AHW nature-PHOTOGRAPHY

Grasshoppers

2011-12-05T00:08:00.005+08:00

Sunday Dec 4th, 2011 (update)

There are more than 10,000 species of grasshoppers can be found anywhere on the Planet Earth, except in the north and south pole regions, where the temperatures are extremely low. They are predominantly found in the tropical and temperate regions and can be observed flying around in meadows, fields and just about any place, they can find leaves to munch on. They are pests!

This baby bug only measures about 12mm [approx 1/2 inch] in length. The biggest Grasshoppers are up to nearly 10 times longer [11.5 cm or 4.5 inches). Their long hind legs are used for hopping and jumping. The short front legs are used to hold prey and to walk.

The one shown below is rather a 'flowerhopper'. Shot this little green creature red handed while eating bird of paradise flower petal.

Like all insects, the grasshoppers have three main body parts - the head, the thorax and the abdomen. They have six jointed legs, two pairs of wings and two antennae. Their body is covered with a hard exoskeleton. Grasshoppers breathe through a series of holes called 'spiracles' which are located along the sides of the body. Most grasshoppers are green, brown, or olive-green in colors.

Head - is of course at the front end of the grasshoppers body and is the location of the brain, the two compound eyes, the mouth parts, and the points of attachment of its two antennae.

Compound Eyes on a grasshopper are quite similar to CCD/CMOS on digital cameras. Each Compound eye and CCD/CMOS is a group of thousands of participates and millions of light-sensitive 'sensors' respectively that capture light, color and brightness.

The Compound eyes on grasshoppers are used for a broader spectrum of vision and sharper image, where their simple eyes are used to detect light and shadow.

Zuiko 50mm f1.2 + 28mm barrel extension @ f5.6 1/200sec ISO 100

Thorax - the middle area of the grasshoppers body where the legs and wings are attached.

Abdomen - the segmented tail area of a grasshopper, which contains the heart, reproductive organs, and most of the digestive system.

Yes... the heart of a grasshopper is in its abdomen!

ARACHNOgraphy [spiders]

2011-11-23T09:47:00.000+08:00

Wednesday, November 23rd., 2011 [updated]

ARACHNIDs

According to encyclopedia Britannnica "arachnid' refers to any member of the arthropod group that includes spiders, daddy longlegs, scorpions, and (in the subclass Acari) the mites and ticks, as well as lesser-known subgroups. Only a few species are of economic importance—for example, the mites and ticks, which transmit diseases to humans, other animals, and plants.

ARACHNOGRAPHY is the photo-study of spiders and related organisms such as scorpions, pseudoscorpions, harvestmen, collectively called arachnids.

To be honest, I'm not good at hunting and shooting spiders. Actually I started photographing spiders more or less by accident while shooting flowers. I hope, with special equipment and practice somewhere on time-line I'll master the art of photographing the arachnids too.

Please click here for more info from Wikipedia

Saturday January 12th 2008
It is bright, clear and sunny day. There are lots of fruit trees and bushes behind AHW house. Few species of birds, insects, arachnids could be found there.

'Flying Devil Spider" as I call it.... [observe the pattern on the spider back...]

ZD 35mm f3.5 macro @ f9.0 1/30sec ISO200

Thursday January 10th 2008
It's "HIJR NEW YEAR" today, may all muslims get blessing from the al-Mighty God...

The Amazing Spider, another al-mighty God creation.
Observe the pattern 'printed' on the back of the spider

the pattern looks like a skull... probably the skull of an alien.

now, when looking upside down....

the pattern looks like a warrior or something, complete with a head, a body, two legs and two hands holding some kind of deadly weapons... hey, there is the third leg too.

Spiders
Setting EV for lighting like this [without artificial lights or a flash unit] was very difficult for an acceptable dynamic range, even with a spot metering. The background is too dark but the photographer wanted to capture the details of the beautiful 'batik' abdomen without burning the texture.

[Olympus ZD 35mm f3.5 @ f11 1/125sec ISO200]

by reducing shutter speed and increasing ISO by 1-stop respectively, here is the result...

[Olympus ZD 35mm f3.5 @ f11 1/60sec ISO400]...better dynamic range, slightly over-exposed though.

"SmartSpider" head+abdomen measures only 4mm [magnification 3:1]

This spider L-R 'footprints' measures only 8mm across, almost unnoticed to naked eyes. The cephalotorax alone is much smaller than the head of a match-stick. I have to take position about 30cm between the surface of lens filter to the arachnida[1/180sec f16.0 ISO100 magnification 1:1]

If u r an arachronologist or wanna b a SPIDERman click here

LINKs to other SECTIONs and CATEGORIES

fotoVISIONs
INTROpage
ENTOMOgraphy - insects
LEPIDOgraphy - butterflies and moths
FLORAgraphy - flowers
WONDERcolors - striking color photos
MAMMALgraphy - animals
REPTOgraphy - reptilia
ORNITHOgraphy - birds
CLOSEUPhotography - general closeup photos [non-macro]
LANDSCAPEs
TALKphotography - readers can find FAQ, post questions and comments here

fotoVISIONs

2011-11-21T15:01:00.000+08:00

To me images come in just two kinds,
The one I see with my eyes or the inner vision, ...which are sometimes fuzzy and abstract

[Tokina 200mm f3.5 @ f5.6 1/500sec ISO200]

...and the ones I create through the medium of a lens. With this in mind, the lenses are the life and soul of the camera or that the photographs are no more than the record of an image captured by a lens. If every lens is an eye, then different lens represents a new way of seeing.

Thanks for visiting.
- uncle.D-

LINKs to other SECTIONs and CATEGORIES

INTRO from uncle.D @ AHW
LANDSCAPEs
ENTOMOgraphy - insects
LEPIDOgraphy - butterflies and moths
ARACHNOgraphy - spiders
FLORAgraphy - flowers
WONDERcolors - striking color photos
MAMMALgraphy - animals
REPTOgraphy - reptilia
ORNITHOgraphy - birds
ANYphoto - general uncatagorised photos
CLOSEUPhotography - general closeup photos [non-macro]
TALKphotography - readers can find FAQ, post questions and comments here

INTROpage

2011-11-21T14:00:00.000+08:00

Why uncle.D chooses naturePHOTOGRAPHY?
It is already 12 years since uncle.D [A.H.Wan] started to photograph NATURE and WILDlife. This persuit was not accidental because his absolute passion was observing of the goings-on in the surrounding where he used to live and play, and even today some 400km away from where he came from he's still surrounded by what he likes most - the NATURE.

There are a few species of bird, insect, arachnid, animal and wild flower could be found in the woods behind a place where uncle.D always call a home - located in Southern Klang Valley [SKV].

A common garden bird found on uncle.D's backyard.

[RMC Tokina 200mm f3.5 @ f5.6 1/180sec ISO400]

This is a kind of little bee, making honey comb under the leaves of a mangostein tree. It stings when disturbed or agitated.

[ZD 35mm f3.5 @ f9.o 1/160 sec ISO200]

Melastoma in the woods behind uncle.D's home backyard, is grown wild. In those ol' days, when uncle.D was a kid melastoma was part of his life. He used to play hide-and-seek behind them, he ate the fruits, he uprooted the plants to find fancy root formation, while the branches were submerged in nearby river overnight to trap fish and prawn for the next day's lunch.

[ZD 14~45mm f3.5 @ f5.6 1/60sec ISO200]

In the face of these concerned, uncle.D thought that it would be necessary to show other people the NATURE and WILDlife beauty which he was discovering each day, in an attempt to have nature become more loved and respected. In this manner, basing his action on the proverb that which is known is loved.

[ZD 35mm f3.5 @ f16 1/180sec ISO100 ]

Uncle.D continues to be consistantly amazed at the marvels which he discovers each day in the life of all living things - fauna and flora. Consequently, his concerns are the same as they were in the beginning since his childhood - TO MAKE HIS SMALL CONTRIBUTION TO THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE BEAUTY AND THE WONDERFUL SECRETS OF NATURE THROUGH THE LENS

and again, together we remember the following message...

"we are the only species who can protect them... including ourselves!"

Weaver Ant the Kerengge is uncle.D's Avatar

NATUREphotography tips:
BASIC RULES
Even with the excellent cameras now available, success in nature photography is still not guaranteed. The best equipment can only make task easier, but there are some fundamental rules which must be followed:

1. Study and observe the way of life of the subjects to be photographed, and try to be in harmony with their surroundings
2. Respect the subjects and their environment, above all do not frightened them.
3. If the subjects become aware of photographer's presence leave the area quickly and quietly. Try again.

To take beautiful nature photographs, it is important to adhere to these simple rules.

EQUIPMENT
Since the nature photographer must do a lot of walking, sometimes quickly and quietly, the equipment must be lightweight and minimum in number. A dSLR with largest crop factor with variety of interchangeable lenses like Four-Thirds system is ideal.

Choose the lenses according to the subject;
300mm~600mm telephoto for animals and birds.
50~200mm zoom for closeup shots.
24mm, 28mm and 35mm wide angle lenses for general landscape [environment] photography.
Macro lenses for insects, flowers and small plants.

TECHNIQUE
After deciding on a subject, find out as much as possible about its way of life and habitat. Then choose the location and season which offer the most chance of fulfilling the assignment, and so on...

Click HERE to continue

Cape Piai Reserve

2011-11-19T08:19:00.002+08:00

Destination: Cape Piai, Malaysia - the Southernmost Tip of Asia Continent Mainland

Location: N1 16.256 E103 30.591

Distances from the Location to world's cities

MANGROVES

Mangroves is a forest of various kind of tree that grow between land and the sea in the tropics and subtropics between latitudes 25° N and 25° S.

