Tag Archives: olympus

Qingming

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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.

Qingming

City Lights

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Some photographers might use an ND (neutral density) filter in the day to obtain a wider aperture (narrower depth-of-field). Some use it to slow down the shutter speed when shooting a waterfall, for example.

I like using an ND Filter during dusk. The reduction in light allows me to use a very long exposure. When combined with a handheld shot in a moving vehicle, the lights will streak to become beautiful art. Try this only if you are the passenger.

Kuala Lumpur as seen from Jalan Loke Yew. Olympus OM-D, ISO 200, f3.5, 6 seconds with Hoya NDX 400 filter.

City Lights

Makcik And The Mynahs

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No. This is not a story about a Rock and Roll band. It is the story of a sweet auntie. She had a nasi campur stall under a huge tree. Birds would come and feed on the leftover. So she built a bird feeder on the tree trunk. Her lunchtime business became very successful and she moved to a proper shop.

Feeling bad about the unfed birds, she built a another feeding station on the shady tree in front of her new shop. Mynahs, starlings, sparrows, pigeons and other feathery residents of the area would come to feed. Makcik told me the birds will not eat unless she puts her famous curry gravy on the rice. Not only is her curry good, I really enjoyed listening and looking at the red-eyed starlings frolicking outside.

More on her Nasi Campur (Malay Mixed Rice) in the next post.

Olympus OM-D, ISO 3200, f7.1, 1/500 sec.

Makcik And The Mynahs