Haven’t really had the time to play much with my new toy over the last few weeks due to school and other commitments… which explains for the lack of updates on the blog. Didn’t have any material to write about since I finished my super long series of Jurong Bird Park photos.

While I have not been using my 7d much, the few times that I have used it, I was very happy with its performance. However, if you were to read through any popular photography forum you’ll know that the 7d has been having some bad quality control issues as well as some bugs in camera firmware. Yep, that’s the disadvantage of being the first to buy any electronic gadget. You end up being guinea pigs.

So far, I have not encountered any problems (or maybe its just me not using the camera often enough). I would like to point out though that shooting macro with the 7d is, for lack of a better word, awesome. The bright and clear viewfinder makes focusing A LOT more easier. Here’s a shot I took a few weeks back.

Will show more shots from the 7d when I have time to go out shooting. I am thinking about a trip to the zoo after my exams

Anyway, if you are thinking about buying the Canon 7d, I’d recommend that you wait until Canon iron out all the issues and problems with the 7d. Besides, the price might drop a little if you wait long enough.

Many of the people who knew me personally and was also into photography thought I was joking or crazy when I said it. But alas, the temptation was just too great and I could not hold back any longer…

Yes, that photo is real. It’s neither Photoshopped nor stolen from the Internet.

I probably won’t be writing a review of any kind for the Canon EOS 7D. Writing reviews are just not my kinda thing… and I don’t think I am good enough to make comparisons between this camera with another camera (especially one of another brand). Maybe a few lines on my thoughts of the camera later.

For now, I only have 3 words on my head about the camera, I’m loving it!

Photo taken with my Canon EOS 400D with my usual macro setup.

If you are going to visit the Jurong Bird Park to see just one single attraction, then let this be it. The Birds of Prey show, as the name suggests, is a bird show featuring birds like eagles, owls and vultures. The show is available twice daily (subject to weather conditions since it is outdoor) once at 10am and once at 4pm. Reaching the park at 9am to meet up with Nic, we managed to catch the morning show.

I’m not going to spoil it for you on what happens during the show but you can expect to see these awesome predators soaring through the skies with grace and style. And as I tried to get a good shot of these birds in flight, I was met with a zero success rate. Yes, Z-E-R-O. Despite bursting like mad and increasing my shutter count by like a 100 over the span of 30 minutes, I had no keepers.

I know the lack of good shots were mainly due to my inexperience but I wasn’t quite sure how to improve on it either. But I was determined… I shall stay at the park until 4pm to catch the next show! And stay at the park, I did. This time around, I had more luck with my shots.

Love this kid’s expression. He was rather enthusiastic and happy to volunteer at first. But after awhile, he just looked like he wanted to throw the bird away and go back to his seat.

I love and hate this shot at the same time. I love it as it captures the essence and ferocity of these birds as they clash in the skies to catch a piece of meat. I hate it as the damned sky is overexposed and left to a boring shade of white. I tried Photoshopping some clouds and blue on it but the shot looks fake. Guess I can’t have everything, eh?

And, finally, that one shot that made the entire day at the park worthwhile (Click here to view at higher resolution!). This is the best shot I have of a bird in flight. Sharp and in focus, no accidental cropping of the bird’s wings. I was a happy and satisfied man.

So, I guess this concludes my series of posts on my trip to the Jurong Bird Park on the 21st of September 2009. In my opinion, the best $18 I have spent for photography (considering the dollar spent per good photograph ratio).Will I be going there again? Oh, you bet I will.

If you’ve never been to the park, go there today! Be sure to borrow/rent/steal a good sharp superzoom lens with you if you’re going there to shoot!

Was looking through my photos to see if I had anymore material to update on my blog before I realized I have not finished my Jurong Bird Park series. Paying $18 for the entrance fee for so many good shots, totally worth it in my opinion.

I proceeded to the African Waterfall Aviary to catch the bee-eater and starling feeding session after I was done shooting the parrots. The session has already started when I arrived and naturally, people began to crowd around the feeding area hence I did not have a good spot to shoot from. However, I am still quite happy to get this shot though.

The guy was introducing the various species of birds found in the area. Every time he held up his hand with feed (which were worms by the way), the birds would flock to his hand to feed. After the guy is done, you can buy a small cup of worms to feed the birds yourself for a small fee of $3.

Needless to say, everytime you were to raise that cup up high in your hand, you will achieve the same effect… which makes for some pretty good photographs.

Since I was too lazy to further explore the area (it involved climbing a lot of stairs), I left the area soon after that.

Next up, stay tuned for the grand finale of my Jurong Bird Park series of posts!

