Top 10 Photos of 2016

2016 was another good year for photography with a number of great shots to choose from. 70% of my photos in the top 10 were taken with my iphone 5s as I made the transition from carrying around my bulky DSLR to using the convenience of the iphone. The iphone camera produces best results outdoors in the natural light and a few of my top 10 were taken in those precise conditions.

#10

We stayed at Laman Sentosa Boutique Hotel Kuantan in October and had a great time there. The children went for a dip in the pool and I naturally looked for photograph opportunities. The abstract image I came up with is a view of falling water. There was a little waterfall at the pool so I walked behind it, took some videos and pictures, and was delighted to come up with this highly artistic shot! (iphone)

#9

I love being at the beach. Sometimes it is a simple image that can endure long in the memory, like this birds eye view of seashells taken at Batu Hitam, Kuantan. (DSLR)

#8

It was indoors with artificial lighting, which is not my preference for good iphone photography, but it is the content and not the quality that gets this one into the Top 10. My wife and her four sisters are the subject for this shot that I captured crouching down and to the right of centre. Sometimes a change from the regular angle makes a difference. We were in Kuching attending our cousin's wedding on this occasion. (iphone)

#7

Welcome to Pavilion shopping mall in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia! As you can see from this viewpoint I shot, it was all decked out in lavish Christmas decorative elements when we went there in December 2016. The two-tier carousel was provided by Swarovski and contained a world-first 3 million crystals, embedded in the floor, horses and everywhere. We queued for a long time and were grateful that we did because it was a great ride! (DSLR)

#6

One of my favourite photos of the year! My two girls with their favourite aunty. Aunty Urai determined to do a photoshoot with them before she went back to Kuching, and we took a load of really lovely photos. For some reason, I am drawn to this one above the others. I just think it's very cute! (iphone)

#5

The only tussle with in-flight photography is ensuring the camera focuses on the outside landscape and not on the plane window. Once it does that properly, you are good to shoot some fantastic images. This picture is part of the Kuala Lumpur landscape just minutes after take-off from KLIA during our short hop back to Kuantan. (iphone)

#4

I love this atmospheric shot which is full of texture. It takes me right back to the moment it was shot! There was a storm brewing up and the humid heat had turned into a cooler breeze with spots of rain. I like the fact that there are people walking on the beach, sandwiched in between the fierce storm clouds and the plants in the foreground. I literally spent about 10 minutes out on the beach snapping photos of the weather system before I had to take cover. (iphone)

#3

The sunrise on our 6:30am flight from Kuantan to KLIA. It is thrilling watching the sunrise and sunset on an airplane. You get a whole different view to the one from the ground. On this particular morning, there was a splendid mixture of grey, silver and white wispy clouds punctured by the blazing yellows, oranges and reds of the rising sun. It was just a 30-minute hop but I spent near enough the whole half hour snapping pictures out the window. (iphone)

#2

This lady has featured prominently in almost all of my yearly Top 10 photos. It's easy to see why. Florina is a natural model and the camera loves her. More perfect settings at the beach half an hour down the road from Kuantan. Storm clouds beginning to whip up, lots of natural light, and slightly cooler-than-usual temperatures. Florina and I wanted to make the most of these favourable conditions and I took a couple of dozen pictures and videos in a 10-minute spell. There were a lot of good results but this one was as close to perfect as I have ever taken with my iphone. Thanks to my sister Florina for her flash and eager modelling skills! (iphone)

#1

So my top photo of 2016 is this magnificent family photo (Malaysian side) we took at the Riverside Majestic Hotel in Kuching near the end of 2016. Since we all live in various parts of Malaysia, it is always a highlight when we are all together once or twice a year. We had booked 3 rooms to accommodate us all, but upon check-in, we learned that the hotel had overbooked and didn't have enough rooms for us all, so out of the goodness of their hearts, they gave us the one and only PENTHOUSE in the entire hotel! You can imagine, we ran around in a state of joyful panic exploring every inch of the two-floor suite we were given! Taking a family photo in the grand living room was at the top of our list and this was taken right before we attended the wedding ceremony of our cousin. It is not the sharpest due to the low light, but it sure is our overwhelming favourite!

