Lake Erskine

Ever seen one of those mountain scenes with a beautiful mirror-like lake? Well I've actually had the privilege to visit exactly that in Queenstown, New Zealand. Lake Erskine is apparently a UNESCO World Heritage site that sits right on top of a mountain. In a word, it's breathtaking especially since it's only easily accessible by helicopter, and above a lot of clouds. The chopper landed on a narrow ridge on which I shot this photo. On the other side of the ridge is yet another breathtaking view:
Yes. This view. I think I've died and gone to heaven. In fact, the view is just so great it's practically impossible to shoot a bad photo. So here's another one:



Nikon D7000, AF-S Nikkor 12-24mm f/4, AF-S Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 VR

Chopper Panorama

Here's a shot I took as a panorama but forgot about until I went through all my New Zealand photos again. :D Thing is that each photo in this particular series that I took for the panorama looked like it could stand on its own so I didn't really think they were connected until I took a long look at them recently. As far as my numerous panoramas go, this is one of my favourites, as the framing is just right -- there's some foreground interest, and a nice background of mountains and right at the corner on the right, a helicopter. Doing panoramas these days has become a lot easier -- I never put it on a tripod these days and instead just stand and shoot so the virtual horizon helps keep the horizon as level as possible as I pan across. After that Photoshop CS4 does all the work and stitches it all quite seamlessly. This is a 180-degree shot made up of 5-6 shots. Unfortunately, Blogspot's resizing of photos means that you can't really appreciate the photo at the size that's ideal. Nikon D7000, AF-S Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6VR

Maori

This Maori was part of the troupe who performed the Haka. Just a nice portrait, I thought. Nikon D7000, AF-S Nikkor 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 VR

Busy bees

I often hear that shooting photos of insects with a 60mm macro isn't easy as the minimum focusing distance of the lens is so close that it will often scare away the insect you're trying to shoot. In my experience though, I've rarely had such problems -- I find insects are usually so busy doing their thing that they usually ignore you even when you get really close. I spent some hours shooting these honey bees collecting nectar and pollen from the lavender plants around the hotel and I literally came back with about a hundred sharp shots. The reason I shot so many was that the bees were so compliant that I could really spend the time just concentrating on getting a properly framed shot. I kinda like this one the best because it has a bee actually with its head in the flower while in the background, you can see another one in flight. I also have this shot:

I like the framing and the depth of field in this shot because the lavender stems seem to be framing the bee nicely. Nikon D7000, AF Micro-Nikkor 60mm f/2.8

Salmon of doubt

I was fascinated by this metal sculpture on the wall of the Heritage Hotel in Queenstown where I stayed. I wanted to shoot a picture to showcase the interesting (and surprisingly realistic) colours on the back of the salmon but at the same time, I wanted it to be an interesting photo and not just a record shot. I think I hit a good balance. Click on the image to get a closer look. D7000, AF-S 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 VR

Lake Wakatipu Pano

This panorama of Lake Wakatipu in New Zealand is actually the same balcony view as the one below this post, except taken at a different time and of course, made up of four different shots. I always resort to panoramas because I often feel that its difficult to convey the full majesty of a place unless you get a wider view. Nikon D7000, AF-S Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR

Happy (Star) trails

I've always wanted to shoot star trails, and the clear skies in Queenstown, New Zealand afforded me this opportunity. The problem is that with digital cameras, there's one drawback -- to take a really impressive star trail photo, you need to leave the shutter open for several hours. However, with DSLRs, taking long night exposures is a two-fold problem -- long exposures heat up the image sensor quite a bit, and consequently results in noise, and on top of that, running the sensor that long, you risk the sensor being damaged from the heat. With the new Nikon D7000, I decided to risk it and leave the shutter open for a maximum of 10mins at f/8, ISO320. Ten minutes is all I dare -- my thinking is that the D7000 can shoot video for 20mins in one go, but with still images the camera needs an equal amount of time for its Long Exposure Noise reduction which uses dark frame subtraction (essentially the camera shoots the actual exposure, then closes the shutter and shoots another exposure of the same duration and removes noise from the first image by comparing the two shots in-camera). What this means is that for a 10min exposure, the camera's sensor is essentially running for 20mins. Contrary to what it looks like in this photo, the landscape was in almost total darkness and I could only focus by manually focussing the lens to infinity. Nikon D7000, AF-S Nikkor 12-24mm f/4.

Welcome to Hanoi!

