Category: Photography

Inside Hitz Cafe

On one wall, there is a big mural of old Tanjung Malim town painted by a young local artist. I was also fascinated by this corner where nature created art too.

From a photography perspective, natural light from the sun can enhance the atmosphere or ambience (spell or say ‘ambiance’ if you want to sound uppity when you are not). Sunlight is a factor beyond the control of anyone on a casual visit though.

On a paid gig with the right budget, I can easily re-create the same by bringing a truckload of lighting equipment and a big electric generator. On a personal outing, I am happy to use the sun when the timing is right.

Late afternoon sunlight was seeping through the glass facade and casting nice shadows on the vintage marble-top kopitiam (Chinese coffee shop) table and chairs.

Saw this by chance while walking back from the washroom at the rear of the restaurant. Yeah. Moral of the story: Bring along your camera bag when you go wash your hands.

Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 100, f4.5, 1/250 sec.

Hitz Cafe

With a silky curtain acting as sunshade and intentionally mismatched kopitiam chairs, Jolene’s Hitz Cafe has all the cues of a hipster cafe. But since there are no hipsters in Tanjung Malim, how do they survive?

With good food, patronised by staff from nearby banks, UPSI lecturers, Proton City execs and other local folks.

Uniquely, there’s a Malay, a Chinese and a Orang Asli cook in the kitchen. According to owner Jolene Bateman, the menu was customised by her brothers (and partners) who used to work with hotels in England.

The grilled chicken I had was juicy inside and crispy on the outside. Like any respectable hipster outlet, there are sprinkles of finely chopped parsley on the food and a slice of lemon in the glass of water served.

There is even a special selfie corner with an old bicycle inside. Isn’t it nice to pay humble Tanjung Malim prices for a Bangsaresque dining experience?

Hitz Cafe is halal certified and is at 10 Jalan Chong Ah Peng, Tanjung Malim old town.

Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 500, f8, 1/60 sec.

The Red Hydrant

Fire hydrants are usually colour-coded so firefighters can tell at a glance the water capacity and pressure available.

Intended as a critical time-saving indicator during a fire, the meaning of the colour codes are not universally standardised though.

The pillar hydrants I see here in Tanjung Malim are mostly red, with a few in yellow.

Behind the hydrant is the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer in Rest House Road. The Catholic church started as a small chapel in 1960 and was rebuilt in 2007.

Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 100, f4, 1/640 sec.

Into The Crowd

Saturdays are ‘pasar malam’ (night market) nights in Tanjung Malim town. The town is usually quite quiet after 5pm and thus was interesting to see a crowd for a change.

Made my way to the front of a crowd gathered around a stall. Was wondering out loud what strange satay this man was selling when this young lady turned around. I thought she whispered “Fish”.

Confirmed moments later with her family members that it was fish indeed. Nice to see a Malay (or maybe Indonesian) hawker attracting so many Chinese customers. All waited patiently as he grilled what looked like mini fishball satay sticks.

Photography Notes: For street photography, the ‘half-press’ AF focus lock is superior to any other focus methods including DMF and MF. Your mileage may vary, though.

When the girl turned around unexpectedly, I pan left to lock focus on her left eye and quickly re-compose to keep the satay man back in frame. All took place within 3 seconds or so.

Without fiddling with manual focus, I was able to catch the spontaneity of her reaction and the semi-candid moment. The result; an unconventional and more interesting capture.

Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 200, f4, 1/320 sec.

What The Fog

It is no different from any in the big cities. Disarray of satellite dishes, messy utility cables and a few garishly-renovated houses sticking out like sore thumbs.

Except for one thing. In the city, one would automatically assume a neighbour is down with dreaded dengue fever when one sees a big cloud of white fog. Are the authorities doing symbolic fogging again after the mosquitoes have bolted?

Not here, thankfully. The fogging at their doorsteps are low-lying clouds and fresh mountain mist. Now that’s living.

Olympus OM-D, ISO 200, f9, 1/640 sec.