Mangrove trees have very tough root systems, special bark and leaf structures and other unique adaptations to enable them to survive in their habitat's harsh conditions - enduring scorching heat, mud, and salts that would kill any other plant within hours.

Yet the forests mangroves form are among the most productive and biologically complex ecosystems and may be more important to the health of the Planet Earth than we ever realized.

Mangroves protect coastlines against erosive wave action and strong coastal winds...

... and serve as natural barriers against tsunamis and torrential storms. Mangroves also prevent salt water from intruding into rivers; retain, concentrate and recycle nutrients and remove toxicants through a natural filtering process and; breeding ground for many fishes, crabs, prawns and other marine animals, essential for sustaining a viable fishing industry...

Malaysia Peninsular's West-Coast mangroves are more diverse than anywhere else on earth.

There is a mangrove reserve at Cape Piai in Johor National Park ...

... co-incidentally, it is also the real Asia Mainland southernmost tip [GPS coords: N1 16.256 E103 30.591]

more pictures in the scroll box below...

WELCOME to the world of AHW naturePHOTOGRAPHY

2011-11-16T14:00:00.000+08:00

Why naturePHOTOGRAPHY?
AHW fotoVISIONs
GALLERY index
LEPIDOgraphy - butterflies and moths
ARACHNOgraphy - spiders
FLORAgraphy - flowers
WONDERcolors - striking color photos
MAMMALgraphy - animals
ORNITHOgraphy - birds
REPTOgraphy - reptilia
CLOSEUPhotography - general closeup photos [non-macro]
LANDSCAPEs
TALKphotography

_________________________________________________
Featuring....
ENTOMOgraphy - insects
Entomography is the study through close-up and macro-images of insects, an arthropod class that comprises of nearly one million known species, representing about three fourths of all the classified animal species.

Insects are studied because of their importance as pollinators for fruit crops; as carriers of bacterial, viral, and fungal diseases; as parasites of humans or livestock; as destroyers of economically important plants; or as predators of other destructive insects.

ZD 70-300mm f4.0/5.6 @ f11 1/250sec ISO200

Unlike butterflies, insects can be found almost anywhere. I didn't have to ride or drive away from home to find them. Insects can be found flying, crawling or just resting or hiding any time from dawn to dusk.

ZD 70-300mm f4.0/5.6 @ f6.7 1/250sec ISO200

Of all the things there are to photograph I find insects the most satisfying and the most difficult. They almost never do what I want them to and are most likely to do whatever I least expect.

Read more...

NaturePhotography Around the House

2011-11-16T13:45:00.005+08:00

Wednesday, November 16th 2011

It's raining season in Malaysia right now. Wild flowers are blossoming unnoticed. Some flowers are neglected because they are too small to the naked eyes. Generally they are smaller than 15mm across.

Wild flowers have a seemingly endless variety of shapes, sizes and of course colors. A single bloom can convey the feelings of the person who takes the picture, i.e the photographer. It is both a challenge and a pleasure to seek out flowers and interpret their individual beauty.

(use scroll bars or mouse wheel to view more pictures)

ZD 35mm f3.5 macro @f4.5 1/125sec ISO100

ZD 40-150mm f3.5/4.6 @150mm f5.6 1/100sec. ISO100

ZD35mm f3.5 macro @ f5.6 1/80sec. ISO200

ZD 35mm f3.5 macro @ f4.0 1/100sec. ISO100

ZD35mm f3.5 macro @ f4.5 1/100sec. ISO200

Zuiko 50mm f1.2 + extn tube @ f4 1/100sec ISO100

MAMMALgraphy [animals]

2011-10-27T07:03:00.003+08:00

There are about 4000 named species of mammal in the world. I say about, because it is hard to get a list of species that all the experts agree on. So until you become an expert taxonomist and can solve the problems of what are or are not species.

The first characteristic that guarantees that an animal is a mammal is that its female can produce milk to feed its young. This milk is produced by modified sweat glands called 'mammary' glands. It is from these glands that the whole group takes its name, 'Mammals.

The second test is the possession of hair, something humans often have problems with but which they should respect more. No other animal has hair in the same form as mammals, and all mammals have some hair at least at the beginning of their lives - baby whales and dolphins are born with a moustache.

Cows
A cow is a generic term for domesticated bovines, often raised for meat, milk, leather products, and draft work. There are an estimated 1.3 billion cows in the world, most raised for agricultural purposes. Despite being relatively placid creatures, cows are controversial animals, as raising them levies heavy costs in terms of pollution and environmental damage

Water Buffalow
The water buffalo or Bubalus bubalis is a bovine native to Asia, where it has roamed for thousands of years. In addition to being found wild in Asia, water buffalo are also domesticated, working as draft animals in many Asian countries and being used to produce meat and milk in many regions of the world. Many zoos have a collection of water buffalo on display for people who would like to see them, and people who travel in rural Asia often encounter working water buffalo.

As their name implies, water buffalo are quite comfortable in the water. In the wild, they are often found around forested wetlands, and they may spend much of their day in the water, keeping cool and foraging for food. Water buffalo generally live in herds which can vary widely in size, with the females bearing a single calf each year after a gestation which lasts around nine months.

Many people associate these animals with Asian culture because they have become such important working animals in Southeast Asia, and they have participated in centuries of Asian history. Hopefully the preservation efforts aimed at the wild water buffalo will be successful, allowing future generations to catch a glimpse of Asia's distant past.

Cats
Everybody knows and loves cat. It needs no further introduction, doesn't it?

and the BIGger cousin too...

[Olympus ZD EFL=80~300mm f3.5 @ EFL= 300mm f4.5 1/60sec ISO200]

Malayan Tiger
In 2004, the Malayan Tiger was declared the Ninth Sub-species of Tiger. Click here for more info.

Lemur
Lemur is just like the cocktail of fox+cat+dog+primates. Nice and beautiful creature indeed.

[Tokina EFL=400mm f3.5 @ f5.6 1/30sec ISO200]

Lemurs are found naturally only on the island of Madagascar and some smaller surrounding islands, including the Comoros. All lemurs are endangered species, many species became already extinct in the last centuries.

Giraffe
The giraffe is tallest animal species on land - generally around 5 metres tall and weigh over 1 tonne. The giraffe is related to deer and cattle, but in a different family.

[Olympus ZD EFL=80~300mm f3.5 @ EFL= 300mm f4.5 1/500sec ISO200]

Nice living rubbled-wall pattern

Zebra
The Zebra is a member of the horse family. Native to Africa [except in Northern and Western Desert parts]. They are best known for their distinctive black and white stripes.

[Olympus ZD EFL=80~300mm f3.5 @ EFL= 124mm f4 1/350sec ISO200]

Beautiful stripes too...for camouflage purposes.

Rhino
Rhino is a shortened name for Rhinoceros. Sounds like a dinosour. Weight up to nearly 4 tonnes, height up to 1.8 meters. Rhinoceros have acute hearing and sense of smell, but poor eyesight. Most rhinoceros live to be about 50 years old or more.

[Tokina EFL=400mm f3.5 @ f5.6 1/250sec ISO200]

Probably this endangered animal is one of the remaining living pre-historic mamals. The most obvious distinguishing characteristic of the rhinos is a large horn above the nose. Rhinoceros horns, unlike those of other horned mammals, consist of keratin only and lacks a bony core, such as bovine horns. Rhinoceros horns are used in traditional medicine,especially among the Chinese.

Seladang or Gaur
The Seladangs are huge animals, heights can be over 2m and weights up to 2 tonnes - varies by region of South Asia and Southeast Asia. It is the largest of all wild cattle, bigger even than the Bison. Seladang is not water buffalo, both are huge and blacks though.

[Olympus ZD EFL=80~300mm f3.5 @ EFL= 300mm f4.5 1/180sec ISO200]

Other Mammals

[Olympus ZD EFL=80~300mm f3.5 @ EFL= 300mm f4 1/90sec ISO100]

[Olympus ZD EFL=80~300mm f3.5 @ EFL= 300mm f4 1/30sec ISO100]

Please click any of the folowing hyperlinks [hi-lighted texts] to continue.

HOMEpage
fotoVISIONs
INTROpage
LANDSCAPEs
ENTOMOgraphy - insects
ARACHNOgraphy - spiders
FLORAgraphy - flowers
WONDERcolors - striking colors photos
MAMMALgraphy - animals
REPTOgraphy - reptilia
ORNITHOgraphy - birds
CLOSEUPhotography - general closeup photos [non-macro]
TALKphotography - readers can find FAQ, post questions and comments here

Close-up Photography

2011-10-25T02:50:00.005+08:00

Tuesday October 25th 2011

ZD 35mm f3.5 @ f3.5 1/125sec ISO250

Friday October 14th 2011
Closeup Photography offers surprising results because it can produce images which are normally not 'visible' large enough to unaided eyes. Unless you are doing MICRO-Photography [more than 1:1 - i.e >1x magnification on the CCD] no special equipment is needed for Closeup-Photography [magnification of 1:4 to 1:1] other than a simple macro lens for the dSLR and 'macro' [close focusing] capability on the compact camera. Special flash and tripod are NOT mandatory as well! Some telephoto and zoom lenses are capable of taking close-up pictures larger than 1:3 magnifications too.

Most likely you can find around your own house compound plenty of colorful objects, such as flowers and insects which can be shot quite easily. The best time for Closeup Photography is early in the morning, before 10:00am.

