Free and Easy Photowalk

On a normal Saturday, outing for photo shooting with some photography buddies near Jalan Bukit Bintang area.

Looking at the World through a square window in a camera will give you a different prospective on how you look at life. It is a self challenge for myself to compose a photo in a right composition with a meaning inside. It is not just your camera setting like shutter speed, aperture setting ....  It is just how you capture the moment.... someone said is a decisive moment.

I definite will feel happier when capture a nice photo. 

Like the photo below, I felt happy when this two men sharing his moment of happiness to me when I took their photo ... life is beautiful because of beautiful people :)

Simple, isn't it?

This i called Syok sendiri lah...

I am out again ... Memories of Klang

YES!! I AM OUT FINALLY!!

After staying home for almost a week, I found I am rusty inside. No working and no outing, merely sleep and eat and shit ....

Well, this is a no choice situation. I have a period of M.C for 10 days after I decided to remove one important organ in my body .... What !!?

WHAT!! REMOVAL OF BODY'S ORGAN !! 

YEAP!! I just gone through an operation to remove my body's organ. I keep it as secret first until I am prepare to blog about it .... hehehehehe ... thank for your concern, I am fine now and after 10 days of resting and "rusty" at home. I am planing to go out for some shootings .... 

It is fun to have street shooting and my photography buddies have been going out almost every week, I am so envious ...

Today, they're going for street shooting at Klang, I guess it is a fun trip and for sure, they will enjoy some famous Bak Ku Teh in Klang. However, after my operation, I couldn't walk too much so I didn't join them. I will join them for lunch only. At least to de-stress a bit after long stay at home.

Hai!! Since I couldn't make it, so I refresh my memories about this place by checking some old photos taken during my last trip to Klang ...

A boy that I meet in Klang, I was using my EPL2 with Pentax CCTV lens to capture him. I specially like this one because of the bokeh and the 3D feel.

As for the rest of the photo, I can't remember what lens that I use during that time. 

I remember the shooting ground was near to the KTM Keretapi Train Station ... this shot was taken on the rail

It was a wet morning due to the heavy rain last night. I have the opportunity to shoot some refection photo and I like this .. I like this as it turned my friend upside down. Hahaha

In Klang, the obvious landmark that most people will shoot is the Klang's famous Mosque with the "Golden Big Onion" roof ... 

In Klang, you can find many bridges but this bridge (don't know the name) is one of the popular one as it can overseeing the famous mosque. At the under-layer of the bridge were used by motorbikes and bicycles. 

Haha!! Let check out the funny fellow showing off his popular famous split legs ballerina act. Brovo, Yeow. 

Hahahaha.

I think the above photo is too small, so I crop to make it bigger ... LOL

 ke! ke! ke! ke!

Wow .. I believe my photo buddies are in Klang now shooting ... this photo remind me of their fun side.

On top of the bridge .. you can find nice landscaping for people to relax and hang around.

Not far from the bridge, if you travel further, you will end up at the Little India of Klang.

How can I missed out shooting people at the street?... taken photo of people is a must in street shooting ... don't worry, people at the Little India are Super Friendly.

People there are friendly and easy interacting with them. Look at this Indian brother ... he can't resist and wanted to take photo with our cameras ... hahahaha

Look at KY... Don't know what made him so happy ....

Not far from the Little India, you can find Mosques, Chinese and Indian Temple and Church.

 

the Chinese temple .....

and also an India Temple ...

Ops ... forgot to take the photo lah .... 

hehehehe

After a hard day of shooting .... I have to end the trip earlier as I have another appointment (Actually Visa is expiring), I leave my friends behind and they continue their photowalk. Hahahaha!!

Before I leave, we sit down in a nearby store to have some drinks.

Wow, how wonder of memory!! ... photography is the best way of bringing back old memories ... it reminds us the fun time we had for a long-long time. 

That one Chinese Proverb saying....

"Looking at the Plum to stop the Thirst" 

Hahaha ... Although today I couldn't join them for the photowalk at Klang, but by writing this blog, it was like time traveling and bringing me back the old memories of my photowalk in Klang. 

Hahaha... 

Ops .... it is getting late, I will meet them for lunch later... better leave now, otherwise, I will be late ....

bye and see you next round.

THE END.

