Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Pictures of the pitchers


Some random fun facts before I start the post.

Yesterday afternoon, I met up with 3 photographers in Sibu to head out to a jungle, some 25 km away from Sibu town at Rantau Panjang to hunt for some pitcher plants. This is not the first time the three photographers went to the place and you can read this at, *click*. Thanks to Philips planning and Bowison Hii ("Bowison Hii is a Fellow with the Royal Photographic Society of London (FRPS) and his prestigious fellowhip was obtained 7 years ago with an outstanding series of 15 pictures of different species of the pitcher plant taken throughout Borneo.") for guiding us to the spot with all this pitcher plants, I got some amazing shots of the jungle life.

How many of you know that Pitcher plants are endangered? How many of you know that Sarawak houses one of the most species of Pitcher plants in the world? When I got there, I was not intrigued only by the numbers of the plants but also, the size....




There were so many types of Pitcher plants everywhere we stepped. So many that we had to watch our steps. Didn't want to step on any of the plants. It was so amazing to see so many in just one spot.

The biggest surprise was this...

The biggest Pitcher plant we found was almost the size of my head.


Adrian (my cousin) also joined us.


Joining photographers like Philip, Steve and Bowison gave me the insight on lighting and ways to "cheat" during photography like bringing a mirror and use it to reflect light to the object you want to take a picture of due to lack of light. It works much better than the flash.











All of the Pitcher plants were unique in its own way. By its shape and size and length.
And sometimes, how they grew is clusters...



We had to be very careful where we stepped because it was everywhere. And I had to keep reminding myself that these plants are endangered. So had to pay attention where I walked and also be alert to spot the interesting ones.


We also had to pay attention to the ones which hung from the trees. Not many, but still when you find some,


It is so worth it. This shot was taught by Bowison. As soon as the sun shined on it, he called out to us to quickly take a shot of this Pitcher Plant. It was moments after we took it, the sun beam shining on these two slowly moved away. Timing is crucial. One moment you got a shot, the next moment, it is lost. So one lesson learned; act fast, snap fast.




After an hour or so in the jungle, we got out to a path and entered another zone to look for wild orchids.

Philip (left) and Steve (right), searching for orchids.



We didn't find many flowering wild orchids but we found some wild berries growing from the trees. It was so dark there that I had no choice but to use my flash.


The only orchid that I found was this one. Which grew on rocky lands. how beautifully it bloomed under the radiant sun.

We left around 430 p.m. with a beautiful sky ahead of us.

The rays were shining through the clouds. Just amazing and beautiful.


These are not photoshop-ped. The rays are real.

The day ended with me having around 300 pictures, dirty shoes and tired feet. But I am really glad to be able too.
If you are interested, please come and visit Sarawak!

Next aim.... Hornbill hunting (photography hunting la), another endangered species. Next holiday perhaps. Anyone have any idea where I can find some? HAHA....

16 comments:

Little Ms Midnight said...

It's huge!!! I have never known pitchers can grow up to such mega size.

Aaron C. said...

hi. Thanks for visiting. Well, it can grow bigger i think. But we didnt manage to find it.

Blu3_Darren said...

Eh boy

One question

Did e ever have the thought of taking pictures of hot chicks?

Just hot chicks.

I want to see.

XD

Viya said...

Good lord! You managed to snap so many photos for the pitchers. :)

Aaron C. said...

Darren: You want to see hot chicks? I go take picture of a roast chicken for you then. HAHA..

Viya: Hi, thanks for visiting and yes, there were lots of it. HAHA

Peter Lee said...

Rantau Panjang, nice place for fishing except for ship yard

Bengbeng said...

Beautiful. Great photography.

Aaron C. said...

Peter: U been there b4? I didnt really see the ship yard. Maybe one day when u back in Sibu, go find some photography destinations in Sibu.

Beng beng: Thanks

Bentuckee said...

hey aaron. Thanks for inviting me. I can't make it this time but i hope to be there if u have a next trip. haha..

awesome shots.

Aaron C. said...

Benny: its ok. Next time then

Peter Lee said...

Aaron: Sibu? Ideal place for Food Photography. Yup, will explore more places once I'm back.

Aaron C. said...

Peter: Hopefully i will be back then too

phebe said...

they are so pretty...

Aaron C. said...

Thanks Phebe

ZQ Travels said...

The pitchers are very big!! ever seen one in action? i.e. catching a fly?

ZQ
PassportChop.com

Aaron C. said...

HAHA... Nope... But i guess there are some bugs being digested inside the pitcher plant.