Panorama Series : 1. Golden Moment Bukit Panorama

as promise to myself, this year I will do more landscape and panorama photo shooting. so let me start a Panorama collection series ....

1. Golden Moment from Bukit Panorama


larger view click http://www.liewwkphoto.com/image-viewer.htm?Fgallery4-4 (2400 longer side)

shooting details
difficulty
1. not easy to control exposure as the light change too fast
2. the clouds, sun moving too fast while Golden moment
3. stitch full size of Canon 5dm2 pictures is not a fun job , it make my i5 750 PC with 8 GB memory run like a turtle
4. after stitch the original JPEG ~110MB in size and not easy to edit and need patient

Gear
Canon 5dm2 + Canon 24105L@50mm + Nodal Ninja 5
Bukit Panorama, Sg Lembing, Pahang, Malaysia
# 5 stitch 1 by using Nodal Ninja Full resolution available 22423 x 6871
# Exposure Time (1 / Shutter Speed) = 32/10 second ===> 3.2 second
# Lens F-Number / F-Stop = 11/1 ===> ƒ/11
# ISO Speed Ratings = 100

more click http://www.flickr.com/photos/liewwk/sets/72157623387374373/

News - New Category added into www.liewwkphoto.com

was away to East Coast Malaysia for sunrise and MACRO outing last 2 days and come back with "pano" un process pictures by using Nodal Ninja 5L... bo 360 pano for this trip...

but my 2nd Panorama from Bukit Panorama, Sg Lembing, Pahang, Malaysia (let write something about this later) is share @www.liewwkphoto.com gallery 4.

*picture share only 2400pix@longer site but full details of pictures as below

a full panorama view from where we stand from Bukit Panorama, Sg Lembing, Pahang, Malaysia
Bukit Panorama, Sg Lembing, Pahang, Malaysia

Canon 5dm2 + Canon 24105L@50mm
# 6 stitch 1 by using Nodal Ninja Full resolution available 23226 x 5767
# Exposure Time (1 / Shutter Speed) = 6/10 second ===> 1/1.66667 second ===> 0.6 second
# Lens F-Number / F-Stop = 16/1 ===> ƒ/16



- this is the view you will be seeing while up there

larger view click http://www.liewwkphoto.com/image-viewer.htm?Fgallery4-1

Landscape - my 1st try on UWA Panorama

I love wide view .. that's why I have my 5dm2 with SIGMA12-24mm and the len almost 99% @12mm .... but after a while I still found some spot 12mm may not wide enough so I trying to do some manual Panorama but the result look bad for last few try ... and now with the help of Nodal Ninja 5L , I finally managed to finish my "not so good" panorama sunset

this picture outcome from 6 captures
1. use smaller angle to get more cross point locate as center as possible as side view of 12mm normally distort badly
2. output picture size 12548 x 9398
3. my new windows7 64bit 8GB PC still having problem to fully edit this picture so minimum PP done
4. the actual JPEG is ~110MB so I resize to 1000 @ longer size just to share the view
5. not sure how many mega pix I will get but am sure >50M pix

both picture below show from same standpoint, same gear, same focal length


and one of the main focus frame


hope I am not doing too bad but will trying to get better shot

How I Shoot MACRO - Reflector is important gear

have prepare this 2009 but not able to finish the pictures process and writing ..but just have to finish it as I have too many thing pending in my "working hadisc" ...

I use to brought a reflector and my gang or some friend will ask .. why you bring such big diffuser for macro outing .. and we are not shooting portrait .. but :D actually I need it for my "model" (MACRO bug, insect .....)

there are situations we can't solve the environment impact to our picture/video ... and we can't control the bug/insects and environment .. so how ?

one of the situation that I want to discuss here is "harsh light on the reflective bugs body". some bugs e.g. ladybird, ants, beetle... etc bodies tend to reflect easily no matter we use flash or not (even use Natural light/fill flash if any light fall on their body... the light will just reflect badly and show in our picture ...)

e.g. of this wasp, it stand on a place where light is strong hit on it's head and without using any additional gear ... this will be our output


how I resolve this ? if the environment and bug not allow me to get closer then I have no choice PP the reflective part will be the only solution for me and I share it before
MACRO PP - Clone Reflective Body

but if the wasp allow me to go closer with additional Reflector and put in front of the light source to the main object then I can easily get picture with same distance , same setting, ... without any PP



too bad no one with me .. I use tripod and release cable one hand and the other for reflector .... no one snap picture for me on actual field work .. but next time if I shoot with my gang ... then I will share some picture here


*** both picture shoot without crop, different F number, fill flash (same power) and while raw-->Jpeg only increase contrast, resize

A Beetle body full with Mites Again ....

