Jeremy, a primary school ex-classmate of mine, and I have been discussing about a photoshooting trip when I return from Singapore for summer break. So we’ve decided to meet up at the KL Sentral station on Tuesday morning to start our journey though the hearts of Malaysia’s capital city, Kuala Lumpur. It has been seven to eight years since we last seen each other (since the last day of primary school, I reckon) and I was a little too excited and wee bit nervous the night before that I couldn’t sleep until 3am. When I thought I’ve lost all contact with my primary school friends, Jeremy is one of the first person that I actually made contact with – which brings me into a network of my primary school classmates.
Here’s a candid shot of Jeremy, taken during the trip.
This is Jeremy! Say hello ;)
Before I start, statistics first – I shot in both RAW and JPEG to keep the photos for future post-processing if needed. And the heavy bulky big-ass RAW files caused the total size of images taken during the trip to balloon up to a whooping 4.39gbs. 636 photos in total, and thanks to my being very selective, only a fraction of them will be posted here (but they’re still lovely!).
So, are you ready for the photoshooting trip? Photos are arranged in a chronological order, so it’s like revisiting the places I’ve been to that day in my footsteps, seeing with my eyes and all. This post is one of the longest I’ve ever typed – it took me four days to get it done, inclusive of the tedious selection and post-processing of photos. If you read through it from the start to the end, you’ll experience, see and feel what I’ve went through on that exact day. Enjoy! ;)
All of the photos are thumbnails to their larger versions – simply click on them to view the larger ones in the lightbox. There are several parts to this photo trip, each categorized under a heading. If you don’t want to read through the whole thing, you can selectively browse the content using the headers:
- Our first stop – Petaling Street
- En route to Central Market
- Moving on to Kuala Lumpur City Center (KLCC)
- Pavilion, our last stop
At the Subang Jaya railway station
This railway station services my town, Subang Jaya. The train arrives at rather irregular intervals with unexpected cancellations and delays, so I’m smarter this time to bring books and my music player with me. The train arrived at around 10am, half an hour after I’ve arrived at the place. There’s this friendly, middle-aged man sitting beside me and we struck up a brief conversation before the train came.
I arrived at KL sentral right on time, around 10.25am when Jeremy arrived too! I messaged him to ask where he was and before he could send me a reply, I spotted him in his classy brown hat, white top and earthy-toned shorts. Sweet, my favourite colour scheme! I regretted wearing jeans for the day though – knowing that the tropical heat will be very unforgiving at this time of the year.
Our first stop – Petaling Street
We took a train to the Central Market station on the LRT line when Jeremy took out his so called ‘PDA’ – a photo of our graduating class in primary school wrapped carefully in the plastic sheet, complete with a wooden stick as the stylus. Haha! I LOLed so hard. He was giving me a brieifing on what has happened to our classmates and how are they doing now. It’s surprising that so many has changed so much, like the rather plump Amanda now looking like a real beauty and etc (no offense, Amanda haha).
We alighted at the station and walked over to Petaling Street1. Despite telling me that he had breakfast earlier in the morning, Jeremy still settled for a plate of barbequed pork (aka Char siu2) noodles. Before I could snap any photos of that dish that Jeremy said he will definitely have everytime he visits Chinatown, he gobbled it all up.
A scene at Chinatown
After his second round of breakfast, we walked around Petaling Street to talk some photos. The day was still early when we arrived – stall owners were still setting up their stores with their helpers coming in tows to move their goods. Clangings of the rusty metal display racks sliced through the silent morning air.
There’s quite a number of florists and fruit stalls along the way – something that really puzzles me because afterall, Petaling Street depends rather heavily on tourists (and their cha-chings), I’d expect to see more stalls selling *coughs* counterfeit *coughs* products like LV bags, Rolex watches and etc. Perhaps it’s still early. At 11.30am in the morning, only a handful of tourists were walking around taking photos and endulging in the atmosphere of the place. Local motorists and cars (the lanes were so narrow I wonder how they squeezed through) weaved carefully among pedestrians, blaring their horns more than too often.
The glowing blue rose
The roads at Petaling Street were lined with stalls, complete with canopies that shelter their goods from the elements of the weather. As the sun filtered through tiny holes in the plastic canopy, a blue rose seemed to be glowing from the morning sun shining on it.
Heading skywards
As we walked towards Guan Ti Temple, located within the vicinity of Petaling Street, there’s this towering skyscraper directly opposite the temple that caught my attention. I forgot what building is that, but the beige-coloured facade of the blocky building rising above the streets of Chinatown lined with low-rise buildings is an interesting sight. Glowing under the gorgeous Tuesday morning sunshine and shot against a big blue sky, this is one of my favourite architectural shot of the day (there’s more to follow, hint hint).
Jeremy and I turned left to the entrance of Guan Ti Temple. Three middle-aged, male beggars were at the entrance to the place – one is sprawled on the floor, the other two resting against the pillar at the entrance. I have mixed feelings for these people – while I generally ptiy those that are homeless and have to resort to begging to stay alive in today’s world, I am completely aware that many of them are in fact, physically capable of working. A visual check reveals that they have all four hands and feet, and are simply waiting for a good-hearted visitor to the temple to place some coins in their worn plastic cups. How on earth do they dare to feed on the sympathy of others visiting a holy, sacred place of worship?
Entering the temple, I switched over to my bokeh lens – a Konica Minolta f/1.7 50mm.
Oil lamps. To pray, to remember.
Here is a photo of the oil lamps in Guan Ti Temple. This photo is rather heavily post-processed in Photoshop to arrive at the desired effect that I wanted to portray. When one wishes to light an incense, he would proceed to the oil lamps to burn the tip such that the incense starts to smoulder. The oil in the lamps are refilled by the care-takers of the temple, who also perform other rites and riturals for visitors.
The very common ritual is one that involves you hitting a paper doll while screaming curses at it (it’s an interesting sight!) – it is a symbolic way to chase away bad luck may be potentially brought upon to one by his enemy. The caretakers of the temple will scribble some Chinese scriptures of your enemy that will supposedly make your life miserable. I do not quite subject myself to this kind of belief, but well, if a person wants to do it, so be it.
Burning incense in the temple
Burning incense in the temple left by visitors of the temple. Smokes are carried away by the winds. After praying to the stautes of the Gods and Goddesses, one will place the burning incense vertically into one or several designated pots across the temple. On days with heavy visitor flow, there pots are almost bursting with all the incense stuck onto it, and the huge amount of smoke produced creates this dreamy, cloud-like effect within the temple grounds. When sunlight filters through the smoke, the effect is even greater.
