Long Tailed Macaque Monkey Photos
The long tailed Macaque are the closest to the definition of cheeky monkeys. We passed by them in a little branch of the main river and got real close for some nice shots. Just like the Orang Utans they were chilling out eating some fruit and there were about 15-20 of them in a close proximity to our boat.
This first one was sitting quite close to our boat so managed to get a good shot:
This little fella was very curious, coming very close to the boat. It's a long tailed Macaque. Click the image to get a much better view.
This second Macaque is just chilling out in the tree, putting his (or her) legs up and checking out the visitors (notice the comfy position of the legs and arms). Again I managed to get quite close thanks to the experience of our guide.
This Macaque is chilling out, putting his legs up. Again, click the image to see full size.
I used the 70-200mm lens for all the monkey shots. Generally some cropping was required when the subjects were far away, but in this instance a minimal amount was required, which I’m quite pleased with. I’m aiming to put up some photos of Mount Kinabalu plus a sunset next – a little monkey break…
Cheap Canon 24-105mm F4 L IS USM at Camera World
I’ve finally ordered the standard zoom lens I’ve been waiting to get my hands on – the Canon 24-105mm F4 L IS USM! I’ve usually seen it for between £650-£750 so decided I had to make a move when I found it for £600 at www.cameraworld.co.uk.
The 24-105mm represent the missing link in my camera gear and will replace the below par 18-55 kit lens, which I haven’t used since it was the only lens in my arsenal. The new lens will be essential for our Borneo trip in January where we’ll be going on jungle photo safari, trying to capture monkeys, elephants and other wildlife. I’ll make sure I post the best shots on the blog and am also planning to make a photo book documenting the journey.
Canon EF 24-105 mm F4.0 L IS USM - Source: www.cameraworld.co.uk
Besides the decent zoom range, great reviews and excellent L glass, one of the deciding factors making me choose this lens as supposed to the Canon 24-70mm F2.8 L USM, which is in a similar price range, is the weight. The 24-70mm weighs a whooping 960g (that’s almost a kilo!), so whilst still being heavy, the 24-105mm feels like a featherweight in comparison with its 670g weight. It’s much easier to carry around, especially if you’re going trekking in a jungle in Borneo – what if we have to run from an elephant running wild for example?! I’ll make sure I review the lens when I’m back from the trip.
Barcelona – Real Madrid
Spent the weekend in Barcelona with work. Here I am enjoying the football with Remo my colleague as Barcelona take down Real Madrid 2-0. What a massive stadium!
2008 NEC Bike Show Photos
I was invited to come to the Carole Nash NEC Bike Show on trade day and it was great fun with all the major bike brands represented and lots of fun stuff going on. I’m personally not a biker but there were also interesting fun stuff for non-bikers, including the Bat Bike from the latest Batman movie, as well as a Thunderdome show and of course the essential PR girls. I also saw one celebrity – Charley Boorman, who’s been biking through Africa with Ewan McGregor. Here’re a few shots (please contact me if you’re interested in using any of the shots. There’re also more Bike Show shots where these came from):
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- Carole Nash Custom Bike
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- Sexy Bike at the Carole Nash Stand
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- A Drag Bike
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- A Custom Bike from the Carole Nash Stand
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- Sexy Bike Wheel
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- Carole Nash Custom Xtreme Bike
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- It looks like a lady with wide hips and chest, with a lovely slim waist.
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- Charley Boorman and the promo girls
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- The Carole Nash Custom Xtreme Winner with Charley Boorman
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- Charley Boorman and the winner of Carole Nash Custom Xtreme
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- Cross Bike Maniac at the NEC
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- Thunderdome
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- The Bat Bike
My Carole Nash NEC Bike Show photos are my first of the kind but I hope you like them. I brought my 50mm as well as my 10-20. As you see I only used the 50mm, which was great for people, but often only allowed me only to photograph part of the bikes. Nevertheless I like some of the shallow depth of field the F1.8 exposure gives, although it’s sometimes difficult when you take picture of two persons that are at a slightly different distance away.
I must say the Thunderdome Show (entered a free rehearsal) was the greatest, with some nice bike tricks accompanied with some appropriate heavy metal.
Christmas Photos
How about a few macro-licious christmas photos? Here are a few that I took using my make-shift macro studio, and they don’t look to bad eh? To get the maximum picture depth I’ve used F22 aperture with my 50mm portrait lens.
As you saw in my previous post about the header, the photo below is of two “nisses”, Norwegian leprechauns. They were a Christmas present from last year.
Two "nisses" with hearts in their hands
In this case blue really works well on blue and I managed to get what I think are really nice colours after a bit of experimentation. Again these are Christmas presents that have their own little place on our living room shelf.
Singing Angels
Would you believe it, another angel. This time made of glass. I’ve tried to use the classic composition, with the angel roughly being positioned in the cross at the bottom right (although I think it’s slightly off).
A Glass Angel
Ok, they’re not angels or Santa Claus, and they don’t really have anything to do in a Christmas themed post. But hey, who’s discriminating? Not me. They were on my shelf and were a nice potential photo subject, so why not? Only problem is their hair is too shiny so you can see the macro studio walls – must be that Pantene Pro-V…
Chinese Ladies
I think that sums up all the Christmas decorations we have in our apartment. That said, after coming back from Norway next year I’d expect there to be some more on the shelf, so watch this space! And apologies for not cleaning the polystyrene properly if you did happen to notice. These photos can also be found in my TOL Photography Gallery
Studio Setup – Capturing Light… Literally
How about that. This is my new studio setup with reflection from most sides. I’m using a candle for todays testing. Will be testing aperture.
