Sunday 28 April 2013

Reflection...noitcelfeR

Awesome Reflection as rendered by a Nikon D700

In case you are wondering what the second word in the subject header means, it is "Reflection"spelt backwards. Hmmm.....that did not go very well. The human mind is a funny thing. It can sometimes spot minute details in a split second but other times, it stares us in the face and we still don't get it.

Such was my experience some weeks back when I trekked to Punggol end at 5:30 am to photograph the sunrise. It was pitch dark when I arrived at the beach and armed with my tactical torchlight, I could barely make my way along the rock strewn beach. I set up my camera and sat, perched on a rock waiting for mother nature to turn on the lights :) Yup, she turned it on alright, but there was no oomph. The sky lit up gradually, as with every morning for the last I don't know how many thousand years. That morning, there was no pizazz. The lights came on and there was no drama of daylight erupting into life. I took more than 100 shots in the hope that I would catch something. Alas, this was not to be.

OK, if you want to see the best photo of the lot, it would probably be this:
Not worth Printing ... don't waste paper
Sad eh? Only one barely usable photo from the pile. I would not even print it on paper as I feel it is a waste of photo paper :p

Dejected that I had voluntarily deprived myself of sleep that morning, I decided to cut my losses and reward myself with a well deserved Dosa Masala. On my way to the car park, I chanced upon one of the most beautiful reflections I have seen for a long time. (That's the photo at the top of the page.) My son has a better rendition of it because he used an ND (Neutral Density) filter (see below). I thought it looked great. I have never been a big fan of filters, thinking that most things can be fixed post production. I am a convert now :)

Reflection with ND filter as rendered by a Nikon D800
What was my reflection of this Reflection? I was reminded of two quotes:
 "Life is a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get." - Forrest Gump
"When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." - Dale Carnegie
I have since come up with my own:
"While you are making lemonade, don't forget to smell the roses."

Remember, life is what we make of our journey on earth and not about the destination. Have a good life, everyone :)

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

:)

adLibbing said...

I've always liked "unfiltered". It's raw, honest, real.

My photos are all unfiltered. The reason is simpler though. I use a point and click, idiot-proof camera. :p I mostly don't edit after the fact too.

But I digress. For me, on a more psychological level, "unfiltered" is what-you-see-is-what-you-get. In this world of stiff upper lip closetry, "unfiltered" is refreshing. No pretenses. No paying lip service.

The same for the pictures. I like the original for the gentleness of the light, its subtle hues and serene "realness" (is there such a word?)

Its effect when you look at it, is like taking a long, deep breath, inhaling a sense of inexplicable calm and peace. That's my noitcelfer. Based on my yenruoj. :)

Thanks for sharing the picture.

T Bubbles said...

Well said. Knaht Ouy.