Back to our photoshooting trip, we left the temple after giving our prayers. A tall condominium (or is it an office building? I’m not sure) with a lovely sky garden and reflective windows glimmering in gorgeous blue looms above the tiny buildings along Petaling Street. If it’s repainted properly, it’ll look so darn good!
Skyscraper against the blue sky.
A Japanese tourist at the fruit stall
A Japanese tourist at the fruit stall, haggling with the stall owner in fluent American English for a better bargain on the good she’s purchasing from him. She was very polite, so do the stall holder – that brought a smile across my face.
En route to Central Market
Petaling Street is just a stone’s throw away from Central Market3, a place where talented artists gather and where art and handicrafts exhibitions are held almost on every weekend. If you’re an artsy person and happen to visit Malaysia, this is a place you wouldn’t want to miss.
Big bold red and a big bold NO.
Big bold red and a big bold NO. The sign screams for attention: Do not park your bikes here. Surprisingly, nobody really parked their bikes along this pavement, despite the fact that Malaysians are very good at bending the rules, heh. Oh, and that’s Jeremy on the left.
Press me for the green man. I know you don't care, heck.
Buttons like this are rather obselete in Malaysia. People cross the road showing an almost complete, flagrant disregard of their safety, as well as road users’. Everyone is on a quick pace, nobody wants to wait. They’d press the button and then cross, without even waiting for the green man. They press it for fun, really.
Traditional wooden masks on sale in Central Market
At Central Market, we visited a camera shop to find that things are heavily overpriced. Then we walked pass this ‘fish spa’ where people dip their legs into a pond with plenty of fishes that feed on your dead skin – a few ladies were squealing as their feet get nibbled on while passerbys watch in amusement. Opposite the fish spa, there’s this shop selling traditional wooden masks, usually worn during traditional rituals and rites by the Iban tribes (I think).
They’re a little scary and intimidating though, so for the sake of those who are uncomfortable with it, I’ve placed a small thumbnail to the right and you can decide whether you want to view it large or not. User discretion should be exercised. When I took the photo I didn’t realize how spooky the masks are, but during post-processing I got a little spooked out by the photo displayed full screen in Photoshop, haha.
Moving on to the art gallery behind Central Market, Jeremy brought me to the top floor where there’s a gallery for art exhibitions. Since we went on a Tuesday, there weren’t any exhibitions around, so we went downstairs again, only to pass by this batik painting workshop which has many lovely patterns and artworks on display. There’s a group of kids trying out batik painting, and here’s one:
Batik painting
Making our way to the Masjid Jamek station, a lone taxi waits for passengers at the side of the road. Since it’s lunch time, the driver would most probably be expecting brisk business, but also be facing the prospects of being stuck in a nasty downtown rush hour traffic congestion. The main thoroughfare nearby has only 4 lanes of traffic split equally between two directions. Adding to the woes are the Puduraya bus terminal nearby. Desperate bus drivers weave in and out of traffic while motorcyclists squeeze between the tight spaces between lanes.
Taxi driver awaits brisk business during lunch hour
Oh, and nowadays little Malaysian taxis charge you by the meter. They will usually ask for your intended destination and then quote a price (which is around 2 to 3 times more expensive if the driver uses a meter), but the drivers have their own woes to face – the low fares by charging based on mileage and waiting time can barely help them make a living. It tarnishes the nation’s reputation as many black sheeps quote sky high prices, but it’s a largely accepted norm as we all understand that it’s not easy to make a living as a taxi driver. Many of them hold part time jobs elsewhere, usually directly after their working hours as a driver. Even the friendly taxi driver my family is acquianted with charge by quoting a reasonable price.
Dear government: Are you listening to the people's voices?
We walked pass this clock with a concrete base on our way to Masjid Jamek station. At the foot of the clock scribbled the words ‘F#%@ ISA’. ISA, also known as the Internal Security Act 19604, is a preventive detention law in force in Malaysia. There was a huge outrage over the detention of bloggers and journalists who mock the government over its allegedly corrupted ways many months ago, culminating sporaditc outbursts of anger from the general public in the form of riots and demonstrations. The police force did a hard crack down on the supposed ‘flamers’ behind the riots, detaining them under the ISA. In addition, bloggers and journalists who wrote about the detentions were also captured under the ISA, a blatant ignorance of basic human rights and the freedom of speech.
Warning: Strong language is depicted in the photo. User discretion is needed. Note to anybody (especially any Malaysian politician, minister and police officer) who is reading this, I am not here to further inflame the situation, but just to highlight the deep insatisfaction of the population towards the way the seemingly democratic government works.
We were all tired and exhausted around lunch time near a bank building, opposite to Masjid Jamek5. There’s a Burger King fast food restaurant nearby, but I’ve decided to head to KLCC first before finally settling for lunch. We took a 20 minute break sitting at the corridor, reminiscing our primary school years almost a decade (just 2 years shy) ago. Here’s Jeremy’s camera that he brought for the photoshooting trip – a Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3, equipped with a gorgeous Leica lens.
The camera Jeremy used for the trip - a Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3
Isn’t it such a beauty? Jeremy bought it because it has a Leica lens – and he’s all over Leica. His dream camera is a Leica M8, which costs a whooping MYR20,000. What a bomb! So he settled for DMC-LX3, which has a Leica lens and a lot more affordable. Good for you! :)
Masjid Jamek in infrared.
A photo of Masjid Jamek with Gombak River in the foreground, shot in infrared. This is the first infrared photo shot during the trip because I was simply too laze to switch filters and to set up the tripod. The concrete barriers along the river gave me a flat surface to stabilize my camera, so I seized the change to use my IR filter for this shot. I know that one of the spires of the mosque is beyond view – I wish I had time for another shot.
Moving on to Kuala Lumpur City Center (KLCC)
At Masjid Jamek station, we stumbled upon a hyperactive worker returning from lunch, dragging his shy colleague along asking us to take a photo of time. Exhausted from the heat, I didn’t budge but Jeremy took a photo of them. I’ll share a link to the photo when Jeremy posts the photo of that hilarious moment.
Arriving at Suria KLCC’s central podium, the roof is one amazing thing to look at, as well as the futuristic elevator shafts. Here are some photos of them:
The roof of the central podium at Suria KLCC and the elevator shafts.
Radial patterns of the Suria KLCC rooftop.
An iPhone advertisement in the underpass.
We decided to head over to the KLCC park to take more photos, which brings us to the underpass connecting the convention center and the shopping complex. There’s this big-ass iPhone advertisement in the underpass. Maxis, the only carrier in Malaysia that is allowed to sell the iPhone, has embarked on a million-dollar advertising campaign to introduce the tech toy to locals.
