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?

The Fungus Files - Part 4

This is the final installment of The Fungus Files. Part 4 contains more captured memories of these intriguing mushrooms. They do such a good yet unnoticed work in aiding nearby trees.

Hope you have enjoyed this series. Look out for mushrooms the next time you go walking . . .

This one looks so appealing, like a bun!

The Fungus Files - Part 3

Welcome to The Fungus Files - Part 3. If you happened to miss the earlier posts you can click here for Part 1 or click here for Part 2.

Mushrooms are a great benefit to trees they sit around, removing bacteria from the surrounding earth thus enabling the tree to continue its growth in good land.

Here are some gorgeous mushrooms . . .

Remember to stop and admire the mushrooms once in a while!

The Fungus Files - Part 2

Hope you enjoyed Part 1 of The Fungus Files yesterday. Here are some more images of lovely mushrooms . . .

Edible mushrooms at the supermarket . . .

A favourite picture of mine

Part 3 of The Fungus Files is coming tomorrow!

The Fungus Files - Part 1

Hi everyone and welcome to a fantastic Monday and new week! Today's post is entitled The Fungus Files and it has been years in the making.

For the past couple of years I have been snapping pictures of mushrooms growing around Kuantan. They have been taken in various places, sometimes as I was walking in the afternoon, sometimes when out riding my bicycle and some of them while admiring the beauty at Taman Gelora, the beautiful park in Kuantan.

I became rather fascinated with mushrooms during this time and did a lot of research on them too. The one piece of information which stood out to me is that the presence of mushrooms beside a tree tells us that the tree is healthy and growing well. The mushrooms release nutrients into the earth which help to protect the tree and encourage its growth.

So, as a tree-lover, here is my 4-day tribute to mushrooms! Hope you enjoy it :)

Unfortunately, what's left of the tree is a stump . . .

But the mushrooms still look fantastic!

A couple of damaged mushrooms . . .

Stay tuned for Part 2 of The Fungus Files tomorrow!