I have interest in NaturePhotography since many years ago. My only equipment is a 'low cost' macro lens on an entry level dSLR and a decent compact digital cameras with close focusing capability. The following pictures were shot hand-held around my home compound around 9:00am this morning. I only used built-in flash for fill-in lighting.

ZD 35mm f3.5 macro lens

ZD 35mm f3.5 @f4.0 1/60sec ISO 200

ZD 35mm f3.5 @f6.7 1/90sec ISO 200

ZD 35mm f3.5 @f6.7 1/60sec ISO 200

ZD 35mm f3.5 @f6.7 1/90sec ISO 200

Tips for beginners

At maximum aperture and when the camera is placed very close to the subject [for the largest possible magnification] the depth of field becomes extremely shallow, making sharp focusing difficult - some auto-focus don't even work. Need to focus manually.

In photographing a flower, for instance, either the stamens or filaments only come in focus but the rest will be blurred [bokeh].

Aperture @f3.5 - very narrow depth of field. Only a few stamens are in focus.

The depth of field can be increased slightly by using smaller apertures. The following pictures show how different aperture openings effect the depth of field in macrophotography. Nevertheless, the best bokeh is always associated with the largest aperture as shown in the first picture [above].

Aperture @f5.6 - more stamen come into focus

Aperture @f16 - almost everything comes into focus...

When the subject of macrophotography arises, most photographers admit the advantages of modern dSLR cameras because the technology has reached to the point where we can take a photograph just a press of the shutter-release button. However, we must be careful not to fall into the trap of allowing the camera to make all the decisions as this can produce unexpected results.

Go MANUAL for the best results. Practice makes perfect. Read more HERE

Jump to Specific Topics
fotoVISIONs
INTRO page
ENTOMO-graphy - insects
LEPIDO-graphy - butterflies and moths
ARACHNO-graphy - spiders
FLORA-graphy - flowers
WONDER-colors - striking color photos
MAMMAL-graphy - animals
ORNITHO-graphy - birds
ANYphoto - general uncatagorised photos
CLOSEUP-Photography - general closeup photos [non-macro]
MACRO-Photography

LANDSCAPEs
TALK photography - readers can find FAQ, post questions and comments here

Vegetation

2011-01-01T19:08:00.010+08:00

Lalang

A kind of weeds found almost anywhere in Malaysia as long as there is enough sunlight. This kind of weed is also found in other tropical and temperate countries. Its scientific name is Imperata Cylindrica Keladan.

ZD 40-150mm f3.5/4.5 @ f5.6 1/400sec ISO200

Lalang is easy to reproduce by seeds blown by the wind, through rozobium or root cuttings. However lalang helps prevent soil erosion and maintain soil fertility.

Different species of lalang.

AHWphotography

2009-02-24T04:00:00.004+08:00

Please feel free to visit AHW photoGALLERY - some of uncle.D's 'contributions' to the virtual world of Photography since June 2007

uncle.D's fotoVISIONs
INTROpage
FIREWORKSgraphy
REPTORgraphy
ENTOMOgraphy - insects
LEPIDOgraphy - butterflies and moths
ARACHNOgraphy - spiders
FLORAgraphy - flowers
WONDERcolors - striking color photos
MAMMALgraphy - animals
ORNITHOgraphy - birds
CLOSEUPhotography - general closeup photos [non-macro]
LANDSCAPEs
TALKphotography

About uncle.D avatar, the Weaver Ant

Weaver ants are social insects known for their communication and nest building behavior that have complex bio-chemical communication and make elaborate nests out of living tree-leaves. Weaver ants are found in the tropical forests. They are colored a shade of red and are known for their painful, irritating sting.

__________________________________________

Cicada
A cicada can chirp so loud you can hear it from up to 1km away.

Some cicadas live underground for seventeen years and grows up to 75mm. Cicadas suck juice from tree roots when they are larvae. Once the female cicada comes above ground, she mates. Then she lays her eggs and dies. The cicada can lay four hundred to six hundred eggs. Adult cicadas live for thirty to forty days.

This picture was shot at 2000+ meters above sea level on the second highest summit in Peninsular Malaysia. Similar picture can also be found at PHOTOmalaysia

BUTThead...

In contrary to a popular belief, butterflies in their adult stage can live from a week to nearly a year depending on the species.
More butt closeup pictures can also be found HERE

More uncle.D's pictures of this category can also be found at PHOTOmalaysia

The moon at dawn

f16 1/200sec ISO200

photoINDEX

2009-02-22T02:00:00.002+08:00

Welcome to AHWphotography !
In an instant, the camera captures an image - the frozen transient occationally appeals to the viewer the wonders with a force stronger than a thousand words. One photograph not only writes a history but sometimes do change the history itself by creating an impact not even possible by an explosive.

And most of all, they are irrecoverable moments as most of the photos captured will never be repeated forever - uncle.D

please click any of the following HIGHlighted texts to proceed

NEW and simplified version 2008.01.16
| INTROpage | AHW fotoVISIONs | talkPHOTOGRAPHY |

FLORAgraphy

ENTOMOgraphy

WONDERcolors

ORNITHOgraphy

ANYphoto - uncategorised snapshots

LANDSCAPEs
[new pictures will posted soon]

______________________________________________
AHWphotography Earlier Posts

MAMMALgraphy

ARACHNOgraphy

CLOSEUPhotography

______________________________________________
fotoVISIONs
INTROpage
ENTOMOgraphy - insects
LEPIDOgraphy - butterflies and moths
ARACHNOgraphy - spiders
FLORAgraphy - flowers
WONDERcolors - striking color photos
MAMMALgraphy - animals
ORNITHOgraphy - birds
ANYphoto - general uncatagorised photos
CLOSEUPhotography - general closeup photos [non-macro]
LANDSCAPEs
TALKphotography - readers can find FAQ, post questions and comments here

Gallery Index

2009-02-21T00:26:00.001+08:00

Please click on GALLERY title [DO NOT click on the thumbnails] to enter

ARACHNOgraphy

FLORAgraphy

ENTOMOgraphy

LEPIDOgraphy

REPTORgraphy

MAMMALgraphy

ORNITHOgraphy

WONDERCOLORgraphy

CLOSEUPhotography

FIREWORKSgraphy

AHWadventure

Le Tour de Langkawi Special Edition

2009-02-16T05:35:00.009+08:00

Slow? Click HERE for lite edition

Sunday, February 15th was the day for the 7th and final stage of Le Tour de Langkawi 2009. There would be 12-lap criterium racing covering approximately 80+ km [3:30pm to 5:15pm] around the city center of Kuala Lumpur. Start and Finish lines were at Merdeka Square [in front of the famous Sultan Abdul Samad Building]. AHW was one of the freelance photographers at LTdL 2009.

1:03pm - the sky was clear with little clouds. It was hot and humid. Preparation for the race was going on just after the roads had been temporarily closed to traffic. Everything needed to be done as quickly as possible. About two and a half hours to go.

(use scroll bars or mouse wheel to view more pictures)

1:20pm - On Dataran Merdeka Padang some kind of carnival was going on and people started to form a flock.

mari! mari!! free roti...

While others waited patiently under the shade

2:00pm - teams arrived

and more people...

2:45pm - Traffic Policemen marched forwards to their designated road junctions to control/stop traffic flows along the racing route.

3:25pm - Cyclists took position at the START grid line.

3:30pm - the 7th and Last stage of Le Tour de Langkawi 2009 pushed off.

racing in motions, actions, e-motions, tensions... and lots of manipulations and calculations too.

muscles of cavlar or somethin'?

Laps after laps... kept on charging!

...and finally the expected winner, Gianni Savio's Diquigiovanni-Androni Gioccatoli team completed what was effectively the most dominant team performance ever in Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) with multiple titles in their bag after the final stage of the race, the Kuala Lumpur Criterium today.

also, Asia's Best Team

The Individual Winners - the yellow, green, red and blue jerseys
Gavazzi who won four of seven stages in LTdL 2009 sealed the green jersey (sprint) with 97 points, Nolan Hoffman settled in second place with 82 points

Jose Serpa Perez, who sealed the King of the Mountain (red polka dot jersey) on previous day stage 6 with 25 points, claimed the yellow jersey today.

The only other jersey, the VW blue jersey for the Asian riders' classification winner, was taken by Le Tua Cycling Team's veteran Indonesian rider Tonton Susanto, who bagged his third ever win in that classification after doing the same in 1999 and 2002.

Last, but not least Ahmad Haidar Anuar from the national team became the best local riders after finishing in seventh place, ahead of teammate Anuar Manan.

Click HERE for Earlier Stages

[All pictures by AHW - Wide angle shots were taken with Lumix LX-3 compact digicam while tele-shots were taken with Zuiko Digital Lenses on Olympus E-500 dSLR]

Le Tour de Langkawi 2009

2009-02-15T18:16:00.008+08:00

Le Tour de Langkawi is organised by the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF) with the support of the Malaysian government via the Ministry of Youth and Sports and sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and Asian Cycling Confederation (ACC).

Besides Malaysia, Italy with a contingent of 11 riders, followed by Australia (9), France (8), South Africa, Kazakhstan, Iran, China and Korea (6), Spain, Switzerland and Japan (5), Ukraine (3), USA, Germany, Austria, Venezuela, Tunisia, Algeria and Indonesia (2), Belgium, New-Zealand, Canada, The Netherlands, Slovenia, Poland, Ireland, Sweden, Great-Britain, Moldova, Colombia, Argentina, Mongolia, Syria and Qatar (1).

