A frangipani flower resting on the grounds of a cemetery. Known as the graveyard flower, the scented but nectar-less plumeria is pollinated by duped moths at night. The trees seem to be in bloom right now, as the peaceful landscape is beautifully decorated in white. From the tree, the frangipani flower falls in one full piece, appearing like scattered bouquets on forgotten tombstones.
Olympus OM-D, ISO 200, f8, 1/250 sec.
Qingming Festival (called Cheng Beng locally) is Tomb Sweeping Day. The Chinese visit their ancestors’ graves to pay respect and to tidy up the burial site. The name is derived from the Clearness of Spring. Although the actual date is April 4th, most families traditionally make the trip on weekends.
The Kuala Lumpur Kwong Tong Cemetery is one of the largest Chinese cemeteries in the world. Opened in 1895, it spanned 263 acres originally. It is sad to see people leaving behind so many plastic bags. The only litter on a graveyard should be the fallen white petals of the Frangipani trees.
Olympus OM-D, ISO 200, f5.9, 1/640 sec.
Composing, framing or cropping for a square format is more challenging, actually. One way is to use a ‘frame’ as a compositional element to ‘de-square’ and make your picture more intriguing. In this picture, I used the overhanging leaves and hill slope as a frame for the family around the tombstone. Under-exposing created the silhouettes, evoking a sombre yet detached viewpoint.
