Motion Blur - Panning

I started another photography class called The Art of Seeing. This weekend we have three photo shoots planned at Botanic Gardens, Chinatown and the downtown area. By the beginning of October I have to turn in 300 photos for critique and I am in a panic mode! Our instructor has said not to panic because we are sure to get more than enough photos during our scheduled shoots but you never know..... so I am trying to get a jump on the project. I don't have many photos that show motion and now I know why, it is not easy!! Here are a few I did this week. To get these shots I used the S mode on my camera to control shutter speed and set it at 1/15 for most, used the live view screen, continuous shot mode, put the strap around my neck and held the camera out tight for tension to try to keep camera shake to a minimum. Next, focus on a car, motorcycle or bike coming toward you from down the street (the faster the better), level out the camera and lock your arms to just swing side to side and shoot moving the camera so you are following the subject. This should keep the subject in focus and the background will blur to show motion. Hold down the shutter release to get as many pictures as you can with the subject still in the view finder. Good to find a place away from the bus stops, trees and posts or signs so they don't block your view. Also it is important to find a place where cars are going fast enough and the background is "busy" to get a good motion blur shot. By busy I mean that a plain background will not show motion the same as a background that has a lot going on, different colors or signs or objects to blur. This type of motion blur photography is called panning and it is only one way to shoot motion blur. It has become fun for me now. I am dying to get a good panning shot of a motorcycle or bike zooming past.

Taxis are the fastest cars on the road in Singapore.

This shot was ok. I liked the background, still have to work on getting the camera to follow the subject smoother, my subject in this shot was the motorcycle. Cannot use a tripod for this so I'll just have to keep practising. Also if the subject you are focusing on changes lanes or unexpectedly speeds up or slows down that will change the outcome of your shots. 

The cars aren't going super fast but panning will make it look like they are.

Only the subject you focus on will be in focus, all other objects will be blurred.

Mail delivery! That is a SingPost scooter.

Motorcycles like to weave their way through traffic to pull out first from a red light. I don't appreciate that as a driver but today it was ok. :)

I am a shy person so the worst part about photography is when I am out taking pictures and people are watching me. For panning it is particularly hard because you can't just snap a quick pic, you have to be ready for it by getting into a good position and holding out the camera then moving with the object. Its probably no big deal to most people but I hate to draw attention to myself! It seems like there are so many photographers out there. I always tell myself most of them know exactly what I am doing and are just wishing they could roam around town and play with their camera too.

This is what the picture would look like if you held the camera still and let the cars go by. The background would be in focus and the cars would have the blur. Another way to show motion blur but not as exciting as panning!

Happy Friday!

Update! Using the live view screen may slow down your camera. My suggestion is to first try this method with the live view on. If this is giving you troubles, use live view to correctly position the camera, then switch back to the optical viewfinder without leaving your position. It is more difficult this way but your camera will speed up. 

Mid Autumn Festival

     The Mid Autumn Festival celebrations have begun in Singapore and this is one of my new favorite holidays. It is a harvest holiday held in the eighth month of the Chinese lunar calendar, close to the autumnal equinox. There are a few stories about the origins of the festival. Some say the ancient Chinese observed that the movement of the moon had a close correlation to the changes of the seasons and agricultural production. The Mid Autumn Festival is a time to show gratitude to the moon for the abundant harvest. There is also the story of a man named Hou Yi who saved the fields from the scorching heat of ten suns by taking his bow and arrow and shooting down all but one, ordering the last sun to rise and set according to a schedule. The people were so grateful they made him king, however, he became a mean tyrant. In order to live long without death he asked for an immortality elixir. His wife, Chang'e, stole this from him to keep the people from suffering under his rule and she drank the elixir. When Hou Yi found out about this he was so angry he began to shoot at his wife, she escaped to the moon and Hou Yi was so angry he died. Since then, the moon has been celebrated to show gratitude for Chang'e's actions. Cool stuff, huh? This is one version of the story I found online, there are others that are slightly different.
     A notable part of the celebrations is to carry or hang colorful lit lanterns. I have seen a few places in town with beautiful lanterns hanging and I have a few photos to share.

Chinatown

A few for sale in Chinatown.

Gardens by the Bay

This was put up just for the Mid Autumn Festival, usually there is nothing in the water here.

The same picture as above but taken at night, all lit up.

Not the most traditional lanterns but the most popular with the little kids. 

I liked this shot with the full moon, super trees, flower domes, lanterns and a pretty decent reflection in the water. Like the blues of the sky.

I'd like to get a bit closer to this display. It is roped off and hard to get a good picture. There is a dragon, swans, dragonflies, birds and lotus flowers. Super trees are in the background to the left.

 Everyone out walking around enjoying the lanterns on display. 

