I was frustrated

Yes I was. I was frustrated because my left foot was hurting at 5.30 in the morning. This would mean that I will be having a frustrating day for the rest of the 26th May 2015.

I was also frustrated for not being able to get good quality shots with the Panasonic 12-35mm 2.8. I had to do something! I left my son in the car of my domestic helper and went out, what Robin Wong would call, shutter therapy. I just called them my "morning walk".

Fuji
This time I took out my Fuji Xe1, and paired it with the 35mm 1.4.  Before leaving, I took some pictures of my son, who is adamant in getting me out of the bed, while the painkillers have not take effect yet. Gave him my Samsung Note 2, switched on You Tube and while he was "wheel on the bus" all over my bed, I took a few shots. For keepsake sake. Then, right then, I know what lenses are for me. Primes! Not zooms, but primes. The quality from such lenses are amazing. Primes generally have bigger apertures, which translate to thinner depth of field. Thats common sense. Thats the selling point. What they did not say is that bigger aperture lets in more light, more light mean faster shutter speed which means less blur, and shaper images. I have hypertension, my hands vibrate continuously. To set up a tripod to take pictures of my son, on my bed, is er, insane.

From below

Eye to Eye

Finally

I finally left the house, but not before taking a few snaps of my neighbour's dessert roses. which are blooming fantastically. I think I had the Velvia Film Simulation on.

Dessert Rose

It has to be my eyes but the Velvia Film Simulation makes it though the flowers are fluorescing.

Dessert Rose

From a higher view.

Punggol Road End

I drove to Punggol Road, hopping that there is some more space for me to park the car. Alhamdulilah, there is, many! I parked the car, hoping to snap a few turtles when from one corner of my eye, I saw them. The horses! There were 5 of of them. And one of them is a white mare! I decided to shoot the tortoises first, as the sun is still out. Dark clouds over the horizon, cast doubts as to how long I can be there.

Far Away

I realised that as soon as I got too close to some of them, they would swim back into the water! I went around the pool and finally saw one which was closed to the edge, sunning itself. Trying to be as stealthy as I can I crept up and took pictures of it. 

Closer, from the back.

Love the subject isolation!

Closer still.

I tried my luck. Like an overfed lion AND an obese elephant, I went in for the kill. The angle was superb! Juxtaposed against the reflection of the blue sky, I had him!

Sky

But I was too close. It went back in.

Went back in

Not to be outdone, I went for a walk around the pools, keeping an eye on the 5 horses about 80 meters from me.

A smaller one came up to play

Peek A Boo

Horses

Finally its the horses turn. Shooting the horses is not really the same as shooting the slower moving tortoise. Many of the pictures did not turn up sharp.

The white stallion.

Left

Right

And I leave you with an image that exudes majestic excellence.

Bye.

Slim