Showing posts with label Taman Gelora. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Taman Gelora. Show all posts

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Top 20 Photos of 2013 - #14

#14


I took up a behind-the-stage stand point for photo #14. Shot in Taman Gelora, Kuantan during a zumba party, instructor Jun Loh leads the masses in a dance routine. In post-photo processing I cropped out unnecessary noise to make the instructor the central focus. I also experimented popping the bright yellow colour of her shirt. Unfortunately, similar colours on other people's clothes and some of the grass and trees also stood out, which prevented the photo from finishing higher up in the Top 20 list. However, I do like the photo a lot. The bright yellow top stands out excellently well against the monochrome background.



Friday, March 29, 2013

Feeling Calm about the A-Z Challenge 2013


The A-Z blogging challenge starts on Monday and this is my 3rd year participating. It is also the first time I have pre-scheduled all 26 of my posts - for 3 different blogs!

Yep, call me crazy, but I've entered 3 blogs for the challenge and all of the posts through A-Z for each blog are scheduled to automatically post on each assigned day. It gives me exclusive time to go visit other blogs :)

You could say I'm feeling as calm as the beach on a perfect day:








Pictures taken at Taman Gelora, Kuantan


Monday, March 25, 2013

Zumba workout at Taman Gelora, Kuantan





Fidelia attends Zumba classes twice a week in Kuantan. Last Saturday at 8am there was a free-for-all Zumba workout at Taman Gelora. So we attended. Fidelia participated in the 1-hour session which combines groovy music with dancing, and was led by a few instructors on stage.

I was left with the children and the camera!







The Zumba instructors were full of energy . . .



This is Fidelia's instructor, Jun . . .









Yes, even Leah joined in near the end! I'm really happy with these photos. It was the first time I had used my Canon EOS 650D manually by using a fast shutter speed and increasing the ISO to compensate.

Everyone had a great time and increased their health and fitness. Looking forward to the next one!


Wednesday, January 2, 2013

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!





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?


Friday, July 27, 2012

Spending time at Taman Gelora

We recently took our Russian friends to Taman Gelora. Regular visitors to my blog will know all about Taman Gelora from previous posts. It's a beautiful, tranquil park by the beach where people love to go jogging in the evening and where it is not so hot due to the bounteous trees blocking out a good portion of the sun's rays. Or if you're me, you love taking photographs at Taman Gelora!


Saturday, February 18, 2012

Taman Gelora through Photoshop

Yesterday I blogged about a lovely park here in Kuantan named Taman Gelora.

Yesterday I played around with one image from that shoot in Photoshop. Here is the original image:

I think it's a really lovely view



After putting this image through Photoshop, I've been able to create some almost abstract images of the same scene but seen through entirely different eyes. 




The exhibition begins here . . .



1. Sharpened and saturated




2. Sketch




3. Crystallised



4. Pixelated



5. Black and white



6. Inverted colours



7. One colour and black



8. Pop colour



9. Distorted



Which ones have the best effect?


Thursday, February 16, 2012

Late afternoon walk at Taman Gelora

Yesterday my neighbour Dora decided to go to Taman Gelora for some jogging. Us and another neighbour, Mila, also followed along.

Fidelia and Dora have high blood pressure and are now taking steps to get more exercise. Taman Gelora must be the perfect place to go jogging/walking. There were a good number of people at 5.30pm doing just that. And the best part was, it was all done in virtual silence!

It gave me the opportunity to get snapping the beautiful trees around Taman Gelora as I pushed Leah in the pushchair, stopping now and again to take a photo, and look at how cute Leah was!







Leah smiled every time I stopped to have a look at her!




Absolutely love this scene. Such beauty.




The late afternoon sun makes for a lot of light and shadow - just nice for photographing.
















Lauren posing beautifully at Taman Gelora!




Enjoying my evening at Taman Gelora, Kuantan




Fidelia, left, and Dora




rope bridge amidst the trees











Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Kuala Lumpur, Kuching and Kuantan



"Kipling, Rudyard (1865-1936)" - English writer and poet, the first English writer to be awarded the Nobel Prize for literature (1907).





I have lived in three places in Malaysia, all beginning with the letter 'K'.


Kuala Lumpur


The first place I lived when I originally wound up on Malaysian shores back in 2002 was Kuala Lumpur (KL). I stayed there for nine months and have loved it ever since.



View of KL taken from the KL Tower in 2004






The KL Tower, taken from the grounds of the Petronas Twin Towers






A view of Sunway Pyramid in Subang Jaya taken from my friend's condominium in 2002. It has changed much since then! To see inside the new Sunway Pyramid click here






Here's me standing inside the trunk of a fascinating tree at the Forest Reserve Institute of Malaysia (FRIM) in Kepong, KL








Kuching

Later I moved to Kuching, which is located in the state of Sarawak on the island of Borneo.




This is where my wife is from and where I've enjoyed seven months of my life.



Kuching town










My friend's place in Kuching. Can you spot me?





Trying my hand in a small paddy field in Kuching







Beginning our journey to a friend's fruit farm in Kuching







In the back of the truck with two men who couldn't speak a word of English!






At a rambutan farm (the red fruit that can be seen growing on the trees). I'm holding a soursop fruit.








Kuantan

Finally I've settled in Kuantan. Here are some of the best images of Kuantan:



The Pahang State Mosque






Teluk Chempedak beach


Click here to see the beautiful views at Teluk Chempedak beach




The gaping mouth of a dragon at the Lao Zi temple. 


Click here to see the Lao Zi Dragon temple





The stunning Taman Gelora park in Kuantan


Click here to see my latest visit to Taman Gelora





The new 5-star Zenith Hotel in Kuantan














What is your favourite Rudyard Kipling piece?

What is the best place you have lived in/visited?