Ford Mustang - P.O.T.D 01/09/2014

The Mustang is one of the most iconic american muscle cars and it is definitely one of my favourite. The first Mustanf was brought out in 1964 and it is still going strong and it is at its 6th generation. This particular mustang is the first generation and it looks the best by far in my opinion.

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This photo was taken during Top Gear Festival in Sydney, if you want to know more about it you can find out my experience in this post. I have always enjoy photographing beautiful cars as I think they are a combination of art and science. I chose to do a close up instead of the entire car because there are plenty of other people around during a festival and this way I can eliminate them and focus on the interesting part of the car. Hope you enjoy the photo and don't forget to check the previous photo of the day here! 

Jonathan

Cherry Blossom - P.O.T.D 31/08/2014

Cherry blossom is the flower of several trees of genus Prunus. Spring is coming to Australia and it is definitely a nice and colourful time of the year. So a little bit of a throw back from last year cherry blossom season. 

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This photo was taken with the Lensbaby Composer Pro w/ the Sweet 35 optics. This allows me to use the sweet spot focusing and blur the rest of the picture. This allows me to make the flower to stand out. If you are in the Southern Hemisphere, be sure to catch the nice cherry blossom and other beautiful flower when spring comes tomorrow! 

Jonathan

The Intersection - P.O.T.D 30/08/2014

In big cities we can often find landmarks and busy streets that looks very different in night time compare to day day. The Queen Victoria Building in Sydney is definitely one of them. Located next to George street, one of the busiest main streets in the city. The lighting of the building and the moving car lights shows the dynamic of the city even late at night.

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This picture was taken the Nikon D800e with the 24-70mm f/2.8. I used ND filters for this because I want to increase the exposure time and this photo was exposed for 3 minutes. I used a long exposure in order to get the car brake lights from both roads of the intersection. I was lucky enough to have a couple in the centre of the frame staying relatively still throughout the exposure adding another layer to the photo. I hope you enjoy today's photo and you can check out the other ones here.  

Jonathan

Hoiser Lane - P.O.T.D 29/08/2014

Melbourne, the second most populated city in Australia after Sydney. It has been ranked the world's most liveable city since 2011. With its lifestyle focus culture and urban vibe, it is home to a great collection of street art. Hoiser Lane, opposite the Federation square is definitely a place to visit if you have the chance to when you go by Melbourne. 

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As the title suggested, this photo was taken at Hoiser Lane, Melbourne. The amazing street art and cafes are definitely attractions that cannot be missed. I created this picture because I want to introduce the dynamic vibe of the city. I used my x100s and the in built nd filter allows me to capture this image by allowing motion blur to add more depth to picture. Trying something different is always my goal and I think this is a good way to do so and besides it is much easier to include the people than trying to wait for an empty shot because it is always crowded. I hope you enjoyed the photo and feel free to share it or check out my other photo of the day! 

Jonathan

Spikes - P.O.T.D 28/08/2014

Architecture has always been an art and architects uses patterns and symmetry, lighting and shadows to bring a place to life. These futuristic spikes were found in the MRT station in Singapore, and it certainly adds some flare to this place.

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I walked passed this station during my visit and I have to stop to get this picture and I am glad that I did. Thousands and thousands of people walk pass this station everyday and most of them didn't even notice and I hope by creating this picture, it will show you how everyday mundane places might have something special there waiting for you to discover.

Jonathan 

Sydney - P.O.T.D 27/08/2014

Sydney is the state capital of New South Wales and the most populated city in Australia and Oceania.  Sydney's central business district extends southwards for about 3km from Sydney Cove to the area around Central station. The Sydney CBD is bounded on the east side by a chain of parkland, and the west by Darling Harbour.

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This shot was taken with the 16mm f2.8 fisheye and it was taken in the middle of the road while I crossing it. The super wide field of view is perfect for this type of shot and it is important to get your settings right before the shot because you shouldn't stay in the middle of the street for too long for your own safety reason. Sydney is currently where I am living at and it is a beautiful city so I think you should visit it sometimes if you have the chance to, but for now, hope this bring you a unique perspective of the city of Sydney.

Jonathan

Lotus - P.O.T.D 26/08/2014

Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) is an aquatic perennial, it is native to Tropical Asia and Queensland Australia. It is commonly cultivated in water gardens and it is also the national flower of India and Vietnam. An interesting fact about this flower is that under favourable circumstances, its seeds may remain viable for many years, with the oldest recorded lotus germination being from that of seeds 1,300 years old recovered from a dry lakebed in northeastern China. 

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This photo was taken in Hong Kong and it was taken with the D800e with the 200-400mm f/4 at 400mm. The settings were 1/125 sec at f/4 and ISO 100 and I was using a tripod at the time which allows me to use that slow shutter speed. In order to get the flower evenly lit, you can either shoot it on an overcast day, or early morning (which I did). I used the super telephoto because the flowers were far away, but also the narrow field of view allows me to isolate that single flower and make it stands out from the background. I hope you enjoy the photo and feel free to share it around. 

Jonathan

Orange Lacewing Butterfly - P.O.T.D 25/08/2014

Cethosia penthesilea, commonly known as the Oranage Lacewing Butterfly, is a species of heliconiine butterfly. The adult butterflies announce their acquired toxicity with strong aposematic colours, warning off predators. 

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This photo was taken at the Singapore airport Butterfly Garden, it was really nice of them to have such great attractions inside the airport which definitely kept me busy before boarding the plane. I shot this with the D800e and the micro-nikkor 200mm f/4 and a ring flash. It was dark at night and it was impossible to shoot without a flash, but luckily I brought mine with me and then it was a struggle to find these beautiful insects around the garden in complete darkness and then to get the focus right on their eyes and wings. It was definitely difficult to get these shots but the results were rewarding and I hope if you pass Singapore airport next time, be sure to check it out for yourself.

