PHOTO JOURNEY

Cookie Time

2010-04-10T11:33:00.004+08:00

Today I thought I would try baking cookies with my son. First we don't have a proper oven for baking and second, I have not baked cookies before. However, with a lack of activites on a cloudy day, it's a really good time to give it a try.

It was suppose to be enough for 2 dozen cookies but instead I think I was a little to ambitious and made them a little too big and the results was; first burnt batch, second soft batch and a third huge cookie that was just too soft:-

Flickr Account

2010-04-02T22:11:00.004+08:00

Sorry for the delay in getting my Tokyo trip shots up. My Flickr account had maxed out on the 100mb space for the month with just 1 posting and I had to wait for it to reset this month.

Well, as I am also about to hit the 200 photo mark on my account, I am now seriously considering getting the paid account so no more delays with the photos.

Tokyo 5th Day

2010-03-05T22:03:00.025+08:00

It's check-out day. I got up bright and early to take a walk around the hotel grounds. Spent so much time outside the hotel that we never really got the chance to see what the hotel had to offer to guests.

Our view from the hotel room was the garden grounds of the hotel. Being winter, the grass was brown and the trees bare and devoid of colours. A good reason to shoot in Black and White. In the garden, there were traditional Japanese styled shelters and structures:

Here the bell in the garden is being rung by the 2 of the hotel staff which happens once every morning to mark the hotel chain's 10th anniversary:-

To keep track of the number of times the bell is rung, the staff make use of these pebbles:-

I have been debating the right term would to use to describing the job of this young lady. Is there such a term as Bellgirl (like a Bellboy)? She hails the cab, opens the car door, greets the guests and even carries the lugguage. Regardless, she was kind enough to pose for this shot:-

We had about 3 hours before the bus to the airport so we thought we would visit the Epson Aqua stadium which was a indoor sea park. Here there are shots of the tank with the various kinds of shark and mantas along with lots of other fishes.

Here is the view of the big pool for a dolphin shows but we didn't have the time to watch it:-

That concludes our 5 days in Tokyo, Japan. A great place to visit with some of the most friendly people I have come across. I had been told that 5 days would barely stratch the surface of the city and I totally agree. Japan is a place well worth a visit several times over.

Tokyo 4th Day

2010-03-03T23:48:00.000+08:00

Day 4 in Tokyo, Japan was taken up soaking up the sites of Asakusa, Akihabara and Ginza. This would be longest posting I have to date on the entire blog as we covered 3 of the biggest tourist areas in Tokyo in 1 day.

First stop was Asakusa and the Sensoji Buddhist temple. We were approached by an young lady asking if we were interested in a rickshaw ride around the area and we decided on a 20 minute ride around the area and stopping at the Sensji Temple entrance.

She introduced herself as Rei(ph) and she would be the one pulling our rickshaw:-

Here, Rei introduced us to Benten-yama or Bentendo Hall, where performers and artists come to pray for improved skills in their art. The bell here in the olden days was used to mark the time and would be rung every 2 hours but now only rings once at 6am each day. There used to be 12 of these bells all around the town but due to Japans involvement in WWII, only 2 of these bells remain while the rest were melted down for the metal:-

After the rickshaw ride, we walked back to some of the areas introduced to us by Rei and here here is the Waentei Kikko restaurant in Asakusa that has scheduled performances on the Japanese Tsugaru Shamisen:-

The Sensoji Temple is huge and very crowded but a must see place if you are in Tokyo:-

Here is one of the most famous gates in Tokyo, the Kaminari Gate(雷門)or "Thunder Gate":-

Here is a shot of under the huge lantern:-

After Asakusa, our next stop was to Akihabara, the electronics centre of Tokyo and home of the famous "maid cafes". Here are several shots of the cafe maid girls handing out flyers along the busy streets:-

Last stop was Ginza, the high end shopping district of Tokyo. A difference can be felt here from the other parts of Tokyo. The first thing you realise is that the people who come here are well dressed and that there is non of the hustle and bustle of the other area. People are alot calmer and relaxed here. It a Sunday here and the roads are closed to allow for shoppers to walk and enjoy in a much wider area:-

A busy day and tiring day.

Tokyo 3rd Day

2010-03-01T21:24:00.009+08:00

Day three was set aside for Tokyo Disney Resorts. It was nice that Tokyo Disney has got a free shuttle service from many of the hotels to Disney. Tokyo would be the 3rd Disney that I have gone to just 2 more left to go (Florida and Euro Disney) to complete the set.

