Photography by Edmond Chua

Trip to NANAS

2008-12-22T17:20:00.008+08:00

Noah’s Ark Natural Animal Sanctuary or for short NANAS. NANAS is a private animal shelter which was relocated from Singapore to Pekan Nanas, Johor in Year 2000. Home to 700 free-roaming dogs, cats, horses, it occupies 10 acres of land in kampong-style settings. NANAS aims to provide a safe and secure home for their animal residents where they can live out their lives in happiness.

From these photos, you can that there are many dogs around. In fact, when I squat down to pet one of the dogs, more would come over to seek attention too. It was overwhelming when a few dogs started to surround you.

Visit Noah's Ark Website Here

Visit to Animal Paradise, Johor Bahru

2008-12-19T22:16:00.012+08:00

Animal Paradise is run by Johor Bahru-based Amituofo Buddhist Centre and is home to more than 1000 animals of 20 types of animals, including dogs, cats, goats, ostriches, pythons, in different enclosures, which were all strays or abandoned. An eye-opener where you get to see animals up close, mingle with friendly goats & see flying roosters.

Here are some of my photos :

A happy and carefree goat. (I took a number of shots before I got this nice shot.)

A sad looking goat.

Another sad looking goat.

Three geese, walking down the muddy path.

A sad looking cat seems to say "Let me out".

A horse rescued from the wild in Malaysia.

A dog longing for love.

A golden retriever

longing for a pet

and love.

Visit to Penang Butterfly Farm

2008-10-01T13:43:00.014+08:00

Penang or its Malay name of Pulau Pinang is made up of a turtle-shaped island, a total of 292 square kilometers, and a strip of land called Seberang Prai on Peninsular Malaysia about 48 kilometers wide.

Penang Butterfly Farm (PBF) was established in 1986 in Penang, Malaysia with 2 main objectives which are to function as a tourist destination and to serve as a centre for education, recreation and scientific research. The visitor to the Penang Butterfly Farm, finding himself surrounded by a myriad of fluttering butterflies within a seemingly natural setting, is likely to think himself in a sort of enchanted wilderness, bejeweled with colorful gems of creation. The best encounter at the Butterfly Farm is undoubtedly the free flying papilions in the enormous enclosure. The exhibition of selected insects and reptiles are also crowd drawers. The visitor, having traversed this complex of displays ends up in a souvenir shop selling butterfly-related paraphernalia.

Today, the Penang Butterfly Farm is the first tropical butterfly farm ever set up in the tropical world, with an average flying population of 4000 Malaysian butterflies of 120 different species, including the rare Indian Leafl (Kallima paralekta) and the endangered Yellow Bird wing (Troides helena). Probably the most famous of Malaysian butterflies is the Rajah Brooke's Bird wing of the Papilionidae family. First discovered in Borneo in 1855 by A. R. Wallace, it was named after the first British Rajah of Sarawak. The visitors can inspect the butterflies at close quarters as they flit around their favorite nectar plants as well as other tropical plants comprising of over 300 varieties.

Extracted from Official site of Penang Butterfly Farm

Interesting Facts about Tioman

2008-09-14T01:34:00.005+08:00

According to local legend, Pulau Tioman is the resting ground of a beautiful and magical dragon princess. While she was flying from China to Singapore to visit her beloved prince, she sought solace in the crystal clear water of the South China Sea. She was so captivated by the charms of the surrounding that she decided to discontinue her journey. In search for her happiness, she transformed herself into this island so as to provide shelter and comfort to weary passing seafarers.

Some views around the Genting Village.

A huge rock found on Tioman.

Seem to be an abandoned food store or is it something else?

Saw this bird in a big cage, is this an eagle??

View from Genting Village Jetty, Tioman

2008-09-13T02:01:00.005+08:00

Here are some photos taken from the jetty at Genting Village.

This is Sun Beach Resort as seen in the photo.

