I am currently in the midst of planning for my upcoming trip to Borneo in April and I cannot help but get excited by the prospect of seeing and photographing spiders from my current Wish List. Be sure that I will be blogging about it here, so continue to watch this space! In the meantime, here are some photographs of spiders i shot last year. I have been practicing on improving my handheld stacking over the past 2 years, and I think this has significantly improved the outcome of my shots, despite using the exact same set-up when I first started. Let me know what you think! Also, all of these ..read more

While the rest of the World was busy preparing to usher in the New Year, a couple of us decided to spend one night in Pulau Ubin, an island situated 1.4 kilometers from Mainland Singapore. Just 3 weeks prior, we embarked on a mini-expedition to our northern neighbour, Malaysia, where we spent 3 nights documenting the wildlife in Bukit Tinggi. I could not join them due to conflicting schedules but if you would like to know more about that trip, feel free to read Calvin's post here. If you have read some of my previous posts, you would know that the group have been shooting together on a wee ..read more

Finally got my hands on the EM1 Mark 2 for a quick test. What do you think of these shots? Gasteracantha sp. Thalassius sp. (Fishing Spider) Talthybia sp. (Wrap-around Spider) I have been using my workhorse, the EM1 mark 1 for the last 3-4 years. Do you think i should upgrade ..read more

Some spiders move more than others. Depending on the Family, some species are less high strung making them the perfect candidate for this style of photography that requires significantly longer shutter speeds. Longer shutter speeds equate to an increased sensitivity to even the slightest movements making it almost impossible to shoot handheld in the wild. An example of a cooperative species is Heteropoda davidbowie from the Sparassidae Family. I seldom spend more than 10 minutes on a photo. Raynox on? No Problem. Here is another species from the same Family. Higher up in the di ..read more

Been putting this off for a while now. Finally had the inspiration to make these videos after crunching some reports at 4am in the morning... 1) For more on macro lighting and diffusion, click here. 2) For more on the equipments that I use, click here. 3) To see the results, click here. Don't forget to watch in HD and let me know what you think below..Cheers! MACRO REFLECTOR MACRO DIFFUSER ..read more

16 weeks of careful planning finally came into fruition, 2 weeks ago. It was a trip that I was very much looking forward to, considering that I have never been to Endau Rompin National Park despite having lived and worked just a few hours away, more than 8 years ago. You see, I used to run a small company that manages 2 outdoor campsites in Sedili Kecil, a small coastal town in Johor. While I was there, I spent a considerable amount of time in Gunung Panti (one of Johor's most climbed peaks) and in between guiding Singaporean students up the mountain, I naturally did what every bug-crazy pe ..read more

First of all, I would like to apologise for the lack of new materials on my blog this year. To be on Mirrorlessons.com's list of Top Ten Blog to watch out for in 2016 and with nothing to show for immediately after, is nothing short of an embarrassment. Well, let me explain. The past couple of months have been really hectic with new projects at work plus a few life developments, like moving into my new apartment. Most of my free-time in the last 6 months were spent filming and photographing spiders, meeting my interior designer to work on the house, or maintaining my website. Everyth ..read more

 Instead of killing that spider you find in your home, why not relocate him/her outside? Go ahead, make their day! "Thank You!", says the Net-casting spider (Deinopis sp.) ?rel=0&vq=hd1080 OK, i will be the first to admit that not all spiders are made equal in the 'Looks Department'. There are spiders that tend to look a bit like Shrek (Sorry Mr. Net-casting spider) and then there are those that are really adorable to look at, like these Jumping Spiders (Salticidae), that can be considered as 'puppies' of the arachnid world - They might actually make you go "awwwww..."! &n ..read more

I have a few overseas photography trips lined-up this year and to be honest, i cannot wait to pack up and leave. Imagine all the snakes, spiders and cool bugs waiting to be discovered and photographed.....Wishful thinking? Well, my macro-outing last night served as a gentle reminder that I do not need a passport to find exotic subjects! I seldom post about my local outings but last night 's session deserves a special mention. I was pleasantly surprised by the richness in biodiversity that this newly-discovered location has to offer, despite its relatively small area. It was a fabulous albeit ..read more

First mistake this year with the watermark! Reptiles and Amphibians are some of the most captivating groups of animals to observe and photograph in the wild. There is something so alluring about them that naturally draws you in. Having said that, they are certainly not the easiest to work and produce aesthetically-pleasing photos with! There are many factors to consider while photographing them.The most important one has nothing to do with the gears that I am using; It concerns Safety. Animal-related accidents happen when the lack of knowledge meets carelessness. Therefore, it is important ..read more