A serene scene in the KLCC park, in the midst of the hustle and bustle of Kuala Lumpur.
It was a very warm afternoon, temperatures hitting 36 to 38 degrees Celcius. The trees in the park provided ample shade for us, while the scattered shelters and benches provided quick relief from the damning heat of the tropical sun for the gardeners, cleaners and visitors alike. Here we have a serene view of the city in the middle of the bustling city (KLCC didn’t get its name for nothing).
Petronas Twin Tower from the park, shot in infrared.
The sun was unforgiving, and to make things worse, angled wrongly at the time such that shooting the twin towers from the park, photographers will be greeting with a nasty flare from the sun. I’m surprised that this infrared turned out to be better (or less worse, haha) than expected. The glare is seen to be yellow in this photo.
Traders Hotel - one shot in infrared (top), the other shot in normal colour (bottom)
Traders Hotel is located directly opposite of the Petronas Twin Towers6, right across the KLCC park7. The bar at the top floor offers fantastic view of the twin tower, so if you do drop by Kuala Lumpur, you can visit the bar at night when the lights are all up. The top photo is shot in the IR range using the Hoya R72 filter (see the original IR photo), while the bottom one is shot in the normal colour range (see the original colour photo).
View of one of the towers against the sky.
Here is the photo of one of the towers, shot against the blue sky. The clouds soon came rolling in, which soon obscured the blue sky, what a shame. Jeremy and I walked through the empty and huge playgrounds, which are usually jam-packed with toddlers, kids and parents on weekends.
The metallic whale, midtown greenery and skyscrapers.
This photo is so nice that I had to display it in full size (in case you haven’t noticed, almost all the portrait shots are displayed as tiny little thumbnails to save space). I don’t remember seeing this sculpture when I visited the same park almost a decade ago with my family. There it stood, solemn, lonely and yet elegant and beautiful, on the surface of the lake in a park devoid of people. An unusual combination of a metallic sculpture of a whale, lush green trees from the KLCC park and the skyscrapers looming above the trees beyond.
Metallic whale sculpture, lake and park in the middle of a big city, in infrared.
Here is an infrared shot of the same scene, just that the camera is oriented horizontally on a tripod. This is one of the most beautiful scene I’ve ever taken in infrared, IMHO. The ripples on the lake surface have been evened out by the long shutter speed, the clouds were all blurry because of the same effect but the sculpture remains stoic and still on the lake, overlooking the lush green trees and the buildings behind. There was a group of people behind us but there were none in front of us – creating this eerily unpopulated surreal scene in mid-day Kuala Lumpur.
KL Tower from the KLCC Park
This is the Kuala Lumpur Tower8 viewed from the KLCC park. Also shot in infrared, the photo shows KL tower looming above the trees and among other skyscrapers. I took a coloured photo alongside with the IR photo, but the sun was so bright that it rendered really harsh shadows on the normal colour photo. Luckily there’s an IR photo to back things up, heh.
The Exxon Mobil Building and the Traders Hotel from KLCC park.
From Lake Symphony (equipped with fountains) in front of KLCC, we have a gorgeous view of the Exxon Mobil Building (on the left) and Traders Hotel (on the right). The top photo is taken in the infrared range (see original photo) while the bottom is taken in normal colours (see original photo).
KLCC Symphony Lake Panorama
A panorama taken from a vantage point of a service building beside Lake Symphony. Four photos are taken in total, stitched together using AutoStitch and then post-processed in Photoshop. Here’s a visual gimmick – if you pay attention to the bottom left corner, you’ll see two caucasians sun-bathing. A security guard later came grumbling, whining to a cleaner/gardener nearby and then shouted for the girl to cover herself up – afterall, she’s in a Muslim country that’s getting increasingly conservative (like a car put in reverse).
Lake Symphony in its full glory.
Lake Symphony has fountains that resemble that of jumping fountains – just on a way larger scale. A large fountain was turned on in the middle of the lake, shooting water up to 42 meters high into the air.
Panorama of the plaza in front of Suria KLCC, facing Symphony Lake
Finally, a colour photo! Here’s another panorama – stitched from four photos taken from the plaza in front of Suria KLCC, facing Symphony Lake. There were a group of kids resting at the steps behind me. When I barely finished taking photos, this foreign couple tugged Jeremy and asked him to take ‘professiona’ photos of them with Symphony Lake as the backdrop. Haha, they thought we were professional photographers! The world is so small that we bumped into them again, about an hour after this.
Jeremy taking photos for a tourist couple.
The ripoff lunch at Suria KLCC food court.
Here’s the super helpful Jeremy, helping a tourist couple to take a photo of them with Symphony Lake as the backdrop. After that, we headed to the food court for lunch. I knew that being a place swarming with tourists, the food and beverages there are definitely overpriced but I didn’t know it can get so darn outrageous.
The ripoff lunch at Suria KLCC food court – it costs me a whooping MYR10.50! A bowl of noodles in my neighbourhood is priced at a meazly MYR3.00, about 3 times cheaper. Meh. For three times the price of a normal meal, I get a plate of rather unappetizing rice – dry, overcooked vegetables, completely unsavoury sweet and sour chicken (disguised as pork, which I have totally no idea until I sunk my teeth into it) and a miserably small piece of omelette.
Jeremy pouring ketchup on his Big Mac.
Jeremy made the right choice, settling for something more appetizing that what I had before my eyes. He got a Big Mac meal, a dollar cheaper than mine and looking a thousand times more delicious than mine. I could only stare at him taking big huge bites out of the burger. He gladly shared some of his fries with me though, thanks! At least they made my meal a little less worse.
We walked around Suria KLCC around, and even walked past the Louis Vuitton store poking fun that the doorman (sorry dude). We decided to drop by Pavilion, a shopping mall located within walking distance of KLCC and near to the station where we will take a train back to KL Sentral and go our own ways back home.
Pavilion, our last stop
Taxi stand in downtown.
A photo of a taxi stand in downtown Kuala Lumpur. We were already somewhere near Pavilion at this point. Jeremy told me that the last time he tried to take photos in Pavilion, the security guard actually stopped him from doing so. I would like to highlight this event that took place a few months ago because it is not illegal to take photos in a private area as long as it is open to public access, e.g. shopping malls, zoos (this is a very good example) and etc. Policies are never above the law and they are on no ground to bar one from photographing the interior of a shopping mall. Screw those guards – shove this in their face next time they try to stop you from photographing. For more details on what rights you are entitled to as a photographer, you can read this article.
