The city that never sleeps

Nobody reads this blog nowadays, but I felt obliged to post here as it is an experience that is hard to forget. This is my first time in the states, and it is definitely an eye-opening experience.

point.nine.five

It’s heavy. It’s big. It’s fully manual. It’s f0.95

Pasar Besar

Markets of Kelantan VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

In the center of a slightly elevated platform I sit, surrounded by green leafy vegetables, bright chilli, sprouts and the occasional toads that live in the drain beside. There are at least five other stalls around me, all selling the same stuff, but I am not stressed. I cannot be bothered to tout my wares, and I will pack the next packet of chilli only when the existing one is sold.

Half a cauliflower and half a cabbage can be sold as a set, so you can have variety without paying for both. Want something you don’t see? Ask. I am just lazy to display everything I have.

My children are all over the place, wondering around like stray animals. At least I give them clothes to wear, and food to eat.

Chatting and gossiping are my favourite pastimes. Otherwise I can go watch the old TV two stalls across. I can also choose to lie down and sleep. My neighbour will wake me up when a customer shows up.

By some matter of luck, at the end of the day I happen to earn enough to pay for dinner. Good enough already. I can now pack up and go get the other ingredients for tonight.

Why work so hard?

Happy Wet Year

Can’t help but brought the E-M5 on yet another trip down to Chinatown. The intention was not as much to shoot than to shop, but it turned out to be more shooting than shopping.

This is the first time I’ve experienced heavy rain at Chinatown during CNY season. Contrary to what most people would believe, it is easier to do street photography in the rain. The heavier the better. People become oblivious to photographers.. too busy trying to stay dry.

Happy Chinese New Year.

OMG EM5

A photogenic scene starts to take shape. People start moving into position. Kids start to smile. Your photographic instinct tells you there’s a keeper to be had. Your body, too tired to move, convinces your instinct with the cliché line – some things are just meant to be watched. And you move on.. in search of somewhere to sit and chill.

How many times have that happened to you? Wished your enthusiasm would sustain from dawn to dusk? Then prepare to face the truth. Your camera system is too heavy and bulky. Period. (Sorry Pros. Just hit the gym to build up your strength and stamina yea?)

For the rest of us, there is an alternative.

Still Alive!

Seriously belated post. 18 days late. Lol. It’s getting increasingly busy these days. 3 graduate modules, 1 conference and 1 journal paper. All to be done by end of the semester. And I haven’t started much research yet. But today is a Friday, and I thought I should stop procrastinating.. so here it is!

Consistent with latest “trends”, this year’s sunrise is a timelapse. It isn’t easy doing timelapse at sunrise/sunset though.. You have to change exposure and white balance along the way, and make sure the change isn’t too obvious. Took me about 4 days to process it, mainly because my computer was very slow… It just isn’t used to exporting hundreds of RAW files at one go..

3 (now 4) more posts than last year!

That’s just an excuse to console myself. Lol. Gear is still rather under-utilized. In fact, I find that my needs have changed over the years..

During the days in SYD, all I cared about was speed of operation, AF speed/accuracy and tracking.. all the quality heavy lenses to increase my chances of getting that all essential shot. But today, things have changed.. my 80-200 has set unused for probably the entire year, together with the flash. The tamron has focusing issues, the fisheye also have issues due to wear and tear..

The recent Hanoi trip made me realize this change even more.. I was actually losing opportunities due to the weight and bulk of the gear. This made me re-consider where I am heading in the future. I have always believed that if one can’t take a good picture with a D300, it is the photographer’s fault. True, the camera is pretty darn flawless from a performance point of view. Handles like a dream… provided it’s in your hand when the moment presents itself.. with a suitable lens mounted. Not very likely..

Well.. the takeaway message is.. I am in the process of planning a migration to a smaller system. Most probably the m43 system. (The OMD-EM5 is a very respectable candidate, although the fuji or NEX system cameras are very good too).This would probably take a long while, as I will have to wait for the right gear to appear at the right price. The d300 will not be sold, as it is simply not worth the 2nd hand price, but hard to say about other lenses..

So there! Happy New Year’s Eve!