Shot for the Day (13 June 2015)

June 13, 2015July 31, 2015 | Zapfly

In the mountains of Peru, on the road to nowhere, I stood with a friend, surveying the eerie landscape in solitude. We ended up trekking up to 5000m and walking on the glacier you can see in the distance a couple of hours later, when the clouds cleared and the sun bathed the landscape.

I have fond memories of walking up to the glacier above, undaunted by altitude sickness or concerned with the cold. My companion had to remind me that a T shirt at that altitude and level of cold was not in keeping with an efficient circulation.

I will always have fond recollections of the mountains o South America, with Peru, Bolivia and Chile in particular. All were familiar but unique in their own special way.

Bizarrely, both images above is about the size of my negative (6cm x 12cm).

Shot for the Day (10 June 2015)

June 10, 2015 | Zapfly

Moon Valley in Chile, close to San Pedro de Atacama, very much lives up to its name. Trekking in the heat of the day at 4000m altitude, in the altiplano, literally took one’s breath away.

I took this shot in the mid afternoon, as the shadows of the canyon cast increasingly longer trails across the exposed spikes of the rock outcrops, akin to the vertebrae of the valley jutting out of the ground.

Shot for the Day (8 June 2015)

June 8, 2015June 7, 2015 | Zapfly

Back in 2003, after completing a 4 month stint as expedition photographer for Raleigh International in Coyhaique, capital of Region XI in Chile, a few colleagues decided that the best way to end the experience was be to trek Torres del Paine, situated at the southern tip of Chile.

Amongst this ensemble, only three of us were foolhardy enough to attempt the full loop and circumnavigate the entire range. It was April, the very end of the season and all the refugios were being closed down for Winter. Consequently, we had to carry all of our food with us for the multi-day trek ahead.

Temperatures varied from a comfortable 20 degrees Celsius during the day to a chilly minus 20 degrees Celsius at night. We restricted our gear as best we could but our packs stilled weight in at just under 35kg each.

The effort, however, was more than worth it, as we were constantly treated to such beautiful vistas as the one above, with not a soul for miles to break the tranquility. In the end, it took Tom, Bill and I just under 8 days to complete the trek. I eagerly hope to return and do it once again in the future.

Shot for the Day (7 June 2015)

June 7, 2015June 6, 2015 | Zapfly

At the end of 2014, I travelled up to Hong Kong from Singapore, where the weather was mercifully cooler than the incessant heat of the tropics. That said, I have never found 15 degrees Celsius so cold.

One morning, I took a gander along the path that runs circumnavigates the Peak, taking in views of Aberdeen Bay on one side with Hong Kong downtown and Kowloon Bay beyond on the other. This shot was taken on Boxing Day. The smog filtered the early rays of sunshine, dirtying the blue sky with hues of brown and grey.

What struck me most was more based about my Western sensitivities. Hong Kong had hardly missed a beat even though we were in the middle of the Christmas holidays. Then again, I do not believe that Hong Kong ever truly sleeps.

Shot for the Day (6 June 2015)

June 6, 2015 | Zapfly

At the end of 2014, just prior to Christmas, I spend a few days with my family on the beautiful island of Langkawi, on the northern end of Malaysia, very close to Thailand.

I got up early each morning to enjoy the silence of surroundings, a far cry from the bustle of Singapore. This shot was moments before the sun rose to my right, as the light wind stretched the clouds across the sky, with the two yachts bobbing gently in the water ahead of me.

A few monkeys in the forest behind me we on an early morning scout to find breakfast and were eyeing up my camera bag a in a furtive manner, wondering if I had some food hidden amongst the lenses. Finally, a sea otter walked out from the shelter of the shrubbery to my left and wondered over to take an early morning bath.

Shot for the Day (9 November 2014)

November 9, 2014 | Zapfly

I miss the big country. The violence of the weather, the sheer size of the landscape. Most of all, I miss nature. Singapore is so many things but alas, not natural. Everything here is outlandish, larger than life. Perhaps the weather in this image I took in California a couple of years ago is also as prodigious in its own way as Singapore is.

Two hours after I took this image, the rain had washed the road out leaving all timorous motorists stranded. However, I was in the world’s best off road car; a rental Ford Mustang convertible, which ploughed through the rushing waters. Although it leaking into the footwells as the water level rose above the base door height, the car made it. I can still recall the sight of several scared drivers disappearing behind me in my rear view mirror, all huddled motionless in their pick up trucks.

Shot for the Day (14 September 2014)

September 14, 2014 | Zapfly

Today’s shot is from Gardens in the Bay in Singapore. It is unlike my usual images for two reasons. Firstly, I took it on an iPhone instead of one of my high end cameras. The best camera is the camera you have with you as they say. The other reason is that instead of my usual landscape imagery, this actually incorporates people in the shot.

Normal service will resume shortly.

Shot for the Day (6 September 2014)

September 6, 2014September 7, 2014 | Zapfly

Singapore is a city of man made monuments. Even though nature abounds with equatorial greenery and trees, there are precious few open vistas and very limited natural scenery for a landscape photographer like me to be satisfied. So, instead, here is a homage to nature I took at the beginning of the year, at Gardens in the Bay.

Shot for the Day (29 April 2014)

April 29, 2014April 28, 2014 | Zapfly

After several months based in Singapore, I miss certain things about the UK. A quiet beach and a cool breeze are definitely two of them. This was shot at one of my favour beaches, Exmouth, on a Spring evening. The large beach was devoid of any movement as the opalescent sky and previous inclement weather had chased all the fair weather beach combers. When I took this shot, the sun was almost gone, giving the sea an eerie hew on long exposure.