[Photography] 5 Reasons To Visit Singapore's Botanic Gardens

1. Because of its history.

I am not a history buff, but I know it is more than a century old. More info in the wiki page. You can learn much of its history there.

The gate at the Bukit Timah entrance, just outside the train station.

2. Because it is accessible.

The botanic gardens is one of the interchange stops for the Downtown Line (DTL) and Circle Line (CCL), situated at the Bukit Timah Entrance. There is another entrance, the Tanglin Entrance, which is also accessible by foot from Orchard Road, but it will be quite a walk.

3. Because it is a large and quiet place.

While it is situated in somewhat prime land, the botanic gardens is a great place to escape from the city buzz. While it can be crowded during weekends, you can still enjoy some tranquility, because the area is just too big.

There are many benches like this for visitors just to sit and enjoy the tranquility. [Taken with the Redmi Note 3]

If you like quiet with a touch of nature, the botanic gardens is the place to go! [Taken with the Redmi Note 3]

4. Because it is also home to many birds and little critters.

I have been to the botanic gardens a couple of times to bird-watch. Yes, there are raptors and many birds to be spotted. Unfortunately it was rainy today and many of them went to hiding. Nevertheless I still have a couple of shots that I could share here.

An Oriental Magpie Robin. [Taken with Fujifilm X-T1 + XF 100-400mm]

A squirrel. They are quite common in the gardens! [Taken with Fujifilm X-T1 + XF 100-400mm]

A monitor lizard. Well, there are three lakes in the gardens, so I suppose they can be common, just that these creatures are elusive. [Taken with Fujifilm X-T1 + XF 100-400mm]

A red-neck slider. These, unfortunately, are probably released by pet-owners. [Taken with Fujifilm X-T1 + XF 100-400mm]

A White-breasted Water Hen taking a plunge! [Taken with Fujifilm X-T1 + XF 100-400mm]

5. Because it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site!

It was awarded the status on 4 July 2015, which was considered one of an apt gift for Singapore's Golden Jubilee in that year.

At the Bukit Timah entrance.

A plaque at the Tanglin/Nassim entrance.

Due to unfavourable weather, I was not able to cover the whole gardens. But it is a great place to hang out with family and friends, provided the weather is good of course. Nevertheless, here are some photographs I would like to share.

Just an old tree. I was trying to compose something I think.

I do not know what species of papaya these are but the tree is rather short.

The stage at the Symphony Lake. This is one of the landmarks in botanic gardens. Many concerts and performances are occasionally held here.

Side note: The Redmi Note 3 camera is only so-so, but I have to make do as my wide angle camera for now.

~yZhifa

[Photography] Photowalk at the Gardens By the Bay Conservatories (with the Fujifilm X-T1)

Recently I went to the Gardens by the Bay Conservatories (the Flower Dome and Cloud Forest) and I brought the Fujifilm X-T1 I acquired recently for familiarization. The lens used was the XF 27mm f/2.8.

The Flower Dome is essentially a huge greenhouse that houses many exotic plants from various regions. Periodically they will have themed exhibitions, such as tulips from The Netherlands.Since it was the Chinese New Period, there are various festive plants being exhibited too.

Cloud Forest features a 4-storey high man-made waterfall (the highest I believe is still in Jurong Bird Park). It is actually an education centre.

By the way, both structures are engineering feats. You can google about them or check this link out.

I should let the photos do the talking... there'll be many photos of flowers that I cannot identify, but what other subject is better than flowers to do a camera familiarisation? (I know it's my wife, who was with me, but I am not going to post the pictures here).

Inside the Flower Dome. I liked the texture that the glass panes created very much. 

Dahlia and gold ingots on display.

Just trying to capture the water droplets on this plant.

There are many wooden sculptures such as the eagle here. Here i am trying to compose with the glass panes.

Flowers! More to come... but appreciate the colours created by Fujifilm...

More dahlias... this is probably the only type of flower I know.. I did not take much notice of the name plates that were on display, my bad...

Just appreciate the beauty of the flower.. and the colour produced by the camera...

More flowers!

Another Dahlia.

Hibiscus blooming.

More Dahlia.

Flower.

Cherry Blossom. One of the highlights of the exhibition.

I also like to take leaves that are illuminated by the Sun.

Introducing some bokeh here. Oh! the colour~~

More flowers.

OK. this dahlia would worth at least three lines of caption. I took sometime to take this flower because 1) it is white and 2) the light was harsh outside. After a few adjustments to the exposure, I finally managed to get the details of the flower and background out without overexposing the flower.

More flowers! And Bokeh!

Flowers!

The next set features the photographs I took in the Cloud Forest.

Taken under the waterfall because I saw disperse sunlight. I am a nut for this kind of dispersed light.

This was an interesting exhibit, a Rafflesia made of Lego! There were other plants that were made of the toy brick on display too!

This M-shape arch is the Cloud Walk. I was intimidated by it and concluded that I was afraid of heights.

I am pleased with the colours produced by the Fujifilm X-T1. The camera is easy to use too. Oh, by the way, I used the Chrome Film Simulation for the photographs. Fujifilm has the best film simulation algorithm. Just to show the difference, I present two similar pictures, one with Velvia Film Simulation (right) and the other Chrome Film Simulation. The Velvia of course produces more vibrant pictures, the chrome is rustic.

The Fujifilm X-T1 is a camera to love, but it is not perfect. The only complain I have with it is that the battery life is miserable. 1 full charge can take about 240-300 photos. So, apparently the battery grip is somewhat mandatory if I do not wish to change batteries during photoshoot. Hmm...

I guess the EVF is energy consuming, I do have some suggestion to conserve batteries:

1. Use the power management function in the menu (duh).
2. Use only the Eye Mode or the LCD mode, but the Eye Sensor. This makes the camera process less. Processing = consume battery.
3. Avoid half-pressing for too long, or half-pressing for no apparent reason.

Guess this is all...

Happy photographing,

~ZF