Sri Aman, album

Aaaah, finally, way too late, but here it is, all the photos (35) of the festival in Sri Aman in 2008.

Click here to view the album.

Click here for the index.

And click here for the story on Sri Aman.

Tha Professional

Yes! Finally something went right online.

Took them long enough, almost three weeks and an extra email, but I'm now officially a Canon Professional, hahaha, whatever that means... and I've got a neat little plastic card with my name on it to prove it!

It does mean I won't be standing in line at their counter when I go for the sensor cleaning (although you could say I've been standing in line for 3 weeks), no sir, champagne and caviar, whilst they sweat on my camera, somewhere soon now I hope...

Sri Aman

Sri Aman is a small village in Sarawak (which is a state of Malaysia on Borneo).

Sri Aman is really the embodiment of 'the middle of nowhere' and probably one of the most remote places I’ve ever been to. It reminded me a bit of my own home town. It’s small and there’s nothing to do. No cinema, no clubs, nothing to do for young people besides hang out at the KFC, the one 'foreign' establishment I could detect there.

School and church, temple and mosque... smack in the middle of the state, surrounded by green.

The difference with the place I was born in is that that village is close to a big city. Not Sri Aman. It’s about three hours drive from Kuching, the capital of Sarawak.

Not really an option when you’re in your teens and growing up in Sri Aman.

I was invited to Sri Aman by Erick in February 2008, who’s born there, and he and his family were visiting relatives who still live there. They also went back to Sri Aman to witness and celebrate the last day of the Chinese New Year festivities, 14 days after the start of it - that was the year of the Rat.

Sri Aman is small and remote, but the end of the Chinese new year is not going by unnoticed. There’s a huge festival going on (relatively speaking) and it’s a bit of a strange one. It’s a mix of nature religion, tradition and fancy fair and somewhat hard to describe. The religious aspect is about several gods, who come down on that evening to possess a few selected people. These people are then carried through the streets in the evening in a big parade, stopping at every Chinese shop to ‘bless’ it. For prosperity in the new year and all that.

Now, to an outsider the whole parade seems a bit ridiculous: cute, but not to be taken too seriously. But when you observe it, you quickly notice this isn’t taken lightly. The beliefs are strong and there’s utmost respect for the people being 'possessed' and carried around. This whole process also involves self mutilation and 'torture' devices like seats with spikes, and pins being stuck through flesh. You can see that on some of the pictures I took (although close study of some of the photos do show some 'cheating', I'm not fully sure how far they take this).

And to top it all off there was professional fireworks going on at the end of the ceremony that lasted for so long that it almost became boring. Usually fireworks of that magnitude don’t last for longer than 10 or 15 minutes. This one must have lasted for more than half an hour. Never ever I would have thought that I would experience the longest fireworks I ever saw in such a small place in the middle of Borneo.

Pictures were all shot with my 35mm lens, without flash. I make it somewhat of a point not to use flash in the evening. Besides the fact I hardly know how to use flash properly – flash photography basically is a study in its own - I like the pics better without. Of course the hit rate goes down quickly without flash. The percentage of blurry shots was quite high - it’s impossible to freeze action without flash and with the resulting slow shutter times - but I managed to make a few ok ones nevertheless...

Also quite clear on some of the pictures is that they’re not really used to tourists in Sri Aman. The curious looks I got are also quite visible on some of the pics and espcially kids seem to love to make the V-sign as soon as they spot a camera (much similar to kids in Cambodia, who did the same).

Here's a few photos. Click on them for the full album.

Beijing album V - Summer Palace

Well, the shortest album so far.

I didn't have a good day. I was a bit moody and tired and it shows in the pictures. There's only one really good shot that day, and that wasn't even in the Summer Palace, but at the KFC in Beijing, of all places.

The Summer Palace was just too big. Another really 'hot' tourist spot, with too many people standing in front of everything.

It's like they do it on purpose. You point your lens and poof, there's someone in front of it... At some objects they're even queueing!

Truly, I never fully understood the desire to stand in front of an object and have your picture taken. It has something to do with showing off I suppose 'look, I was there'. But just taking the picture also proves that you were there. You don't need to have your face in it, unless people you show it to won't believe you were the one who actually took the picture? But how likely is that?

This attitude needs to change, I will campaign for it! Photographers of the world unite!

Ok, I'm done campaigning... my sensor isn't cleaned yet, so who cares anyway...

Thus, hardly any good shots, and the few that potentially were, got spoiled by people or strange objects sitting in the way (like support bars for trees etc).

But in the end it was simply me having a bad day...

Click here to view the 10 photos of this album.

For the complete index of all the albums, click here.

About that sunrise...

Well, these are the best I could make of it...

In the meantime the sensor drama continues. I managed to remove the hair. As I suspected it was actually not on the sensor, but sort of hanging in front of it. Standing actually, stuck somewhere at the bottom. I forgot that the picture on the sensor is flipped, so for a while I was looking in the wrong corner.

