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!

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.

Garden of Twists and Turns - KL Gallery #11

The KL Orchid Garden comprises numerous turning paths taking you on a tour of natural beauty. These twisting roots epitomise the layout of the gardens

Top 20 Photos of 2013 - #3

#3

I have gained a lot of great photos by simply walking out onto my balcony. All manner of bugs, birds and dragonflies have temporarily set base here. One evening in 2013 I noticed another marvellous visitor to our balcony, its colourful and perfectly decorated body sitting still on our lavender plant. These are the grasshopper's hind legs in an upright position, resembling the shape of the Petronas Twin Towers, while a front leg clutches a tiny branch to the right. The soft blue background portrays the first glimpse of dusk.

Top 20 Photos of 2013 - #12

#12

I am torn when it comes to photos of my children to be included in Top Photos lists. Do I include a picture of my daughter just because she is my daughter and she's cute, or do I omit such an image as it's probably not as technically good as other landscape, nature or animal pictures? I really had a struggle with this one but I believe it is both physically cute and technically pretty. Lauren's hair, dress and sunglasses were all perfect, as were the natural surroundings of the KL Butterfly Park, which framed the image nicely on either side.

Top 20 Photos of 2013 - #15

#15

At #15 is this charming view of the beach named Teluk Chempedak, Kuantan's most famous coastal location. I wanted to capture something other than the usual sand, sea and sky scene, which looks so picture perfect in travel magazines and online articles. In contrast to the usual blues and browns found at beaches, this scene displays the greens of nature which are so abundant at Teluk Chempedak. The new red footbridge transports people from the first beach to the second, and as it can be a strenuous walk for some, there is shelter on the way to stop for a few moments and admire the sea, as the people in this photo are so doing.

Top 20 Photos of 2013 - #16

#16

The KL Tower with quite a different foreground. I snapped this photo whilst visiting the National Mosque (Masjid Negara) in Kuala Lumpur. I had planned to go inside and admire the interior of the mosque but unfortunately the queue was lengthy and moving slow and time was not so free. So instead I walked around the grounds and took some photos of the exterior and surroundings. (One of these shots became my favourite of the whole year, but more on that later!) Whilst standing in the upper courtyard, I caught a glimpse of the KL Tower behind the hedges and trees. Back home I cropped the photo to bring more of a focus onto the man-made and the natural - the tower and the trees. While Malaysia continues to grow and become more advanced, I sincerely hope that it retains nature and allows the greenery to flourish.

Top 20 Photos of 2013 starts tomorrow

Starting tomorrow I'll be posting my best 20 photos from 2013, one per day. I have spent some considerable time deciding which photos to include, which were the most meaningful, and which had stories behind them. I'm also looking forward to visiting others who have signed up for this blog-hop to see the images and stories they have captured.

Here is a photo that didn't make the top 20:

Posting this photo today is making me think twice. I really love this picture! It's our human tendency to rank things. We like to put things in lists. Perhaps there is no such thing as a Top 20 of photos taken in a year. Maybe we just have a whole collection of equally satisfying photos.

Here's another of my favourite photos of 2013:

Took this early one morning. I usually switch off the flash for sunrise/sunset pictures. Forgot to change the settings and captured this palm tree leaf lit up in clear detail with the soft blurry colours of the sunrise behind it. Came out just perfect! It ranked just outside my top 20 as I have another favourite sunset picture which you'll see in the coming days.

One more photo I'd like to share today:

I love watching the birds on a day to day basis here. I actually have a number of photos of them lining up on electricity lines outside our house. A nice picture, but I have no personal story to tell about it, or any standout reason why I love it.

So tomorrow we'll begin with #20 on our lists. Perhaps ranking our photos sorts out what is really and truly meaningful to us, something that goes beyond the image we see with our eyes, which carries a deeper sense of purpose. Hopefully, I have a few of those sort of photos in my Top 20.

Check it out from 1-20 January, 2014 at *The Kuantan Blog*.

Kuantan Skies #5

This is part 5 in a series of 26 photographs of the Kuantan Skies taken this year. All but 3 were taken from my window or balcony.

Kuantan Skies #5 - A cropped image of the sunset in various colours of blue, purple, pink, orange, yellow and white taken from my balcony

Kuantan Skies #3

This is part 3 in a series of 26 photographs of the Kuantan Skies taken this year. All but 3 were taken from my window or balcony.

Kuantan Skies #3 - The dark threat of rain looms overhead, making almost a symmetrical pattern with the hill