Posts Tagged ‘animals’
Sunday, September 21st, 2014
Photo of the Day: Brought my daughter back to where I had discovered this kindle of kittens last year. Lo and behold, they were all still there sans one or two who had been adopted or died.
This photo was taken just after the cat had scuttled into the safety of this drain as it eyed us warily with its dilated eyes. It was already twilight and rather dark in the drain but the A7R didn’t have any problems getting a focus on the cat, although I had to dial up the ISO to its maximum of 25,600. The result was not surprisingly grainy but it was amazing that we even got any shot at all in that dim light! Photo taken with a Sony A7R full-frame mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, with a 55-210mm E-mount zoom lens. 184mm, f/6.3, 1/250 sec, ISO 25,600. Photo credit: John Tan.
In particular, there was one black and white cat which I had photographed previously (see below).
“陪伴小女儿重游去年拍摄小猫咪的地方，发现当时只有几个星期大的小妈咪如今已长大了。连小女儿也觉得些许感概。但看到它安然成长，却也是一种安慰。祈福它与同伴们日后也能够继续安然度日。” – 科技点心（微薄）
We had so much fun comparing the fully grown cat with the photos that I’d taken of the kitten a year ago to affirm they were the same cat – the lines emanating from the corner of the eyes, and the stripes on the forehead.
The retirees looking after the cats confirmed that these cats were indeed those kittens all grown up.
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Tags:A7R, animals, cats, kittens, photography, photos, potd, Singapore, Sony
Posted in A7, Cameras, cameras, Gadgets, gadgets, MIL, Photos, POTD, POTD, Sony | No Comments »
Sunday, September 7th, 2014
Photo of the Day: Cliff the Golden Retriever is usually lively and enthusiastic. But why does he look so rueful today?
There’s a carnival just outside but it’s not time for Cliff to go for his walk yet. So after peering eagerly through the grills of the garden gate, he has resigned himself to the role of onlooker – resting his head on the grill to see the world go by.
* All the photos in this article were taken with a Sony A7R full-frame mirrorless interchangeable lens camera, with a 55-210mm E-mount zoom lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
Cliff the Golden Retriever is a friendly fellow who loves to mix with the crowd.
Here’s Cliff looking ruefully at me while I snap his portraits from the garden.
There’s a rowdy carnival just outside and Cliff can see the kids out there.
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Tags:A7R, animals, dogs, photography, photos, potd, Singapore, Sony
Posted in A7, Cameras, cameras, Daily life, Gadgets, MIL, Photography, Photos, POTD, POTD, Sony | No Comments »
Thursday, April 24th, 2014
Came across an interesting educational implementation that combines the interactivity of an tablet-based app with the big screen delivery of educational content to captivate pre-school children.
ZooMoo has been available on StarHub Channel 306 from 1 April 2014, and will be free for 6 weeks. The app is available completely free on App Store and Google Play.
ZooMoo is an educational programme on StarHub Channel 306 that is “All about animals, all the time”.
ZooMoo will be presented to the public during AFCC 2014 in Singapore.Simply head to t the Plaza on Level 1 of the National Library Building for one of two sessions.
- 30 May 2014, 4:00pm – 4:30pm
- 1 Jun 2014, 12:30pm – 1:00pm
Targeted at children aged three to six, the programme uses a combination of puppets, high-production animation, narrative techniques and wildlife footage developed in collaboration with Wildlife Reserves Singapore.
The channel is designed to help children explore the animal world in ways that are entertaining, interactive and enriching.
Extending the ZooMoo experience
The free ZooMoo App is an interactive companion to the ZooMoo channel.
It is a unique second screen learning application that allows children to explore a world of animals and a range of educational content.
A rich diversity of habitats for children to explore.
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Tags:Android, animals, Apps, demo, education, iOS, Singapore, StarHub, tablets, ZooMoo
Posted in Android, App, Apps, audioVisual, Education, Events, events, Exhibition, iOS, StarHub, Tablets, tablets | No Comments »
Sunday, March 9th, 2014
Photo of the Day: The River Safari in Singapore has a wonderful enclosure for squirrel monkeys, where visitors are allowed to wander freely within the enclosure and view the primates up close.
It’s also ideal for photographers looking to shoot portraits of these New World Monkeys.
Due to their smaller size, they are less bold than the larger macaques and steer clear of the visitors to the enclosure. Here’s one of them peering from behind some leaves. Photo taken with an Olympus E450 with 40-150mm kit lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
The squirrel monkey comes from the tropical forests of Central and South America, living in the canopy layer, and eats fruits and insects.
