Top 20 Photos of 2013 - #2

#2

At #2 is this photo taken at the Bukit Gambang Safari Park of the lion enclosure. One piece of glass separating man from animal. Everything is at peace because of the existence of this window. This was an opportunistic moment where beast and human aligned perfectly, facing the same direction. I love the contrast between colour and silhouette. The window provided the perfect frame to the picture. The handrail coming closer to the viewer gives a depth to the photo which I find stimulating. Incidentally, this was one of the very last photos I took before the focus on my camera busted and went to KL for repairs.

Top 20 Photos of 2013 - #7

#7

My youngest daughter does not enjoy smiling for the camera, though that can be worked around. This image in at #7 shows that a smile is not always necessary in a great photo. I managed to capture her deep in thought, reflective and somewhat poignant. As to what exactly was going through her head, only she knows. What do you think was on her mind?

Top 20 Photos of 2013 - #9

#9

This was an instance of discovering something different to what was initially expected. Here at the KL Orchid Garden we were surrounded by a plethora of beautiful orchids growing from the floor, hanging from baskets, lining shops. I went to gaze at a small pond when this pink dragonfly appeared from nowhere and decided to stay put. Slowly preparing my camera I tried to limit my movement as much as possible so as not to alarm this beautiful specimen. I was praying he wouldn't fly away as has happened so many other times. My prayers were answered and I shot several photos of this dragonfly as he perched on this tiny branch.

Top 20 Photos of 2013 - #18

#18

This dainty butterfly was perched on a fragile branch at the Butterfly Park in Kuala Lumpur. It remained still while I pointed my lens and zoomed in. Other butterflies were fluttering around through the air. The luscious, blurred, green background provided the perfect wallpaper. A number of times this day, I had zoomed and focused, only for the specimen to flap its wings and be off as my finger was on the button. There will be more from the Butterfly Park later in my Top 20.

Top 20 Photos of 2013 - #19

#19

At a long-term science exhibition in Kuantan, I snapped this photo. Intrigued by the rows of lights emanating from the centre of this box, I crouched down, and keeping as steady as possible, lined up my camera to fit in the centre of these red and yellow blobs of light. In addition to being able to see the photographer and his equipment in the shot (a rare sight), the effect was that this magical camera can snap illustrious pictures, as characterised by the spread of lights seemingly flowing from the camera lens.

Christmas Tree is UP!!!

Lauren stands by our Christmas Tree

It may still be a little early, and some of you may still be recovering from a Halloween fright night, but our Christmas Tree is up!

My good wife has got a tradition going of putting the tree up on the first day of November. It does give me the opportunity to get the camera out and start experimenting with the lights. And I love the relaxing nights with nothing but the tree lights on. It does create a very warm and cosy atmosphere!

Kuantan at night on a 30-second shutter speed

The streaks of light from car headlamps race along Jalan Dato' Lim Hoe Lek, Kuantan

This is the junction in Kuantan intersecting East Coast Mall and Stadium Darul Makmur, including Jalan Dato' Lim Hoe Lek and Jalan Bukit Sekilau. These roads are very busy, particularly on holidays, as people flock to East Coast Mall for shopping.

I shot this image from the 18th floor of The Zenith Hotel during our recent stay there for my birthday. Must admit, I felt kind of like a sniper as I set up my tripod and programmed my equipment to shoot at a 30-second shutter speed, allowing the lens to capture all the movement of the vehicle headlamps.

Even with a tripod, I had to be immaculately delicate pressing the shutter button so as to avoid any type of blur. It was a worthwhile and stimulating experiment!

Keep Calm and Take a photo

I am a photographer. Taking photos makes me happy. Focusing on a subject and pressing the shutter button to capture that image is very satisfying for me. So I photograph as often as I can. And I share most of my photos right here on my blog. So go ahead and have a look around. Taking photos provides great memories, stimulates your creativity, and even can even earn you some money if you're good at it!

So Keep Calm and TAKE a photo!

Do you take photos? What do you take photos of? What camera do you own? Why do you take photos?

Kuala Lumpur Orchid Garden

The Kuala Lumpur Orchid Garden has an entrance that could easily be missed, a small pathway leading up a hill that blends in with the landscape, but once inside, you should prepare yourself for an orchid explosion!

The KL Orchid Garden is located in the Lake Gardens area of Kuala Lumpur, immediately opposite the KL Bird Park and just around the corner from the KL Butterfly Park. Entrance Fees are just RM1/person on weekends, and it is FREE on weekdays and public holidays.

A cascade of colour decorates the Orchid Garden in KL. Every turn is greeted by various species of orchids. It was really difficult to make a selection of photos for this post - I wanted to just use them all!

I was drawn to these individual petite orchids. . .

Then there were the larger versions . . .

We spent our time at the Orchid Garden with our really nice friends from Kuantan. We had a very pleasant time admiring the beauty of nature together. . .

Amidst all the beauty, I even managed to get one shot of myself!

And here are more photos of these gorgeous orchids . . .

I just can't help but feel happy while I'm around such wonderful creations . . .

We finish with a flurry of red. I could have spent hours upon hours at the Orchid Garden. With two camera batteries. It's my kind of paradise . . .

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?