Posts Tagged ‘photos’

Redesigned Getty Images iOS app and iStock iOS app launched

Friday, July 11th, 2014

The updated and easy-to-navigate iOS apps for both Getty Images and iStock by Getty Images feature an improved image search, curation and collaboration experience to help creative storytellers bring their ideas to life wherever they are.

Update (17 July, 2014):

The updated and redesigned Getty Images iOS App is now free to download from the iTunes App Store.

The updated and redesigned Getty Images iOS App is now free to download from the iTunes App Store.With improved image search, a smoother interface and a more intuitive user experience, users can collaborate with colleagues and clients to help bring ideas to life no matter where they are.

The iStock app can be downloaded for free from the iTunes App Store today.

The iStock app can be downloaded for free from the iTunes App Store today.

Getty Images, the global leader in digital media, has unveiled a redesigned iStock by Getty Images iOS app with a more intuitive experience and smoother user interface.

“The world’s best creative minds rely on Getty Images for our unique, inspiring content and our refreshed apps make it easier to use than ever,” said Matthew Bencke, Senior Vice President, Product and Customer Experience at Getty Images.

An updated and redesigned Getty Images iOS app will follow on July 17, allowing users to embed and share Getty Images’ immense collection of the very best and unique imagery – at no cost – for non-commercial use on websites, blogs and social media channels, while on the go.

According to a report from Nielsen, in Southeast Asia smartphone owners spent more than three hours per day on average on their smartphones in June 2013 and app usage is burgeoning.

(more…)

POTD: Burghausen Castle on the borders of Germany & Austria

Wednesday, July 2nd, 2014

Photo of the Day: We chanced upon this charming town while driving en route from Munich to Salzburg. The castle sitting on top of the hill looked majestic while the houses along the river looked so colourful and quaint.

Burghausen Castle, which has a length of over 1,000 metres, is one of the longest castle complexes in the world, sitting along a narrow ridge above the town. Photo taken with a Sony A7 with Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS full-frame E-mount zoom lens. Photo credit: John Tan.

Burghausen Castle, which has a length of over 1,000 metres, is one of the longest castle complexes in the world, sitting along a narrow ridge above the town. Photo taken with a Sony A7 with Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS full-frame E-mount zoom lens. Photo credit: John Tan.

We were driving from Munich to Salzburg when we chanced upon the quaint little town right beside the fast flowing Salzach River, which marks the border between Germany and Austria in these parts.

The route that we were driving was a bit off the beaten track and we hadn’t expected to come across any touristy places along the way.

So imagine our surprise when we drove into this charming little town that was obviously a tourist destination.

After driving across the bridge straddling the Salzach, we stopped by the river bank and snapped some photos of Burghausen and its castle from across the river.

We didn’t realise at that time that by crossing the bridge, we had crossed from Germany into Austria, and that we were snapping photos of the German town from the Austrian bank.

The Austrian village on the other side of the river is called Ach and is so tiny you won’t find it if you do a search for it on Google Maps, although it’s actually marked on the map.

View of Burghausen Town across the Salzach River. By driving across the bridge, one crosses from Germany into Austria. Photo taken with a Sony A7 with Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS full-frame E-mount zoom lens. Photo credit: John Tan.

View of Burghausen Town across the Salzach River. By driving across the bridge, one crosses from Germany into Austria. Photo taken with a Sony A7 with Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS full-frame E-mount zoom lens. Photo credit: John Tan.

(more…)

POTD: Good Friday

Saturday, April 19th, 2014

Good Friday is observed primarily by Christians to commemorate the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Cavalry. 

For Christians, Good Friday is a time for reflection. Photo taken with a Samsung GALAXY Note 3 smartphone at Pasir Ris Beach, Singapore. Photo credit: John Tan.

For Christians, Good Friday is a time for reflection. Photo taken with a Samsung GALAXY Note 3 smartphone at Pasir Ris Beach, Singapore. Photo credit: John Tan.

The year of the crucifixion is estimated to have occurred in AD 33.

A Christian friend of mine says that Good Friday is a time of reflection on what his saviour had done for him.

Good Friday is a public holiday in many countries, including Singapore.

POTD: Portraits of a squirrel monkey at River Safari

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 steers 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.

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.

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.

(more…)

POTD: Valentine’s Day 2014

Friday, February 14th, 2014

It’s Valentine’s Day today. This year, it coincides with Chap Goh Meh – the fifteenth and final day of the Chinese New Year – which many consider the Chinese Valentine’s Day. Here’s wishing all lovers a most romantic day/night!

Lots of lovey-dovey couples here, in the form of hugging salt and pepper bottles. I took this photo at the Hakaniemi Market Hall in Helsinki, Finland in summer. There were plenty of such charming craft stores for tourists and local Finns. Taken with a Nikon D600 with AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G ED VR lens. Photo credit: John Tan.

