Up Close with Nature

I specifically told all the 38 participants in my first Canon Penang Macro Workshop (May 22, 2010): No insects should be harmed in the making of your images. And this is what happened. Okay, where's my super glue? :D A few shots taken by Xavier during the Macro Workshop that day.

"If we and the rest of the backboned animals were to disappear overnight, the rest of the world would get on pretty well. But if they were to disappear, the land's ecosystems would collapse. The soil would lose its fertility. Many of the plants would no longer be pollinated. Lots of animals, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals would have nothing to eat. And our fields and pastures would be

I'll be in Penang for a Macro Workshop on May 22, 2010. Poster prepared by Xavier Chan. See you guys/gals there. Bring your DSLRs, macro lenses, speedlights, flash bracket, dedicated macro flashes and any DIY stuff you have. Come say Hi to me after the talk. I should be able to give you some ideas for further improvement. See you! Hopefully, there'll be more upcoming ones in KL/PJ, Kuantan,

Well, two, actually... The whole trip was really quite impromptu. I had contacted an agent a couple of days ago and they called me the following day to inform me about an upcoming trip. I immediately packed and drove down to Gopeng and spent a night there. It was gloomy as we started trekking up the forest hill. By the time we saw the Rafflesia, it was practically pouring! My lens got foggy and

Yes, I finally found a Lantern Bug/lanternfly! (Laternaria ruhli). Lucky me! It really made the whole Endau Rompin trip more worthwhile than it already was! Part One of my Endau Rompin visit post is here. Edit: i have since found more lovely lantern bugs. Check out my collection here. It was also my very first time sighting and shooting a Lantern Bug/lanternfly so you can imagine how excited I

Endau Rompin National Park (2°26′20″N 103°16′22″E / 2.438915°N 103.272858°E / 2.438915; 103.272858 (Endau Rompin National Park)) is a protected tropical rainforest in Malaysia. It is an area south of the state of Pahang and to the northeast of Johor covering an approximate area of 870 km², effectively making it is the second largest national park in Peninsular Malaysia after Taman Negara,