Greetings from Singapore! - Forums

Topic starter

26 days ago · Edited: 26 days ago

Hi there!

I've been a landscape photographer by hobby for more than a decade now. I've not been to many countries but I've tried taking a least one good photo in each.

I also tried some infrared photography after modifying my old Canon 5D IV (the same one that took the above shots!) and getting a couple of lenses from Kolari.

But only last June on a trip to the south of New Zealand did I try capturing the milky way, just for fun.

It was only a total of 2.5 minutes worth of exposure and based on the raw images didn't think it would amount to anything good. But when the integration completed, the faint yellows of the milky way blew me away. Pushing curves in Photoshop brought out even greater detail and I thought "how can I take this further?".

It took awhile to gather the funds to piece an AP set together. I focused on automating as much of the sessions as possible. I now own a second-hand FSQ-85 on a ZWO-heavy rig and it has been doing marvelous work each time I take it out during a clear night. I also have a deeper technical appreciation for all the amateur cosmic content on the web.

I suppose I've been a fan of capturing light on Earth so now it feels right to aim a little higher

Thank you for you time. Hope to be able to contribute more over the years to come.

P.S. Here are a few shots of my rig in New Zealand when I went back this June for my first solo AP trip:

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AmyWarble

26 days ago

You are a talented photographer! I especially like the mountain and the building in the middle of a field. Gorgeous pics.

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clickade

Topic starter

26 days ago

Thank you for the kind words, Amy! I try my best.

The photos you are referring to are the Vestrahorn mountain in South Iceland and an abandoned farmhouse in Lim Chu Kang, Singapore.

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Arun H

Frequent contributor

26 days ago

I have lived in Singapore for two years. While I wasn’t into Astrophotography then, I do know that it was and is one of the most densely populated and light polluted places on the planet. Besides, since most people live in high rise apartments, there isn’t a really good place you could set up a scope and mount, unless you have access to the rooftop of a building. So I suspect you will be limited in that regard if your aspiration is to do really deep astrophotography and will likely be restricted to narrowband. Of course, you could drive to Malaysia, but I wouldn’t know how long you would need to drive to get to a place to image from, and I would imagine it wouldn’t be something you could do on a regular basis. So I am kind of wondering what kind of imaging you have done in Singapore or surroundings itself and where you image from.

New Zealand is a whole different ballgame. I had the good fortune to visit for a week in 2008 and it is among the most beautiful places I have visited. And I have been to many beautiful places. I would love to visit and stay longer and image from there at some point in my life.

Anyhow, welcome and thank you for sharing your beautiful work.

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Brian Puhl

IOTD Staff

26 days ago

Around 3 years ago I realized I could take photos of the milky way with my cell phone.

Like you, I wanted more. It's addicting.

Welcome to Astrobin!

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AstroRBA

26 days ago

Amazing stuff !! Keep it up !

clickade

Topic starter

26 days ago

Arun H:
I have lived in Singapore for two years. While I wasn’t into Astrophotography then, I do know that it was and is one of the most densely populated and light polluted places on the planet. Besides, since most people live in high rise apartments, there isn’t a really good place you could set up a scope and mount, unless you have access to the rooftop of a building. So I suspect you will be limited in that regard if your aspiration is to do really deep astrophotography and will likely be restricted to narrowband. Of course, you could drive to Malaysia, but I wouldn’t know how long you would need to drive to get to a place to image from, and I would imagine it wouldn’t be something you could do on a regular basis. So I am kind of wondering what kind of imaging you have done in Singapore or surroundings itself and where you image from.

New Zealand is a whole different ballgame. I had the good fortune to visit for a week in 2008 and it is among the most beautiful places I have visited. And I have been to many beautiful places. I would love to visit and stay longer and image from there at some point in my life.

Anyhow, welcome and thank you for sharing your beautiful work.

Yeah I guessed as much that broadband will be a challenge in B9 Singapore, but I am pretty happy with just narrowband for now. There’s still enough emission nebulae out there to last a lifetime.

There are open spaces in Singapore actually! The tracks around reservoirs make good open spaces to set up and shoot from. Not as wide as those you can find in larger countries but beggars can’t be choosers I guess.

I do know Singaporeans who travel to a town called Pelangi in West Malaysia, which is about a 2-3 hour drive. It’s B3-4 there which is good enough for painless broadband imaging sessions.

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clickade

Topic starter

26 days ago

Brian Puhl:
Around 3 years ago I realized I could take photos of the milky way with my cell phone.

Like you, I wanted more. It's addicting.

Welcome to Astrobin!

Well met, Brian. Hope it doesn’t burn through my entire bank account though! I’m already eyeing a reflector to add to my collection.

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clickade

Topic starter

26 days ago

Amazing stuff !! Keep it up !

Thanks, Astro! I try my best.

Ziwei Xu

26 days ago

Arun H:
While I wasn’t into Astrophotography then, I do know that it was and is one of the most densely populated and light polluted places on the planet. Besides, since most people live in high rise apartments, there isn’t a really good place you could set up a scope and mount, unless you have access to the rooftop of a building.

I’ve been living in Singapore for eight years and took up this hobby two years ago. It has certainly been challenging.
Even with rooftop access, 200+ cloudy nights per year + random rains + poor seeing makes this hobby extremely challenging here.
But it is enjoyable.
Compared to folks living in low Bortle areas, S'pore people might be privileged to enjoy a special sense of wonder when visiting darker sites or getting a decent DSO image : )

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clickade

Topic starter

26 days ago

Ziwei Xu:
Arun H:
While I wasn’t into Astrophotography then, I do know that it was and is one of the most densely populated and light polluted places on the planet. Besides, since most people live in high rise apartments, there isn’t a really good place you could set up a scope and mount, unless you have access to the rooftop of a building.

I’ve been living in Singapore for eight years and took up this hobby two years ago. It has certainly been challenging.
Even with rooftop access, 200+ cloudy nights per year + random rains + poor seeing makes this hobby extremely challenging here.
But it is enjoyable.
Compared to folks living in low Bortle areas, S'pore people might be privileged to enjoy a special sense of wonder when visiting darker sites or getting a decent DSO image : )

Yes, I think this is absolutely how I feel too. When travelling to darker sites once a year, it feels like rediscovering the night sky because I have since forgotten the experience in a previous trip. Like how some people say they hope to get amnesia so they can experience their favourite movie or song for the first time over and over again.

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Kelvin Tan

25 days ago

Salam Abdul, nice photo of the Statue of Liberty! I'm a Singaporean who relocated to Malaysia, and you can always enjoy some dark skies in say Mersing or Cameron Highlands. Where I'm located in Penang it's a Bortle 4 zone and very viable for backyard imaging.

There's a heat wave enveloping our region now and the skies are crystal clear at night. Been imaging quite succesfully. If you are ever up in the Northern Territories hit me up we can go for makanan, teh tarik, and an imaging session.

Warmest,
K

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Read noise Astrophotography

25 days ago

nǐ hǎo!!!

Awesome place !! look forward to seeing the results !