Shooting In The Dark

During workdays this is what I see when I step out to grab dinner.
I'm amazed at how much detail it got. Taken hand held too.

It was another long night. I didn't want to just stay at home. So I decided to get lost somewhere... Again.

It was a lonely night and I was trying to keep the blues at bay. Instead of just contaminating my home with the bad vibes I decided to take a hike. After some shopping I went to BGC and had dinner.

View from the parking lot. Not the best of my moon shots though.
It just looks like a glowing blob here.

I decided there's not much to shoot here so I decided to go home... But not until after I revisit  my old hangout: Ayala Triangle. I stopped by the coffee shop and after that before leaving, I thought I'd try to see what I can get shooting a practically pitch black environment. It's actually a pleasant surprise.

I got some surprising amount of detail aiming at the dark. ISO 5000, 1/4 sec. exposure with f/3.5 gave me this. Also, this was taken hand held.

Sat on a bench and limited the ISO to 200 and aperture to f/5.6, I compensated with exposure time at 6 seconds and I got this.

Just to give an idea as to about how dark it was. This kinda nails it.

It still  doesn't stop me though. It gives a different effect.

A little adjustment and I got to capture the scene with a bit more brightness.

Pathway going out.

I should do this more often.

Now I'm fairly happy with the pictures I got (Yes, I'm not hard to please. LOL) I decided to go home. It's midnight already after all.

Until then, let's get lost and wander. :)

Shooting In The Dark

During workdays this is what I see when I step out to grab dinner.
I'm amazed at how much detail it got. Taken hand held too.

It was another long night. I didn't want to just stay at home. So I decided to get lost somewhere... Again.

It was a lonely night and I was trying to keep the blues at bay. Instead of just contaminating my home with the bad vibes I decided to take a hike. After some shopping I went to BGC and had dinner.

View from the parking lot. Not the best of my moon shots though.
It just looks like a glowing blob here.

I decided there's not much to shoot here so I decided to go home... But not until after I revisit  my old hangout: Ayala Triangle. I stopped by the coffee shop and after that before leaving, I thought I'd try to see what I can get shooting a practically pitch black environment. It's actually a pleasant surprise.

I got some surprising amount of detail aiming at the dark. ISO 5000, 1/4 sec. exposure with f/3.5 gave me this. Also, this was taken hand held.

Sat on a bench and limited the ISO to 200 and aperture to f/5.6, I compensated with exposure time at 6 seconds and I got this.

Just to give an idea as to about how dark it was. This kinda nails it.

It still  doesn't stop me though. It gives a different effect.

A little adjustment and I got to capture the scene with a bit more brightness.

Pathway going out.

I should do this more often.

Now I'm fairly happy with the pictures I got (Yes, I'm not hard to please. LOL) I decided to go home. It's midnight already after all.

Until then, let's get lost and wander. :)

A Night At The Park

It was a bit of a  lonely night. I didn't feel like going through my usual routine and was up for exploring something different.

Under a cloudy moonlit night below the towering monstrosities I gazed upon the sky and mused to myself...
"I'm hungry. Gotta get dinner." 

Along 28th street in the corner of 7th avenue I stumbled upon a cozy place. It was 8 in the evening and I was feeling hungry. I parked at a parking lot on 9th avenue along 28th street. After dinner I was refreshed and nourished... But I didn't feel like going home yet.

This is what I stumbled upon. The night was young and I fancied a short walk. So why not?

The BGC area is having new developments and is among the growing communities in Metro Manila. construction sites like this are a common backdrop you see every now and then.

At first I was wondering what this is about.
Apparently joggers use it for stair-related exercises.

It looks like a nice hangout for some quiet time. Especially when it's not at a crowded time.

What I noticed is the abundant presence of these fire hydrants. I wonder what's up with that...

Looking closer they don't look real either. Just for aesthetics I guess?

I guess this little distraction is something for the kids to play with.

It'd make sense since beside it is a playground. A considerable portion is a playground.

Fancy a game? I wouldn't have minded it but I'd look silly playing this game alone.

The last time I played this was back at elementary school. Sigh I feel old now.

There's also some playground stuff for the toddlers and little kids. Don't play without adult supervision, kids!

Oh right. There's the parking lot across the street. I think I've walked enough to digest dinner and unwind.

