The wooden stairways from the rear lobby of the Penang supreme court leads to a space on the second floor which is dark if not for the light that streams down from the concavity in the ceiling above. It is a dome with peacock motif stained glass lined with copper carvings.
We'll come back to the stairs and the dome in a moment...
Dome with peacock motif stained glass, lined with copper carvingsThe Penang supreme court that stands on the plot of land in between Light Street and Farquhar Street was built by the British colonists in 1903. The architectural design was influenced by the works of Andrew Palladio, a 16th-century Venetian architect.
During the weekdays, the industrial zone in Bayan Lepas is as far as I would go. But last Saturday brought me further south, to a small village located on the south-east tip of Penang island - Permatang Damar Laut.
Sunset at Permatang Damar Laut
Besides the all too familiar stretch of beach in Batu Ferringhi on the northen part of the island, there are a few less known (albeit more easily accessible) beaches on the opposite end. From the south-east to the south-west, there's Batu Maung, Permatang Damar Laut, Teluk Kumbar and Gertak Sanggul. I knew I would have to stop by at these spots for some photo some day. Finally, I decided to start with the closest one, Permatang Damar Laut (or better known among the locals as simply "Permatang").
Picture this: Cows lazying on the field, mouths constantly moving as if they're chewing gum; plenty of goats grazing the grass, stopping only to give an occasional "meh"; roosters pecking the ground, some crowing at the wrong time of the day... That's Permatang Damar Laut, one of the few idyllic villages left in Penang.
It was Thaipusam, a Hindu festival celebrated on the day of the Pusam star in the month of Thai (between January and February). It commemorates the day Lord Muruga received a vel spear blessed by Mother Shakti. With it, Lord Muruga vanquished the demonic forces and liberated everyone.
Hooks pierced at the back of a devoteeIn South East Asia, the Penang Thaipusam is arguably of the grandest scale. 800,000 Hindu devotees from different parts of Malaysia make their pilgrimage to Penang on this day. Even non devotees - locals and foreigners alike - flock to the island to witness this religious festival. Guess what, there're also photographic tours hosted by professional photographers - accommodation, food, photography workshop and even a handphone with a local SIM card for use during the trip, all in one package!
While many people from afar take the trouble to come and experience this unique event, most locals take it for granted. We'd rather sleep in on this precious public holiday. When I was a small kid, my parents used to bring me to the Thaipusam but it has been a long while since I last went to one. So this year, I decided to brave the crowd and take some shots at the festival. It was also my first time photographing Thaipusam.
A collage of Zhi's portraits taken at a five foot wayJust a quickie on a collage I put together a few days ago. I like these photos because the arches in the background add an extra dimension to the shots. Found them while I was looking through my hard drive. They were taken during an earlier trip to Old Town, Ipoh where Zhi's grandma lives.
Pre-war buildings along the main road leading into Old TownDuring the boom of the tin mining industry at the beginning of the 19th century, areas along the riverbank of Sungai Kinta flourished. This town was known as Ipoh. In 1892, the Eastern part of the town was destroyed by a great fire. It was rebuilt and henceforth became known as New Town. Meanwhile, the area on the other side of the river was named Old Town.
I'm not posting holiday photos. This is sunrise in Penang. If you've spent some time in Penang before, look closer and you'll probably recognize that tiny patch of black trees as the tiny island close to Penang bridge. And on the horizon is Butterworth on the mainland.
It was Deepavali, a public Holiday in Malaysia. But instead of spending the morning in the bed and compensate for the sleep debt accumulated over the working days, we ended up waking earlier than usual. The reason? Some silly promise I made to myself a few days back.
When the Chinese migrated to Malaysia (then Malaya) about 200 years ago, they formed closely-knit communities. Those who shared the same surname lived together and watched over each other. In the Hokkien community in early Penang, there were Five Big Clans, namely, Khoo, Cheah, Yeoh, Lim and Tan. These communities built their clanhouses and formed settlement around them.
