Photography Blog by April Ngern

WEDDING HIGHLIGHTS - BOON HUI + SANDIE

2012-09-06T10:44:00.000+08:00

Beg, steal and borrow. Truth be told, I did none of these to capture my cousin's beautiful visage on her wedding day. She was the nicest bride and I love her so much!

Waiting...

Love & Light

So gorgeous Sandie!

THE LONGEST COURTSHIP : DARRYL + KELLY

2012-07-30T20:56:00.000+08:00

More than 10 years of courtship. Kelly is my cousin and the most beautiful among all of us. Such big doe eyes captured the heart of Darryl. Darryl is an Indian-Chinese and he speaks fluent Chinese.

Lovely sis with our youngest cousin. She is, so unwilling to take a photo. Takes forever to coax her.

Kelly, really?

MR & MRS PERSONALITY : DENNIS + SOK SEE

2012-07-16T11:47:00.001+08:00

It was raining for the past few days before their actual wedding day. They prayed and we prayed for them. Our prayers were answered. Sunny and windy, nothing more perfect than that day’s weather.

The punishments!

And more…

An emotional moment that time could have stopped. And I could feel how the person at the other side of the door would have felt.

Sok See, simply gorgeous…

Who should get it?

Lovingly cute, aren’t they?

Beginning June

2012-06-06T10:44:00.001+08:00

Follow me on Instagram @aprilngern

Cheerios!

Of curls, chiffon and mockingjay

2012-05-03T07:18:00.001+08:00

Photo Diary - Singapore Zoo

2012-04-29T00:51:00.001+08:00

Nikon J1 + Mount Adapter FT1 + 70-200mm VRII

Frute @ Far East Square

2012-04-16T19:51:00.001+08:00

A very close friend of mine opened a concept cafe where he is selling fruit juices using real fruits, without sugar added. And he even design unique sandwiches using the freshest ingredients. I was honoured to be invited by them for a food photography shoot.

Dried cranberry smoked duck - Sliced smoked duck topped with dried cranberry and melted cheddar cheese

Cheesy Mayo Portobello Mushroom

Best-selling salad - Pearberry Union

Gingerly Mango Salad

Frute – Where Real Fruits Blend

3 & 4 Amoy Street Far East Square #01-01 Singapore, Singapore 049947

Tel: +65 6226 1738 | Email: frutesingapore@gmail.com | Facebook Frute Singapore

Mon – Fri: 8am – 8pm, Sat: 11am – 4pm. Close on Sundays.

Delivery available.

♥♥♥

2012-03-28T21:05:00.001+08:00

~ Engaged on 25 Nov 2011 ~

Nikon J1 test subject–Poky, The House Rabbit

2012-03-15T21:45:00.001+08:00

Nikon J1 Test Shots

2012-03-10T22:19:00.001+08:00

Thought about purchasing for the longest time. Not that I’m already sick of my Nikon D700, I wouldn’t mind bringing it out but my shoulders can’t take the weight some of the time. A camera that I can put in my bag everyday with high ISO performance.

Searched through every review to understand the pros and cons of this camera. Most of the reviews would gear towards criticising J1 for having a smaller sensor size than a four-third and having a crop factor of 2.7x. I was very hesitant previously. After looking through pages and pages of photos uploaded onto Flickr, I was pretty impressed by the ISO performance which was also one of the highlights in some of the reviews.

I won’t go too much into the specs and shall let the images do the talking.

f2.8, ISO 800

ISO 1,600

I’m impressed. ISO 1,600. Creamy smooth.

ISO 1,600

Random

2012-02-02T21:55:00.001+08:00

Universal Studios Singapore AGAIN!

2012-01-13T23:38:00.001+08:00

2nd time outing with my lovely sisters, Wenwei and Chong Liang. Although that was my fourth time, I had not tried 4 new rides. Transformer 4D, Human, Cylon and the new Madagascar water ride.

Transformer 4D and Cylon were the most awesome rides ever. I would give as many thumbs up as I could for Transformer 4D. The team behind this ride made a NEW 2-minute 4D movie. You will be seated inside a car wearing 3D spectacles. The movie was spectacular one. It is as though you were the hero at war with the Decepticons.

This Optimus Prime was an alive and kicking.

