Author Archives: TV Smith

Gostan Sikit

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Indian Navy Submarine photographed docking at Porto Malai. The mooring process  involved many crew members on the bridge and conning tower. There were lots of shouting back and forth, probably due to the unfamiliar territory and unconventional berth.

Now; where is our famous ‘jaga kereta’ with the dirty rag when we need him? The local word “gostan’ (reverse) would come in handy here as it originates from “go astern” in sailing terminology.

Gostan sikit. Lagi, lagi… Oooooop! (hand bangs back of submarine).

Indian Navy Submarine at Porto Malai

Sky Fall

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Royal Malaysian Navy (TLDM) commandos jumping into the high seas in an anti-piracy operation (demo) off Langkawi Island during LIMA ’11. The helicopter was a Westland WG-13 Super Lynx Mk.100.

If you want to capture motion blur of helicopter blades, you need to shoot below 1/250 sec shutter speed. Since I was hand-holding a 600mm lens, I kept the speed at 1/640. It was fast enough to freeze the soldier in mid-air and slow enough to retain slight blur in the tail rotor.

Sky Fall

The Street Barber

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Operating under a droopy canvas on side lanes, the street barber is now a rarity in the city. This one in Chinatown KL survives on tourists and backpackers who appreciate the old world charm and unique experience of a public haircut.

To use an ultrawide-angle lens for street photography, you cannot be shy either. You would need to engage strangers as the lens works best up-close. Contrary to what many think, it is not just for taking everything in from afar. The beauty of this specialised lens is how it affects perspective and exaggerate scale when positioned very near.

Olympus E-PL2, ISO 200, f5.6, 1/160 sec with Lumix 7-14mm ultrawide angle lens.

The Street Barber