Patterns of Nature - Rainbow over at Tioman

2008-09-11T16:19:00.009+08:00

Can you spot the rainbow over at Tioman in the photos below? It is kind of chance to be able to see rainbow while at Tioman.

Patterns of Nature - Tioman Shoreline

2008-09-11T15:21:00.005+08:00

Rocky yet beautiful side of Tioman island.

Patterns of Nature at Pulau Tioman

2008-09-11T13:02:00.011+08:00

Here are my photos themed "Patterns of Nature" taken at Genting Village, Pulau Tioman, Pahang, Malaysia.

Digital Photography Tips For Beginners 101

2008-08-30T18:11:00.012+08:00

So, you've finally bought your first digital camera? Congratulations! You're probably excited and you're wondering where you could find some digital photography tips to help you great photo results. A good advice, however, to digital photography beginners is that you need to practice. You need to get out there and get those pictures! The earlier you make mistakes, the earlier you'd learn how to really take great pictures.

What are the mistakes that photography beginners make?

Mistakes on digital photography are natural. Beginners would make mistakes that would waste a lot of shots. So, it is wise to read some digital photography tips that would help you avoid the mistakes that beginners typically make. But what are these mistakes?

The first mistake that beginners usually make is putting too much images in one picture. The whole picture becomes one messy unfocused picture. You'd find different subjects in one photograph. This is not fun to look at. It's confusing so people would not really want to look at it.

Another mistake that beginners usually make is not bothering to create more artistic and focused photos. The picture need not be center-oriented. The goal is to create photos that are good regardless of what angle you look at it and regardless of what side of the picture you stared at.

The last mistake of a digital photography beginner is taking pictures without really knowing how to handle the camera properly. They end up with pictures that are overexposed, underexposes or blurry.

Digital Photography Tips

If you are new to digital photography, here are some digital photography tips that would serve you well as you are learning the craft and developing the skills of creating great pictures:

1. Familiarize yourself with your camera. This may seem dreary to you but this is important. If you want to know what your camera is capable of doing, what its limitations are and how you can maximize its use will help you create great pictures.

2. Practice taking pictures. The art of photography is also a skill. You'll get better at it as you practice more.

3. Take as many pictures as you can and want. Most digital cameras have memory cards that would allow you to take as many pictures as you want. You can also get an extra memory card so you can take more pictures.

4. Use your camera's features and maximize its capabilities.

5. Learn how to frame your shots. This is often the mistakes of beginners. They do not know how frame their photos properly. So, they could place the photo's subject dead center. They could end up cutting the face or placing the subject too far right. Good framing would mean a lot of difference on the outcome of the picture.

6. Learn various compositional techniques. Again, you could avoid the second biggest mistake of most beginners by shifting the subject of center to either the left or right. Avoid placing your subject on the middle of the photograph. This has been overused before and has become quite boring.

7. Take more close-ups. They are more striking and interesting.

8. Be conscious of picture's lightning. Bad lightning can ruin what should have been a good shot.

9. Don't be afraid to explore and to try out new shots.

10. Never forget to take photos as memories. These types of photos have more heart.

Discover Digital Photography Success

Original Article Author

David Cross is a Photographer and Photography enthusiast who runs the site Hobby Photography, where he also posts regularly about Kirlian Photography among other things.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=David_R._Cross

Tips For Buying a Digital Camera

2008-08-29T13:48:00.022+08:00

Family and friends can be pretty far flung these days, so how do you keep in touch? Snail mail and phoning are good options, but it's fun to be able to share pictures. With the advent of digital cameras, it's easy to post pictures on a blog or website, or send pictures via email.

Of course, film cameras will work, as you can scan and convert pictures to digital files, but the easiest way to send pictures quickly and cheaply is to use a digital camera.

How To Find What's Best For YOU When Buying A Digital Camera

There are all kinds of digital cameras available these days, so the trick is to find the one that suits your needs and budget. If you are buying your first digital camera, the lingo and technology are a bit different than for film cameras, so before shopping take time to learn a little and figure out what you'd like to buy.

