In The Hand

Although I posted this last in a series of photos of the same flower, this is actually the first shot I took. This was taken right at the park where I picked up the flowers, with my friend holding the flower. Here, obviously, some post-processing took place, as I desaturated the background to turn it into a black and white image while leaving the flower in colour. Interestingly, these hibiscus-like flowers range from yellow to a more reddish tone, as in this shot. This flower was taken from the same tree that produced the yellowish ones. Nikon D200, AF-S Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR 

Self portrait

This self-portrait was done by simply shooting a reflection of myself in a big metal pot at Ikea. The reason the lettering on my shirt and camera come out right is that I flipped the image horizontally in Photoshop. Nikon D200, AF-S Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6

Twins

Here's the challenge I set myself: choose a single subject and spend and evening shooting and try to come up with as many different shots as possible of that subject. In this case, it's a few flowers I picked up off the ground at the local park. This is my favourite shot of the series -- not only is it not cropped, but the exposure is exactly as I intended it to be. In this shot I wanted the flowers to appear like mirror images of each other, with each pointing a petal into the corner of the frame -- quite symmetrical. I also like the way the flowers look so translucent with the strong light coming through them. Nikon D200, AF Micro-Nikkor 60mm f/2.8

Merry widows

One of the goals I set myself in taking these flower photos was to pay attention to the framing as I look through the viewfinder so that in the final picture, I would have to crop as little as possible, if at all. I largely succeeded, except for this one, which I shot with the intention of cropping it into this square image. Nikon D200, AF Micro-Nikkor 60mm f/2.8

Disraeli Gears

Arranged in this way, these flowers (in the Hibiscus family I think) remind me of gears. These shots were generally taken with an aperture of around f/22 for maximum depth-of-field. While I've often said that you can take a good picture no matter what camera you use, in this case, using a DSLR does make things easier as it allows you more control over aperture, flash and choice of lens for macro work. Nikon D200, AF Micro-Nikkor 60mm f/2.8

Standing in line

The set up for all these flower shots is very simple -- just like the crystal shots, this was merely an Ikea breakfast-in-bed table that's an opaque white. A wireless flash (controlled by the camera's built-in flash) under this table provided nearly even white lighting while the on-camera flash provided some added fill-in light from the front. Nikon D200, AF Micro-Nikkor 60mm f/2.8

Trinity

Ever since I took up photography something like twenty years ago, I've always been interested in macro work -- taking photos of bugs and plants has always fascinated me. This shot is taken much like the ones above. Nikon D200, AF Micro-Nikkor 60mm f/2.8

Cross section

The same set up as before, but this time a closeup of a crystal in cross section. Nikon D200, AF-Micro-Nikkor 60mm f/2.8

Crystals

Taking a shot like this required me to light the bottom and the top at the same time. The table used for this shot is simply an Ikea foldable table (for breakfast in bed) -- the table is made of some opaque white plastic. The light at the bottom was provided by the Nikon SB-600 flash in wireless mode placed under the table, and the frontal lighting was provided by the camera's own built-in flash -- here performing double duty controlling the SB-600 wirelessly AND providing fill-in light for the crystals. Nikon D200, AF Micro-Nikkor 60mm F/2.8

HUUUG!

Yes more pictures of my dog. Taking nice pictures of dogs, as you may well imagine, is not as easy as it looks, since they are so hyperactive. The only secret is patience. Nikon D200, AF-S Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR

The Secret Garden

I've been fascinated by this place ever since I first came here. It's actually the 2nd floor toilet of a local college with a little garden facing it. Nikon D200, AF-S Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6

Night shot

A shot outside my balcony. This is a 30sec exposure at about F/5.6 ISO100 in case you're wondering. Not the best shot I've taken but more of a test for my new Nikon D200 DSLR. Lens was AF-S Nikkor 12-24mm f/4

Eskimo Greeting

My cute little dog and Woon doing their version of an Eskimo greeting. Hahaha. Nikon D200, AF-S Nikkor 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6 VR