Shutter Nick

If you came here..

2009-09-01T19:22:00.000+08:00

You should go to my new home:

http://nicholasleong.net

I may have left comments on my google account that links here instead :)

I miss my comments! :(

2009-04-13T18:06:00.001+08:00

Ever since I switched to the new site, the comments have all but disappeared. WHYYY! :P

Maybe I should make the layout a bit more conventional :(

nicholasleong.net is now live!

2009-03-18T17:50:00.003+08:00

After mulling it over, I decided to move to a self-hosted environment. And it wasn't easy finding a template that I really wanted (without paying of course). But in the end, I think I found it.

It might not be the same style as the blog over here as it moves back to the one post per day. Hopefully my viewers won't run away.

I have also decided to get rid of the ads and stuff and it will just mainly be my photos. One big photo a day.

I'll see you all at the new space: http://www.nicholasleong.net

Bookmark it! :)

Moving house...

2009-03-17T09:38:00.001+08:00

I have registered for my very own domain and is now fixing up the place :)

Will be moving house soon so keep a close watch on this space for the new address!

Mr Colourful

2009-03-13T11:49:00.002+08:00

Mr Colourful, originally uploaded by nicklwc.

Well, I will post all the shots soon enough but let's get one out first. This is one of the first shot I took during my recent trip to Jurong Birdpark.

Armed only with the 85mm, I guess it was an eye opener to see how I will fare with the limitations I have. I guess I am pretty happy with what I got. So for now, enjoy Mr Colourful :)

Such a funny face as well.

Monsters invading town...

2009-03-11T10:46:00.002+08:00

Well, someone of you might know that I have recently gotten myself involved in a new game - Monsterpocalypse by Privateer Press. They are these really nice looking pre-painted miniatures and you get to stomp buildings and throw other monsters around. Pretty fun stuff :)

We had a tournament in Toybox and I didn't play but it was fun taking photos of the game in progress. The above is an SSS unit going to utterly destroy a helpless Cthulhu unit.

One of the players seem to be in prayers that his Terra Khan will be able to win the game.

A G-tank of GUARD wondering what mess did he get into going against the mighty Terra Khan of the Terrasaurs.

Lord of Cthulhu terrorising downtown err.. Kuala Lumpur?

And then we have the Planet Eaters who wants to eat our Planet. Not for real but in the game.

Beneath all the colourful monsters, the game is actually about these dices. The key to winning is knowing how to manage the pool correctly.

So, thats it, if you are interested in the game, let me know :) Oh, and the shots above were shot with the new toy, 85mm. Maybe I should sharpen them again after resizing.

The real reason I am in Singapore...

2009-03-09T13:01:00.002+08:00

It is because I am now an uncle! :) Meet Audrey Ng - my niece. She's my sister's first child and she was born on February 27.

So, while I managed a little shopping and a photo trip as well (alone unfortunately), she was the reason I was there :)

Onwards to Singapore!!

2009-03-05T09:50:00.002+08:00

I am going to Singapore over the long weekend, so I will be there from Saturday and heading back on Monday.

Anybody up for a morning street shoot in Chinatown? *looking at Vince and possibly Steph* :P

Non-macro shots on a macro outing...

2009-02-27T10:13:00.000+08:00

Well, without a macro lens, I walked around, distracting LordMint from taking his macro shots and we both saw...

A hornbill! Well, he had his 100-400mm so he was busy snapping away. I had an 85mm so this is the best I could do :(

So, I had to search for a bigger subject, and the lily was too far away. But then the light was so interesting that I gave it a go as well.

Then, of course, the macro shooters started shooting macro. I didn't wanna be left out so I also tried. But can't get close enough :( But I love the bokeh though :D

And before I went home, I spotted this flower which well, got to shoot la. Nothing fantastic but thought the flower managed to make itself stand out.

And thats all for this week!

ShutterAsia First Macro Outing for 2009

2009-02-26T09:56:00.002+08:00

No macro lens. So what was I doing at ShutterAsia's first macro outing for 2009? That was the question I was asking myself as I woke up at 8.30am. Slowly making my way to Tmn Rimba Kiara, I guessed it was for the people and also to try out my new toy.

Met a couple of the macro sifus but can't post one of the shot because it was said that I can't take a solo shot of him or I will be banned :P So here are the people I met:

1. KianKheong

2. aerden and his friend cum assistant

3. LordMint

4. a_manson79

Tomorrow I shall post what I managed to capture :)

No pictures!

2009-02-25T10:08:00.004+08:00

Gasp! Just thought that I update this a bit before everyone thinks that I am gone for good. But I have no pictures to accompany today's blog, which is quite a surprise.

Actually, this is just to say that I am alive! Still alive! :P And in times of economic crisis, just want to share a couple of points on keeping the hobby alive:

1. Spend less - buy what you need rather than what you want
I've fallen into the trap of buying what I want many, many times but it is time to be more careful with our spending. We will always want the biggest lens, the fastest lens but do sit down and think how will that lens contribute to you.

Is it one that will sit in the drybox more often than not? If yes, then maybe it can come later when times are better.

2. Buy used, its not that bad
There are many sales thread in ShutterAsia, Photo Malaysia, Photokaki that you can really get good bargains. Some are clearing their drybox, some needs money, whatever the case, you stand to benefit.

All the stuff in my equipment bag is currently bought used except for the body and the grip. And all three lenses as well as flash are in excellent condition.

3. Wait a while
Patience is virtue as they say. You don't need the latest immediately. I am sure you can wait a while for the price to stabilise. No point paying that premium just to be the first.

I guess thats all. Have fun shooting :)

Back.. with a vengeance.. I think..

2009-02-20T10:06:00.003+08:00

Well, it didn't take long but I finally realigned my equipment bag. Out went the "almost new" 70-300mm VR, and in came the 85mm f1.8. Out went the ring flash and the Speedlite Pro Kit, and in came the Demb Flash Diffuser.

I also decided that this year, I want to focus a lot more on people and also on weddings (don't know how this is going to happen :P). So, I am now known as the PRIME WEDDING SHOOTER!!! wahahahaha :P Seriously, primes are the bomb :P

I also want to try and learn from the people that reads this blog, which means, somehow I need to shoot with them :P

The list includes:

1. Wedding/ Portrait with Mark Leo
2. Wedding/ Portrait with Steph
3. Street Shoot with LordMint
4. Food with Meendee (Why food? I don't know!)
5. Street Shoot with Vince in Singapore
6. Travel with Kar Heng
7. Travel with Su (Err let me figure out how to get to Japan)
8. Anything with Jan Shim
9. Wedding with Shiney
10. Parkour with Amir

I would also love to shoot the following:

1. Concept or themed portraiture
2. Rock concert
3. Stage plays
4. Profile shots for a rock band

I think that is pretty much it. Now how am I going to achieve those goals? Hrmmm..

On a break...

2009-02-13T09:42:00.002+08:00

No, I am not going to go into a rubber plantation, but I will be on a break so this blog might see very few updates from now until I return.

Where am I going? Nowhere actually, just taking a short break from photography. Do a bit of soul searching. Equipment realignment. And hopefully, I will be back as a better photographer.

Till then, have fun shooting and see you soon.

Of flowers and... sucky skills...

2009-02-12T10:16:00.002+08:00

So, this will be the final flower series from Sentosa. The scary thing is.. I have no more photos to show after this! :(

But oh well, I'll worry about that later. I think Malaysia should learn something from Sentosa in terms of organising a floral fest. I went to one last year near the Titiwangsa lake and it wasn't even close to being this impressive.

I am sure with our diverse flora in this country, we will be able to do a better job. Maybe the Putrajaya version is impressive. Must remind myself to make a visit there.

And I wish the above shot was more centred :( Lousy skills get lousy photos.

And I wish I can take red better. It just seems to... blow :(

Flowers and more flowers!

2009-02-11T09:53:00.002+08:00

Well, Sentosa Floral Fest is quite a nice place to be. There are lots of flowers if you are interested in shooting flowers. As for me, it was a good practice ground to see what I can do with flowers.

It will mostly be pink flowers because well, pink rocks! :) And also Sharon likes pink.

Flowers are quite interesting subjects, especially when there are lots of colours. It just seems to scream "Take a picture of me!" It is not easy though and I think my shots were very generic.

And last of the err similar to pink colour. Fine, it is purple but it also looks a bit pinkish. Doesn't it? :P

Tomorrow: Non-pink flowers?

Stopping by..

2009-02-10T09:53:00.000+08:00

Just one post for today which is quite rare actually :P I was at the Sentosa Floral Fest and this was my favourite shot of the whole day.

