Saw this building at the Indian street recently. This time it is not the facade that attracted me but the green leafy plants that grow on it’s facade. These plants survive in the harsh condition which is not only exposed to strong wind and heavily rain but the extreme hot weather lately. I am truly amazed and impressed by these plant ’s ability to sustain the extreme burning heat from the brickwall surface under the sunlight.

Few weeks ago I took a day off just to give myself a break from the tiring routine office works. I spent few hours walking around the busy old town stretching from Ewe Hai Street to the Carpenter Street. It was a very nice treat for me since i can throw all those messy paperwork out of my mind and shoot whatever I saw and I like. I like those old fixtures along these timeless street. Felt like see the yesterdays once more.

在古晋有这么一条响当当的街叫作中国街。它的响原自于这里仅存的数间打铁店从早到晚的响亮敲打声。对许多人来说这只是一条嘈杂的老街但却和我有着即陌生却密不可分的关系。它是陪伴老爸度过大半辈子的街。在这里有一间老爸艰辛经营的老字号。 从早期的中国街六号，至后期的中国街二号和今时今日的中国街十号，这间打白铁老字号经历了数十个年头和数不尽的风雨。

很多年轻的一辈也许都对打白铁这一个行业感到陌生。在现今的社会里它只不过是一个既吃力又不可观的劳动事业或是接近消失的夕阳工业。对我而言它不仅是个劳动事业， 它是一种需要尽心思考的手艺。试想象， 如何以一只木棒就能把一圈圈的粗铁线慢慢敲打成一条条笔直的铁线。

在我三十年的时光里我只曾经在这店里度过短暂的数个星期。那是初中时的某个年终暑假老爸把我带到店里帮忙。但是无可否认我真的是没学这手艺的天分。老爸也许知道所以也只教我做些简单的杂事。那时脏兮兮的我常往附近的书局跑.

一转眼我已三十来岁， 年近七十的老爸依然守着这个老字号。一切仿佛没变，只是从原有的店铺搬过了隔几间。岁月没有在这老字号留下痕迹但却在老爸的眉眼间静静的种下了皱纹和苍苍白发。

老爸从来就不希望我们续承他的手艺。他常说做多一天是一天。 到了那一天该结束就结束吧。

These few days the weather condition is extremely warm and humid. Just imagine that i can have hot shower without switch on the water heater (in fact i need a cold shower but end up getting hot shower somemore). How i wish that i can have a giant natural sunshade next to my house.

This is another series of my favorite shots. Even though i don’t have any macro lens but i do enjoy shooting little insect simply with the close-up filter attached. Bee is one of my favorite subject as it is really challenging due to its small size and the extreme speed together with the minimum depth of field from the close up filter.

I love the 1st and 2nd images the most. I observed under the tree for some moment and decided to capture the images of the bee flying toward the flower from a lower angle. I did a few test shots to figure out the require exposure then i just waited patiently for it to come. As usual, it was only a split of seconds for me to capture these shots. The images created a feel that the viewer was observing in their small world. I love the outcome.

80mm, 1/1000 second, F9.0, ISO 800

80mm, 1/1250 second, F9.0, ISO 800

50mm, 1/320 second, F8.0, ISO 200, High speed sync flash

80mm, 1/800 second, F9.0, ISO 800

80mm, 1/1000 second, F9.0, ISO 800

80mm, 1/1250 second, F9.0, ISO 800

I took these photos about a year ago at my sister house. This butterfly was found on the blooming Longan tree which is only about 1.50m high. I was attracted by this butterfly as i found that it was sucking the nectar of the Longan flower. It is a very interesting process to see it extends the rolled proboscis into the stigma slowly.

I fitted my camera with a telephoto zoom lense to allow me to shoot from a distance away in order not to frighten the butterfly yet sufficient to produce images that fill up the frame. The concrete slab next to the Longan tree reflected the bright afternoon sun toward the tree and illuminating the flowers.

179mm, 1/500 second, F11.0, ISO 800

187mm, 1/400 second, F11.0, ISO 800

187mm, 1/400 second, F11.0, ISO 800

I found these grasshoppers matting on the tree when i was shooting in the Sunday afternoon. Honestly it was my first time to see insect mating so i got my camera to capture a few shots of them. I engaged high shutter speed with high speed sync flash to reduce the background exposure in order to create the shots below. If you never see two grasshoppers in action, then here you are.

1/400 second, F5.0, ISO 400, High speed sync flash

1/400 second, F5.6, ISO 400,High speed sync flash

There is a vey tall flowering plant at my sister house which blooming all year round. During the afternoon hours, there is always some little birds hop around it’s branches.

My dad asked me a few times whether is it possible for me to capture those lovely little birds. Initially i was reluctant to shoot these bird as i saw them hopping from branch to branch rapidly. Further more they are extremely alert which is hard for me to get close enough to them. They came and left in merely seconds of time.

In the beginning i tried to shoot from the window with the maximum focal length of my telephoto zoom lens but obviouly it is too far away to get a frame filling image. The bird disappeared in split second as i tried to get closer. After a few tests, i decided to get my equipment ready and wait for the bird under the branches which is about 2.50m high. As the bird appear, i moved quietly and slowly to get an angle of view that is free from obstruction. With continuos shooting mode engaged, i shoot rapidly before it fly away.

It is very interesting and challenging to shoot bird. Hours of waiting under the sun usually end up with shooting time of less than a minutes. However, it is very worthwhile to captured them.

171mm, 1/640 second, F6.3, ISO 200

171mm, 1/640 second, F6.3, ISO 200

171mm, 1/640 second, F6.3, ISO 200

171mm, 1/320 second, F6.3, ISO 200

This is the potted plants that my mum plants beside the fencing wall at my sister’s house. It is a small plant with very unique purple colour leaves that look similar to the butterfly wing so my mum always calls it as “butterfly plant”. It’s flower is only about the size of a 20 cents coin.

These shots are captured with a +4 close-up filter attached to the 17-55mm kit lens to enable close up focusing that create nice bokeh between the subject and background. I then used a piece of A2 size drawing paper as the backgroud to replace the stained fencing wall to achive the clear and bright background. The shadow of the flower was included at the bottom right to create a link between the subject and the clear white background. I love the clear and simple layout of the shots which look like a painting.

52mm, 1/1000 second, F8.0, ISO 400

55mm, 1/320 second, F8.0, ISO 400, High speed sync flash

55mm, 1/125 second, F8.0, ISO 400, High speed sync flash

Lot of my friends knew that actually i am good in portrait painting during my school time. For years, i spent every weekend doing portrait painting as a hobby as well as a way of releasing tension from the mind stretching examinations. However, after graduated i found that i am getting less and less leisure time to do so. I can’t feel the peaceful mind that i used to had whenever i was doing painting anymore. That is the reason i picked up photography again, to find a way to rejuvenate my mind from the tiring working live.

Since then, i spent every weekend at the backyard of my sister’s house shooting flowers and insects. During that time, a standard kit lens, external flash and a close up filter are the only tools that i can afford. Most of my favorite shots are captured with these simple equipment and the little plant in the backyard. I enjoy shooting alone in the backyard, spending my time observing those little plant and insects. In fact i was not alone since i have lot of flower, plant, bee, butterfly and even bird accompanying me. It is a great feeling to blend my mind into the nature while recharge my stressed mind as i captured those nice and beautiful shots.

Those photo might seen to be just ordinary for many photography enthusiasts but they are unique for me. These photo give me the relaxing feel whenever i saw them. I still can remember that one of my friend did email me telling me that browsing through these photo did brighten up her moody working day.

For those who just drop by this blog, hopefully my photo can brighten up your days. If you think my photo need more improvement, kindly drop a comment to share you opinion as we are here to share and learn together. Thanks.

I am not an expert in landscaping so i really no idea what is the correct name for the flower in the photo below. As far as i know it is a very common flower called “Kei Sai Hua” in Hokkian which means  “Chicken Manure Flower”. This flower can grow up to 2.0m high and produce lots of flowers when it starts to bloom. I love to shoot the flower from the lower angle to emphasize on the petal rather than the stigma itself.

1/125 second, F6.3, ISO 400, Flash off

1/500 second, F5.6, ISO 400, High speed sync flash

1/125 second, F6.3, ISO 400, Flash off

1/400 second, F9.0, ISO 200, High speed sync flash

1/200 second, F7.1, ISO 800, Flash on