Category: Photography

Eaten By Crocodiles

She was referring to the giant alphabets ravaged by the flood waters. Watching the fast flowing and swollen Pahang River is both hypnotic and scary.

Among the small crowd of silent onlookers was a local fisherman standing on my other side. He explained that the overflowing of the river was the main cause of flooding at the riverine town. It didn’t rain that much, he noted.

The mighty Pahang River is the longest river in Peninsular Malaysia and Termeloh is a stopover town for the tidal rush from the mountains during the monsoon of the North-East.

Beginning as the Tembeling River at the Titiwangsa Mountains near the National Park, it merges with the Jelai River in its journey to the South China Sea.

Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 1600, f4, 1/250 sec.

#floods #banjir #landscape #nature #river #temerloh #pahang #malaysia #sonyalpha #a7r #zeiss

IOI City Mall, Putrajaya – Part 11

I clicked before the camera obtained proper focus.

Photography Tip: Many cameras have a fail safe mechanism to prevent shutter click before AF is locked. You may need to go into options > settings to bypass the release setting or switch to manual focus.

Panasonic Lumix GM-1, ISO 200, f5.6, 1/125 sec.

#ioicitymall #mall #shop #lights #focus #photographytip

Disappointment

After wading through flood waters, a little girl found her favourite convenience store at a petrol station closed.

The water has receded and you can see the mud stains on the wall indicating it was twice her height.

According to her mother, their kampung house nearby was flooded to the roof and everything was destroyed.

The intermittent sunshine laid bare the surreal aftermath of the less-publicised but equally destructive floods in Termeloh and other Central Pahang towns.

More pics to follow.

Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 400, f4, 1/1000 sec.

#documentaryphotography #floods #banjir #aftermath #landscape #temerloh #pahang #malaysia #sonyalpha #a7r

A Eulogy

It used to be a empty space or open air car park rented out for promotional activities during the F1 season. A distracting white tent would rise from the spot.

I was worried when I saw some construction taking place. After all, the strategic traffic light junction was the last unfettered view of KL’s most iconic landmark. A multi storey car park rose from the spot. It was short-lived as a guard told me recently that the covered car park was going to be demolished to make way for an MRT station. It is now closed.

The rooftop on the fifth floor was perfect as one can get a nice panoramic view of the skyline that included the KL Tower. Only problem with an isolated place in Malaysia was that it attracted many horny couples who came to park and make out in cars. That made the guards nervous and they would close off the floor to subjugate any acts of immorality.

Photographers can still get up by walking the staircase. I went on a lonely, rainy evening by intent. Reflective wet floors were perfect. It was lonely, unnerving and was easy to forget how a silent drizzle can become heavy. Me and camera were soon totally drenched.

On fireworks nights such as NVE or Merdeka, one can almost not find a spot to park the tripod. Every inch on the edge, on every floor, was taken up by one of thousands of photography enthusiasts congregating there. It was madness as it was an ideal location as it was elevated, there was shelter should it rain and the car can be safely parked nearby.

This picture serves an ode to a valued and unheralded vantage point. The venue faced another Malaysian problem while it lasted. Many photographers were selfish, protective or secretive and they hid the location from others.

Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 100, f5.6, 2 sec.

‪#skyline #‎landscape #cityscape #nightscape #skycrapers #klcc #petronastwintowers #kualalumpur #landmark ‪#rain #‎sonyalpha‬ ‪#‎a7r‬ #zeiss‬ #tbt

Pretty Picture With An Ugly Backstory

If you park in the mall basement, you are forced to return to the car park by walking through the very long vehicle tunnels after midnight. All human exits and access were closed due to the enormous crowd and security concerns. Not a pleasant walk when you have to lug your heavy tripod and camera gear. Pity those with young kids or elderly parents.

The standalone multi-storey car park behind was ideal but it is now closed and to be demolished. Park your car outside on the roads and it can get ticketed or towed away. Going back home and negotiating the crazy gridlock is another nightmarish story.

To secure a good camera spot and to avoid traffic congestion, one may need to go as early as 9pm. Many eager beaver photographers ended up pointing their cameras at the wrong direction through wrong prediction or guesstimate. Talk about over planning and early set up. There was always a last minute scramble to re-frame or even to change to a wider lens. The fireworks will usually shoot higher than the towers. Use a wide zoom for flexibility,

A close proximity spot presents another problem. Hot debris and burning ash remnants from the sky will rain on your head and equipment. Wear a hat, don safety goggles and cap your lens in between.

There was another struggle or scramble. Getting the exposure correct in the first minute or two after first ignition. The surroundings will be obscured by a pall of lingering or trapped smoke; destroying your pics.

The results may be pretty but the backstory is ugly.

Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 100, f10, 1.3 sec.

#newyearseve #newyear #nye #fireworks #countdown #bungaapi #petronastwintowers #malaysia #sonyalpha #a7r #zeiss #tbt