Sayang Disayang Movie Screening, Objectifs Rooftop

Sayang Disayang movie screening, Objectifs Rooftop

Free screening of Sayang Disayang, Singapore's entry for the Academy Awards 2015 Foreign Language category. Director Sanif Olek was there to answer questions from the audience, after the screening. 

I'm quite a movie buff. Unfortunately I wasn't too impressed by the movie. There wasn't enough material to sustain a feature-length movie, it should have been made into a 30-minute short.

I feel a bit bad about giving the movie a bad review - Sanif Olek is a very nice guy, friendly and humble.

Gateway building in the background on the left, Parkview Square on the right.

• Nikon V1, 10-30mm f3.5-5.6
• At 10mm, f3.5, ISO 800, 1/5 seconds
• Program exposure, matrix metering, auto White Balance with 2 units magenta (standard setting for fluorescent lighting)
• Picasa: Straighten, crop

Mural, Kampong Glam

Mural along an alley in Kampong Glam (near Sultan Mosque, Haji Lane, Bali Lane, Beach Road, etc). Lots of murals (or "official graffiti") in this area. I've passed by this mural many times, but couldn't get a good photo of it. On this day, someone happened to leave a yellow mop bucket in front of it, and that made all the difference.

• Nikon D7000, 12-24mm f4
• At 12mm, f4, ISO 100, 1/250 seconds
• Aperture priority, center-weighted metering, auto white balance
• Picasa: Auto contrast, straighten, fill light

I don't use wide angle lenses much, too much distortion in the corners for photographing people, is fine for buildings and scenery. The alley was quite narrow, so the wide angle did come in handy.

The Substation

The Substation is the 3-storey building on the left. It used to be an electrical substation. It is now an arts centre. It is located on Armenian Street, next to Singapore Management University. I think the black fabric exterior is temporary, an installation art display.

http://www.substation.org/

"Founded in 1990 by the late Kuo Pao Kun, The Substation is Singapore’s first independent contemporary arts centre. We are centrally located in the city’s civic district. Our venues include a black box theatre, a gallery, a dance studio,Random Room and two multi-function classrooms. We present and co-present a wide range of artists and programmes, from traditionally trained dancers to local rock bands; established visual artists to young poets; publications to international short film festivals; experimental theatre to seminal conferences on Singapore arts and culture."

• Nikon D7000, 24mm f1.4
• At 24mm, f1.4, ISO 100, 1/30 seconds
• Manual exposure, center-weighted metering, auto white balance
• Picasa: Auto contrast, straighten, crop.

I tried a few different angles: left, right, straight-on. This view from the left seemed to work the best. The windows at the side of the building make the photo more interesting.

I cropped the photo to leave out some clutter at both sides of the buildings. I believe that cropping is the best way to improve most photos.  

Official Graffiti, 222 Queen Street

Along the side alley. This one is new, wasn't there a few months ago. I'm seeing more and more official graffiti around town, which is fun. Cars are usually a pain, spoiling the view, but this car and motorcycle add interest to the photo. 

• Nikon D7000, 18-105mm f3.5-5.6 
• At 18mm, f5.6, ISO 100, 1/125 seconds
• Program exposure, center-weighted metering, auto white balance
• Picasa: Crop, auto contrast.

Bright outdoor photo, lots of night. Flat subject, no need to worry about depth of field. Medium toned (not too white, not too black), no need to worry about exposure compensation. Technically simple shot, set everything on auto. 

Student Artwork, SOTA, School of the Arts

Samples of student art, along the external corridor of SOTA. This is along Prinsep Street, where members of the public pass by every day. 

• Nikon D7000, 18-105mm f3.5-5.6
• At 18mm, f5.6, ISO 1600, 1/45 seconds
• Aperture priority, center-weighted meter, auto white balance
• Picasa: Straighten, crop, auto contrast, fill light

Chose aperture priority to stop-down the aperture a bit to f5.6 for greater depth of field.

Official Graffiti, The Arts House

On a temporary wall surrounding a construction site, outside The Arts House ( http://www.theartshouse.com.sg/ ), near the Singapore River. The bird looks good in a suit, but he really needs to chill.

• Nikon D7000, 18-105mm f3.5-5.6
• At 22mm, f3.8, ISO 1600, 1/60 seconds
• Program exposure, center-weighted meter, auto white balance
• Picasa: Crop, auto contrast

Should have gone down to ISO 400, forcing the program exposure to 1/15 seconds, but was passing by and in a hurry to meet someone. Was at ISO 1600 because was previously taking photos of buildings in much lower light (it's 7pm). Didn't want to use auto ISO because Nikon's auto ISO doesn't take focal length into account (need to set higher shutter speed for longer focal lengths), and I was using a 6x zoom, not a prime lens. 

Official Graffiti, SCWO, Singapore Council of Women's Organisations

More a mural than street-style graffiti, this is on the front garden wall of the SCWO ( http://www.scwo.org.sg/ ). It's along Waterloo Street, near the Singapore Art Museum. You can see part of the building at the top right: an old colonial-style bungalow.  

• Nikon D7000, 18-105mm f3.5-5.6
• At 18mm, f8, ISO 400, 1/250 seconds
• Program exposure, center-weighted meter, auto white balance
• Picasa: Crop, auto contrast

Normal approach to wall art: photograph from an angle to squeeze more of the length in. Also makes the photo more interesting, less flat.

Official Graffiti, Stamford Arts Centre

The Stamford Arts Centre ( http://www.nac.gov.sg/fac/fac0301.asp ) at Waterloo Street, is near the famous Goddess of Mercy temple. This is a photo of the side wall. The air-con units outside are a sign that this is an old building, without central air-conditioning, retrofitted with individual units.  

