This event was taken months ago in Queensbay Mall, Penang. I posted it on facebook but not here, so uploading it here for the record.

Organized by Canon and held at Tanjung Bungah Hotel, Penang, part of this year’s agenda is a photography contest for photographer to submit 3 of their best photos to Canon. Canon did a good job this year by preparing a venue by the beach and stage for the models to parade with Canon products and the opportunity for all photographers to photograph them.

The stage was a small one and knowing the amount of photographers here in Penang, hypothetically it will be a push-and-block event for photographers. We gotta push ourselves into the crowd for a better view of the contestants. Others will be blocking fellow photographers. Overall there were 2 sessions: Normal attire and bikini. While the sun was scorching hot and some photographers keep calling them “hello, hello” to get their attention to smile at the camera, the models were terrific and maintained their smile for most of the event.

Coverage and interview by a local reporter for theStar: link

However there is a correction that should’ve been made: I was actually mentioning that photography event of pageant contestants were not done before by Canon and in Penang.

Here are some of the photos:

Take a look at the amount of photographers See what I mean?

This particular model was walking the cat walk “n” times to please the photographers since many photographers keep calling her name.

Even herself starts to feel “pai seh” (shy) as she has already performed a few rounds of cat walk. Good effort !

Hooi was my mate back in Uni and Hooi & Ser Wei has been together ever since.  I’m happy and proud to experience and capture their happy moments on their wedding day. Here some of the highlights of the wedding day event:

“Back in MMU”

“Da’ dudes”

“and the Dudettes”

“Pay toll to pass”

“Team work while the girls are looking”

“Barrier opens”

“Reciting the 3rd promise”

Very nice display of the wedding album for viewing.

“The march in”

I was invited by a fellow friend and photographer Thomson for a portrait shoot of his friend Sze Yen. Together with Billy and other photographers like Aloysius and Lawrence we started our portrait shooting at QEII, Weld Quay, Penang.

Sze Yen came well prepared with 2 set of clothing for this session. As a very sporting and cheerful lady she willingly spend the whole morning with us shooting even though it is a hot day. Clad in a white top and pants, it emphasize her long hair and height well.

Here are some of the photos shot at QEII:

Sze Yen then changed into a pink dress and we carried on to our next venue which is the Pinang Peranakan Mansion at Church Street.

“If this is money”

“This is what I’m gonna do”

“Seeing me within me”

Peranakan mansion has a lot to offer for photographer and I would highly recommend it for indoor portrait location. It is ventilated indoors, has furniture that is available for use as props (be careful not to break them), and many different room settings. Ideal for indoor shoots.

Lighting

Most of the walls and ceilings are wood finishing which makes it hard for bounce flash. We could work with off camera lighting but I find that I could work faster and be mobile without it. All of the photos here are shot with available light from tungsten ceiling lamps or wall lamps.

White balance will need to be corrected using Tungsten light setting. Shooting with a full frame camera allows high ISO performance to be achieved and it helped a lot here. Most are shot with ISO 3200 & 6400.

There were visible green cast on the model from the awning outside the window, while tungsten light indoor. This makes it hard to get perfect skin tone. We could either use off camera flash or just available light and set the appropriate white balance setting.

I’m glad that I got the opportunity to photograph Sze Yen and thanks to Thomson, Aloysius, Lawrence and Billy for the good time spent.

This time around we got a chance to have a portrait session with Mincci Chin. Together with Billy and Joseph with his new camera we got together at Batu Ferringhi for this photoshoot.

It was a short one as it started to rain. We used off camera flash for most of the photos, some of the shots are shot against the sun hence we fill it using the power of 2 flashes together.

Here are some of the photos of Mincci:

After giving alms to the monks (Tak Bat in Lao) we visited the morning market of Luang Prabang to get a better picture of the culture and what’s getting on our plates during lunches & dinner here. The raw ingredients on sale on these markets will be a surprise for many since we don’t usually ingredients like pollywogs (tadpoles), squirrels, bamboo rats, rodents, bush meat, buffalo skin, buffalo legs, bugs, and fresh seaweeds. I didn’t manage to see a lot of these for sale on that day as compared to this link here.

Typical architecture of a house here. Mostly squarish with big doors.

The place where the local shop for groceries and food.

Many different kinds of rice, vegetables, groceries on sale, but placed on the floor.

Some young bananas, wild mushrooms and pollywogs/tadpoles !!! I wonder how it be cooked, and how it would taste like, I never see this cooked and selling on the streets. Something new to try.