I don't think I have done better even when I was having a macro lens. Then again, I could have gotten more details with a macro lens. Submitted this to Dreamstime for stock photo and got rejected but oh well, personal satisfaction still ranks the highest on my list and I am personally satisfied with this shot.

Tomorrow: The rest of the flower shots...

Up in the trees...

2009-02-06T10:14:00.002+08:00

Its the last series of the Singapore Zoo. And we end with some inhabitants of the trees and a very large animal. First up, got the chance to shoot the orang utans during their feeding session and they are really lovely.

Of course, they are so lovely that some people will try to hunt baby orang utans as pets. But its a very harmful to the orang utans and successful captures are rewarded very highly. Why? Because captures are seldom successful.

Baby orang utans cling on to their mothers and so if the hunter shoots the mother, the mother will bring the baby along with her, from very high up in the trees. The fall will usually kill both of them. So, orang utans as pets is a BIG NO NO!

Then, we have Mr Golden Hands, who appeared after the orang utans went away. He ate the scraps. Poor fella. And he couldn't stop scratching himself either.

And our last photo of the day - the friendly giant of Asia. Elephanto! :) He flapped his ears but he still couldn't fly.

Of lizards and slow moving animals...

2009-02-05T10:01:00.002+08:00

Big lizards are always fascinating. As long as they are not out in the open where they can chase me and maul me down. The Komodo Dragon is one scary lizard instead, it is fast, it is strong and you don't want to mess with him.

And even his saliva can kill you!

And then, you have the lizards that still look like mini dinosaurs. They don't move much so it makes it easier to photograph them but it also means that you can get bored pretty quickly watching them.

And then last, we have the slow moving turtles. These giant turtles can live for a very long, long time. Over a century old is common. Must be the vegetable diet. Maybe I should try it...

Up next: The end! Some inhabitants of the tree..

The big cats at Singapore Zoo...

2009-02-04T13:19:00.002+08:00

Well, its time for the big cats series. I think I was pretty happy with my collection of big cats this time around. The above is the cheetah. Fastest land animal and with ability to accelerate from 0 to 110km/h in three seconds. That is faster than most supercars in the world.

This is one fella you don't want to be running away from.

And then we have the lion king. But somehow the mane doesn't look too good. How come I don't see big bushy manes like those on National Geographic. Must be using the wrong shampoo and conditioner :P

And then we have the lioness. Which I think its my favourite big cat shot so far. I like the pose :)

And last but not least, we have the jaguar. Not the car. The cat. Shot behind glass but somehow has a bit of classic film-like colours to it. Hrmm...

Next up: Lizards!

The best zoo in SEA - Part 2

2009-02-03T09:50:00.002+08:00

Other than the White Tigers, the Singapore Zoo has another exhibit they are very proud of. The exhibit for the Hamadryas Baboon is pretty well done and it kinda resembles their natural habitat. So much so that you see the baboons pretty active throughout the day.

They also have very red butts :P

I believe the whole area was called Ethiopia something so I guess animals from that region was covered. There were these big mouse-looking critters that were quite fierce, at least in their illustration. When I took a pic, they looked out they were on the lookout to pounce on something.

A further walk down, and you get to see the land of primates. I got to start taking pictures of the names of these animals. Does this look like a squirrel monkey to you?

And now, we end today's posting with the favourite animal of Singapore Zoo - the polar bear. Such a beautiful animal. I heard these bears are the last of the polar bears for the zoo. After this, there wouldn't be anymore :(

Next up: The big cats..

The Best Zoo in SEA - Part 1

2009-02-02T12:50:00.003+08:00

During CNY eve, while others were busy with last minute shopping and preparation of a big feast, I spent time with some animals at the zoo. The above is a cotton top tamarin, cute little critter who will greet you when you enter the zoo.

And then you get to see the cockatoo which is always there to pose when visitors want a picture or two. But while I was there, the poor cockatoos were outdone by the blue and yellow macaw.

The otters were sleeping and the monkeys were too high up, so next up is one of the star attraction of Singapore Zoo - the white tiger. I missed the feeding session but they were obviously very active.

A short walk away from the white tiger, and we get to see the ballerina. Not a small one mind you but they weren't dancing for me.

And then we catch a glimpse of the shot that will complete my Lion King collection. Pumba is in! :) Now I still need to work on that Madagascar collection.

And we end today with a glimpse of apparently Australia's most poisonous snake.

Tomorrow: We see more of the best zoo in this region!

My lil trip to Tanah Lot

2009-01-30T10:43:00.003+08:00

Tanah Lot is probably one of the most visited attraction in Bali. It is like the place to go if you are in Bali. Went to Bali and didn't see Tanah Lot? Then, you didn't go Bali! :P

To view the large version of the pano above, go here.

Then I had fun with the fish-eye lens here. Pretend you didn't see the cable streaking its way there. The cable is not there. Do not look at it. I repeat, do not look at it.

Behold my power! I bent Tanah Lot! Mwahahaha! Bow before my might! *ehem* Sorry, Chinese New Year cookies sugar rush does that to you sometimes.

I discovered my other talent, painting. How's my skills? Any good? :P

I spotted monks leaving the temple, and well, who can resist not snapping monks? Their orange costumes against the dark, gloomy background seems to work quite well.

Next week: I am out of materials! GASP!

My lil trip to Bali

2009-01-29T16:08:00.002+08:00

As you all know, I recently went to Bali for a lil holiday and of course, a lot of photo taking. Ended up not taking that many pictures but enough to blog about.

We stayed at a villa in Penatih and the view was totally awesome. Waking up to the view of paddy field stretched before you is something that I can certainly get used to. As long as I don't need to work the field :)

The above is a panoramic shot of the view I can see every morning but it is far too small to see on this blog. If you are interested in the larger version, it is here. There is unfortunately ghosting due to poor merging by yours truly :(

The following day after our arrival, I arranged for a bike tour of the countryside of Ubud. It started off well enough, with breakfast overlooking Mount Batur. Quite an impressive sight even though it was very misty.

Again, the above is a panoramic shot. So large version can be found here.

Of course, the cycling tour was more intensive than I thought it would be. 2.5 hours on a mountain bike and on a bumpy road was certainly not easy. But the sights more than made up for the tough exercise.

Along the way, you pass Balinese villages and you get to see the everyday people of Bali. And lots and lots of beautiful green paddy fields.

Even on a Sunday, these people are hard at work in their farms and when you think about it, you don't get no day off for farming. Like gardening, but more intensive, since your livelihood depends on it.

But no matter how hard it is for them, they never fail to flash you a friendly smile. The children run out to say hello and some even attempts to high five you. If you are more adept at riding a bike than me, you can return some of those enthusiastic high fives.

And when you get to see sights like this, why worry about the 2.5 hours bike ride eh? There is always the van :P

Next up: I go to Tanah Lot

Chinese Orchestra Performance!

2009-01-23T14:01:00.003+08:00

I had the opportunity to shoot or capture the moments for a Chinese orchestra performance recently at SGMS and it was quite fun. We were given a briefing by the OP and because he was a Nikon user, he even gave us some lens to use.

Lucky friend of mine got to try out the 70-200mm VR f2.8. Well, not too sure if he was lucky because he is now craving for it.

After capturing some shots based on the OP's instructions, I went around looking for shots that I want. Time to see how many angles I can explore. Of course, the standard, hands pulling er hu have to be in.

Surprisingly, this is one of my fav. No idea why but the shot feels fun to me. As though the mic is getting lectured :P

But certainly, the level of concentration, focus and determination to perform well for a crowd was evident from the performers' faces. You can certainly feel that they have put in a lot of work into this.

So, the event was again fun to shoot, much like the Dance Fest. I am beginning to develop a liking to covering stage events. Anyone with jalan for me to get in? :)

Note: I will be away in Singapore for a long weekend. Will only be back and blogging on Thursday. So, to my Chinese friends, Happy Chinese New Year! If you are married, email me your address so I can collect angpow.

For my non-Chinese friends, have a great long weekend!

A look back at 2008...

2009-01-22T10:20:00.003+08:00

Sorry for not posting yesterday. I got a stomach flu and was down and out. It is a bit late to start a "look back" post but oh well, no harm done right?

The above picture was taken at the Singapore Zoo, after I upgraded from D40 to D300. A leap of faith and also lots of dollars spent.

And then, the macro bug bit me. I tell you, macro thread at ShutterAsia is a poisonous place to be. This was my first ever macro outing with the Tamron SP90. And it still remains my favourite macro shot up till today.

I have since left the macro scene so I guess there won't be any more picture to trump this.

Then I went to Thailand with Sharon and I wanted to well, try a wide lens. Went hunting around and someone said, "Why go ultra wide when you can go extreme wide?" And the 10.5mm went into my bag.

Its a fun and fun and fun lens! I sold it once due to financial crunch and I am still trying to scrape money to get it back.

Then came the financial crunch and also a little soul searching for me. Out went the D300 and every single lens I owned. Even the dry cabinet was not spared.

In came the Powershot G9. Canon! Eep! :P What happened to the Nikon fanboy? Well, Nikon make pretty sucky PNS, to tell the truth. With the G9, came an interest in street shooting.

Haven't really been on a street shoot ever since I got back a DSLR.

But the G9 couldn't satisfy my passion for macro then. So, the D40 came in together with a full blown macro kit - the R1C1 and Nikkor 105mm VR.

Armed with G9 and D40, off I went to Hanoi and realised, at the peak of a UNESCO Heritage Site, that photography is truly rewarding. One wonders why I never got into it earlier.

And then, a new interest. Thanks to Tim who got me started. I never knew I was into wedding photography. But it was so fun, so rewarding, so tiring at times :) But I got hooked and Through Our Eyes Photography was born.

After shooting primarily with the 105mm for almost everything, I developed a love for primes. And when I found a 35mm for cheap, I couldn't resist burning a hole in my wallet to get it.

It is now my favourite lens and one that I will never tire off (I hope).

The year end also brought a flurry of events and one of them was a dancing event. Had fun shooting it and I am now trying to get more opportunities to shoot events! :)

And all things must end in a circle :P so, the last shot is naturally, the subject I love most, animals.

So, there you have it. My 2008 which has been one exciting ride, filled with ups and downs. But at least I am still shooting eh?

Tomorrow: Last post before the long CNY break!

Went fullframe for RM200!

2009-01-20T11:15:00.002+08:00

Well, the choice was either:

1. Jump brand to Canon and go with 5D
2. Rob a bank and go D700
3. Find a cheapass film camera

Obviously, I went with option #3. Since, it is cheaper and it satisfies my curiosity in experimenting shooting film.

Zoo Melaka - Conclusion!

2009-01-20T10:08:00.003+08:00

Random shots to wrap up the series of the awesome Zoo Melaka. We have first the Lar Gibbon. While the rest were busy snapping monkeys that were affectionate with each other, I got tired and wandered off to check the surrounding area.

Lo and behold, the Lar Gibbon was there for me to shoot. He was missing previously from his enclosure.

But before we actually reached the monkey area, we were running around with crocs. Tripods, monopods and big lenses were pointed at the crocodiles with lots of curious onlookers.

These creatures were not moving much so it gave way to some compositional skills (which I have none) and so I just merrily clicked away. As they say, shoot and pray.

And there you have it, the Zoo Melaka.

Tomorrow: I go with The Best of 2008 (some repeated shots)

A new mini toy...

2009-01-19T18:06:00.003+08:00

Well, got myself a new toy yesterday but have yet to try it out. Managed to get myself a very well-kept used AF-D 24mm f2.8 :)

I can't wait to see what new perspective I can get with this piece of glass. I might also be adding a new toy later tonight. Will see how it goes :)

Zoo Melaka - Part 4

2009-01-19T10:16:00.000+08:00

As promised, we take a look at some big cats in Zoo Melaka. First we have the lioness, because the lion was unfortunately sleeping. She wasn't too awake either and yawned a couple of times.

This was the first, you could hear our shutters going crazy.

Then, she decided to yawn a second time and more shutter counts were wasted :P I think I will stop taking yawning shots for the moment. Time to explore other ways to capture these cats.

And of course, we can't forget the other big cat. The tiger yawned too. Yes, it was a yawning day for all of us.

Tomorrow: The conclusion!

Zoo Melaka - Part 3

2009-01-16T10:05:00.002+08:00

After walking out of the enclosure with the lemurs and the mandarin ducks, we took a stroll through the Safari Park. As we walked, nothing spectacular came to our sights but we were finally bowled over when we reached the end.

Giraffes and zebras and we could get quite close to them. This is quite an amazing zoo! As usual, the idea of a close-up on the zebra is too good to resist.

And then, there was a baby giraffe trying to fight its way in to nibble on some leaves. I decided that it was more a bonding moment. Though the lil fella got chased away after a while :P

And finally, got a shot of Ol' Wrinkle Face. Really cute fella, wrinkly in a cute way :)

Next week: The Big Cats Yawn!

Zoo Melaka - Part 2

2009-01-15T10:10:00.002+08:00

After the Mandarin Ducks, I was about to walk out when I noticed the lemurs were out of their windowed room and was running about freely. Picture opportunity!!

Such cute creatures and it was great being able to shoot them up close. One even came so near to me that I had to move back so that I can fit him within the 70-300mm range.

And then we noticed there were more than lemurs in the same area. There were bats, which I couldn't get a decent picture of and there were owls. The owls were a hoot to shoot, pardon the pun.

We left the enclosure after that, leaving Liew to shoot the mandarin ducks as he arrived later and haven't spent any time with the ducks.

Tomorrow: The African adventure!

Zoo Melaka - Part 1

2009-01-14T10:16:00.002+08:00

Zoos are fun. They are even more fun when they are well maintained and the animals are well taken care of. I knew Zoo Melaka was a nice zoo since I went to the Night Zoo before but it looks even better in daytime.

The Blue and Yellow Macaw greeted us when we entered (we being LordMint, Macropixman and I with liewwk joining us later) and we spent a good couple of minutes there trying to capture their shots.

We then, walked into some cagey thing, which had iguana, some birds and things I couldn't shoot unless I shot at ISO3200. But the discovery of the day was the Mandarin Ducks.

I took a left turn in the cagey thing and we stumbled upon a pond of mandarin ducks.

Needless to say, if we can spend 1.5 hours waiting for a hippo to yawn, the beautiful mandarin ducks were no exception. I think we were there for more than an hour, trying to get the best shot.

It was challenging, natural light were not exactly in abundance and we had to pump up to ISO1600 and still shoot at very slow shutter speed. Thank goodness for monopod. So, in the end, I had two shots that I am really happy with :)

Tomorrow: King Julian makes his appearance!

Dance Fest 2008 - Conclusion

2009-01-09T10:22:00.003+08:00

After the girl flew yesterday, the next dance took me by surprise. The whole hall went dark and I went "uh oh". At least I had the stage lights previously, but this is complete darkness.

Out came coloured flash lights and the dance begun. And what you see above is my attempt to at least show some elements of that dance.

Switched to slow shutter, and then realised that my camera can't AF in the dark :P So had to switch to MF and pray that some pictures will turn out at least "artistically" alright :P

And then, there was light! And we could see the performers. I breathed a sigh of relief. Any more of that dark stuff and I'll be scratching my head what to do next. Some photographers were using flash and I wonder how that turned out.

And so, tada! And we have reached the end of Dance Fest 2008. It was fun covering the event and I think it has been my longest series here :P

I will be going away to Bali and be back on Tuesday so this blog will be quiet. So, don't miss me yah! :P

Dance Fest 2008 - Part 8

2009-01-08T10:04:00.000+08:00

After the "Lost" dance, it was time for a dance that symbolises hope. It was a slow start to the dance and it didn't take long for them to introduce the props.

First we had hoops. Lots of hoops. They were throwing them, going through them, twirling them, rolling them. Anything you can do with a hoop, they did.

After hoops, the flags came out. Waving them, tossing them and once again, anything you can do with a flag, they did.

Then I got lucky. Standing at one side of the stage, I saw this girl running towards me. Big smile on her face, arms waving the flags around. I knew it. Something is going to happen. And she...

She flew!!! :P Well, she jumped up la. But it was nice to capture that moment. Shutter speed didn't allow me to freeze it entirely though.

Coming up: The end, the conclusion, you can now say finally! :P

Dance Fest 2008 - Part 7

2009-01-07T10:11:00.003+08:00

After going on fast paced for the past few dances, things suddenly took a dip as the Fest sent a message that sometimes, life is not all the time perfect. Quite a good message to send out in view of 2009 which is expected to be a challenge for all of us.

The dance aim to depict how people are lost in current times. Be it spiritually, or even just lost in the moment. Where human values are traded for another day's meal. Where political powers toy with regular lives. And how some tries to break away but gets suck back in.

Of course, at the end, the message of hope, that humanity is reaching out and we, standing up, and rising to the challenge was portrayed. Can't be too down :) I thought this was well-executed, a very powerful dance and I loved the images I got from this dance.

Next up: Flags away!

