticipation. It's so true, especially in the latter mode. Shooting in Burst mode, the photographer simply selects the best shot amongst the many shots during the post-production, which at times can be a hit or miss. Well, it certainly works for daytime street shooting but for nighttime, depends on the camera technology and capabilities. Most of the latest models have super high ISO as high as 102,400, and burst rates of up to 20-30 frames per second (fps), and of course mounted with a fast lens, he/she can get many "good exposure" shots.

Personally, I have more success rates of shooting in Single-shot mode with my Nikon D70s. Despite its shortcomings, I'm still able to pull off some decent photos. Well, not every time in my street photography. Instinct and intuition play important parts as well.

So there you have it. Thank you for the time to read and view my new work. New photos will be posted next week. Meanwhile, take care, stay safe, and have a great weekend. Cheers!

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The Power of Mother Nature

Last weekend, I visited the Singapore Botanic Gardens in search of more ICM subjects to photograph. By the way, ICM stands for Intentional Camera Movement. It is an abstract style of shooting that has no rules – it all comes down to moving your camera over a long exposure to create an artistic or painting-like effect. I got interested and had my first attempt a couple of months ago. If you're keen to find out, I have written and posted a blog on my experience here. 

Back on track, the weather on that Sunday morning was awesome with warm sunlight and there were many visitors, be it strolling in the garden, jogging, doing yoga, or with family and friends gathering for picnics or dining at the restaurants, the Garden is a favorite place for nature lovers to relax. Make the jump to read more.

Spacetime – Night Streets on Slow Shutter II (A Triptych)

Good evening. It's a double eleven 11.11 today. TGIF! Featuring another triptych of Spacetime - night streets on slow shutter. The above animated GIF serves as a trailer. Make the jump to view each photo in high resolution.

Spacetime – Night Streets on Slow Shutter (A Triptych)

Good evening and welcome back to my night photography blog. Yes, I'm back. First and foremost, I hereby sincerely apologize to all my supportive readers for the long hiatus. Yeah, absent for 13 months without a single blog post until now. I have been on hiatus before, sadly. Honestly, I was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. I mean, I wasn't infected with the deadly virus but instead, it was the mentality part. I hardly go out at night to make photographs. Occasionally, I would go out in the day for some street shootings with a point-and-shoot film camera or a DSLR camera.

Picking up street photography again seems a lot harder but I have re-adapted and progressed and am slowly back on track. Lately, I got hooked up on an interesting shooting technique called ICM a.k.a. Intentional Camera Movement for creative and impressionistic effects. Then I got busy shooting and posting on the other photography blog site that I totally neglected this blog site. In case, any of you have missed out, click here for the ICM blog post.

A couple of weeks ago, three days before the local Indian Festival, Deepavali, I took the opportunity to head down to Little India for some night street shootings. I seldom make night photographs on Shutter Priority mode so it was time to do some crazy shootings.

I admit there is nothing new about shooting night sceneries with a slow shutter speed. Good examples like light trails of vehicles and the panning technique that combines a slow shutter speed with camera motion to create a sense of speed around a moving object.  We can definitely make use of this shooting technique for storytelling and emotions.

So, for tonight's blog, I'm showing these three photographs as a triptych for a good start, and more are coming soon. So stay tuned. For new readers, if you like my work do subscribe to my blog sites for new updates. Thank you all for your time and kind support. Good night.

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DITN series – Stadium West Entrance

Stadium West Entrance (right side)
© 2007 Martin Liew Photography

This was the West Entrance of the former Singapore National Stadium. It was illuminated by lights from the nearby construction site, with some faded tree shadows cast upon the signage pillar wall. The night atmosphere was fantastic and I was so compelled to take photographs of it. I took 2 bracket frames with 9 minutes for each. For the second one, I used a yellow filter lens but I prefer the first one, as shown above.

Next, I turned the camera towards the left side of the West Entrance, also exposed 2 bracket frames. 9 minutes for the first with yellow filter lens on, and the second frame without (shown below), exposed for 6 minutes. I find the second shot more pleasing in tonalities.

Stadium West Entrance (left side)
© 2007 Martin Liew Photography

All photographs were made possible with my Shanghai TLR camera on a roll of Kodak TMAX 400. Both photographs are dated in early April 2007.

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DITN series – Ticket Gantry

Ticket Gantry
© 2007 Martin Liew Photography

One of the many ticket gantries at the former Singapore National Stadium. We can tell that this gantry is numbered 20, half-hidden by the header board. Love the ambiance lighting and so decided to take this shot with my Shanghai TLR on Kodak TMAX 400.

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DITN series – Ticking Clock

Ticking Clock
© 2007 Martin Liew Photography

Tick tock tick tock... The clock was still ticking when I made this photograph at the former Singapore National Stadium in April 2007. 2225 hrs. The clock time was the exact time I pressed the shutter release on my Shanghai TLR with a roll of Kodak TMAX 400. A 6-minute exposure on Bulb mode at f/22. A manual strobe was fired from the camera right behind the pillar, out of sight and aiming at the clock. The area was really in very low light condition, hence the strobe light was necessary so as to show more details.

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DITN series – Grandstand

Grandstand
© 2007 Martin Liew Photography

The Grandstand at the former Singapore National Stadium; the gateway to the seating area. What really attracted me to make this photograph was the ambiance of lighting in the background, hidden by the header board. The light hit the metallic gate and cast shadows on the foreground, along with the symmetrical arrangement of squarish light flooring. All elements fell into place and this photograph was made possible with my Shanghai TLR on a roll of Kodak TMAX 400. Only one frame was exposed for 10 minutes on Bulb mode at f/22. The negatives were developed and scanned for post-process in Adobe Photoshop.

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DITN series – Stadium Light Tower

One of the four floodlight towers at the former
Singapore National Stadium.
© 2007 Martin liew Photography

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DITN series – Gate 2

Gate 2 @ former Singapore National Stadium
© 2007 Martin Liew Photography

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DITN series – Stadium Ticket Booth

Stadium Ticket Booth

© 2007 Martin Liew Photography

Good evening nightographers! Tonight I want to show you this night photograph I made back in early April 2007. I bet most of you do not know this place despite the photo title's giveaway. Tonight's air lingered with nostalgia. Make the jump now for more photos.

Not Quite Night series #93 – The Distance Between Us