But during the nerve wrecking process I managed to dirty the sensor itself even more. Less visible on lower apertures, but still not very satisfying. This week probably the Canon Service Center, to have it cleaned by professionals...

I'm awaiting 'professional status' at Canon, which is sort of a perk if you buy at least a camera and one L-lens (which I have). It means they handle you like a business class passenger. Once that status is approved, the whole process of servicing should be swift...

Added to the photographic misery was a drop of the L-lens on the tiles of my apartment. Not from high, it sort of rolled off the camera bag, which was on the floor, and it dropped probably about 10cm. But it made a nasty smack. The lens still works, but there's a weird sound now when you gently shake it, and I don't know if that was there before or not. L-lenses are built to withstand some abuse. There's a story on the Internet of someone who dropped a similar lens from an elephant onto cobble stones, and the lens still worked fine. But as to not suddenly end up with a dead lens on a holiday, I'll include it in the service check... Apparently with 'professional status' they look at that for free...

Welcome to my hobby... :-)

Sunrise over Chempedak Beach...

Click on the photos for a bigger version...

Kuala Lumpur, album

Thought it would be nice, apart from the 'KL by Night' series, to also make a regular album with photos of Kuala Lumpur... They're taken over a period from 2007 to 2009. I have more photos of course, so maybe in future there will be a second album.

Click here to view the 18 photos. Some were published on this blog before, some are new...

Dust II

And at the off change that some people think 'he's whining about dust on his sensor, how bad can it be, dust...' here's a photo which shows how bad it can be.

Now note that I would normally not show this picture, even without dust, because it's nothing special. Just to demonstrate this is a serious issue...

Dust in almost the middle of the picture, just above the horizon... I'm not even sure if you can call that dust or that it's perhaps a full blown grain of sand... it looks huge...

And for people who couldn't discover it on this small photo, here's a blow up. Note also the three pieces in the sea within the yellow circle...

Decided not to burn myself by cleaning the sensor myself, besides, these big pieces are gone, the internal dust shaker worked for those. And with the vacuum cleaner held close to the camera (don't try that at home kids, you might suck out the mirror) I think I was able to get rid of most of these big chuncks completely. But to remove the hair I'll probably visit the Canon service center somewhere next week and let them do it. The machine was simply too expensive to fool around with myself...

Dust

Well, the sunrise was a bit of a bummer. Too cloudy. Did manage to take some nice shots, but then, when I reviewed the pictures, I spotted dust... ON THE SENSOR! One big piece is really spoiling most pictures, so before I show any they have to go through Photoshop to remove it.

Dust on the sensor is not uncommon, but the big problem is: how to get rid of it. I also discovered a piece of a hair, and it's totally stuck. The sensor on a DSLR is extremely sensitive, and replacing it if you scratch it will cost you the price of the camera. Canon can service it, but the testimonials from people who went through that aren't positive. They usually get it back with even more dust. Furthermore you loose the camera for about 2 to 3 weeks, not a nice prospect.

In fact, when messing around trying to clean it, I already damaged the focusing screen. It's scratched by a cloth that wasn't the right one, or from a grain of sand slipping through. That's not really a big issue, because it's just a piece of glass that can be replaced. They sell them new for a few dollars. But it shows how careful one needs to be with this equipment.

Reviewing photos from Beijing showed that the piece of hair was already on there. It only becomes visible at higher apertures, starting with F8 or so, and I don't take many shots that high. But knowing it's there already bothers me. It's also in a nasty position, at the top right, so it will show very easily when taking pictures with a piece of clear sky in it.

So now I'll start looking for the right cleaning kit, to do it myself... Also not a nice prospect, when you know that one wrong move will turn you suicidal...

In the meantime, whilst I sweat to somehow get my sensor cleaned, enjoy the photo I took before I spotted the dust... yes, a monkey again :-)

Click on the photo for a bigger version...

Beijing album IV - Jingshan Park

Probably the best day photo wise of the Beijing trip. Made not too many, but a few very nice ones if I say so myself. And if you want to know what this header photo is about, you'll have to click...

Take a look here at some 17 photos...

Visitors from China will have trouble with these albums, since the used domain is blocked there. They can click here, but will have to click around more to get to the bigger versions of the photos.

Sunrise

We're in Kuantan now. Chempedak beach...

And it's what some would consider 'in the middle of the night'. I usually consider this as 'somewhat late, perhaps time to sleep'. But not this night, cause I want to catch the sunrise. Problem of the east coast is that it's facing... yes east. There's no way to catch a sunset, so, how awful, it has to be the sunrise.

I'm not a morning person, I'm sure I've written that before on this blog, but in this case I'll consider this morning simply as an extension of the night. Problem solved...

Only thing now is to find out how late exactly, as to not sit for an hour on the beach fruitlessly, being stung by mosquitoes or bitten by sand flies.

Ok, just done that, dawn is 6.32, exact sunrise is 6.54, so I need to be out there at 6.30...

Ah and yes, the aim is of course to take some nice pictures.

Let's hope it's not too clouded...

Monkeys!