Dance Fest 2008 - Part 6

2009-01-06T10:00:00.003+08:00

After the ballroom dance, it was time for some props to emerge. The first being the Chinese fan. While is usual to see Chinese fan dance, I was surprised that they went with a contemporary costume this time rather than going traditional.

I guess the choice of costume was in line with the way the performance was going. If everybody thought Chinese fan dance was going to be slow, they were wrong. They kept up the tempo and more swirly kicks were to be seen.

So it was an interesting take on an old traditional dance. One that I enjoyed. The above is a bad PP job from me. I like the composition as I found space to put the logo but I just didn't blend it in well enough. Sigh.

Next up: Dance Fest 2008 goes down!

Dance Fest 2008 - Part 5

2009-01-05T09:44:00.002+08:00

This is beginning to be quite a long series eh? Well, it goes on :P With the heat of ballroom dancing going around, it is no surprise that a Dance Fest should have ballroom dancing as well.

Entered a few young couples, strutting their stuff and performing some kind of Latin dance I think. At least I think its Latin.

The twists, the twirls, the looks into each other's eyes. You would think they were all in love. Maybe they were. Hrmm....

Anyway, that ends this Part 5. Next up! More Dance Fest of course. Could it finally be the end?

Dance Fest 2008 - Part 4

2009-01-02T10:25:00.002+08:00

After the last dance, a more modern group came out to perform some hip hop moves of their own. It started off with a small group performing at the corner of the stage before more joined them.

Again, the crowd were thoroughly entertained with fast music, energetic moves and very very skillful dancers. In the blink of an eye, the modern hip hop dancers made way to a very "back to the 60s" dancers.

We are talking big ribbons on hair, bow ties for guys and very pink costumes.

So, another energetic dance and the crowd is getting seriously worked up here. It looks like the 1000 people that turned up is getting a good night out after all.

Next week: SGM does ballroom dancing?

Dance Fest 2008 - Part 3

2009-01-01T21:29:00.003+08:00

After the "kids" dance, it got serious when the theme song for Flashdance started playing. They used some interesting silhoutte to complement the start of the song which was slow.

But once the music started, the dancers were unstoppable! It was an excellent performance, extremely energetic and highly enjoyable.

The guys were throwing the girls around, swinging them and they were doing splits, jumps and I believed it did justice to such a classic song. They were doing so many things, moving so fast, that capturing them was proving to be a challenge.

Nevertheless, I think I got pretty ok shots for them :)

At the end of the performance, it was without a doubt that they had great applause.

Tomorrow: The energetic show continues!

Dance Fest 2008 - Part 2

2008-12-31T09:52:00.001+08:00

The emcees kicked off the event with some simple welcoming message, an explanation of the event and what the audience can expect. Then its off to non-stop dancing!

So, the show started off with some martial arts combo with dancing moves and it was pretty cool. The SGMS Dancing Group has certainly improved by leaps and bounds since the last time I saw them perform.

After that, they went with a journey back in time as they profiled the colours and innocence of children. Well, they got tweens to dress up and dance like children but it was pretty well done.

So, the Dance Fest was off to a good start but it was about to get even better. Find out tomorrow!

Dance Fest 2008 - Part 1

2008-12-30T10:16:00.002+08:00

Recently, I was invited to a Dance Fest organised by Soka Gakkai Malaysia Selangor to shoot some photos and I, of course, snapped up the chance. It was a very well done event and the hall was packed with more than 1000 people! Some even had to sit outside and watch it through a specially set up projector screen.

The crowd was entertained with a welcoming dance before the main event started. Some traditional dances of all three major races in Malaysia were performed much to the delight of the people there.

After their dance, the dancers then form a line to welcome the audience. Lots of singing and cheering and generally, it was pushing the atmosphere to a high. The crowd that were pouring in were happy to receive such a warm welcome.

Next up: Part 2 where we look at some of the first few dances!

Jack and Yen Ling - Part 2

2008-12-24T09:59:00.002+08:00

The wedding dinner was held near my place which was good as it allowed me more time to work on the morning shots and produce the slideshow for the dinner.

The surroundings for the restaurant made it a nice place for relatives and friends to catch up. There is a pool nearby and people can walk around instead of just sitting in the dinner hall.

Jack and Yen Ling were lucky that they had three cute lil girls as their flower girls. Their smile and enthusiasm for the night was very refreshing indeed.

Of course, the star of the night were the couple and as they stroll in, cheers, applause can be heard and the couple was smiling from ear to ear.

It was a wonderful night and they were very gracious host. They took care of us and made sure we had something to eat although we were too busy running around to worry about eating.

I wish them both the best and it was a blast covering their wedding :)

For more pictures of the night, click here

I will not be blogging for the rest of the week as I will be away in Kuching for Christmas. To everyone reading this blog, have a good holiday and Merry Christmas :)

Jack and Yen Ling - Part 1

2008-12-23T09:56:00.003+08:00

Another wedding, another job introduced by Tim and we are pretty much improving as we go. I think this was so far my best coverage of a wedding yet so I am pretty happy with the direction we are heading.

This time around, we managed to get some posed shots, some natural shots and best of all, the bride, the groom, the relatives and the friends were all so smiley that it was so easy to capture their raw emotion on camera.

The groom's friends were also largely cooperative and they did everything in good sport. Of course, there were some bargaining here and there but in the end, they played all the games. Good sport.

So, I wish Jack and Yen Ling all the best although I still have another series of them to share after this. But as usual, enjoy the video I created for their dinner below:

For high quality version, you know what to do.

Tomorrow: The dinner pics!

Kumar & Rathika

2008-12-22T09:51:00.000+08:00

Our first Indian wedding under Through Our Eyes was quite an eye opener. I never expected the Indian wedding ritual to be so different.

And of course, the makeup session was done so fast, you just have to be amazed. I think it took half an hour for them to be done with the bride. Talk about efficiency! If it was a Chinese wedding, the make-up artist would be there for hours working on the bride alone.

And then, when it was time to pick up the bride, the groom is not present. This is indeed a change of direction for me. I was waiting for the groom to show up and I just saw the bride walking to the car. Luckily, we still managed to get the shots.

And then of course, the best part of the day is in the evening when you get to shoot a half-naked Indian priest. The whole ceremony was very interesting but it was all quite central. Unlike Chinese weddings where the couple move around, this was pretty much done and dusted on stage.

But the most interesting part was one of the last thing they did. The bride will put her feet on the stone and the groom will tie something to it. The act of putting her feet on the stone is a symbol that she will always remain strong for him. Amazing, ain't it?

So, thats a collection of my favourite pics, you can view the video here:

Click on the video, and then click "Watch in High Quality" if you want to see it in a better resolution.

Up next: Another wedding?

Cafe Cafe - The Main and The Sweet

2008-12-19T09:58:00.002+08:00

So, for RM149, what can you expect from the main? Good stuff I tell you. We chose the Wagyu beef with white truffles. Sharon didn't like it so much but I loved it. Absolutely melt in your mouth beef. It is so soft that I don't think I can eat any other steak from now on. Wagyu! Give me more wagyu!

The set menu also come with one free dessert which you can choose from the menu. We chose one of their signature, the Chocolate Lava Cake which is fantastic! Served with vanilla ice cream, when you break the cake, you get hot chocolate oozing out. Yum!

And of course, we ordered extra. Dessert makes or break a restaurant! So we got the Creme brulee and it was again excellent. Done just right.

So for an RM149 set meal, I think it is not too expensive. Furthermore, it can feed two person if you are not a big eater. Just add a few more dessert, its worth it :P

I will be back on Monday as I don't blog on weekends, so see you then.

Up next: Err weddings?

Cafe Cafe - Appetizers!

2008-12-18T10:01:00.003+08:00

Of course, every fine dining restaurant gives complimentary bread so of course Cafe Cafe would have it. The bread came with olive oil and vinegar but it was a bit hard. I suggest you request for the soft one the next time. The olive oil and vinegar was also served in a bowl which meant the vinegar sunk to the bottom.

You needed to get a lot of oil in order to get some vinegar. They should have served it in a saucer.

Our first appetizer of the day was... Pan fried foie gras! Absolutely, simply the best so far. You got to try it. Coming here and not eating this is a sin!

Our second appetizer as part of the set menu is Baked Escargot. But it was ok. Nothing fantastic to shout about. I prefer mine done the other way. Still in the shell, in a silver plate and lots of garlic.

So, tomorrow I will show you the main course and dessert. Keep an eye out for it.

A taste of Paris on Jln Maharajalela?

2008-12-17T12:18:00.005+08:00

Recently, I went to Cafe Cafe with Sharon to celebrate my birthday. It was located in a corner that no one really looks out for and the hokkien mee down the road is probably more famous. A lot cheaper too.

