The Story Behind... Portrait of a Giraffe @500px

Just posted a new photo in my 500px gallery (http://500px.com/photo/73635573/portrait-of-a-giraffe-by-gilles-royer)

Although I wish I had taken this one in Serengiti reserve in South Africa, I must admit this is a photo taken at a zoo - I know a few hard core animal photographers believe taking animal photos in zoo and parks is cheating, but that's only their opinion!

This particular one was taken in Singapore Zoological gardens, which I visited with my wife and daughter during a recent trip. This zoo is fantastic - big, clean (you're in Singapore after all), a train is running all around if you get tired, and they even have a polar bear in there - not bad when outside temperature is 30 degrees+ and humidity probably over 80%

One of the highlights was actually to go and feed the giraffes - you make your way to a raised platform, buy a plate of cut veggies /fruits for 5 Singapore dollars (it's a donation), and wait your turn to get 2 or 3 giraffes popping their head over the platform's balustrade, and display a very curly tongue to grab some pieces of fruit - I'm sure they are well fed at any time, yet this must be a treat for them! 

If you have a chance to get there, this is a highly recommended family activity - plus the photographer in you will be spoilt!

Thanks for your visit and ongoing support

A Visit to Phillip Island - Part 1

Last week, I took the family away to Phillip Island, for a nice break. 

Phillip Island is located in Victoria, Australia, to the East of the Port Phillip Bay, as per the map below:


The island is famous for at least 2 main things:

• The moto GP that happens every year in February, that sees hoards of motorbikes fans invade the island for the week, to listen to the beautiful sound of fast bikes going around the circuit at the south of the island
• The penguin parade, that sees hoards of tourists come in buses to sit in the cold, waiting for the night to come, to then see little penguins come out of the water in hundreds, walk across the beach, and get into their burrows for the night

Sounds a bit sarcastic?! Well, I guess I'm not a big fan of either. However, Phillip Island has lots more to offer. 

I went there soon after I arrived in Australia (and yes, I went to the Penguin Parade!) for a day trip, but hadn't been there for years. Then, a few weeks ago, whilst my parents are visiting, we decided to go somewhere we hadn't been before, yet close to Melbourne. When you leave there, the obvious choice is to go somewhere along the Great Ocean Road (which is fantastic), but we had been there, so we opted for a visit to the Island.

I must admit I was really surprised, in a nice way. It's a great place to go to, especially for families (I have a 2 1/2 year old daughter) as well as photographers (I try to be one in my spare time). There are many little cafes and restaurants, nice walks, and the views are truly amazing, especially when you get a nice weather.

I am not going to do the job of the Information Centre and list all the things to do, but here are some of the highlights:

1. The Phillip Island Wildlife Park (http://www.piwildlifepark.com.au) 

This is quite a small park, set up in the middle of the island, not far from Cowes (the 'capital' of the island). 

The nice thing about this one is that you buy a little bag of seeds with your ticket, and you then walk around the park, with no clear mandated path, and can feed the animals. Here are a few shots of the ones you'll see:

Kangaroo eating seeds in my wife's hand - (c) Gilles Royer 2014

Kangaroo - Mother with a little joey in the pouch - (c) Gilles Royer 2014

Emu posing for a portrait session - (c) Gilles Royer 2014

Blue-winged Kookaburra looking serious - (c) Gilles Royer 2014

Tasmanian Devil - Better to leave him alone.... - (c) Gilles Royer 2014

Portrait of a Koala - (c) Gilles Royer 2014

Goose - (c) Gilles Royer 2014

Portrait of a Cassowary - (c) Gilles Royer 2014

And many more animals to be seen, with lots of kookaburras, parakeets, eagles, wombats, etc.

In summary, a nice way to spend a few hours of fun, whilst having plenty of opportunities to take nice shots of animals, and get close to them

To be continued....