Brisbane is a city where the Brisbane river (DUH!) runs through it! I’m fortunate to be in the part of Brisbane which is along the river! That provides another means of transportation as well! I wanted to go to the Central Business District (CBD). It was either the bus, train or ferry. The University of Queensland has its own ferry stop! My house mate and I decided to take the ferry. A first for me Definitely not the last. It was a scenic route. Boy, was it windy too! The fare to CBD with a concession card is slightly less than $ 1.50. Not bad at all. Took some pictures with my handphone but I would definitely bring my DSLR along one day So yeah, enjoy the pictures!

That magnificent bridge is actually a pedestrian walkway! Cool huh!

That’s the tall buildings at the CBD!

I have never been to any photographer workshop before. So this has to be the first. The workshop was organised by LTK PRO 1 (okay, you better “pay” me for advertising! =P) at a rented room in SS21/60. The invited speaker for the day was Mr. Liew Wai Hon. He has much experience and has recently took photographs of some games organised by Petronas. Woot!

The photography workshop was intended for beginners. Camera functions, type of lenses to choose and some composition techniques were discussed. That’s about all that I can remember about the workshop. We had a show and tell at the end of the session too. Ha ha! Mr. Liew showed us some of his night shots! Amazing!

Hmm, I’m still waiting for the Facebook add Mr. Liew! =D Oh yes, we had refreshments during the workshop too! Mmm…. nice curry puffs, blueberry tarts and fruit tarts!

Did you know?

The Petronas Twin Towers were the tallest buildings in the world until Taipei 101 was completed in 2004, as measured to the top of their structural components (spires, but not antennas). Spires are considered integral parts of the architectural design of buildings, to which changes would substantially change the appearance and design of the building, whereas antennas may be added or removed without such consequences. The Petronas Twin Towers remain the tallest twin buildings in the world. -taken from Wikipedia.

Having the chance to be around Suria KLCC after our exams, Ying Wei and I took the opportunity to add the Twin Towers into our portfolio! Trust me, they look easy to take, but the towers were 88-floors high, and to cover the whole structure we would need a considerable amount of distance.

Armed with our kit lens (well more like my kit lens, Ying Wei was on his 18-200mm lens), we spent some time out in the garden taking pictures using several angles. I know I was lying down most of the time!

Of course, we took the opportunity to do the ‘tourist’ although we’re Malaysians and have been to KLCC countless times, but hey not with a DSLR and taking pictures of it. xD

For once, we were actually awed by the structure of the towers, though it was Korean technology, but our former premier, Tun Dr. Mahathir was the one behind this history-making towers.

The Petronas Twin Towers is worth making another trip back, BUT it will be during the night. Given the pictures in the Internet, they have one of the most beautiful scenery with the lightings.

Well, my pick of the day gotta be this.

Though it was edited, but I love how it turned out =)

More of the pictures can be found here!

Okay, hold your horses first. It is not official but http://www.canonrumors.com/ posted a CR2 rumour on this baby!!! It’s too good not to post!!!!!

Taken from their website, “I received notice that there will be a Canon announcement on November, 24, 2009 in regards to a new 70-200 f/2.8L IS II.”

WOHOOO!!!!

Summer Time Brimming With Activity

Witnessing all 4 sessions in Ann Arbor has shown me one thing: the American life, in general, is cyclical. Ironically, it first starts with the process of decay. Life during the fall is like rushing to savour the residues of summer – topless men and bikini cladded women will conquer the green pastures, soaking the wilting sun; customers will flock the outdoors of most diners, hoping to savour the last bearable caressing of the chilly winds etc. Then comes death. The sheer brute force of winter literally forces the civilization to a standstill – no more bikini babes, no more annoying kids annexing the pathways, no more smiley warm sunshines; just a constant shiver through the cold. At the end of what seems like a long torturous death, sprouts tinkering signs of life. Waltzes of spring starts thawing the layers of snow; people start emerging from their hideouts (usually fatter than they were before) and the world starts spinning again. It won’t be for long before summer comes knocking at everyone’s doorsteps – lo and behold…

The MAMA is back in the house!