I turned all the monkey pictures taken at the east coast of peninsula Malaysia during trips in 2008 into one album. Some were already shown on this blog, but some are new. If you like the critters, have fun...

Click here to view them all, the album contains 23 photos...

Vietnam - Hanoi album IV

And the third day of Vietnam is finished.

For people losing track with all the photos, this was a trip in March 2007, more than two years ago.

It's nice to compare (well, for me anyway) with the more recent albums like China and really see some progress in the photos, subject wise and technically. Good equipment also helps.

I disliked the lens I used most in Vietnam (for the nerds: the Canon EF 28-135mm). Reviews claim it's a fine lens for its price, and be that as it may - perhaps due to me being quite new to it all or maybe it was a not so good copy - it didn't perform very well. Also visible on some of these pictures.

It flared a lot, even with hood, and somehow light would always overflow in the rest of the picture. Look for instance at the guy sitting on the balustrade, fishing in that really green lake. Then look at the top quarter of the photo and see how washed out it is. Perhaps it's the humidity, perhaps simply wrong lighting, but this lens spoiled a lot more photos than my present gear. Dunno if there's a specific technical term for it, but I would call it 'unhappy'. It also produced a dull contrast and rather soft images. It did perform quite well in Cambodia, in sunny dry circumstances, but humidity is a given in a lot of countries in this region.
I sold the lens not long after the trip to Vietnam.

The camera used was the Canon 350D, almost ancient (Canon just released the 500D, that's 3 models beyond the 350D), and obviously that also makes a difference compared to my present camera (the 5D mark II).

Click here to view the album...

Beijing album III - Forbidden City

One of my objectives, when I bought my first DSLR camera, was to try to stay away from 'tourist' photos.

That hasn't been easy.

To want to be original is one thing, to actually achieve it is another. And I must admit that I didn't realise how difficult it is to really take a 'wow' picture, or a photo that tells something more than just what the image reflects.

The Forbidden City is a good example. If you google a bit on pictures of other people who visited Beijing, you'll find at least half a million pictures (for instance on Picasa web) and they're all similar. The same buildings, the same picture of the portrait of Mao, the same bed of the emperor... I even saw some of the photos I took, at similar angles of similar subjects at the similar location.

It's too boring.

Not that there's anything wrong with tourist photos mind you, I don't want to sound all snobbish. In the end I'm also a tourist, and I also like to take pictures of stuff that others have photographed millions of times already. Some of these objects simply beg for it. But I also like to come home with at least a few 'different' ones. And 'seeing' or discovering the 'difference' at a place like the Forbidden City, that's not easy - is my main point.

Therefore this third album doesn't have many of the 'usual' shots and in actual fact doesn't contain many photos for six hours of tourist site. Although I did take a few of the 'standard' photos, and do show a few, when making the album I focused a bit more on details.

The last pictures were taken in the early evening in a park close by the hotel, not in the Forbidden City.

If you want a general overview of the Forbidden City I suggest you google for it.

Click here to view this third album, with some 22 photos...

Visitors from China will have trouble with these albums, since the used domain is blocked there. They can click here, but will have to click around more to get to the bigger versions of the photos.

Twice and doorknobs

Turns out I took a photo at almost exactly the same spot - from the train - on the way to the wall and back... here's both of them...

The third was taken in the Forbidden City...

Doorknobs on the doors of one of the many buildings in the Forbidden City...

Click on the photos for a bigger version...

Beijing album II

And here's the second album of Beijing, the second day, where we wander around Tiananmen Square, after deciding it's too busy for the Forbidden City... with some 27 photos.

Visitors from China will have trouble with these albums, since the used domain is blocked there. They can click here, but will have to click around more to get to the bigger versions of the photos.

Strike a pose

Posing for his mother who took a picture of him, in front of the back entrance of the Forbidden City...

Click on the photo for a bigger version...

Pots and Trees

Plants in big pots at the entrance of Jingshan park...


Blossom trees near the wall of the Forbidden City...

Click on the photos for a bigger version...

KFC

Women at KFC...

Click on the photo for a bigger version...

Aerobics

Had to compromise on the quality here to keep the upload small. The quality of the movies of the new camera is amazing, but the files are huge. The original was 300mb, for only about a minute of movie. Uploading that would take too long.

Complication of filming with the camera is the focus, which isn't set automatically. So during filming I have to do it manually, which account for the sometimes fuzzy images - clearly not used to using the camera for movies.

In the real movies they have someone for that, called 'the focus puller'. I had to do it myself... :-)

This was just some testing and playing around with new features of the camera, not meant as a 'keeper'. But I hadn't counted on the younger girls passing by, which made it quite funny (if you're me), so I decided to show it...

I'm not fully sure how this player works, but after hitting the play button and a bit of 'Buffering...' it should start playing...

Mind the volume though, it's quite loud...

Beijing album I

And here's the first album of Beijing, the first day with some 19 photos.

Visitors from China will have trouble with these albums, since the used domain is blocked there. They can click here, but will have to click around more to get to the bigger versions of the photos.