[WOC11] Depressing Orchid Part 2

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Continue to feel somewhat depressed. I think I need to do something to get whatever that's inside my mind out. The catch is, I don't know what's inside my mind. You know, the human brain is really amazing. It is has no idea at all what it contains. It knows what it supposed to do and not do it. Bloody amazing.

Ok, carry on.

This is part 2 of World Orchid Conference.

First of all, I love the display. It's the only one (among those from various schools) that stands out. Feels like some sort of altar, hahahaha! Anyway, I think I did correctly in term of balance. The bows to bottom right attracts some attention off the main display so it won't feel too static. However, I should try to crop out the people behind this. But then, I didn't really have that option because it was really crowded. The colour of the flowers and the reflection by the metal display saved this shot as it makes the display stand out.

I imagined what this shot would be like the instant I saw the pot of flowers. A lonely fallen flower at bottom left with all its commodes looking over it wondering who would suffer the same fate next. The two groups of flowers balanced one another out and the yellow among the purple creates some balance in colour.

The horizontal arrangement is to create movement of the eyes. The foreground red contrasts the background green to create some balance.

Don't know why I like this shot... Guess it's just unique? Can't really comment on it either...

The brilliant yellow is the focus of this shot. I followed the rule of third and it seems to work here.

I like it because it looks like a claw... Anyway, I should have avoided the overlap with another flower at the top.

A example of great exhibition lighting. Next time when photographing flowers, one option is to lit them from the back to show the translucency.

Another lighting that I really like. The row of flower behind provided some form of rhyme. However, I should have tried to keep the white line horizontal. The lighting made the flowers look as though they're on fire!

I honestly am not sure about this one. It's rather plain in my opinion. Should have made so the black line or that vertical line becomes straight. That should make the whole picture look more organized. Should have also cropped out the white spot at bottom left. Distracting.

[WOC11] Wedding Leads to Painful Orchid

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Attended William's wedding and dinner banquet. They were fantastic! And I must mention that their wedding photos are splendid! Wish them happily ever after and looking forward to playing with their children! Hahahahahaha! A big thank you to Xinlian and William. It was really enjoyable.

However, after we bid one another goodbye, I sudden surge of loneliness hit me. It felt like all my hopes and ambitions being drawn out of me. I couldn't really keep track with the passage of time or take a proper photo. All the perceptive skills and composition skills seem gone and I can't even get a picture of anything properly. Is it because of the alcohol? Or is it the contrast between the festivity and the cold night sky? Or is it because I miss someone? Too many questions... Not enough answers...

Finally, part one of pictures from the World Orchid Conference. Enjoy! Usual rule applies, click to enlarge and feel free to use them. But please credit me somewhere. :) Oh, and I am testing displaying these pictures in xlarge instead of large in blogger. Wonder if it will lag out your browser... If it does, please feedback. Lol!

I really love the maroon of these orchids. I think I also did well on the composition by following rule of third. Balance is achieved as the gold medal below balance out the maroon flowers.

I like how the two large purple orchids stand out despite the messiness of the whole make up. Too much attention is concentrated on the left (due to the yellow orchid on top left) though. Should have tried to cut those few flowers out of the frame.

The colour here is perfect! Purple & yellow, complementary and harmonious. Though the composition is messy, I vaguely obeyed the rule of third and I find this arrangement pleasing to the eyes and not confusing. Guess I did it right?

I guess flowers are very much about colours. Again, love the colour, orange + green. However, I dislike the composition. Shouldn't have focused at the centre and instead should focus on the flowers at the right. By obeying rule of third, I think this will become much more effective and balanced because the leaves to the extreme left are in sharp focus.

This could have been a great shot. But I screwed it up... Somewhat. The flowers in focus were placed too much to the right. I was trying to introduce diagonal eye movement from centre to bottom right. Instead, I left nearly nothing at the centre and viewer must painfully search for the point in focus. Bad!

I believe the display's lighting brought out most of the colour of these flowers. I realized that for flowers, side lighting from about 45 degree above or below really does the trick. It make the petals glow! Anyway, Continue to love the colour! Hahahahaha!

For this one, I just live the overall arrangement. The place where the flowers grow out and how the bottom half of the orchid plants seem to counter the flowers' "weight". Though I must express my utmost disappointment at the over exposed area on the top right. Shoul have tried to get it out of the frame as it is too bright, too distracting.

I believe I did well to balance the third position with the white flowers. They are both equally striking, positioned at polar opposite locations. I like them. And among all the orchid I saw, I like these ones the most.

Didn't know why I like this. It's a balanced picture alright, I think the colour combination is good either. Red and green, conflicting but balanced. Hate the bit at top left that the background didn't cover... Though I managed to guide viewers' eyes out of there (at least I think I did), it's just imperfect... I think I like it because it reminds me of William's wedding.

Another picture in which I tried to play with balance. I guess I was moderately successful? Only arrived at that conclusion because I like this picture. Hahahahahaha!

Oh and finally, something for those who play Skyrim http://www.cracked.com/blog/5-personality-flaws-skyrim-forces-you-to-deal-with/. It made me laugh until my stomach hurts and really made my day.

Expectation Kills

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Went to a UK university talk today, got some info over a few universities that I had my eyes on. And of course, my score isn't enough. Some of them require straight As while others only accept slightly less. My score is obviously isn't there and I knew it even before I went there. That means retaking A Levels which will probably occupy my next year's schedule. No surprise there.

Had a chat with Kok Hon over the life my parents want me to live and the one that I want to live. It is true that all these "top university", "studying in UK" and "be someone" are what my parents wanted and not what I want. All I really wish for is a more gradual and calm life. No rushing about, no hurry. Study undergrad in Australia, try hitting a top university again during my postgrad. Learn more about photography instead of facing the stress of exams. And et cetera. Yet to make them happy, I must do certain things according to their wishes.

