Stream at Mc Ritchie Reservoir Park

Stream at Mc Ritchie Reservoir Park.

A Stream at McRitchie Reservoir Park

Feet in the water to take this picture of a slow stream around the Venus Drive loop of the McRitchie Reservoir Park.

Walkways At Lower Pierce Reservoir

D700 70-300mm @ 92 ISO400 f/22 1/15 tripod

Another interesting park with wooden walkways within a secondary forest and along Singapore's second largest fresh water reservoir. Here, the first rays of the sun piercing through the canopy.

Rain Forest Mini Series 4/4 - The Bird Nest Fern

D700 14-24mm @ 14 ISO200 f/16 -0.3EV 1/4 tripod

These ferns are quite common in Singapore. I thought that this one deserved a picture anyway!

The undergrowth in a rain forest is restricted by the lack of sunlight at ground level. This makes it possible to walk through the forest. If the leaf canopy is destroyed or thinned, the ground beneath is soon colonized by a dense, tangled growth of vines, shrubs, and small trees.

Photography in this environment presents a few challenges:
- low light,
- requirement for high depth of field,
- difficulty of access (muddy forest floor, insects…)
- high humidity

For the low light and high depth of field, usage of wide angle lens and tripod is recommended. A burst of flash might be useful to bring up some colors, maybe with some compensation to decrease the output if subject to brighten is close to the camera. Just choose old shoes and be prepared to be muddy from head to toe. Use insect repellent and avoid stepping on ants’ path… To keep the camera dry, a towel is useful, perfect as well to wipe out the sweat… These are just some ideas, as I am still learning the trade!

Rain Forest Mini Series 3/4 - Young Fern Leave

D700 14-24mm @ 14 ISO200 f/16 -0.7EV 1/4 tripod

A young red fern frond.

Rain Forest Mini Series 2/4 - The Bat Flower

D700 14-24mm @ 14 ISO200 f/16 -0.7EV 1/4 built-in flash -3.0EV tripod

The bat flower [Tacca chantrieri] in its natural environment.

Rain Forest Mini Series 1/4 - The Creepers

D700 14-24mm @ 14 ISO200 f/16 -0.7EV 1/2 tripod

First pictures of a series of four to attempt to represent a rain forest environment. Super wide angle was used that meant that a trip deep in the muddy forest floor was required to fill in the frame with the subject. At some point, tripod legs went down 10cm into the ground... So they had to be placed on pieces of wood close to tree roots to ensure stability.