Size wise, Toyko would be similar to that of California, USA with most of the same rides. Although it's winter, the crowds were out in full force with many of the rides having long queues so we spent most of the time in the various houses of Disney charaters like Goofy:-

Here is Toontown with it's crazy Dog Pound:-

What is a visit to Disney without seeing its parade:-

The familar sight of the Disney castle. This was taken as the sun was setting giving the castle a warm glow:-

At the end of the day we were pretty worn out and decided to try the pushcart Ramen stall near our hotel. The hot noodles in cold weather is is such a nice feeling:-

Tokyo 2nd Day

2010-02-27T23:40:00.014+08:00

The rush of the previous day did not stop me from getting up in the cold morning of 6am to take a walk around the hotel neighbourhood.

The first thing I realised was that Japan was really the land of the rising sun. Even this early in a winter's morning, it was bright. My first stop was a little shrine I saw while on the train the day before. This is the Takanawa Shinto Shrine :-

These are the "Komainu" or Guardians that guard the entrance of the shrine. These Guardians are usually Lions, Dogs or Foxes and in this case, they look like lions to me :-

Along the streets, I noticed that they are quite visually impaired friendly with these guide markers to help people navigate the streets and train stations. Also, the street are really clean even before the cleaning crew got to it:-

On the other end the town, there is yet another Shinto Shrine call the Takayama Shrine which according to the plaque (in English), protects the residents and businesses in the area. Here, I managed to capture a shot of someone making a quiet prayer at the foot of the shrine:-

After breakfast, we were out of the hotel and headed to Odaiba. It is a man-made island that was originally a landfill site but now houses several theme parks, a beach, a hot spring and shopping malls galore.

This pink cat is the entrance to a huge cat store that everything you want for your pet including a restruant where you can dine with your cat:-

This is just a glimpse of the longest pedestrian bridge that I have ever crossed:-

Inside Pallet Town is the Venus Fort Mall, which reminds me of the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas with it statues and painted sky. You would be right saying that this is a very classy mall and the stores they have there are towards the higher end of the scale:-

Tokyo 1st Day

2010-02-26T11:33:00.006+08:00

Visiting Japan has been something I have wanted to do for the longest time. Finally, after much planning, I got to holiday Tokyo. It was exciting as we were not going with a tour group but on a "Free and Easy" holiday.

We took a night flight flying out, here is my boy at Changi Airport waiting for our flight:-

Arriving the next morning at 6.30am, we were welcomed into Japan with a light snow fall and -1 degree celsius. It was my first time seeing falling snow so it was something we enjoyed while waiting for the bus to the hotel:-

It was far too early to check-in so after dropping of the luggage at the Hotel we were off to lunch at Ueno which is a 25min train ride from the hotel. We basically just got into the first interesting restruant we saw:-

Ueno's Ameyoko market is very much a mishmash of stuff with fresh and dried foods as well as clothings and souvenirs:-

After lunch and walking around the market, it was just too cold to stay out longer so back to the hotel to check in and conclude the day.

My Return

2010-02-23T14:49:00.003+08:00

I've been neglecting my photo blog for far too long now. Well, fresh from a holiday in Japan, I should have some photos to update. Right now it's being batch process from RAW to JPEG so please bear with it for a little while more.

It was a 5 day trip there so I will splitting the postings into 5 parts showing the sights of each day.

Old friends to this blog will notice that I have a new "toy" in the form of the Canon 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM lens. I got this especially for this trip as I wanted to just carry around 1 lens. It is a great focal range for travel and great for most days but it kind of disappointed me in the night and indoors even with the IS.

Birthday Time

2009-05-03T23:14:00.005+08:00

Been busy celebrating my little boy's birthday. It was a simple affair and nothing really to brag about in terms of shots here. It was really just a family affair snapshot session. But still, I just wanted to share a very cute moment before the party.

Here is the birthday boy helping set up the decorations the best he can.

Wedding Shots

2009-04-20T21:11:00.004+08:00

I recently had an oppunity to photograph a wedding. It was my first time shooting such an important event and it was a tiring experience. Running around trying to get that good shot and rushing to change lenses in-between breaks.

But overall, I really enjoyed the chance to try out something new and I was kinda happy with the results. I ended up taking over 400 shots but here are 3 of my favourites that I like to share.

This is just a warm up as I get back into my photography groove and will be doing my weekly posts (hopefully).

The flower girl was so sweet and she could pose for some really nice shots. I like this one because it showed her calm composure before the start of the wedding procession.

I don't know. Black and whites for wedding shots just seems to appeal to me somehow. Most of the shots were in colour except for a very select few that I thought really brought out the feel of the envrioment. Here you see the back of the couple and allows you to see from a guest's point of view. Can you imagine how nervous the couple must be.

