Top 10 Photos of 2015

It is always great looking back over the photos of the year. So many memories and so much fun. 2015 was the year in which I ditched my DSLR during our England trip, and opted for the easier-to-use-and-carry handphone and ipad. In December, as usual, the auto focus on my DSLR decided to stop working again, so I am using my Canon entirely in manual focus mode. It has been a challenge and I am still learning how to make use of all the features and functions on the camera.

Following are my Top 10 photos of 2015:

#10

I love this photo of these small white flowers lying upside down on the ground with their stalks standing up straight in the air. They arrived in this position after a heavy downpour detached them from their plant

#9

My daughters loved their new dresses from their English grandma so we went out to the park for a photo shoot. Here they pose perfectly atop a slide complete with umbrella to provide some relief from the scorching sun. Natural light is always my preferred condition to shoot in

#8

Posing for a photo in front of the all-white Masjid Abdullah in Pekan, Pahang. 

#7

Visited this stunning mosque in Pekan

#6

A night view of the Petronas Twin Towers in KL surrounded by residential condominiums. I like that there is a gentleman visible in a unit mid-way up the photo

#5

The London England temple on a cold autumn afternoon. Yellowing leaves decorate the surroundings and provide a natural frame for this beautiful scene. This was taken with my Samsung Galaxy Grand Prime handphone

#4

This image became one of my most popular facebook profile pictures of the year. This was originally in video format, whereupon I took this screenshot. I was doing an experiment putting ten mentos mints into a bottle of coca cola!

#3

The top 3 photos are of my highly photogenic and beautiful sister Florina. This one was captured at Citadines ApartHotel in Kuching while we were on a family holiday. On just my 2nd attempt I managed to get this shot of her hair flicking the water in a spiral motion

#2

I swear she should be gracing magazine covers with shots like this! Taken poolside at Citadines ApartHotel, Kuching, Florina effortlessly models swimwear with poise and a smile.
Note: I edited out a child swimming in the background

#1

My favourite photo of 2015 was taken near the start of the year and features the modelling of Florina at a recreation ground in Kuantan. Here she posed under a slide inside this cylindrical space with weathered green paint on the walls. Just love this photo!

Amateur Model Photoshoot at Citadines ApartHotel, Kuching

Here are a few shots of my favourite photography model, Florina Michael. She has featured here before. I've known her and watched her grow up since she was 9 so it's very easy to photograph her. She simply says, "Duncan, take my photo like this," or "Duncan, take my photo like that," and I snap away. Occasionally I put forward an idea for a shot, but it's very free and easy.

She was even kind enough to take a photograph with me!

Model photography session and edits

I am no professional photographer but I am an avid amateur and will photograph just about anything. I have particularly enjoyed photographing my two beautiful daughters. I have also, by degrees, found the fun in editing photos.

Today I photographed my sister-in-law at the field behind our house and I selected the two best photos for some editing. She should really take a chance in modelling. I always enjoy it because she's a dream to photograph - the perfect subject!

Here's the first shot that we like a lot:

Florina posing with a smile into the camera lens

Here's the same shot but with a little lift in colour

In high definition

And in monochrome

I chose this one as the 'killer shot' - 

Urai strikes a pose in our model photography session

And following are some of the edits I made afterwards:

Colour emphasis in this edit from our model photoshoot

An HDR edit from my photoshoot with Florina

Monochrome effect of my photoshoot with Florina

I love this cartoon book edit. The smooth skin tones really stand out

Am I hallucinating? This edit appears that way!

What do you think? Which edit do you prefer?

Tudung Photo Shoot

Recently I had a new photography experience as I was asked by a friend to photograph a bunch of tudungs to promote her sales.

Following are some of the shots I took:

And here's me in action:

Enjoyed this photo shoot and am looking for more experiences to improve and add to my photography repertoire

Holiday Villa Beach Resort & Spa, Cherating, Malaysia

Pulled up the Maps & Navigation app on my phone as we passed the industrial estate of Gebeng on our journey from Kuantan to our destination: Holiday Villa Cherating.

The app showed we were just 20 minutes away, making it roughly a 40-minute drive from Kuantan town. Holiday Villa Beach Resort & Spa Cherating lies just before The Legend Resort on the right hand side of the road, as travelling from Kuantan.

The entrance to Holiday Villa Beach Resort & Spa Cherating

Entering the lobby at Holiday Villa Cherating

The warm and inviting lobby

View of the lobby taken from an adjacent waiting room

We were really impressed with the warm and inviting lobby and waiting area with smooth wooden furniture and neatly decorated walls, with a range of books, magazines and newspapers to browse through.

Our chalet

We were soon escorted to our chalet. A very comfortable sofa in the living area awaited us as we relaxed for a while upon arrival. The bed was fantastic! We had one of the most comfortable nights sleep we have had when compared to any hotel in Kuantan. The one piece of advice I would give is to take some mosquito repellent as there were one or two mosquitos flying around while we were sleeping.

My wife sitting on our chalet porch

The living area of our chalet

Bathroom featuring toilet and shower

Mirror and sink with a nice big rubbish bin!

The bed, with Leah busy chatting on the phone!

After a little rest, my wife indulged herself at the spa with a facial. Eastern Pavilion is attached to the main resort where spa treatment is available and separate chalets are located with private pools!

Beautiful scenery at Eastern Pavilion

We also took some time to look around the resort to discover what was there and appreciate more of this stunning scenery

Took this lovely family photo amidst the nature at Holiday Villa Cherating

Swimming pool

And of course, the main attraction is the location: right on the beach front!

Putting my feet up at the beach

Chillin' out at Cherating

Plenty of activities to do at Cherating!

Here is the Beach Restaurant where we had our dinner and breakfast the next day. The food was good. Very thankful to Mr. Leslie, the Hotel Manager, for the free dinner! A plus point is 24-hour room service delivered from this restaurant.

The hotel arranged for us to go and see some turtles laying eggs at a nearby beach. We drove about 15 minutes into Terengganu along the highway where we met a 'Pak Su' at an Esso station. We followed him to the beach around the corner where we met a large group of other people. This was at 9pm so it was dark, the moon and stars shining brightly in the night sky. We had a trek along the shore before we arrived at the nesting site.

Initially our guides divided us into groups of 10 to go and see the egg laying, but it soon became a free-for-all with no order. It was quite disappointing really as those at the front were not moving away. Eventually my wife and I had to ask people to let others come and see too. Far too many people!

Finally, I have to say thank you to Rina (pictured below) who assisted us with our reservation and everything else we needed (including towels in our room!) during our stay.

We really enjoyed our stay at Holiday Villa Cherating. Very satisfied with the beautiful surroundings, the beach, and the comfortable bed!