That's a wrap for 2016. Looking forward for more photography adventures in 2017!

Top Ten Photos of 2014

2014 was not such an adventuresome year for us as previous years have been. We did jet off to Kuching for a family visit, and enjoyed a couple of trips to KL, but that was about it. My top ten photos this year are exclusively from Kuantan and KL, and involve more people in the shots.

#10

A close-up of a colourful head used by the Chinese for lion dances during Chinese New Year

#9

Shot this beautiful landscape scene at the gorgeous orchid garden in Kuala Lumpur. I love the leafy frame and the vibrant purple orchids in the background

#8

My favourite shot of the girls from 2014

#7

My parents came to visit us in March 2014. I cheated a little bit with this one, as it wasn't me who took the photo, but I directed my wife as to how I wanted it done, and she didn't disappoint! The waves and the beautiful rocks of Teluk Chempedak complement this photo nicely

#6

Our annual Christmas e-postcard was a real favourite in 2014 due to its colour and creativity. Having all 4 of us smiling nicely for the camera really helps a lot, too!

#5

View of the main entrance of Kuala Lumpur's The Majestic Hotel. Snapped this photo on Malaysia's National Day at around 7:30am

#4

That poor stone buddha! The tripod-cum-weapon! The look of hatred on my dad's face! This is a family photo that will live long in the memory

#3

A combination of four shots of the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur. Just magnificent buildings, a photographer's dream

#2

Walking around the butterfly park in Kuala Lumpur in the sweltering heat, searching for that special photo. I think I found it with this dainty little dragonfly

#1

My favourite family photo is also the top photo of the year 2014. I carried out 4 chairs to the field behind our house, found a nice scenic spot, set up the tripod and timer, and out came this fantastic picture of our family. Couldn't be happier with it!
This is my favourite photo of 2014!

Merdeka Parade, Aug 31st, 2014

I know it's a little late but I wanted to include this post as it was a first for me.

It was the first time I was at Dataran Merdeka to see the merdeka parade. August 31st is Malaysia's Independence Day, and each year a parade goes through Merdeka Square. 

We were staying at The Majestic Hotel which is just 10 minutes walk from the venue. I woke up early, around 6am while the others were fast asleep. I wasn't planning on walking right down to Dataran Merdeka; just thought I'd watch them all go by the hotel.

Snapped this photo of The Majestic Hotel KL around 7:30am

I watched a barrage of tanks make their way past the hotel amidst much din. Quite impressive.

I followed the line of tanks down the road until I reached Dataran Merdeka. While the machinery was impressive, I was not so proud of the sight of soldiers in and around the tanks smoking away on cigarettes. Anyway, that's a different story...

Managed to find myself a spot amongst the huge crowds right here...

A number of national songs were blasted out of the speakers right behind where I was standing, including 'Negaraku'  and one of my personal favourites, 'Jalur Gemilang,' which I was able to sing along to. Despite the large crowds, there was no pushing and shoving, everyone seemed to behave themselves well, and the police did a very good job at maintaining order. I must say, it was a very patriotic atmosphere, and I felt very much Malaysian myself, and a deep sense of belonging to this land.

Carrying a large Malaysia flag in the parade

A young child waves the Malaysia flag as the parade passes by

I was given a Malaysia flag which I waved proudly during the 'Jalur Gemilang' song. As I already was carrying an ipad and a camera, I ended up inserting the flagstick in my pocket, as many others did.

Managed to find a window ledge to stand on which gave me a better view of proceedings and a more favourable angle for taking photos.

Around 9:30am I began to make my way through the crowds and headed back to the hotel. I was getting rather hungry!

Some sort of Malaysian SWAT team

I walked the slightly uphill journey back to The Majestic Hotel and slipped into Contango to join my family who were having breakfast there. 

KL Gallery - Favourite photos from March KL trip

In March 2014 we took my parents to KL and these are my favourite photos I took from that trip.