I am especially happy with this shot caught just after a joke told by the priest. I fired out so many shots trying to capture the moment the both of them smiled. I think it was a really tender moment that they shared with all the guest there.

Been Missing

2009-04-15T08:47:00.002+08:00

Hello all, sorry that I have been neglecting my Blog but work and studies have been keeping me super busy but I will be coming back with new photos to share over the weekend.

To all my regular visitors…hope to have you coming and commenting here again soon :)

Storm Brewing

2009-03-02T19:58:00.011+08:00

It been a dry past few months in Singapore without a drop of rain. But recently the weather has started to get back to normal with rain coming down heavy. Today, I was stuck at home when the dark clouds started forming and couldn't resist taking a few shots out of my window.

The rain didn't last very long and very soon the sun came back out...it was setting and out of view from my window. I was however able to catch the setting sun after the rain via a reflection from the window pane. So what you see here really a reflection of the sun on my window.

Thaipusam 2009

2009-02-08T19:28:00.004+08:00

Thaipusam is a Hindu religious festival that is held once a year in honour of the Hindu deity "Lord Murugan". It is a time when worshippers show their devotion by usually either carry milk pots or the more extreme of carrying a 15kg (33lbs) “Kavadi” which involves alot of piercing of hooks or very long sharp spikes.

It really is a sight to see and not really for the faint hearted especially at the point of piercings and the removing. It is just unfortunately I am not able to be there in the evening to catch the really elobrate Kavadis.

These people have to walk about 4km (2.5miles) barefoot and in the day it is especially harder with the heat and the very hot road. It is made even more challenging with the fact that these devotees have fasted between 1 week and 3 days before.

Here are some shots from this morning. A warning for the squeamish, there are shots of body piercings!

The event is really a family event where members of the family and friends participate in the walk with the devotee to provide support.

Even the young participate. Some carry milk pots while there are the few that do the pirecing.

I mentioned milk pots. Devotees can opt to carry a milk pot instead of the extreme Kavadi due to reasons of their own. The expression on this man shows his quiet devotion.

My eye caught sight of this walking stick. Many Kavadi carriers use a walking stick to support themselves through the walk due to the weight of the Kavadi.

Lime is a symbol of protection. Yes, those limes have been hooked to his body.

The Kavadis and the rest of the shots.

Just a background. There were several shots taken while I was lying on the ground. In this shot you can see the man on the left smiling at me.

City Views of Hong Kong

2009-02-01T18:59:00.013+08:00

More photos from my Hong Kong trip. These here are a selection of various scenes and views I saw during my holiday there. Many were interesting views but there were others that were a little "raw" but all were wonderful to take.

To start off first are some panoramic views of Hong Kong.

The first one is a view of Hong Kong city from "The Peak". This is not the top of the peak but at 2/3 of the way. It was a little misty as it was still cold weather there.

This second one is from the top floor of the hotel were I was staying. This is a view other view of Hong Kong city across the Hong Kong harbour.

Next set here are views from Mong Kok. This area is a famous shopping district where many of the shops open till past 1am. It was also here that I got my new Tamron lens from "Wing Shing", one of the more reliable shops in Hong Kong for camera equipment. Anyway, this areas was crowded and full of flavor, definately a must visit when in Hong Kong.

This Golden Retriever was decked out in the Chinese New Year finery on the streets of Mong Kok, Hong Kong.

Here are crowds in Mong Kok...this is the early crowds (1730hrs) that just gets more later in the night.

This was an unusal sight to me where stores placed a chair outside for people to rest their feet or wait.

Like in many cities around the world no matter how rich, there are always the very poor and at many street corners there old ladies lying on the street begging for money while others were a little more passive. Here are some scenes...

This old man looked like he had one leg and was fast asleep at a street corner in the cold.

There were others who instead of begging were more enterprising like this man in Mong Kok awaiting challengers to a game of Chinese chess. I am not sure how it works as no challengers came forward in the time I was there but the obvious aim is you pay to challenge him.

While this man being wrote chinese calligraphy with his feet.

Hong Kong Food

2009-01-30T20:32:00.012+08:00

What is a visit to any country without showing their food. I was a little disappointed with the variety of food in Hong Kong. Hoping to experience some interesting fare, I was instead faced with the usual, Wanton noodles and Tim Sum.

There were really no roadside stalls but I suppose Hong Kong has modernised and improved their hygiene levels after events like SARs and the Avian flu.

Anyway, here are some fare that I had during my stay there.

My first Hong Kong meal was this bolw of spicy noodles. Called the Mala noodles, it comes in 3 levels of spicy and this here is the lowest level..still quite potent.