After 5 years in Japan, I'm back to Malaysia. From now on, my photo album will feature photos from here, starting with Pulau Redang! Pulau Redang is an island off the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia in the South China Sea. ("Pulau" means "island" in Malay language.)
With no light pollution, the night sky was dotted with stars that you will never see in the cities. If you look closely enough, a couple of them was caught in this photo. Even with a 52-second shot, the stars were starting to trail off.
This rocky hill is located in the middle of the two beaches. It was lit by some light from a resort close by. The white "mist" in the foreground is the waves hitting the beach. And in the background, some distant light (perhaps from a lighthouse?) lent an eerie glow to the night sky.
Took this long exposure shot in Odaiba. In the background is Odaiba's famous landmark, Rainbow Bridge. The problem with landmarks is, they're always "shot" to death, by tourists. For travel snaps, it'd be fine but if you're looking for something of a different touch, sometimes you'll have to go the extra mile.
The spot where I took this photo was pitch dark. Even the rocks couldn't be seen. Luckily, I stopped by at the place hours earlier in the evening so I had a rough idea of how the composition of my photo should look like. And with the help of a tripod plus long exposure, voila!
I used to call it the day when the sun goes down. But it seems that night time has plenty to offer too! Even if it means you've to take the trouble to carry your tripod with you.
I have never taken many HDR photos. The main reason being that you can never know the end result until you process them on the computer. Besides, I believe my HDR works will always be overshadowed by the Mt. Fuji HDR shot I took back in 2008.
Taking HDR shots wasn't my initial plan when I went strolling in the vicinity of Tokyo Tower last weekend. But I took three exposures for a couple of my photos because the background was just too bright for a normal single-exposure shot. After processing them on Photomatix and Photoshop, voila! It turned out more decent than I thought!
It's halfway between "realistic" and "CG-like" but as long as it doesn't end up like over-saturated Marvel comics, the effect suits me just fine!
Unfortunately, it wasn't until just now that I realized a huge flaw in the photo. That semi-transparent bar in the middle left is the result of some mistake I made when adding the frames. It can be easily fixed but with my free Flickr account, I can't replace photos! Hint, hint... Buy me a pro account, someone...
New year wishes from Yokohama, Japan! After months of hiatus from the Flickerverse, it's back to action! True, with the chilly weather outside, it's more tempting to stay in the bed. But I'm not ready to let my skills go into the gutter yet.
Last week's trip to Marunouchi didn't return satisfactory yield. But Monday's trip to Yokohama was worth it.
This photo was taken from the roof of Yokohama Ferry Terminal (横浜港大さん橋国際客船ターミナル). The terminal is a unique building by itself. But more than that, the rooftop offers a 360-degree panoramic on Yokohama. This view, facing north-west, is where Minato Mirai is located. I believe this is the only place where you can get all of Yokohama's famous landmarks in a photo! From left to right: Red Brick Warehouse, Landmark Tower, Cosmos Clock 21, Yokohama Grand Intercontinental Hotel. Head over to the photo's Flickr page for the version with added notes.
On the hillside of idyllic town, Air Itam, stands Penang's famous landmark, Kek Lok Si (literal meaning: Temple of Supreme Bliss). The temple is now more than 100 years old and is also the largest Buddhist temple in Southeast Asia.
The pagoda (as can be seen in this photo) - the main structure of the temple - houses 10,000 Buddha statues. During the Chinese New Year, the temple is lighted up with lanterns for 30 days (7pm-12am for the first 15 days; 7pm-10pm for the other 15 days).
Tokyo International Forum, 東京国際フォーラム
Completed in 1996, this futuristic glass atrium was designed by New York architect, Rafael Vinolyl. The building is supported by an innovative truss system, which is shaped in the likes of a ship's hulk. Amazingly, the only structures that hold up the whole building are the two beams on either ends. The walkway in the building slowly winds up from the lower floors to the upper floors and is linked from one side to the other on certain floors.
Tokyo International Forum is a stone's throw away from Yurakucho station, and slightly further than that from Tokyo station, both of which are the main stations in the heart of metropolitan Tokyo.