Le Tour de Langkawi 2009 is the shortest ever - running from February 9 to 15, 2009. Not even include Langkawi and the beautiful East Coast of Malaysian Peninsular. Total distance is 1030km in seven stages.

Stage 1
Putrajaya - Senawang • 133.8kms
9th February 2009

Malaysia once again top the field of Le Tour de Langkawi with 15local riders taking part in the race on the start line at Putrajaya, on February 9. But the event appears more international than ever despite the reduction of the number of participating teams from 25 in 2008 to 20 this year. One year ago, it was already a record number of 30 nations lined up but the provisional start list for the 14th edition of the race boasts an exceptional number of riders hailing from 35 different countries and five continents to compete.

Gavazzi won Stage 1 - finished the race in 3 hours, 6 minutes and 42 seconds and managed to win the yellow jersey jointly sponsored by Proton and TM and also the green jersey sponsored by MILO after he managed to accumulate 15 points in sprint zone.

Stage 2
Senawang - Melaka • 160.9kms
10th February 2009

The second stage started in Senawang through the climb zone in Bukit Inas and then thru the climb zone in Tampin, Masjid Tanah and Cheng before it ended in the historical city of Melaka.

Gavazzi wins again!!! Gavazzi keeps the yellow jersey in the second stage he also kept the green jersey sponsored by MILO as he led the bunch of 118 riders to the finish in 3 hours, 42 minutes and 13 seconds.

Stage 3
Melaka • 186.0kms
11th February 2009

The race started and ended in Malacca through Muar, Bukit Kepong, Kesang and Tangkak.

Bravo!! Gavazzi did it again - got a hattrick and manages to keep the yellow jersey after he finished the third stage. Gavazzi managed to put himself in the perfect spot to sprint all the way to the finishing point leading the rest of 118 riders in 4 hours 33 minutes and 29 seconds.

Stage 4
Melaka - Bandar Baru Bangi • 221.0kms
12th February 2009

This stage, is the longest of all. Riders cycled through the sprint zone at the Akademi Laut Malaysia, Port Dickson and Seremban with two climb zones in Bukit Tinggi of 367 meters and Genting Peres of 459 meters before ending the race in Bandar Baru Bangi in front of PKNS bld.

Team Le Tua conquered the podium as they took three wins, Le Tua’s rider, Samai recorded 5hours 15minutes and 9 second sprint swiftly to the finishing line ahead of the winner of the previous three stages, Mattia Gavazzi of Diquigiovanni-Andron [who is also the holder of the yellow jersey] and Nolan Hoffman of the South African national team who were second and third respectively.

Up until now, Gavazzi held his grip onto the yellow jersey as the best overall rider and the green jersey sponsored by MILO as the sprint king with 64 points.

and the true winners at my heart are these 200+hp beasts...
[all pictures were taken with Lumix LX-3 compact digicam]

Stage 5
Petaling Jaya - Genting Highlands • 102.0kms
13th February 2009

The Tour of Langkawi takes on a different look in 2009 - heavy revisions to the race route should see the event again decided on the Genting Highlands climb. The 1600m climb was left out of last year’s race due to the timing of Chinese New Year, but features once more in this year’s shortened parcours.

The stage began in Petaling Jaya, heading towards Sungai Buluh where the first sprint took place at Paya Jaras after just 17 kilometres then moved into Kampung Sungai Tua and Batu Caves, then through the second intermediate sprint at Gombak. The climbing for the day began at Genting Sempah heading into Bukit Tinggi before tackling the toughest climb all the way up to the summit of Genting Highlands.

Crawford leads Serpa on Genting

Serpa Perez Jose Rodolfo from DiquigiovanniI-Androni won in 2hours 58minutes 56sec! 2nd place was Crawford Jai of Australia in 2hours 59minutes 19sec.

Stage 5 Winners

Serpa & Gavazzi

Stage 6
Batang Kali - Shah Alam • 147.6kms
14th February 2009

Stage 6 started at Batang Kali towards Ulu Yam, Serendah and Kampung Sungai Choh, the peloton began to climb at Bukit Badong. From there the peloton moved towards the first intermediate sprint at Bestari Jaya [formerly known as Batang Berjuntai].The feeding zone after that, offered the chance for refreshments before a frantic pace heading towards Kuala Selangor, where the second intermediate sprint awaits at the 87.5km point and then the third intermediate sprint at Ijok at the 105.8 km point. There could be chance attacks with an eye on a breakaway win in the remainder of the stage through Batu Arang and Meru before the finish in Shah Alam.

Sequencial shots at 300m before finishing line.

and the winners are...

behind the scene, who gave their supports to the LTdL 2009...

no comment...

[all pictures were taken with Lumix LX-3 compact digicam]

Stage 7
Kuala Lumpur Criterium • 80.4kms
15th February 2009

The route started at Dataran Merdeka includes Jalan Tun Perak, Jalan Raja Chulan, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Jalan P.Ramlee, Jalan Ampang, Jalan Sultan Ismail, Jalan Tuanku Abdul Rahman, and ended back at Dataran Merdeka at the end of 12th lap.

Defending overall team champion Diquigiovanni-Androni swept all three major jersey titles of the seven stages of the Le Tour de Langkawi (LTdL) 2009 which ended here today.

Peugeot 308 - captured with Lumix LX-3

2009-02-04T22:40:00.019+08:00

Why post car pictures here? It is nothing to do with NaturePhotography, is it?
Well, it's a Lion what? This Lion can out run a real cheetah u know. Admittedly not as fast as a diving falcon though [click HERE] . Hii hiiii...

AHW takes one day off today to send his spouse's Peugeot 206 for free warranty inspection and replacement of defective parts and recalled items. Free parts replacement were AL-4 gear box solenoid valves, Air-Filter housing, Front Suspension Mounting etc....

While waiting for the car to be ready AHW took his time loitering around the showroom at the "3S Blue-Box" appreciating the all-new CKD Peugeot 308 Turbo Hi-Pressure. He carries with him the LX-3 to shoot some pics.

THE EXTERIOR

EXTERIOR CLOSEUP

225/45 R17 rubber!

THE ENGINE

CKD Peugeot 308 is powered by BMW EP6-DT 1.6liter Twin-Cam 16-valve Hi-Pressure Turbo Engine detuned to 140hp/240Nm 'only'.

Note: Similar engine has been tuned and "over_clocked" - developing a whopping 211hp with 260Nm of torque for 308RC-z and JCW Mini which accelerate from 0 to 100kph under 7 seconds, and maximum speed of over 235kph!.

THE INTERIOR

Read more

Local Fruits

2008-09-29T07:29:00.024+08:00

A Closer Look at Malaysian Fruits
Almost everyone likes local fruits but not everybody really take a closer look to appreciate their beauty just because normal unaided human eyes cannot get close enough. Taking close-up pictures with specific lenses helps people take a second look though...

Friday October 24th, 2008 - A Second [closer] Look at Rambutans
The Fleshy-Juicy inside...

The Hairs...

The Scalp...

...look! no dandruff on rambutan scalp, but there is a bug ...

Tuesday October 21st, 2008 - Off Season Fruits
The late afternoon rain prevails - dampening outdoor activities such as cycling, gardening or just strolling around. After the rain had subsided I spent some time on rear balcony and observed some rambutan trees keep on bearing fruits. Not just twice but trice or four times already this year. Why aaah? - ada yang sedang berbunga...

...dan mula membesar.

ada yang baru nak masak...

...ada juga yang dah masak ranum.

Buah durian dan duku tak pula berbuah sampai dua tiga kali semusim, tapi manggis berbuah juga dua kali dalam tahun ni.

Week Ending July 20th, 2008 - Fruit Trees at Home

Friday July 18th - Duku @ doh-kong and mangostein are ready for today's consumption. To me, mangostein is the best tropical fruit ever. The taste that cannot be replaced.

According to wikipedia however, the mango-stein is an exotic fruit [of semitic origins?] first popularized in Western culture by Julian Russo's operetta. Introduced to the Americas by Schlomo Mangostein in 1862, the fruit was a major component in fighting scurvy.

The mangostein is an important cash crop in many Latin American economies and under the rule of Hugo Chavez has become the third greatest export from Venezuela after oil and rubber gloves.

Duku [doh-kong]

Rambutan

Thursday July 17th - It is not too difficult to climb up a mangostein tree even in the early morning while the branches are still wet.

While picking mangostein fruits, three more durians fell down just a few feet away.

Tomorrow I will pick some more mangosteins, and probably doh-kong fruits too.

Tuesday July 15th - Before the durian season gone, there were three stages of rambutan on my backyard. Some had already ripen and ready to be picked.

...while there are also a few trees with almost matured fruits ...

...and the rests are still flowering.

Monday July 14th - Despite of health problem, I enjoyed eating durian fruits [with my 2nd son] throughout previous week while the rest of the family were away - my wife and daughter were in Kelantan, would be returning home today. There were five best durian fruits kept for them to enjoy eating as well. Unfortunately my eldest and the 3rd sons were away, tak merasa lah tahun ni... the eldest son in Dubai and the third son was undergoing internship in Cyberjaya.

Golden Delights encased in strong shell lined with silvery satin...

This year, the durian tree on my backyard bears substantial amount of fruits for the whole family. Today, there are not much left on the tree though - some of the remaining were spared for the squirrels...

Footnotes__________________________________________________

About twenty years ago AHW bought an 8000+sq ft lot with a ready-made house on it at an unimaginable low price as compared to today's pricing. The house is now completely surrounded by trees, partly covered by the canopy but still visible from satellite.

