Lovely orangey sunset today. I was driving in Selayang when I saw a giant egg yolk through a gap between some shrubs and trees. Pulled over into a side lane and shot this through the passenger window. The roof is that of a condo in the distance. When you see the sun that low on the horizon, you have a window of 20 seconds or less. If you are driving, don’t bother unless there is a safe place nearby to stop.
Olympus OM-D, ISO 200, f11, 1/2500 sec.
The wholesale market in Selayang is busy with trolleys of fish and vegetable whizzing by at every corner. As with any peak-hour gridlock, things get crazy at the intersection. The Olympus OM-D captured everything sharply and its auto white balance rendered nice colours even with the artificial and low-light conditions. But sometimes you don’t want that. So I used Snapseed to add a slight fog to convey the dreamy, surreal world of the midnight market. Corner vignetting (darkening) effect also enhanced the look.
Still, the most important visual elements that captured the moment of congestion are the two guys at the side looking diametrically. In scenes like these, I always shoot by seeing with my eyes instead of looking through the viewfinder. Also, when strangers you are photographing can see your face and smile, they react more naturally. Try it next time everything is flying around you. You get better pictures.
Get your Wellingtons and take a rare peep into the nation’s largest wet market. Pasar Borong Kuala Lumpur (Selayang Wholesale Market) is seldom seen by outsiders because it comes alive only at 3 am. The place is wet, slimy and buzzing when the country is fast asleep. To get a semi-fisheye view, I held the camera as high as the towkay (boss). This is only a quarter of the market. Yes. It is that big. Photographed with the Olympus OM-D and Pana 7-14mm ultrawide lens.
