Sarawak Black Bean Coffee .

Most if not all would not have known that here in Sarawak, we have our own home grown coffee. Liberica from Sarawak  region is simply the freshest coffee .100% pure Sarawak gourmet coffee, you must try it out! Our very own Sarawak coffee that we should be proud of.

 A cup of coffee for me is just nice,come with brown sugar and little cookies.I love it. It's definitely the best coffee in Kuching.

 As a recent coffee drinker, I wonder if these coffee is actually from Sarawak as it tasted so fine that even ****bucks blends could not have compared to the freshly brewed coffee out of the expreso machine into a glass filled with just ice alone. I love this simply marvelous .

Do you know that this place also featured in a travel magazine in Denmark. The article wrote " If you do not drink Black Bean Coffee, your trip to Borneo is not complete."
 There are two types of coffee beans, Liberica beans and Robusta beans. It’s planted in the mountainous area of Sarawak next to fruit trees and under the coconut trees. Most importantly, they are pesticide free!.The owner ensure that the coffee beans are fresh so that you will get the freshest coffee daily. you can also buy the coffee beans or powder to have your very own Sarawak gourmet coffee at home.

Airport Air Traffic Control Tower .

Last week i have a chance to visit local air show in my town(Kuching,Sarawak)the host is Department of Civil Aviation Malaysia .One of the officer asked me  if I wanted to visit the Kuching International  Airport Air Traffic Control Tower and see with whom The Pilot of the plane communicating every time they seek permission to taxi the runway, or receive directions as to which runway to take off from etc. “Yes I would love to!” I replied. I asked if we will be walking there and he said, “No we’ll drive there”. “But it’s not that far ".

Kuching International Airport Control Tower.

On arrival we have a short briefing as per requirement they requested us to switch off our cell phones,take of our shoes and silent please.Taking picture is allowed and it is best not to fire your camera flash.

excellent view the Flight Control

The Air Traffic Control Officer (ATCO) on duty.

AirAsia holding waiting clearance to take off from ATCO.

Control Room of flight movement.

I saw what an excellent view the Flight Control crew had of the entire airport, and beyond. It was unbelievable. The tower was circular in shape and had glass windows all round i.e. the crew had a 360 degree view. There were 5 people working, and I was shown around the tower and the instruments. There were several screens which the crew used to communicate with air traffic. It was a quiet day and  I only saw a couple of planes flying and landing.
Thank You to Kuching International Airport Control Tower (The Officer in-charge) for the educational visit.

Air Shows in Kuching.

Department of Civil Aviation is celebrating Malaysia Air Festival 2011 to mark its 100 years in the Malaysian Aviation.The two days event held at Hornbill Skyways Hanger in Kuching International Airport.

Hornbill Skyways in Kuching.

For Sale @ The Malaysia Air Festival in Kuching.

The Malaysia Air Festival commemorates 100 years of the country’s aviation industry.The air show provided guests with an opportunity to get up close to new-generation aircraft.

Hornbill Skyways Hanger view from the Airport Control Tower.

 Aviation fans braved the hot weather on the days of the events to catch a glimpse of static aircraft display by Hornbill Skyways,Royal Malaysian Airforce and Royal Malaysian Police and also Malaysia Airport Berhad.

Ground Control Tower .

Aircraft movement controller room.

Visitors also have a opportunity to visit the Air Traffic Control Tower.

City folk, thronged the airfield to catch a view inside the aircraft and helicopter exhibit at the events.

Many gave a thumbs up to the event which commemorates 100 years of the country's aviation industry and I hope  the Malaysia Air Festival  promote general aviation and bring the industry closer to the people.
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Negative Space in Photography.

Negative space, by definition, is the empty space around the subject or focus of the photograph.  If the edges of the photo frame the contents within, and the subject is the focal point, it’s possible that just about every photo, even macro’s and tight portrait shots can have negative space.

Click Here: Focus on Composition: Negative Space

KLCC in Kuala Lumpur.

The negative space technique and showcase how it can be used to bring out emotions and feelings.Mostly focusing around people, including negative space for photographers for some reason tends to lead to the overall photo having some lingering emotion.  It can often include despair, loneliness, abandonment, anger, rage and sorrow, although happiness and joyfulness often do appear, not nearly as prevalent though

Negative space, by definition, is the empty space around the subject or focus of the photograph.  If the edges of the photo frame the contents within, and the subject is the focal point, it’s possible that just about every photo, even macro’s and tight portrait shots can have negative space.

Give negative space photography a try, keeping in mind that the subject matter is still key, but look at composing slightly different with a focus on less, and you’ll be happily surprised with more.

Street Photography-Hunting Down The Moment.

Location:Waterfront @ Kuching in Sarawak. Photo by Awang 2011.

