Richmond Park was transformed into a wintery white realm on Sunday morning, as snow (yes!!) fell on the capital and the South East. Mostly taken with the X-T1 and 16-55mm and 55-200mm. I arrived about an hour before sunrise, but it was much too dark to photograph anything without a tripod. Then, the much-anticipated sunrise was nothing too spectacular as the skies were overcast. Well, that happens. Persistence! From previous shoots, I noticed that the 55-200mm sometimes struggled to produce sharp and ‘clean’ images in low light so I had contemplated bringing the 50-140mm along, but I didn’t fancy being…
© 2012-2021 Jacqueline Lau
Category: Biodiversity
Fuji X-T1 with 56mm f/1.2 and 55-200mm.
It was hiding on the underside of the sea hibiscus, two of its tarsi clipped to the edge of the heart-shaped leaf, betraying its presence. Gingerly, I flipped the leaf over and my heart skipped a beat, for my initial hunch was right: a tiny walking leaf! It tended to stagger from side to side before settling down, possibly mimicking the movement of a leaf in the wind. We also observed it chewing on the browning edges of a dying sea hibiscus leaf, a behaviour which raises some questions: don’t most herbivores prefer young to mature leaves? Is this species…
Or… love of the forests at night. Last evening was a rewarding session at a new location (‘somewhere in MacRitchie’), new night macro set-up (X-T1 with 55-200 + Raynox + that tiny EF-X8 flashgun and a mounted torch), newish shooting companions (almost but not quite the ‘Magnificent Seven’). I usually stick to a few usual places for night macro; exploration of new localities are rare but welcomed. Each patch, I find, has its own charms and hosts its own community of little forest denizens that may be less commonly sighted elsewhere – even if the ‘elsewhere’ is simply another track…
As we approach the end of the migratory season, it is nice to see some of the waders still about: the jittery Pacific golden plovers, a few common redshanks, whimbrels and anti-social common sandpipers. Had a chance to test the AF-C and Continuous High settings. I’m impressed at how quickly and sharply it nailed birds in flight! Near the screen where I was shooting the waders, there was a soft bark. Turned out to be a croc lying nearby, and from the looks of its tail (or the lack of), I suspect it might be Tailess! We spotted three crocs…
A question at the foremost of my mind has been: is the X-T1 capable of nature photography? Firstly the 55-200mm, despite its amateurish looks and feel, delivers really good quality images. It’s currently the only viable wildlife photography lens in Fuji’s line-up. The focusing is extremely smooth and quiet, but slow under difficult light. For some reason, it takes more time for the camera to transition from the LCD to the EVF with this lens. There are times when I put my eye to the EVF to see complete black darkness before the image appears 1-2 seconds later in the…
Wednesday 12 Feb – I had some business in the Kranji area, and took the opportunity to drop by Buloh in the late afternoon. The recent dry spell had left water levels in the ponds near the Visitor Centre unacceptably low. The Reserve proper, too, felt a tad parched. At the end of my little walk around Route 1, having seen more than a day’s share of incredibly large golden web spiders (Nephila spp.), I stood on the Main Bridge and scanned the banks and the water for crocs and other friends. Initially, there was nothing of particular interest. I…
I’ve been finding myself at Sentosa quite frequently these days, in preparation for an event I’ve to help organise. Took some time to stalk a peacock and lay a four-lined tree frog to rest (it was found indoors) in between location scouting.