Here’s a squirrel monkey looking me in the eye, from the safety of the tree branches. Photo taken with an Olympus E450 with 40-150mm kit lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
These monkeys are actually slightly larger than squirrels but are smaller than the regular macaque that we’re more familiar with in this part of the world.
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Tags:animals, monkeys, Olympus, photography, photos, potd, River Safari, Singapore
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Sunday, October 20th, 2013
Photo of the Day: This is probably what a hunted mouse last sees before it realises that it is being hunted by this cat.
This adult brindle was the ugliest of the litter of cats that roamed the bushes near an HDB estate. But long after the cuteness of the other cats and kittens has worn off, I find myself coming back to look at this cat – it’s so full of personality! Photo taken with a Nikon D7100 with AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
Crouched low and inching forward, I really wouldn’t want to be a mouse staring this feline in the eyes.
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Tags:animals, cats, D7100, kittens, NIKKOR, Nikon, photography, photos, potd, Singapore
Posted in Cameras, DSLR, Gadgets, Lens, NIKKOR, Nikon, Photography, Photos, POTD, POTD | No Comments »
Sunday, October 6th, 2013
Photo of the Day: This kitty had just woken up from its afternoon nap and has rolled over on its back to invite others to play with it.
Kitty says, “Come play with me!” Photo taken with a Samsung NX2000 mirrorless interchangeable lens camera with a 20-50mm lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
This was one of four kittens in a brood that I’d discovered at a void deck under an HDB block.
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Tags:animals, cats, kittens, NX2000, photography, photos, potd, Samsung, Singapore
Posted in Daily life, MIL, Photography, Photos, POTD, POTD, Samsung | 1 Comment »
Thursday, October 3rd, 2013
Photo of the Day: Discovered this brood of four kittens over the weekend, kept by this group of retirees in an HDB void deck. I’ll be sharing snapshots I took over the next few POTD postings.
Not quite as cute as the Puss in Boots in Shrek, but what beady eyes. Just enjoying the sharpness and shallow depth of field of the lens. Photo taken with a Nikon D7100 with AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/4G ED VR lens. Photo credit: John Tan.
Apart from the four kittens, the place was also a haunt for grown-up cats in the neighbourhood.
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Tags:animals, cats, NIKKOR, Nikon, photography, photos, potd, Singapore
Posted in Daily life, DSLR, NIKKOR, Nikon, Photos, POTD, POTD | 1 Comment »
Thursday, December 6th, 2012
The last place you’d expect to go on an African Safari would be on a mountain on the outskirts of Beppu in Japan – as chilly winds and light snow ushered in the winter.
Different types of food was provided for feeding different types of animals.
In every family holiday, you’ve got to dedicate part of the itinerary to the kids.
Handfeeding a black bear with tongs.
So we decided to check out this African Safari theme park half-an-hour’s drive from Beppu in Japan.
It’s actually the Kyushu Natural Zoological Park, with more than 1,300 animals of 70 different species, spread over some 115 ha of rolling mountain plains.
You can self-drive your car or take the bus. We took the latter because that came with the opportunity to hand-feed (or tong-feed) the animals up close from within the bus.
There’s no question this lion prefers the bigger morsel holding the tongs with the tiny morsel.
You can still drive your own car along the same route as the bus after the bus tour, but we didn’t have time to linger, and had to give the rest of the theme park – which included a petting area for tamer animals – a miss too.
I did harbour fantasies of patting this lion on the head until he convinced me that although he may bear a slight resemblance to my golden retriever at home, he is anything but.
This was meant to be a treat for the kids, who love animals.
Back to more docile animals.
But it turned out great for the parents too, as we’ve never had the chance to feed wild animals this up close before.
Here’s a smiley camel.
Perhaps it’s time for a real safari?
Not sure if these Cheetahs appreciate the impending cold season – all huddled up like. Photo taken through the grills of the safari bus.
* The photos in this article were taken with a Nikon D800 and Olympus E450 SLR.
The elephant’s trunk is actually rather dexterous.
Always thought that the proper attire for an African Safari were khaki shorts, not wrapped up in winter wear like this.
This bully of an adult giraffe kept butting the other giraffes away to hog the food.
Tags:animals, Beppu, Food, holiday, Japan, Japan 2012, kids, Kyushu, Safari, travel, vacation
Posted in Cameras, DSLR, Events, Gadgets, Holiday, Japan 2012, Nikon, Olympus, Photos, Travel | No Comments »