One of the exciting things about photography is the anticipation of ‘the shot’ – hunting down the moment in time that is worth recording and being there with your camera poised when it happens.

India Street Mall in Kuching.

 No genre of photography creates this anticipation like ‘Street Photography’; moving with the crowd, ever alert to the signs of human activity, watching and waiting: to see and not to be seen.

 Street photography has been a passionate past time for many since the discovery of photography. The very first fixing of a photographic image  of a person was a street scene.

Everyone has the potential to be a street photographer. Not everyone is game.
This is my approach. It doesn’t suit everyone and there may be some ethical questions I am answerable to, but I’m sure you can weed out the bits you like from the borderline criminal behaviour of an obsessive street photographer such as myself.

Photo by Awang 2011.

Irrespective of your ‘rights’ there is the question of etiquette. That also varies from culture to culture and person to person. I have my own personal approach (which requires the wearing of a good pair of running shoes and a more than ignorant look on my face) but that may not suit everyone. Ultimately, discretion, common sense and personal safety, are the prime considerations. It may not always be about ‘getting the shot.’

Photo by Awang 2011.

Talking about place of the shot.The usual venue is where people gather. ‘Street’ can be interpreted in many ways and might include alleys, shopping malls, shops and cafes, parks, buses and trains, market places, in fact, anywhere you will find the structures and architecture of civilisation with the people who frequent them.

My favourite places are shopping malls (open and closed), High Street in small towns and villages, and the back streets of big cities.Just be careful if you catch someone doing something they shouldn’t be doing. That’s when it can get ugly.

Black & White Street Shot with Panasonic Lumix LX3.

The LX3 is fairly well known to photographers who appreciate manual controls and the fast and wide angle Leica lens. However, it’s not a camera for everyone, some photographers want more of a zoom range, since the LX3 only has a 2.5x zoom from 24-60mm (in 35mm equivalent), nor does it have a standard viewfinder. Those are of course limitations for some photographers; however, it does have a large, high resolution LCD screen that seemed to be easy to use under most conditions and outside. I even thought that it was a bit bright, so I turned the brightness down. I also appreciate the fast (f/2.0 max) lens with image stabilization that allows you to shoot wide in dark environments with no flash.

Local coffee shop in old part of Kuching City in Sarawak.

Street newspaper vendor .

 As I usually take color photos and later convert them to B&W in post processing, I thought it would be interesting to see how the LX3 did with the built in black and white preset setting. There are two to select from in the camera. One is a standard B&W setting that looks very good, and another more contrasty setting called “Dynamic” that creates a bit more contrast. I decided to use the Dynamic setting along with center-weighted metering with an ISO set to 400. I probably could have used the auto ISO setting with a maximum set to 400, but I didn’t think of it at the time (I was thinking of the old Tri-X settings!)

Street scene in old part of the city.

Medicine man on business in old part of Kuching City .

All the above  photos are caught while I was walking around in old part of the city. As a side note, all of the LX3 “films” can be adjusted to the users preference. I think in the future, I might turn the Dynamic contrast down a bit to get a bit more clarity in the shadows, but then I do like a high contrast B&W image.
So, do you like to shoot in black and white? Do you use the built-in settings in your camera, or do you like to do it all in post processing? Overall, I’m pretty pleased with the effect you get with the built-in settings on the LX3, so I’m sure I’ll use this setting again in the future.

Telephoto Street Photography.

Whether or not the photographer uses a telephoto or a wide angle also depends on if they plan to ask the person's permission to take the shot. Chances are you are not going to ask permission with a telephoto because whatever inspired you to take the photo in the first place occurred at some distance from the subject. If you were inspired to get closer to the subject before taking the shot, then it doesn't matter what lens you used.

Shoot with telephoto 70-300mm @ India Street in Kuching.

 

 Many photographer and experts like to say that you should use wide angle lenses because they require being close to the subject. This makes street shooting a “fair” game. It seems dishonest to use a telephoto by hiding from a distance.However, we are photographers and our goal is to make great images. We are not in a contest with people on the street or with each other. The choice of lenses is governed by artistic considerations, feasibility, or convenience, not by some superficial notion of machismo.Often I use lenses from wide to short telephoto, including small zoom. On occasion I have fun with my  telephoto 70-300mm.

Shoot from distance using telephoto 70-300mm @ waterfront in Kuching.

70-300mm telephoto @ India Street in Kuching.

 

 Long lenses can flatten an image. The point of the candid shot it to invite the viewer into the reality of the subject. A wide angle draws the viewer into the photo and makes them almost a part of it. This is subtle, but can often be the difference between a good shot and a great one.

The boss reading newspaper @ old part of Kuching City shophouses..Shoot with wide angel lens from Lumix LX3.

 

 Use any lenses that you think are most appropriate for your situation.  Don’t concern yourself with artificial rules that many candid street photography experts try to push.
Happy Photographing....