Making of a Photograph: Part 8 – Singapore Skyline from Esplanade

This photo of Singapore skyline was shot in February 2022, and was my most favourite photo of the year. When I took this picture, I knew instantly that it’d top the list for the year (although it was still February), and it did, as you can see in my Top 5 Photos of 2022 post.

Around this area is called “Queen Elizabeth Walk”, and very close to where I shot a photo featured in Part 4 of Making of a Photograph series. Singapore is very tiny, anyway, so most of popular cityscape photography spots are within walking distance of each other. 😅

As for the technical aspect, I started the long exposure at 19:18 pm, 3 minutes before sunset, and extended 1/4 second of base shutter speed into 257 seconds (at f/7.1) by using a 10 stop ND filter.

I often say that there is only one timing under the fast-darkening blue hour sky that results in the best possible shot, which typically comes 10 to 5 minutes before the end of dusk. So, starting the exposure so much earlier (around the sunset time), this shot was more of an experimental one, but I was stoked when I saw the result on the back of my camera. 😀

This photo is definitely different from my typical blue hour shots taken towards the end of dusk that come out more vibrantly. Since it still had 20+ minutes left before the end of dusk, there wasn’t much blue hour hue seen in the sky, but I quite like the overall cleanliness of this image and subtle but clear reflections on the water. Definitely in my lifetime top 10 (so far)!

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About the Author: LASTLIGHTS.NET is a passion project of Joey J, a Singapore-based Japanese photographer primarily shooting cityscape photography with long exposure at blue hour. Visit his Home Gallery (30 most favourite photos taken) or download his free eBook, Getting Started with Long Exposure Photography.