Semi-Frozen Mountain Stream - Swiss Alps

D700 70-300mm @ 135 ISO200 f/8 1/250

It is cold... These thin gloves allow me to operate the camera while keeping my hands from freezing... The camera is cold too... To get close enough, there was a patch of fresh snow 30cm thick to cross... Nice exercise... The reflection in the stream is a mountain that is receiving the first sun rays of the day.

Chamois & Kid In The Swiss Alps

D700 70-300mm @ 165 ISO200 f/5.6 +0.7EV 1/60

The camera bag followed me for this trip to Saas-Fee in the Swiss Alps. A first morning walk was extremely rewarding with the encounter of a herd of chamois. They were curious and let me approach them till approx. 15 meters. The kid was shy, seeking protection behind its mother.

To ensure the correct exposure of the snow, slight positive compensation was required. Saas-Fee being located at 1800m altitude, temperature was around minus 6 deg C. Problem was condensation on the glass of the view finder. Best is to use an eye cup to avoid the photographer's breath to cloud the finder. Furthermore, battery was used 3 time faster than when used at higher temperature. I had kept a second one in a warm pocket close to the body but did not need to change it as I still had three bars after 100+ shots!

Explosion of Lights - Singapore

D700 24mm ISO200 f/16 1/8

If you walk into the large Christmas tree in front of the new Ion building, look up, a surprise awaits you.

Lady Reindeer - Singapore

D700 50mm ISO200 f/2 1/15 handheld

An easy shot. I could not resist to post it though.

The Floating Xmas Trees - Singapore

D700 50mm ISO200 f/2 1/60

When I saw these floating Xmas trees within the modern metal and glass structure of Wheelock Place on Orchard Road, Singapore, I could not resist taking the shot.

The Spirit of Xmas in Singapore - Lights on Scotts Road

D700 70-300mm @ 70 ISO200 f/16 1/2

An evening trip was organized to try to catch a little of the spirit of Christmas in Singapore.

After some testing, it appeared that a white balance set at 4'500k gave relatively pleasant colors. The car trailing lights could have been lengthen by extending the shutter time. This would however have been at the expense of having a few sharper vehicles and passer-byes on the frame.

The Pagoda Flower

D700 500mm ISO400 f/8 -0.7EV 1/250 tripod

The Pagoda Flower can be found in secondary forest where the canopy is breached and allow some sun to reach the ground. The 500mm was used for this shot as the plant was located out of reach.

Little Egret at Sungei Buloh

D700 500mm 1.4 converter ISO800 f/5.6 1/500 Tripod

Little egrets are common sightings at Sungei Buloh during the Northern Hemisphere migratory period. What was interesting here was the way the egret was "puffing up" its feathers, a behavior that I did not quite understand.

The Blue Dragonfly

D700 70-300mm @ 300 20mm ext. tube ISO400 f/5.6 1/250 Tripod

A blue dragonfly in equilibrium on a pondweed.

Grasshopper on a Winding Path

D700 70-300mm @ 300 +20mm ext. tube ISO400 f/11 1/125 Built-in flash -1.3EV Tripod

Some macro for a change. In fact, the 70-300mm lens works quite well with an extension tube. It gives you sufficient range not to disturb the animal as well as a decent magnification. A tripod is however absolutely necessary as the VR does not help sufficiently to reduce handshake.

I liked the "Mile a Minute" plant (the creeper plant) as much as the grasshopper and felt that the composition was rather interesting...

Back to the Mangroves of Khatib Bongsu

D700 70-300mm @ 70 ISO200 f/5.6 1/30

Back to the mangrove of Khatib Bongsu, here at sunrise and low tide. The mist was very much present this morning. It gave a particular soft feel to the picture.

Portrait of a Wild Pig - Pulau Ubin

D700 70-300mm @ 70 ISO400 f/5.6 1/60

Oink, Oink - Further to a special request, here is a second picture of the wild pig we met on Pulau Ubin!

Pulau Ubin Mini Series – End of the Day

D700 70-300mm @ 125 ISO400 f/11 1/500

The bicycle rental shops were packing for the day. It was time to go. Contented of our excursion, we boarded for a trip back to the present. It was a refreshing experience and we promised ourselves to return early in the new year.

Pulau Ubin Mini Series – Power Generation

D700 70-300mm @ 170 ISO400 f/11 1/60

There have been some talks about installing landlines to the island. Till today, all the electricity required is produced by diesel generators and some solar panels. This is astonishing as Pulau Ubin is located not further than 15 minutes away by bumboat from Singapore, one of the world’s most modern metropolises.

Pulau Ubin Mini Series – The Red Bicycles

D700 70-300mm @ 85 ISO400 f/11 1/125

After returning the bicycles, we walked around town. The sun was lower in the sky and shadows were softer and longer. I liked the light and tried to take advantage of it in this picture.

Pulau Ubin Mini Series – The Old Hawker Cart

D700 70-300mm @ 110 ISO400 f/8 1/250

On the way back to Ubin Town, we noticed this disregarded hawker cart in front of a washed out blue door… A stop was required to take the shot!

Pulau Ubin Mini Series - The Wild Pig

D700 24mm ISO400 f/5.6 1/30

While reaching Chek Jawa Visitor Centre by the old rubber estate, we had a surprise encounter with a wild pig. It was a pretty tame animal that almost paused for its portrait. I could not avoid picturing Obelix carrying this poor creature for its dinner after a successful hunt in the forest of Armorica.

Pulau Ubin Mini Series – The Coconut

D700 70-300mm @ 92 ISO400 f/5.6 1/15

Caught in a sudden downpour, we sought cover in a side road hut, where two ladies were selling beverages and fresh coconuts. While waiting for the rain to go by, I noticed the shiny pot, used to keep drinking water in the absence of water on tap, and thought that it would be a perfect subject for a picture… The rain stopped as quickly as it had started and we pursued our cycling tour of the island…

Pulau Ubin Mini Series - Ubin Town

D700 70-300mm @ 75 ISO400 f/11 1/500

To start this mini series on Pulau Ubin, here is a typical postcard shot of the first two houses of Ubin Town, the last kampong (village in Malay) of Singapore. The 17:30 light gives a nice warmth and reduces the harsh contrasts of earlier hours.