Australian Reptile Park

A day out at an Australian Zoo.

Nestled amongst the Eucalyptus that follow the Sydney-Newcastle freeway and around the Brisbane Waters national park is a colourful dinosaur that could be mistaken for a Jurassic styled theme park. It is the turn indicator for the Australian Reptile Park. A small zoo that hides within it a decent number of animals and is actually great value for money when you compare what you may pay at the Sydney Wildlife world in Darling Harbour.

During a visit with the family I managed to take some shots of some of the animals. All photos taken with a Sony NEX 5N and using a 18MM Wide Angle Lens and a 18-55MM Zoom Lens.

Without a doubt the star of the day was the huge Crocodile they have in the enclosure, but closely followed by the slightly creepy zookeeper, who is actually a pretty entertaining guy, but very creepy.

~ Pedro

No Swimming. 

This zookeeper was a strange character, some of the kids seemed a little creeped out.

This little alligator was deceptively active after laying about on the zookeepers neck.

This guys was just drying himself out by the looks of it, not really all that fused by me taking a few close ups.

Not sure if I had ever seen a koala's eyes up close, strange and reptilian.

No photo cropping here, just wanted to give perspective of the crocodile. Massive.

I don't know what these two where up to, but the one on top didn't seem all that happy to get snapped.

The Lucky Country - Rose Bay

The Lucky Country

"Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect."
- Ralph Waldon Emerson

We are the lucky country, and it would be fair to say most that enjoyed the boom are living around the Eastern Suburbs bay areas. There can be no doubt that we have some of the best spaces available for us to enjoy and the lucky have it at their doorstep. The following photos are taken around Lyne Park looking out to Rose Bay, under a clear autumn sky. All shot with a Sony NEX 5N and 30MM macro.

  ~ Pedro

Liv in deep thought and reflection.

Nice little run about to get out amongst the sunshine.

Rose Bay looking out to Port Jackson.

Doesn't get any better than this, blue skies, sunshine. Perfect Autumn day.

Couple of kids fishing off Rose Bay Pier.

Someone getting ready to hit the water near the Woollahra sailing club.

Bunch of kids and their parents having a good day out.

Flower Within The Flower

"There are always flowers for those who want to see them."

- Henri Matisse 

Flower within the flower

There are flowers within flowers! And it has taken me too long to find this out. Over the last few weeks I've been looking through an e-mount Sony NEX 5N camera equipped with a 30MM Macro lens and can only say that everything has a new perspective. From hair on insects legs to dandelion spores, I have a completely new perspective on the world.

Take the next three images for example, the Portulaca a very unassuming plant that is a weed in some parts of the world, decides to pop it's head out in a thumb sized flower each year around spring through to autumn. You could walk past this plant and think nothing of it, but that it is has a bright flower. But now, apply a Macro lens over the image, a little digital zoom and there is a whole other level of detail to be found in the images. I am a huge fan of macro photography purely from a selfish perspective, I have never seen this before.

The detail here is amazing, the centre looks stunning and almost like some kind of explosion.

Within the Portulaca flower, there looks like there is another flower. A flower within a flower.

And as you step back , the detail is somewhat lost. Still in sharp focus here, but just another flower.

First Macro Shots on the NEX 5N with 30MM Macro

First Macro Shots On the NEX 5N with 30 MM Macro

Picked up a new lens over Christmas this year, the Sony NEX 30MM F3.5 Macro  lens.

Still getting the hang of it. The lens doesn't feature OSS (image stabilisation) so it can be tricky to get a blur free shot at very close range and need to work on a steady hand. Am also finding the F stop can have a huge impact on the focal point of the image and on a longer stop the blur is almost unmanageable just holding the camera and a very narrow focal point and loads of blur across the foreground and background.

Working with a Macro lens though, is a lot of fun, you can get some incredible detail in your photos if you can find the right subjects. Thanks to the high heat across the Sydney all the little creepy crawlies seem to be hanging around. Great test shots on the new Sony NEX 30MM Macro Lens.

First Macro Shots - Little Creatures, Cowboy Beetle

Found this guy crawling around, impressive, the size of a thumb and strong as an ox.

The Cowboy Beetle is found through out Australia, but this is the first time i've seen one in the city.

First Macro Shots - Little Creatures, Green Grasshopper

 

This image had been post processed, it had a little too much blur, but still a good close up.

First Macro Shots - Little Creatures, Hunstman

Sooo, these guys really freak me out. The Australian Hunstman.

London Something Old and Something New

"How incessant and great are the ills with which a prolonged old age is replete."

- C. S. Lewis 

London, Something Old and Something New

Very few places in the world have such a mix of old world charm and modern design. It has to be respected. We have replaced sandstone for glass, steel for iron and plastic for wood. It's only through this contrast that we can see how much we have become.

Jack the Ripper tours right outside of the Tower Hill tube station.

The banks of the thames is littered with old majestic buildings.

The old roman wall running from tower hill, hemmed in around modern developments build circa ~AD400

Roman wall, window looking through to the new building behind it.

The tower of london built in the 1000's.

You only need to walk the circumference of the tower to see some of the big highrises coming up over the city which are at complete odd with the old designs.

A new crane tower sits above the curtain wall of the tower of london.

The tower bridge, built in the 1800's. 

There isn't a moment where this bridge isn't filled with people and cars. With some time delay images you can remove the noise of the new influences a little.

The tower bridge house, sitting just metres away from the bridge. Removes any similary or  linkage to the bridge and tower.

London Out and About

A collection of shots, some taken with my phone camera the HTC One X and others with the Sony NEX-5ND.

London Out and About - Piccadilly Circus & Leicester Square

Piccadilly Circus in all it's Neon Beauty.

Leicester Square in lights.

City of London's answer to green commute, doesn't beat the tube by the looks of it.

London Oxford St Christmas

“Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.” 

― Samuel Johnson

A very true statement, it's impossible to describe the buzz felt across the city of London. 18 Million people densely cramped into a small space, plus all the tourist just turn the place into a multicultural zoo. It's amazing to see, smell and hear all the commotion. Oxford street completely lights up from Totenham Court Road all the way to Marble Arch.

London Oxford St Christmas Images

The Selfridge's Christmas Lights

Using Hand Held Twilight, the Sony NEX-5N captures 3 images and stiches them together. Managed to get a double decker into the shot, yet you can still see the shop front through it.

The images taken with the NEX-5ND don't do the street justice, it's an amazing sight, all the people, buses, cars and commotion. There isn't another place like this in the world.

Literally thousands of bystanders, all taking it in.

My favourite, simple, colourful.

And by the thousands they came to spend their money and take it all in.