Secretive Spiders

Here are some spiders that I shot succesfully during that one trip.

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Other than these common orb-web spiders, I spotted a small spider of a different species.

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Shooting On The Way Down...

I really enjoyed using the 450D despite having to use manual focus all the time. Though we didn't spot much interesting creatures on the way down the hill, even the smallest insects became exciting after having taken shots of them, simply because the photos look so good. Here's a brown cicada I shot.

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I realized that the picture had a dark background. One good thing about DSLRs were that they could get a light background even with flash. So I got closer and took a few more shots till i got one that pleased me.

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An orange moth near the summit.

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A common forest cricket. I had a bit of difficulty shooting this guy since he just wouldn't stay still infront of the camera.

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And finally, here's a shot of group of ants moving a dead insect. I just love the background!

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Peeking Out Of A Tree Hole

Walked all the way to the summit without finding much animals. After a quick rest under the summit hut, we decided to take the steps back to the main road. But suddenly I noticed a small movement on a tree and moved closer to check out. A skink was peeking out of a hole in the tree.

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It was a Brown Tree Skink, a species not that commonly seen. I tried taking more shots but as I moved closer to it, it became aware of my presence and slowly moved deeper into the hole.

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I got as close as possible and all I could see was the tip of the head. The hole was pretty high so I could not really get any superb shots. However, I noticed that there was a mosquito on its nose and faster snapped a shot before it retreated its head into the hole.

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The Termites Go Marching

Finally after sitting for more exams, it was the December holidays and my pal and I went straight to where we usually head - Bukit Timah. This time again, I was the one using his DSLR. He was alright with his digital camera. Besides, I allowed him to use these photographs, because although I was the photographer, the camera was his. Well, we started our usual climb and I stopped to photograph these tiny termites marching on the fence.

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I wouldn't have to crop the above photo since the one below is almost same, just that I used zoom. I don't hesitate to zoom with these lenses as the photo quality doesn't decrease, unlike that of digital compact cameras.

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PS Thanks to AK for correcting me; these are termites, which I initially thought were ants.

Pulau Semakau

I'm back in Singapore and am continuing my blog posts. I hope all of you visitors had a very enjoyable and prosperous Christmas and New year. Anyway, I had another trip from my CCA, and this time it was to the Semakau Landfill. After a small talk about the island we headed out on a mini-bus. Here's a shot I took before reaching Semakau Landfill.

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My friend was sick of using his 450D which had a faulty 18-55mm lens. The manual focus could do but the lens' auto-focus was not working. Hey offered to let me borrow his camera for the shoot at Semakau. I had fun with the 450D. It was fast in capturing shots and presented me with great images too. Here's what most of the island looks like.

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Yes, plain grassy fields with bushes and trees around. I wouldn't be surprised if I mistake this shot to be taken from the plains of African grasslands.

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An S-Curve in the road ahead.

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We got off for a while for some fresh air. Meanwhile I took some shots of the greenery aound. I especially liked this shot of a leaf.

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A Female Scarlet Skimmer

I've seen the bright red male of this species in my school once or twice... But I had never seen the female dragonfly, which is a yellow colour. However, I never expected to find one that quickly since the Scarlet Skimmer was pretty uncommon in my school. I happened to spot a female one day on a fern plant near the pond.

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I love it's bright colours. Generally most dragonflies are brightly-coloured but this is still one of my favourite. Especially the male, which is such an attractive bright, cherry red.

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Here's a close-up shot of the head. After taking couple of shots, I decided to try moving a bit clsoer to it but it noticed me and flew off after hitting my camera.

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Few Shots from Keppell Golf Club

Went to the Keppell Golf Course at noon from school. We were taken there from school for a field trip. There were some very beautiful spots there. This is the view of the sea from the small restaurant.

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Beside were a plentiful of mangrove trees planted by the club. This enhances the greenery of the place and also attracts wildlife.

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The green grass of the golf course.

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And finally a silhouette of a dead tree.

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