First, what kind of photographer are you? Do you like total control over the picture taking process, or would you rather just aim the camera and push the shutter button? Then it's also helpful to decide what you want to do with your pictures. Do you just want to put them online or send them via email, or do you want to be able to print them, and if so, how large do you want your prints?

If photography isn't your passion, and you just want to have pictures to share, buying a simple point-and-shoot digital camera is probably best. It has automatic settings, so all you have to do is aim the camera, press the shutter and viola! Instant picture!

However, if you prefer more control over the picture taking process, try buying a mid-range digital camera. There is a wide range in both price and features. For the more serious hobby photographer, there are "prosumer" cameras midway between point-and-shoot cameras and digital SLR cameras. They offer better lens quality and usually more features than a point-and-shoot, though those little cameras can come pretty loaded these days!

Digital SLR cameras are top of the line and more expensive. These work more like traditional cameras, having a body with detachable lens. This gives you more options with being able to change lens, but it's also much more expensive. Just one lens can cost as much as a point-and-shoot digital camera! There's also usually a steeper learning curve to figure out how to use all the options on a digital SLR camera.

However, if you're buying your first digital camera, intermediate, "prosumer" and digital SLR cameras probably aren't the best choice. All the settings and features can be a little overwhelming for the beginner, and your expensive camera may end up collecting dust somewhere. Try a low to midrange camera first and get a feel for digital cameras and what features are most important to you. Then when you're ready to move up and buy a Digital SLR, you'll have a better idea of what to look for before you lay out your hard earned cash!

What To Look For When You're Ready To Buy A Digital Camera

You can buy digital cameras in all sorts of places these days, from fancy department stores to discount stores, photography/camera shops and many stores online. While you can sometimes find great deals on-line, if this is your first digital camera, go to shops and look at different cameras if at all possible. It helps to pick it up and get the feel of the camera in your hand to see if it's comfortable and the controls are easy to use, and you can check out what features it has and how they work.

But what exactly are you looking for?

A pixel makes your picture....

One of the first things to check out when buying a digital camera is the MEGAPIXELS. A pixel is a single dot in a graphics image. A megapixel is equivalent to one million pixels. A 1-megapixel camera would produce an image roughly 1200 pixels wide by 900 pixels high, a 3 megapixel would be 2048 x 1536 megapixels, and so on. Higher megapixels mean better resolution, but aren't the whole picture. The main thing to keep in mind is the more megapixels, the bigger image you can print.

Approximate Megapixels vs. Print Size

-2 Megapixels prints well up to 4x6 inches

-3 Megapixels prints well up to 5x7 inches

-4 Megapixels prints well up to 6x8 inches

-6 Megapixels prints well up to 7x10 inches

-8 Megapixels prints well up to 10x14 inches

-12 Megapixels prints well up to 16x24 inches

For email, websites and printing snapshots, a 3 to 5-megapixel camera is a good choice. If you want to make high quality 8x10 prints or larger, you need more megapixels. Higher megapixels also allow you to crop down to a smaller portion of the picture while still retaining sharpness in prints.

One other thing to keep in mind when considering megapixels and resolution, be sure you are getting optical resolution. This is the actual number of megapixels the camera records. Some cameras offer interpolated resolution to get bigger pictures from the same number of megapixels by using software algorithms to determine what color pixels to add, so the picture becomes bigger at the expense of clarity.

Opt for optical...

Digital cameras have two kinds of zoom, optical and digital. In this case, focus on the optical zoom. It's the one that actually uses the lens' optics to bring the subject closer. The higher the number, the further away you can "pull in" your subject. The digital zoom merely takes the original information and makes it bigger, and once again, clarity is sacrificed. Most serious photographers turn off digital zoom. Stick to optical!

For Your Viewing Pleasure...

Digital cameras commonly use an LCD screen instead of a viewfinder to focus on your subject, though some come equipped with both. Check the size of the screen when buying a digital camera to be sure you can comfortably see your subject. It's also really handy to have a flip screen that allows you to hold your camera low or high, and still be able to see what's on the screen.