Sometimes it pays to look down. It's been a busy month for me -- I've been traveling since Chinese New Year -- not just back home, but to Vietnam and then to New Zealand. This little bit of detail was captured in Hanoi and only about the size of a coin stuck on the sidewalk . The city had just celebrated Chinese New Year and there's some remnants of confetti or something on the ground. I realised the potential of this shot the moment I looked down and saw it. The image is slightly post processed to increase contrast and cropped a bit to keep the little red Communist heart as central as possible. Nikon D7000, AF-S Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR

Statuesque

The one thing about the D7000 is that the gamma on the camera's LCD screen seems to be set a little high. When I took this photo, it looked like the exposure was off so I bracketed quite a bit to make sure I got the exposure right. However, as it turned out when I viewed it on the PC later, the exposure recommended by the camera was correct even though it looked off on the LCD before. This is a statue at the front of t St Joseph's Cathedral, one of the few churches left in Hanoi. Converted to black and white in-camera. Nikon D7000, AF-S Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR

Flowers

I believe this is a relative of ulam raja (cosmos caudatus) that grows in Malaysia as well, although the leaves seem smaller. They definitely can be eaten though. Getting down to the level of the flowers and using a wideangle, this shot makes it look like the flowers go on forever. Nikon D7000, AF-S Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR

Concentration

I quite like this photo. Enlarge the photo and you'll see that this vendor has almost the same intense look as the painted portraits above his head. Nikon D7000, AF-S Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR

Masks

Look closely and you'll see they're not really masks but serving trays made of bamboo and painted with an endless variety of different faces. A photo like this requires careful framing, and with a bit of cropping on the side I got the very symmetrical look I was looking for. Nikon D7000, AF-S Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR

Sandals

Needs no explanation I think, except that it was shot at one of the many stores selling shoes and sandals on the streets of Hanoi

Temple detail

I can't even remember where exactly I took this, but I think it's somewhere around Hoan Kiem Lake. Nikon D7000, AF-S Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR

Kids in motion

Another grab shot that turned out rather well. For this one, I knew the shutter speed wouldn't be that fast, so I panned the camera to follow the motion as best I could. The result is a photo with a lot of motion blur, which in this case, works. Nikon D7000, AF-S Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR

Hoan Kiem Lake

This shot was taken by propping up my camera on a convenient electrical junction box and setting it on self-timer. There is still a bit of camera shake, but it's acceptable under the circumstances. By the way, Hoan Kiem Lake is one of the major centres of life in the city -- in the day there's a lot of activity and people selling food and souvenirs and at night it's a make-out haven. :) The name translated means the Lake of the Returned Sword, where as the legend goes, the King was bestowed a magical sword by a giant turtle to defeat his enemies. After the successful campaign, the King, as agreed, returned the sword to the turtle here. This temple sits right in the middle of the lake as a memorial. Nikon D7000, AF-S Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR

Cathay Life

I like this shot -- it says everything. There's Hoan Kiem Lake in the background, two people kissing and a chair that says, "Cathay Life". High ISO shooting on the D7000 is pretty amazing -- this was taken handheld at ISO2500 and it looks pretty darned good considering. Nikon D7000, AF-S Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR

Contemplation

This shot was taken at Hoan Kiem Lake as well. I noticed this lady sitting by a row of trees next to the lake and fired off a couple of shots. I don't normally take note of technical details, but for this shot, I intentionally shot at the 200mm end of the lens to make the trees look closer than they are. There is of course some post-processing going on here -- I adjusted the curves a little bit, then desaturated the shot till only a hint of colour is seen. Interestingly, the shot looks as if I selectively removed colour in particular areas, but in fact, it's all in colour. The trees were so grey and the lady's bag was so red that this level of desaturation made the trees look monochrome while there's stil a hint of colour in the lady.

Water puppets

Taken at the same place as the classic kitchen, this is a shot of the water puppets used in a traditional water puppet theatre. White balance here was quite tricky -- the default Auto1 white balance setting on the D7000 produced a slightly bluish shot, not what I was seeing at all. After fooling around with the settings, I found that the new Auto2 white balance (which is biased slightly towards warmer settings) produced the most pleasing result. I love the colour and lighting of this shot, although the little white sign really spoils it a bit. Nikon D7000, AF-S Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR

Water puppets closeup

And here is a closeup of the water puppets. In a show, these puppets are actually immersed in a pool of water, with the performer stationed behind a bamboo screen, controlling them via a long pole connected to the puppet and hidden under the water. Nikon D7000, AF-S Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR.