Jonathan

Ruins of St. Pauls - P.O.T.D 24/08/2014

The Ruin's of St. Paul's refers to the ruins of a 16th Century complex in Macau including what was originally St. Paul's College and the Cathedral of St. Paul also know as 'Mater Dei', a 17th Century Portuguese cathedral dedicated to Saint Paul the Apostle. The ruins are one of Macau's best know landmark and they were listed as part of the Historic Centre of Macau, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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This was taken during my short trip to Macau and I think this is the essence of travel photography is to enjoy the trip but also create photographs that make you remember it. I don't like too many tourists in my picture, so I chose this perspective. This was taken with the X100s and the settings were 1/350 sec at f/8 with ISO200. 

Jonathan

The Moon - P.O.T.D 23/08/2014

The Moon is the Earth's only natural satellite. It is, among the satellites of major planets, the largest relative to the size of the object it orbits. The moon is in synchronous rotation with Earth, always showing the same face to us. It is the most luminous object in the sky after the Sun.

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This photo was taken during the August full moon and it was taken with the Nikon D800e and the 300mm f/4. The settings were 1/250 sec, f/11 and ISO 100. The moon is always a fascinating subject and the best thing is that it's going to be there every night. I hope you enjoyed the photo and you can check out my previous Photo of The Day by clicking HERE.

Jonathan

Spider Crab - P.O.T.D 22/08/2014

Japanese Spider Crab is a species of marine crab that lives in the waters around Japan. It has the largest leg span of any arthropod, reaching up to 3.8 meters and weighing up to 19 kg. It is the subject of small-scale fishery which has led to a few conservation measures.  

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This photo was taken at the S.E.A. Aquarium at Sentosa Island, Singapore. I took this photo with the 16mm fisheye and I still can't get the entire crab in the photo, but I like how it is emphasising the massive leg span of this crab. There are plenty of photogenic animals around the planets and I think we should appreciate them while they last. 

Until next time! 

Jonathan

Koi - P.O.T.D 21/08/2014

Koi are a group of fish that are ornamental varieties of domesticated common carp that are kept for decorative purposes in outdoor ponds or gardens. The word koi comes from Japanese, simply meaning Carp. The usual 'Koi' refers to more specifically as nishikigoi in Japan. Koi varieties are distinguished by coloration, patterning and scalation. 

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I took this photo during my travel to GuangZhou China. I saw this koi fish pond and I have to create a photo but after taking a few shots with a fast shutter speed, I found the photo slightly dull, so I decide to go the abstract route and experiment with slower shutter speed. I end up with 1/4 sec in order to show some movement but also not slow enough to show the beautiful koi. I hope you enjoy this photo! 

Until next time!

Jonathan

Grand Lisboa - P.O.T.D 20/08/2014

Grand Lisboa is 258 meters high and shaped like a giant golden lotus flower, the official emblem of Macau. The design also owed its inspiration to a feather crown worn by a dancer, which symbolises the vitality of the entertainment business. The building embraces a golden egg shape base, which alludes to good fortune and prosperity. 

Macau, being the Las Vegas of the Asia Region, definitely brings lots of mega structure to life. I took this shot during my travel there and I used my X100s and I think the key to travel photography is to find perspectives that we so often missed. I saw this futuristic design canopy as I am walking out of the building and I have to stop to take a picture of it. So next time when you travel, make sure you keep your eyes open as you will never know what you can find.

Until Next Time! 

Jonathan

SuperTree - P.O.T.D 19/08/2014

During my recent visit to Garden by the Bay at Singapore, I can't help but to spend a lot of my time photographing these amazing structures. Supertrees are tree-like structures that dominate the Gardens' landscape with heights that range between 25 metres and 50 metres. They are vertical gardens that perform a multitude of functions, which include planting, shading and working as environmental engines for the gardens. These Supertrees are home to enclaves of unique and exotic ferns, vines, orchids and also a vast collection of bromeliads such as Tillandsia, amongst other plants. They are fitted with environmental technologies that mimic the ecological function of trees – photovoltaic cells that harness solar energy which can be used for some of the functions of the Supertrees, such as lighting, just like how trees photosynthesise; and collection of rainwater for use in irrigation and fountain displays, exactly like how trees absorb rainwater for growth. The Supertrees also serve air intake and exhaust functions as part of the conservatories' cooling systems.

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In order to capture this image, I have used the Nikon D800e with the 16mm f2.8 fisheye. I have chosen the fisheye because of the wide field of view. I can't help but to get overwhelmed by how amazing these structures are and that definitely makes it harder to create a great photograph. I hope you enjoyed this photo and if you ever visit Singapore, you have to go and check it out. 

Until Next Time!

Jonathan

Swash - P.O.T.D 18/08/2014

The Ocean surface is in continual motion and waves are the result of disturbance of the water surface. Waves themselves represent a restoring force to calm the surface. Nature is always creating stunning scenes that we so often missed and the ocean is definitely one of them. I encourage all of you to take the time and slow down to observe the amazing nature when you have the chance to.

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This photo was taken with the Nikon D800e and the 14-24 f2.8. The settings was 1 sec shutter speed at f/16 and ISO 100. I took this after a sunrise shoot and I found this scene very interesting. So even though it wasn't my intention to create this picture, the moral of the story is that you should always put yourself in situations that you can create more images and keep an eye on your surroundings.

For more photos, feel free to check out my portfolio or my facebook page!

Until next time!

Jonathan