Hong Kong is famous for their Tim Sum and this was at one of the more famous Tim Sum restrants in Tsim Sha Tsui, another district in Hong Kong. This is the standard Tim Sum fare and tasted good enough but really expected a better quailty after all the raving from friends.

This here is a stall at the Mong Kok area. The smell of the octopus tentacles was good and the crowd queuing made this stall one of the more popular in the area.

Hong Kong First Sights

2009-01-30T19:33:00.006+08:00

I'm back from Hong Kong. It's was a really tiring holiday with lots of walking at the theme parks and the shopping/exploring. I ended up taking about 500 photos and I have split a selection into several topics so it'll be easier to view. Also, I've hit my mothly upload allocation on Flickr so it'll be a day before I can upload more.

Oh, during this trip, I ended up with a new lens..the Tamron 17-50mm f/2.8. It was at a really good price I could not refuse and really recommend if you happen to be in Hong Kong, visit "Wing Shing" for your camera needs.

In this part, here are the some of the first sights I saw on arriving to Hong Kong. All shots were taken inside the bus on the way from the airport to the hotel.

This is a shot of a toll booth on one of the bridges in Hong Kong, cost of this was HKD$10. It wasn't the last toll on the way to the hotel though.

A Hong Kong sea view.

These are residential apartments in Hong Kong. It seems to be the norm that there are so densly packed. If you thought Singapore was bad, this is really takes the cake.

Now in Kowloon, one of the many districts in Hong Kong. This shot was taken while we were at the traffic light under a flyover.

I'm Away

2009-01-24T00:39:00.003+08:00

Ok..this blog is going quiet for about a week while I spend some time holidaying in Hong Kong. It'll me my first time there so I really don't know what to expect but I have finished packing my trusty cameras and lenses and hoping for the best.

I hope to have some good shots to share with everyone. In the meantime, to everyone a Happy Lunar/Chinese New Year. Gong Xi Fa Xai (wishing all good fortune and wealth).

Weekend Out

2009-01-19T00:12:00.005+08:00

It's been awhile since I last posted any shots of my boy. I have tons of them but they are in RAW format and have not got around to converting them. However, here are some taken on Sunday while we are out. I don't know, I kinda like Black and White shots for candid.

The boy and his nap time.

No child can resist sweets and cakes...First stop after waking up from his sweet nap.

Unexpected Rainbow

2009-01-18T23:53:00.005+08:00

This morning while waiting for the wife and son, I managed to take a few quick snaps around the Beach Road area. This was taken outside the Suntec Convention Centre (SICEC) and I was aiming for the the flag poles but caught sight of a fading rainbow...it hasn't rained here for weeks so I was quite surpised with this find.

Happy 2009!!!

2009-01-01T11:33:00.010+08:00

Happy New Year to all visiting this blog and hoping that 2009 will be a good year for all the good folks.

The Christmas season has kept me somewhat busy so, I have not been able to go out and update my Blog with new photos but with the holiday season now over, I should find myself able to take more shots soon.

This very early morning, I decided that I would get some photography done and went down to the Marina Bay area to get some shots of the Carlsberg Wishing Balls. All these balls in the water were written with the wishes of people and floated in the waters near the Esplanade...It was really nice with the morning sun just touching them so early in the morning.

It was low light and with a light breeze blowing, the balls kept moving so it was a challenge getting a clear shot but I still like them.

Here in the background, you can see the construction site of Singapore's upcoming "Intergrated Resort" or the Marina Sands Casino. I think the mess behind kinda adds to a conflict here, the busy activities behind with the calm and quiet of the water and balls.

In the background, you can see Singapore's famous "Merlion". An icon of Singapore that I for one really love and feel very proud of.

Just to get a feel of the area used for this promotion by Carlsberg. I am not very sure how many ball are in the water but it sure looked like a good number there.

This one ball caught my attention with the words "Family"...I think that is really sweet and agree that family is important and that well wishes should be made for family.

Kampong Glam

2008-11-30T23:55:00.001+08:00

Ok..back into colour mode. Springtree Road's black and white challenge was really fun and I enjoyed seeing the world in B/W and I am now having some difficulty getting back into colour.

