Birds - fighting for a mate

Very fortunate to be at the right place and the right time, equipped with the right camera. A point-and-shoot will not do for this sequence of pictures. Fast shutter speed and rather high ISO.

We chanced upon a cluster of feathers. Upon closer examination, we saw three birds, apparently having a discussion!

Then the action started. Looked like three birds having a free-for-all. Wings fluttering, chirping, and beaks locked for the longest time I have ever seen.

Then one of the birds, apparently the female, took a break and the two male had a beak-fight.

The loser stayed for a while, then stepped away when the noisy pairs seemed to be chasing it away

Quiet moment!!! Bliss?

An afternoon at the races in Ipoh

A good friend managed to secure for us an entry to the race in Ipoh. Not very often do we get a chance to be about 10 feet or so from the horses during a race.

The weather was not very encouraging as there were scattered drizzles occassional lightning and thuner. To top that off, the sky was a featureless grey. Nevertheless, we had a great time 'shooting' the horses and riders. Some of the images to share with you:

Riders and horses going round a corner. Just love the speed and gait of the horses (and riders)

Right off the bend

... and coming towards us.

before heading for the finishing line. A photo finish!

Here's the winner (from a different race)

Saluting the photographer?

Shot most of the above on rather high ISO setting (1600) and shutter priority (1/2000s)

Fill Flash and fun at Sunway Lagoon

Most of the time, I would find flash photography casting shadows that look very harsh. As such, I hardly use them. For this occassion, however, if I had not used the flash, the subjects (happy school kids) would probably just appear as silhouttes against the bright sky.

Had fun asking them to be themselves. Happily spending a wonderful afternoon at Sunway.

... and who would not want to catch such a lovely kid

Portraiture - Iveta

Finally found some time to review some photographs that I took a couple of months ago. Here's one of the images. A couple of others can be found at this site