Shutter therapy at Scott Kelby International Photowalk

Have you heard about Scott Kelby Worldwide Photowalk? Recently, a friend sent me a FB event invitation to join a photowalk activity at central Kuala Lumpur. After going through their website link, I realized the photowalk is famous not only locally but internationally too. The Scott Kelby Worldwide Photowalk is well known. It attracted many photo enthusiasts from all over the world to join their website. It encourages member to be leader leading photowalk group. The event will then be published online. Team members are welcome to participate photowalk nearby their cities.

Thank to Raja Indra Putra who had started a Photowalk activity in Kuala Lumpur on October 2, 2011. Out of curiousness and also "some push" from my "K-poh" Pen Lovers buddies, I decided to join them.

It was a perfect sunny Sunday morning. Approximately 50 participants gathered at Central Market. It was a big group, majority were using Big Big DSLR especially the N and the C .... but as a Pen User, our camera size are much tiny ... Luckily, we knew the true power of what our PEN Camera can do, at least non of us are having inferiority complex while standing side by side with those "giant camera" man. Hahahaha ..... (Honestly, I sympathized them for carrying such a heavy camera gears walking around Kuala Lumpur).

Look at all these people, they are so eager to rush for Shooooooooooting.... Wakakaka! By the way, few of my Pen Buddies were standing at the right hand side, some with the V peace sign, they are the PEN BUDDIES that in love in Olympus Pen cameras, we called ourselves as PEN LOVERS. 

Raja Indra Putra was given a briefing before we start. He is dedicated and responsible person. He photostated many road maps. I think he worry us will get lost in the concrete jungle  ... hahahaha ... Nevertheless, this is not an easy job for him especially we are so mischief . We appreciate his efforts ... to stand our "monkey business". LOL!

The best time for street shooting is at the morning, you are not only getting some warmed sunlight and lesser people on the street but you can also captured many hardworking people busy setting up their store ... You will feel the heart beat of a city life ..... It's wonderful feeling.

A friend told me that he doesn't feel comfortable shooting people at the street. He worries people would be ticked off with his action and scolded him. So far, my experience told me this type of incident is very rare especially when you take photo in Kuala Lumpur. People at the street are generally polite and friendly. They are used to tourists taking photo in the city. As long as you are carry with smiling face while you're shooting, they would response positively. Just be polite to them, when they notice you, give them a generous smile. Sometime, if you want to capture their responds, you can ask permission first or do some small talk with them. Let enjoy each other company ..... it is one of the fun thing we do while we are in street photography.

The Scott Kelby International Photowalk has a photo competition after the event, participants are encourage to submit their best photo for selection. Well, I have submitted the above photo  .... this is actually a signboard on a Bus and it happen that my friend was walking by ... I took the opportunity to snap the photo ... just a split second ... luckily I was fast enough to capture this moment. I kind of like this one. Unfortunately, not being selected ...... Wahahahaha ..... cry !!!~ 

If you wish to view what photo has been submistted ... you may check out this link. 

The whole journey took approximately 3 hours .. It covers Petaling Street, nearby, there is a Indian and Chinese Temple .... We also walk to the St John Institution, one of the oldest school in Kuala Lumpur which established since 1904. 

Well, before we end our session, all our Pen Buddies decided to do our "Signature" Jump Shot to signify the End of our PHOTOWALK SESSION.

The Jump Shot is so funny ... and all of them are DAMN CUTE LAH ~!

Wakakakakaka .. hahaha ..... non-stop :)

(That's why I said it is a De-Stress Shutter Therapy) 

If you want to view more photo, please visit my flickr side .... click here

The End.

Photowalk at Kampung Baru Kuala Lumpur

In my last blog post, I mentioned about the Photowalk at Kuala Lumpur with a few of my photo enthusiast buddies, it was truly an enjoyable trip. We meet as early as 7.30am in Sentral KL and started the journey to Dang Wangi Station by MRT and having breakfast at the famous coffee shop, Kedai Makanan Yut Kee, Dang Wangi.

I have been hearing so much about this place. You can find many write-ups about this place by many bloggers. The restaurant started since 1928 which is my grandfather time. I think now is running by the 3rd or 4th generations of their family. It is a typical Chinese Hainanese Kopitiam (coffee shop) with wooden chairs and marble tables, you can find some antique decoration around the shop. This place is quite crowded with the locals as it’s located in a strategic location in downtown.

As this is my first time having breakfast there, I ordered the recommended Hainanese Chicken Chop and Roti Babi. As for Roti Babi, if you translate literately, it means Pig Bread …. hahahaha… unfortunately I couldn’t find any pig in the bread except some mince pork, lap chong and vegies … To be more appropriate, it should call pork bread ..