Behind AHW's house there is a small stream. Both sides of the stream are reserve lands. AHW planted almost every common species of local fruit trees there, however as the trees were getting bigger and bigger, some of them must give way - AHW had to chop off one by one from time to time...

Pls select/click-on AHWblog or GALLERY index to proceed.

1. AHWadventure

2. AHWphotography

3. GALLERY index

talkPHOTOGRAPHY

2008-09-10T01:00:00.011+08:00

Photography relies on many branches of knowledge and technology more than other creative medium put together. Knowledge on the hardware, the processes and the subject matter greatly influence the work we do in photography. Most of us are not aware the hidden processes behind clicking the shutter on any digital camera are more complex than any other system we have ever experienced.

Almost every knowledge known to mankind is associated with photography - arts, psychology, social science, optics, mechanical engineering, physics, maths, geometry, electronics, computer engineering, fuzzy logics, adaptive control systems, multivariable nonlinear system just to name a few. Some fields in which most ppl never even have ever heard before such as psychophysics can be associated with photography.... just imagine that and the list could be very long.

However, the canny wizard in photographic industry have simplified the art of taking pics so the only requirement imposed on the photographer is just clicking the shutter. The hidden processes are left unnoticed to the CPU in the camera. We can take pictures like this...... but the result is usually average pictures of average scene. If we are lucky enough we may get good or great shot by chance, but "photography" in real sense does not rely on luck! Knowledge and skill must be developed for great picture taking. Some level of understanding beyond clicking the shutter is required to take picture that are more satisfying.... simply means that our picture fulfills the purpose we had in mind when we took it.

If we take photography as a hobby - its not the final prints that we enjoy most, lemme put this way - it's not the destination, but the journey. Plainly the fun is in the doing, not the end result. We photographers, who are seriously into it as a hobby or profession, find as much rewarding in the things that lead to a photograph as in the final end product. This is manipulation, puzzle solving and complex problem solving...

You are invited to AHW photoTALKs, some of uncle.D's 'contributions' to the virtual world of Photography since June 2007. AHW photoTALKs is now reopened since Feb 2nd 2010 after closing down for more than a year, during which AHW wasn't active in dSLR photography.

You may also go directly to the GALLERY at the following links:

uncle.D's fotoVISIONs
INTROpage
FIREWORKSgraphy
REPTORgraphy
ENTOMOgraphy - insects
LEPIDOgraphy - butterflies and moths
ARACHNOgraphy - spiders
FLORAgraphy - flowers
WONDERcolors - striking color photos
MAMMALgraphy - animals
ORNITHOgraphy - birds
CLOSEUPhotography - general closeup photos [non-macro]
LANDSCAPEs

______________________________________________________

REPTOgraphy

2008-09-01T04:27:00.013+08:00

REPTILEs

Dinosaurs are giant fossilized reptiles - there there are still 6,800 reptile species on earth left. The major groups are alligators and crocodiles, turtles, lizards, and snakes. All reptiles are cold-blooded, which is why they warm themselves in the sun, and have bodies covered in dry, horny scales. Some reptiles lay eggs; others give birth to live young. In general, lizards have a small head, short neck, and long body and tail. And unlike snakes, most lizards have moveable eyelids.

Pokqour
I was told this lizard species is called pokqour. Full name is pokqour hangok. The skin tone can easily adapt to the surrounding colors. So there is nothing wrong with the white-balance here, isn't it?.

"Kelantanese Pokqour" - ZD 70-300mm f4.0/5.6 @300mm f11 1/180secs ISO200

All "pokqours" or chameleons species are able to change their skin colour. Chameleons change their colour in response to light exposure and ambient temperature.

Different chameleon species are able to change different colours which can include pink, blue, red, orange, green, black, brown and yellow. Chameleons are naturally coloured for their surroundings as a camouflage. However, recent research has indicated that Chameleons may use colour changes as a method of communication, including to make themselves more attractive to potential mates.

Chameleons have specialized cells, collectively called chromatophores, that lie in layers under their transparent outer skin. The cells in the upper layer, called xanthophores and erythrophores, contain yellow and red pigments respectively. Below these is another layer of cells called iridophores or guanophores, and they contain the colourless crystalline substance guanine. These reflect, among others, the blue part of incident light. If the upper layer of chromatophores appears mainly yellow, the reflected light becomes green (blue plus yellow). A layer of dark melanin containing melanophores is situated even deeper under the reflective iridophores. The melanophores influence the 'lightness' of the reflected light. All these pigment cells can rapidly relocate their pigments, thereby influencing the colour of the chameleon.

Crocodile
Crocodiles are ambush hunters, waiting for victims to come close to attack. They can survive long periods without food, and rarely need to actively go hunting. The crocodile's bite strength is up to 3,000psi about 10 times comparing to just 350psi for a large shark. Despite their slow appearance, crocodiles are top predators in their environment.

The one shown above is commonly known "Cupram Crocodilus", may be due to the skin tone looks like copper. Perfect-tan skin for handbags, but must remember that "when buying stops, the killing can too"

This page is UNDER CONSTRUCTION, please proceed to the following galleries:

uncle.D's fotoVISIONs
INTROpage
FIREWORKSgraphy
REPTORgraphy
ENTOMOgraphy - insects
LEPIDOgraphy - butterflies and moths
ARACHNOgraphy - spiders
FLORAgraphy - flowers
WONDERcolors - striking color photos
MAMMALgraphy - animals
ORNITHOgraphy - birds
CLOSEUPhotography - general closeup photos [non-macro]
LANDSCAPEs
TALKphotography

FIREworks

2008-08-31T11:59:00.019+08:00

Sunday, August 31st, 2008

It was "Merdeka51" i.e the 51st Malaysian National Day. During the last two weeks there were at least six spectacular fireworks during Putrajaya International Fireworks Competition were held in front/near of Putra International Convention Center [PICC].

Team Australia [Aug 29th] - ZD14~54mm f2.8/3.5 @104mm EFL f22 6seconds ISO100

Q. How to capture fireworks?
Taking pictures of fireworks is easy and straight forwards by following simple rules that I'd imposed to myself. Now I would like to share with all fotokakis.

Rule #1: always use a TRIPOD

Team China [Aug 12th]- ZD 70-300mm f4.0/5.6 @380mm EFL f22 6secs ISO100

Rule #2: use the LOWEST ISO setting [ISO100 or less]

Team Australia [Aug 29th] - ZD14~54mm f2.8/3.5 @104mm EFL f22 6seconds ISO100

Rule #3: use MANUAL mode with aperture opening at f8 to f22, generally best around f11~f16, [Just like taking pictures with flash units, shutter speeds will no longer determine the exposure of the fireworks itself other than used to capture the trails length and the exposure of the background/foreground, generally anything between 4 to 16 seconds is good enough, I found that the best shutter speed is between 6-8 seconds]

Team Australia [Aug 29th] - ZD14~54mm f2.8/3.5 @104mm EFL f16 6seconds ISO100

Rule #4: Use MANUAL FOCUS lens or set auto focus to MAN [if u r using autofocus lenses]

Team Australia [Aug 29th] - ZD14~54mm f2.8/3.5 @104mm EFL f22 6seconds ISO100

I suggest to use a moderate telephoto lens to keep shooting distance further away from the 'action' and crowds. All of my pictures were taken about 2km away from launching pads.

Team China [Aug 12th]- ZD 70-300mm f4.0/5.6 @140mm EFL f11 6secs ISO100

Team China [Aug 12th]- ZD 70-300mm f4.0/5.6 @140mm EFL f22 6secs ISO100

To start with, I would suggest the following settings:
MANUAL mode, Camera on TRIPOD
Aperture: f11
Shutter: 8seconds
ISO: 100

And the results as shown below [all of them were taken by my son, K.A Wan] were not disappoint me at all...

Tokina 270mm [EFL] f2.8 lens @f11 8secs ISO100

Tokina 270mm [EFL] f2.8 lens @f11 8secs ISO100

Tokina 270mm [EFL] f2.8 lens @f11 8secs ISO100

To get the better results u may 'play around' up to +- 2stops with aperture [or shutter]. Good Luck

AHWgalleries

uncle.D's fotoVISIONs
INTROpage
FIREWORKSgraphy
REPTORgraphy
ENTOMOgraphy - insects
LEPIDOgraphy - butterflies and moths
ARACHNOgraphy - spiders
FLORAgraphy - flowers
WONDERcolors - striking color photos
MAMMALgraphy - animals
ORNITHOgraphy - birds
CLOSEUPhotography - general closeup photos [non-macro]
LANDSCAPEs
TALKphotography

Putrajaya Critical Mass 4 - PART 3

2008-07-26T02:00:00.005+08:00

Pictures moved HERE

Putrajaya Critical Mass 4 - PART 1 & 2

2008-07-26T01:00:00.030+08:00

Pictures moved HERE

LEPIDOgraphy

2008-02-07T09:33:00.032+08:00

BUTTERFLY and MOTH

Monday October 27th, 2008
Everybody hates Monday but it is a public holiday today. It seemed that everybody still in festive mood. After sunrise I waited till 8:00am to observe the cloudy sky whether there would be raining before or around noon. Judging from the clouds height and pattern I was certain there would be no rain at least before noon.

Around 9:00am I pushed off to the undisturbed butterfly/moth paradise. I carried with me a dSLR with 70-300mm Zoom Lens for the adventure. I preferred to use a super-telephoto zoom instead of standard macro lens to capture butterfly images at 'comfortable' distances without disturbing and scaring them. Long focal lengths with close focus capability is just perfect for this week's mission.

