Ord Bridge and River Cruise Boat, Night

This is between Clarke Quay and Boat Quay. You can see the pink roofs of Clarke Quay in the background.

A bridge alone doesn't look all that interesting. Luckily there are lots of cruise boats on the river at night. Just wait for one to turn up.

• Nikon V1, 18.5mm f1.8
• At 18.5mm, f1.8, ISO 800, 1/20 seconds
• Program exposure, automatic ISO maximum 800, matrix metering, automatic white balance
• Picasa: Straighten, crop, auto contrast, fill light

This is amazing low light performance from the little V1 camera. The 18.5mm f1.8 lens really makes it sing. Considering its small size and high performance, I would not hesitate to use it as my vacation camera. If only I had time to take a vacation.

Increasing fill light (mid tones) using Picasa, brightens up the green side of the boat, makes it pop. This is true for many night shots - boost the mid tones. It gives you a pseudo-HDR effect, without the trouble of HDR.

Marina Bay Financial Centre

View from Marina Bay Sands. This is a widely-photographed view. I zoomed into the skyscrapers for a more abstract image and to avoid the cliched skyline. 

• Nikon D600, 28-300mm f3.5-5.6
• At 180mm, f8.0, ISO 180, 1/250 seconds
• Aperture-priority, automatic ISO, center-weighted metering, automatic white balance
• Picasa: Auto contrast, highlights, color saturation

The original photo had low contrast because the photo was taken in the early afternoon under a bright sun. Picasa's auto contrast function cleared it up and an additional highlight boost brightened the photo further.