Chinese Gardens

These two shots were taken outside of the gardens. I didn't realize that they were charging a fee to enter. Since I had my camera bag and tripod I didn't bring much money, just a few dollars for a water. So I didn't make it inside, bummer. Looked like it had potential for good lantern pics!

This guy was hanging out by the front entrance to the gardens. Guess he didn't want to pay the entrance fees either!

Happy Friday!

I've got wheels!!!

My birthday is Saturday and my wonderful hubby gave me my present a little early. I have a new bicycle and I love it!!! I haven't ridden a bike in maybe 15 years. Everyone rides bikes here, it is a very popular mode of transportation and recreation. Since we live so close to Gardens by the Bay, I thought it would be fun to ride my bike over, put my camera bag in my basket and have a fun time, and I was right! It is soooo fun. This morning I ran 6.5km at the gym and then I jumped on my bike for my first ride. Here are some pictures, enjoy!

Look at that gorgeous bike! It has one speed, mud guards, a basket, a bell, headlight and taillight, handle bar breaks and a small rack on the back for extra stuff. This picture was taken at the Marina Barrage, top level. Great skyline pictures to be had there. I was pretty worn out by the time I got here and I had to push my bike up the ramp. Totally worth it, great picture. In the skyline you can see from left the tall blue buildings are Asia Square and the Marina Bay Financial Center, which is right in front of our condo, then the Marina Bay Sands is the three towers with a platform on top. You can see the Super Trees and Flower Dome at Gardens by the Bay. Feeling very lucky to have so much space to ride my bike so close to home without having to ride on streets or through traffic. That makes it much more relaxing and fun. If I had to ride on the street I don't think I would like it as much. 

Here is a view of the Marina Barrage from the bottom looking up. The first picture was taken from the top. See what I mean about being tired after pushing my bike up the ramp? When Geoff and I go for a run we usually run up the barrage ramp, good hill workout!

Nice long stretch of sidewalk with no people to crash into, love it here before 11am. Once lunch hour hits it is much busier by the mall. I am not so steady on my bike just yet and I am sure I frighten pedestrians if they see me coming. I am steering all over the place and sort of giggling because it is just so fun, must look like a crazy lady!

Kids often play in the water fountains here and I have to admit I really wanted to ride my bike through but I didn't. It would have felt sooooooooo good!

Not many pictures this week but I will try to make up for it next week. The Mid Autumn Festival is coming up and lanterns are going up all over town. Hopefully I can get some good pictures. The rain has been pretty heavy this week, hard to get out with out getting soaked.

Happy Friday!

Basic Photography Refresher

I took a 6 week Basic Photography course a while back at Knowledge Bowl in Singapore. I had just bought my first DSLR camera and had no idea how to do anything with it. The classes were super helpful and I learned how to do a few cool shots like panning and how to use aperture and shutter speed. Recently I took their refresher course, sort of a review of the Basic Photography class I originally attended. This was so great. The teachers are experienced professional photographers and friendly and easy going. Sometimes it is good to go over things a few times, especially when it is something so new and totally not what you have ever done before. Here are some pictures from my refresher classes. Enjoy!

We met at the Botanic Gardens for these shots...

This picture was taken with a slow shutter speed to get the water to blur and have a more flowing, moving effect. 

This picture was taken with a fast shutter speed to freeze the motion of the water, giving a water droplet effect. See the difference? Pretty cool!!!

We used the Aperture mode to control depth of field. The dragonfly is in focus and the background is blurred. If the background was in focus the dragonfly wouldn't stand out. 

Its better to have a cleaner background like in the picture above. This pic is not as nice with the green and brown but I loved his bright eyes :)

Then we went to Bugis for a few shots...

The main focus in the next few shots is patterns and texture. I wanted to put the windows on an angle to make it more interesting. Loved the bright yellow.

The peeling paint and the carved wood give good texture to the photo. The pattern was repeated as a boarder on the front of a temple.

The brick is a short wall or fence and if you were to look straight at it you could see through it. At this angle you can focus more on just the pattern and texture of the brick.

Cool building in the Central Business District. Wonder what it looks like to look out the windows from the inside. 

Framing. This shot was taken through the holes of a trash can. I had to squat down so the angle is a bit off but it is a nice effect and I can level and crop in photo shop.

Silhouette. Would be a better shot with a full sky background but I was laying on the ground with 4 people stretching their arms and hands over me and I wanted to get it over with. I can photo shop this to remove the building and lamp post. I think I need to invest in some sort of photography software...

We also met at the NTUC Building, by the Custom House for a few night shots. This gave us a great view of Marina Bay Sands and the nightly laser and light show. It rained all day long so we were lucky the weather cleared in time for our class.

Thank you Stephen and Edward at Knowledge Bowl!

Happy Friday!