Lots of lovey-dovey couples here, in the form of hugging salt and pepper bottles. I took this photo at the Hakaniemi Market Hall in Helsinki, Finland in summer. There were plenty of such charming craft stores for tourists and local Finns alike. Taken with a Nikon D600 with AF-S NIKKOR 24-120mm f/4G ED VR lens. Photo credit: John Tan.

In many places in the world that celebrate Valentine’s Day, boys buy flowers, chocolates and gifts for their girlfriends, wives, mistresses or lovers.

Sometimes the girl reciprocates.

In Japan, it is the girl who buys for the guys.

I know – because I received plenty on Valentine’s Day when I was in Japan.

The tradition in Japan is for girls to buy white chocolates (called giri-chocos – 義理チョコ) and give them to the guys.

This does not happen just between couples that are in a relationship.

(more…)

Holiday greetings: Happy Lunar New Year 2014

Friday, January 31st, 2014

It’s the first day of the Lunar New Year. Happy New Year to all the people from cultures that celebrate this traditional festival! And to all Chinese around the world, Happy Chinese New Year!

Auspicious red horse bringing good tidings as the Year of the Horse arrives in Chinatown in Singapore. Taken with Samsung Note 3 phablet camera. Cropped and captions added in Photoshop CC.

Auspicious red horse bringing good tidings as the Year of the Horse arrives in Chinatown in Singapore. Taken with Samsung GALAXY Note 3 phablet camera. Cropped and captions added in Photoshop CC.

It’s customary for Chinese to give out Ang Pows during the Lunar New Year.

These are red paper envelopes containing money that’s given to relatives and children.

"车水马龙" - 正好形容本地牛"车水"迎接"马"年新春的盛景(包括这些灯"笼"及马路上的交通长"龙")。上星期与家人一同闲逛牛车水,到处人山人海,车水马龙,洋溢着迎春的气氛。这枚照片, 利用Samsung Note 3 手机手持拍摄。

“车水马龙” – 正好形容本地牛”车水”迎接”马”年新春的盛景(包括这些灯”笼”及马路上的交通长”龙”)。上星期与家人一同闲逛牛车水,到处人山人海,车水马龙,洋溢着迎春的气氛。这枚照片, 利用 Samsung GALAXY Note 3 手机手持拍摄。

It being the new year, you’re supposed to use crispy new notes in these red packets.

“今天是大年初一,在此恭祝大家:新年快乐,万事如意,身体健康,龙马精神!” – 科技点心(微薄)

I had to go on a little round-the-island this year to exchange for new notes, because I found that – unlike some past years – the ATM machines were dispensing old notes.

(more…)

WeChat rolls out Ver 5.1 and launches WeChat Games in Singapore

Monday, January 13th, 2014

This launch is part of the latest WeChat upgrade – which also offers users with new animated stickers, group chats upsize of up to 100 members and more.

WeChat Games – a place where you can challenge your friends with fun and addictive games while you’re on the move.

WeChat Games – a place where you can challenge your friends with fun and addictive games while you’re on the move.

Gaming gets social with the Singapore launch of WeChat Games! Pit yourself against the best around your neighborhood with WeChat’s location-based service, find competitors nearby and beat the top scorers.

“The new WeChat upgrade opens a whole new paradigm of mobile social networking with the enhancement of existing features and introduction of WeChat Games which provide greater social interaction and sharing with their friends,” said Louis Song, Country Manager, Singapore and Malaysia, International Business Group at Tencent, the company behind WeChat.

You can now challenge your friends to a host of WeChat Games and gloat when you beat them with new animated stickers from the Sticker Shop. And the fun doesn’t stop there.

You can also share your life through pictures and personalised captions with StoryCam for WeChat – a photo app by Tencent.

Spice up any conversation and get your friends laughing by sending them stickers from the WeChat Sticker Shop.

For a start, check out the following games on WeChat Games.

POTD: What does the hunted mouse last see

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 roam 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.

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.

(more…)

POTD: Selamat Hari Raya Haji

Tuesday, October 15th, 2013

Here’s wishing all Muslim friends: “Selamat Hari Raya Haji”!

Masjid Sultan, or Sultan Mosque, in the Kampong Glam district of Singapore. Shot handheld at f/1.8, 1/100 sec, ISO800. Photo taken with a Sony Cyber-shot RX100 II compact camera. Photo credit: John Tan.

Masjid Sultan, or Sultan Mosque, in the Kampong Glam district of Singapore. Shot handheld at f/1.8, 1/100 sec, ISO800. Photo taken with a Sony Cyber-shot RX100 II compact camera. Photo credit: John Tan.

It’s Hari Raya Haji. The festival is also known as Eid al-Adha in Arabic, which means Feast/Festival of the Sacrifice.

(more…)

POTD: Come play with Kitty

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.

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.

(more…)