Shuang Lin Monastery (6)

D700 70-300mm @ 230 ISO200 f/7.1 1/640

Roof detail.

Shuang Lin Monastery (5)

D700 70-300mm @ 95 ISO400 f/4.5 1/30

Remarkable workmanship on the doors.

Shuang Lin Monastery (4)

D700 70-300mm @ 70 ISO100 f/16 1/10

After a light drizzle, the petals that fall from the flowering trees are being swept away.

Shuang Lin Monastery (3)

D700 70-300mm @ 125 ISO800 f/4.8 1/100

While the photography of most statues within the monastery is not allowed, I was authorized to take pictures of the Thousand Arm Kuan Yin or Goddess of Infinite Mercy. In the Buddhist tradition, she is a bodhisattva (a human being who completed all karma and reached nirvana) who sprang from one of the Buddha's tears. She decided to stay on earth until all suffering ended.

Shuang Lin Monastery (2)

D700 24mmPCE ISO400 f/10 1/60

The monastery was built following a traditional Chinese layout involving multiple courtyards. The place is serene with its well maintained potted garden and general quietude.

Shuang Lin Monastery (1)

D700 24mmPCE ISO400 f/20 1/80

To continue the tour of Singapore's National Monuments, a visit to the oldest Buddhist monastery (est. 1898) had to be scheduled. Located in a agricultural area when built, the monastery now lies between the Central Expressway and HDB developments. A visit of the site is definitely rewarding.

This first shot is of the entrance gate viewed from the inside courtyard to take advantage of the sun rays and interesting cloud cover. I could not resist a little tonal improvement in post processing to give some "punch" to the sky.

Lower Seletar Reservoir - Sunrise

D700 24mmPCE ISO200 f/20 4 sec tripod

The dragon boats are ready for the morning training. The sun is about to pierce over the horizon. The light is just amazing, I have no regret getting up in the early hours.

Lower Seletar Reservoir - Sunrise

D700 24mmPCE ISO400 f/14 20 sec tripod

Up at 6:00 AM to catch the early morning light. This picture was taken just before the sun appeared over the horizon.

Railway Bridge Across Sungei Ulu Pandan

D700 70-300mm @ 70 ISO400 f/4.5 -0.7EV 1/50 tripod

No, while it could look similar at first sight, this is not the bridge over the River Kway!

This bridge is part of an extension of the Malayan Railways completed in 1965. The line was not used much as its completion coincided with the separation of Singapore and Malaysia. It was ultimately abandoned in 1974 and the land was bought by Singapore from KTM to build the Keppel Flyover.

We can still visit this old bridge, which makes a great subject for a shoot. Indeed, to capture the above picture, I had to wait patiently for other photographers to leave the site as the light was falling together with the first drops of rain... This location will deserve another visit.

The Flyer - Marina Bay (4)

D700 24mmPCE ISO400 f/13 1/320

And a last shot of the Flyer for now...

The Helix Bridge - Marina Bay

D700 24mmPCE ISO400 f/4.5 1/60

A snap at the Helix Bridge while in Marina Bay. There again, it might be best to come back when the construction of the resort is completed.

The Flyer - Marina Bay (3)

D700 24mmPCE ISO400 f/6.3 1/60

The views from the wheel are much better than I had first expected considering the fact that constructions are still on-going in the bay area. The window of the cabin can be a little dirty at the end of the day. So to avoid this to be seen on the picture, the trick is to place the lens close to the glass looking through a clean spot.

The Flyer - Marina Bay (2)

D700 24mmPCE ISO400 f/9 1/100

The cabin arrives at the boarding gate. The sun is low so the contrasts in lights are acceptable. Additionally, a polarizing filter was added to darken the sky (yet maintain the reflection in the building windows).

The Flyer - Marina Bay (1)

D700 24mmPCE ISO400 f/7.1 1/30 tripod

Another of Singapore's landmarks was the target of a Saturday night trip: the Flyer. In fact, it was more impressive than I expected and it was indeed a great experience. The best time for the ride was of course close to sunset, to take advantage of the golden light... The above picture was taken later on when the sun had just disappeared over the horizon. While the original capture was quite nice, a graduated blue/magenta filter was added post processing to get this post card look...

White-Breasted Water Hen With Chick

D700 500mm +1.7 teleconverter ISO400 f/7.1 1/100 flash -2.0EV tripod

The parent waterhen was trying to discourage the chick to take food from its beak. Sorry little chap, time to get your own.