This morning I went over to the Malay quarter of Singapore. Well, it’s not really the Malay quarter now but more like a tourist showcase of Malay culture of past. The area is called Kampong Glam and it’s become full of fashionable cafes and shops. However, you can still see some of its old heritage:-

The Sultan Mosque or the "Masjid Sultan" which is not the biggest Mosque in Singapore but a very historical one, still attracts many Muslims in Singapore to come and worship.:-

There are also “Sarabat” stalls that make great hot drinks like coffee, tea (in malay it’s teh) and ginger tea. Here you can see a glass of my tea with milk which I took a mouthful first before snapping it also, the owner here was really friendly and allowed me photograph him:-

Well, it’s not all Malay cultural stuff here, I did find this very interesting quilt store. It is closed on Sundays but I did get it’s store font here :-

Ok to end the tour here, a local resident of the area:-

Isn't it funny?

2008-11-18T08:24:00.009+08:00

Isn't it funny when you see a place, scene or people you photographed also appearing somewhere else later?

Well, yesterday, I was reading a newspaper story about how scrap metal dealers have been hit by the slow down in the economy when I saw the photo in the paper and it's caption. It's of the same place that I had taken when I took a walk in Little India and my first shot for Springtree Road's Novemeber in black and white challenge.

All of sudden, I now know a story behind the location I shot and it has become something more personal. Maybe, next time, I will take the time to talk and find out more about the people and places I shoot.

You can view the news article and photo here.

Boat Quay

2008-11-16T14:55:00.007+08:00

This morning I was hoping to get some daytime landscape photos of the Central Business District (CBD) but it turned out to be one of those days where is was too bright and with a touch of haze.

So not to make it a wasted trip, street shots of the Boat Quay area. For those who are not familar, Singapore's Boat Quay area is right at the heart of our banking and business district and comes alive after 6pm. It's full of restruants, pubs and places to unwind and relax.

Being right next to our Singapore river, its really a very nice place to sit, relax and watch the bumboats go by.

But being a Sunday morning, the offices are closed and the place quiet. The white collar office workers are off work but for the blue collar labourers it's just another day at the "office".

Night Home

2008-11-12T00:01:00.014+08:00

Well, the last post I mentioned that I have yet to take any night shots yet. So tonight for practice, I decided to take the view from outside my apartment.

This is a view from my home of Singapore's famous public housing converted from colour. This photo is really nothing much as it's really just a pratice round.

Waterloo Street in Black and White

2008-11-09T20:40:00.010+08:00

To continue with the challenge from Springtree Road , this morning, I spent some time in the Waterloo area shooting in Black and White.

Waterloo street area is full of churches, museums and art schools. So it is an area that is quite artistic but, I got there too early in the morning so the museums and art shcools were all closed but that was not my aim for today. Today, I decided on doing some street and a little candid shooting.

So enjoy the photos.

There is a famous Buddhist temple at Waterloo which is dedicated to the Goddess of Mercy and next to it, an Indian temple. Most times they are very crowded and I prefer not to take people worshiping as it is some thing private and I’d hate to intrude so instead, here are scenes from just outside the temples.

Yard Dogs

2008-11-07T00:22:00.004+08:00

I had intended to go out and shoot some photos but, I changed my mind and went to my wife's workplace to pick her up after work instead. It was a lucky thing too as it started to rain quite heavy. But still, I had my camera and was still itching to get some shots out so I took what I saw while waiting for her to finish work.

There are 2 yard dogs, they are big and bark quite loud but are alright once they know you. Also, they were not the most co-operative of subjects to take photos of so I had to use a little "creative technique" to compensate.

Of course dogs are not all there were there. There was lots of wood materials to take too.

Singapore Flyer

2008-11-06T20:34:00.029+08:00

As a photography enthusiast in Singapore, here is my mandatory photo of the Singapore Flyer. I have yet to meet a photographer in Singapore who does not have at least 1 shot of this huge Ferris Wheel...currently the largest in the world.

I am not a big fan of the usual photographs and have been taking all effort to avoid photographing this wheel. Well, technically I have not really taken the Flyer “per say” but a skyline of Singapore which happened to have the Flyer in it.

I actually hate the Flyer simply because its a big eyesore to our skyline, very much like the Marina Sands casino worksite. It’s just that today, I did a quick area scouting of the newly open Marina Barrage to see if there are any worthwhile photo to be taken there and well, there is alot of work still being done there so it’s quite bare currently. Also, there was some haze today and made photo taking a challenge. So really today was a wasted trip but as a consolation, I decided to take the skyline and stitch them together to create a panoramic view. Some work had to be done to cut through the haze so, not my best work here.

I also just realised today, I have yet to take any night shots. I have the equipment so really, now its a matter of finding the time. Hopefully soon, I can have some night shots of Singapore. I can assure you, Singapore in the night is beautiful and I hope I can do some justice.

Little India

2008-11-02T16:55:00.009+08:00

In Singapore, we have people from many races and cultures working and living in Singapore and as such many have a little corner; like Little India, it provides a slice of their homeland where they can gather with friends, buy produce and products that they are familar with and just remind them of home.