The interior of Pavilion
Dear management of the Pavilion mall, don’t think that just because you have branded concept stores as your tenants that you have all the right on earth to stop anyone from photography. If you want to ban it, sure, go ahead and close your mall from public access.
Because of all the possible complications arising from photography, Jeremy and I actually had to dodge several guards before being able to photograph freely. This is absolute bullocks, something that a photographer shouldn’t have do to in public as there’s nothing wrong with it. It’s not as if taking photos of the interior will affect your business in one way or another, right?
We headed for a camera shop on the ground floor where Jeremy spotted his favourite Lieca M8 model, selling at MYR20,000. My jaw dropped with a thud, I reckon! It costs a bomb, but so far after checking all the reviews online, the price justifies the camera. Afterall, Leica is an excellent, vintage brand that has gathered a huge loyal fan base over its many years of existence.
At the crossroads, a busy intersection in Kuala Lumpur.
I forgot the name of this intersection, but it’s just a stone’s throw away from the Bukit Bintang LRT Station. It is famous for the billboards put up on the other side of the intersection (not in photo) which greets the commuters on the KL monorail.
We were crossing the road from Isetan in Lot 10 to the monorail station when this salesman (or I would call him later, scammer or con artist) tried to get us into this stupid lucky draw thing. Jeremy won a ticket and the scam started… which I will write in a separate entry. I guess at this point you just can’t wait to get this post done with, heh.
At the Bukit Nanas Monorail Station.
Jeremy and I were so excited that we managed to screw up the loser’s attempt to scam money out of us that we took the train heading for the wrong direction. We alighted at Bukit Nanas station and took the train heaidng towards KL Sentral. We arrived at KL Sentral around 5pm in the evening, when Jeremy’s Rawang-bound train arrived as he scooted down the stairs. Soon after, to my horror the announcement of the Port Klang-bound train (the one I should be taking) was cancelled – and the next train was due to arrive in 30 minutes, just in time for the evening crowd as many people starts to leave their offices around 5.30pm to catch the train home.
The end!
That’s the end of my photoshooting trip! Have a great weekend, folks!
- Petaling Street is a Chinatown located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is infamous for pirated clothes and accessories along with bootleg DVDs and CDs. Haggling is a common sight here and the place is usually crowded with locals as well as tourists – Wikipedia ↩
- Char siu (also spelled cha siu, chashao, and char siew), otherwise known as barbecued pork in China or Chinese barbecued/roast pork outside China, is a popular way to prepare pork in Cantonese cuisine. The term literally means “fork burn/roast” after the traditional cooking method for the dish: long strips of seasoned boneless pork are skewered with long forks and placed in a covered oven or over a fire – Wikipedia. ↩
- Located along Jalan Hang Kasturi, a few minutes away from Petaling Street, Central Market which was built in 1888 was originally a wet market. It has since been classified as a Heritage Site by the Malaysian Heritage Society and it is now a landmark for Malaysian culture and heritage – Wikipedia. ↩
- The legislation was enacted by Malaysian politicians after the country gained independence from Britain in 1957. In essence, it allows for the arrest of any person without the need for trial in certain defined circumstances. Malaysia is one of the few countries in the world whose Constitution allows for preventive detention during peacetime without safeguards that elsewhere are understood to be basic requirements for protecting fundamental human rights – Wikipedia ↩
- Masjid Jamek is one of the oldest mosques in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It is located at the confluence of the Klang and Gombak River and was designed by Arthur Benison Hubback – Wikipedia ↩
- The Petronas Twin Towers (also known as the Petronas Towers or just Twin Towers), in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia are twin towers and were the world’s tallest buildings, before being surpassed by Taipei 101 – Wikipedia. ↩
- KLCC Park is a public park located in the vicinity of KLCC, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The park has been design to provide greenery to Petronas Twin Towers and areas surrounding it. Designed by the late Roberto Burle Marx, it is said that it is a last work done by the Brazilian architect. It is said when he design the park, he has only one desire which is to “leave the world a little more sensitive and a little more educated to the importance of nature” – Wikipedia. ↩
- The Kuala Lumpur Tower (officially known as Menara Kuala Lumpur; referred later as KL Tower) is a tall tower located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and was built in 1995. It is used for communication purposes and features an antenna that reaches 421 m (1,381 ft), which currently makes it the fifth tallest tower in the world – Wikipedia. ↩
the lenses on lumix’s are leica designed but made by panasonic though, think leica made lenses cost more than lumix cameras
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hey teddy!! those photos are amazing!!! i love those infra red shots!!! never knew they look so pretty!!!
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Great, great stuff Ted.
I particularly like the IR-ones. They look so unreal and somewhat plastic. Especially the one with the park in the foreground and the skyscrapers in the background.
The photo with the fruit-stall-woman and the following few have great colors. Have you pushed the contrast in Photoshop or did you photograph that way?
Thanks! Yeap, the IR photography technique is one of the methods used to make a scene surreal. However, due to the narrow range of IR wavelength that the camera’s sensor detects, the contrast is compromised and is usually enhanced in photoshop (thus the signature noise, an artifact of IR photography). This probably explains the plastic part too. In addition, IR photography requires a long shutter speed (for my Sony A200, under a very sunny day it’s around 8 to 10 seconds) and so non-static object blurs, causing reflective surfaces to look plastic (like the lake surface).
Oh, I did play around with the contrast, but majority of the desaturation and strong purple/red hue comes from cross-processing and blending in “soft light” mode in Photoshop. Adjustment layers like curves and levels are also used when necessary.
The difference between the original and final photos of using the method (for the lady at the fruit stall and the oil lamps) are almost the same:
[img]http://www.teddy-o-ted.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/klphotoshoot04_beforeafter.jpg[/img]
It took me two days, off and on while cleaning, to finish this entry! haha Such amazing photos. Thank you for sharing!
First off. WOW, what a beautiful place. So many wonderful architecture there. The skyscraper with the garden on the roof–wow, you don’t see things like that here! I loved them all but was especially blown away by the inside of the Pavilion and Lake Symphony. Everything looks so different and new there.. I so much enjoyed this post. Thank you, it was like I was taking a trip along with you!
So sorry to hear about your food though! Gah, not many meals can beat a Big Mac, hehe. Mmm.
You guys seemed to have such a good time! What a wonderful idea of getting together with an old friend to go on a photoshooting trip! I would love to do something like that. Although, I don’t know many photographers that live near me. :| They’re all scattered about!
