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LIVE INTERVIEW: Future Traveler & Landscape Photo

February 11, 2023 In Landscape Photography No Comment

Milky Way Photography in Kuala Kubu Bharu

July 9, 2022 In Blog No Comment

Hello everyone, it has been quite a while since I last updated my blog. On 1st July 2022, I hosted a milky way photography workshop organized by Sony Malaysia and YL Camera Shop in Kuala Kubu Bharu.

I arrived at the location around 8.45 pm and met with Sony Malaysia’s rep, Shaiful Baker, and See Chin Boon from YL Camera.

The workshop commenced at around 9.30 pm with a briefing from myself on the basics of shooting the milky way like what settings to use, how to focus at night time, and what equipment to use to get the best Milky Way photos.

During this time of the year, the core of the Milky Way can be seen above the horizon just a few hours after sunset. Unfortunately, when the workshop begins, it was a bit cloudy.

While waiting for the clouds to clear up, everyone sets up their camera in position and ensures that their settings are in order to get a sharp Milky Way photo. The photo above is a behind the scene shot taken with my GoPro Hero 8 Black.

Fortunately for us, after about an hour and twenty minutes at around 10.50 pm, the sky starts to clear up and the Milky Way can be seen unobstructedly. Below is my shot from the night.

Taken with Sony a7RIII + Sony FE 14mm f/1.8 GM.

And below is the location where this shot was taken:

Thanks for viewing.

Milky Way Photography in Kuantan

March 20, 2022 In Blog 2 Comments

A few days ago, I saw some of my Facebook & Instagram friends keep posting photos of this stranded ship near a beach in Kuantan, Pahang and I wanted to go there. So on late Saturday afternoon, I ask a few friends if they want to go and only Faiz Zaki and Hendrik Sulaiman responded.

We depart at midnight from Faiz’s place in Putrajaya and it took us around 3 hours to reach Pantai Kampung Cempaka in Kuantan. From the parking, we had to walk for about 700-800 meters to reach the stranded ship.

There is already a group of photographers already shooting the Milky May and we were blessed with a clear sky when we reach there.

I had two camera setups – 1) Sony a7RIII with Sony FE 14mm f/1.8 GM lens for time-lapse and 2) Sony a7RIV with Sony FE 16-35mm f/2.8 GM for still photos. Here is my shot from the night. Enjoy.

I did not use the Sony a7RIV for time-lapse due to its higher megapixels which will consume more space and bigger memory card capacity. Even with Sony a7RIII, its 42mp is already too huge for timelapse photography! Luckily I had a 128GB memory card.

Cherating Landscape Photography (Vlog)

September 26, 2021 In Video No Comment

Enjoying sunset and landscape photography in Cherating, Pahang, Malaysia.

Tumpak Sewu Waterfalls (Vlog)

December 16, 2020 In Video No Comment

Video of my trip to Tumpak Sewu waterfalls back in September 2018.

A Faithful Evening in Singapore

March 16, 2019 In Cityscapes & Architectural No Comment

After a couple of visits, I finally managed to get this single shot that I wanted for quite some time. But I had to work a bit more for this shot. More stories below.

Sony A7RIII + FE 16-35mm F/2.8 G Master + NiSi V6 Holder with Landscape CPL

My hotel was 2km away from this location and I thought I have a bit more time because the sun only set in 40 minutes time. So I was walking leisurely until I notice the sky starts to change dramatically and it also looks like rain is approaching as well.

I still had like 1km to go and I know I can’t afford to miss this moment so I decided to ran frantically with all my equipment all the way to the museum. Luckily I still had a bit of stamina left so I managed to reach the spot just in time and the skies are just getting better and better.

So I didn’t know that the museum closed at 7 pm, this is when I got kicked out nicely by the lovely lady guard. By this time, the color in the sky has faded completely and just in split second, it rained heavily. I’m so glad that I ran for this shot!

The Last Sunset of 2018

February 11, 2019 In Landscape Photography No Comment

I went back to my hometown in Alor Setar, Kedah during the final few days of 2018 to visit my parents. The weather was astonishingly hot during the day and it rained almost every evening. On the last day of 2018, it rained, as usual, that evening. But it stopped around 7.10pm and I was about to go out to collect takeaway food for our dinner when I saw the skies are starting to explode with colors. I ran back inside and grab nothing but my camera, the Sony A7R Mark III camera with FE 16-35mm F/2.8 G Master lens. Then I quickly drove off into a small road behind my parent’s place which leads to this small river stream that is surrounded with paddy field. By the time I reached at one corner which has enough space to park my car, the sky was already on fire!

Thanks to Sony IBIS (In-body Image Stabilization), I managed to get tack-sharp images handheld, even in low lighting conditions. What a really useful feature to have!

A puddle of water is always handy when it comes to photography, especially when the skies is burning like this! A nicely timed shot when this motorbike passing through as I went on low to get the reflection. Anyway, thanks for taking your time to read until this and if you did, much appreciated! Until my next post then, wassalam..

Best of 2018

December 30, 2018 In Landscape Photography No Comment

We are at the end of another year, so here are my top 2018 photos.

A mesmerizing sunrise at Masjid Putra (Putra Mosque) which is the principal mosque of Putrajaya, Malaysia. I have been to this location many times and it is considered as one of my photography playgrounds.

Sony A7RIII + Sony FE 16-35mm F/2.8 G Master + NiSi V5 Pro with Landscape CPL

Pantai Walakiri is a beach located in Watumbaka Village, East Nusa Tenggara, Indonesia. It is famous for its amusing sunset and serene nuance. The most distinct characteristic of this beach is the presence of mangroves that grow on the shore. These plants make the beach more beautiful and unique, which is perfect for photography. Moreover, the silhouette of those mangroves looks hypnotizing when the sunset appears!

Sony A7RIII + Sony FE 16-35mm F/2.8 G Master + NiSi V5 Pro with Landscape CPL + 2 Stops GND

On the month of May, I got the chance to visit Stockholm in Sweden for work. The weather in Stockholm in May was really nice and pleasant. The best part is the daylight is longer during this month. Check out this sunset shot at almost 9pm!

Sony A7RIII + Sony FE 16-35mm F/2.8 G Master

I did not have much time to shoot due to a fully packed schedule while I was there, but I glad I still managed to sneak out and take a few shots for my record.

Sony A7RIII + Sony FE 16-35mm F/2.8 G Master

On a random weekend in June this year, I decided to go to this new spot (I never been before) which turns out not too far from where I live. It’s located at Tanjung Harapan near the North Port of Port Klang, which is around 30 minutes drive from Setia Alam. The sunset was brilliant on that day!

Sony A7RIII + Sony FE 16-35mm F/2.8 G Master + NiSi V5 Pro + 3 Stops GND Soft + NiSi 10 Stops ND

In August, I was invited by a good friend of mine, Abang Zakies to join his trip to Sabah for some photography getaway. It was a short 3-days 2-night trip but a good catch up session with him and another friend. The photo below is taken in Simpang Mengayau, a beautiful location for photography activities. The optical phenomenon of sun halo attracts my attention here.

Sony A7RIII + Sony FE 16-35mm F/2.8 G Master

Our next photo stops were this stunning river of Melangkap near Kota Belud with the majestic Mount Kinabalu in the backdrop.

Sony A7RIII + Sony FE 16-35mm F/2.8 G Master + NiSi V5 Pro + 3 Stops GND Soft + NiSi 10 Stops ND

ODEC UMS is our final photo stop for sunset before flying back to KL. This is a classic location where my first visit was back in April 2012. The sunset was fine and the tide condition is great for long exposure photography.

Sony A7RIII + Sony FE 16-35mm F/2.8 G Master + NiSi V5 Pro + 3 Stops GND Soft

In September, I visited Mt Bromo for my second time in hoping to catch another sea of clouds but to no avail.

