16th Feb (Sat): Macro Outing

[Simon]

Hi guys, I know some of you are extremely interested in visiting one of the 2 places benetay or me have visited. So, I have decided to organise one to my location, we will be heading in from Rifle range road, so we need people with transport, the walk to the location is around 20mins. Alternatively route will be from venus drive. We will have to see how many is going then decide which route to take. If you are driving, please state.

Meeting place: Venus drive carpark or at the start of rifle range road at bukit timah road for those who are not driving.
time: 9.30am

duration of outing: 4-5hrs

please bring drinking water and wear comfortable clothes, those who are sensitive to sun burn, please bring lotion, insect repellent is not really necessary as sime forest does not have much mossies to worry about.

I will be inviting guys from my butterfly forum as well.

1) Simon

[luenny]

Oh good good good, got license from my OC to go already.

Meeting place: Venus drive carpark or at the start of rifle range road at bukit timah road for those who are not driving.
time: 9.30am

duration of outing: 4-5hrs

please bring drinking water and wear comfortable clothes, those who are sensitive to sun burn, please bring lotion, insect repellent is not really necessary as sime forest does not have much mossies to worry about.

I will be inviting guys from my butterfly forum as well.

1) Simon
2) Luenny (driving, please let me know the number of people I need to fetch before hand as I have 2 baby seats in my car which I need to remove if necessary)

[trident]

1) Simon
2) Luenny
3) Richard

[benetay]

Simon bringing us to his own spa!! Hopefully i'm able to go. Got a cousins meeting on that day

[wasabi8888]

1) Simon
2) Luenny (Driving)
3) Richard
4) Jeffrey (Driving)

Hope I can get my new glasses before the shoot..

[Simon]

There will be alot of proning or squatting (whichever you prefer) the sand/gravel is coarse and hence uncomfortable to knee on it, if you have knee or elbow guard please bring them . As for tripod, leave it at home.

here is the map for the location of the meeting place
http://www.streetdirectory.com/asia_...evel=6?511,341

[benetay]

Ya please purchase knee and elbow guard for those who wants to get on the ground. The meeting place looks near. Guess it must be way inside.

[wasabi8888]

Simon

Wa.. real test for steady heads....really no point taking tripod?

[benetay]

From my opinion, it will hinder your progress. These wild butterflies don't really stay still. Some just touch and go. I believe the more we shoot the better we are?

[Simon]

Jeff, you don't need them because you will be proning or squatting

benetay, not true if you know their behavior, it shouldn't be a problem. I shall teach you guys the finest side of photographying butterflies in the field.

[benetay]

Thanks! Must learn something if i can go. I prefer a monopod instead of a tripod for shooting butts. Unless some of them which i've encountered that keeps coming back to the same old place like dragonflies.

Cheers!

[wasabi8888]

if cannot bring tripod, maybe I will bring a monopod... Simon, does that make sense? monopod still can be used when squatting

[trident]

butterfly net?

[Simon]

benetay, only a handful with return to the same plant, but once you disturb them, they will fly to a higher point. That behavior will be defending terrorities against potential competitors, not humans

Jeff, yes, feel free to bring your monopod. Whether to use it for photography or against the monkeys

Richard, if I see you with one, I personally call the ranger station and help them

[Goondoo]

if cannot bring tripod, maybe I will bring a monopod... Simon, does that make sense? monopod still can be used when squatting

You kidding?

[wasabi8888]

thinking what vulgarity I should use to describe my feelings over this.....

OK... forget about tripod and monopod.. now I am thinking of bring my D80 instead of D3. scared camera body become dirty

[Simon]

errrr... Jeff, relax. That is an extreme way. For you, you can prone on the sand banks. The D3 is weathered seal, the D80 isn't. Anyway, the more you worry about your camera, the less you will concentrate on your photography

[benetay]

The other day i was switching from AF to MF and i keep wondering why i cannot manually focus. There was a small grain of sand preventing it to be fully switched from AF to MF, it was 95% at MF. I was thinking to myself, how can this be rectified? a cloth over the switch area?

Where to get elbow guards and knee guards? From sports store?

[Simon]

never place the lens on the sandy ground, the most I do is on the grip. Protect the equipment you must, but not too the extreme. Always carry a lens pen with you, it has a brush so you can clean your equipments.

Actually, you don't have to get guards, try it first.

[benetay]

Huh? try it first? My knees and elbows are so sore, my arms and neck are sun burned. If i continue to prone further think the bruises will cut further into the skin. The walk near the park consist of proning in that kind of sandy condition plus inching crawl.

Simon please don't 'tekan'(ill treat) me.