I wish I had time to ramble more about how much I enjoyed your photos.. but my mother-in-law will be here any minute now and I still have so much cleaning to do. heh Very much looking forward to relaxing and hanging out with family this weekend. :)
I do hope you have a wonderful weekend as well! And I’ll reply to your comment you left me on my website as soon as I can. I especially have to comment on how apparently messy of a person you are, hmph! :P I will convert you to be a clean freak, I will. rawr!
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Wow, I’m honoured that you actually took time off between your cleaning sessions to finish this entry! I don’t expect people to finish the entire entry – afterall, it’s around 4.2k words long and has 35+ photos in it. A little too much for everyone to handle, teehee.
Malaysia has a lot of great architecture, but it’s a shame that not everyone helps in conserving them. Some money-thirsty developers use money to bribe local officials such that their plans of tearing town WWII-era buildings are approved. Oh, regarding the sky garden photo, I’m equally surprised that there’s a well-maintained garden at the top of the building. In Malaysia where people are still yet to learn how to be civil and civic minded, rooftop gardens are usually ignored :( how sad. This makes architects less willing to place gardens at the top because nobody will maintain them afterall.
In Malaysia, consumer exuberance has just started to take off, so we have new sleek malls being constructed in the wealthier suburban areas. That is so totally against the recession tide, of which I’m not sure whether should I be proud of or be worried.
I don’t know many photographers living near me too! Most of the photographers I know are the people I’ve met online – like you, Ember, Oridusartic and etc. It’s not easy to find a photographer, let alone one that is willing to go for photoshooting trips of you. I’ve known some that are horribly selfish (or to quote them, “prefer to go shooting undisturbed”) and act like exiled ninjas lol :D
Looks like you had a great weekend, and a busy month ahead. Your mom-in-law (who sounds like a really great lady after I read her comment on one of your FB notes about human trafficking) will be dropping by, followed by your relatives. Wow, what a smashing month ahead for you ;) do enjoy your company! I can’t wait to read about the interesting month you had after it’s over ;) take care!
p/s: My aunt who read my blog told me the other day that the length of your comments are awesome… so as the content :) just to let you know that the time you invest in the long comments are not wasted, and I’m not the only one reading them, hehe!
Wow, was it really 4k+ words!? I wonder if I can consider that a book and add it to my total read this year? hehe
Was a wonderful post though. You know how much I am interested in other cultures/places, now I am especially fascinated by Malaysia thanks to you. It’s a whole ‘nother world over there yet still the so similar, does that make sense? lol
Yikes, that’s terrible that some people aren’t concerned about preserving older architecture, like the WW2-era buildings you’d mention. I’d hate to see something like that just be torn down and not thought second about. That’s sad.
Exiled ninjas, hah! What a shame. I can understand being alone while photo shooting.. but having a friend tag a long every now and then would be so much fun! You could share ideas, learn new techniques and just enjoy each others artistic presence. :) I’d so very much enjoy that, honestly.
Oh man, I am having a busy week so far. Err.. it’s only been a few days actually. Chris’s mom, dad, and step-dad were all down for his graduation. It went so well! I especially enjoyed their company as we don’t get to see them much! Especially his dad whom he does not see or rarely talk to anymore, so it was really nice meeting him.
My sister and niece are staying with us right now and I have been babysitting (like old times!) while my sister works. Which explains my absence from the interwebs. :P I do very much love having my niece, Alana, around. She is so much fun and has gotten so big and so smart. I love kids, as you can probably guess. :P But yes! Very busy and very happy right now. hehe
Aww, thank you, Teddy’s aunt. :D I always surprise myself by the length of my comments! I’m always like “Dang, Chris! Look how long our comments are! /scroll…scroll..” hehe It’s exciting. I have missed finding friends from far off places. You’re quite a cool guy!
I do hope you’re enjoying your break! I have read that you and your aunt went hiking, is that right? Do tell me how that went! Got any pictures from the day?
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That’s what the WP word count says. I think it also count the words included in the titles and alternate tags of image elements, as well as other HTML codes. 4k words is still too short for a quick novel, right? Haha.
Speaking of books, I read this photography magazine today and there’s this online tool that allows one to create a book for free – given that you print it within 15 days. I forgot the name though, couldn’t recall it at all except that it starts with a ‘B’. I shall check back the magazine again when I visit the bookstore this weekend.
Malaysia is a lot similar to the US when it comes to consumerism – we have all the common US outlets like Wendy’s, McDonalds, KFC, Subway, Dunkin’ Doughnuts, Tesco and etc, and the Western food culture here is fairly well established, so if you don’t like the local food after trying them, you can still dine like what you used to in the US :)
The main difference is that Malaysia is a developing country – the crime rate is high, there’s a glaring lack of civil and civic responsibility among the general population. Every house has like a dozen of locks on the door, plus a front gate and lawn that is well-boarded up, unlike in the US suburbs where the separation between the living room and public domain in just a wooden door and an unlocked fence, teehee. Drivers here are a lot ruder (my US friends got a rude shock when they travelled from Singapore to Malaysia), the bus drivers are vulgar and etc… but well, they are the blacksheeps. There are still nice people around, heheh.
I always loved company for photoshoot – you can exchange ideas that flow freely among your friends, and more importantly, if you’re using the same camera body, you can share equipments too, heh. Of course, I’d love the group to be less than 8 people because beyond that, people will eventually split up into smaller groups to visit the own locations they wish to go. I think 3~6 is an ideal size.
It’s nice to see his dad coming down. I don’t know that Chris has a step-dad as well… and I hope it wasn’t being something bad happened between his biological parents. Either way, it’s heartening that all his parents took the time and effort to see him graduate, awww!
I would love to baby Alana! After I saw her photo on your photoblog, I was instantly swooned over by her cuteness :) love her big eyes! I hope she isn’t a little monster too much to handle, heheh. It’s really sweet of you to babysit for your sister… does your sister give you any, urm *how should I say this* monetary compensation?
Thanks again, for your support, readership and comments *bow*
p/s: Love your photography work, Chris looks like some professional model heheh! Keep up the good work, Trina!
woohoo…i got the same camera and black too…but this one has the adapter and add on lens to it eh ;)
simply love those infrared shots :)
Teddy. Your pictures are amazing. You’re really inspiring me to start getting into photography myself. I just need to buy a better camera. And, maybe I should. They’ve decreased the price of DSLRs, so I should definitely jump in on the offer. :)
Thank you! You’re a really creative person and it wouldn’t do harm if you try your hands at photography. I’m confident that you’ll be able to churn out really great shots like a machine! Be careful when you buy dSLRs though – I’ve heard too much bullsh!t from Best Buy and Walmart. Make sure that you check the package (ask the staff to open it), and double check the serial numbers of the product inside and the one printed on the box before leaving the store.