Sony A7RIII + Sony FE 16-35mm F/2.8 G Master

However, when the nightfall, the Milky Way was not disappointing. During September, they can be seen right after the sunset and you can shoot them until midnight.

Sony A7RIII + Sony FE 16-35mm F/2.8 G Master

A naked yet colorful sunrise near Seruni viewpoint without the sea of clouds.

Sony A7RIII + Sony FE 16-35mm F/2.8 G Master

The breathtaking Madakaripura waterfalls near Mt Bromo. You would want to visit this location super early in the morning to beat the massive tourist.

Sony A7RIII + Sony FE 16-35mm F/2.8 G Master + NiSi V5 Pro Landscape CPL + NiSi 10 Stops ND

Burning sunrise when least expected at Masjid Besi, Putrajaya, Malaysia. I’ve been to this spot many many times, but only managed to get such a great light a few times.

Sony A7RIII + Sony FE 16-35mm F/2.8 G Master + Nisi V5 Pro with 3 stops GND

I am blessed to have such amazing partners, friends & followers. Thank you to Sony Malaysia, NiSi Filters, F-Stop Gear & Lee Photo Sdn Bhd. Thank you to my fellow followers for the endless support and love. Here’s a toss to more adventures, photography trips and workshop next year! Happy holidays and Happy New Year!

A Trip to Tumpak Sewu Waterfalls

December 22, 2018 In Landscape Photography No Comment

So I stumbled upon this majestic waterfalls while I was surfing the internet called Tumpak Sewu, located in Lumajang Indonesia. I was blown away with it and I knew I had to take a trip up there. After a short research, I packed my camera and ended up on a plane with a friend heading towards Surabaya.

The trip commences from 8th – 12th September 2018. We took a Lion Air flight JT164 from Kuala Lumpur International Airport and around 2 hours later, we arrived at Juanda International Airport which is the third busiest airport in Indonesia. We were greeted by our driver and then took off straight to Lumajang which is a 6 hours drive from Surabaya. A tip worthy to take note – best to arrive Surabaya in the evening if you plan to head directly towards Lumajang due to lesser traffic in the night and you can sleep during the long drive. We arrive at our accommodation around 1 am and after a quick unpacking, we retired the night. For your information, there is no resort or hotel in the area due to the location is not developed with tourism just yet. We slept in the local villagers’ place (paid).

Tumpak Sewu Entrance

The next morning, we tried to enter the waterfall as earliest as we can. I’m not sure about the exact price but the entrance ticket shall cost you around IDR 10k /pax. From the entrance, the descend started right away. The trekking path is quite an exhausting one because it was very steep.

For most of the trails, you will be walking on a small-narrow bamboo staircase and sometimes you need to pass some slippery wet stones and crossing several small rivers along the way. You need to be very careful and ensure that you have proper trekking sandals or shoes for your own safety. Depending on your speed, the descent would take around 30-45 minutes and perhaps it will be doubled when you ascend.

Once you reached the base, it is another few hundred meters and you will reach the majestic falls. These greenies complex really worth the effort going down!

Unfortunately, the condition wasn’t that good. The lighting was uneven while we were there to shoot. The sun is already too high but not high enough to light the whole area causing part of the area to be underexposed. I guess this is a good reason for me to back again in future.

After spending almost 2 hours at Tumpak Sewu, we started our ascent and it took us almost an hour to reach the car park. We returned to our accommodation where our host had prepared a nice lunch for us. We then doze off for a couple of hours before proceeding to our next waterfall which is Air Terjun Kabut Pelangi. By this time, me and Faisal are having a crucial muscle cramp on both of our legs. It’s another descend to get to the Kabut Pelangi waterfall and this time the distance felt farther. Anyhow, we made it to fall. The 100m+ Kabut Pelangi is an incredible sight. The force it generates when it hits the pool below is incredible and this is definitely not a place you want to go swimming!