Category: Photography

The Reunion Dinner

Its cultural significance is similar to the Thanksgiving dinner of the West. The modern families are separated by obligations of career and marriage. Hence the yearly rush back to hometowns to reunite for the dinner. In China, the exodus can result in traffic jams hundreds of miles long and at one time, it lasted for weeks.

Nu Sentral put up an interesting mock up of the traditional reunion dinner table setting when I visited. The dishes were sampuru or Japanese fake or plastic display food. Reunion feast usually includes sumptuous dishes like prawns and steamed chicken meant for the prayer altar, fish and tinned abalone, mushrooms stir fried with mixed vegetables. Missing here is the customary soup. There are no hard and fast rules and the dishes cooked or served can vary according to household and family custom.

The reunion dinner custom serves more than eating. Daughter-in-laws face pressure when they are required to demonstrate their cooking skills. The sitting down is a time to catch up on news of siblings and relatives. It is also a time when younger members are interrogated on marriage and expectancy of babies for newly married couples, Thus, it is an event not always look forward to by all.

Panasonic Lumix GM-1, ISO 1000, f4, 1/60 sec.

#reuniondinner #sample #sampuru #cny #asian #custom #food #culture #dinner #table #chinesecustom #nusentral

A Crossover Food

I think it is rather uncouth to be spitting out prawn tails, prawn legs and shells. Plus I hate getting my hands oily as I need to handle camera equipment and the phone. That could be just me.

I ordered a nasi paprik daging that came with plain white rice (RM 6). It was spelled correctly as pad prik (ผัดพริก) on the menu. In Thai, it means stir fried with chillis. The beef is sauteed with chillis. Chinese long beans, onions and carrots are stir fried until crispy. Quite delicious as the gravy goes with the rice. It was a little too spicy for me, though. Supposedly a dish of Thai origin, it is now available at many Malay restaurants. Call it crossover food.

This post and pic is available as a bigger pic at www.tvsmith.my

Panasonic Lumix GM-1, ISO 1250, f4, 1/320 sec.

#nasipaprik #padprik #thaifood #thai #localfood #spicy #malayfood #rice #m43 #kualaselangor #foodphotography

How to Watermark Your Pic At A Soggy Paddy Field

I used the paid version of “Add Watermark” by AndroidVila on Android. There is a free version too. IOS has a similar app. On myiPad, I use Scribeit (also a paid app).

Whichever app you choose, always make sure it can store or remember a frequently used text. This is important and time saving out on the field and when you have to work under the glaring sun. Also important to have freestyle one finger positioning by dragging.

Also you may like to have the apps insert a graphic or logo when necessary. Both the apps I mentioned can do that but I rarely use the feature.

Remember to keep your watermark minimal, the fonts not too fancy or big and not let it conceal and ruin the aesthetics of your pic. There are transparency and size settings to reduce distraction. It is more about signing your work like an artist or painter. Remember: No amount of watermarking can deter a determined thief.

On the desktop, I use Photoshop CC and Irfanview (free). Though I must say the mobile apps are simpler, quicker and friendlier. Hope you found this useful. Please feel free to to contact me should you have technical questions.

Attached screenshot of Add Watermark.

#android #watermark #copyright #app #mobile

Park And Pump

Here, a farmer was seen pumping water from his vegetable plot (on right) and discharging the unwelcome flood water into an irrigation canal on left.

I was fascinated by the use of the PTO (power take off) transmission from the drive train of the tractor to power the water suction pump. The multi-tasking and multi use tractor is such a flexible tool for the farmer. Park and pump where it was needed.

Panasonic Lumix GM-1, ISO 200, f10, 1/320 sec.

#documentaryphotography #sekinchan #floods #sunshine #paddy #fields #weather #rice #farmers #tractor

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