Teddy! Ah I haven’t commented in ages. But don’t worry I’m still loyally following your posts and lovely photos! =D Just haven’t got the time.
Anyway, love the Twin Towers against the gorgeous blue skies! Seeing your photos makes me wanna go back to KL. Speaking of which, I haven’t brought Joyce to KL ever since I bought her. And those IRs of the KLCC skyline with the Symphony Lake in the foreground shots are awesome, too.
I’m wondering is thar metallic whale shot a HDR? Some pretty good dynamic range there. =D
Good to know you guys weren’t confronted by any guards. But even so, I’d hate dodging them around the place acting as if we’re paranoid terrorists when we’re just plain-innocent photographer hobbyists! What a screwed up world huh? =(
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The first thing I noticed is that… our gravatars are so similar! I got confused a little when I saw your comment because I thought I typed it (I initially identified it via the gravatar image). I need more sleep, teehee.
It took me awhile to figure out who’s Joyce. Now I get it haha. Well, I haven’t travel to many places after getting Lucy either! I’ve been dreaming of traveling to a tropical island in Malaysia this summer, but the holiday was postponed by around 365 days because of my brother’s exams (ahhhhh *pulls hair*).
You’re sharp! The “Metallic Whale” photo is a pseudo-HDR made from the RAW file that I’ve taken. But the sky was overblown so the HDR couldn’t recover much data from the file, I had to overlay the sky part of the JPEG version, with some colour burning to get it right.
We have guards eyeing our cameras when we went in, but I think he was confined to his patrol area so he couldn’t track us or something (that’ll sound so pathetic if he really tracked us down). Like a scene in Mission Impossible, we confirmed the location of the guards, stood at their blind spots and took photos. Man, now they make us feel like rats.
We live in a really screwed up world. Perhaps if I tell them Chuck Norris is my father they’ll not touch me.
Come to think of it, I’ve never visited KL though most of my friends are there now :( I wish I travel more since I enjoy shopping and the likes =P
Batik painting! I remember the days when I did batik painting. It was fun :D I still remember painting the outlines with hot wax before the actual painting XD
Your IR shots are really lovely. I really want a DSLR since I’m the school student photographer @_@
Oh, maybe you should come someday! It’s best to have company when you’re traveling to Malaysia – I’m not here to scare you, but it’s advisable that people don’t travel alone. Things here are a lot cheaper than what you have there, so save up for a huge spending spree, teehee!
I haven’t tried batik painting before, but I remember going to this shop in a primary school excursion where we saw artists doing batik painting. I dig the lively, saturated colours of this kind of art.
Oh, if that’s the case you can get a dSLR. You’re so creative, you can afford one! Back in college when I was just getting started with photography, whenever I needed to cover school events I just had to request for a loan of a dSLR from the photography club. Do your school has such services?
Aaaa!!! I always want that Lumix LX3 like your friend Jeremy has. XD I’m still saving until now..
Hehe love your photowalk update btw. =)
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wow. thats a lot of photos. hehehe.
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@lix: Oh, I didn’t know about that. Leica lenses are indeed, very expensive. In fact, the Lumix DMC-LX3 has an idendical model in the Leica line. This is interesting :P
@Michelle: Thanks for the compliments, Michelle! I’m glad you dig the IR photos.
@med: Yea, and Jeremy is my friend whom I told you has the same model as you do. If you’re into serious photography, you can get the adapters and filters for your camera too. They don’t cost a bomb, unlike dSLR accessories (espeically Sony’s – priced like gold bars, dammit).
@Oridusartic: Oh, well, you can get one :D it’s not very expensive and I think your parents will be totally cool about the price tag, teehee. Good luck with your saving!
@abdusfauzi: Yea, a lot! I hope they didn’t make you too woozy haha!
You’re probably talking about Blurb! I have come across that website once. Isn’t it so nifty? I would love to have a book of all my photography. It would be exceptionally nice to give away as gifts as well. I have tons of photos of my niece, I could print a book of photos of her for my sister. That would be so nice! I was not aware that you could print one for free though! I must check up on that.
Wow, what a way to crumble my excitement of one day visiting Malaysia! haha That’s terrible that it’s that bad. Parts of the US is just the same though. I actually moved away from an area when I was a teen because the crime was getting out of hand. Drive-bys and shootings at school. Thievery, etc. It’s pretty bad. :| Sad thing is, most of the people in my old city is moving out and coming HERE (since we’re still pretty near by).. I think I’ll have to make another move with in the next few years at this rate.
I am pretty happy at where I’m am now. It’s a nice, well kept and beautiful apartment complex with a few ponds. Even ducks walking along the roads some times!
Wow, so do you get to tag along with other photographers often? I didn’t think about sharing lens and equipment, that could be fun! Especially since most of my photography friends have better equipment and such, hehe. I’m trying to talk my little sister into getting into photography. She’s the kind of teenager who enjoys taking photos of herself rather than other things, lol. She has a good eye though and good be pretty good if she gave it a try. I ask her to tag along with me sometime! That could be fun. It’s tough finding things to do with her since she usually outcasts herself.. so I think this may be a good thing to try.
Oh, I know. Chris’s family, despite the divorce between his parents, acted very well with each other. Chris’s parents, thankfully, had forgiven each other over the years and worked out a friendship of sorts. So it was actually pretty nice to see them talking and laughing together. It was quite the experience! I am so happy for Chris to have had that moment with his family, that’s so very important to any child!
Alana is just adorable & so much fun to play with. She is almost two so her energy level is outrageous! I try my hardest to keep up, hehe. I actually have been babysitting her since she was two weeks old up until February of this year when my sister moved. So Alana and I have a pretty strong bond and she behaves pretty well around me. Of course she can be a little monster at times! But.. it’s all fun. :) She absolutely loves books and her favorite book I keep at my house and so she has been begging me to read it to her. I think I have read it over 30 times since Monday, haha.
Oh! about the monetary compensation, lol. She use to pay be on a weekly basis but since she has been out of town for a couple of months and out of work.. she has come down these two weeks to work every day at her old job so I’m babysitting for free to help her out.
You bowed to me, hah! It is my pleasure. I do enjoy reading your blog, as a matter of fact, it’s one of the first things I do in the mornings after checking my e-mail. :P
Btw, Chris totally blushed when I told him that you said he looked like a professional model.. then he said “Oh, I know I am!” — psh, he’s not that bad. teehee I get so giddy and happy when I receive comments on my photography, it’s such a new artistic outlet for me so I’m really happy to know I am doing something right here. Thank you so much! I hope I get the time soon to go out and take more photos. It’s hard with a toddler traveling behind you. :P
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Yesh! It’s Blurp that I’m talking about. I was so confused over the names I thought it goes by the name Blickr or Bluckr (it’s Flickr’s fault by the way), hah. I think I’ll be checking out their pricing and terms and conditions, but so far it seems to be a big bargain to kill for, heh!
