Wednesday, August 3, 2011

My pictures placed 5th & 16th in the Nikon Club Philippines Photo of the Month for July 2011!!!


Last month, one of my pictures placed 3rd in the NCP PotM for June 2011.  This month, two of my pictures placed 5th and 16th.  Yup, they are lower in ranking than last month's entry but nevertheless I'm still proud that my entries were selected among the many great submissions by fellow Nikon Club members.

Here's the description for July theme:
July Theme: Unusual Shapes  
Description: These are objects or images, that when seen on a different angle or perspective creates a different shapes, looks or images. Can be just a simple piece of object, a spectacle, structures or an edifices or architectures.
Here are my entries:

NCP PoTM July 2011 - 5th Place by israelv
NCP PoTM July 2011 - 5th Place, a photo by israelv on Flickr.

Scott Kelby's Fourth Annual Worldwide Photo Walk


I've just signed up for my first ever Scott Kelby's Worldwide Photo Walk.  I'm a big fan of Scott Kelby's books and DVDs and to be a part of this annual event is a big thrill for me. Can't already wait for October 1st.

For more info on how to join the Photo Walk in your area just head on to http://worldwidephotowalk.com/

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Island Cove Adventure: Snakes & Crocs

We silently entered the hut leading to the Crocodile's lair.  Once inside, we saw a brave man casually handling a yellow python as shown by the pix below.  For a fee, we were able to have our pictures taken with the snake wrapped around us.

Yellow Python by israelv
Yellow Python, a photo by israelv on Flickr.
Aside from the snake, there is also a baby crocodile which is also being handled by the same man. The baby croc's mouth was taped shut so that it woudn't be able to bite off the tourists as they have their pictures taken while carrying it.  Look at those menacing eyes.  I guess it's not happy to have its mouth taped off.

Small Croc by israelv
Small Croc, a photo by israelv on Flickr.
Finally, we beheld the stars of the show -- the big crocodiles. We noticed that some of the crocodiles were very still with their mouths wide open.  The zookeepers told us that it was their way of releasing heat since they don't sweat. Interesting bit of trivia there.  In addition, for P80 only, you could feed the croc a dead chicken. We got curious so we tried it. The zookeeper tied the chicken with a rope while we held the other end. Slowly, we lowered the chicken. Even before the chicken hit the water, the croc jumped up and snatched the chicken with its powerful jaws. It was action-packed but a bit too barbaric for our taste.

Big Crocs by israelv
Big Crocs, a photo by israelv on Flickr.
Finally, we've completed our tour of Animal Island and on our way out, I took a picture of the big gates and I could not help but be reminded of the movie King Kong:

King Kong's Gate by israelv
King Kong's Gate, a photo by israelv on Flickr.
Thus ended our wonderful and very interesting tour of Animal Island and of Island Cove itself. After having our afternoon snacks and a quick rest, we finally boarded the bus back to Manila.

Island Cove Adventure: A Big Bird, A Quiet Deer & a Playful Monkey

On our next stop, we were greeted by another big, flightless bird which is more accomodating (and sometimes too accomodating) than the proud cassowary -- the ostrich.  The funny thing about the ostrich is that they are not afraid of people.  When the ostrich notices that you are taking its picture then without warning it would look straight into your lens, open its big beak and would suddenly lunge towards you in an attempt to bite your camera.  This happened to me not a few times.

Ostrich by israelv
Ostrich, a photo by israelv on Flickr.
Enough birds already. Our next stop is the humble Philippine Deer. They are quiet and peaceful creatures as the pix below shows:

Philippine Deer by israelv
Philippine Deer, a photo by israelv on Flickr.
Our next destination would be the highlight of our Animal Island Tour. But before we got there, I took a snapshot of a playful little monkey:

Playful Monkey by israelv
Playful Monkey, a photo by israelv on Flickr.
Next would be Snakes and Crocs... Stay tuned!

Monday, August 1, 2011

Island Cove Adventure: More Feathery Friends

Continuing on, we chanced upon a very serious-looking eagle:

Musing Eagle by israelv
Musing Eagle, a photo by israelv on Flickr.
It seemed like the eagle caught this serious streak from its neighbor, the equally stern-looking owl that seemed straight out of the Legend of the Guardians movie:

Wise Owl by israelv
Wise Owl, a photo by israelv on Flickr.
Moving on to a less serious note, we were happy to see a smiling hornbill:

Smiling Hornbill by israelv
Smiling Hornbill, a photo by israelv on Flickr.
More animal pix on the next post, stay tuned! :)

Island Cove Adventure: An Encounter with Birds

After a great meal and a power nap, it's time to put on our fedoras and to proceed with our exploration of the island.

The first animal that we encountered is this bald eagle which was as curious of us as we were of him:

Curious Bald Eagle by israelv
Curious Bald Eagle, a photo by israelv on Flickr.
Moving along, we were greeted by a large, flightless and proud-looking cassowary. It didn't even give us a glance as we checked it out:

Proud Cassowary by israelv
Proud Cassowary, a photo by israelv on Flickr.
Out of nowhere, this duck hurriedly stumbled past us to our surprise and we were almost expecting that it would cry out, "The sky is falling! The sky is falling!" :)

Cowardly Duck by israelv
Cowardly Duck, a photo by israelv on Flickr.
More animal pix in the next post! :)
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