This was taken back in 2012 with a bridge camera when I was too lazy to lug along a dslr and changing lenses. The Canon SX30 could only shoot jpegs and I found having only jpegs was rather limiting and this eventually drove me back to interchangeable lens gear and only cameras that had raw option.
Once listed by the authorities as a protected landmark, the Rochor Centre was nevertheless demolished in 2018-2019 to make way for new developments.
Although the lighting was rather harsh, there was still enough details in the sky in the raw file for this final image.
Usually when shooting towards the light, exposing for the shadows would’ve consequently brightened things up a bit. But in this instance, the exposure wasn’t biased brighter to keep the reflection clear.
The smaller sensor couldn’t possibly offer enough dynamic range to capture details in both the bright exterior and dark indoor. So I chose to expose for the ‘dragons’ in the mall.
This was captured from across the bay and it was originally a bit hazy. In post, the contrast was tweaked and saturation was increased a little to get this final image.
Taken at 16mm equivalent focal length for its convergence effect and tilted for a more dynamic composition. In post, blues were saturated some 50 percent to make the pale blue sky a little bluer.
The background was converted to black and white in post partly so that the focus might rest on the tree and partly so that the reflection might be clearer.
The image here looks a little flat. I was actually trying to mitigate the effect of the harsh sun by tweaking the shadows and mid-tones in post and probably overdid something.
This was captured at the equivalent focal length of 16mm.
Storm clouds were gathering over Chinatown as this image was taken. The unintended angle came about as I had to hold the camera behind a steel screen and shoot blind. But as an afterthought, the scene could’ve also used that bit of drama.
Helluva Times 