Talking about food, while observing some waterhen partly hidden in high plant growth, an old man passed by. When he saw what I was looking at, he gave me a big smile and said "Good to eat" with the air of a connoisseur! It did not shock me really. I had heard this before with someone pointing a finger at a monitor lizard... To be truthful, the chick does look like a chicken, somehow... with super-sized legs... some like them steamed in spicy Thai sauce... Ok, ok, this will be my first and last reference to meals when posting pictures of wild animals!

White-Throated Kingfisher

D700 500mm +1.7 teleconverter f/6.7 1/1000 flash -2.0EV tripod

I missed the dive but had the chance to catch the different state of messiness of the little fellow's feathers during the drying process... It flew away as soon as its bad hair day problem was corrected... It is still a cute picture. The dive would have been better... Maybe next time.

Yellow Bittern (3)

D700 500mm +1.7 teleconverter ISO400 f/6.7 1/640 flash -2.0EV tripod

Another strike. They feed from small fish, frogs and invertebrates.

Yellow Bittern (2)

D700 500mm +1.7 teleconverter ISO400 f/6.7 1/640 flash -2.0EV tripod

The yellow bittern I was observing was constantly on the hunt. When it stroke on its prey, it fully extended its neck and the reach was impressive.

Yellow Bittern (1)

D700 500mm +1.7 teleconverter ISO400 f/6.7 1/640 flash -2.0EV tripod

This was my first sighting of this bird in Singapore. It is supposed to be quite common but pretty elusive. So I felt fortunate to have this specimen performing for me.

Lesser Whistling Duck

D700 500mm +1.7 teleconverter ISO400 f/6.7 1/1000 tripod

Back to wildlife with a few recent shots of birds in fresh water ponds. The above capture demonstrates the expression "like water off a duck's back"!

Masjid Jamae (2)

D700 70-300mm @ 220 ISO200 f/11 1/125

A minaret of the Masjid Jamae.

Masjid Jamae (1)

D700 24mmPCE ISO200 f/11 1/100

Another of Singapore landmarks, the Masjid Jamae, is also called Chulia Mosque. It was build in 1826 by the Chulias, who were Tamil Muslim from South India. They came to Singapore as traders and money changers. The Masjid Jamae is now a National Monument.

Happy Mother's Day !

D700 60mm ISO200 f/11 1/8 tripod

Warm thoughts and happy Mother's Day to all mothers that are following this blog!

Sri Mariamman Temple (4)

D700 70-300mm @ 70 ISO200 f/11 1/160

A last snapshot of this impressive temple before moving to other sites!

Sri Mariamman Temple (3)

D700 70-300mm @ 125 ISO200 f/9 1/160

The decorations of the temple are just breathtaking.

Sri Mariamman Temple (2)

D700 70-300mm @ 300 ISO800 f/5.6 1/8

An embarrassing fact: I could not remove the polarizing filter off the lens when I wanted to take the shot. It just got stock... So I had to use a very low shutter speed as the light was low in the temple... Lucky the VR helped and result was acceptable. Back in air-conditioning and with the help of a rubber band, it was later removed without difficulties... Lesson of the day: do not force on the filter when screwing it to the lens...

Sri Mariamman Temple (1)

D700 24mmPCE ISO200 f/9 1/200

Sri Mariamman Temple is Singapore's oldest Hindu temple. It was built in 1827, 8 years after the British East India Company established a trading settlement in the country. The temple serves mainly the South India Tamil Hindu and was gazetted as a National Monument.

Recently under renovation, the removal of the scaffolds revealed the stunningly impressive painting work. A great time for a visit with a camera.

Singapore Back Lanes (5)

D700 70-300mm @ 70 ISO200 f/11 1/125

"Primary colors with a twist" could be another title for this shot.

Singapore Back Lanes (4)

D700 70-300mm @ 102 ISO200 f/11 1/125

The star of the picture is the little plant that grows out of one the green glazed ceramic vents.

Singapore Back Lanes (3)

D700 24mmPCE ISO200 f/5 -0.7EV 1/50

Amazing graffiti on the side of a bar around Kampong Glam.

Singapore Back Lanes (2)

D700 70-300mm @ 122 ISO200 f/11 1/50

I just love spiral staircases. The morning light provided some soft pastel tones and back-lighted the handrail really nicely. The low shutter speed was required due to the usage of a polarizing filter. Not a problem with the efficient VR system on this lens.