Fun features...

Many digital cameras offer settings for such things as burst shooting mode, which is handy if you want to take pictures of moving subjects. The camera shoots a series of pictures without pause, then writes the files to memory. Other features allow for manually changing settings, special effects, short digital movie files, using an external flash, and much more. Look over several different cameras, decide what features you just have to have, and which are on the "nice to have but not vital" list. No one camera will do everything well.

Get the Picture...

You've got to get the pictures out of the camera to share them. Usually the files are downloaded to your computer through a USB port, so make sure your computer has one. Also, keep in mind when choosing a camera, the more megapixels, the bigger the files. You've got to store those files somewhere, so how much memory is available on your computer? Does it have a CD burner?

However, you can still buy a digital camera even if you don't have a computer. Many photo labs, even in places like Walmart or Kmart, have machines with the capability of making prints and/or photo CD's from memory cards, and will make a disk of the files, sort of like digital negatives. There's also the option of buying a photo printer with a docking station for your camera. Just plug the camera into the docking station, and bypass the need for a computer to print.

Cash After Camera

When buying your digital camera, keep some cash in reserve, because there are two more important purchases you need to make.

1. Memory - The digital camera's equivalent of film, the amount of memory determines how many pictures you can take. Different cameras use different types of memory, so the first step is to find out what your camera uses. The most popular types are: Secure Digital (SD), CompactFlash (CF), SmartMedia (SM), Memory Stick (MS), MultiMediaCard (MMC), and xD-Picture Card (xD).

Cameras are usually packaged with a small MB-sized card. A second card of 64 MB is good, but of course the more MB and the more cards, the more pictures you can take before having to download and erase the images. The different cards are NOT interchangeable, so be sure to buy the right kind for your camera!

2. Battery - There's nothing more frustrating than being in the middle of snapping pictures and the battery dies. Get extras. It's worth the expense to have a second battery charged and waiting should the one in your camera lose power. The rechargeable ones are more expensive, but the ability to use them over and over makes them worth the initial outlay of cash.

That's The Total Package!

There you have the basics for choosing a digital camera. Decide what kind of pictures you are likely to take, what size prints you want to make, how much zoom, and are there any extras you can't live without? Look for the camera that most closely matches your list in your price range, buy a bigger memory card and an extra battery set, and you're good to go!

Have fun sharing those pictures with friends and family!

Discover Digital Photography Success

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Pat_Lyne

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary - The Free Kangaroos

2008-07-21T16:20:00.010+08:00

A kangaroo, also a marsupial like koala, is from the family of Macropodidae (Macropods, meaning 'large foot'). Like all marsupials, the baby of kangaroo is born at a very early stage of development after a gestation period of 31 to 36 days which only the forelimbs are developed to allow it to climb to its mother's pouch and attach to a teat. In comparison, a human embryo at a similar stage of development would be only seven weeks old. When the joey is born, it is the size of a lima bean. The joey will usually stay in the pouch for about nine months before being confident enough to leave the pouch for small periods of time. It is usually fed by its mother until reaching 18 months old.

Lazy Kangaroo...

Mummy kangaroo with baby kangaroo, joey in its pouch.

Mummy kangaroo is tired, oh baby man you are heavy.

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary - The Cute Koalas

2008-07-20T01:39:00.007+08:00

Some facts about koala:

Koala belongs to a unique group of mammals called marsupials which give birth to very underdeveloped young that complete their development in the pouch.

Koala 's pregnancy (also known as gestation) period is very short, between 33 to 35 days. Its newborn called joey is the size of a jellybean. After born, the joey crawl into its mother pouch which it must attach itself to one of her teats. The pouch faces backwards (opposite to kangaroos) so that no leaves or twigs get into it while the mother is climbing.

Pap feeding is the process which conditions the joey's stomach to digest the toxic eucalyptus leaves. It involves the joey stimulating its mother to produce a soft form of faeces that is high in micro-organisms that help break down the leaf which the joey will eat.