I felt that I had my fill of walking that night. Not bad a way to spend a holiday. It was the 2nd of November (2014). I suppose that's why there was hardly any crowd here. Not bad I suppose. Until then, let's get lost and wander! :-)

A Night At The Park

It was a bit of a  lonely night. I didn't feel like going through my usual routine and was up for exploring something different.

Under a cloudy moonlit night below the towering monstrosities I gazed upon the sky and mused to myself...
"I'm hungry. Gotta get dinner." 

Along 28th street in the corner of 7th avenue I stumbled upon a cozy place. It was 8 in the evening and I was feeling hungry. I parked at a parking lot on 9th avenue along 28th street. After dinner I was refreshed and nourished... But I didn't feel like going home yet.

This is what I stumbled upon. The night was young and I fancied a short walk. So why not?

The BGC area is having new developments and is among the growing communities in Metro Manila. construction sites like this are a common backdrop you see every now and then.

At first I was wondering what this is about.
Apparently joggers use it for stair-related exercises.

It looks like a nice hangout for some quiet time. Especially when it's not at a crowded time.

What I noticed is the abundant presence of these fire hydrants. I wonder what's up with that...

Looking closer they don't look real either. Just for aesthetics I guess?

I guess this little distraction is something for the kids to play with.

It'd make sense since beside it is a playground. A considerable portion is a playground.

Fancy a game? I wouldn't have minded it but I'd look silly playing this game alone.

The last time I played this was back at elementary school. Sigh I feel old now.

There's also some playground stuff for the toddlers and little kids. Don't play without adult supervision, kids!

Oh right. There's the parking lot across the street. I think I've walked enough to digest dinner and unwind.

I felt that I had my fill of walking that night. Not bad a way to spend a holiday. It was the 2nd of November (2014). I suppose that's why there was hardly any crowd here. Not bad I suppose. Until then, let's get lost and wander! :-)

Throwback Thursday: Around Belmont

I may, for sometime, have been raving about how I love being in San Mateo, CA. But for a time before that, for a couple months or so, lodging in San Mateo wasn't available for us. For the time being, we were living in its neighboring city, Belmont, CA. It was May of 2012...

The Oracle compound. Belmont, CA.

At the end of the day after work we'd hit highway 101 going south from Fashion Island Boulevard and exit at Ralston Ave., head towards Marine Parkway and from a distance see the magnificent Oracle compound. Notice how their buildings resemble the schematic symbol for a database: Round cylinders. At the intersection we take a right at Shoreway Rd. After a short curve we take a left at Sem Lane and we arrive at our home away from home- the Extended Stay hotel in the area. It's not exactly 5-star accommodation (I now realize how silly I sounded asking about how much to tip the bellhop. Thing is, such hotels don't have one.), but it's actually a nice place. Fairly complete amenities for everyday stuff. 

Our home away from home- Extended Stay America.

Usually our work ends around 4PM or 5PM tops. After work before turning in for the night if I don't feel too tired I usually go out and explore the nearby areas. It's actually a quiet and interesting place. With a camera in hand I go out on a walk. Sometimes, I'm stuck with chores though. Which is still good. Everything is new to me.

Laundry Room. Yes it may seem mundane but it's here that for the first time in my life I have operated a coin-op washer and dryer. The place is decently maintained and there are some interesting brochures as well.

Feel like exploring but don't know where to go? This may help.

Here's some stuff I saw while exploring the area... I got as far as discovering a nature trail, which would've been suitable for a good jog, a Nob Hill Foods in the area where we get our groceries and got to walk around the Electronic Arts campus as well. (Nope. No pictures of those. I haven't had my camera yet at the time.)

Shoreway Rd beside highway 101.

Around the area we're in the place has a lot of stuff like this. Looking back, I regret not taking advantage of this. But then again, I'm not comfortable in the idea of working out in public.

Pull Up Rings? I don't really know how to use these things. They look interesting to me in pictures though.

The 8PM lawn shower. Yes. 8PM. Sunset is around 8:45 PM on May. For the first month or so that really messed with my body clock. It's 7 PM and I'm taking an "evening walk" but it looks like a bright afternoon. As the weeks progressed the days became shorter and more "normal" for me. It was a very interesting experience while it lasted though.

I took this picture by around July already... Sunset.. at 08:17 PM. To someone like me that has been so used to seeing sunset at around 6 PM, this is surreal.

This path leads to a nature trail. It lets me go "off road" on my evening walks. I'm glad I didn't encounter any snakes or anything as dangerous.

Here are the rest of the stuff I have:

Until then, let's get lost and wander! :)