There's another Stamford Arts Centre in the UK.

• Nikon D7000, 35mm f1.8
• At 35mm, f6.7, ISO 400, 1/180 seconds
• Program exposure, center-weighted metering, auto white balance
• Picasa: Crop, auto contrast, fill light.

White wall caused the camera to under-expose a bit. Fixed it later with on the PC.

Amphitheatre, Dhoby Ghaut Green

Located behind the Dhoby Ghaut MRT station (Park Mall side), this partly-sunken aluminum structure is easy to miss unless you walk behind the MRT station. It's designed around overlapping curves. There's a stage and seats and everything, available for rent from National Parks, for outdoor performances and private functions.

Developed by the URA (Urban Redevelopment Authority), it was designed by Mr Chan Soo Khian of SCDA Architects Pte Ltd ( http://www.mnd.gov.sg/mndlink/2010/2010_Jan/URA_article.htm ).

You can see the School of the Arts (SOTA) in the left background, and the Rendezvous Hotel in the middle background. 

• D7000, 18-105mm f3.5-5.6
• At 30mm, f5.6, ISO 400, 1/125 seconds
• Program exposure, center-weighted metering, auto white balance
• Picasa: Crop, auto contrast

Not much color in the photo. I'd normally wait for a blue sky or evening lights, but I think that the curved structure is interesting enough to stand on its own, without needing color to make it interesting.
 
I've started to use the kit zoom lens as my main lens. With the superb high-ISO performance of today's DSLRs, and the optical quality of consumer zooms, you rarely need a large-aperture prime lens, let alone an f2.8 "professional" zoom. And the Nikon 17-55mm f2.8 isn't stabilized (Canon's is).

You need a prime lens more at the telephoto end, so put a 50mm f1.4 or 85mm f1.4 on a second body, and you're set for most indoor situations, with 4x the light sensitivity of a f2.8 zoom.

Oxford Hotel Singapore

The Oxford Hotel Singapore ( http://www.oxfordhotel.com.sg/ ) has an unusual design. Few hotels here have murals, let alone such a brightly-colored one. It looks like it is glowing because of spotlights on the ground. It is 7:20pm in the evening. 

The hotel is located between Queen Street and Waterloo Street, near the Singapore Art Museum. Compared to a conventional hotel, it is turned 90 degrees: the side of the hotel faces the street. 

• Nikon D7000, 35mm f1.8
• At 35mm, f1.8, ISO 800, 1/60 seconds
• Manual exposure, center-weighted metering, auto white balance
• Picasa: Auto contrast, straighten.

Official Graffiti, Post-Museum Cafe

Outside wall of the Post-Museum Cafe ( http://www.post-museum.org/ ), Rowell Road (off Jalan Besar). Looks like another official, commissioned graffiti. Unfortunately the wall isn't in good condition and some of the paint is peeling. 

Post-museum says that they won't be renewing their lease, are looking for another location. Not sure what will happen to the graffiti. 

• Nikon D7000, 35mm f1.8
• At 35mm, f4, ISO 1600, 1/30 seconds
• Aperture priority, center-weighted metering, auto white balance
• Picasa: Auto contrast, crop

Had to shoot at an angle, to squeeze more of the graffiti in. 35mm isn't wide enough and I was already backed up against a wall. One advantage of shooting at an angle is that you do compress the image horizontally, so you get more of the photo filled up, instead of a lot of black space at the top and the bottom.

Stopped down to f4 to get enough depth of field for the angle.

Merdandy Bar and Cafe, Haji Lane

The Merdandy ( http://www.merdandy.com.sg/ ) is one of many cafes along Haji Lane. Their menu is a mix of local, Italian and Arabic food.  

This is the rear entrance, which is more interesting than the front, but they don't seem to want to advertise the rear on their website. Waste of beautiful artwork. Some kind of graffiti-style cyber/science fiction and Aztec or Egyptian feel (lady looks like Nefertiti).

• Nikon D7000, 35mm f1.8
• At 35mm, f4.8, ISO 100, 1/180 seconds
• Program exposure, center-weighted metering, auto white balance
• Picasa: Auto contrast, crop.

For a slanted object like this, you need some depth of field. A kit zoom lens starts at f3.5, so you don't normally have to worry about depth of field. With a large aperture prime, you need to set to at least the kit lens aperture to be safe. Day was bright enough for Program mode to set f4.8. If aperture wasn't small enough, I'd simply boost the ISO until it was. You can take short cuts like that if you've got enough light, no need to go to aperture priority mode.

Painted Manhole Cover

I don't know why this particular manhole cover and the ones nearby, are decorated. Most aren't. They are outside the Bishan bus interchange. Love the colors. The picture is actually printed on plastic and glued onto the manhole cover. There are a few different pictures, and they aren't unique. The same picture is used on more than one cover.

Manhole covers in Singapore are square, not round. The black line in the middle is where the cover's double doors open up. The little teardrop shapes are raised bumps on the steel, so that you don't slip when walking on the cover. 

• Nikon D7000, 35mm f1.8
• At 35mm, f6.7, ISO 100, 1/180 seconds
• Program exposure, center-weighted metering, auto white balance
• Picasa: Auto contrast, crop, highlights.

Singapore Post, Post Box Artwork, Official Graffiti

Most of the post boxes I see are plain white, but a few seem to have custom artwork. Probably official, I doubt this is graffiti. This one is near the Bukit Batok bus interchange. 

• Nikon D7000, 35mm f1.8
• At 35mm, f4, ISO 100, 1/60 seconds
• Program exposure, center-weighted metering, auto white balance
• Picasa: Auto contrast