landscape – Page 8 – liewwk Nature

April 21, 2011April 21, 2011

Simply Stars chasing Outing on 30 April – 1 May…

Let’s have fun to shoot some nightscape, stars, star trail ….

or you want to increase some of yours shutter … you may able to make this

if Lucky, we should able to see this

I will disclosure the location to those confirm attend ,,,

the location should be ~2-2.5hours travel north from Kuala Lumpur

do drop me message or comment if you interest

1. liewwk

2. shunfa

3. Seesy

4. Carmen

5. Nick

6. Abah

7. Melvin

(due to the location stand place limit, will have some control of the number …. ~25 max)

what to bring …

1. camera

2. wide angle/kit len (widest aperture)

3. tripod

4. shutter release cable

5. small torch light

6. snack

*** special pririty given to www.photomalaysia.com member .. and please provide me yours nick

for details please refer http://www.photomalaysia.com/forums/showthread.php?t=160658

April 14, 2011

Pantai Sri Tujuh, Tumpat, Kelantan

one of the stop of my previous visit to East Coast for details click here

never been a place so beautiful before, saw a clear Milky way while I reach … and it is like total mirror when the light is out … nothing I want to capture except try to show the beautiful and perfect reflection (someone is walking in the river …so actually not so calm while I shoot this)

even I only spent ~2hours there… I would rate this one of the best Landscape Photography spot for Malaysia .. the calm sea water with perfect reflection with angle toward ~135 degree south toward North west …. can do perfect fisherman life shooting, sunrise, salt water reflection …. I am sure I will be there again very soon ……….

milky through nake eye

– was using black card method/finger to shoot this where share it here

and the beautiful of the reflection

and will share more Kelantan pictures here

April 13, 2011

Where we shoot ….

Where we shoot

an outing with Lousy Bird (A.k.a shunfa) and Jason (ming Ming). u can see how dirty were them 😀

April 12, 2011

Exposures Blending

exposures blending1

exposures blending2

Manual masking – exposures blending

Photomatix Blending

While we shoot landscape, to get right exposures for both foreground and background (sky) .. it is just not too simple … as discussed previously , we can either

1. GND filter

2. black card method

3. HDR

4. Exposures blending (where we will discuss here)

e.g. of 2 pictures

– normally we refer same sky but just different exposures but for this example … I got same position but the cloud actually cover the Starry sky

– how I do Exposures Blending

i. normally I will shoot one foreground 1st with right iso, exposure and sometime with light painting

ii. continue shooting the sky or background

iii. use software masking or blending both picture together

***for how I mask the 2 pictures click old link here

another test used Photomatix “Exposures Fusion” option

*** not much editing done on the post blending picture

April 6, 2011

My Landscape Tool – a Circular Polarizers

beside standard tools tripod, release cable, ….I using different filter for different situation and effect … e.g. I use super ND to clear silky effect on sunny day which discuss here.

I also make use of CPL to get better colors contrast, reflection, shot the clearness of the water …. sometime I do use it as ND filters too (2 stops) …

e.g. of the highlight of the coconut tree leaf on sunny day

coconut tree shoot in the noon — without CPL

the usage of the CPL just like Photography, it never have right or wrong … it just what you prefer to see … but above e.g. is to show how we use to reduce the highlight of the reflective part of the coconut tree leaf

another e.g. to show the water reflection and the saturation of the overall picture

both sample above show different effect can be archive by rotating the CPL…..

For me, if you serious in Landscape CPL is a necessary tool that always near you so you can have what effect you would like have which not easy archive by other filters or post processing ….

sample

: a sample of using CPL

#######################

good news is the Marumi DHG CPL/DHG Super CPL are in-stock now… and thanks LeePhoto bringing in the such a good filters into market

contact me for price for COD near Kuala Lumpur/PJ/any place I reach …. or by courier service here

April 5, 2011April 9, 2011

my East Coast visit | April 2011

since last year July till now, I had travel to Malaysia East coast for 4-5 times but it never slow me down to make another visit but it rather make me feel I should visit there more often as a Landscape photographer .. it is a “heaven”, I would say I only explore <5% location up to Kuala Terengganu from Kuantan…. 31 March – 4 April 2011, me with other 8 friends decided to make a quick trip from Kuantan –> Pantai Kemasik (sunrise) –> Kuala Terengganu (Pantai Pandak & Masjid Tengku Tengah Zaharah) –> Kota Bahru (meeting www.photomalaysia.com event, Sri Tujuh…) –> Dungun (star, sunrise ….)

short 5d4n trip, we traveled ~1500KM, managed to capture beautiful sunrise, sunset, reflection, stars …. and Milky way from 2 places …

it going to be slow to share all pictures .. but let’s start this thread and I will be slowly post up the pictures into Terengganu series.

but let’s me start with 1st capture at Pantai Kemasik …

and another after sunrise shot before we continue our journey …

stay tune for more update pictures from beautiful East Coast, Malaysia

Update 6 April 2011 – everyone seem success capture the Milky way … congraz …

: Milky Way by everyone in the trip; Update 9 April2011; Morning Wave at Pantai Kemasik

March 24, 2011March 24, 2011

Long Exposures Gear – Big stop ND

Even on day light ? At bright condition how we can get silky feel on sea/lake/river etc ….so normally we will use a big stop of ND and in the market have few well known