The ambiance however was great. A bit dark so it makes for a perfect romantic outing. The place is also decorated to give a feel that you just walked into some cafe in Europe but instead, outside, it is pretty much the KL you know.

Everything has that old school cafe feel to it and well, it is really quite lovely.

So, if you are looking for a little romantic eatery, then look no further. What about the food you say? Well, that is for tomorrow :P

Tomorrow: APPETIZERS!

Singapore with new toy!

2008-12-16T09:43:00.002+08:00

If you were expecting to see lots of Singapore, sorry! :P Truth is, this post will only be on the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple located in Singapore. I didn't really take much shots of Singapore itself. And of course, this is with my new toy! 35mm f2! Which is fast replacing the 105mm as my favourite lens.

I was impressed with the temple as it was so clean, so well maintained and pretty much quite different from other Chinese temples around this region. No intense smoke smell and air conditioned! :P

And of course, no offending "No Photography" sign which means I can go snap happy. The only place that I can't take photos was at the actual site for the Tooth Relic. No bother as I was more interested in everything else in that temple anyway. I also saw framed up shots of a recent photography competition held at the temple and saw some excellent shots.

And would you believe my luck when... they had a ceremony while I was there! And they even have a observation floor. This is what I call awesome! Everything seems to be planned for people to capture the moments.

Trigger happy Nick went all nuts with the 35mm and the 105mm as I needed the reach from the observation deck of course. I was grinning from ear to ear with a few shots that I am happy with.

All in all, a good day and I was sure glad my sister decided to stop at this place after our dim sum breakfast. Yet to edit the dim sum shots so I guess that won't be the next series.

What's up tomorrow? Food actually.

Non-insect macro!

2008-12-15T10:12:00.002+08:00

After all the bugs, it is time to go non-bugs. Nothing better to do so tried to capture some mushrooms. At least I think they are some sort of mushrooms. Again, lighting is a bit harsh. Got to learn how to judge it properly.

And then after that, my attempt to shoot flowers. I think I probably shoot flowers the least. Sometimes, I wonder how to capture their beauty. And I am still wondering.

Next up: My Singapore trip!

Ring ring ring!

2008-12-12T09:59:00.002+08:00

So, I sold my CSI kit, I no longer have the R1C1 and it is replaced by a China-made Dragonfly Ring Flash. See, even the name is macro-like :P Armed with the new toy, I went to one of my favourite hunting grounds - Tmn Rimba Kiara.

The difference between the ring flash and the R1C1 is that the ring flash depends on the power of the flash it is attached to. This means you can tweak the strength of the flash better.

Not only that, the ring flash generates circular catchlight and it is desired among some photographers, not all. That catchlight can be seen in the spider's eyes above. Oh, and yes I was interrupting him having a meal.

It is either I have missed a beat with the R1C1 but I was happier with the output from the ring flash. Somehow, it seems to have allowed me to capture the ambiance better. But that could be due to my inexperience in handling the R1C1.

The above shot of the long-legged fly is currently one of my favs because of the leaf's colours. I just love that warm yellowish tint.

But I still need to familiarise myself with the setup. The stilt-legged fly above seems to be a tad underexposed and the DOF is extremely thin. Wonder if I can utilise the SB-600 power and pump up the f value.

And last but not least, my first orange skipper! Ahh such a happy man that day. The ring flash worked better than I expected and I got some shots that I really like. All in all, a good outing.

Next up: Non-insect macro shots!

The beginning of a journey...

2008-12-11T10:06:00.002+08:00

When Tim first asked me to shoot a wedding, I was reluctant. I always thought that wedding photography was unrewarding and I would not derive any pleasure from covering a wedding. However, the idea of trying was enough to make me say yes to Tim.

I went through countless threads of wedding photography and I was slowly inspired by what some would term as "wedding journalism" where pictures replaced words in reenacting the wedding experience.

And so I went with Tim, and I wanted to do well. At least, I didn't want to disappoint the bride. After all, it is once in a lifetime. I didn't want to be the guy who messed up the wedding.

From the first click of the shutter, boy was I hooked! The freedom given by the couple (since we were technically free) meant that I could shoot anything, any way I like.

And I realised how wedding photography can be exciting. When you are chasing for the moment, the rush is quite something else. And it is so rewarding when you look at the LCD screen and you see that you nailed a shot.

So here I am now, ready to embark on a new journey, a new experience. And I thank my friend Tim for showing me the way. Then again, I got a brain fart yesterday and I need to share with him some concept which I will reveal in due time.

So, wish me luck and I don't know where I will end up in this new journey. But I hope on the way, I will give lots of smiles and create many moments for couples everywhere.

By the way, we set up a site to showcase our work so drop by if you have the time. It is http://toephotos.wordpress.com and no, it is not a toe fetish site. TOE stands for Through Our Eyes.

Tomorrow: Its back to macro! With a new toy!

Random at the zoo - Conclusion!

2008-12-10T09:56:00.002+08:00

And we end the series with really, really random photos at the zoo. First up, we have flamingos! I thought it was quite cute that they both have the same pose at the same time, side by side.

Then we have the playful sun bear! Very cute fella and he was quite active so it made photographing him quite a joy.

And after waiting 1.5 hours for a non-yawning hippo. I decided to go shoot a more willing subject, the pygmy fella. Luckily I caught him though. He was sleeping under the water for better part of the day, walked out, looked up at me, then went under the bridge and disappeared for the rest of the day.

What next? My style? What is it? Hmm...

Random at the zoo - Part 2

2008-12-09T09:55:00.002+08:00

Back from the long weekend and it is time to continue the series. Anybody miss me? :P Well, the chimpanzee in Zoo Negara is not the easiest thing to shoot as the glass separating them from us is kinda dirty. Then again, all glass panes in Zoo Negara is kinda dirty.

I had to just use the LiveView, lift it above the glass pane, and pray real hard that something good happens. Now I know why people say tilt-LiveView is godly.

The Orang Utan meanwhile was easier as it will willingly sit there, posing, while you fire away thousands of shots. No matter what you do, it will still have that disinterested look. Maybe if I held a big bunch of bananas.

Tomorrow: I conclude the Zoo Negara series with even more random shots!

Random at the zoo - Part 1

2008-12-05T10:04:00.002+08:00

One of Malaysia's wonders in the wild. An extremely shy creature and pretty much endangered too. The tapir is quite a sight to behold. We were lucky that it was friendly enough to venture near us.

And while the big guns (100-400mm and 300mm) were shooting deers from the land beyond, I had to go search for friendly ones that will walk near me. Luckily my efforts were not futile.

And in the Christmas spirit, I give you.. the reindeer! :P

Next up: More random stuff from Zoo Negara.

The big cats..

2008-12-04T09:46:00.002+08:00

Well, a trip to the zoo wouldn't be complete without shots of the big cats. Unfortunately our zoo's lions and tigers aren't exactly the most active bunch. Once again, we were loitering around the area waiting for a good time to capture some shots.

When the lioness decided to take a drink, well, I was firing away. The distance between us means that the 105mm was a bit too short. But well, there is always generous amount of cropping.

Then, I walked to the next enclosure while LordMint and Macropixman captured a yawning lion. Missed that out but I got a shot of another lion scratching himself. Not as impressive as a yawning lion though.

Then the tiger called. It was feeding time but nothing spectacular happened. And well, when he looked my way, I took the shot. Turned out pretty alright after all eh?

Next up: Random B&Ws of the zoo inhabitants.

Let's go to the zoo...

2008-12-03T09:54:00.002+08:00

Recently, I went to the zoo with LordMint and macropixman (both from Shutter Asia and Photo Malaysia). Today, we will focus on otters. I have two pictures of them. The above is a giraffe, not an otter in case you are wondering. But I thought it made a nice intro pic.

And LordMint and macropixman spent so long at one location, it made me feel bad and inferior that I took all of five minutes to take the shots. Sigh, the difference between pros and noobs. (They are the pros, I am the noob just in case anyone is confused)

Anyway, back to otters, here is one of the shot that I have. That place was quite smelly but it was fun trying to capture the otters. They were quite playful and they are very cute.

This shot was captured when the zookeeper walked past. Its as if they knew food was coming and all stood to attention. But it wasn't feeding time, so no food for them.

And then I spotted an otter scratching himself and thought it made a good shot. Click and here is the result. By the way, I converted most of my shots to B&W because, I was in a B&W mood at that time. :P

Next up: The big cats?

Kelly's Wedding - Part 4

2008-12-02T10:33:00.002+08:00

Going to the new house means the prayer ceremony and the tea ceremony begins anew. While the couple was waiting for the prayer ceremony, I saw a moment where the bride held the groom's hands.

