And Thus Begins A New Journey

Happy belated new year 2012. Belated because I was away from my homeland these few days. Started a thrilling, breathtaking backpacking experience on new year’s eve in a foreign land which was just in nick of time being bombarded with natural disaster. A special entry for that will follow – sooner… Perhaps (finger crossed hahaha)

So let us begin this new year by first leaving all the past behind us. We may gaze occasionally towards what we have done in the yesteryears but to strive ahead is far more important. I’m saying that with a prayer hoping that I’ll do the same, Insya Allah – God permits.

I may have no special resolution – in fact I never had any new year resolutions before LOL. But I do really hope this year will be a traveling year ahead for me (first part – DONE) and I do really hope that this blog will slowly become a travelogue if AND only if I am not that lazy to update it ^__^

So, the end of last year and it denoted the entry of a new year for me, I  ventured into something I’ve never done before – shooting wedding. Let me reinstate this phrase again: I’m NOT a wedding photographer..!

It was a special request by Bro Suzailan Jai and along with another Oly clan member Bro Raime Ramlan, we did spend a wonderful evening in the paddy field shooting the former’s cousin matrimony. All of us were not familiar and not suitable doing this – that I am very sure hahaha… Nevertheless, it always worthy to try something new. Especially when you finally figured out the inner potential of your gears. That was the time when I felt like I was one with Terra 2.0 and ZD 7-14. And my flash of course. Just love this shot.

My initial title for this picture below was “Marriage Is A New Journey And Thus Begins The Journey” but I decided to ditch the marriage part so that it can tell a new journey is starting in a more general form.

Till then have a great year ahead Insya Allah

And Thus Begins A New Journey

c a p i n – What do you feel when you are in a foreign land with no land connections available..?? ^__^

And Thus I Bid Farewell To Another Year…

It always have been like this – I have a lot of things to be said in my mind but yet I just couldn’t (or to be honest – lazy enough) to put it into words. To express my thought. Once I considered to leave this blog unattended for eternity. But then still some few of billions of humans on this planet earth may stumble upon the words which are poorly arranged from a poorly organized person in term of thought process and conduct. (WTH was I blabbing about..??)

So I wasted another year doing the same routine and saying the same speeches to the exact same group for these past two years. I achieved something and wasted a lot of chances this year. I loss something temporary but gained a piece of eternal happiness. Okay I think I just stop here… Haha…

As for 2011, it was not a great year in my photography life. As to compare with the previous years, I haven’t – or to be more exact, couldn’t achieve any remarkable recognition or awards or prizes or achievement – whatever the best word to be used, in any of the competition I entered or in any media that I shared my pictures with. My photography life seemed to reach a plateau and suddenly it came to a cliff without any warnings. I gave up and decided not to take any chance again, anymore. Yes, my picture ‘An Ethereal Bliss’ was selected to be exhibited in Kuala Lumpur Photo Exhibition 2011 (KLPF 2011) but it was not comparable to people around my clique.

But one sudden event, when I was succumbed into my impulsive shopping spree behavior, Athena came to the family. But still just to fill in the gaps and hole in the family tree of the Zuiko sisterhood. That time, series of unfortunate events befell unto me. Athena (just to be clear, she is my E-5) needed to be sent to Oly Service Center just only after a week of ownership due to a serious mis and back focusing issue. A few other of my electronics have gone haywire and I ended up to spent most of my days travelling around the nation just for a decent service center.

One may call that as the enlightenment period for myself. Suddenly around that time, I swapped my Terra (E-30) with now which I called her Terra 2.0 (E-1) – the legendary E-System DSLR, the majestic Kodak sensor in a toughest magnesium-alloy body. Something seemed to awaken my passion towards photography again and I thanked God for that. And so, I came out from slumber just to start everything again from scratch like a baby in this field. Believe me, leave your camera for a while will definitely throw your skills into the drain.

Things started to shine again. Athena was healed, along with a freshly discharge ZD 12-60 SWD and the trinity of Zuiko, the ZD 50/2. And not to mention her cannon, the ZD 7-14 is yearning to be mounted and thus give the unholy pair of Athena and her cannon, the E-5 with ZD 7-14. I just love the combination. Period.

This picture summed it all. Finally, I figured out that the moment I ventured into this money-draining hobby was to please myself and not others. As long as I’m happy with my pictures and that’s it. Critics are needed to improvise and we always need to leave our comfort zone to make a leap ahead. I never tried shooting with ZD 7-14 paired with any ND grad filter. This image was taken in Kuala Kedah, on a low tide, with a not so wide ND grad being put in front of the bulbous front element of the SHG lens – causing a severe vignetting at the corner AND reflections of the objects at the back including myself into the original picture. I tried something new just to get such awful side effect. But I love the picture, the image produced that I decided to take another leap – a square crop. Something I have never tried before.

I leave the judging to all readers here – but it pleased me to see the final image. I called this my favorite shot of the year. ^__^

Foresaken

c a p i n – Oh, I forgot to mention – Claudia came into the family hehehe (Fuji X100)

Recharge..!!!

After a while, I really have this feeling – to enjoy my money-spending-wasting hobby. I got back my Athena after she was hospitalized in Olympus Center, Mont Kiara just after a week being bought due to serious back focusing issue. For a coincidence, that was the time when Mr. Woodford exposed the what will be the most unexpected business scandal in mankind history about Olympus Corp. which honestly I think in the brink of a devastation :sigh:

 

Since a few weeks ago, I spent my leisure time hunting for sunset – again, even in a mist of shower. Honestly, my photography skills became sucks since I left all my beloved staying inside the dry box for a period of time. My hibernation or retirement some may call really corroded everything, especially my sense of defining beautiful images.

 

This shot below was one of the few shots that I’ve felt quite satisfied to look at. The foreground couldn’t be salvaged at all even though I used the unholy weapon of mine – Athena (E-5) and her cannon (ZD 7-14), shot it handheld, bent my back till it crackles, just to get the moon above. Surely it was not the best picture, but for now, I hope I can regain what I’ve lost along the way before. All prayers to the Lord above =)

 

Athena's Blue Sunset

 

c a p i n – Somehow I left Henrietta for quite a time…

What The…???

WordPress seems new… different… Or the truth is I haven’t visited my own blog since the last update… :facepalm:

Now.. I really need some inspiration or the better word to use is a motivation

Honestly, I really want to blog about the ‘family’ reunion and gathering – maybe next time…

Backpacker's Life

 

Update – I really forgot to put the tags LOL (correction done..!)

c a p i n – I really forget how to even edit my own blog.. What The..???