Frustrations from waiting can get people to come together and to interact. Sometimes.
Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 100, f11, 1/160 sec.
Tag: perak
Like A Boss
Went inside a grocery store in the suburbs of Slim River to get some info and a drink. There I met Nurul Izza behind the cashier counter. Her stern-looking mother was keeping a watchful eye from the back of the shop. Heh.
When another customer came in, I went to chat with the mother. Sounding a bit perplexed, she said her daughter is a university graduate but chose to run a provision shop instead.
I told her is nice to see a young woman succeeding in a trade mostly dominated by men. Nurul can drag a cooking gas cylinder, talk terms with gruffly suppliers and discuss local history with me, all at the same time.
She’s not just like a boss, she is the boss.
Yet she blushed and giggled when I invited her outside the shop to photograph her. She said she’s shy. The interior of the shop is really too dark to do justice to her sweet smile, I explained.
I even asked the mother’s permission and aunty approved with a smile. After more coaxing, the daughter finally relented. So here’s a portrait of a local entrepreneur.
Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 320, f4, 1/320 sec.
Laundry Day In Slim River
When I saw this house from across the road, I knew the dark planks will play tricks on the camera’s exposure reading. It will overexpose the picture if there is no manual intervention.
Photography Tip: Make your brain an important part of the exposure metering process with street photography. I anticipated a -1 EV compensation. I was already rolling the EV compensation dial before bringing the camera to eye level.
This is where the high-resolution WYSIWYG electronic viewfinder of the Sony A7R (or any good mirrorless camera) is superior to an optical viewfinder.
You can fine tune the exposure (and white balance) precisely without bracketing, firing several shots or chimping by the roadside.
Judging via the viewfinder alone, I dialed it further down to -1.7 EV. The pre-estimation saved time as the road where I walked was narrow, the traffic busy and therefore dangerous. I must get it right with one take and as quickly as possible.
On the road and without a calibrated monitor, I don’t like to mess around with RAW. As such, it is important the JPEG is spot on and ready for upload from location, without further adjustments.
Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 100, f9, 1/250 sec.
Malaysiana: The Petai Seller
Roadside stall in Slim River town selling strings of petai or stink beans (Parkia speciosa). From here to Bidor, Tapah and the road to Cameron Highlands, we will see many such stalls. Orang Asli people harvest the crop, sell it themselves or through local traders.
Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 100, f11, 1/200 sec.
Guardian Of The Cemetery
A Hindu shrine guarding a Chinese cemetery in the outskirts of Slim River. What was even more interesting was that the burial grounds had both Taoist and Christian tombstones mixed together. Quite unusual.
I suspect there is also a Hindu or Indian burial ground nearby. I can see what looks like a funeral pyre.
Waited for a lighting strike but it didn’t happen at where I pointed the camera. I was the only living soul around and the atmosphere was getting a little creepy. Could hear howling dogs but I can’t see where they are.
Sony Alpha a7R, ISO 100, f13, 1/320 sec.