Butterflies and moths are both insects of the order Lepidoptera, which encompasses about 140,000 species worldwide.

There’s no hard and fast line that divides butterflies from moths, but in general butterflies have knobbed antennae; those of moths range from straight filaments to feathery or branched.

Butterflies have smooth, slender bodies; moths tend to be plump and fuzzy.

Most butterflies fly during the day; most moths fly at night. Butterflies generally rest with their wings held upright;

moths spread them out.

Most of the brightly colored Lepidoptera are butterflies.

BUTThead close-ups

Click HERE for 'slightly' higher resolution pictures.

LINKS to other SECTIONs and CATEGORIES

uncle.D fotoVISIONs
INTROpage
ENTOMOgraphy - insects
ARACHNOgraphy - spiders
FLORAgraphy - flowers
WONDERcolors - striking color photos
MAMMALgraphy - animals
REPTOgraphy - reptilia
ORNITHOgraphy - birds
CLOSEUPhotography - general closeup photos [non-macro]
LANDSCAPEs
TALKphotography - readers can find FAQ, post questions and comments here

ENTOMOgraphy [Insects]

2008-01-21T07:19:00.021+08:00

Sunday November 20th 2011 [update]

ENTOMOGRAPHY - is the study through close-up and macro-images of insects, an arthropod class that comprises of nearly one million known species, representing about three fourths of all the classified animal species.

Among all the insects, ants are quite easy to find and can be shot without difficulty especially in the early morning light.

ZD 35mm f3.5 macro @ f3.5 1/60sec ISO200

Insects are studied because of their importance as pollinators for fruit crops; as carriers of bacterial, viral, and fungal diseases; as parasites of humans or livestock; as destroyers of economically important plants; or as predators of other destructive insects.

ZD 70-300mm f4.0/5.6 @ f11 1/250sec ISO200

Unlike butterflies, insects can be found almost anywhere. I didn't have to ride or drive away from home to find them. Insects can be found flying, crawling or just resting or hiding any time from dawn to dusk.

ZD 70-300mm f4.0/5.6 @ f6.7 1/250sec ISO200

Of all the things there are to photograph I find insects the most satisfying and the most difficult. They almost never do what I want them to and are most likely to do whatever I least expect.

Saturday January 12th 2008
It is bright, clear and sunny day. There are lots of fruit trees and bushes behind uncle.D's house. Few species of bird, insect, arachnid could be found there.

This bee is making honey comb and babies under the canopy of a mangostein tree, it stings...

ZD 35mm f3.5 macro @ f11 1/160sec ISO200

This dragonfly was spotted Friday 11th late afternoon on one of the rambutan branches. This insect was shot again on Jan 12th - must be the same dragonfly spotted on previous day.

Look at the wing details. They are more complex than the aeroplane wing structures.

Tuesday December 25th 2007
Merry X-mas! to those who celebrate.
After a good lunch I spent time loitering on backyard. Suddenly I spotted this tiny creature making nest, kinda honey comb. By hand held, it was not easy to get focused on 2mm-compound eyes with less than 1mm dof. Finally got one after about a dozen on shots.

ZD 35mm f3.5 macro @ f6.7 1/250sec ISO200

...and another small insect

ZD 35mm f3.5 macro @ f10 1/125sec ISO200

ANTs
Facts: There are over 10,000 known species of ants. Ants are clean and tidy insects. Some worker ants are given the job of taking the rubbish from the nest and putting it outside in a special rubbish dump! Each colony of ants has its own smell. In this way, intruders can be recognized immediately. Ants can lift 20 times their own body weight. An ant brain has about 250 000 brain cells. A human brain has 10 billion.

Weaver Ant

Weaver ants are social insects known for their communication and nest building behavior that have complex bio-chemical communication and make elaborate nests out of living tree-leaves. Weaver ants are found in the tropical forests. They are colored a shade of red and are known for their painful, irritating sting.

Oly C-5050z @1/1000 f6.3 ISO64 60mm EFL

Normally when there are fruit trees it is very easy to spot this weaver ant. However not many of us aware that this insect has established a smart pasrtnership with other living organisms. The insect give protection to the later while getting some kind of juice in return.

Oly C-5050z @1/1000 f5.6 ISO64 60mm EFL

Another picture showing how the smart-partnership is practiced

Oly C-5050z @1/1000 f5.6 ISO64 60mm EFL

Special posing...but deadly!

Oly C-5050z @1/1000 f5.6 ISO64 60mm EFL

Weaver ants form the most elaborate communicative organization in the insect world through their simple intelligence. At first the queen ant lays her eggs among tree leaves while the worker ants engage in building the nest. This emergent ant society helps in building the nest by weaving together living tree leaves. This is done by first forming ant chains that hold together leaves and then manipulating the ant larva to produce silk in order to glue the tree leaves. Thus the ant colony emerges with the queen in the center of the nest whose only purpose is to lay eggs while sterile female ants engage in building the nest.

Red Ants
Red Ants or Fire Ants can be easily recognised by their copper brown head and body, with a darker abdomen. Measuring between 2mm to 5mm. The different sizes can be found in a single colony. These are actually workers [sterile females].

A bee "Crash Site" means...

..."Big Feast" for these tiny red ants

The male ant are not workers - only to mate with the queen, once done, the males continue on searching for another queen. A queen is the largest ant in the colony. The queen is for reproduction - live up to 5 years or more, produces up to 1500 eggs per day. There could be many queens in each colony.

The black garden ant (Lasius niger)

ODONATA
Odonata is an order of insects, encompassing dragonflies and damselflies. These insects have large rounded heads, faceted eyes, legs that facilitate catching other insects in flight, two pairs of long, transparent wings that move independently, and elongated abdomens. They are aquatic or semi-aquatic as juveniles. Thus, adults are most often seen near bodies of water and are frequently described as aquatic insects.

Dragonfly

Oly C-5050z @1/500 f2.8 ISO64 60mm EFL

_____________________________________________________
The following insects are considered as....
PESTs

Roach
The night crawler. In existance since dinosour era [i.e during Carboniferous period between 350–300 million years ago]

Cockroaches exist everywhere, except in Artic and Antartica. There are more than 3,000 species in six families.

Mosquitos
Need no introduction... but if somebody want to read more about this insect click here.

[EV compansation -0.5]

LINKs to other SECTIONs and CATEGORIES

fotoVISIONs
INTROpage
LEPIDOgraphy - butterflies and moths
REPTOgraphy - reptilia
ARACHNOgraphy - spiders
FLORAgraphy - flowers
WONDERcolors - striking color photos
MAMMALgraphy - animals
ORNITHOgraphy - birds
CLOSEUPhotography - general closeup photos [non-macro]
LANDSCAPEs
TALKphotography - readers can find FAQ, post questions and comments here

FLORAgraphy [flowers]

2008-01-20T07:06:00.018+08:00

Friday, 11.11.11

Tuesday, August 18th 2008
It was my third visit to Cameron Highlands this year. Stayed 2D1N at Federal Resorts. Midday temp was 18deg C. The next early morning temperature was 14 deg C.

"Bunga Kebangsaan" - ZD 14-54mm f2.8/3.5 @54mm f5.6 1/60secs ISO200

"Flowers" - ZD 14-54mm f2.8/3.5 @54mm f8 1/45secs ISO200

"Morning dew" - ZD 14-54mm f2.8/3.5 @54mm f3.5 1/90secs ISO200

Wednesday, August 06th 2008
As I was cycling along Langat River I spotted this rambutan-look-alike wild fruit by the side of the trail.

Olympus ZD 70-300mm f4/5.6 @300mm f5.6 1/125sec ISO400 on E-500 dSLR

_______________________

The following pictures were shot with ZD 40-150mm f3.4/4.5 on Olympus E-500.

Tuesday January 1st 2008
"HAPPY NEW YEAR 2008".

ZD 40~150mm f3.5/4.5 @ f4.5 1/250sec ISO200 - zoomed to 150mm

I preferred to stay away from the hustle and bustle of the city for a couple of days. In the morning of Dec 31st I drove up to the highlands for cool and fresh mountain airs. I just wanted to celebrate the new year with the nature...

ZD 14~45mm f3.5/5.6 @ f3.5 1/125sec ISO200 - zoom out to 14mm [EFL=28mm]

ZD 40~150mm f3.5/4.5 @ f4.5 1/320sec ISO200 - zoomed to 150mm

Friday December 21st 2007
My long vacations started on Aidil Adha day through X-mas till New Year celebration. Taking photograph of beautiful flowers with tele-zoom lens at wide open aperture produces pleasing bokeh.

[f4.5 1/180sec ISO200]

[f4.5 1/350sec ISO200]

[f4.5 1/500sec ISO200]

[f4.5 1/250sec ISO100]

[all pics shown below were shot with Zuiko Digital [ZD] 35mm f3.5 Macro lens unless otherwise specified]

Guess what?

It is "kemuncup", the white feather-like portion is barely seen with naked eyes..

Mimosa
Native to tropical and subtropical. Mimosas response to light and mechanical stimuli: the leaves of some species droop in response to darkness and close up their leaflets when touched. The name comes from this "mimicking" of animal sensibility. The roots of some species are poisonous; others contain skin irritants.

[f8.0 1/350sec ISO200]

Macro view of a mimosa flower

[f6.7 1/350sec ISO200]

Melastoma
In Malaysia Melastoma is grown wild and considered as weed. In those ol' days, when I was a kid melastoma was part of my life. I ate the fruit, I uprooted the plants to find fancy root formation and used to hide behind them for some purposes...
There are about 50 species found around Southeast Asia, India and Australia - have the aesthetic value of their bright color tones including blue, violet, indigo and purple flowers.

