Sneaking A Shot Inside "The Egg"

So, I paid the money to get inside "The Egg" in Beijing. It was almost closing time, but I just wanted to get in, take some photos, and get out. It actually turned out to be the perfect time to go, as there were hardly any people inside. When I got to the top, they had the area roped off...so, I couldn't get a photo of the big "red thing" that was hanging from the ceiling. I asked the security guard if I could just go up for a quick photo, but he waved to me saying "NO"....so, I walked to the other side where there was no guard standing by, and climbed under the ropes, and snuck upstairs...I felt like a bad little kid going where he wasn't supposed to go...grabbed a photo, and snuck my way back. When I climbed under the ropes, some western tourists saw me...they gave me a nasty look, but I just pretended I knew what I was doing, and walked past them to the exit...what a bad boy I am...

I did have my tripod with me, and no-one gave me any hassle using it inside. This is a 5-shot HDR...tonemapped in Photomatix, and then I finished it off in Photoshop...What did I do in Photoshop? Well, I did some sharpening, and I also created a mask with my darkest exposure to bring back the detail in the window above....it was blown out after creating the HDR. I then added a "glow" using Nik's Color Efex Pro (Glamour Glow), but changed the opacity to the filter so that it was not too "glowy" if you know what I mean...

Another Shot Inside The Egg

Here's another shot inside the Egg on the ground floor. This was the last photo I took before being kicked out of the building...they closed at 5:00, and I begged the guard to let me take one last shot. It was dark inside, so my exposures were really slow...amazing how 12 seconds can feel like an eternity....I am sure it felt the same way to the guard who was standing there waiting for me to finish...but you know the best part about shooting in China? No-one bugs you about using a tripod...it is really nice. If I were in the states taking a similar photo, I would have been for sure been harassed about my tripod in a public place...what's up with that anyway?

Inside The Egg

I couldn't get enough of this building...you had to pay to get inside, and I waited until the last hour to go inside. I didn't want a lot of people running around. They closed at 5:00, so I went in at 4:00, and pretty much had the place to myself...cool.

It is tough to capture this amazing place with one photo...you need one of those 360 degree cameras to capture it all..but wow, what an amazing place!!

The Forbidden City Moat

I posted this photo on Google+ last week, and commented how I saw this scene and was reminded of a photo I saw on Trey Ratcliff's, Stuck in Customs Blog. I was wondering if it is cheating to take the same photo?? I remembered liking his shot, and when I saw the same scene, I wanted something similar. I am usually not like that...I like to find my own shots, but is it cheating in some way in taking the same photo that you have seen somewhere else?

Sculpture Thingy In Front Of Bird's Nest

Happy Halloween!!

I am off in Lombok, so made this week's posts last Friday.

I chose this photo cause it kind of has the Halloween colors in it...actually, I should have posted this photo last Friday, and put Friday's photo today...The bird's nest has all of the Halloween colors...

The Bird's Nest

It was a horrible, polluted night...but with all the lights turned on in the stadium, the haze was cut through allowing for some night photography...

A way cool building...wow, the Chinese have really stepped up their game when it comes to architecture...

I am off to Lombok for the week...a week of diving with my broken camera. I am hoping to get some shots, but I have not had time to get my camera fixed, so I might come back empty handed...we shall see...

Have a great weekend!!

Another Version of The "Egg"

Here is another shot of the same building I posted yesterday...this is from the side, and you can see the reflection much better completing the "Egg" shape...

The "Egg" in Beijing

Finally...made it to this incredible building in Beijing. The first time I went, the pollution was so bad, I could barely see the building, so ended up with some very hazy photos. The other thing that was confusing to me was the lights...they had these massive spot lights set up along the perimeter of the lake, but I never saw them turned on...I am sure the building would look even more spectacular with the lights turned on. I asked the people inside when they turned the lights on, and they said, "we turn the lights on when it gets dark"...BUT, the lights never came on...oh well...

From The Archives #5

This is one spectacular building to see up close. I was told there is even a better view from the other side where you can get a shot of the "Bird's Nest" reflecting in water. I had only 10 minutes to take some photos....I was with a group of teachers, it was very cold, and they were all waiting for me in the van...So, I ran to the front of this building, got my shot, and ran back to the van. This is what happens when you travel with non-photographers...they don't have much patience for some crazy guy running around at night with his tripod (me)...

I keep telling myself I need to get back to Beijing for some other shots of the buildings there...some day...

An update on my Drobo: I tried "Data Rescue 3". It took 32 hours to scan the drives (I did a deep scan), and when it was finished, I was nervous to look at what it found. It came up with some obscure files, none of which I recognized...so, I am still at ground zero...no photos recovered yet. I am still optimistic, though. I can't see how the files were erased, and I really believe they are still there. I have been told by some experts (including my Dad), that the problem is most likely in the file allocation coding...I certainly hope that is the case. My next step is to contact the Drobo guy in Singapore...I will keep you posted...

The "Nest" and The "Cube" in One Shot

It was so cold the night I was out taking photos in Beijing, that I could only stay out for about 10 minutes. I thought my tripod would freeze to my hands...so, I just ran from building to building hoping to warm up....didn't really help. This is the last shot I took before retreating to the nice warm van where my friends were waiting for me...