Lucian Pink “Splash”

Dendrobium Lucian Pink making a splash in the Flower Dome. Photo credit: Jonathan Chua.

Apparently, this was one of those “splash” orchids produced by a nursery here and this splash mutation could sometimes produced unintended white blooms.

How Much Is That Leotard In The Window?

A ballet leotard taking centre stage in a shop window. Photo credit: Eleanor Chua.

We had found the surrounding colourful props detracting attention from the leotard. So the image was converted to black and white in post which seemed to help.

White Moths In The Net

Moth orchids (Phalaenopsis aphrodite) in their place in the Flower Dome. Photo credit: Jonathan Chua.

The Ultimate Machine

The dream of any traffic policemen who are more accustomed to use lesser bikes. Photo credit: Jonathan Chua.

This BMW R1200 bike was really a model in a shop window. The focal length used here was the equivalent of 33mm. This and the fact that I was unable to place the camera any closer to the glass window would’ve meant getting reflections in the image. So Nell stood beside my camera to block out any stray light.

Renewed Day By Day

A cathedral under renovation in the city centre. Photo credit: Jonathan Chua.

This was underexposed 2 stops for the sake of the white steeple and roof. Shadows were then brightened a bit in post. I had also refrained from tweaking the contrast as I found it more natural like this.

More Crafty Than Any

A Common Bronzeback being caught in its tracks in the open. Photo credit: Jonathan Chua.

We had come across this bronzeback a couple of times before in the foliage behind it and it would disappear upon seeing us. This time, it had ventured out into the open but frozen still when it met us.

I might’ve tried to catch it with the camera on the ground had it not for the low wall between us. Anyway, this became a good opportunity to photograph the snake against a textured background.

Athos, Porthos and Aramis

Three Dog-faced Fruit Bats probably discussing the adventures to expect at nightfall. Photo credit: Eleanor Chua.

The bat on the left was originally further away from the other two. We thought it might be better for the composition if it were placed closer. So in post, it was assigned to a layer and ‘dragged’ to its present position. Some cloning and ‘burning’ were then applied to make the merged image look more natural.

Exotic As The Bloodleaf

Iresine or Bloodleaf plant making an exotic appearance in the conservatory. Photo credit: Jonathan Chua.

The ISO was capped at 400 for this shot as I wasn’t sure if the colours would still look good above that for this Sigma camera. As a result, I could only get a shutter speed of 1/250 second for a equivalent focal length of 300mm and this despite having underexposed by 1-1/3 stops. Fortunately, the lens stabilization and kit weight helped keep things sharp in this instance.

A Time To Remember

An enterprising lady recording memories of how it had all begun in Chinatown. Photo credit: Jonathan Chua.

This was a candid shot taken some ten years ago. Thankfully, the 15-year old Fujifilm camera was still fast enough to capture the moment.

Twin Emperors

Emperor Tamarins in a rare still moment in the local zoo. Photo credit: Eleanor Chua.

This was underexposed 1-2/3 stops so that their white moustaches won’t clip. Shadows were then brightened a bit in post with the contrast tweaked.

Clipper Reunion

Blue Clippers enjoying a big feast together in the Butterfly Aviary. Photo credit: Jonathan Chua.

The level of noise at ISO 6400 had come up to almost 11 at this image size. It was however left alone as it wasn’t very intrusive here.

The Sound Of Silence

A quiet afternoon in the park. Photo credit: Jonathan Chua.

This was captured with 1-1/3 stops of underexposure to keep highlights. Shadows were then brightened a tad in post and contrast tweaked a little.