On the web, you will find great photos of the main streets and stores but for me, I love the backlanes and allys. Many would be afraid or unsure about walking these isolated places as vice and all sorts hang out there but I find that interesting textures and scenes can be found there. Anyway, this is Singapore and really, it's still quite safe even in the backlanes. Ok, I can write pages on this place but its the photos that you are here for:-

Ok, Maya at Springtree Road is having a Black and White challege for the month of November and it's quite an interesting concept. I can only "blame" Liss for getting me deeper into photography by bring such challenges to my attention. Anyway, I hope to be able to add more B/W images soon.

My contribution to this challenge was also taken at Little India. These are my 1st shots in B/W, usually I would play around with converting coloured photos to B/W but not here. These were taken in monocrome mode and I think they really bring out the mood and the "roughness" of the area:-

Sunrise

2008-10-31T09:43:00.015+08:00

It's been a long while since I last updated my Blog with new photos. So today, it happened that I woke up at 5am and couldn't get back to sleep so, I decided that I would go out to capture the sunrise. So I got changed, packed my camera and walked 15 minutes out from home to capture these shots:-

I am actually quite happy with this set of photos...totally no editing have been done and all photos came straight out of the camera. Maybe I should do more sunrise shots during my next day off.

Of course, besides landscapes, I did try to capture some of the birds out there but my 250mm reach is still not enough to get close shots but I spent some time creeping in the grass trying to get close to these two:-

Update - 1 month on

2008-10-06T23:00:00.004+08:00

No photos in this update just a quick reflection of the month that has passed.

Time flies and this blog is already a month old. In that short time so much has happened. Not only have I moved from a Canon Powershot S3IS to Canon 450D DSLR. I also managed to also own 3 lenses which I have found alot of use for.

In the 1 month, I have taken photographs of birds at the Jurong Bird Park, F1 cars at the very first F1 night race and heaps of photos of my son.

I look forward to more photos and have began to plan small projects and hope that I would soon have the time for them.

Jalan Bersar

2008-10-03T18:54:00.010+08:00

I had been wanting to go out more to take more photos and today, I got the chance. I thought I'd give RAW a try as I have never had that capability before. It was a really warm and sunny day and I really didn't want to stay out too long so just a few quick shots here.

I went to the Jalan Besar area to take these shots. Surprisingly, I think there are not all that many photos of the area. There are several recondition shophouses with history and some others that have been neglected. However, the colours there were wonderful and when time permits, I will go back and spend more time in the area.

Singapore F1 Grand Prix

2008-09-27T23:55:00.010+08:00

The very first night race in Formula 1 racing and it is held in Singapore. How cool is that? I am not a F1 fan (I prefer Rally racing) but it is really exciting to have such a big event right here. I was lucky to be able to watch the practice session and of course, I took photos. It was challenging to take a night race, the cars were fast, I could not get too close and the race was under lights. I had to really max out the settings on my camera and lens (EF-S 55-250mm). So on to the photos...I took over 400 photos so this is just a small sample.

These were taken during the Porsche race pratice laps:-

Ok, the highlight of the day (or night) the F1 cars:-

The cars coming out of the Pit was exciting too...it looked like at times like near collisions:-

Jurong Bird Park

2008-09-22T11:10:00.014+08:00

Yesterday, the family (including my parents-in-law) went to visit the Jurong Bird Park. For those who don't know what it is all about, it is basically like a Zoo but for birds only. Several species of birds are caged up but most are free ranging and stay around because of the enviroment and food.

So I was happy for 2 reasons, firstly my son got to visit the birds (especially the Penguins) and I got a chance to finally try out my Canon 450D outside the house.

For this outing, I brought along my EF-S 18-55mm and EF-S 55-250mm lenses squeezed them in the EOS bag I got for free (it was a tight fit but they all went in) and a tripod (which was useless because it was too flimsy).

So I learnt alot from this outing and have a better understanding of my camera. So here are the shots for your enjoyment.

Here is a Scarlet Macaw which was part of the bird show. There were a few on the stage and were people were allowed to photography them. I suppose they are so used to people that getting close to them was very easy although after awhile they got bored and flew around.

Here are two photos of the same Ostrich. I saw 3 of them but only 2 were really "up close and personal" the other was busy laying 2 eggs. I chose these 2 because it was looking directly at me and also each has a different DOF as you can see.

Next up is a Pelican. I am not sure which species it is but apparently, the Bird Park as all 7 species of Pelicans. This was relatively easy to shoot as there was lots of sunlight and this bird is big!