Fresh fish from the Mekong river and some bugs.

Papaya, small fish, big Mekong fish (a bass?) and tadpoles.

Fried bee hoon in banana leaves, smells good.

Fresh honey in banana leaves.

Buffalo skin, they cook it in a soupy dish served with rice. Looks chewy.

The usual dry goods, like garlic and onion and not so usual vegetables like this thorny sticks (sticks with thorn), not sure what’s it called) on the right.

Familiar? Yes, yau char kwai (you tiao) or Chinese fried bread cruller, beh kar (horse leg in Cantonese), and ham chim peng

More Buffalo skins.

Fresh seaweed from the Mekong river. This is freshness straight from the sea, not the usual dried and flavorred seaweed in your local supermarket.

Lady culling tadpoles.

Waffles in traditional charcoal fire.

More seaweeds and raw ingredients like this tree log here. Not sure what is it for. Anyone could educate me on this?

Before we leave, we bought some Pork sausages ala Luang Prabang style.

Pork sausages served with sticky rice (Khaw neow in Lao)

This is their dried and sesame flavoured seaweed in plastic. You serve it with hot chilly sauce.

Buffalo whole leg raw and fresh !!! You also have some marinated meat at the back and some skins for sale.

Dried lotus roots and condiments.

Lao economy “sticky” rice. A lot of sausages, fish cakes, animal internals, eggs, and other soupy dishes.

This is good food. Flavoured sticky rice in bamboo. Much like our Malaysian Lemang but this one’s a lot better. Handy food  on the go as well.

Aunty selling lottery. This is Lao lottery selling system. Look at the chart and let her know the lucky number to buy.

Different kinds of fragrance rice on sale anywhere in the market.

Laos Pharmacy. Pharmacist in yellow.

Famous french loaf and barbeque.

Yummy. Barbeque fish/meat/sausages/ served with sticky rice.

Dinner time in one of the restaurants. Beer Lao, the official home grown beer. Not bad, try it.

Sticky rice for most of Lao meal. Served in a small basket, it’s very presentable and taste very good.

This lady is trying to sell roti canai. Roti pisang, roti telur, roti epal, roti nenas, all sorts. 5000 kip for a piece = RM 2/pc.

Haha… most tourist would gather around her to see what kinda “pancake” was that.

The monks would normally start parading and collecting alms around 7am on the streets of Luang Prabang. We woke up early and start heading out to the centre of Luang Prabang where the monks will walk pass.

This is our hotel (Haysoke Hotel). The buildings around Luang Prabang are never tall, normally hotels are averaging around 3 storeys high.

Once we arrive at the street where the monks will parade, sellers quickly approach tourists to sell foods for the monks like glutinuous rice (sticky rice), the basket container is used to put sticky rice. They also sell cakes, bananas, sticky rice and more sticky rice.

NO problem selling with no lights.

Foods that we bought are laid down on mats, awaiting monks to walk by. We’re suppose to kneel down and put food on the monk’s food container. We’re not suppose to touch or talk to the monks.

Becoming a monk attached to the temple is a form of education in Laos. They start young.

Tourist keep snapping away as the monks walk pass.

Spotted a beautiful Laos girl in traditional outfit giving alms as well.

Big sticky rice container.

Huge number of monks. They are only allowed to eat from whatever they can collect on their food container. No more than that.

I lost track counting; mostly young monks.

China guy wearing so many cameras with him. In total he has 3 cameras including a point & shoot on his hand. I wonder whether he is really enjoying photography with so much weight around him.

We bought too many kinds of food, we should just follow what the locals normally do by just giving sticky rice with a BIG container, with this we can give alms to ALL of the monks. If I give a rough estimate, it’s around 500 monks, more or less.

A lady owner of a sundry shop across the street giving alms.

The parade ends after 45 mins – 1 hour.

After a day in Bangkok we fly to Luang Prabang (LPQ) to begin our travel of Laos or “Lao” as the locals call it.

By definition, Laos is a country/name while “Lao” refers to the language as in “He speaks Lao as he is from Laos”.

The Lao language share the similarity of the Thai language in most of its spoken words. People in Laos will greet you with “Sabaidee” with both hands together like one is praying. The Thais greet you with “Sawasdee” instead but with the 2 hands together praying motion. Apparently “Sabaidee” in Thai means “I am very well” hahaha… what a way to greet if you take it as Thai language. In Lao it means “Hi/Hello”.

