Friday 20 October 2017

Visiting Singapore Zoo With My Sony RX100

The Singapore Zoo was built in 1973 in the Mandai rain forest lands and it covers an area of 26 hectares . The Zoo houses over 315 species of animals, some of them being on the endangered list. But what makes Singapore Zoo so popular is the way the animals are taken care off. Unlike other Zoo's the animals are Not caged up, they live in naturalistic open environments where they are free to run around. It takes almost an entire day to see all of the exhibits and shows so I opted out of the shows and just stuck to the normal zoo tour.  I was in Singapore for work so I was only carrying my Sony RX100 M1. The camera did not disappoint ! the zoom lens had pretty good reach and sensor performed extremely well in low light. Here are some of the photos I shot during my visit.
This Polar Bear's fur was not soo white 
Fresh Water Sting Rays From Indonesia 
There were many tiny waterfalls
Me posing next to old Land Rover
Gharial Narrow snout croc from India
Trying long exposures with the little Sony balanced on a rock

Green Canopy 
Babirus Enclosure
Fun fact Babirusa means Pig Deer in Malay language
You can see the lower tusks that pierce through the flesh and come out  the snout
Arapaima huge carnivorous fish found in the Amazon
This little guy was soo scared of the fish 
At first I though it was a snake
Had a tough time capturing this tiny hopping kangaroo 
Tree Kangroo, never knew they existed 
Pygmy Tribals
Pygmy Village
The Baboon Exclosure
Getting up close with the Baboons 
More Pygmy people 
Get ready for a  lot of walking ! 
My favourite pic from the trip 
The Orangutan enclosure high up on the tree tops 
Zebras !
Timon from Lion King 
This was one intense looking lizard !
Zoo Grounds 
Tiny little funky monkey

Wednesday 18 October 2017

Singapore Photography Spots - Gardens By The Bay

Gardens By The Bay 

The Gardens By The Bay is a large nature conservation park in the heart of Singapore spanning over 100 hectares of land reclaimed from the sea. The park is in fact considered as the largest greenhouse in the world. It consists of 3 separate gardens :
  • Bay South Garden
  • Bay East Garden
  • Bay Central Garden 

Monday 16 October 2017

Singapore Photography Spots - The Chinese & Japanese Garden

The Chinese & Japanese Garden 

The Chinese and Japanese Garden is not very popular among the tourist, but for any photographer this place is golden ! I was searching for good photography spots in Singapore and  I came across a long exposure shot of the twin pagoda in this garden and I immediately decided to check it out. 
Chinese Pagoda Singapore
7 Storied Pagoda
The garden is built on 2 small islands in Jurong Lake, one a Chinese themed garden and the other traditional Japanese. The garden's are filled with a rare collection of bonsai imported form Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan and Indonesia. A number of beautiful sculptures of ancient warriors are scattred across the garden and you will find plenty of stone arch bridges. The most striking building  in the grounds is the 7 storied Pagoda inspired by the Linggu Pagoda in Nanjing, China. I waited for quiet some time with my tripod till the light turned golden to capture the below image of the pagoda's.
Singapore Travel Blog
Beautiful Twin Pagodas at Sunset 
Chinese Pagoda
Twin Pagodas BW
The best time to visit the garden would be around late evening an hour before sun set. When I got to the Pagodas there were a lot of photographers setting up for the perfect shot. Make sure to carry a sturdy tripod and  wide lens. 
Pagoda in Singapore
Twin Pagodas at last light 
The Japanese garden has an amazing landscape styled after the Muromachi period which are characterised by stone bridges, pebble paths, waterfalls and Pagodas. 
Japanese Garden Singapore
Japanese Garden Tranquil And Calm 
The gardens are connected by a beautiful white bridge called 'Bai Hong Qiao' which translates to White Rainbow. The bridges design is based on 17 arch bridge at the summer palace in Beijing. 
Singapore Photography
The White Rainbow
Old Chinese Bridge
The Bridge Reflecting Colours Of  Dusk 
The Chinese & Japanese Gardens are an amazing spot for photography,  the Chinese Garden has a lot of visual appeal where as the  Japanese Garden is more tranquil and calm. I would suggest first covering all the popular landmarks and only if you have extra time head to the garden. Also note that the garden is location quiet far from the city but is reachable by the subway line.