It is common to see mites or parasites on insect body especially beetles .. and last year I do found a long-horned beetle with "a lot" of mites on it's body .. but last 2 days ago I found another beetle so call full with mites !!! It's body look full cover by mites and it move really slow (can feel it is pain) ... but how should I help ???


2009 - long-horned beetle with mites


the beetle full with mites


bigger picture view through here

let get closer to the mites (5:1 and non crop)


if someone know how do we help .. please suggest ...

News - A passion for photography ...

I was interview by one of best local press The Star and write some of my passion to photography (in MACRO) and it was publish in 16 Feb 2010 which I was away to outstation for Pantai Kelanang looking for landscape spot

a full link for the publish
http://thestar.com.my/metro/story.asp?file=/2010/2/16/central/5543340&sec=central

even though some mistake make .. ohhh ... few :D
my name is Liew Weng Keong but not Liew Wai Keong
and .. most important .. I am only 34 but not 39 :D

then few ID e.g. bird should be spiderhunter instead of hummingbird and the spider should be lynx spider instead of tree ...

pictures can found @ my flickr or as below
lynx spider with bee as prey


digger wasp


a streaked spiderhunter

Landscape Spot 4 - Pantai Kelanang

think I stop sharing landscape spot few months back ... due to busy period and family stuff ...

decided to make a search for new spot after see some shots from my flickr friend ..

after a family lunch on yesterday, decided drive to Banting to look for Pantai Kelanang, which a beach never mentioned in map .. hmmm so just a try .... with really hot weather

direction
1. drive from any where toward KLIA/Sepang/Klang or refer to Morib beach
2. then look for Banting sign board
3. after reach Banting , Pantai Kelanang sign will be direct you to a beach ~4-6 KM from town
4. after reach, do not park your car but turn left just before the car park ...it is a big roundabout for the beach but it is one way on the other way toward back to car park

a place not many people, full with dead tree, mangrove, death fish... some fisherman ... direct to west so sunset :D

and this is 1st picture to share


larger view http://www.liewwkphoto.com/image-viewer.htm?Fgallery1-20

more shots for this will be click here

or search "Pantai Kelanang" in my flickr stream http://www.flickr.com/photos/liewwk/

Bird Series 16 - Orange-breasted Trogon

this bird is common @Bukit Tinggi, Pahang, Malaysia. it friendly to human (thanks for the birders photographer well train this bird)... but not for other places .. I saw few other types or same types at other places but they are just shy ....

an this is a beautiful bird, beside owl, Kingfishers .. I love this bird so much but too bad I missed the blue trogon @Cibodas, Java which require far tracking make me failed ...

from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orange-breasted_Trogon
The Orange-breasted Trogon (Harpactes oreskios) is a species of bird in the Trogonidae family. It is found in Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam. Its natural habitats are subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests and subtropical or tropical moist montanes, humid, lower-to-middle elevation evergreen forests, swampy forests, open dry forests, bamboo forests, thin tree jungles, and sometimes among clumps of trees near forests.

2 shots from 2010 :D

Bird Series 15 - Tiger Shrike

migratory bird during the months of October till April it is not shy in Bukit Tinggi and Kuala Selangor ..



from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiger_Shrike
The Tiger Shrike or Thick-billed Shrike (Lanius tigrinus) is a small passerine bird which belongs to the genus Lanius in the shrike family, Laniidae. It is found in wooded habitats across eastern Asia. It is a shy, often solitary bird which is less conspicuous than most other shrikes. Like other shrikes it is predatory, feeding on small animals. Its nest is built in a tree and three to six eggs are laid.