Human-size dryer that cost S$5. Made for those people who are soaked to the skin after the Rapids Adventure @ Jurassic Park. To make your money worthwhile, should have at least 2 person utilizing it.

Lovely sis.

Went for the Monster Rock show. Fantastic songs and dances. Managed to get the 2nd row seat. Not suppose to take photos but who cares!

There was supposed to be parade and we went around to get the best spot. But was cancelled! Argh!

Fox Glacier

2011-12-29T22:59:00.001+08:00

A 4.5hr drive from Queenstown to Fox Glacier – Glacier Country. As we drove from the east to the west coast, the landscape changed dramatically. West Coast resembles South East Asia’s tropical forest except for some of the weird-looking plantations. At some part of the highway, we thought we were in Genting Highlands.

Fox Glacier is a very peaceful town. To some, it can be quite boring. The general store is very small and things that the store sell is quite expensive. I would recommend to stock up the ration at bigger towns before going to Fox Glacier.

One of the nature walks along the highway before reaching Fox Glacier.

Knight’s Lookout Point. The horizon seems to have an endless border so much so that the curvature of Earth can be seen.

Approaching Bruce Bay. The weird-looking trees that I’m talking about.

Walking to Fox Glacier. We booked the half-day trek with Fox Glacier Guilding. Eye-opening tour especially for me, who loves Geography! The reason we chose Fox Glacier is that the walking distance is much shorter compared to Franz Josef Glacier, which means more time can be spent on the ice.

How insignificant we are, compared to Mother Nature!

The air was freezing cold even with the gentlest breeze. Cold air sinks above the glacier which creates wind. Our faces were literally cold and smiles were much frozen.

Ice Arch.

Queenstown, New Zealand

2011-12-25T11:25:00.001+08:00

Queenstown, a small awesomely beautiful town known for its extreme adrenalin activities. I read that the first bungy jump started from Queenstown. I totally LOVE this little town! Tranquillity town surrounded by Remarkables (mountains).

Tourists (not us) getting ready for jet boating.

One of the days that we can wake up late and slow down our pace. Besides its magnificent view, there’s a famous burger store. The size of its burger is bigger than Wen Wei’s face.

Fergburger – In Ferg We Trust. Tripadvisor reviews here.

Look at its sheer size. To me, it is the best burger in the world. If you think that Carls Jr was nice, Fergburger will win hands & legs down. Due to its delicious taste, I can finish the whole burger.

Even the seagulls were waiting!

~~~

The next morning, we went for the Gondola ride costing NZ25 for a return trip.

The Remarkables (mountains) in the background.

Bungy jump but this is not the highest. One will plunge into the deep forest.

Paragliding - One of the activities that I regretted not playing. The starting and a very high point.

Off they fly!

Ride up to Luge.

On the way to Glenorchy. Look at how clean & clear the lake is. New Zealanders certainly love their country and environment very much.

Best scenic road from Queenstown to Glenorchy

2011-12-18T18:30:00.001+08:00

This is a must-drive road for every tourist who arrives at Queenstown. This is, by far… the best scenic highway of all the roads we drove in our trip. Even Trey Ratcliff (professional landscape photographer) from Stuck in Customs recommended this drive. See his HDR version of the drive.

My HDR version, merging of 5 images.

15,000 ft skydive with Nzone, Queenstown New Zealand

2011-12-18T16:18:00.001+08:00

One of the highlights of this trip was skydiving. We have researched many companies and decided to book the skydive with Nzone. One of the main reasons was the excellent reviews from Trip Advisor, and they provide an individual photographer-cum-cameraman to jump together. Undoubtedly, the package price for video and photos was more expensive, much more than those shot with hand cams. The dive masters in Nzone were all very professional and Nick, who was my tandem master gave me some advices how not to be nervous.

He said, “Once you are out there, adrenaline will rush in and you will not be scared anymore. Trust me.” And I really need to trust him.

With my tandem dive master, Nick.

Fly like a Superman!

Touched down in 1 piece. I WANT TO DO IT AGAIN!

Milford Sound

2011-12-11T13:17:00.001+08:00

We based our drive to Milford Sound in Lake Te Anau. The drive to Milford Sound is about 2-2.5hrs with a few scenic stops. The drive itself is already sooooo breathtaking. We booked at Milford Sound cruise with Real Journeys, about NZ85 per person. The nature cruise is about 2.5hrs long. As we only have 2 nights in Te Anau, we went for the shorter cruise which is in Milford Sound. I have a feeling that Doubtful Sound is much nicer. But the trip would have taken the whole day and much much more expensive.

Milford Sound rains about an average 200 days a year. We were considered extremely lucky that it was a fine and sunny day when we went. The west coast of NZ have sandflies problem especially from Spring onwards except for Winter. It is best to purchase an insect repellent from the local pharmacies as they have their own unique formulae to combat the flies. Originally, I wanted to purchase Bushman but settled for Skin Inc. instead. Skin Inc. insect repellent is one of the best that I have owned. The smell is nice and the spray worked well.

Nature cruise with Real Journeys

Waiting for the cruise to depart

Milford Sound is actually a fiord, having been carved by a glacier.

Some say Milford Sound is best viewed during a rainy day as the waterfalls would be even more spectacular.

Seal colony, lazing in the fine weather.

Ultra zoom at 300mm.

As our tour departed at 1030am, the weather was considered cold and windy. I was so frozen… Only hubby managed to brave the wind and had the shot above.

The clouds were so low during our drive, they covered half of the mountains at Milford Sound. Only clearing up in the afternoon. The feeling was mystical.