[ZD 14~45mm f3.5 @ f5.6 1/60sec ISO200]

"Hibiscus Filamens"

This picture shows stamens with pollen grains of buah 6-6 or buah katakpuru flower. The size of this cluster is approximately 4 to 5mm.

A portion of "Bird of Paradise Flower" @1/60sec f16.0 ISO100 [1:1.5]

"Palm Pollens" - macro view at 30mm from lens filter. Vertical life-size dimension is only 4.5mm. "Actual Eye View" at 50cm is shown below...

take a macro look again...

can u spot minute bugs?...probably less than 0.5mm in real life.

LINKs to other SECTIONs and CATEGORIES

fotoVISIONs
INTROpage
ENTOMOgraphy - insects
LEPIDOgraphy - butterflies and moths
ARACHNOgraphy - spiders
WONDERcolors - striking color photos
MAMMALgraphy - animals
REPTOgraphy - reptilia
ORNITHOgraphy - birds
CLOSEUPhotography - general closeup photos [non-macro]
LANDSCAPEs
TALKphotography - readers can find FAQ, post questions and comments here

"Dry Leaf" - Olympus Zuiko 50mm f1.2 @ f4 1/200sec ISO100 on E-500 dSLR

Pls select/click-on AHWblog or GALLERY index to proceed.

1. AHWadventure

2. AHWphotography

3. GALLERY index

ORNITHOgraphy [birds]

2008-01-19T06:59:00.006+08:00

An ornithologist studies birds, but there is no clear job description for the profession. Many ornithologists do not work exclusively with birds. They may be ecologists, geneticists, wildlife biologists, land managers, teachers, researchers, outdoor educators, or just a PHOTOgrapher who loves birds.

[f6.7 1/180sec ISO200]

Ornithologists study every aspect of bird life. Some ornithologists look at how birds live in their environment, while others look at how the parts of birds work together to make a bird. Some ornithologists focus on how birds find food, while others focus on how birds digest food.

Some ornithologists research changes in populations of birds across whole continents; others study changes in blood cells in an individual bird. Ornithologsts sometimes study how birds evolved and what their ancestors looked like, and still others study how birds are changing in today's environment and how they might be affected by ecological change in the future.

[f4.5 1/180sec ISO200]

I call a PHOTOgrapher who loves birds is an ORNITHOgrapher...
The following pictures was captured through Olympus ZD40-150mm f3.5/4.5 on E-5hundred dSLR unless otherwise specified.

Friday December 21st 2007
The weather was good, cloudy but no rain. Perfect for shooting birds in simulated/natural environment.

Friday Dec 21st 2007
My long vacations had just started. Yesterday was Aidil Adha. Had it no flood on east coast of peninsular Malaysia I would have been in Kelantan today and enjoying nature and wildlife photography along the way. However I changed my plan - went to the largest enclosed bird park on earth where I could find birds in almost their natural habitat...

[f4.5 1/90sec ISO200]

[f4.5 1/90sec ISO400]

[f4.5 1/125sec ISO200]

[f5.6 1/180sec ISO200]

[f6.7 1/180sec ISO200]

[f4.5 1/180sec ISO200]

[f4.5 1/180sec ISO200]

[f4.5 1/180sec ISO200]

Sunday Nov 25th 2007
A common garden bird found on my backyard. It is "murai", a B&W colored bird with dark background a real challange to determine the correct exposure value

[Tokina RMC 200mm f3.5 @ f5.6 1/180sec ISO400]

Saturday Nov 24th 2007
It was around 7:30 to 8:45am - I went to the nearby park for a brisk walk with Olym E-500 digicam ready to capture migrating birds on 'transit' which I saw a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately all of them have flown south - only local birds remain.

The weather looks good but still lossa morning mist... here are some of my humble shots.

[Olympus ZD 40~150mm f3.5/4.5 @150mm f4.5 1/250sec ISO200]

[Tokina RMC 200mm f3.5@f5.6 1/180sec ISO400]

Water pollution makes birds worry too...there are Immigrant squatters upstream. They dump everything in there!!

[Tokina RMC 200mm f3.5@f8 1/180sec ISO400]

Macaws
These brightly coloured, long-tailed birds are some of the most spectacular parrots in the world. Macaws have been said to live for up to 100 years; however, an average of 50 years is probably more accurate. The larger macaws may live up to 65 years.

[Tokina RMC 200mm f3.5 @ f5.6 1/250sec ISO400]

[Tokina RMC 200mm f3.5 @ f5.6 1/250sec ISO400]

Flamingos
They are found in both the Western and Eastern Hemispheres, but are more numerous in the latter. Most flamingos are either white, pinkish-red or combination of white and pink feathers.The flamingo's characteristic pink colouring is caused by the Beta carotene in their diet.

[Tokina RMC 200mm f3.5 @ f5.6 1/350sec ISO200]

Just missed the popular heart-shape formation by the two flamingos. I'm sure if I stayed a bit longer I could have captured the beautiful moment. Flamingos frequently stand on one leg. The reason for this behavior is not fully understood. One common theory is that tucking one leg beneath the body may conserve body heat, but this has not been proven.

[Tokina RMC 200mm f3.5 @ f5.6 1/1000sec ISO400]

It is often suggested that this is done in part to keep the legs from getting wet, and in addition to conserving energy. In addition to standing in the water, flamingos may stamp their webbed feet in the mud to stir up food from the bottom.

Bangau
Bangau oh bangau, kenapa....

[Olympus ZD 40~150mm f3.5 @ 150mm f4.5. 1/60sec ISO200]

Ostrich
Ostrich is the largest living species of bird which has a long neck and legs - can run up to about 65 km/h. Probably the fastest bird running on land. Weighs around 100kg [sometimes up to 155 kg] The feathers of adult males are mostly brownish-black, with some white on the wings and tail. An Ostrich can live up to 75 years.

The ostriches inhabit landscapes such as desert, semi-desert, and grasslands where the terrain is open enough for speed to be an effective deterrent. Ostriches are herbivorous foragers and feed via ballistic pecking of leaves, flowers and seeds of a wide variety of plants.

Large-Wide body but peanut-size brain..It is often said that their eyes are larger than their brains... he..hee.

[Olympus ZD 40-150mm f3.5 @ 150mm f4.5. 1/180sec ISO100]

Ostriches can be found across Africa from Senegal to Ethiopia, and south as far as Tanzania with separate populations in Southern Africa. Ostriches are also now found extensively across the world on farms, where they are bred mainly for their feathers and meat.

Emu
The Emu is not an ostrich but the largest bird native to Australia. It is also the second-largest extant bird in the world by height, after its distant cousin, the ostrich- up to 2 m in height. Emu is uglier than ostrich. Emus feed on a variety of plants and insects.

[Olympus ZD 40-150mm f3.5/4.5 @ 150mm f4.5. 1/180sec ISO200]

The emu has powerful eyesight and keen hearing. Emus are fast, running up to 30 mph (50 km/h) often in an erratic pattern to confuse pursuers. The feet have three toes and are extremely powerful easily capable of killing a human. In their native Australia, they live on open grassland and consequently in the past were persecuted by farmers.

Emus are very hardy and adaptable birds. They have no known diseases that are common to the species. They can thrive in environments ranging from the hot desert to 100 degrees below zero. Emus are also now farmed for their meat, however, this industry is not as widespread as ostrich farming.

NOTE: The emu is about 25% shorter than the ostrich and has three toes. The ostrich has only two (the only bird with two toes).

P-fowl
Peafowls are from Pheasants family, with peacock characterised by strong sexual dimorphism being highly ornate with bright colours and adornments such as wattles and long tails. Peacock are usually larger than peahens, and have longer and beautiful tails.

[Olympus ZD 40-150mm f3.5 @ 150mm f4.5. 1/90sec ISO200]

Spectrum of visible colors under the shade.

Swan
Swans are catagorised as large water-birds just like geese and ducks. Swans usually mate for life.

[Olympus ZD 40-150mm f3.5 @ 150mm f4.5. 1/2000sec ISO200]

A lonely swan...[divorce does sometimes occur too].

Many of the cultural aspects refer to the Mute Swan of Europe. Perhaps the best known story about a swan is The Ugly Duckling fable. The story centers around a duckling who is mistreated until it becomes evident he is a swan and is accepted into the habitat. He was mistreated because real ducklings are, according to many, more attractive than a cygnet, yet cygnets become swans, which are very attractive creatures. Swans are often a symbol of love or fidelity because of their long-lasting monogamous relationships.

Other Birds

[Olympus ZD 40-150mm f3.5 @ 150mm f4.5. 1/250sec ISO200]

[Olympus ZD 40-150mm f3.5 @ 150mm f4.5. 1/180sec ISO200]

[Olympus ZD 40-150mm f3.5 @ 150mm f4.5. 1/180sec ISO100]

LINKs to other SECTIONs and CATEGORIES

fotoVISIONs
INTROpage
ENTOMOgraphy - insects
LEPIDOgraphy - butterflies and moths
ARACHNOgraphy - spiders
FLORAgraphy - flowers
WONDERcolors - striking color photos
MAMMALgraphy - animals
REPTOgraphy - reptilia
ANYphoto - general uncatagorised photos
CLOSEUPhotography - general closeup photos [non-macro]
LANDSCAPEs
TALKphotography - readers can find FAQ, post questions and comments here

NEW! [under construction]
myTRIP

generalPHOTOGRAPHY

2007-12-31T01:50:00.013+08:00

Friday Oct 14th 2011

It is Autumn in Northern hemisphere now!
During uncle.D brief stay_in/visit_to Australia, Japan, UK/Europe, US and Russia in the past three decades uncle.D used to 'celebrate' Autumn. Uncle.D like the autumn shades of color [greenish yellow-yellow-orange-red-brown...], especially those colors from beautiful mapple leaves.