It derives its name from the tiger-like pattern of its upperparts which are reddish-brown with dark bars. Adult males have white underparts and a grey head with a black mask. Females and young birds are duller and browner and young birds lack the grey and black on the head.


common pose


this is one well train by birders ... it will pose for you and long :D


like this view as show why it call Tiger Shrike


a movie of it

New Found - Flower Mantis (update)

it was a mistake ... I thought of I found a Orchid Mantis but it is not after verification with mantidboy From Flickr (he know alot about mantis) .. this is a

family Hymenopidae
Creobotra sp

even ... not a Orchid Mantis .. but I am still happy with this new found too

a old picture shoot Jul 2008 (


how it look close ... (PP to make it little mystery feel)



and it was camera shy ....


and after few shot .. it start willing to look at my camera and I am getting closer and closer



(for larger view please visit www.liewwkphoto.com for the macro session or http://www.liewwkphoto.com/gallery2.htm )

How I shoot MACRO - MT24 with Difuser 2010plan01

was planning this and test with few similar option before but never got any good result. but then decide to share this even I feel this still having problem with my setup

why am I building a bigger diffuser
1. larger light size
2. softer light
3. my long MACRO len (SIGMA150) need better and larger diffuser (I need something work for both of my MP-E65 & SIGMA150)

so my testing make up of

1. pop up flash diffuser




2. styro foam bowl& Kitchen towel paper


3. final setup





sample output .. (sorry trying to get back the original setup but the beetle flew off)





(minimum PP done on above pictures)

based on last picture show above (my large diffuser is from right from my len and the small one is on left) overall the light diffuser better than my previous one (I personal feel)
but it create bad shadow after 3:1 which mean I lost 4-5:1 while using my MPE , think this could be over size of my big diffuser ... will try to make it smaller next round

How I shoot MACRO - angle is important

I had share this to most of my MACRO gang, "angle" to shoot the bugs is very important. Angle need to be choose to control
1. better DOF
2. better BG
3. show beauty of the object

and in general I had discuss @previous post How I shoot MACRO - Composition, angle ...

I can't provide too many samples but will keep on to post relevant sample as I got relevant sample pictures ...

as for last week , I got a chance to see a pair of weevil mating on the tree trunk and I know this will be good for this so I decide to make few shots to show the different effect on BG while using different angle

below is a picture show the situation


and as for the sample of common 90 degree to the object and we are easier to get max DOF but the BG will look like


a dark/black BG will be produce as full flash use, so we could try to make leave behind the object as sample (different object but still a beetle on tree but with brown leaf behind as BG - hand make :D )


but then while we shift out angle a bit higher to make the tree body as BG


- this will be better in term of overall picture but then it is not easy to get both Weevil in focus due to the DOF limit. so even we move to upper but we still need to control the angle where both weevil eye can be in focus


some add-on on the weevil, this weevil is small one and I shoot it with coin as comparison before as below



and again we really should thanks MACRO photography to allow us to see something where we normally can't view through human eye

a big magnification of same type of Weevil

one of my favor MACRO Model - Tiger Beetle

think this was one of the beautiful/cute creature attract me into MACRO photography while I was still using my Pns (~2 years ago)

let me make a count how many types I managed to capture so far , and let talk about it's behavior

1. common in hill/lowland forest
- quite sensitive but still allow get close if we move slowly
- while we use flash, 50% it will move or flew off
- normally on leaf




2. common in forest could be far from stream
- super sensitive not easy to get close (even with 150mm + 1.4tc)




3. common near low land forest close to stream with sand
- sensitive, not easy to get close need to move really slow
- depend season, sometime a lot but sometime .. just disappear
- while mating season, you will see them keep mating non stop but most of them only for ~5-10sec




4.can found on few beach
- when found normally gang of them
- love to mating, and look like they don't know how to different male or female until make it
- sensitive but easy to get close especially mating time .. not easy to shoot single




5. only found @one beach near Sepang
- many of them
- love to mating
- super sensitive, even mating. almost impossible to get close as type 2 but this normally found group of them so easy t get shots





6. common in forest
- less sensitive , can easily get close
- but didn't see it mating so far

How I shoot Macro - how do we shoot damselfly ...

I plan to write this long ago and should just wait for picture with mug but let me share this as am in bad mood recently...
Most of the damselfly stay near pond , water .... so we expected to be wet, and here were some pictures to show how we shoot damselfly

My gear while shooting damselflies below



wee shooting a Heliocypha perforata


my own action



Damselfly - Neurobasis chinensis (male)


Damselfly - Neurobasis chinensis (Female)


and my gang Wee was shooting a Heliocypha perforata