~~~

After the cruise, we had plenty of time to slowly drive our way back to Te Anau. Day is much longer during summer. We went in November, the sun only set at 9pm. A good sign for photography enthusiasts like us, as we do not have to rush or postpone our dinner.

A 15min return walk to The Chasm. Quite a spectacular sight as the waterfall plunges into the deep.

Tiny weeny winding road in the midst of the majestic mountains in Milford Sound.

Reached this place after driving out of the 1.2km long Homer Tunnel. We were so excited to see the leftover snow/ice.

From iPhone.

Preparing for our couple shot.

Over to the other side of the Homer’s Tunnel, an adventurous “cow boy” climbed up the treacherous rock formation.

Mount Cook

2011-12-06T22:30:00.000+08:00

Had one free day at Tekapo, so we decided to drive to Mt Cook to do the nature walks. New Zealand has many nature walks that are free. I had always wanted to do the 3-hour return Hooker Valley walk but the walk was closed due to the maintenance of the suspension bridges. No luck for me.

Went to Kea Point and Tasman Glacier View walks instead.

Plenty of scenic drives in NZ, particularly in the South Island.

Lake Pukaki, its water is more turquoise-looking than Lake Tekapo.

This is one of the most scenic-looking toilet.

If only I can have some form of perspective, we were actually at a high point overlooking this view.

Majestic Mt Cook

The Southern Alps

Lake Tekapo

2011-12-05T20:00:00.000+08:00

Due to the influx of budget airlines to NZ, we got our tickets from Jetstar at a steal. Booked 6 months in advance, our air ticket only cost a mere SGD 560 with taxes. Woo! We did a lot of research before embarking on a 10 day tour on just the south island. Freestyle.

Sunrise

A gruelling 10-hour flight from Singapore to Auckland, before changing to a domestic flight from Auckland to Christchurch (80mins). New Zealand is 5 hours ahead of us. So both of us had some slight jetlag.

Mountainous landscape, view from the domestic flight

The drive was so scenic. Coming from an urban city, the sight was definitely breath-taking.

Taken by my iPhone

After reading many reviews, we chose to stay at Lake Tekapo Scenic Resort. One of the few accommodations which offers the best view of Lake Tekapo. We drove from CHC airport straight to Lake Tekapo, a 3-hour scenic drive. Lake Tekapo is easily recognized by its mineral turquoise colour.

A natural wild garden outside the resort.

The Collie dog statue commemorated by the New Zealanders for their hard work at the field.

Church of Good Shepherd

Asian Civilisations Museum Fright Night

2011-10-29T23:18:00.001+08:00

Was strolling along Clark Quay after dinner at Song Fa Bak Kut Teh and happened to clash this Halloween event organized by Asian Civilisations Museum. Admission was free, so how can I forgo this chance?! Fright Night was a relatively smaller scale event but nonetheless, I had my first taste of Halloween.

There was a particular gallery which showcases weapons used in the ancient South East Asia. At first, when I stepped into the gallery, I could sense some chills down my spine but I didn’t mention to Wen Wei. In Chinese, it would be described as 阴气重.Its the same feel as one walks to the cemetery. I just wanted to complete the gallery and move out asap. It also happened that Wen Wei had the same feeling too. The most obvious guess would be that these weapons were once used for *ahem you know* killing purposes and should have already tainted with blood.

