#58, SBG

The Singapore Botanical Gardens is really a very good place for beginner photographers, like me to hone photography skills. Though everything there is pretty much man-made/man-planted, it's still teeming with life. The place is in abundance of insects, beautiful plants and birds as well.

Once again, Sir Stamford Raffles, who was an avid naturalist, was the one who initiated the idea. However, after his death, the garden dissipated. Fortunately, it was revived again by an Agri-Horticultural society in 1859.

This year, the SBG celebrates its 150th anniversary, that's a mighty long time! Indeed the garden has changed a lot, now it's even equipped with a basement food court and botany library.

For your viewing pleasure, I hope. I shot these with my telephoto lens 75-300mm and trusty old Canon 350D.


The Bee at the Pond. Bees are great subjects as well, a pretty common subjects in my 'list' :) :)


The male Olive-backed Sunbird. They came in swarms where the heliconias (they are plants related to gingers) were! Around 8 - 10 of them around. There was also the Crimson Sunbird, which was a first for me. Didn't manage to capture its photo.


The Stork-billed KF which is very huge (in fact, the largest KF in Singapore). This one was particularly huge as well.

The female Olive-backed Sunbird again.


A grasshopper! This shows of the grasshopper slightly hidden, as if it were playing peek-a-boo with us :) It has added a tinge of mystery.


A dragonfly that taken in an oddly-framed photo. Usually, for insects, we tend to take parallel to plane of the insect, so that you can see the full body. I guess this shot is for aesthetic purposes. I like how it looks like a 4-legged spider of sorts. And the background's pretty nice and clean.


And the veination of the fern. An early ancestor of the higher plants. I always love the backlitting of the veins such that it shows! Another technique you can employ whenever taking photos, because they always produce beautiful results. It's a reason why you should start nature photography early, to catch the morning sun which is not too harsh and just right!

Saw a couple of common birds - yellow-vented bulbuls, pigeons, mynas etc.; and even pigeons building nests on a man-made object o.O; some others even saw the pied fantail, magpie robin, collared kingfisher.

2 comments:

Serene Ng said...

really beautiful photos. love the one with the grasshopper! (tho im not a fan of the real insect HAHA)

AND GREAT BLOG LAYOUT!
thanks for sharing (:

serene

Unknown said...

oh hi! just saw this (:

thanks.... haha. insects are nice (: btw i downloaded the blogskin, so credits goes to its maker ;)