Was going to the bathroom to take a shower when I noticed something green on the wall. And what do you know? It was none other than a…

… praying mantis!

How annoying. Another insect I’ve never encountered in the wild but AGAIN, for the umpteenth time, cross paths with where I stay. Seriously, I should just sit here in my room and wait for the most exotic of insects to come and visit me for photographs.

Another annoying thing about shooting macro indoors is that you lose that natural essence of the insect in its natural habitat. It’s either a boring plain white wall (or white sheet of A4 paper as backdrop) or my messy desk as the background. So, I decided to try something I’ve done before. I put my hand in the path of the praying mantis and guess what?

It climbed aboard. Time to let this mantis go on a ride of flash and glamour photography!

All shots taken with my Canon 400D + Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro (the non-IS version) coupled with the Raynox DCR250. It was really a matter of trying my luck as I carried my entire rig and shot single handedly (like literally since the mantis was on my other hand).

After getting a few shots I was happy with (not to mention my very sore and tired right arm), it was time to say goodbye and I released the mantis at some nearby plants. But seriously though, as much as I welcome guests, let’s meet more often… at your place next time, out in the wild.

Went on a photography outing with my hall’s photographic committee. I realize that I have not been at Hort Park for more than a year. Little did I realize that I also have not photographed dragonflies for an entire year. Yes, I checked the EXIF of my last dragonfly photo and it was about a year back. How time flies. Funny thing is I still feel very new to macro photography… like I just ventured into it yesterday.

The park has changed much too. To my excitement, I saw signs pointing toward a butterfly enclosure within the park. My first chance to macro a beautiful butterfly! Alas, the enclosure was locked when I tried to get in. Came back home to Google about it. Seems that the place is only open to visitors on the last Saturdays of every month… which really puzzled me because I did indeed go on the last Saturday of September (I have my EXIF as proof ). Maybe the place only opened in the mornings or something?

It was great revisiting the park but at the end of the day it’s definitely not my favorite macro spot. I personally prefer parks or just an area with some trees and overgrown grass. Now, if only had the balls to go jungle trekking or something during the holidays…

She wakes up everyday without a single worry in her mind. Food is abundant, a sturdy shelter looms over her shielding her from the elements. She need not fear against her enemies for sturdy metal bars stand above her, protecting her from whatever threat there is from the world. But it is these very bars that make her life incomplete. These very bars which prevent her from the euphoria of soaring through the infinite skies that her counterparts in the wild do.  This, my friends, is the price of freedom.

Note: The above chunk of words probably make no sense but I thought such a photo would go nice with some overdramatic emo write-up to accompany it

Resuming on the JBP series, I proceeded to a more quiet section of the park, the Parrot Paradise. Here’s a parrot which hung upside down the entire time I was there photographing the little fella. Perhaps, it confuses itself to be a bat?

And this pair of parrots! They look like the characters from some cartoon show or something. Cute.

Maybe its the shape of their heads but I thought they looked like Bert and Ernie from Sesame Street. The funny thing was right after I took a few shots, the fatter parrot quickly inched away from the thinner one. It was as if the fat parrot was embarrassed to be photographed with the other bird. Haha.

Okay, gotta get back to studying for my test tomorrow. More photos to come!

Okay, let’s take a break from the birds and go back to the bees. By the bees, I mean insects of course. Had the chance to photograph an amazing spider which I have probably overlooked in the wild. Was studying last week and I noticed what looked like a very small stick hanging from my desk. Feeling something was amiss, I used my pencil to gently nudge the stick and sure enough, it was alive!

I believe these are known as stick spiders. These spiders are masters of disguise, the Transformers of the insect world. Hanging from a strand of web with their legs all stretched in the same direction, they look exactly like tiny tree twigs caught in an abandoned spider’s web.

Truly, an amazing spider I have to say. Gotta pay more attention to those dangling twigs next time I’m out on a macro shoot!

YES! It’s time for more birds. Hope you’re not sick of it yet. This time, lets meet the lories! The lory loft is a dedicated free flight aviary housing these small, colorful birds. These birds are so friendly and used to human contact, that they’ll gladly land on you for a photo.

Of course, you have to give them something in return. You can purchase cups of special nectar which is used to feed the birds. Just hold a cup of these in your hand and you’ll be swarmed by them in no time (okay, I’m exaggerating).

Here’s my favorite shot for the lories. This one was hiding behind a tree (or was it a pole?) and just poking its head out from the side to look at potential feeders.

Did not spend a lot of time here since the walking path was rather narrow. Contributing to this factor were the scores of people standing along the way feeding the birds. So, I decided to move along to another less crowded section of the park. We’re halfway through the JBP series of photos and posts. Stay tuned for more!