Skip to main content

Tainan Sunrise

One morning my uncle and I drove into the mountains near Tainan city.  It's a known location for photographing sunrises because the fog and trees create a really special look.


This is the normal version, and it was taken probably 10 minutes before the sun actually comes out.  From the platform that I was taking the picture from, there wasn't much I can change for the composition.  I eliminated an empty space below me and also other distracting elements and only focused on the sunrise and the fog.  The rule of thirds, although it's cliche, still works.  I put the line that separates the sky and the mountain on the 1/3 line in the photo.

You probably noticed that this picture has a much wider dynamic range than the "normal" version above.  After taking a few pictures.  I decided to try out HDR.  I used to be very against this technique because I don't like the artificial feeling of the photos made from HDR, but it does help in extremely contrasted situations like this.  I took 3 pictures, +1, 0, and -1, and merged them together using a HDR plugin for Aperture.  For some reason, I still like the normal version better.  What about you?

Another HDR version of the sunrise.  As you can see, this is taken after the sun has come out.  At this moment the contrast is even more extreme, only HDR could've captured the details and the rays of run shining in the photo.

HDR is a useful trick that can bring out more dynamic range than any camera can do.  But also because of that, HDR photos usually look unnatural.  For me, unless I'm going for the HDR look, I try my best the make the photos look natural, and no HDR if possible.
Location: Tainan City, Taiwan

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rolleiflex 3.5E - A Practical Review

I have had this particular Rolleiflex 3.5E for a little over 10 years. I bought it back in high school for an unknown price, although prices now seems to be relatively affordable hovering between $500 - $1000. Rolleiflex is part of a greater category camera known as TLRs (twin lens reflex). It utilizes two lenses, the top one being the viewing lens that projects image onto a ground glass via a mirror, and the bottom being the more important taking lens, with a leaf shutter built-in. I've always thought of this kind of camera as a hybrid between SLRs & rangefinders: it has a lens with a mirror (although no mirror slap), and what you see is not exactly what you get (parallax error).  There are many Rolleiflex models & variations, this particular model is a Rolleiflex 3.5E, with a selenium light meter, made in the mid-1950s. Like most TLRs, it takes 120 medium format film, takes a 6x6 image yielding 12 photos per roll of film. It has a Xenotar 75mm f/3.5 lens that makes beauti...
Post a Comment
Read more

Wedding Photographer

So I was asked to be the second photographer at a wedding a few weeks back.  I though this would be a fun experience for me, so I went! Here are some of the tips & techniques that I learned / observed from the main photographer. I hope it will be somewhat useful for people who are shooting weddings for friends & relatives...etc. So here it goes: 1. Location, Decorations, & Setting Wedding photographers usually have to come 1-2 hours before the ceremony starts, to take photos of the still objects (cards, flowers, all kinds of decorations), and also the bride and groom preparing for the ceremony.  This is the part I love most.  Just make sure you have ample time to look at & compose wonderful photos of the place the event is taking place and all the small stuffs that are interesting. Take your time when taking these photos and make sure they're good because once the ceremony starts, the overall pace becomes much faster.  This is the part where I...
Post a Comment
Read more

Photo Competition

I entered the college photo competition hosted by Photographer's forum about a few months ago.  And 2 days ago, I got an email saying that one of my photos I submitted received honorable mention! I'm glad because it's another step beyond finalist, which I got the previous 2 times I entered the competition. The photo that got chosen was a photo of the lamas getting their haircut at Gyudzin Tantric Monastery in Ladakh, India. Link:  Winners Gallery: 2012 :: Best of College & High School Photography sponsored by NIKON » COLLEGE Honorable Mentions » Ju-Han Yao I took this picture a few days before I left India.  The lamas get their head shaved every month, and I had the opportunity to see that :D The young lama to the right of the photo kept saying, "the wind is bad, I'm so cold" as I was taking photos.  The next day, some of my friends and I decided to get our head shaved as well.
Post a Comment
Read more