Exercising my lens...

After spending half a day stock taking last Saturday, I decided to blow off some steam at the Secret Garden, 1 Utama.

Which means... lagi-lagi gambo takde makne buat tatapan korang!!! Muahaha!

Admission is free but you need to get a pass from the Ground Floor Information Counter at High Street. This ensures that only a maximum of a 100 pax can clog up the place at any one hour.

You can smell the green as well as the subtle fragrances of the blooms upon arrival at the Upper Roof elevator lobby.

Other than relax, this visit allowed me to practice adjusting my shots manually. I really need to learn to make split second adjustments based on surrounding conditions.

Otherwise I'll be too dependent on the cam's auto function and not dare take that next step- buying one of those RM3k plus DSLR cameras.

It's really tough though. This time, I've fixed the lens opening to the smallest available value while concentrating on playing with the exposure time and focus.

In my opinion, a good shot is one where we, as the photographer, are satisfied with the result as is. No editing needed whatsoever.

A viewer's opinion is secondary as there's no way we can satisfy everyone. But if the image you captured manage to evoke some sort of emotion from most of the observers, that's a bonus :)

Another challenge is capturing the unusual in the ordinary.

Take these bunga raya for example. They are common, common, common (what with it being the national flower and all...). So how to shoot it in a way that make us sit up and take notice?

As you can see, I failed here. They look just like any other bunga raya. Well, better luck next time :P

And luck does play a big part in a shot. The light falling on a subject a certain way, a hat being blown away by the wind, a bird landing and cleaning it's feathers by a shallow pool...

All are chance!

So it's up to us, who love taking pictures, to capture that moment that would otherwise pass unnoticed by others...