The toughest thing about wedding photography is staying alert to opportunities like this. I was glad that I noticed it. Then again, she did hold his hand for quite some time :P

One of the many Chinese traditions is that the groom will remove the veil for the bride. This was a tight angle, there was no room to move about so I had to sit myself down on the floor right beside the dressing table.

And then the bride will remove the groom's coat. I am sure there is a meaning to these two actions but I can't remember what. I tuned off to the "dai kam che" after a while. :P

And finally, the bride get to have some time with her friends and relatives. All in all, a happy day indeed. Well, that covers the wedding series. I am probably going to be serious about getting involved in wedding photography so wish me luck!

Next on Shutter Nick: Bugs? Nah, we go for bigger stuff this time around. My trip to Zoo Negara.

Kelly's Wedding - Part 3

2008-12-01T09:46:00.002+08:00

After picking up the bride, it was time to move to the groom's parents house. I was sticking my head out of Tim's car to take shots of the car. And Tim need to change his car. His window cannot wind down fully which made life difficult for me as I am not exactly the smallest person in this town :P

Of course, with the bride and the groom entering the lift first, we had to run up seven floors to catch her exiting the lift. Never knew that wedding photography will give me a workout.

As we were working in quite tight space, Tim entered the house while I shot from outside. This gave me the opportunity to try some new angles and luckily, there is a walkway directly opposite the unit she was getting into. Else I would be missing lots of shots.

As Tim snapped away happily inside, I took some from outside. Kelly and her husband was performing the prayers and I sneaked a shot from between the windows.

Next up: Photos of the couple in their new home :)

Kelly's Wedding - Part 2

2008-11-28T10:01:00.002+08:00

The bride was eagerly anticipating for the arrival of the groom and she didn't have to wait long.

The groom was quite on time and he waited in the car for a bit before the bride's brother opened the door for him. Get angpow you know :)

The father began a prayer ritual to get blessing for the wedding. I was trying to capture the movement but I think I might have chosen a shutter speed that was too fast. Next time must try slower.

The groom had it easy though when he picked up the bride. No need to wear any underwear on the outside, no make-up, nothing except some simple games right outside the door.

Of course, the people watching still found it amusing. Wait till it is your turn :P

And finally, once he got in, its time to take a look at his bride. The woman he will spend the rest of his life with. Look at her joy, a happy day indeed.

Part 3 next Monday as I will be away in Singapore :)

Kelly's Wedding - Part 1

2008-11-27T10:08:00.002+08:00

I was given the chance to shoot Kelly's wedding recently and this is my second wedding job. I hope that when the CD is passed to her, she will love the photos. I was shooting with Timothy, my partner in crime, and also the source of my wedding jobs. The bride told us to come later but of course, we wanted to shoot the preparation section as well and to her surprise and joy (I hope), we reached there two hours earlier.

Of course, we immediately set out to capture shots and I took the above shot of the altar table with some sweet offerings. I believe it is tong yuen or some would say tang yuen.

Of course, since she was busy with her make-up, I decided to shoot other stuff first, like her wedding dress. It was a simple off white dress and it looked quite nice indeed.

I concentrated on the little details first because ada macro lens ma :P

Then I decided to go for a full shot and converted it into B&W as I think it removed the distraction of other colours in the room.

We then kidnapped her shoes and tried to find a place to shoot it. I thought the red colour pillar of the altar table outside made for a nice contrast with the white shoes. I then cross processed it to give it a lomo feel.

We went back into the room and now I tried to capture some of the make-up stuff. The tools of the trade of the make-up artist couldn't be any more different than mine. Then I thought, it differed in looks but the concept is still the same. I have different lenses, she have different brushes.

And the make-up artist working her magic. Again, using the macro lens to isolate the tip of the make-up brush. Or is it the eye-liner?

Next up, Part 2, where we take a look at some shots when the groom arrives.

Random shots of bugs in Genting

2008-11-26T13:07:00.002+08:00

And we end the series on Genting with random shots of bugs. We have the Common Grass Yellow butterfly which was everywhere. Unfortunately, they are also quite shy which makes photographing them a challenge.

This is another of my personal "shot of the day". It is out of focus but capturing a bee in flight is probably one of my proudest achievements. It is relatively clear la. At least can still see it is a bee.

And this is another bee, feeding on a flower. Not flying but what the heck, bees are cool. Annoying to shoot but cool.

And the last shot? A bug that is on everyone's hate list. Cockroach. Although the jungle cockroach looks way better compared to the ones we usually see.

What is next on my blog? Might probably be some wedding shots.

Lord of the flies...

2008-11-25T10:24:00.002+08:00

I am back! And the first shot I share with you is porn! Bug porn! Wonder if I can blackmail them for loads of cash? They probably don't care though.

I have never shot a hover fly before so I was rather excited to get so many chances here. They fly away quite fast though. Kurt, Liew and Lordmint probably shot it on so many occasions that they got sick of it.

The above is my favourite shot of the hover fly. Somehow when I see it, I just feel like I did something right although I am not sure what. Next up, I'll wrap up the Genting series with a bunch of random shots as usual.

Hoppity Hoppity Hop!

2008-11-20T15:18:00.002+08:00

These are not the stuff that goes bump in the night. They hop. And hop. And some people find them scary. Katydids and grasshoppers can look pretty freaky but they are quite docile. None of them will attack you anytime soon.

They are also quite patient when you are snapping away. Unless you actually touch them, most of them will stay there and you can shoot until you fill up all your memory cards.

They can come in all shapes and sizes. But they are mainly green. Blends in well with everything.

Doesn't stop enthusiastic macro shooters from finding them though. I'll be away tomorrow and will only be back on Monday. Not too sure if I'll be able to blog but drop a line or two if you miss me :P

Arachnid mania!

2008-11-19T11:04:00.002+08:00

I went for a macro shoot somewhere in Genting with Lordmint, Liew and also Kurt. Kena belajar from the sifu sifu so I tagged along. This first post is dedicated to all the cute spiders I met there.

I believed most of the species I shot were jumping spiders except for probably the ones on the web. Since jumping spiders do not spin webs and stay on them, you pretty much find them on leaves, branches or any other surface, except on web.

I find them very cute with their big round eyes :)

They are also very sensitive. Sikit sikit jump away :P The above shot, I was holding down the stalk. After I shot it, I gently let it back into the place and got up to let Liew shoot. But... the spider jumped away.

So the above is not a jumping spider because got web mah. But what spider is it? I have no idea. I just loved the green background with little traces of web showing.

Next up: Bees? Flies?

As requested....

2008-11-18T10:30:00.002+08:00

Since only two people voted, and the vote was girls. Therefore, a girl it shall be. I only have two pictures lah, not a big fan of portrait. Went there to shoot a bit and also become lighting assistant.

And here are the results of my shoot. The above shot was PPed according to the steps given in a popular portraiture book by a local photographer, Dr Teh Ban Hup. His book can be purchased here.

The shot below was PPed at my fancy :P I just simply burn and did stuff to it.

Ok, so thats it for girls. Or girl. Its back to bugs next. As usual, all shots taken with D90 and 105mm.

HDR of dogs?

2008-11-17T13:23:00.002+08:00

Well, I practically try to HDR everything, although I have now toned it down. I now Lucisart almost everything :P But HDR is pretty fun and a simple shot can look different.

The Siberian Husky was one of my favourite subjects to HDR. There is something about their blue eyes that screams to be featured.

And then of course, Tim spotted the difference in the eyes and I was so fascinated with it that I tried to bring it out even more. Might have failed in that. Made him look like he had one eye less. :P

And last, well, I love the expression. It was just hilarious. The shots might have gone through too much noise reduction so details are lost. I blame Flickr's editor. Or it could be my skills. Nah, let's blame the editor.

Next up: Bugs? Girls? Wildlife? You decide!

A few more doggie shots...

2008-11-14T10:16:00.002+08:00

I will need some help here, to identify some dogs. The only I know is... The Golden Retriever above.

And of course, this one, the big Chow Chow. So cute :D

What is this Chinese lion looking dog? I swear it looks like one of those old lion dance costume kinda animal.

And this grumpy fella. Why so grumpy? What dog can be so grumpy?

Wahh and this one is super cute. I want to take him home :P

And finally, we have ol wrinkly face, who was tied up to a tree the whole time. So pitiful. Next up, we have dogs and HDR. Yep, I HDRed dogs. :P

Doggie action...

