We watched the Bird Buddies show (whatever the name is).


Flamingos.


This would've been a cool shot if not for the chopped-off beak :/


Gotta love his beak.


Now that's a proud trainer.


'Basketball' competition with the other parrot.


Egging him on.


Spot the bird part 1.


Spot the bird part 2.


Fly baby fly!


For some reason, this reminds me of an A380. o.0


Spot the bird part 3.




Tearing his way through rice paper.


This parrot, Amigo, can sing 3 songs and count to 10 in 2 languages!


Flying with your buddy.


Failed attempt at a panning shot.


Looking good.


Eagles are the coolest birds ever.






Dead centre!!!


Hot!!


I love this shot.


Kinda normal shot of a swan but I still like it!


Gotta love those pink feathers! /hides


Flamingos.


Penguin.

After that, we went to East Coast Park to look at a very different kind of bird.

(I anyhowly edited them in photoshop. But because they aren't meant for A.net, I can do whatever I like!)


A330s are seriously the hottest planes ever. They look good from almost every angle!


KLM 777. I remember photographing it 2 years ago!


SQ 777


A320


My first time seeing an MD-11!


Feel the power!


A380!

I was waiting for the next plane to come when a Frenchman approached me (I could tell from his accent straight away) and asked me for the flight schedule and when the A380 would come. I admitted that I didn't have a flight schedule as I shot anything that came, but that I knew the A380 would arrive at about 6 plus (it was almost 6 then). Then he asked about my hobby and then he mentioned that his wife was a journalist for The New Paper and she was invited to the 787's test flight! He seemed impressed that I liked planes and wanted me to contact his wife :O And maybe - just maybe- I can go up the plane or something. Wah!! But there're no guarantees. However, as I have nothing to lose, I'm going to email her tomorrow!


B747! My lame attempt at a creative motive.


There was some filming going on, on the pier where I was photographing planes. Note the actors' costumes. In this scene, they were punching the air and shouting 'Unity is Strength!' in Mandarin.


Sexy-looking A330 coming towards me!


The 777 looks great in side-ons, but the A330's belly looks nicer :P

I learnt 3 things from today's photography session:

1) Leave the head-ons/belly shots to the pros.

My gear can't handle the tricky lighting conditions. Get the sky's exposure correct, and underexpose the belly. Get the belly's exposure correct, and blow out the sky. I guess I should stick to boring side-ons, sigh.

But I think the Shadow/Highlight tool in Photoshop can help a bit. I'll continue experimenting.

2) I shouldn't photograph planes just for A.net.

It's kind of hard, because everytime I take a shot, I think, 'Will A.net accept this? Oh no, it's blurry/soft/off focus/the wing's cut off/under- or over-exposed/its front wheel is blocked/the motive's questionable etc etc and I think it's a bad practice. Because, ultimately, photography isn't about A.net. It's also about art. Instead of fretting about the right settings for a correct exposure, I should strive to get a creative shot, one that nobody has gotten before. See things from different angles. It takes time, but I'm trying to grow out of that 'I photograph planes only for A.net' mentality.

3) I don't think I'll return to the pier with my camera anytime soon.

Because of #1. And it has prompted me to list out the spotting locations in SIN.

Side-on: ECP Area G, Shore Restaurant (need >250mm focal length; shoot against the setting sun for lovely silhouettes), Changi Beach

Head-on/Belly: ECP Area H pier, Changi Beach, Changi Industrial Park (planes are lower than from ECP, but they're blocked by buildings)

Side-on: Shore Restaurant, Changi Coast Road (but I don't go there anymore; I'm too scared of the police!), Changi Beach (need >250mm focal length)

Head-on: If you're daring and stupid, go to the end of 20C where the landing lights (dunno what they're called) are, and shoot away. Most likely you'll be shot by the police.

Actually, Tanah Merah and Safra Country Club have good views of landing/departing aircraft, but you've to pay to go in.

T2 and T3 viewing malls. Impossible to take decent aircraft photos. T1 is undergoing renovation. They better not destroy it by building useless sunlight-blocking structures in front of the glass and reducing the already-pathetically-small viewing area by adding more shops.

Changi Coast Road. Go there if you dare, but don't stay long.

Wha, I took almost 3 hours to complete this post. Most of the time was spent uploading and editing photos. The time now is 1.10am. Time to sleep now. Good night!