Top Ten Photos of 2012

This is the 3rd edition of my Top Ten Photos of the year. It seems to get harder to pick out 10 photos from ever-increasing stacks each year. 

The big thing for my photography in 2012 was the purchase of my first ever professional DSLR camera in November. However, 8 out of my 10 photos were taken with my Panasonic Lumix DMC-F2 point-and-shoot while the other two were taken at the end of the year with my Canon EOS 650D.

Here's the countdown:

Coming in at #10 is an early morning snapshot of Vistana Hotel, accompanied by a palm tree reaching for the deep blue sky:

I captured this photo during our stay at Vistana Hotel early in 2012. Fidelia and the girls were still fast asleep while I went for a morning walk around the hotel and spotted this nice image.

At #9 is a reflection in the lobby at The Zenith Hotel, Kuantan:

While we were spending some relaxing moments at The Zenith Hotel, I whipped out the camera and photographed this lovely image of windows, light and space - 3 things which I love!

Residing in the #8 position is this photo of Leah at Batu Hitam, Kuantan, on a day out with friends from KL:

Leah was still young enough to keep still while I pointed the camera at her - she was probably wondering what that strange little instrument was!

This beautiful bokeh image of the Christmas tree and other lighting at The Zenith Hotel makes #7 on my list:

I was spending a good portion of time in December searching for a good bokeh image to shoot for Christmas. I finally found it at The Zenith Hotel!

This scene of nature in Taman Gelora occupies the #6 spot in 2012:

I love going for a saunter in Taman Gelora when the weather is nice. There is always new angles and views to photograph, and this was one of my favourites from 2012

Making the top 5 is this image of Lauren modelling her new umbrella in January 2012, in at #5:

Lauren posed for some photos with her 4th birthday present, a beautiful pink umbrella. I still love the image to this day!

My entry for #4 is this photograph of Teluk Chempedak beach on a stunningly gorgeous and hot day:

Teluk Chempedak beach is another place where I'm never struggling for new photographs. Can you see the people climbing the rocks in the distance?

Now for the Top 3. My choice for the best 3 photos of 2012 revolved around two camera techniques which are very difficult to execute using a simple point-and-shoot camera. The following three photos will demonstrate:

At #3 is this picture of a mushroom growing amidst branches and leaves beside a road in Kuantan:

This was one photo in a 4-part series in 2012 which I named The Fungus Files. Part 1 can be found by clicking here. I had to focus and re-focus a number of times before my little point-and-shoot camera focused perfectly on the mushroom, having a nice mix of focus and blur in the surroundings.

At #2 is this image of a pink flower taken in Bukit Sekilau, Kuantan, in early 2012:

I've taken many flowers photos but I love the composition in this one. It was hell trying to get the little camera to focus right on the pods, and I imagine people were wondering what my fascination with this flower was!

My #1 favourite photo of 2012 goes to this image of the trees at Taman Gelora, Kuantan:

This tested my little point-and-shoot camera to the limits. Zooming with a small camera dramatically reduces the image quality so this was a tricky one to get right. Just the right distance from the trees and amount of zoom made this my favourite picture of the year!

Click here to see my Top Ten Photos of 2010

Click here to see my Top Ten Photos of 2011

What do you think? Which one is your favourite? Do you agree with the order of my selections? Do you remember any photographs I may have missed out from the Top Ten?

Blog Flashbacks

Welcome to the weekend, and with it, a look back in time in my Blog Flashbacks post.

A year ago to the day, Fidelia put the Christmas tree up, just as she did a few days back this year. I also shared this dramatic sunset as viewed from our balcony:

See some more photographs here:

Pictures from my old Panasonic Lumix camera

Back in November of 2009 I was delving into the musical world. Luciano Pavarotti had passed on a couple of years earlier but his awe-inspiring performance of "Nessun Dorma" still lives on and always will. If you are not aware of this great song and Luciano Pavarotti's performance of it, click here:

Nessun Dorma by Luciano Pavarotti

CPB members, vote for my photos here

Sony DSC-W520 Digital Camera Sweep Panorama

We have a new Sony DSC-W520 digital camera. It comes with a new Sweep Panorama function, allowing me to take panoramic pictures encompassing 261 degrees. 

Here's why we have a new camera . . .