After 6 months, the joey will emerge from the pouch and cling tightly to its mother. When the joey grows and becomes more confident, it will permanently left its mother's pouch and can be seen riding around her mother back or stomach.

After 1 year of age, weaning is complete. The young koala will venture out by itself and establish its own home range. The life expectancy of koala in captivity is 14 years as compared to 10 years for wild one. As noted in Guinness Book of World Records, one koala in Lone Pine managed to live to an extraordinary age of 23.

Hello, welcome to visit me!!

A very hungry Koala eating eucalyptus leaves.

Still feeling very hungry!

Napping koala wakes up, look very fresh!

A mummy koala eating away happily while its baby is sleeping.

Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary - The duck and the kangaroo

2008-07-19T04:27:00.009+08:00

Kangaroo : Don't come near me.

Duck : I like it, so what.

Nearer the duck goes to the kangaroo.

Kangaroo : STAY AWAY FROM ME!

Kangaroo : Shoo! Shoo! Shoo! Don't even come near me again. I will bite. The kangaroo chases the duck away. The duck reluctantly went away.

Visit to World Largest Koala Sanctuary - Lone Pine, Brisbane Australia

2008-07-17T22:38:00.015+08:00

Blue-winged Kookaburra is closely related to laughing Kookaburra, which is easily distinguished by metallic blue wing markings and high pitched trilling call.

Crocodiles have 66 teeth which all may be replaced if lost.

An emu- the male will sit on the eggs for 8 weeks until they hatch which during the period, the male hardly leaves the nest, not even to eat or drink. He loses a considerable amount of weight, relying only on the fat reserves that he built up before nesting.

The duck and the Brisbane City Botanic Gardens

2008-07-07T01:50:00.006+08:00

Once there live a duck in a place called Botanic Gardens in Brisbane.It thinks that the pond is very big but in actual fact, the pond is just a pond in the Botanic Gardens.

Siem Reap - Views from Ta Prohm

2008-07-05T23:33:00.009+08:00

Ta Prohm was one of King Jayavarman VII's first major temple projects which was dedicated to his mother. Ta Prohm was originally constructed as a Buddhist monastery and was enormously wealthy in its time, controlling over 3000 villages, thousand of support staff and vast stores of jewels and gold.

Ta Prohm was intentionally left partially unrestored. While the massive fig and silk-cotton trees grow from the towers and corridors offer a "jungle atmosphere" and some of the best "tree-in-temple" photo opportunities in Angkor, massive number of tourists and recent installation of wooden walkways are distracting the "jungle atmosphere" feel.

Siem Reap - Bayon Temple in Angkor Thom

2008-07-03T00:31:00.008+08:00

Angkor Thom (also known as Big Angkor) is a 3km sq walled and moated royal city of King Jayavarman VII and was the last capital of the Angkorian empire.

Bayon, a state temple of King Jayavarman VII, was constructed during the late 12th century AD under Buddhism influence. The giant stone faces of Bayon have become one of the most recognizable images connected to classic Khmer art and architecture. There are 37 standing towers in Bayon only 4 are carved faces orientated toward the cardinal points. Who the faces represent is debatable: they may be Loksvara, Mahayana Buddhism's compassionate Bodhisattva or rather combination of King Jayavarman VII and buddha.

Victims of landmine in Cambodia - Khmer Traditional Band

2008-07-02T01:46:00.010+08:00

Landmine victims making a living by forming Khmer Traditional Band which the name came about as they are using traditional musical instruments to make music.

Siem Reap - Views from Angkor Wat

2008-06-30T03:34:00.010+08:00

Angkor Wat is constructed during Early to Mid 12th Century AD under King Suryavarman II with Hinduism influence. Angkor Wat is visually, architecturally and artistically breathtaking. It consists of a massive 3-tiered pyramid crowned by 5 lotus-like towers standing at 65m.