Armed with my new precious baby (Canon PowerShot G10) with the sun blazing ferociously (33-35 Degrees Celcius) above Chicago’s skyline, I decided to hog the Jackson Park Express (CTA Bus No. 6) to the Millennium Park, the center of attraction for families and tourists alike during the exciting Chicago summer. My aim was to capture the other side of Chicago – the side of life that flows seamlessly after the ebbing months of winter. More so, I wish to capture the nuances that exists within the complex demographics of the Chicago urban setting.

An Invisible Force that Binds Us Together

It is said that when living in the city, it’s all about the facade – the fast paced, impatient setting life that catalyze a “Me, Myself and I” syndrome – smiles are pretentious, greetings are only for politeness sake, and everything else is none of my business. I set to water down this stereotype or at least attempt to show that the urban dwellings of Chicago is not distilled to mere towering skyscrapers, endless grids of roads plus railways and a huge blue lake. There is more to that than meets the eyes. Beneath those millions of bobbling heads that cross Michigan Avenue everyday and under the gaze of grey impersonal concrete fortresses, there lies a small invisible force binds these people together.

Enjoying the Chicago Blues

This peculiar timid force is responsible for sea of people that lie on the verdant grass in Grant Park, listening to the feet tapping symphonies of the Chicago Blues; the few people who spare a change for the homeless who beg beside the street; or the kind and emphatic help that was provided to tourist who have clearly lost their way under the web of frantic pursuits of happiness. These moments often go unnoticed not because people don’t care. It’s because the world spins too fast, especially in Chicago that we never stop for a moment to look and fully comprehend the unfolding narratives around us. These vital pulse of humane gestures escape us and are often forgotten or taken for granted. 

I want to freeze those moments, so we will never forget what makes us human.

Crown Fountain Spouting Water

Such endeavor lead me to the Crown Fountain in the Millennium Park. Two 15.2 meters glass towers that face each other at the opposing ends of a shallow reflecting pool, this brainchild of Jaume Plensa projects video images of a myriad of Chicago citizens at its LED screens. It revolves around the concept of mythological beings, which were designed with open mouths to allow the spouting of water – the symbol of life. Isn’t this apt? Under the crucifying heat of an intense sun, the convergence point of summer-folks Chicagoans is also the “Elixir of Life” – a place to cool themselves from the scouring heat. 

Cooling Under the Crown Fountain

The first thing that caught my eyes was the diversity that exist in just that small space alone. They weren’t just Chicagoans from all walks of life but also tourists from different source of nationalities. It was akin to the United Nations on a public bathing expedition. There were Indians, Hispanics, Japanese, Chinese (but no Malaysians though…Singaporeans got LAH!) etc. In just five minutes around the Crown Fountain, I would have easily encountered the familiar Tamil to the nowadays ubiquitous Mandarin. “Rojak gile!” as my Malaysian mates would say.

Age Barrier Crumbles

I always had the impression that such running-under-the-water-to-cool-yourself-in-public activity is only meant for kids or whoever that feels that they are young at heart. But I guess I was wrong. The fuming sun did not only melt the snow away but also the age barrier that once formed the simple hierarchical conduct: the kids run wild while the parents police the child. At the Crown Fountain, everybody is a child.

A Father Scooping His Daughter Into the Water

“AHHHH!” the high pitched squeal of delight as a father scoops his child and leads her to the pouring fountain. Not long after that: “Oh my God! NOOOO!!” screams a boy in his teens as his older brother and sister forces him into the water. 

That’s my count till date. Just minus off a few hundred for duplicate files ( RAW and JPG ) and non-image files ( Picasa data and video clips ). What is your count?

P/S : I need another 1TB HDD. xD

It has been 4 years since the editorial board of SMK USJ 12 started.

They are happy family!

Oh. I think I was supposed to send Ms. Shirley one of the photos above. Ha ha.

If you thought that it was a waterfall, hooray for me! If not, hooray for you! This is my first time attempting to take a flowing body of water. In this case, it’s a gentle stream. The pictures were taken at Desa Park City, where one of my friends resides.

To get the white wash, all you have to do is use a relatively slow shutter speed. Say, 1/10? Make sure you check your exposure or all you get is a white image! Compensate the slower shutter speed with a smaller aperture and a lower ISO. Oh, get yourself a tripod too. Cheers!

Pictures were taken at Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom. Enjoy the pics~

A view out of the window from my room

One of my favourite shots!

Thick snow

Snow falling from the sky.

Ice on the walking path. It was extremely slippery. You don’t want to end up sitting down there, do you? xD

Aftermath!