Classic kitchen

This kitchen is kitchen is part of an old building in Hanoi. It's actually still used even though it's more of a showcase for tourists. Because of the extreme contrast between the bright and dark areas, I decided to turn on D-Lighting in my Nikon D7000, just to get a bit more detail in the shadow areas without overexposing the bright areas. Nikon D7000, AF-S Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR

Bevy of bikes

Hanoi, like much of Vietnam, has more motorbikes than cars. It's not surprising, really, when you see how narrow most of the roads in the city are. Vietnamese do everything on their bikes, from sleeping to reading, and er...I presume other things. Nikon D7000, AF-S Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR

Old world charm

I love Vespas. I've never owned one myself, but I've always wanted one. :) This was shot in one of the oldest houses in Hanoi. Nikon D7000, AF-S Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR

Waiting

Bikes, even stationary ones, have multiple uses in Hanoi. This shar-pei (I think) is actually sitting there waiting for its bath at a small doggy grooming centre -- well to call it a centre is a bit of an overstatement as it's actually a small doorway in which three people are giving baths to a number of dogs. Nikon D7000, AF-S Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR

Siesta

Yes, that's right, people in Hanoi even take Siestas on their bikes. Nikon D7000, AF-S Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR

Gossip

Not a great shot by any means, but I think it has a "slice of life" feel, showing you what the streets in Hanoi look like, along with a nice Vespa (or similar scooter). This was surprisingly sharp considering it was a grab shot taken at the 200mm end of my zoom lens, which isn't usually all that sharp at that focal length. Nikon D7000, AF-S Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR

Manga on the move

As I've said before, people in Hanoi seem to do everything on a bike, from having a siesta to reading. The colour yellow seems to be a popular choice for Vietnamese, and can be seen on quite a number of walls. This shot is so sharp that in 100% view I can clearly make out the shojo manga that the girl is reading. Nikon D7000, AF-S Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR

A concerto of cones

These little souvenir Vietnamese hats were on sale by a vendor on the street in Hanoi. This is almost a straight black and white conversion from the original colour photo, with a little bit cropped off the top for balance. I always have a particular fondness for black and white, and some shots, like this one, were intentionally shot to be converted to BW later. In this case choosing a wide aperture and going in closer will help to blur out the distracting background. Nikon D7000, AF-S Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.6-5.6 VR

Ha Long Bay view

This is a wider view of Vietnam's Ha Long Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage site near Hanoi. The Bay has a total of about 2000 islets, 775 of which are located at the core of the bay. Shots like this are always tricky -- the difference between the brightness of the sky and the sea is usually too great for a DSLR to capture all of it. What happens is that if you properly expose for the the land and the sea, the sky tends to overexpose. There is a fix for this in most photo editors like GIMP and Photoshop -- make a layer with an exact copy of the image then choose "Multiply" in the layer properties -- the result is that the layer will be used to darken the image somewhat. To lighten the areas you don't want to be darker, just use a soft-edged Erase tool and carefully erase the areas you don't want to be dark. You can also adjust the layer opacity to adjust how dark the areas not erased are. Nikon D7000, AF-S Nikkor 12-24mm f/4

Ha Long Panorama

This is a Ha LONG Panorama, gettit? :) Anyway, what trip would be complete without a panorama shot from me? These days I'm so used to taking panoramas that I shoot off a series of shots like this without needing a tripod. Just meter for one area, set it to manual exposure and then shoot away, trying to keep the horizon level while doing so. This time I'm actually trying out Microsoft's own Image Composite Editor, which can handle Gigapixel images and will even support RAW files that Windows 7 supports. It's free and if you're interested you can get it from here. Nikon D7000, AF-S Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6.

The great wall

This shot was taken with the intention of giving scale to the some 2000 amazing limestone islands that pepper the whole of Ha Long Bay. Nikon D7000, AF-S Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR

Floating sundry shop

Having some foreground interest is always important in a landscape shot and I'm always looking for something in the foreground to fill a shot with. Nikon D7000, AF-S Nikkor 12-24mm f/4

Cave walk

The thing about taking cave shots is that it's difficult to shoot something truly interesting. Walking in the cave at Ha Long Bay, I noticed the silhouettes of the people walking past this area and quickly snapped a couple of photos. I think the almost monochromatic blue silhouette framed by the dark of the cave works better than having a bunch of gaudy colours (that caves are usually lit with) included in the shot. Nikon D7000, AF-S Nikkor 12-24mm f/4