The other week we had a tragic accident in which our Panasonic Lumix DMC-F2 digital camera landed on the floor lens first, and was damaged severely. Lauren was passing the camera to me, I was receiving it, and somewhere in between, it dropped, crashed, on the hard cold floor. I buried my face in my hands in silence. Lauren, feeling bad, went to her room and lay on her bed in silence. Surprisingly I didn't feel angry with her or the situation. After a few minutes I went to see Lauren to tell her not to feel upset. That was a nice moment.

Here are a few panoramas I've been shooting . . . just minutes after purchasing the new camera!

Zenith Hotel and Menara Zenith from the roof of East Coast Mall

A view of Kuantan town from the roof of East Coast Mall

An up-down panoramic image of Menara Zenith

The Zenith Hotel in Sweep Panorama mode

The Zenith Hotel main entrance

Flies getting down and dirty!!

Spotted these two on the branch of my orchid plant, getting down to business! In fact, this particular plant seems to be quite the love-spot for these flies - I've spotted such incidents on numerous occasions.

At first my Panasonic Lumix DMC-F2 had real problems focusing on the flies. It persisted on focusing on the background. The only clear picture I could get was too far away from the flies to see them!

So I grabbed a piece of white paper and with one hand held it behind the flies whilst I focused the camera in the other hand  -and hey hey, it locked on to them beautifully! This is a decent little tip if you're having focus problems with small objects. Neutralize the background with a piece of white paper!

Abstract Piece 1: Sparkling

So, *Our home called Kuantan* has turned all abstract for the time being. My interest in this form of art was piqued by Leovi and put into action with my very first diamond light display in my tuition room.

Over the last few days I have been snapping abstract images with my Panasonic Lumix DMC-F2 in my home. I've surprised myself at just how much creativity is possible, even within the walls of my own home. Seemingly bland objects can become works of art.

I hope you enjoy guessing the identity of the abstract images I'll be showing you over the coming days, perhaps weeks!

Here's the first one:

Any ideas?

The answer tomorrow. . .

Taman Gelora

If you like to hear the gentle sound of gravel under your feet, delicately crunching as you stroll along the path; If you like to hear the complex song of the many birds communicating freely from the trees; If you love the stunning scenery that makes you look around, high and low, with your mouth slowly opening; If you love the peace of such a setting - then Taman Gelora in Kuantan is just the place to nourish your senses with beauty.

Enjoy my photographs of a saunter around the beautiful Taman Gelora:

I don't know how many times I've photographed this place, but each time the pictures are different, and each time, they come out even better! There's always something new to shoot, a different viewpoint, a new area, an alternative angle, a better idea.

At this point in my photography session, I ventured out behind the swathe of trees to the coast, where I discovered just how far out the tide was:

I walked a good hundred yards before I found this fish hanging on to life in a small pool of water

This fish wasn't so fortunate

Looking out to sea . . . where it lay . . . somewhere

It's kind of hard taking pictures when you're in the wilderness of the sea floor, with the sea nowhere to be seen. Kuantan town can be seen on the horizon.

The distance to the trees show how far I'd walked from Taman Gelora, out onto the sea floor, and I'd still not gotten close to the sea

I found these sea shells slowly moving around in small pockets of water which had been left behind between ridges of sand as the tide went out

Here's a picture of some weird and wonderful sea life. These "stalks" were popping up everywhere

This was the most enduring image from the sea floor. It shows a man in the background busily putting up his nets before the tide came back in later that day. Here is where our boiled fish for dinner begins.

After staying long enough to appreciate the silence at sea, I made the trek back to Taman Gelora, where my appointment with the trees really began:

This tree stood out from the crowd behind

Everywhere you look is trees!

Reflections:

Taman Gelora's bridge which transports visitors across the lake

A twisting tree trunk

And finally . . . . . 

. . . . . a rubbish bin! Oh, the joy!

KUANTAN BLOG TOUR: Have a look around the Ten Thousand Buddhas Hall, a favourite post of mine . . .

On a tight schedule? Click here to leave the tour and return to My Journey to Kuantan - Part 5

Butterfly

It's hard to imagine how the ugly green caterpillars who eat the leaves of my orange tree, transform into these beautiful butterflies with stunning wings. I captured this one with my Panasonic Lumix DMC-F2 just outside my apartment after an afternoon stroll in the sun: