My New Toy

My newest toy - the Nikkor AF 50mm 1.8D armed with a Tokina 52mm UV Filter. I'm very happy with this new acquisition. It is the cheapest fast lens in the Nikkor line-up I think and so far it's serving me well. I actually thought of buying the f1.4 model, but figured it was too expensive, so I settled for this one. I'll just save money for later purchases. Anyway, I can now capture night portrait shots hand-held with more ease and magical night general shots and landscapes as well - although this is not really for landscapes, but I can't afford to buy the 35mm/f2 right now. It is very compact, very lightweight and focuses fast. I also love how soft the images come out. This is going to be great especially for portrait shots. I also get the difference in depth of field which is important in portraits. I feel that I would learn how to be more disciplined when it comes to composing my shots using this lens, since I got so much used to using the zoom lens, I prefer staying in one position and just zoom-in to get closer. I shot a night scene while waiting for a bus to go home (below, shot at ISO-800, 1/25s). Can't wait for future shoots using my new baby. Enjoi.

Orchard @ Night

Orchard @ Night. This shot was taken during one of our early evening strolls down Orchard Road. Orchard is like the Makati City of the Philippines, minus the congestion. I mean there is still traffic but not like what you see at Epifanio delos Santos Ave. (EDSA) during rush hour. We first went to Tang Plaza first, famous Filipino community hangout at Orchard. During weekends, especially Sundays, the place is really packed. I had my picture taken at Lucky Plaza, adjacent to Tangs, and ate dinner at a small cafeteria-like diner serving 2 Filipino viands + 1 cup of rice + 1 can of drinks for SGD 5.00. After dinner my friend and I decided to take a stroll all the way to Plaza Singapura (below), near Dhoby Ghaut MRT. That is about two MRT stations away from Orchard MRT (yeah, Singapore is that small). But it ain't true that you can see all of Singapore in one day (20 years ago, maybe). There are lots of nice places to see and visit. I'll post more in the days to come. By the way, I wished that the sign on the picture above was Canon Nikon (Thank you Lala for the correction), oh well.

Both shots were taken at ISO 1600, thus, they're a bit grainy, but sometimes grain is good.

Birds

The Singapore Botanic Garden is really huge. Actually I haven't had the chance to see the whole place really. These are some of the creatures I shot at the garden. Another reason why telephoto lens are fun to use especially in wildlife photography. Good thing I didn't scare this one away. The one on the below was running away when it felt the presence of people around him. Thus, it was blurred because I had to chase it. The swan (white border, below) was so far away but I was glad to shoot it with the sparkling water effect. Anyway, I know I can do better. I will improve on my wildlife photography in the days to come. Cheerio!

Have FUN with Photofunia

This is a photo I took at our little photo shoot with my best friend at the botanic garden. Now, I discovered something new while surfing the net. It is a website called Photofunia. It uses face detection technology (according to the site) and recognizes the features of the face from your photo and merges it into another photo, creating a stunning new photograph. Face detection is currently used in newer generations of point-and-shoot cameras nowadays. I'm not sure if it is available in DSLRs as well. The above picture is the original shot taken by me and the one below is the photo merge at Photofunia. Just sharing my new discovery. Have fun!

Water Lily and a Man-made Stream

Water Lily (Nympheae sp.) Still taken at Singapore Botanic Gardens, with a little tweaking to make it look more artistic. Lovely place, good for nature shots. Some fast facts about water lily. It is a water plant with leaves that float on the surface. It is the national flower of Bangladesh. It is the birth flower of July. In Singapore, these are commonly cultivated in parks. It is a water plant with leaves that float on the surface.

Since I haven't been regularly, I've decided to add this photo also. It's a man-made stream found at the botanic garden. Took this at ISO-100, 1s exposure, f/22, 95mm. It was hard doing it without a tripod. I had to put my camera on top of a bench, but to no avail, it is still quite blurred though.

Swan Lake

Swan Lake, Singapore Botanic Gardens. I was strolling around the botanic garden, one fine day, when I saw two happy kids with their mom feeding some swans on the man-made lake. Somehow this photo made my day. After I shot this picture, I said to myself: "Ah, now I can go home." I love the seldom times I use my 70-300mm. It really gives me great photos while shooting at a distance without bothering my subjects, allowing them to perform normally as if nobody is watching them. I usually carry my kits lens around since I'm more of a landscape shooter. But when it comes to these kinds of environment, I find it best to carry a telephoto for nature shots. Enjoi!