Ah, I think I should be honest when I describe be country to others. Many people are only told of the ‘tropical exoticism’ of Malaysia, and are largely unaware of the social trends and situations in Malaysia. Of course, we still offer awesome views of the mountains and beaches, we have rainforests and coral reefs for you to visit, but just like any other developing country, there’s a certain degree of social and political malaise, and although subtle and more or less slips unaware under the eyes of a casual tourist, the racial divide still exists (between the so called bumiputras, and descendants of Chinese and Indian immigrants).
Sorry to hear about the move – the environment in the old city you once lived in doesn’t seem to be very desirable nowadays. It’s sad that cities and towns fall into the hands of criminals and organized gangs, when fear and crime takes over the originally peaceful and worry-free way of living. Your apartment sounds like a really wonderful place, let alone your neighbourhood! I noticed that you haven’t posted any photos around your area – care to share? Teehee.
I don’t know much photographers in real life, and I wish that I have a group of them to hang out with. Must be a lot of fun, teehee. I can understand the cam-whoring trend among teenagers – my brother did that secretly (no longer secret between us when I saw his handphone pictures haha). Your sister is a budding photographer and you should invite her out for trips – she’ll learn a lot from you, I believe.
I’m sorry to hear about his parents’ divorce, but yet glad that they’re still in good terms today. I’ve heard one too many divorce cases (or even breakups between yet-to-be-engaged couples), where they promise each other friendship (typical quote, “We’re still friends, right?” – wrong) but in the end, they ended up being enemies or at least, people who wouldn’t want anything to do with each other and never talk again.
Little toddlers are balls of energy, believe me! I tried casually babysitting for my mom’s friend’s son (casually in the sense that I wasn’t paid and I just had to look after him for one afternoon while my mom and his talk the whole day away)… and in the end, I ended up being more tired than ever. He’s one smart cookie too – only three and a half years of age and has cunning tricks up his sleeves. When I told him I was too tired to play cop and robber with him, he actually threatened me that he’s gonna tell MY mom that I didn’t want to play with him… that’s just, WOW.
Just like Alana, he got this fascination of a certain storybook and would tirelessly want me to read to him over and over again! Everytime I go to his house, I will have to read the exact same thing to him, and he isn’t getting bored of it at all. I wonder how their little brains see things, heh.
Same here! Every morning when I wake up I scramble from my bed to turn on my computer and check your blog and my mailbox. I just realized that your comment was in the moderation queue today morning (stupid WP), sorry about that.
It’s actually easier to get a good photo out of someone who you know, especially on a personal level because they’re at ease and completely relaxed when you snap away. I couldn’t imagine myself posing for a stranger cameraman… how awkward, haha!
For the toddler thing, you can also use candies to entice her (and distract her too), if your sister isn’t too particular about sweets Alana is getting. Make sure she brushes her teeth though, hah!
Lol, Blickr and Bluckr, I can understand your confusion! Blurb is so nifty, indeed. I, too, need to check out the prices. I would love to have something like that at home. And especially to give out to my family! Almost like a professionally-done photo album, so cool!
I appreciate your honesty about your country. I do think it’s important to know both the good and bad of other places, especially if one is thinking about visiting there! That’s terrible that there is a racial division there. Why is that?
Oh yes. The city I moved away from was terrible and it’s only getting worse as the days progress. You’re right. It’s mostly gang related. It’s terrible and I can’t wrap my mind around it. Why? Why do people insist on living in such a manner. There doesn’t seem like a purpose for one to hurt others so much, especially over stupid things. Seriously, there has been news broadcasts about kids shooting other kids for childish reasons. It’s ridiculous. =(
Lol @ your brother, too funny you saw his pictures. My sister is proud of her cam-whoring. She’s always showing me her latest photos. Almost all of them are of her face and she’s making a weird expression. lol, odd teenagers! But you’re right, I’m sure she’ll enjoy photoshooting with me. Maybe I outta set that up soon since her school year is ending soon.
Oh my goodness! Your mom’s friend’s son seems like such a hand full! Haha, very clever he is. Even though he blackmails, he still seems like such fun. :) It’s cute how they insist on something and if they don’t get it, they get all fussy. Like them with their favorite book! Alana would shove it at me until I took it, lol. I do wonder what goes through their minds too. =) Could you imagine!? Little children do fascinate me. Alana is at the age where she is talking but still mumbling a lot. Speaking a language I have yet to learn! She talks to you as if she understands what she is saying, it’s so funny. I wish I could get in their brain, if only for a day! =P
Aww! I’m flattered that you check out my website so often, that’s so cool! I don’t know why since I rarely update it! I have plans to write more though. =) And soon. I think once I complete my new layout it will motivate me to write more.
I could not imagine myself posing for a stranger either. I don’t care if they’re a professional! It would seem so awkward for me. I am not the type of girl that enjoys posing, I’d rather be behind the lens, hehe. Chris and I have a friend in California whom we met online a few years ago. He has this wonderful and beautiful wife who is also a photographer. She said she would give us a discount on a photo session. I do plan on doing it some time! But it would be so awkward for me. She is so cute and friendly, I think I may get use to it over time though. I guess it just depends on who is photographing you and if you can trust them!
Yay again for your aunt inviting you to stay with her on that lovely island! Sounds like such fun. What activities do you guys have planned?
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I’m thinking of using Blurb to make hard-copies of a photography portfolio… of course, that doesn’t need to be done only when I want to be a part-time photographer – having an album of your works in the living room for your guests to browse through sounds like a fantastic idea.
To put it simply (and without further inflaming the situation), ethnic Malays, known as the bumiputras are entitled to more privileges, regardless of whether is it social, economical and political or is it in school and work, than other ethnic groups in Malaysia. The government implemented an economic plan decades ago to help the bumiputras to rise from poverty, but the plan stay intact till today, giving them what critics of the plan say as an unfair advantage to the particular ethnic group that benefits from the plan. Various issues further deepen the scar and make the situation even worse – like how top scorers of other ethnic groups in Malaysia aren’t guaranteed of a government scholarship because there’s a 60% weightage based on race. Meritocracy is therefore somewhat dead in Malaysia, where scholarships are issued not based on your results but based on one’s ethnic group. There are many more issues, but I think I shouldn’t be bickering too much here…
Gangs are something that I couldn’t wrap my head around. If those energy-filled youungsters crave a sense of belonging and purpose, they can always join beneficial groups without harming others. I don’t understand why would people commit crime, take drugs, pick up the cancer stick (aka cigarettes), take part in beatings, bullyings and even murder. It’s just absurd to me – don’t they realize that in billions of miles out of this earth, we’re the only intelligent life around? They lack this ‘cosmic connection’ – the ‘aha!’ moment an astronaunt feels when he arrives in space and looks back on earth, the small, pale blue dot slicing through the darkness of the galaxy at great speed. We humans depends on each other a lot – the socities nowadays function like a giant organism, each of us being individual cells of the organism contributing to the growht, expansion and maturation of humanity. Now is this something too hard for them to understand?
