Those Halcyon Days

There were (only) Geocities, Blogger and bare knuckle hand coding of html during that era.

Soon content management systems (CMS) entered the market. It required not only frequent and tiresome software updates of the core system but also updates of plug ins.
One of my WordPress blogs had issues that made it inaccessible for a long while. It was resolved only recently. Before that, I already moved to Drupal, another CMS, with its own host of issues.
I will write about how I resolved the WP problem another time.

Anyway, from the revived blog, I found a treasure trove of images. One of them, is this shot of candles and blue sky captured in a Chinatown temple on the first day of Chinese New Year 2014.
This was posted at http://tvsmith.net.my/blog/blue-skies-and-candlelight/

Olympus OM-D, ISO 200, f11, 1/800 sec.

#cny #temple #flame #fire #candle #sky #tbt #blog

Memories Of Sweet Sekinchan

On the top of the montage is a picture I think I took in the summer of 2012. Green green grass, sunshine, blue sky and fluffy clouds. On the bottom is the shocking view from yesterday after monsoonal rain. The beleaguered tree has what looked like pomelo fruits growing out of it.

Olympus OMD for Green Green Grass Of Home
Asus ZenFone 3 for Flooded Rice Fields

#documentaryphotography #sekinchan #floods #sunshine #paddy #fields #omd #asus #weather #rice #asus #landscape #nature

Seeing Stars During Nightfall At Santa Factory

At the tail end of the evening, one can see the sky getting darker. For better contrasting colours, start capturing earlier. See previous pics for comparison. The advantage of a darker sky is the possibility of seeing stars. As with any small sensor camera, don’t let the ISO ride too high or noise will start to creep in.

Asus Zenfone 3, ISO 1109, f 2.0, 1/30 sec.

Sun, Moon And A Star

Selamat Hari Raya.

Warmest wishes to Muslim friends and followers in Malaysia and from around the world celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr.

Sunset photographed at a mosque in Gombak yesterday.

Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 50, f22, 1/8000 sec.

Buka Puasa At KLCC Park

Since I was at the Petronas Twin Towers, I went for a walk at KLCC Park after I finished my business. Wonderful to be able to enjoy the sunset and changing hues of the sky.

On the way back, I stumbled upon a Malay family breaking fast at one corner of the park.

Naturally, I asked permission to photograph them. I explained that it is a rare and blessed moment to have culture, architecture and a dusk sky so beautifully juxtaposed. The Azri Family graciously agreed.

Not only that, they kept insisting I join them by offering me whatever food they brought along. I am truly touched by their generosity, hospitality and friendship towards a stranger (and fellow Malaysian).

Am also glad I was successful in capturing them as they really were: humble, jovial and very warm people.

We chatted and Mrs Azri said they are looking forward to go back to their kampung in Rembau for the holiday. There’ll be prayers in the morning followed by a big feast on the first day of Raya.

Here’s wishing the Azri family and everyone a safe drive home and Selamat Hari Raya.

Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 1600, f5.6, 1/60 sec with Sony HVL-F60M fill flash.