This is the St. Mary's Cathedral, located in Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo. Despite its humble scale in comparison to the famous Gothic cathedrals, it awes its worshipers in its unique design. After all, it is the work of the renown architect, Tange Kenzo.
It was 15 November, Shichi-Go-san. For the second time in the month, I found myself at Meiji Jingu. The place was teeming with families visiting the shrine. Most of the kids were dressed up in kimono, some in Western style formal wear. In front of a building within the shrine's compound, I spotted a pretty young girl posing for shots. A number of photographers gathered around her, firing their shutters away.
Shichi-Go-San is a traditional festival in Japan, celebrated by three- and five-year-old boys, and three- and seven-year-old girls. Parents bring their children to the shrine to pray for their wellbeing. In the olden days, the celebration was observed by the nobles and the samurai class, but since Meiji period, the tradition has passed down to the commoners as well.
31 October, Halloween - The ghouls walk the streets of Kawasaki. Not just monsters and ghosts, but witches and mummies, Spiderman and Masked Rider as well. Halloween is perhaps the third most commercialized festivity in Japan, after Christmas and Valentine's Day.
Of all the different kinds of photography, candid shots are perhaps the most difficult to take. Because unlike shooting still objects, in street photography, your subject is constantly and therefore it is fairly difficult to frame your shots. Besides, most people don't like to be shot. If you're caught secretly snapping away at them, pray you didn't mess up with someone you wouldn't want to. The obvious solution is to get permission before you shoot, but that won't be called a candid shot, will it?
That's where shoot and run street photography comes in. The point is to blend into the surroundings, anticipate your subject's moves, shoot and evacuate. Sometimes, you get cursed. But if you're good enough, you'd be gone by the time they notice.
In street photography, a telephoto lens might be a good option if you don't want to risk getting beaten up by pissed off strangers. But if you've tried this before, you'll know that nothing's better than working with your subjects in proximity. These photos were shot at "point-blank" with a 50mm prime lens.
I'm falling in love with black and white photography. It works especially well with photos with high contrast between light and shadow. What this photo is actually about, I leave to your imagination.
Not a very sharp one but I couldn't step down more than this because of the lightings. Man, cam-whoring in the middle of the night is tiring! Especially when you've been sleeping before eleven for the last five days! Taking your self portrait means you're doing both the photographer's and the model's job. It's twice as demanding as typical photography.
Kryptos
Five feet seven inches tall. A member of a carbon-based bipedal life form descended from an ape.
He believes the cosmos has grand plans for him but whatever his calling is, it has not yet been revealed to him. So in the meantime, he spends the day working as a software developer, and whatever free time that is left, reading books. He attempted reading the bible a couple of times but could not as much as finish the first chapter of Genesis. He will continue again, one day.
He loves his camera as much as he loves his books. He picked up photography when he was studying in Japan. But now that he has started working, he can no longer spend as much time for photography as he used to. He is making a small amount of side income from his hobby and hopes to spend more time shooting again.
The blogger is a busy man who tends to form opinions before getting his facts right.
He is also known to be too smart sometimes to understand what he says.
Therefore, he shall not be held responsible for any random opinions posted in this blog.
Should you be offended by his subjective and partial views, feel free to send him a death threat via email.
I'm not posting holiday photos. This is sunrise in Penang. If you've spent some time in Penang before, look closer and you'll probably recognize that tiny patch of black trees as the tiny island close to Penang bridge. And on the horizon is Butterworth on the mainland. 
It was Deepavali, a public Holiday in Malaysia. But instead of spending the morning in the bed and compensate for the sleep debt accumulated over the working days, we ended up waking earlier than usual. The reason? Some silly promise I made to myself a few days back.
When the Chinese migrated to Malaysia (then Malaya) about 200 years ago, they formed closely-knit communities. Those who shared the same surname lived together and watched over each other. In the Hokkien community in early Penang, there were Five Big Clans, namely, Khoo, Cheah, Yeoh, Lim and Tan. These communities built their clanhouses and formed settlement around them. 