My brother doesn’t show me his photos, but I found it his handphone haha. I wouldn’t say that I stole a peek at his phone, but he allowed me to use it so I just… conveniently browsed through the photo gallery. Haha!
My mom’s friend’s son is one cute little monster – sometimes he’s devilish and sometimes he’s so sweet he’ll give you diabeters. He got big, rolling eyes and doesn’t cry, so he’s actually quite easy to take care of… it’s just that the cheekiness part of him that sometimes leaves you speechless, heheh! I also wonder what they have in their mind – what’s so fascinating about mundane, insignificant and minute stuff we see everyday? They obviously see things in a different light – that innocence that everyone likes and wants. It’s sad that when we grow up, tha tinnocence gets eroded day by day until it’s just a tiny little sparkle left in your heart. Sometimes I still play pranks on my brother, I admit!
Same here – I enjoy being the one behind the lenses. For most of the events I cover in university, I rarely have of photo of myself but I am not bothered by it at all. I would rather take photos of others instead of having one taken of myself… for some weird reason that others cannot comprehend, heh. It’s nice that you have a friend in California offering a discount on a photo session, that’s very nice of her! Maybe when you get to know them better in the future, you’ll feel more at ease with them around. Good luck!
So far we haven’t got any plans on the island except for going snorkeling, but I guess we can spend a lot of time at the beach, eating, sleeping and taking photos.
Good day teddy!
first of all, i do think your post processed oil lamp is the best in this entry,
and frankly, i LOVE your photographs so well balanced with the story,
nice post you have here!
*congratulation for the longest post*
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Thanks for visiting, and for the compliments as well. Yea, the oil lamp photo is also the photo I spent the most time in post-processing because the lighting as a little too tricky for my usual tricks, haha!
I’m glad that you love the story too!
Hey there!
I chanced upon your blog by googling for central market. Am making a trip to KL tomorrow so I thought I might find a few interesting places for photo taking. :)
You make great compositions and thanks for making the effort to write a description, makes the pictures even more meaningful =)
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Wow, that must be some chance! Thanks for dropping by and leaving a comment. It’s nice to know that you’re travelling to KL tomorrow – may you have a safe trip. From your multiply blog, you look like a seasoned traveler, with gorgeous photos from various parts of the world. I can’t wait to see photos from your trip to Central Market, be sure to keep us posted about it.
Thank you, and have an awesome trip!
I am really excited about one day having a professional photo album of my photography one day. I have been thinking about it a lot lately. Of course, I won’t create one until my stuff gets a lot better. I do enjoy practicing though, it’s certainly a fun & creative hobby! I always thought of myself good when it comes to time management but lately it seems as though I don’t have enough time to do anything! I don’t want I will do once I find a job since I’m having a hard time finding time to do fun things as it is. I guess once I do find a job and I’m working.. my free time will be more important and I won’t waste it unwisely. Since the weather is so nice lately, I would love to go out and take more photos and learn how exactly to use my dSLR. I have yet to figure every thing out! Going to be fun though, for sure.
Oh, speaking of photography. Are you really thinking about becoming a part-time photographer?
Wow, I am pretty speechless after reading about the lack of merit your country has. That’s awful and totally unfair (but then again, who’s mostly fair now a days anyways). I can somewhat understand helping them raise from poverty.. but for them to still have special privileges is wrong. Does the gov’t not see the unfairness in this or do they simply don’t care? It especially infuriates me when people give out scholarships to those who don’t necessarily deserve it, especially when it’s based on race. Kids who strive to make good grades and do well in school should be rewarded. I’m very big on that. And so when those kids are struggling to pay for college when others get in free.. it’s just not right. *shakes head*
Wow, beautifully said, Teddy. (about the gangs and us all working as one organism) You nailed it. I totally 100% agree with you. I have spent so many days pondering that same very question, why do people do what they do. If only every one thought the way you did, what a wonderful world it would be, eh? One can only dream!
“also wonder what they have in their mind – what’s so fascinating about mundane, insignificant and minute stuff we see everyday? They obviously see things in a different light – that innocence that everyone likes and wants.” Oh most definitely! My grandmother has the box left over from her water heater and so she cute a door and small windows out of it. Alana spent hours playing inside that thing! Laughing and smiling the entire time. It was her own little fortress. I can’t lie, I even got in there and played with her a bit. hehe I do admire the innocence & excitement of a child! It’s so fresh and new. Everything is wonderful through their eyes. I am a very playful person so I don’t believe I lost all my innocence from a child, thankfully. hehe
Yep, I’m the same way. I’m much more comfortable behind the lens. I don’t mind candid shots of myself, but it’s when I have to pose and what not.. I just don’t like it! haha Although, I do get a little sad when going through all my photos and seeing barely any of me. I’m a very sentimental person so it hurts not having many visual memories of me. Thank goodness Chris is decent with my camera! I’m much more comfortable when he’s behind the lens shooting photos of me. Plus, there is no one else I can trust with my Nikon! lol
Oooh, snorkeling. So much fun! My aunt, my sister and I went to Cancun one summer. It was such a busy and crowded beach (the less the people, the better to me!) but I still enjoyed my self. We took a ride in a submarine (so very cool! I saw so many cool fish.. sting rays and giant turtles!). We also went parasailing.. that was one of the coolest things I have ever done. Then we road on water jets to this small beautiful island where we went snorkeling! Okay now.. I am pretty terrified of fish. I don’t like the feel of them and sometimes even gag when looking at them, lol. It’s pretty bad. But I did it anyways! It was so much fun, the coral and everything was just so beautiful. The only thing I regret is when the tour guides threw fish feed in my direction.. I about freaked when a huge school of fish swarmed me. Very scary, lol. BUT, I would probably do it all over again. I am such the adventurous and explorer type, I wish I had more opportunities! I’m thinking about asking the family if they would like to go camping this summer.. I would so love that!