Anyway……. The same old lovey-dovey walk….. And some forever alone photos.

The Walking Dead dancing.

Free Halloween makeup but it was such a long queue so I didn’t go for it.

And in another life, I would still be your girl…

2011-10-22T23:09:00.001+08:00

Saturday’s Chillax

2011-10-17T19:54:00.001+08:00

F1 Performance by Shaggy

2011-10-02T15:24:00.001+08:00

As we were camping at Turn 2, by the time the race ended it was impossible for us to run to see Linkin Park’s performance. So we headed for the last F1 performance by Shaggy. He was super COOL!

I have always like music photography. Not only capturing music personalities but also the ambience. And if I happen to know the song, it will just motivate me further.

Mic in his pants.

ISO 1250, F/2.8, 1/125s

Due to the lighting, depending on Aperture Priority mode is unreliable. I will have to switch to Manual Mode.

Panning F1 Cars

2011-10-01T10:44:00.001+08:00

I learnt how to pan a moving vehicle through Willy Foo’s Basic Photography course. And this time it had come in handy. Panning is a technique whereby it is hard to get it right the first time. Well at least for me. It is about moving the body according to the same speed as the car. Panning an F1 car was nerve wrecking. Hundred of shots taken but only a few photos made it.

Porsche GT race. ISO 100, F/11, 1/100s. Continuous focus.

Panning in bright daylight is easier than at night. Porsche cars are relatively slower. So after a few shots, I kinda got into the groove.

At turn 2. Shuttle Priority. ISO 2000, F/7.1, 1/160s

I had tried a lot of shots before I got it right. I had a few questions asking, “What are the camera and lens you use?” The truth is, I’m only using a 50mm lens, all of the time I had to adjust myself and the camera to suit the environment. The success of panning lies in the technique. I have witnessed Wen Wei using a Nikon D90 but still able to pan out very nice results.

I tried to challenge myself further, which is to pan an F1 car at a lower shuttle speed.

ISO 2000, F/10, 1/100s

ISO 2000, F/14, 1/100s

A good panning also lies in the contrast of the car. With an F1 car traveling at such fast speed, the camera has to lock the focus point faster than the blink of our eyes. So choose a moving vehicle with high contrast will make panning easier.

ISO 2000, F/13, 1/80s

ISO 1600, F/14, 1/50s

I tried to reduce the shuttle speed as much as I can handle, which means I had to be very consistent during the panning especially turning my body from right to left.

ISO 1200, F/14, 1/50s. I didn’t pan very well with Ferrari cars as the contrast level was much lower than the other cars. So this is my only good panning shot of the Massa’s Ferrari.

ISO 1250, F/11, 1/40s –> the slowest shuttle speed that I can handle.

Red bull, Sebastian Vettel. ISO 1250, F/16, 1/40s. My best shot of the day.

In pursuit of…

F1 – We Love Jessica Michibata!

2011-09-26T22:15:00.001+08:00

We dressed up specially to meet Michibata! We absolutely love her because not only she is Wen Wei’s dreamgirl, she is super friendly.

Top from H&M Girls. He said I’m his girl in reality.

Nadal’s Green Top. He said he wanted to stand out from the fans.

She said that she remembered us!

MICHIBATA!!! She signed on the photos that were taken last year. There was a story why we were so crazy about her. During our 3rd time, we got our tickets at the very last minute and slowly strolled to the circuit park. We happened to enter via the gate nearest to Promenade MRT station. While walking to the Singapore Flyer, a racetrack marshal shouted “Jenson Button is coming!”

Since Wen Wei is not interested in Button, he was looking for Button’s girlfriend. I was totally not jealous because I was blown away by her beauty too. When I approached her last year to take a photo together, she happily said “Yes.” Woo hoo!

Both our hands were shaking even after the photos were taken.

What a proud boy!

The next day, we arrived at Gate 5 quite early so waited at the Asian Civilisation Museum to hide away from the heat. Mad hot outside!

I love the creamy effect of my 50mm lens.

We walked all the way to the Singapore Flyer, again to hide from the heat.

The Ultimate Street Race Under The Stars!