At the Slim River market, Sabri the grocery shop owner, is doing his accounts. His daughter Mina, 5, is doing her kindergarten homework alongside him.
I wanted to capture a candid of both concentrating on their respective work but the kid does what she does best upon seeing a camera. Automatically pose without prompt. What a sweet smile.
Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 100, f8, 1/100 sec.
If you were looking out for the conjunction tonight, you may have thought the two planets moved so close together that they merged into a single object. It didn’t happen here, as viewed from very near the equator. Maybe higher in the northern hemisphere or elsewhere they appeared closer.
Due to the haze in the Klang Valley today, it was hard to see both as clearly as last night. I can still see Venus shining bright though. Jupiter is the higher of the two and more faint. The separation is distinct and both were visible for a brief period.
Panasonic Lumix GM-1, ISO 3200, f3.5, 1/40 sec.
The weather forecast for Kuala Lumpur tomorrow night, when the planets are supposed to be closest, don’t look too good. Plus, I wanted a picture when the planets are not merging or merged into a single blob as some predicted, so I shot some tonight just in case.
This is my first time looking and photographing a conjunction of planets, so I really don’t know. Tomorrow could be even better, weather permitting.
There is no need to try to get very close with a very long lens. Although bright, the planets are still small and far, even when using long tele lenses. You will need a telescope with tracking mount to get really close.
You don’t want a a picture of the pair by themselves, anyway. Find a local landmark to juxtapose, if you can. This gives the picture a geographical perspective or identity.
City skyscrapers are good but tricky as the surrounding roads are usually polluted with light from street lights. This can cause flaring and other unwanted effects.
To expose correctly for lighted buildings, you may end up underexposing the relatively less bright planetary bodies.
Finally, you don’t have to photograph the celestial event at all. Watch it live with your naked eyes, take in its beauty and store it to to your memory.
This was photographed with the Sony FE 70-200mm G OSS Lens in 2X CIZ mode.
Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 100, f14, 4 sec.
The calming sight and soothing sounds of the river belie the ferocious battles that was fought beside it during the Second World War. The road outside was littered with casualties from the British Indian Army attempting to thwart the invasion.
It was on this road that invading Japanese tanks rumbled through in its drive to capture Singapore in the south. This was the old road going north or south until the tolled-Slim River highway was constructed in the 1960s.
74 years later, the actions of the brave men are mostly forgotten or ignored. The river that bore witness remains as stoic as the giant, mossy boulders.
The stoical stance lessens the pain of indignation, I guess. Its banks are now littered with styrofoam boxes from disregardful picnickers.
Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 50, f22, 1/2 sec.
Just when I arrived at this secluded hot springs, a damn tour group came charging in. These package or group tours are getting out of control.
The tourists are herded everywhere. Before they can enjoy the steam, the tour bus driver was already sounding the horn. What’s the hurry? Next stop; Moo Cow Frozen Yogurt or what?
I wanted to take a dip but that tour leader or tour guide in the middle wasn’t too friendly. What’s with staring in this area, anyway?
The hot springs at Ulu Slim is nice in that it wasn’t turned into an ugly cemented pond or worst, proclaimed as a spa, as with many other exploitable hot springs in the country. I like that it remains a (free) natural pond within an idyllic country setting.
Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 100, f6.3, 1/250 sec.