Suryavarman II constructed Angkor Wat in the form of a massive "temple- mountain" dedicated to the Hindu god, Vishnu. Although it served as his state temple, the uncommon westward orientation led others to suggest that it was constructed as Suryavarman II's funeral temple.

Angkor Wat is surrounded by a moat and an 1300m by 1500m external wall. The size of the temple itself is a square km which consists of 3 levels surmounted by a central tower.

Things to note for visiting Siem Reap, Angkor Wat

2008-06-28T23:15:00.008+08:00

One thing is to note that in Siem Reap, you must buy an admission pass to visit the temples and sites in the Angkor Archaeological Park. As you can see in the photo, passes are sold in 1 day, 3 days or 7 days blocks that must be used on consecutive days. One day is only enough just to see the highlights of the most famous temples while seven days pass allows you to explore all the temples and visit many minor structures.

Another necessary thing to have is a passport-sized photo when purchasing the passes although free photo taking is provided. This can take up quite some time during peak hours.

It is a must to always carry your pass around and take care not to lose it as it will be checked upon each park entry and major temples.

A sample of a 1 day pass.

Life in Cambodia, Siem Reap, Tonle Sap Lake

2008-06-21T11:59:00.022+08:00

Description on the life in Tonle Sap Lake in Siem Reap, Cambodia...

Tonle Sap Lake is the largest freshwater floodplain lake in South East Asia, or rather in the world, and is an ecological hotspot that was classified as a UNESCO biosphere in 1997.

The most amazing thing about this lake is that during the monsoon season in October, Tonle Sap River, which connects the lake to Mekong River, reverses its flow. Water is back flowed from the Mekong into the lake, increasing its size from 3,000 sq km to 12,000 sq km, with the depth increasing from 1m to 14m, flooding nearby fields and forests, which provides a prefect breeding ground for fishes. More than 400 species of fishes have been identified, including many species of mammals and reptiles.

The area is important to the economy of Cambodia as its fisheries provide 80% of the protein consumed with the country.

There are more than 1,000,000 inhabitants (2001) live mainly in the buffer and transition areas with about sixty floating villages located on the lake and lake edges in the buffer zone. Fishing is the main activity but the fertile, flood plain is also used to produce rice and vegetables.

Reference :

The Wildlife Conservation Society

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)

The Siem Reap Angkor Visitors Guide

One of the houses in the floating village at the edge of the lake, Chong Khneas, which is the closest and most accessible from Siem Reap.While Chong Khneas is considered to be over-touristed, interestingly it is more scenic and pristine as compared to the floating villages further down the lake.

The girl in pink, clinging onto the boat fetching tourists, hop over from the boat in the photo above while both boats were moving. She is selling can drinks to tourists onboard the boat.

A girl on the bucket begging for money from tourists, with a small cup on her right hand to scoop out excess water in her bucket.

A floating school (Chong Khneas Elementary School) play area.

School children rowing a boat to school.

A typical day in the floating villages.

Esplanade and the Merlion

2008-06-18T14:36:00.012+08:00

There are some of my earlier shots when I was starting to learn photography in the mid of last year.

Pretty pretty Hibiscus

2008-06-17T01:24:00.011+08:00

My first and only photo on nature.

Singapore CBD - View from 2 locations

2008-06-09T22:26:00.016+08:00

The above two photos offer the view of Singapore CBD from Mount Faber while the following photos are taken from Esplanade. The following 3 photos show the different time during sunset with the earliest taken photos listed first with the most beautiful sunset sky drop in the final photo.

The Southern Ridges - Henderson Waves

2008-06-06T00:47:00.026+08:00

This is the newly opened 9 Km network of trails, bridges and walkways linking up the parks called The Southern Ridges. The photos are taken at Henderson Waves.

Some facts on Henderson Waves :

Wave-shaped bridge linking Mount Faber to Telok Blangah Hill Park spanning 274m across.
Singapore's highest pedestrian bridge.
Lit from 7pm to 2am daily.

More about Southern Ridges from National Parks Singapore...