1. B+W/Schneider 10 stops filter (nd1000x) (10 stops)

2. Lee Filter Big Stopper (10 stops)

3. Hoya400 (9 stops)

At daylight (Malaysia), even with smallest aperture & lowest ISO … we still will get something 1/400-1/100… e.g. even with 1/100 we will never get the silky effect

and this was shoot early morning where already bright enough to fail you to make silky wave…by using the “Lee filter – Big Stopper” I shoot with exif below

# Exposure Time (1 / Shutter Speed) = 116/1 second ===> 116 second
# Lens F-Number / F-Stop = 11/1 ===> ƒ/11
# ISO Speed Ratings = 200
# Original Date/Time = 2010:12:18 07:26:43

or with sun still on the horizon, I still able to make the shutter to 20s to create the silky as exif below sharing

5dm2 + 1635@18mm + Lee Big Stopper + Lee .9s GND
# Exposure Time (1 / Shutter Speed) = 20/1 second ===> 20 second
# Lens F-Number / F-Stop = 9/1 ===> ƒ/9
# ISO Speed Ratings = 100

previous share on this super ND with some compare among Big Stopper vs Schneider

http://liewwk-macro.blogspot.com/2010/11/my-gear-10-stops-nd-filters-b-w-nd100.html

and for those interest on Schneider – nd1000x (which give you 10 stops) and I have few on my hand brand new and few free to click link below

http://liewwkphoto.com/blog/?p=386

March 22, 2011March 29, 2011

2d1n Long Exposure & Stars Tour + mini Workshop [16-17 April 2011]

When

16-17 April 2011

Where

Muar – Batu Pahat

I will have a mini workshop for long exposure so I decide to make one South (Muar – Batu Pahat, Johor) …

this is not a full Workshop but I will share some tips

1. what tools - filter explanation  - which filter to use

2.     how to shoot Long Exposure
–      how do we calculate the exposure time
–       some experience what setting
–       what’s best exposure for different effect
3.     what accessories require for Long Exposure
4.     Post Processing tips (my Long Exposure and Star PP workflow)
5.     How I shoot Stars

this trip will limit to 4-6 participants and now 2 have been fill …..

*** update 23 March 2011 , 4 seat had been fill …..

*** update 28 March 2011, 6 seats had been fill … and this is close now !!!

RM499 will include

1. travel from KL
2. accommodation (we will have quick rest after sunset) (3 stars hotel 2 share 1room)
3. monitor calibration, if you bring yours notebook along

*** this is not a basic class, will assume participant already know basic of DSLR, A-mode, M-mode, exposure, Aperture, ISO, Bulb-mode (will share how to calculate for right exposure)

Contact me for different fee, if you arrange yours own transport …

liewwk@liewwkphoto.com or Contact me

March 3, 2011March 7, 2011

My 1st Milky Way …

it is not a dream, we able to shoot the Milky way at not really too dark area … it was my dream to chase it 2010 but some how I failed to make it … but 2011 me and my few close friends (shunfa, Lio, Jason … SP …. Mingkai) have start our crazy chasing project where we travel ~400km (return) 3 times in a week …. even we try to make it coming weekend but due to the some security issue at the location so we decided to cancel our trip there ….

one of the failure Milky chase

My friend – Shunfa was so happy while he 1st got it with him 30mm F1.4 … and too bad what I have much obvious compare to what he has, not matter what setting I use (high ISO, long exposure, ISO NR, LE NR … ) but my F2.8 lenses still cannot get any clearer Milky as compare that 30mm F1.4 got … hmmmm so the conclusion is under not so dark place. it is always good to use bigger aperture lenses to have more stars, brighter stars (so thicker star trail) and more objects (Milky way) …

let’s me share my setting and some PP done on this

Canon 5dm2 + Canon 15mm F2.8 + tripod for sure
# Exposure Time (1 / Shutter Speed) = 43/1 second ===> 43 second
# Lens F-Number / F-Stop = 28/10 ===> ƒ/2.8
# ISO Speed Ratings = 500
– no Manipulation done ..
– crop both site to make square look (no crop on top and bottom)
– some dodge and burn on the sky

and previous share How I shoot Stars..

February 25, 2011February 25, 2011

Should I use Camera Long Exposures Noise Reduction ?

Me and my gang have a short discussion last week whether should we use the camera Long exposures noise reduction (NR) or not … as it normally produce hot pixel (red dots) after the long exposures shot especially involve a lot of dark area (black, dark grey ….). e.g. show below

Red dots appear … without the Long Exposure (LE) NR turn on camera body

But from my experience the noises and even the red dot can be reduce manually in Adobe Camera Raw (ACR) noise reduction function …

here are few pictures capture

1. with LE NR turn on

2. no LE NR turn and no PP

2. no LE NR turn and with ACR NR

simple ACR Noise Reduction

a 100% crop of 3 pictures above

*** all the setting are the same and it look slight different due to the sky turning dark …

Canon 5dm2 + Canon 1635L

# Exposure Time (1 / Shutter Speed) = 79/1 second ===> 79 second
# Lens F-Number / F-Stop = 11/1 ===> ƒ/11
# ISO Speed Ratings = 200

based on the 3 pictures compare

– picture with LE NR turn on body require double exposure time
– less noise especially the “red dot”/hot pixel
– the one without any NR with more details
– simple NR on non LE NR picture can reduce more noise and all red-dot (hot pixel) disappear. Even less details compare to the LE NR turn on picture. But this sure can be fine tune by some masking the foreground or main object

So if you ask me, is it worth to spend double the time while shooting ? my answer is no while I can reduce the noise in PP … so I will safe more time to shoot and remove the noise later …..