Punggol Beach on a Weekday

The best thing about going to Punggol Beach on a weekday – or any beach for that matter – there are lesser people about.

Whew! Haven’t cycle for over a month and the effect shows. Lesson learnt – always go slow if haven’t exercise for a long time and bring that isotonic drink along, water is not sufficient.

An update of Punggol Promenade at Punggol Beach. That place is securely barricaded with orange netting all over. There are a group of people on the viewing platform at Punggol Jetty today. Maybe staff from URA, National Parks, PUB and the construction company inspecting on the works in progress. The walkway next to the police post, on the left side of the jetty, is also barricaded with orange tape. Maybe because there is new cement being laid.

Other than that – lots of people waiting for boats at the jetty. Lots of debris on the beach and in the water. Cloudy day today don’t make for good photos but there are a few interesting sightings.

Enjoy the pictures! Have a great a weekend ahead!

Cloudy weather at Punggol Beach

Low angle view of incoming tides at Punggol Beach

Lots of people at Punggol Jetty

Airplane doing military exercise

Iguana among the foliage

Not a shy iguana - no hint of fear

Iguana at the beach looking for food.

 

Punggol Beach : Blue Sky and Moody Weather

Punggol Beach – Rocky Shoreline

One of the unique feature in Singapore, Punggol Beach is known for its rocky shoreline. Natural or man-made – who knows? Punggol Beach is also the site for a massacre during the second world war. There is a signboard at Punggol Jetty indicating its historical impact.

Sunrise is on the right side of the jetty. For the early birds, get ready to point your camera in that direction. This is also the direction of Punggol Promenade and Punggol Point Walk.

I came by early one morning and watched the changing light till around 10am. By then, pointing the camera on the right side of Punggol Beach gave silhouettes and on the left side – blue sky. One morning, the dark clouds rolled in from the right side of the beach and before leaving, I took some photos of the coming storm. Other times I was here during low tides and others during high tides.

Enjoy the different moods and landscapes of Punggol Beach 🙂

Blue Sky at Punggol Beach

Punggol Beach during low tides - rocky outcrops

Hide Tide at Punggol Beach

Dogs Footprints on the sand - yes, there are wild dogs around

The middle shoreline of Punggol Beach

Low angle view of coming waves

Coming Storm over Punggol Beach

Mid-morning silhouette at Punggol Beach

 

Pulau Punggol Timor

Pulau Punggol Timor is the island facing the Punggol Marina Country Club. It is now connected by the Punggol Reservoir Dam though there is no access to this island. At the end of the road, there is a gate – no entrance for visitors.

Just enjoy the pictures from the surroundings for now. Check out the views while walking, jogging or cycling on the Punggol Park Connector Network to Punggol Beach.

Sunset at Pulau Punggol Timor

Punggol Reservoir Dam connected to Pulau Punggol Timor

Trees on Pulau Punggol Timor opposite Punggol Reservoir Dam

Pulau Punggol Timor as viewed from Punggol PCN

Mid morning view of Pulau Punggol Timor from Punggol Marina Country Club

 

Crepuscular Rays

Rays of Lights

I did not realise the particular name for such sunbeams earlier. This is one of an early photo captured just slightly before the rain. I was walking in the park and noticed that the sky was getting darker and darker. Looked up and there the clouds were converging and closing in on the blue sky. Rays of light emitted from the sun shrouded in the white clouds.

Crepuscular Rays

Earlier pictures of crespucular rays

Sunrise "rays of light" over Pulau Ubin

Sunrise at Punggol Waterway, near Punggol Reservoir

Sunrise over Gazebo, Punggol Waterway at Punggol Reservoir

Sunrise at Punggol Waterway - near the Punggol Reservoir

 

Sunrise from an Airplane

Do you like to watch the sun glowing on the horizon while on an airplane? I do.

Not advisable to take photos during take-off and touchdown but when all is clear and the light shines from the window, sunrise is especially lovely to watch from an airplane. Goes without saying that you need to have a window seat to photograph sunrise from the glass windows. Or take an interior shot of the airplane with the sun glowing from the windows.

Sunrise from an Airplane

Sunrise on the Horizon

Have a lovely morning or evening, wherever you are!

 

A Whale of a Time – Whale Watching from Gold Coast, Australia

A Whale of a Time……

One of my most vivid memories while here in Gold Coast, Australia was my first ever whale watching eco-tour. It is one thing to see such wild creatures on tv, quite another to see them live in action. Overwhelming, awe, amazement, humble, inspiring – in short words – WOW!

Whale Watching in Queensland, Australia

Eco Tour - Whale Watching

Watching a whale diving

These are humpback whales. Besides whales, there are other marine creatures like dolphins, pelicans and sea birds.

There are many operators from both Brisbane and Gold Coast and some does pick-up and pick-off from hotels. Book early because these tours are very popular. Whale watching is from May to November.