Chicken Chop

Roti Babi

I really enjoy the breakfast, it food is tasty (although I don’t called it the BEST), I like the moist texture of the chicken chop. The only weakness is the portion is small for a big eater like me ….. hahaha…

After breakfast, we walked around the place. I found quite a number of graffiti on some old buildings. Some people may critique this vandalism acts, but I rather amaze with the beauty and artistic drawing on the old building walls. I guess if the authority set aside some locations for them to perform their talents; they can turn Kuala Lumpur into a beautiful ART city …..

We walked toward the direction of Kampung Baru where mainly Malay community staying there. Old Malay architectural buildings or kampong houses can be still found there. Those houses / buildings have historical value and they have witnessed how a small Malay Kampung turned into a Metropolitan City, now the capital city of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur.

The high rise buildings surrounding by the Kampung Baru creates unique modern and traditional contrasts view. I guess you need to walk around to experience this impact.

KLCC - Cityscapte View

Kampung Baru, Kuala Lumpur

People there at Kampung Baru are simply amazing as they are friendly and approachable. Majority don’t mind we take photo of them, we can take the opportunity to make friend with them, and we do some small chatting with the locals to understand their living and cultures. I think photo-walk is not just taking photographs but rather the opportunity to interact with the local people there.

 

We found a number of stray cats and all these meow-meow becoming our photo shooting target. Look how close we are with these meow-meow … hahahaha

Even our PEN LOVERS (FB Group) founder also doing the same ... hahaha

This is my favorite shot of a meow meow …..

I ended my photo-walk earlier because I have other appointment. As for the rest, a few of them continue their journey to explore the Petaling Street ….

It was a fruitful day and I am looking forward for another photowalk in KL again … I am wonder which part of Kuala Lumpur would be good ?

Do you have any suggestion?

----------------------------------------------------------------------

P.S. By the way, we did some planking shot in Daya Bumi .. that would be another story. I hope I have the courage to write and show you some of these crazy planking shots that we did …… hahahaha …

What is planking … click here ….

 

What is two-hour to you ?

What can you do with two hours?

Some would go for an afternoon snap ….

Some would watch a movie ….

Some people would use the two hours to write a blog like this ...

Some do nothing and let it passed by …… …..

"So what!?" an angry man stares at me "Is my two hours, why you so K-poh…?"

Well, the two hours are belonging to you; you have the sole discretion what best for you.

………………………………………………..................................................

For me, I decided to spend my two hours for TT (Photo walk session) with my friends at Brickfield where the famous Little India is located. I have been to Brickfield several times, but I only took some night shots during the last Deepavali festive season … but never had opportunity to take day time photos. Taking photo in bright day is much easier than night. With sufficient lighting, it is easier to capture shots with clear images.

I was having fun interacting with people there. Honestly, the easy race to capture photo is the Indian, they are super friendly and they don't mind people taking their photo. Then, followed by the Malay, but the Chinese is the most difficult people to take picture, generally they are very caution with strangers…..

Therefore, body language is important in street photography … if you are carrying a dead looking face, please please please, I beg, don't join our T.T .. hahahah .. LOLz.

(I think next time must do a smile test before allow joining the T.T …. Wakakakaka!!!)

For me, a successful street photographer is not how sharp photo he/she had taken but rather did the person have offended any one after he took the photos. We must learn how to respect people. If the person notice you are taking his photo, at least give him a smile.

If his body language showing sign of consent, then goes ahead to fire the shot. If it is uncertain like moving his head away, then ask for permission ….. Do some small talks would help to ease the tension …. The bottom line is, our body language must be friendly and courteous … a big smile is a MUST on our face.

Sometime we can go for extra miles by letting the person see the photo in the camera, at least he/she deserves to see how the photo look like, do some small talks K-poh like how business doing, what he is selling ….. If the person likes the photo, we should ask for email address / fb link so that a photo can be emailed or share with him. However, just a word of caution, please be careful, don't simply share your link of your fb account, you should make your decision by judging the person first impression …

Therefore, the beauty of street T.T (street photography) is the INTERACTION part with people; don't be afraid to make friends with people.

The worse street photographer is the sniper who hides at the back of a pillar or a dust bin and tries to shoot far far away, and ran away quickly before people notice …. 

Hehehehehe  … which category of photographer you are ….

…….. The friendly one or the dislike one …. !!?

Last but not lease, let me share with you how my three friends enjoy themselves, they have made Kuala Lumpur a better place to stay.

The End  (^_^)