We fly by Lao Airlines although Bangkok Airways do serve BKK-LPQ route as well. As far as I know only these 2 carriers serve this route. Airasia however flys to Vientiane only from Kuala Lumpur but not Luang Prabang.

We were early so we have to wait in the departure hall at Suvarnabhumi (the real Thai pronunciation of this airport’s name is actually “Suvarnabhum”), fortunately they have a few public PCs with internet access (browser only)  in the departure hall for passengers to use.

The flight to Luang Prabang take around an hour but it was not fun at all. Due to the Lao Airlines’ small planes (ATR 72) the whole journey was a mix of giddy, cold sweats and air sick. Anyway, it’s worth to sacrifice a little to get to this UNESCO Heritage Site.

The airport is very small and is close to town of Luang Prabang hence we quickly got ourselves at a restaurant by the Mekong river for lunch. This place is one hell of a nice and relaxing place to have lunch and chill.

Tough time selecting what I want to eat. I actually wanted to try all of it if we have a big group. I would summarize the “national” food of Laos is indeed everything with sticky rice (khao niao in Thai). haha… they have sausage with sticky rice, chicken with sticky rice, vegetables with sticky rice, etc. OK seriously the national dish is “Lap Lao Beef” served with sticky rice. I kinda like it very much. I’ll talk about it later when we get to the topic of Lao food.

While waiting for our food and overlooking Mekong river.

The wind was blowing hard and caused the leaves to fall… edited with a little antique effect. That “Noah’s Ark” ship look-a-like is actually a restaurant & hotel for guests.

After lunch we start visiting temples (Wat in Thai/Lao). This is the famous That Makmo or That Pathum as this stupa resembles a lotus or watermelon.

Next to That Pathum/Makmo is the Wat Visunalat (Wat Visoun). Foreigners are required to pay 10,000 kip to enter.

Kip is the currency of Laos. Thai baht, US dollars, and Kip is interchangeably used in Laos. They normally accept any of it although Kip is the preferred currency. Note that Kip is no longer valuable outside of Laos so budget accordingly on how much you need and spend it all before leaving.

Giant statue of the Buddha inside Wat Visuon.

And many other smaller Buddha statues.

Grab the bamboo can of sticks below the table and start shaking to see your future and luck. The sticks that got out of the can while you shake can be referred to the numbered board with a paper explanation of your future/luck.

We head to the Phousi Luang Prabang (Phousi temple or Mount Phousi). We have to climb up the hill by the steps to get up the hill.

Supposedly an imprint of Buddha’s foot. I asked and couldn’t get confirmed facts.

It looks like a giant foot step to me.

Serpents or “Naga” protects the temple from evil spirits. The story started of when One nāga, in human form, attempted to become a monk; when telling it that such ordination was impossible, the Buddha told it how to ensure that it would be reborn a man, able to become a monk. Monks could only be in the form of human therefore the naga is not allowed to be a monk. He was then allowed to remain outside of the temple to guard buddha and the temple.

Location map of Phousi temple.

Main religion of Laos is Buddhism although they have been practicing animism a long time ago.

Phousi temple has statues representing Buddha in the seven days of the week. Certain events of life of the Buddha are represented by poses or postures of the Buddha.

At the top of the Phousi hill. Manage to get some shots of Luang Prabang town. Since this place is so serene, quiet and calm there is no need for traffic lights at all. Cars are minimal with motorcycles being the bulk of the transportation mode here.

Lao Airlines’ plane landing at Luang Prabang Airport.

No big complexes, no long queues, no frills, no problem. I like the simplicity of the airport. Out of the airport from the plane is less than 15 mins.

Luang Prabang up close.

On our way down from Phousi hill.

Next to Phousi hill exit is the Luang Prabang National Museum. I will talk more about this museum on my next blog post.

Dinner at one of the restaurants next to Mekong river. I like the interior a lot. Oversize chairs, incandescent lights, clay floors and walls and it’s cooling without a need for a fan. The weather in Luang Prabang at that time was around <18^C at night. Just nice.

After dinner we head to the night market at the corner of Sisavangvong Rd. and Kitsarat Rd.

Since Laos was once ruled by the French… you get to see lots of French loaf with a variety of fillings for sale.

I bought one of these shoes for only 20,000 Kip. The lady bowed and prayed to me as I pass her the money as I was her first customer for that night. I pity her. She got a baby in her arms while trying to sell me one of her handmade hand-sewn shoes. When you think you had the worst, think about this.

It was 14-Feb-2010 that day when we arrived and a Cafe here promoting their sushi buffet.