I can’t recall the tour operator that I went with but I do remember we made a stop-over at Tangalooma Island Resort to pick-up more people before heading to the open seas and whale watching. Lunch was also provided on that trip.

It is hard to predict when the whales will jump out of the water, slap their tails or blow air from their blowholes. Did not manage to catch that moment when the humpback would jump high in the air before diving – it would have been a defining moment!  Lesson learnt – turn the camera setting to continuous mode and fast shutter speed.

In other words – it was an unforgettable experience.

 

Beyond Surfer’s Paradise, Gold Coast – Mt Tamborine

Surfer’s Paradise, Gold Coast

While on the subject of Australia, let’s focus on another location – Surfer’s Paradise, Gold Coast in Queensland.

White sandy beach of Surfer's Paradise, Gold Coast

Yup, Surfer’s Paradise is world famous with such a beautiful beach and the surfs fantastic for windsurfing. But let’s go beyond the theme parks and the beach. Let’s go up to the mountains – Mt Tamborine precisely.

Mt Tamborine signboard

My internet friend, who Iived in Brisbane, picked me up from my hotel and drove to Mt Tamborine. While we stopped to read this signboard, a guy was getting his paraflight gear ready. So I snapped some pictures.

Getting ready for Paragliding flight

A few minutes later and off he flew!

Paragliding over Mt Tamborine

It was a long winding road to and off the mountain but well worth the visit. There are shops here for food and souvenirs. Have a look if you are here. Here is a landscape visage of Mt Tamborine.

Mt Tamborine in Queensland, Australia

So if you are on holiday in Gold Coast, leave the beach for a few days and explore the surroundings. You won’t regret it.

Wish you are here!

 

Canberra Landscapes

Memories of Canberra

Looking back at my achieves, I came across these two photos while I was on holiday in Canberra, Australia. The photos ware taken with my first digital camera, a Nikon E2500. Yup obsolete now, but I was one of the early adopters.

Two contrasting photos, the first one taken in the afternoon during the bus journey from Sydney airport to Canberra.

The second one was taken in the early morning in Canberra while on the way up to Snowy Mountains for some snow fun. It was winter at that time.

Canberra Rural Landscape

Taking pictures from a moving bus is really tricky. Avoid reflections by keeping the camera lens as close to the windows as possible. Setting was set to Landscape – with the background in sharper details than the blurry foreground.

On the way to Snowy Mountains

One of my favourite photos from that trip is this misty mountain landscape. Woke up early at about 5.30am for this trip to the mountains. Such a serene feeling while passing the scenery.

If you are in Canberra, have a great vacation!

 

Cropping and Editing : One Photo – Many Versions

Composition

Composition is such an important tool in photography. It can either make or break a photo. What if there are undesirable things captured in the photo or there are simply too much clutter? One idea to salvage a photo – crop it.

There are many ways to crop a photo and it all depends on the elements captured in that photo. Digital cameras are packed with larger and larger megapixel. When it comes to cropping, having a large megapixel camera (at least 10MP, in my opinion) helps in preserving those finer details. On the web, it may not look so obvious but comes to printing, it does make a difference.

Cropping

Let’s try to do some editing and cropping. Rural landscape – taken while in the train on the way to Paris. This is the original.

Reflection on the top left corner and the foreground is a distraction – so editing is necessary.

Original Photo - Rural Landscape

After cropping, this is one version of it – a vertical panorama. The foreground has been retained to add contrast to the background line of trees and distance mountains.

Winter Fields

Another version – a horizontal panorama. Cut off the majority of the top frame and foreground. Concentration is on the background of mountain ranges.

Rural Panorama of Winter Fields

More cropping with a tighter horizontal panorama concentrating on the long lines of trees.

Tree Lines in Winter

Changing format to black and white now for comparison. The bottom frame has been cropped further.

Black and White Landscape

So don’t give up on a photo just yet. Crop and edit a bit, see how it goes.

Hope you like the pictures!

 

Photography Resources

There are plenty of internet articles, websites, forums, blogs, etc that offer great tips in improving your skills in photography. They are wonderful references and I think an inspiration for photographers. Instead of posting pictures today, I will post some of the photography links that I find useful.

Links to Photography Tips

Better Digital Photo Tips (www.better-digital-photo-tips.com)
Digital Photography School (www.digital-photography-school.com)
Photographing Landscapes (www.kodak.com)
7 Tips to Bring Back Non Boring and Possibly Non Horrid Travel Photos (www.digital-photography-school.com)
Landscape Photography – Using Lines effectively while shooting Landscapes (enchantingkerala.org)
Vertical Panoramic Photography (landscapephotographyblog.com)

My current favourite is this one – great tips and showcase some of the most dramatic pictures out there :
Lightstalking (www.lightstalking.com)

A short post today, see you tomorrow!