A shot of the "Wetlands waterfall". This is my first time trying the "smoky" effect of moving water. This was a little challenging because it was a very sunny day but this waterfall was in very dense shade and about 50-70meters away and I did not have a reliable tripod so I had to make use of a handrail to steady the camera and tried a few settings before getting this.

Ok...now for some action shots at the Bird Show. There were seveal birds performing but the Macaws were the highlight of the show with them fly through hoops around the Amphitheatre.

Here both Macaws are entering the same hoop...don't worry...they did not crash into each other.

Finally here, you see a Macaw crashing into a piece of rice paper.

At Home with Son

2008-09-21T19:11:00.008+08:00

After the dissapointing shoot with my chess set, I am happy again as shots of my favorite model, my son, turned out quite well with the 50mm lens.

I think I have figured it out the cause of my poor shots with the chess set, never use the EF 50mm f/1.8 lens for such shots again as the minium distance on this lens is 0.5m which is pretty far for close up shots. My EF-S 18-55m f/2.8-5.6 lens has a closer distance of 0.25m which I will try it out in the chess set again next time to see how it goes. Maybe it's time for a Macro lens?

Anway, on with the photos of my son. All shots where done indoors at home with the afternoon sun coming in from the window. The mess around his face was from his milk and cornflakes he was eating.

Chess Anyone?

2008-09-20T00:03:00.006+08:00

I've been itching to take my camera out to really get shooting but time has not been on my side just yet. So, to ease the need, I decided to look around the house to see what photos I could take.

I took out this chess set that has been collecting dust on the shelf out and started shooting. However, I soon found out that glass is not the easiest of materials to photograph. Over 60 shots to produce these 3 that were somewhat acceptable to me.

All shots were taken using the EF 50mm f/1.8 lens under warm lighting.

Canon 450D First Shots

2008-09-16T21:37:00.016+08:00

I finally kinda figured out some of the basic functions on my new camera and am playing around with it. I thought I'd give the 50mm f/1.8 lens a try at home.

These pictures of my son taking pictures of me with one of my phones were done indoors under my living room lights (white lights).

This one of my wife's hands were taken under bedroom lights (warm lights).

This is the only picture of my dog that was reasonably clear...more work needs to be done with my technique to minimise camera shake.

Next time, I will make sure that all my lenses have Image Stabilization.

New Camera - Canon 450D

2008-09-16T13:34:00.007+08:00

Finally! The day has come and I have a new toy ... The Canon 450D with 18-55mm f/4-5.6 IS kit lens. This came with lots of free goodies:-

2x4Gig Lexmark SD cards
Canon Lens Book
Canon 400D user guide (magazine) - The 450D version was not avaliable
Canon EOS bag
LCD protector
38l Dry Cabinet (traded the free dry box for this with top-up)
52mm UV filter (to fit the 50mm prime lens)

To complete the package, I also got the 50mm f/1.8 prime lens and 55-250mm f/4-5.6 IS zoom lens.

I am still going through the user manual and will soon be out taking photos as soon as I get some leave time.

Of course this does not mean the the Canon S3IS is going to be left out. It will still be my primary camera for most family moments and travel (when I do get to travel). The simple reason is that the S3IS uses AA batteries and has a good 6x zoom. This makes it a really convenient camera to bring around.

My Home - Punggol Pt II

2008-09-09T16:25:00.014+08:00

Ok...Really Punggol is a like a nature reserve on its own. That is what comes with living in an area that is has not been too urban-ised...yet! This time I got up really, really early to catch the early bird(s). There was life but the only problem is that they are very easily spooked due to the low human contact.

Again, a good telephoto would have been good. So in the end, I just stuck with things that did not move.

Remember this flower? Its the same species as from part I. Only difference is the water dropplets on this one.

I have a feeling that this is an Orchid..what do you think?

There is this lonely tree I see on my way to my favorite photo site. I will be going back to it from time to time simply because I want to get a good shot of it...I think there is a potential for a good photo..any suggestions?

Notice my Banner on the top of the Blog? Notice my Profile picture on the side? Would you belive that they are essentialily the same photo. I took a few shots of the moon with the tree branch framing it. These are some of the original shots before Photoshop created my banner and profile pictures:-

Mid-Autumn Festival - Chinatown Light Up 2008

2008-09-09T11:03:00.014+08:00

Went with the family to Chinatown for dinner on 31 August and we came across the opening of the Mid-Autumn festival light-up at Chinatown. Was just expecting to see lanterns and lighted decorations along the road but did not realise that there was a whole show and we missed most of it. Missed the fireworks, the street show and the crowds.