We bought quite a lot of pillow covers below. My aunty just said to me when I asked why we need to buy so many: “Just support them” . Enough said.

I find this ATM special without the usual heavy glass doors. A good camouflage for the machine too.

Some of the food that I shot before I hit the sack at the hotel. Dried seaweed from the Mekong. Looks yummy.

You got no 7-Eleven or whatever-mart here. Get your water and drinks like this.

Duck and quail eggs. These are not fresh and is already cooked. Why not fresh? It’s about to hatch therefore they cooked it and sell. I was told not to try it since we can’t afford to get diarrhea as we have a few days more in Luang Prabang and Vientiene.

Lots of meat to choose from all grilled with their Lao style spices and flavour. Very tempting and yummy.

To be continued… I will talk about the food, market, Pak Ou caves and other places in Luang Prabang…

This is a sequel of posts during one of my travels to the country above me (Thailand) and Laos in Feb 2010.

Bangkok should be synonymous to a lot of travelers all around the world due to its rich cultural society, history, hospitality, food and relatively cheap to travel (if travel wisely). As this is not my first time there, this post will not be a beginner introduction but rather an explanation on the events that could be revisited not only for the first time experience.

Tourism is one of the main income contributor to the economy of Thailand and people here is especially pleasant and courteous (especially true when you’re a “Fa Rang” or foreigner). While tourism ranks high, traffic congestion doesn’t lose its ranking as well. Ranking #4 on the world’s 20 cities with the worst traffic jams, nonetheless has its own charm and appeal to travelers.

Traffic condition during Chinese New Year, not too bad.

Looking out of the window is the usual sights of tall buildings and complexes, which is very true in Silom (which I am standing while taking this photo below).

Food in Bangkok is surprisingly “international”. What I mean is, don’t be surprised by the quality of food you can find here. Many top renowned restaurants are in Bangkok as agreed by many that tasted it before. Chinese food is very good and might be even better than what we have here in Penang.

One of the impressive menu that you will see when you enter MBK is this japanese style spaghetti restaurant called Jin-emon

Pantip plaza is equivalent to Sim Lim Square in Singapore. I usually will visit Pantip plaza whenever I visit Bangkok to get any computer of camera stuffs. There is a wide variety of electronics that you can get in this plaza alone. This is a famous indoor IT mall in Bangkok. “Cheap” DVDs and softwares are freely available here if you want to.

People are usually very friendly, just say “Sawasdee” and smile.

I was fortunate to be able to get onboard the River City cruise of Chao Phraya river.

You need to book early to get a place on board one of these cruises. They serve buffet dinner on board and traditional dances as well while cruising on the river of Chao Phraya for 2 hours or so.

We’re suppose to get on board at 7:30pm though.

Other cruises are occupying the pier and this is not ours.

After much waiting, finally it arrive in all its purple glory.

We got a place on the air-conditioned lower deck indoor with a nice view next to the window.

It’s very cosy and relaxing on board the cruise and it’s a perfect idea for Valentine’s Day.

You get spectacular view as it cruises along the river.

As well as a few traditional dances on board the cruise.

If that does not fascinate you, walk up the deck to have a feel of the live music played by the in house band.

Or dine al-fresco on the roof top lit by candle lights.

Tour ends after 2 hours of fun, food and entertainment.

Stay tuned for the next post, I’ll be sharing my trip to Laos.

This was an impromptu shoot invited by Billy to shoot his cousin’s make up model. In fact, the photos will be used by his cousin Grace for her make up “exam”. We are given a limited time to shoot her model given the fact that there are other students queuing up to shoot them as well. We got like 15 mins and no time to prepare at all.

The studio has a motorized backdrop and I chose the white background out of the other blue and black. 2 strobes with softbox with no trigger/receiver. We brought ours and set that up quickly. A few test shots lead us to guesstimate the power required to on both strobes. We set one strobe on camera left pointing 2 o’clock with 1/8 power and the other strobe at camera right pointing 11 o’clock at 1/6 power. Both is around eye level. Due to the power of the strobe, unlike speedlights we can set our settings with a lowest ISO of 100, shutter speed at sync speed and aperture around f/10 – f/11. I wanted the aperture to be around f/8 but that will be too bright as the right strobe’s lowest power is 1/6 (not a branded strobe). So, there you go, all shots are done in less than 20 mins and off we head back.

Kristy is Grace’s model in white gown. While Wan Wei is in blue and Elsa is wearing the purple gown.

Note: The clip behind Elsa is to fit her into the purple gown.