Sometimes it's hard to decide who to follow. When I'm afraid to lose someone, I will probably follow that person. Yet there are other things around me that pulls me away from that direction. Personal ambition, parents' expectations. Slowly I came to believe that what is mine will always be mine, be it friends or lovers or things or positions or whatever. I came to believe that God will lead me to the right way (and indeed He has till now). I believe whatever I obtained are rightfully mine while whatever I failed to get aren't. It doesn't mean I don't try to do my best to get the things I want. It only means I don't feel bad not getting it.

Anyway, next year's plan: Retake A Level and learn sketching. And both must be done pretty well...

Well nothing's worth trying unless it's hard.

Currently doing something so I will halt the update of photos for a while. And then a major update!

Weird

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My left boot is just somehow can't be shined to the same degree to my right boot... It is weird... So weird that I can't stop myself looking at my boots... Heh... OCD.

[Fud] Raw Fish Has A Nightlife Of Kindness

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Went out with two guys from my office before today's photography session. Click to magnify.

Trying to play with color, red yellow blue.

The two guys I went out with and the little Japanese restaurant that we went to. It gives plenty of raw fish and the fish tastes good.

One of the most expensive set, S$22. Full of raw... everything. Able to fill you to the brim with raw goodies.

My plateful of raw stuff.

Some beef goodies my colleague ordered.

Marina Sands in the distance.

The standard postcard shot. Beautiful nonetheless.

 A little back alley action. Like the split color due to the difference in lighting.

Another orange + blue. In theory, it would be nicer if the blue takes the majority. But in practice, this seems to work too.

Another water reflection shot. A little over-exposed as Fullerton Hotel was too bright... Maybe I should file a random complaint when I got the time... Hahahaha! I'm just joking.

Fly Me To The Moon

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Even on a black and empty street, if we go together, we might one day find something, like the moon that floats in the darkness.
 I guess words like these do go really well with Fly Me To The Moon.

Few people KNOW their calling. I may want to be an architect now, a new calling may well appear some day. If it is a higher calling, I will probably pursue that instead of architecture. It has happened a few times in my life, though the journey never deviate much and I'm always "lucky" enough to find whatever preparation I did before helped me in the new calling too. Somewhat doubt that I will always be this "lucky" though. But then again, I probably will be. Why? Secret! Hahahahaha! It's because I once received a promise.


Colour Skyrim's Christmas Magenta

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Spent a few hours preparing the next shoot. Currently, I'm planning on Clark Quay at night, long exposure with wide angle on the buildings with colorful lights. Since the theme of the next competition I'm trying to go into is Color, it makes sense to take these buildings. It also obeys my general direction of taking more architectural photography. Wish me luck! Can't wait to see the photos that I'm going to take.


"Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence" is a movie set in the Pacific theater during Second World War. It's about the absolutely forbidden love relationship between a Japanese commander and his prisoner of war, a US male marine. And this song was used to sum up the whole show. There's a vocal version called "Forbidden Color" but I personally prefer the non-vocal piano version much more.

This piece has everything I love about music inside. Sadness, excitement, endless feelings and emotions, love, regret and finally, a sense of peace. It speaks of a love that must not exist. It's like the color magenta, combing two ends of the color spectrum. It is a color that's absolutely impossible to exist yet so beautiful when you see it. And everything ends so suddenly. It's almost like sunset, the majestic magenta of the almost-night sky. And suddenly, it disappears into an endless torrent of deep blue and black.

I can never comprehend how our eyes identify a mix of many wavelength into a single color. It's almost like magic. No matter how science advances, I wish we never find out answers to certain questions, questions like these. I love to seek information but I guess sometimes, we should just stop at some point and believe, have faith that what's going on right now is the best!

Thanks

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Thank You for bringing me peace and reassurance in my time of need.

Life

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Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.
Anton Chekhov

 Anton Chekhov, one of the greatest Russian writer once said this. And I can't express just how much I agree with him.

I've been through a few crisis, the type with my future on the line. I managed to overcome them... Heh, more precisely speaking, I outlived most of them instead of beating them head on. But still, none defeated me. No matter how bad it was then, when I looked back, I find them meaningful. However, I think right now, I am on the verge of being defeated by day to day life. My life is not horrible, in fact, it's both joyous and peaceful. I am blessed and fortunate; I have what I need; I am progressing forward. Yet every once in a while, I just feel so useless and so disappointed in myself.

I try my best to be nice to others, even those who are not nice to me. Yet, because of their hostile actions towards me, they are hurting themselves. I try my best to help others. Yet there are so many who are beyond my ability. I believe so deeply that I know what I want and what I am going to do. Yet when I look at it more closely, I realize that my belief is empty, hollow. Why do I believe in God? Why do I want to become an architect? Why do I believe that I like this person and dislike the other? Why do I believe that I can be who I want to be? Why do believe that I want to love and be loved? Why do I even believe in myself? This stupid, crazy, ugly shell called "me". Too many questions, not enough answers! Programming dictate action!

 I wish to know! So please... Tell me.

Emergency!

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Just in case, I'm uploading this week's songsheet over here for William to download.
Blog isn't just to look nice or show off, it's functional too!

To William: Please click to enlarge the image. Thanks!


[Pra] Owling at Macritchie

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Today's a bad day... Cloudy (no harsh shadows which is nice but the grey sky makes uninteresting landscape shots), hot, moist and tiring. David and I spent most of our time at Macritchie walking instead of taking photographs...

However, something did stand out: an owl! More than one (two, to be exact) kind passerby pointed out to us that there's an owl and we should probably take some pictures for it. I'm really thankful! If it weren't for them, this trip will probably be completely wasted.

Same old, same old, click to enlarge!