2008-11-13T10:42:00.002+08:00

And as promised, action shots! Ok lah, the shot above is not too action but its a prelude of things to come. The retriever was swimming back and forth to pick up the bottle. The owner just sat in the shade and kept throwing the bottle back. And the retriever will happily fly into the water to get the bottle.

Then the dog race began and it turned into a catching game. Some dogs were just clueless on what they were supposed to do. But it made for some great shots. For example, look at man below. He is obviously pointing to the dog where to go. Look at the dog, is he listening?

Well, the results...

Obviously, never listen lah. He went chasing after the white dog instead. But of course, there are those that listened and you can see the enthusiastic dog running happily to the finish line.

But how do the dogs know where to run? Well, pretty simple. They got encouragement at the end of the line.

What a sight, right? Pretty fun to see the antics of the owners. Next up, we have more doggies on show!

Who lets the dogs out? Who! Who! Who!

2008-11-12T10:45:00.002+08:00

Well, there was a Responsible Dog Ownership Day at Bandar Utama so I thought it will be a good experience to shoot some lovely pets. Lots of dogs, big, small, cute, ugly, garang, not garang - you can find them all there.

Of course, lots of golden retrievers, lots of shih tzus, lots of chi hua hua, lots of chow chow... well you get the point, lots of dogs.

The dogs were well-behaved, there wasn't any poops anywhere which made the whole experience rather pleasant. Some dogs were extremely pampered. No need to walk, owner carry under umbrella.

So lucky... Next up, some action shots! :D

Somewhere in China..

2008-11-11T10:16:00.002+08:00

No, I am not in China. A while back, the Hutchens brothers came over to Malaysia to give a talk about their recent documentary, Somewhere in China. Its a really interesting documentary and the two brothers combine their skills in videography and photography to present a unique view on China.

The above is Jeff Hutchens, the photographer. He presented some of his shots in a 6-minute video show and it was largely impressive. There were some shots that I would have deleted before it even hit the editing screen but when he presented it as part of a video, everything looked in place.

Goes to show that sometimes a single photo can't stand alone.

After the talk, we were so inspired (ok lah, we had nothing to do), we went around the hotel shooting random stuff. For example, the sun!

And the above shot I call, "Flame going strong" to signify that the passion for photography is still burning strong. Or something like that.

Randomness at the Butt Park...

2008-11-10T10:32:00.002+08:00

So, the butterfly park had more than just butterflies. You could catch frogs! I love frogs. They are beautiful to photograph.

They are green, they love hiding in nice green leaves, and well, their eyes are just amazing.

Then, other than frogs, there is a pond filled with tortoise. Or are they turtles? I always believed turtles to be marine animals so I'll call this a tortoise.

And of course, there are flowers. But I have never known how to shoot a flower properly. And that concludes this series.

Next up: Bugs again?

Friday Butts!

2008-11-07T11:12:00.002+08:00

As I said yesterday, more butts for Friday! Butterflies lah! Get your mind out of the gutter. The above is the Malay Lacewing, a very beautiful butterfly except my subject here has damaged wings. Poor fella.

This is the Common Grass Yellow. As the name implies, it is quite common. Said to be most abundant butterfly here and in Singapore.

This looks like the Common Mime but I am not sure. I wanted to shoot a few shots as I believed the only shot (posted here) was blur. But after I took the first shot, some kids came stomping over and the butterfly flew away. Bummer :(

The Common Birdwing fluttering its gigantic wings. They are also found everywhere at the butterfly park. Next week? We look at lively things that are not butterflies but found at the park.

Or maybe tomorrow. Can't decide if I want to blog over the weekend.

Bugs! More like butts... I mean butterflies!

2008-11-06T11:31:00.003+08:00

So, I took a trip to the butterfly farm, the last time I went there, I was equipped with the G9 and the Raynox. This time around, the setup was quite different. I am also quite surprised that some KL people have no idea this place existed.

There are quite a number of nice butterflies there. But most of them are usually high up or far away. I think I need to look at a longer lens. The above is the Great Orange Tip and below is the Lexias dirtea merguia.

It looks and behaves like the Archduke, another species but while the Archduke has orange antenna, this fella has black. It likes rotting food too :P Let's take a closer look at the fella:

What's up for tomorrow? More butterflies of course!

Jogoya but where is the food?

2008-11-05T11:50:00.002+08:00

So, I went to Jogoya a while back and if you are expecting shots of the food, well be severely disappointed. There might be one or two but I was stopped from taking photos when I tried to shoot the nice stuff to eat.

This is the second time I have been told not to shoot. The curse of the D90 continues :P

There is a lot of food though. Very nice food. Extremely delicious food. The above is the cold kitchen. But there is also the hot kitchen:

And the amount of desserts! Wooooo absolutely amazing :)

And thats Jogoya. For the price (range from RM70+ to RM100+), it is quite worth it. The variety, the amount of food and the unlimited coconuts you can take is worth the price you pay for it.

And after that, since I parked in Pavilion, kena shoot lah the building.

Up next: Bugs?

Randomness from Kiara...

2008-11-04T10:40:00.002+08:00

And we begin our random shots with one of my best shot from the series. The bees going at it, and its a bee that I have never seen before. I like the metallic colours on their body. Thinking of submitting this to DCM. What do you think?

And what is a macro shoot without a spider? I get very disappointed if I don't manage to shoot a spider during macro shoot.

Of course, we also saw a mantis although its still at its infancy stage. Fella kept running about. Super super shy.

Then, Tim spotted a caterpillar. I had trouble shooting this. With the thin DOF, I had a hard time finding a focus for this :(

But the best thing that Tim found for the day was:

And thus, begin my quest for these amphibians. They are so lovely to photograph. Sigh...

Up next, Nick goes to Jogoya. But no food shots! :P

Buzzzzz... wait what sound do dragonflies make?

2008-11-03T15:27:00.003+08:00

Well, I assumed they would buzz, don't they? But I do have quite an obsession with these creatures. I find them very interesting to photograph and can be quite easy as well. Especially since Lord Mint told me last time that dragonflies will land back at the exact same spot after they fly off for the first time.

Makes camping for them that much easier...

And then I saw this lovely background for a dragonfly shot but the dragonfly was so far into the bushes that I couldn't get to it unless I go Godzilla on the flowers. So I went for LiveView and tried to shoot it. Not too bad la hor..

And at Tmn Rimba Kiara, I was astounded, amazed, surprised by the variety of dragonflies there. I've never seen the blue one up there before and I certainly haven't seen the red one down below before:

So, what is next? Some more random shots from Tmn Rimba Kiara of course! Still got a few more to share then I'll move to something a lil different.

Its back to bugs...

2008-10-31T12:04:00.002+08:00

Well, after the birds, its back to bugs. Well, I do love shooting them bugs so I guess I will be posting a lot more about bugs than any other pictures.

I am going to dedicate this first posting on my outing at Taman Rimba Kiara to the long-legged flies. They are really quite awesome stuff to shoot. The colours are usually brilliant.

They are also quite small, making it a bit more difficult to shoot compared to say, a flesh fly. But still, they are one of my favourite subjects.

Shots taken with Nikon D90 and 105mm.

Land of the Hornbills..

2008-10-30T12:05:00.002+08:00

Err no, this is not a posting about Sarawak since I am still stuck here in KL. The KL Bird Park has quite a number of hornbill species. Some are stuck in cages while others were free to roam about.

I saw some huge hornbills cracking some branches but they were way up there and I was way down there. Can't shoot them so I went around searching for easier victims.

There weren't many so I only have a few shots to share. I even took one that were inside the cages but luckily the net wasn't too obvious.

They refused to knock and decided to just barge into someone's home. Such rudeness :P

As usual, all shots taken with Nikon D90 and 105mm.

Birds that like water... they really do!

2008-10-29T11:36:00.002+08:00

Water birds are probably the biggest species in the bird park and also the easiest to shoot since they are given the freedom to roam anywhere in the park.

But sometimes, you don't find them near water. They can be up at a tree, which is near water by the way, so I guess that counts. But of course, you find most of them at the waterfall aviary. Where else would they be right?

Walking on the path, I saw lots of them storks flying. And I thought to myself "Hrmm, this might be a good time to try some panning." Unfortunately, the 105mm is not exactly the fastest lens in town.

So I probably got one usable shot after probably wasting about 40 shutter counts.

See how they swoop down on stuff. Don't be holding a fish in your hand, you might not have the hand after :P

And of course, let's end with a customary black swan shot. Must have you know! Else you have never gone to a bird park :P

So what is up for tomorrow? Well, its going to be more birds. We will look at some hornbills. :)

Polly wants a cracker!