Fortunately, this morning as the sun was rolling high in the sapphire sky some stunning 'autumn-like colors' popped up against the backlight at the corners of uncle.D's home backyard. Without loosing a moment Auncle.D grapped his old dSLR with a 35mm macro lens already attached to it...

Here are some of the shots...

ZD 35mm f3.5 @f5.6 1/250sec ISO200

ZD 35mm f3.5 @f4.0 1/125sec ISO200

ZD 35mm f3.5 @f8 1/350sec ISO200

ZD 35mm f3.5 @f4.5 1/180sec ISO200

ZD 35mm f3.5 @f5.6 1/180sec ISO200

______________________________________________________
Saturday Jan 12th 2008
It is bright, clear and sunny day. There are lots of fruit trees and bushes behind uncle.D house. Few species of birds, insects, arachnids could be found there. Some of the Insects and Arachnids found beneath those canopy...

"Flying Devil Spider" as uncle.D call it.... [observe the pattern on the spider back...]

ZD 35mm f3.5 macro @ f9.0 1/30sec ISO200

This bee is making honey comb and babies under the leaves of mangostein, stings...

ZD 35mm f3.5 macro @ f11 1/160sec ISO200

This dragonfly was spotted Friday 11th late afternoon on one of the rambutan branches.
This insect was here again on Jan 12th - must be the same dragonfly spotted on previous day.

Look at the wing details. They are more complex than the aeroplane wing structures.

______________________________________________________

Some pictures on this page have been moved to the appropriate sections. Please click any of the folowing hyperlinks [hi-lighted texts] to continue.

fotoVISIONs
INTROpage
ENTOMOgraphy - insects
LEPIDOgraphy - butterflies and moths
ARACHNOgraphy - spiders
FLORAgraphy - flowers
WONDERcolors - striking color photos
MAMMALgraphy - animals
ORNITHOgraphy - birds
ANYphoto - general uncatagorised photos
CLOSEUPhotography - general closeup photos [non-macro]
LANDSCAPEs
TALKphotography - readers can find FAQ, post questions and comments here

NEW! [under construction]
myTRIP

LANDSCAPE

2007-08-15T09:09:00.003+08:00

Tuesday January 1st 2008
"HAPPY NEW YEAR 2008".

At the new dawn - on the first day of 2008....

I was away from the hustle and bustle of the city for a couple of days. Drove up to a highlands for cool and fresh mountain airs. Just wanted to unwind myself and celebrate the new year with the nature...

The EVERGREEN

[Tokina EFL=400mm f3.5 @ f5.6 1/1000sec ISO200]

In June 2007 I travelled some 2000km throughout peninsular Malaysia.

[Tokina EFL=400mm f3.5 @f 8 1/250 sec ISO200]

[Olympus ZD EFL=80~300mm f3.5 @ 300mm f4.5 1/125sec ISO100]

The 'EVERBLUE'

[Olympus ZD EFL=80~300mm f3.5]

Oly C-5050z @105mm [EFL]

Oly C-5050z @35mm [EFL]

[Olympus ZD EFL=80~300mm f3.5]

Please click any of the folowing hyperlinks [hi-lighted texts] to continue.

HOMEpage
fotoVISIONs
INTROpage
LANDSCAPEs
ENTOMOgraphy - insects
ARACHNOgraphy - spiders
FLORAgraphy - flowers
WONDERcolors - striking color photos
MAMMALgraphy - animals
REPTOgraphy - reptilia
ORNITHOgraphy - birds
ANYphoto - general uncatagorised photos
CLOSEUPhotography - general closeup photos [non-macro]
TALKphotography - readers can find FAQ, post questions and comments here

WONDERcolors

2007-07-12T07:37:00.006+08:00

"Spring & Summer" in MALAYSIA - COLORful throughout the year.

Birds are flying south, insects are hiding... the only 'eveready' models are still colorful flowers...

RED hibiscus...
Exposure time: 1/125
f-stop: 8.0
ISO speed: 100
Equivalent Focal Length [EFL]: 70mm

ORANGE canna...
Exposure time: 1/500
Oly c5050
f-stop: 5.6
ISO speed: 64
EFL: 60mm

YELLOW ....
Oly c5050
Exposure time: 1/1000
f-stop: 8
ISO speed: 64
EFL: 60mm

GREEN palm leaves...

BLUE skies...
Olympus E-500
Exposure time: 1/750
f-stop: 8.0
ISO speed: 400
EFL: 400mm

INDIGO...
Oly C5050
Exposure time: 1/1000
f-stop: 6.3
ISO speed: 64
EFL: 60mm

VIOLET flowers...
Olympus E-500
Exposure time: 1/250
f-stop: 8
ISO speed: 100
EFL: 70mm

Just name any color... RED?, ORANGE?, YELLOW?, GREEN?, BLUE?, INDIGO?, VIOLET? [i.e ROYGBIV or Roy G. Biv]... MALAYSIA have 'em all throughout the year...

...and even the WHITEs can be found here, some of them are attractive too...

Please click any of the folowing hyperlinks [hi-lighted texts] to continue.

HOMEpage
fotoVISIONs
INTROpage
LANDSCAPEs
ENTOMOgraphy - insects
FLORAgraphy - flowers
WONDERcolors - striking color photos
MAMMALgraphy - animals
REPTOgraphy - reptilia
ORNITHOgraphy - birds
CLOSEUPhotography - general closeup photos [non-macro]
TALKphotography - readers can find FAQ, post questions and comments here

CLOSEUPphotography

2007-07-09T22:08:00.014+08:00

In CLOSEUPphotography objects are placed abnormally close to the camera or placing the camera unusually close to the subjects to be photographed, hence the captured images are much larger than in normal photography. Most current compact digital cameras have macro capability, -not the real macro in photographic sense actually - just closeup.

The following closeup pictures were shot with Olympus C-5050z, a 5MP Compact Digital Camera in macro and s-macro mode.

Brilliant head! not very colorful though

the SPECTRUM of visible colors

remember "ROYGBIV"...if not go back to ur form 5 physics text book ya....

____________________________________________________________________
On one clear day, early in the morning, I took the apportunity to take several quick snapshots of these colorfulNATURE to experiment with the compact digital camera ability taking close-up shots. I understand that taking pictures of plant and flowers is best before 10:00am, i.e before morning dew dries out.

I could feel the morning cood breeze passed my ears while composing this shot.

This wild orchid stood out prominently amongst the fern leaves - attracted my attention.

Dew drops on banana leaf gave the feeling of the morning freshness.

During childhood, I was amazed by the sensitivity of this "touch-me-not" plant. What a wonderful world!

Red spots on yellow petals reminded me of beautiful Malaysian batiks.

As the sun rolling high up the blue sky, morning dew began to evaporate away, I could only saved the last drop underneath one of these bird-of-paradise petals.

...by then it was already 10:00am something.

...tender young leaf of bird-nest-fern

By the time I took this picture it was already 11:00am. It seemed that all the morning dew has dried out. A spider has already started daily duty on the web-site.

Before calling off the day, I quickly shot these pictures...

About noon... and it was lunch time for these ants, so did I.

Note: Before buying Olympus C-5050 in 2003, I'd been using a Canon Powershot A-series digicam since previous millennium. At first I was thinking of upgrading to Canon Powershot G-series. Click here for the reasons why.

_______________________________________________________________________
CLOSE-UP shots with a dSLR
The following pictures were shot using a digital SLR with Legacy and digital lenses.

Friday October 24th - A Second [closer] Look at Rambutans
The Fleshy-Juicy inside...

The Hairs...

The Scalp...

...look! no dandruff on rambutan scalp, but there is a bug ...

Earlier Posts

"Fern Shoot"

The following pictures were shot with Olympus E500 dSLR using Zuiko Digital [ZD], OM and Tokina lenses. Please visit also MACROphotography section for higher magnification shots using MACRO lenses.

"Garden Snail" - Zuiko Digital [ZD] 70mm EFL

Olympus ZD 40-150mm f3.5/4.5 @1/200 f4.5 ISO100

Olympus Zuiko 50mm f1.2 @ 1/40 f4 ISO100

Olympus Zuiko 50mm f1.2 @ 1/500 f4 ISO100

Olympus Zuiko 50mm f1.2 @ 1/500 f2.8 ISO100

Olympus ZD 40-150mm f3.5/4.5 @ 1/160 f7.1 ISO100

Olympus ZD 40-150mm f3.5/4.5 @ 1/60 f4.4 ISO100

Olympus Zuiko 50mm f1.2 @ f4 1/200sec ISO100

Olympus ZD 40-150mm f3.5/4.5 @ 1/180 f5.6 ISO200

Please click any of the folowing hyperlinks [hi-lighted texts] to continue.

HOMEpage
fotoVISIONs
INTROpage
LANDSCAPEs
ENTOMOgraphy - insects
ARACHNOgraphy - spiders
FLORAgraphy - flowers
WONDERcolors - striking color photos
MAMMALgraphy - animals
REPTOgraphy - reptilia
ORNITHOgraphy - birds
CLOSEUPhotography - general closeup photos [non-macro]
TALKphotography - readers can find FAQ, post questions and comments here