Petronas Twin Towers - KL Gallery #5

There is no better sight in KL than the iconic Petronas Twin Towers illuminated magnificently at night. I could spend the whole night staring up at this architectural and structural wonder. Breathtaking!

Night Lights

Driving home one night I picked up the camera and started shooting images through the front windscreen. (My wife was driving!) I set the shutter speed to two seconds and wiggled the camera around in circular shapes while shooting.

And here is "Shutter Wiggle #1":

Jalan Dato' Lim Hoe Lek, Kuantan. Car headlights and tail lights appear in circles while the blue and green in the background is The Zenith Hotel and Menara Zenith

What do you think to this style? Different and interesting? Silly and boring? It has a nice abstract quality to it. I'm making a very popular and ordinary place appear in a very abstract and unique fashion.

Let's hope I can replicate this technique in other photos!

Top 20 Photos of 2013 - #5

#5

As I peered out of the hotel window to see the KL sky at night, I noticed one of the few rooms with the lights on and curtains open. There was also a lady standing by the window sending a message on her phone. It was an opportunity I had to take, and it turned out to be one of my favourite images of the whole year. The dull white walls of Vistana Hotel are complimented by the illuminated KL Tower beside, and contrasted by the sole human form in between.

Top 20 Photos of 2013 - #17

#17

Taken through a hotel window, this is a night scene of the town of Kuantan. The night lights make it appear that the streets are on fire, or that some pile of lava has flowed down from an eruption close by. All this imaginary commotion goes on beneath a full moon. The space between the moon and the land emphasizes both and provides a nice contrast. Technically, I had to first focus on the land and then alter the composition by moving the camera up to include the moon. For me, this is a very pleasing outcome!

KLCC at night

We made sure to visit the iconic Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC) on our recent trip to the capital. Who is not amazed when staring up at these magnificent towers illuminated in splendor at night? Here are some photos I took of the towers and surrounding area:

Kuala Lumpur (KL) trip 22-25 November, 2013

As payment for doing another proofreading job for The Majestic Hotel, we enjoyed a 4D 3N stay and this time brought our great friends along with us where we enjoyed the connecting rooms provided.

The pinnacle of the Petronas Twin Towers, KLCC

We also loved seeing the Petronas Twin Towers shining proudly at night, a must-see for any trip to the capital.

The next few blog posts will document our trip to KL and the great time we had there!

Kuantan Skies #25

This is part 25 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 #25 - The last remnants of pink sky quietly fade into night over Kuantan

Kuantan Skies #18

This is part 18 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 #18 - A crescent moon hangs in the dark night skies over Bukit Sekilau, Kuantan

Views of Kuantan taken from The Zenith Hotel

Kuantan is a small town on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It has been my home for 7 years. Following is a series of photos of my adopted hometown, most of them taken from the very top of The Zenith Hotel.

East Coast Mall describes itself as 'the most happening place' in Kuantan, which at least holds true from Fridays to Sundays when people from the northern state of Terengganu come down to Kuantan for the weekend. The heavily Muslim state of Terengganu hold their weekend on Friday and Saturday. East Coast Mall is here visible from the gym at The Zenith Hotel

As it looks over Kuantan, The Zenith Hotel illuminates in colours of purple, red, green and blue every night

A closer view of the Jalan Dato Lim Hoe Lek/Jalan Bukit Sekilau junction. To the left lies Putra Square and East Coast Mall; straight ahead sits the newly refurbished Darul Makmur Stadium

The stairs from the lobby to the First Floor at The Zenith Hotel light up in a brilliant blue when the sun goes down

Kuantan looks like a burning heap of night lights as the moon hangs high above

View from our 22nd floor room at The Zenith Hotel

Aerial view of part of Bukit Sekilau. The purple and yellow building to the left is the UiTM campus, while the gold dome and blue roof of the Bukit Sekilau mosque is visible in the background. Behind the mosque lies SK Bukit Sekilau. The open ground at the front left is being prepared for a Ramadan Bazaar. The Muslim fasting month begins on 10th July

Menara Zenith towers over Putra Square below. The white building in the distance is Vistana Hotel. Beyond that to the right, just out of the picture, is Teluk Chempedak beach

Jalan Haji Ahmad runs to the left behind The Zenith Hotel. Straight ahead is the residential area of Taman Galing

Aerial views of Kuantan at night

Earlier this month I had the pleasure of taking some aerial photos of Kuantan at night from our friend's hotel room on the 17th floor of The Zenith Hotel.

It was difficult as I was shooting through glass windows and trying to eliminate as many reflections as I could, but the results are not too bad!

Looking out towards Berjaya Megamall, Vistana Hotel and Teluk Chempedak, from the 17th floor corridor of The Zenith Hotel

View of East Coast Mall and Stadium Makmur from the 17th floor of The Zenith Hotel

Stadium Makmur in Kuantan. The floodlights are on, but no-one appears to be home!

Traffic on Jalan Dato' Lim Hoe Lek, Kuantan

A night view of East Coast Mall from the 17th floor of The Zenith Hotel

Roads in Kuantan. Jalan Dato Lim Hoe Lek crosses with Jalan Bukit Sekilau

Birds eye view from the 17th floor of The Zenith Hotel. The street lamps illuminate a row of parked cars

The same photograph, but with emphasis placed on the bright blue lighting of The Zenith Hotel

Street lamps light up the roads of Kuantan at night

I will have to take some more night photos around Kuantan at some point in the future. I'm quite happy with how these ones turned out :)

First night photos with Canon EOS 650D

I'm really enjoying getting to know my Canon EOS 650D.

The other night I went out to take my first night shots with my new camera. I also decided to capture images using an 8-second shutter speed.

Jalan Dato Lim Hoe Lek, Kuantan

With the 8-second shutter speed I was able to capture the lights of moving cars as red and white streaks across the image. I will definitely find a busier road next time!

Jalan Dato Lim Hoe Lek, Kuantan

The following image was taken without the manual adjustment of shutter speed . . .

The Zenith Hotel and Menara Zenith are illuminated at night, as seen from Jalan Dato Lim Hoe Lek, Kuantan

In-built photo editing on the Canon EOS 650D allows you to select an area to be focused on, while blurring out the rest