Dragonplane Photography Blog

Shooting children can be pretty fun. You have to lower yourself to their height, point the camera at them. And before you could release the shutter, they run off. Then you run after them. Sometimes it can be like a cat and mouse game. You can workout a few calories like a few children's parties I have shoot for. Here are some of kids photos. The first photo is my favourite of Gabriel with his cute smile and bright eyes which I captured just in time when he turned towards me.

Shooting a new born is quite a challenging yet surreal experience. You never know when the baby is asleep or awake. At any stage, you got to be creative and work around it. It's unlike shooting a model where you can shoot according to plan.

"A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face and its expression is predominant. The intent is to display the likeness, personality, and even the mood of the person." Portrait photography is possibly my favourite form of photography. Unlike photographing still objects where there is limited appearance, shooting the human form allow us to experiment with all sort of creative images which is exciting yet challenging. The photographer can shoot the subject with different form of expression and emotion. Add to that, the photographer must interact positively with the subject to create the most ideal result. The following images are one of my earliest portraits that I shot when I bought my first set of Bowen studio flash light. They are also one of my favourite black and white images that was shot on Kodak T-MAX film . During those days I have access to the darkroom so I was able to develop the film, process t...

Shooting up close with the beautiful machines and admiring its detail is another form of great photography. When we are faced with alot of these cars within a confined space, usually there are too much information for our eyes to absorb. Getting close and shooting the detail is something which I enjoy. You get to admire the exquisite design, great workmanship and the effort that goes into creating the great piece of machinery.

I have been a regular visitor to the Sydney Motor Show and this year is no exception. The downside of this year's show is the absent of many big brands such as Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Porsche. They have boycotted the show to make a point that Sydney show should only be held every two years as Melbourne is already hosting one each year. European Car shows are held bi-annually.

On a recent long weekend, I went on a drive down the South Coast. The idea only came about after making the plan to go for a coastal drive that will consists of a stopover at a nice restaurant. So looking through the Sydney Morning Herald's Good Food Guide, it recommended a nice small restaurant at Thirroul called Samuel which is located at the end of the scenic Lawrence Hargrave Drive . There were many spectacular lookouts on the wonderful drive past coastal villages. They were cliff hugging roads hanging above the ocean. The highlight of the drive is the famous Sea Cliff Bridge . Driving past the bridge was a quick drive but once we arrived at the top of the cliff called Stanwell Park , we are rewarded with this spectacular view of the bridge which is breathtaking. Read my blog about the Samuel's Restaurant at Thirroul Close up photo of Sea Cliff Bridge

Melbourne, the second most populous city in Australia after Sydney. The photos were taken at Southbank, the area that stretches along the southern bank of the Yarra River and facing the central station and the CBD. Southbank on google map .

Sydney Harbour fireworks held every New Year Eve is one of a kind experience. The famous Sydney Harbour fireworks are one of the best in the world with fireworks that explored along the harbour and on the bridge. Hundreds of thousands of people would line along the shores of the Harbour to watch the firework shows, one at 9pm and the grand fireworks at the stroke of midnight. 2008 NYE Fireworks blog Information on NYE party at City of Sydney website Watch the Harbour fireworks on YouTube

For more information - wikipedia

Many different species of plants can be found in New South Wales. The plants in the photos are taken while bushwalking at Kuring-gai Chase National Park . Refer to blog: The Wilderness and National Parks

On a recent drive down the south coast, I stopped over a restaurant called Samuel's for lunch. This is the only restaurant recommended by Sydney Morning Herald's Good Food Guide located in the coastal town of Thirroul . On entering the restaurant, I am presented with its white walls, oil paintings and timber floorboards which is cool and welcoming after the long drive. The white theme continues in the tables, wooden chairs and restrooms. The menu is mainly modern Australian cuisine. The waiter is friendly and articulate with very good knowledge of the cuisine listed in the menu. As the restaurant was crowded it took a while before the dishes were served. I enjoyed my meal which was delicious, not overwhelming with just the right taste. By the time we finished our meal and desserts were served, my table and another were the only remaining with customers. The coffee was slow and served only when it had to be reminded. After lunch I head off to the curves of the South Coast str...