That was not the worst of it...It was not the time to find out that my Canon S3IS camera was not very good for night action shooting. Example was this Dragon dance:-

Anyway, I did manage to get some shots that were not moving so much. There was this Japanese troupe:-

This is another shot of the men carrying the lanterns. I had added some zooming effect to make up for the poor shot.

While the men were carrying the heavy load, the ladies were busy with the drumming:-

REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING THE CANON 450D!!

Sungei Buloh Nature Reserve

2008-09-08T20:39:00.008+08:00

My first photo trip to Sungei Buloh was a real disappointment. It is a wetland reserve that is suppose to hold a lot of wildlife especially, brids. However, there was not much life there when I was there in the afternoon so it was quite a waste of time for me. Next time, I belive if I am there early in the morning, there will be heaps of wildlife getting breakfast so, I'll give it another try.

Ok, the photos that I did take, many had to be cropped like this one of a red dragonfly.

Of course there were some life but you really had to look for it. It was times like this that I wish I had a really big telephoto lens.

I saw this really big spider's web while on the boardwalk. There was no one home but I thought the web had a nice pattern and tried to get some macro shots and ended up with something like this:-

Finally, I got this monitor lizard at the entrance to the nature reserve. It was right infornt of me and no more that a metre away (3ft). Monitor lizards were in large numbers at the nature reserve and in a pond next to the coffee shop there were about another 5 more.

My MTB

2008-09-03T13:28:00.011+08:00

Home sick right now so while waiting before my next dose of medication, I thought I would just put up some photos of my mountain bike. It is a Giant Anthem S which is a great bike to ride only downside is that the "S" version doesn't come with a RP23 rear shock which reviews have been raving about and only comes with the higher end of series.

The handle bar is a Monkey Bar EA70. On it are XT08 break leavers, XT08 Shifters, Topeak Whitelite DX LEDs, Truvativ XR stem, Cateye wireless guage:-

Next is the DT Swiss XR4.2D Wheelset with DT Swiss 340 hubs, wrapping this are Maxxis Crossmarks:-

Well worn Shimano M520 pedals tied to Shimano LX cranks. I look forward to trashing it more soon.

Gears are moved around by a Shimano LX Derailers which would soon be changed to XTs.

My Home - Punggol

2008-09-02T23:33:00.018+08:00

Ok...I got some cropping done for a few shots taken near my home. I know the macro shots are not that sharp and some have commented that they looked a little under exposed. I can only say...I need to get a close up lens!!!

It was sunny for most of the day when I took this series but for the flowers, there was alot of tree cover so lighting was a challenge. Another thing, I found the view finder on the Sony S3IS not so sharp and very small so viewing for the macro was a little hard. Anyway on to the photos...

This cyclist happened by while I was looking out for birds...I thought the B/W format would convey a sense of loneliness as it was a very quiet road with no one else around.

There were butterflies around but in the end only these 2 co-operated and stayed long enough for me to snap them.

This photo was taken from a truck parked on the side of the road. I remember someting similar somewhere so I thought I 'd give it a try...next time I will try this with a road convex mirror.

For this last one, some Post Production had to be done as it was overcast skies and the photo turned out underexposed. I have several other photos of flowers but that will be posted later in a "Punngol pt II".

A Day at the Beach

2008-09-02T21:41:00.017+08:00

I couldn't really wait to get these photos of my son at the beach up. I think I am getting the hang of this photography hobby and am enjoying it. This set was taken at ECP beach and it was quite a bright day so not much problems with lighting.

This first shot my boy looked so serious but still so cute

This next one was taken just as my boy was going to call out, "Daddy-eee"

Our shoes by the beach..it could have been better but I had to shoot this shot one handed while holding on to my boy by the water's edge

The great advantage to an articulated LCD screen...we could see ourselves on the screen while taking some fun shots

This next 2 were taken indoors..for some reason I had difficulty with the auto focusing here

I am still working on uploading some nature and macro photos from last month which will be up as soon as I can sort it out.

The Older Shots

2008-09-02T17:46:00.006+08:00

Well...to start of first, here are some old shots that I took about 2 years back. This was a time when I had yet to hear about things like, "rule of thirds", F/Stop, DOF, etc. I still like these shots because they show my pet dog in a very comfortable position and it was one of those times when he was very clean.

In the Beginning

2008-09-02T09:29:00.000+08:00

Hi all, I started this blog for 2 purposes. One; to better understand what blogging is for my degree and two; to have somewhere to put up photographs I take.

In the "About me" section, you will find my camera specifications and such.

As I progress with my contribution to my Blog, comments and critiques are most welcomed.