Project HDR 02

Ever since I joined the gym end of July, I have got lesser time to play with the pictures. Whenever I switched on my laptop after a long day work and gym after work, I'll fall asleep within short time.

Thanks to RaD!c4L from Lowyat forum who passed me his 'godly package' which now there's no more watermark on the my pictures modified in Photomatix!

Whenever I go to my client's office at Paternoster Square, there's a view of the St Paul Cathedral from a small lane which I have an idea composing the image long ago. Finally last week I grabbed my camera and headed to the spot to take the shot.

The original image taken in RAW format at 18mm from my kit lens. I used the spot metering to get the correct exposure on the Cathedral, but then the foreground appeared to be under exposed and the sky became over exposed. This is a situation where High Dynamic Range (HDR) technique becomes useful.

2 more images were created in JPEG format at +2 and -2 EV respectively. An HDR image was generated from all 3 images in Photomatix. Tone mapping done to adjust the strength, saturation, contrast etc.

A quick 30 mins job. The foreground appeared much improved especially on the bricks texture and the signboards. Anyway it can be improved for sure in particular to the sky which looks a bit error to me.

Tour de France - Prologue

The first stage of the tour was held in the city of London, starting from Whitehall and finishing near Buckingham Palace. It's an individual time trial known as a prologue.

I arrived at Westminster an hour before the race started but it was already packed with people. I was struggling to find a spot for good shooting angle.

Being chased by the car.

Striking blue - taken with beercan at 160mm, ISO 200, 1/320s, F4.

Concentration. Slightly out of focus, it was really difficult even I used continuous focusing as it was too fast.

A lot of pictures were out of frame too, unintentionally.

Keep trying with my beercan.

After long waiting, finally a kind gentleman who set up his huge Canon gears in the crowd offered his place to me when he left.

210mm F4, 1/250s, ISO 100

Panning shot. This is my favourite shot of the whole day. Using lower shutter speed and follow the object for the effect. Taken at F7.1, 1/60s, ISO 80, with my Tamron 90mm SP!

Taken more than 600 pictures on the day, and I think 80% were either out of focus if not out of frame. Anyway it's a very good experience shooting sports event and I think I am improving.

Tour de France - The Caravane

This year the world's biggest cycling race - Tour de France started in London.

Saturday was the prologue for the race. The roads around Westminster were closed for the event and packed with people.

The Caravane tour before the race. This must be from the Australian team.

The Caravane is sort of like commercial parade of French products, giving away goodies.

Huge tyres.

Relaxing before the race.

Warming up - franking speaking, I know none of the cyclists.

The Tour de France's devil - El Diablo

I think this guy won the race to Canterbury later on Sunday, not very sure.

Taken at 75mm, 1/1250 secs, F4, ISO 400 with Beercan.

I had taken more than 600 pictures on the day and it's really not easy to shoot for sporting events.

More London

Some photos taken using Steph's 7.1MP Sony DSC-T10 unless otherwise stated. Sometimes it's good to have a PnS camera in situation where you don't want to spend too much time adjusting the setting on the DSLR and miss the scenes, and I certainly won't pass my DSLR to a stranger when need help.

However, the performance of T10 was quite disappointing especially in indoor or low light situation. My 3.2MP Canon IXUS 30 can do much better than that.

Chinatown gate

My squatting shooting pose

Leicester Square

Beautiful St James Park

Traitors Gate @ Tower of London on a sunny day

St Paul Cathedral and Wobbly Bridge

A100 @ F8, 1/250 sec + circular polariser

A100 F11, 1/50 sec - Taken while laying on the grass after visiting Tate Modern, where a lot of things that you don't understand are kept.

A100 @ F8, 1/125 sec

A100 @ F8, 1/125 sec on Wobbly Bridge towards St Paul

A100 @ F16, 1/100 sec - statue at St Paul Cathedral, the unnatural blue was created by the circular polariser.

London Eye - A100 @ F11, 1/200 sec

Hitler wearing skirt by the river

Friend from far

SK, one of the longest friend that I've know for some maybe.. 22 years or more that, had visited London for 4 days in early April before his business trip to Cheltenham. It's amazing when I think back how long it has been. We were in the same class since primary and then secondary school. Remembering those days we gathered at his riverside 'villa' to play mahjong when ponteng or after school. Also those days when we went to JB fruit plantation on motorbike. And after so long, 4 of the SMS schoolmates could have met in London! Too bad CS and his wife were away in Greece so only able to meet up with Justin for dinner and pub.

As the host, I walked half of London with him covering all the usual places, which later on I will have to repeat again for the woman's journey for the past 2 weeks.

Tower Bridge, shoot in RAW but losing the pixels when reducing size, taken at 18mm at F8.

Sunny day near Tower of London, he was lucky that he had chosen a sunny week to visit London. It's now gloomy again and been raining for a week.

Unknown building by River Thames, picture is over processed but I'm lazy to change it again.

Of coz, everyone who comes to London has to visit Trafagal Square and play with the pigeons. Heard they are going to turf the square and I wonder how it'll looks like when done.

Smile~ you are on candid camera. Taken with beercan at F4.

We went for boat ride along River Thames to Greenwich. I like the building but hate the cranes.

Make up, music + ciggie before the performance - the street performers near London Eye are always my shooting target. All taken using beercan at F4.

The gatal uncle, I am not sure was he enjoying himself or entertaining people, but the aunty seems enjoyed a lot.

The musician.

We had the British famous fish and chips at a pub by the river overlooking St Paul Cathedral opposite the river, and had a drink of coz with a wrong cup in my hand.

I brought the Arsenal big fan to Emirates to try our luck see if we could get last minute tickets to see Arsenal plays local rival West Ham. Sold out as predicted but it was ok as Arsenal was later beaten 0-1 to help keeping West Ham in Premier League next season.

It's good to meet the old friend from far.

Snowfall in London

it's not common to have snowfall in london but this year's winter on 8th February i had seen the real snowfall for the first time and it was said to be the heaviest in a decade.



not really that heavy but i kinda like the feel and have set my goal to visit the alps for a ski tour probably the next winter.