Imagine if you were there, sitting by yourself looking out to the vast ocean. What thought goes through your mind? What inspiration will gather in your mind?

Sometimes beautiful photo can be found at places that you least expected it. I was at Hawkesbury River station on the weekend after a long day of hiking through the mountains and waiting for a train. Rather than shooting the usually stuff I decided to be creative. Right in the middle of platform I was standing, there was a drain. I looked down and there was this plant struggling to get out between the metal iron. The image is a good representation in photography on the contrast of the gentle plant against the solid metal.

Beside blessed with wonderful beaches , the state of New South Wales where Sydney is located is easy reach to many national parks. Just 30mins drive from the city will take you to vast national parkland of Kuring-gai Chase National Park . More than seven per cent of New South Wales is under the protection of over 750 national parks and reserves. That’s a huge playground of rainforests, deserts, snowfields, grasslands, eucalypt forests, cultural sites and much more. The photos shown here are taken at West Head with breathtaking view of the popular Palm Beach. Most national parks are well designed with good walking tracks, information signs and other facilities. Bush walking which is one of a popular Australia past-time is a great way to explore many of these national parks and get close to nature. Map : Satellite view of West Head and Palm Beach

Sydney is famous for its harbour and sailing is a popular leisure sport with the accessibility to water throughout the coast of Sydney. Cottage Point is located approximately 35km to the north of Sydney in Kuring-Gai Chase National Park . There is great many places such as this, to get away from the city and enjoy a quiet sunday lunch listening to the calmness of the water.

I took to photography like a duck to water. I never wanted to do anything else. Excitement about the subject is the voltage which pushes me over the mountain of drudgery necessary to produce the final photograph - Berenice Abbott

I never liked photography. Not for the sake of photography. I like the object. I like the photographs when you hold them in your hand - Robert Mapplethorp

As a photographer, sometimes all of a sudden you have this creative feeling and wanted to take some photos. Here I decided to take a walk down Kirribili avenue one late afternoon shooting any objects that seem interesting to me. I was close to the water with the Opera House over the other side of the shore. There was also a park nearby. Kirribili is mostly a residental area with beautiful houses and some apt blocks. It is also where Kirribili House is located, the residence of the Prime Minister.

Another night shot. This photo shows the Esplanade Drive bridge fronting Singapore's iconic art centre The Esplanade which is also nicknamed "The Durian " due to the shape of its building. Durian , is a widely known fruit in Southeast Asia with thorn-covered husk and distinct pungent smell which is revered by some. The backdrop is the CBD area of Suntec City. To the right is the newly completed world's largest ferries wheels called " The Singapore Flyer ".

Hong Kong harbour at night is a kaleidoscope of colours from the many neon lights and billboards on the buildings. They also put on an amazing treat of light shows on the buildings. This photograph is a panorama image that is stitched from two images. When shooting multiple images it is important to maintain the same exposure on every frame using a steady tripod. This is so that they blend smoothly when the images are stitched together.

The iconic landmarks of Sydney are undoubtedly the world famous Opera House and the Sydney Harbour Bridge . These two beautiful landmarks are the most photographed images for me in Sydney. I have spent countless hours photographing them over many trips. Night shots are incredibly demanding to shoot as each frame can take a few minutes to expose. Sometimes one evening may only yield a handful of good shots. Here are some of them.

Formula One's first night race held last weekend in Singapore was a huge success. I saw the live action on TV and I must say the images of the street race with the backdrop of the Singapore skyline and historical buildings are stunning. It's truly like a scene taken from a video racing game. There were 1600 floodlights that lit the 5km street circuit which created an amazing lighted landscape of the downtown city. The race runs over 61 laps and a total distance of 309.087km. Maximum speeds is around 300 kph. McLaren calculate the average speed will be around 175 kph. Who ever imagine driving that speed in the city? More facts here . The inaugural Singapore Grand Prix ended with Fernando Alonso who scored a memorable win for Renault. I managed to find a few spectacular images on the internet and I am sure we will see many more amazing photos in the coming days. More photos here . Photo credit - AP, AFP