Sapphire Dreams || The Exquisite Marina Bay, Singapore
My trip to Singapore was a complete success on many levels. Not only was I able to capture some beautiful imagery while enjoying the spectacular iLight Event, but I also made some great new friends and contacts in the process. When you combine the compelling beauty of Singapore with the openness towards photography you get a very special city. As a traveler, I’m often forbidden from shooting areas with a tripod but Singapore seems to welcome it. It’s an absolute pleasure to walk the perimeter of Marina Bay and find dozens of photographers shooting with tripods and enjoying the fantastic spectacle of light.
Thank you to everyone for making me feel so at home in Singapore and a very special thank you to my friend Edward Adios for making all this happen. I’m already looking forward to my next visit in June. 
Getting the hang of the new mobile lifestyle.
On another note, I can’t tell you how happy I am to be editing photos again. The past few weeks have been a whirlwind of events compounded by an overwhelming sense of freedom mixed with obligation. Managing a 100% on the road lifestyle with full time blogging, shooting, and photo processing is a tricky operation and the last few weeks have been a real wake up call for me. I learned a lot about time management vs time enjoyment and I’m discovering that living life must always come first. So while I feel like I’m relearning how to balance my life, I’m relishing in the simple pleasure of creating something beautiful.
And just as my life has been a collection of experiences that have led me to where I am today, this photo shares an important similarity. It’s a culmination of many techniques that I’ve learned over the years combined together to create something I call: Advanced Dynamic Blending. This photo is a great example because in essence, what you’re seeing is a single image that blends a dynamic 2 hours of time.
Absolutely awesome photo – would love to know more about how you did this. On a totally random side note I think there might be something wrong with following you; I don’t think I’ve received an email for this post and I’m pretty sure I’m signed up for “Monkey Mail”
Thanks! I usually only send out quarterly news through the Monkey Mail. Would you like to get updates for new posts as well? I hadn’t thought of doing that.
The photo looks truly spectacular! I am also curious about the technique you’ve used, even if you briefly describe it.
Keep on the good work!
This photo is incredible, I agree with George and Aaron – shooting & processing tips would be appreciated!
What a fantastic image….I too would like a description of how you accomplished this image should you be so kind to share.
Great image as usual, Elia…!! Where did you take this photo from?
A private building actually. A friend of mine was able to get access and I was blown away by the angle.
Hey Elia…I am completely new to the site (I found you through Google+). I am impressed with the time you take to make your images. This is an impressive example of what a single images can become with the right work.
I will agree with the other voices…though I understand what you are doing in ADB, I would personally love to hear your thought process on how you proceed through an image. How do you approach an image, both conceptually and artistically? You seem to have a really good handle on color, any suggestions for resources? Everything I have looked at thus far is either too conceptual or functionally void for what I am trying to achieve.
I hear ya, it’s really hard to find good information out there. That’s why I want to make sure that the training I release is top notch before I put it out there. So eventually I hope to answer all your questions but its going to take me some time to get it all done.
In the meantime, I’m a big fan of trial by fire. Just get out there and try it. As far as color goes, I learned by looking at color corrected images and (believe it or not) matching specific colors to a Pantone swatch. Once you understand how to match color, you can make quick work of it in photoshop. it’s just like painting after all. Only you have an “undo” button.
Wow! One to add to my list of favorite images.
Stunning images – Your words and photos are beyond inspirational… Thanks for making my Monday a whole lot better!
So without revealing more than you’d like, can you tell us more about Advanced Dynamic Blending? It obviously looks like more than just an HDR blended photo with at least one very long exposure, though I suppose that might be what is happening here. Thanks for the info. Great shot!!!
Hi Matt, I hope to have a tutorial about Dynamic Blending soon. It combines digital blending techniques with images captured over a series of time. Long exposures are sometimes part of this process.