I went out this morning for some photography at the Botanical Gardens with my father. Part of the trip was about testing out my new 24-105mm lens. Ironically, my most favourite shot of the day came instead from my trusty 70-200mm. I like the colours, the backlighting as well as the framing of the shot. The foraging ant brought some action and life into the picture.
I finally gave in to the lures of B&H and bought a Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L lens from them 🙂 This is the first time I did an overseas lens purchase from the Internet, and am I impressed by their service!
The package arrived by UPS shipment tonight and eager me tested the lens immediately with some long exposure shots on the traffic intersection opposite my apartment. I will be testing the lens more thoroughly this weekend (*pray for good weather*) 🙂
Happy New Year to everyone! I didn’t have anytime to take pictures of any New Year Countdown this year as I was busy at work on New Year’s Eve. Continuing with my recent series on Italy and Switzerland instead…
The statue of Hercules and Cacus overlooks the Piazza della Signoria in Florence, Italy. From the Wikipedia:
The white marble statue Hercules and Cacus is one of the statues lined up on the Piazza della Signoria in front of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, Italy. This work by the Florentine artist Baccio Bandinelli (1525-1534) was commissioned as a counterpart for the other statues David, Fountain of Neptune and Judith and Holofernes. These (original statues) had been commissioned by the republican counsel of Florence to commemorate the victory over the Medici.
The mythologican Hercules had killed the fire-breathing monster Cacus during his tenth labor. Hercules had become the symbol of strength and integrity, a symbol used by the Medici. This marble group shows the basic theme of the victor (the Medici) and the vanquished (the republicans).
I caught this view of Hercules and Cacus at dusk during our honeymoon trip to Italy. By the time the shot was taken, the skies were almost pitch-black. The blue skies you see here were added on from another shot that I took earlier at the same place.