2008-10-28T12:34:00.003+08:00

Well, one of the best places in the KL Bird Park is actually the Parrot area. This is where you see lots and lots of parrots, maccaws and other birds in that huge family. Not to mention some of them roam free in this area means you get better shots.

How else can you get up close to these lovely birds? Of course, some fly ridiculously low that they almost hit you.

Still, this remains my favourite area despite the danger :P I mean, when they are so colourful and so close to you, you just know that this is worth the entrance fee.

Next up, we will take a look at some water birds :)

Peacock madness!

2008-10-24T11:43:00.004+08:00

I usually just post one picture but I think I've got enough in my reserves to go with a few in one post. So today's post is dedicated to peacock madness! The above is the peacock showing off its colours to me. Only one peacock in the whole bird park does this. I was walking past this fella and I didn't expect anything, camera was pointing down and suddenly, WHOOSH!

And then we have a closer look at the feathers. Impressive isn't it? And to think all this just to attract the females. Speaking about the females...

They are not as colourful. Wonder why? :P

Shots taken with Nikon D90 and 105mm.

ps: Reverted back to 500px wide after I noticed some monitors won't be able to display the 800px pics properly :(

2008-10-23T11:32:00.003+08:00

Well, there is one bird in the park that demands your attention. You can't ignore it. Then again, no one really passes up the chance to shoot a peacock up close.

They are everywhere though. I think I saw more peacocks than sparrows at the park. Taken with Nikon D90 and 105mm.

Why am I so dirty?

2008-10-22T23:44:00.003+08:00

I am trying a new style here. My previous blog postings have been done directly through Flickr but somehow I feel that 500px makes my pictures better than it is supposed to be.

I am still learning and I am flawed in many ways, and therefore I believe my pictures should be displayed in a way that people can find faults with it, criticise it and then I can learn.

This love bird was cleaning itself up, like the many other love birds at the park! They must be obsessed with cleaning themselves.

Just to show the difference between the 800px shot above which appears soft and the 500px if I have gone through Flickr (its must sharper):

Taken with Nikon D90 and 105mm.

I can streeetchh...

2008-10-22T13:53:00.002+08:00

I can streeetchh, originally uploaded by nicklwc.

So, I was working on the 1st day of Raya and after work, with so little traffic on the road, I took a nice drive to KL Bird Park.

Surprisingly, not many people know that we actually have a bird park in this city. It was quite enjoyable but I wished I had a 300mm prime at times. Must put that into my wishlist :D

Taken with Nikon D90 and 105mm.

A face off...

2008-10-21T15:04:00.002+08:00

A face off..., originally uploaded by nicklwc.

The dragonfly and me facing off in a staring competition. For the record, I won. He blinked then flew off. Sore loser.

Taken with Nikon D90 and 105mm.

See how long my body is...

2008-10-20T14:15:00.002+08:00

See how long my body is..., originally uploaded by nicklwc.

I love damselflies :) They are so cute and thin and small and fragile. Such lovely creatures. They are carnivores though. Not so cute when they are busy eating up other insects.

Taken with Nikon D90 and 105mm.

You stay still!

2008-10-17T11:44:00.002+08:00

You stay still!, originally uploaded by nicklwc.

This guy flew from left to right and right to left. I chased from left to right and right to left. Finally, he decided to stay in one spot for me.

When will bugs learn that I am harmless?

Taken with Nikon D90 and 105mm.

Shahila Johan - Seventeen Going on Eighteen

2008-10-16T14:50:00.002+08:00

Shahila Johan - Seventeen Going on Eighteen, originally uploaded by nicklwc.

Shahila Johan acting as a 17 yr old who is going to be sent off to National Service. A parody of the musical The Sound of Music.

This is the final shot of the night as the staff told me that unauthorized photography is not allowed. Oops!

Taken with Nikon D90 and 105mm VR.

Keith Yew - Marina

2008-10-15T14:43:00.002+08:00

Keith Yew - Marina, originally uploaded by nicklwc.

A tribute to Marina, whose father is no longer the Prime Minister of Malaysia. A parody of the musical The West Side Story.

Taken with Nikon D90 and 18-105mm VR.

Spending an evening with Peter and Jeff Hutchens...

2008-10-14T17:45:00.002+08:00

Got the invite for a Thursday evening Photo and Film Workshop with the two brothers. I remembered watching the show on National Geographic and was thoroughly impressed. Now I get to learn how they did it behind the scenes.

It is going to be awesome! :)

Good Morning Towels

2008-10-14T14:57:00.002+08:00

Tabitha Yong - Good Morning Towels, originally uploaded by nicklwc.

Tabitha Yong as a housewife complimenting the ever faithful Good Morning Towels and also complaining about her husband. A parody of the musical Hair.

Taken with Nikon D90 and the 18-105mm VR.

The Roti Man

2008-10-13T12:23:00.002+08:00

Multiple - The Roti Man, originally uploaded by nicklwc.

In a tribute to our endearing Roti Man, the cast of Broadway Parodies Lagi Lah did it in a humorous rendition of a song from the musical Willy Wonka.

In other developments, I sold off the lens used in this show and settled for a combination of.. behold...... the D40 kit lens and the 50mm f1.8. Not to mention adding a bit of moolah to my bank account.

Taken with Nikon D90 and 18-105mm VR.

Chicken with the Chili on Top

2008-10-10T11:24:00.002+08:00

Multiple - Chicken with the Chili on Top, originally uploaded by nicklwc.

The impressive Ho Soon Yoon (blue shirt) in a scene from Chicken with the Chili on Top. A parody of the musical Oklahoma.

With this lighting, the noise were more apparent but hey, am not complaining. With my D40, I probably wouldn't even have captured the shot in the first place.

Taken with Nikon D90 and 18-105mm.

Under The Tree...

2008-10-09T12:42:00.002+08:00

Multiple - Under The Tree, originally uploaded by nicklwc.

A parody of Under the Sea, this was a song about a Mamak under the tree. Who would have thought that someone will parody something from the Little Mermaid.

In this shot, Mia Palencia is dancing with Sham Sunder Binwani. Just in case you don't know, they are the couple in the center.

Taken with Nikon D90 and 18-105mm.

Food Glorious Food!

2008-10-08T15:35:00.003+08:00

Multiple - Food Glorious Food, originally uploaded by nicklwc.

We take a break from bugs to actually non-bug shots. Don't worry, if you like my bug shots (which I say thanks in advance), there are more shots to come.

But just to share some shots I took in a local "Broadway" production recently entitled Broadway Parodies Lagi Lah. This is a fantastic show and if you are in Ipoh or Sabah, I think you can still catch them. They finished their show in KL about a week back I believe.

The talented Glamorique Arshad (in yellow) in a scene from Food Glorious Food. A parody of the musical Oliver.

Taken with Nikon D90 and 18-105mm.

Looking for a meal..

2008-10-07T10:11:00.002+08:00

Looking for a meal, originally uploaded by nicklwc.

This is probably my favourite shot from my visit to the Botanical Garden. Yes, it does not feature hypnotic eyes of the bugs but I love how everything seems to fit in this picture.

The colours, the bee looking inside the flower and its pretty sharp as well. So yes, I crown this one of my favourite shots!

Taken with Nikon D40 and 105mm.

Watcha looking at?

2008-10-06T11:33:00.002+08:00

Watcha looking at?, originally uploaded by nicklwc.

The beetle staring straight at me. What makes him think that he will win a face off with me? Then again, he might win a no-blinking competition since he doesn't blink. Or does he?

I bought a book to identify bugs and stuff so I hope to identify most of the bugs I shoot. Only problem is... the book is for bugs in North America =.=

Taken with Nikon D40 and 105mm.

The fly masta!

2008-10-04T16:52:00.002+08:00

The fly masta!, originally uploaded by nicklwc.

I believe this is the flesh fly which means they are scavengers!

I have a few shots of them and I thought to give the post processing a slightly different twist this time around.

Taken with Nikon D40 and 105mm.

A red dragonfly...

2008-10-03T12:37:00.002+08:00

A red dragonfly, originally uploaded by nicklwc.

A friend suggested that I try composing some of my macro shots instead of just trying to get them sharp. Here is one attempt at it as I tried to use the leaf to split the image into half.

Taken with Nikon D40 and 105mm.

Why the D90 video mode is convenient?

2008-10-02T18:05:00.003+08:00

Peacock at the KL Birdpark with the Nikon D90 from Nicholas Leong on Vimeo.

Well, the video mode of the D90 has been criticised quite alot for not having auto focus, the jellyfish effect and basically, people who put high hopes on it were left disappointed.

Well, I can say that I am definitely enjoying the flexibility it gives me. The video above is a simple reason why.