NPX: Please share with us how long you’ve been serious in photography, particularly nature photography?

Erh….I started photography when I was a teenager and I remembered working for 2 full months in my cousin shop before I can use my salary to afford my very first SLR Cosina Camera CT7 with 50mm 1.4. I was a serious photographer back then, learning all sort of book techniques, exposure, tricky situation, etc for many years… but only to realize that with digital technology, it takes less than 2 years to learn what I have learn over a period of > 10 years. Embarrassing huh? Anyhow, in was only in 2005 that I started pretty serious in nature photography. The rest are history.

NPX: Who are your photographic influences?

You all!! Hahaha… Showing such great quality shots of birds, macros, etc. OK, be a little serious, for Nature Photography, it has to be John Shaw. His books on “Close ups in Nature”, “Landscape Photography” and “Nature Photography” are all very well complied. Arthur Morris is another one “he and his beloved birds” :>. Finally Ansel Adams, great landscape photography, especially the B&W ones and of course his Yosemites series…

NPX:You are one of those that enjoy both Bird and Macro photography, care to share the differences and similarities of the 2 genres?

Similarity: 1. Equally torturing and tough. 2. Better with nice clean smooth BG 3. Need a lot of light (in general) for the perfect shot 4. Need lots and lots of perseverance Differences: 1. birding subject can be very big to very small… macro is from very small to almost cannot see… 2. One needs lots of leg power, walking, standing waiting for the birds, while the other needs lots of back power, always in weird position just to take the shot! 3. One quite light, the other very heavy setup!

NPX:What kind of equipment you have in your dry cabinet?

Lots of junks in my dry cabinets, inclusive of mini-DV tapes, binos, etc. Of course, various lenses and bodies and P&S Cameras and a few flashes.

NPX: Which is the one you like using the most?

Wah, very tough question which one I like to use most. Really cannot pinpoint at all. As most of you know me, I take very wide genre of photos, so just to list a few favourite stuffs: Macro – 180mm with dual flash system or ring flash Avian – As long as possible but currently only 400mm with 1.4TC and flash Landscape – Canon 17-40mm People – 70-200 f2.8 Travel – 17-40mm, 70-200mm, 24-105mm, my very trustworthy Sigma 70-300mm Macro, very versatile! Biz travel: Just one, Fujifilm S100fs (now with macro adapter Raynox 250 kekeke)

NPX:in your opinion what is the most challenging aspects of nature photography?

To rank with importance: 1. Visa!!!! 2. Subjects 3. Timing/Weather/Lighting

NPX:You’ve travelled to a few places to pursue your hobby. How do they compare with shooting in Singapore?

Actually, travelling away from Singapore sort of “destroy” my interests in shooting birds in Singapore, really too pampered… Overseas: subjects are everywhere, scenaries are nicer, people are friendlier, mood is different and importantly no need to apply for daily VISA!! Hahaha Also, when overseas, one will realized that there is no need to be secretive about this bird or that, they are everywhere and birders overseas tends to share more “secret” spots even to foreign birders or photographers like us. Now, it is getting better in SG though…

NPX: Maybe share with our readers one of the most memorable moments while on the trip?

It has to be with Remo and William in Manado… Went there with full of optimism, ended up full of pessimism and full of Gonone bites that lasted for months! After seeing pictures from Manado by INGO, I am convinced that we have the wrong guide or all of us “shoot bird eyes”… hahaha… Honestly, the guide is very good for birders but not for photographers, in any case, great experiences and for me, all overseas trips are great as it brought back tons of memories and importantly spending great time with fellow good friends! Another great memories is the trip to Africa, thought I will never come back (for different reasons!!) hahaha…

NPX: From those places that you’ve visited, any of those place you’d love to go again? Why?

It has to be Africa! Great company of friends (Wilson, xx, William & I). Also heavenly for birds, people, landscape, nature, macro, you named it, they probably have it… just be a little careful not to take Air India at all cost!!

NPX:Where are the places you’d love to explore if opportunity arises?

South America!! Very inspired by Wilson’s photos where one can take owl close range, one can shoot from early morning to late night (various types of frogs)!! Can take various genres of photography

NPX:Any word of advise for beginners starting out on nature photography?

Start with the correct setup, not necessary prime lens but at least the right gear for the right photography. Though a good workman never blame his tools as he knows how to maximize it but one can to get a decent one to begin with. Some great lens to begin with for avian: Tamron 200-500mm Sigma 500mm f4.5, Canon 400 f5.6, Canon 100-400mm (be careful of “unsharp” copy)… the rest, you already know, 500, 600 800mm Some good lens for macro: Tamron 90mm, 180mm, Voigtlander 125mm + ringed flash or dual flash set-up Try to shoot with experienced photographers, watch how they take, learn tricks from them, holding techniques, etc. and also how they persevere just to get THE shot.

NPX: Please share with us a couple of your favourite images accumulated over the years. Please describe to us why you like these images.

Very tough choice, surely for anyone out there. To choose a few out of more than 60,000 shots!! And I usually don’t blast my camera with max. high frame speed, so I guess I kept too much junk pictures!! Hahaha… OK, not necessary the best shots, just a few shots of what I managed to find from my HDD and quite meaningful to me:

Leading reflections (Aug 2006): This is taken in Africa and Lake Nakuru, this is a case where we almost wanted to give up for the morning as the sun is up high and very scorching, no wind and the heat wave is disturbing the autofocus, nothing seems nice to take and suddenly here comes a “string” of flamingoes walking in the quiet lake….

Head On WBSE (Aug 2008): This is taken recently in Darwin… Somehow, when I started avian photography, I have always wanted to WBSE and was hoping one day I will take a flight shot head-on, why head on? Cause it is usually a tough shot to nail… kekeke Also, it brings back memories of the precious time spent with fellow photographer, REMO!!

Thick-billed Pigeon (May 2006): Just a very simple shot of this beauty, this was taken in Upper Thomson/Mandai and it was through the tips of fellow birder about the fruiting trees where these rare pigeons comes out to feed. They are pretty easy targets as they are more concern of food than humans. Why I like this picture, to me, it just reminded me that without good friends in birding, chances of taking rarer birds get rarer each day :>

Little Nemo (Apr 2007): This is supposedly a birding trip, trust me!! We were in Manado and as birding was very tough coupled with so much Gonone in the forest, we decided to change our itinerary and ended up taking pictures underwater with my simple setup using just Olympus 720SW!! That’s something nice to remember and also again, in memory of time spent with fellow birders, REMO inclusive…. And for those who doesn’t know, his gonone bites lasted more than 6 months!! Scary!

Dragonfly: My very first macro using my very first DSLR Nikon D70 digital camera… details were excellent and blew me away, not the best picture but my very first take of macro using digital camera where I can take and take and take and take!! Got it? hahaha

As I said, blown away by the details that one can catch with a simple setup using a simple lens (Tamron 90mm) and handholding, which seems impossible when I was using film, probably also due to wasting money taking so many shots!! Hahaha…

Alien and 5mm worm: Lastly, two macro shots, these are insects found in Lower Pierce and were all taken at night, my very first night macro!! Thanks to macro queen, Colleen who organized this session. I was surprised what we can find at night which is totally different in the day, some look totally out of this world! The wonders of macro photography! Looks like this fellow has a face of his own and looking at me (erh… eye contact) !!

A tiny worm about 5mm that doesn’t look like this until it was shot in macro!! Looks more like a soft fast wriggly worm, then it becomes a worm with individual casings! Impressive huh?

NPX: Thanks for spending your time for this interview!

No problemoooooo~