Keong Da' Great Journey

Aurora of Iceland in GIF

noreply@blogger.com (informationwebsite) — Fri, 17 Mar 2017 11:33:00 +0000

Enjoy...

Kek Lok Si Temple 2016 Light Up with Firework

noreply@blogger.com (informationwebsite) — Fri, 05 Feb 2016 06:28:00 +0000

Here are some of my shot on Kek Lok Si 2016 Light Up

Here is the GIF

Happy CNY 2016...

Happy New Year 2106

noreply@blogger.com (informationwebsite) — Fri, 01 Jan 2016 03:52:00 +0000

Here are some of my shot during my countdown in KarpalSingh Drive Penang

Have a great new year ahead...

Kalimar 60-300mm

noreply@blogger.com (informationwebsite) — Sun, 02 Aug 2015 02:45:00 +0000

Kalimar 60-300mm with 2x teleconvertor

Kalimar 60-300mm with 2x teleconvertor in 60D

Hi, today I would like to share on the review of Kalimar 60-300mm F4/5.6. Recently I bought a unit together with 2x tele-converter for ~USD100. Conclusion, I have a zoom between 120mm to 600mm. WOW.. 600mm with less than 100USD.

Kalimar 60-300mm - shot at 100mm

With Canon FD mount, I purchased an adaptor to convert from FD to my canon EF. Of course, the image quality may drop. Tested at F4, the image quality is quite soft with 2x tele-convertor. But at f8, its perfectly sharp. One of the cons at f8 is you may notice a lot of small dust in my sensor. But this is not an issue, after post processing, image is OK. With this old lens, you may see some chromatic aberration. After post processing with Lightroom 5.3, 90% of the CAs are gone.

Shot at 600mm

But one of the cons that irritate me with the hallow effect due to the reflection of my FD convertor. At 600mm + plan bright background, you can see a slight hallow effect. After post processing, I managed to reduce the effect by ~70%. If your sensor is dirty, you need to send for service.

Minor Halo Effect at f8 (600mm)

With its ultimate macro function, the results are absolutely breathtaking. Very Sharp. !!!

An Evening In Penang Hill... Milky Way On Top of George Town Penang

noreply@blogger.com (informationwebsite) — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 05:34:00 +0000

It has been awhile since I last update my blog. Lately I am very busy with my work. I am a full time engineer. And, it’s a hell of a job. :) Photography is my hobby and part time side income to support my gears.

Recently I bought a used lens. Its the Tamron 28-300mm which one of the most flexible lens of all time. At 28mm focus length, it is wide enough to capture most of the landscape scenes. And at 300mm FL, you will be able to zoom in into your desire objects and be a stalker... :) With this versatility, it is very easy for me to compose my composition.

At 28mm

At 300mm (sorry, slightly blur due to tripod to stable.. :) )

And this is not the main story that I wanna share. My intention of going up to the Penang Hill is to shoot the Ultimate Milky Way. This is one of the shot I did 2 weeks ago.

It seems fine. But there are tiny clouds that irritate me. I have waited for years for the prefect moment to shoot something miracle and this year I will not miss it again. The last train from top of Penang Hill is 11pm after the local gov extended the service time. Meaning I have around 2hrs to do my shooting. The timing is very crucial.

1)   Clear Sky – No/less cloud
2)   No Fog/haze
3)   Less Moonlight Pollution.
4)   Availability of train service. But some people say that I can overnight there. But I prefer not to.

After praying for years, on that evening, oh hell yeah… With my Tamron 17-35mm F2.8/4, I captured it. With minor light pollution of waning crescent and minor haze, I can be able to see the milky way after some post processing.

Milky way On Top of George Town Penang

I took few shots with multiple exposure (25,15,8s) in order to get the best dynamic range. I blended all these exposures in order to balance up the sky and the foreground.

Milky way On Top of George Town Penang (another spot)

Timing is an issue, but post processing is another. To allow the visibility of milky way, your setting must be “Just Nice” and not ruin your overall photo. Few shots are taken and the best settings are determined. The rest are post processing.

Besides, I did some panorama shots. Stitching it is a challenge. Distortion correction is another challenge. Huh.. it took me few hours. But the result is OK for me for now.. :)

Panorama Summer Milky Way In George Town Penang

All processing is done using Lightroom 5.3 & Photoshop CS5. May be I need to get Lightroom 6.1 with Dehaze function which I can be able to enhance my photos…

Besides basic astrophotgraphy, I did some selective focus photography with my Tamron 28-300mm. With a different focus point blended into a single shot, we can see the miniature effect.

Miniature Effect of Komtar

Shot towards Paya Terubong housing area.

Here is the shot at 160mm from Penang Hill with Selective Focus Effect using Multiple Focus Point…

Miniature Effect of George Town Penang

To learn more about processing your milky way shot, here is my previous post :

http://informationwebsite.blogspot.com/2012/06/how-to-edit-milky-way-astrophotography.html

Here are the locations I did my milky way shooting around Penang :

http://informationwebsite.blogspot.com/2014/06/milky-way-around-penang-with-keong-da.html

Enjoy and have fun.. The most important thing is your safety.

Milky way on top of George Town, Penang

noreply@blogger.com (informationwebsite) — Mon, 13 Jul 2015 13:11:00 +0000

It has been years since i waited for this very shot... Its a perfect timing between July & Aug which i can be able to shoot between 8.30pm to 10.30pm from PenangHill without over night.

But too bad that night, there are partially cloudy... Hmm.. at least i get something..

Milky way around Penang with Keong Da' Great

noreply@blogger.com (informationwebsite) — Sun, 15 Jun 2014 14:02:00 +0000

Hi all milky way lover. I am too. Hehe... Lately, milky way hunters have been increasing. So, i would like to share my experience and locations of my journey for the past 3 years for this basic astrophotography. I did my shooting mainly at my hometown, Penang. I have been shooting milky way since 2011 with my first DSLR, canon 550D + kit lens 18-55mm f3.5. With this budget gear, you can get a basic shot of milky way. Moreover, I am not an expert.

My first ever shot of milky way back in 2011. Exif :18mm, F3.5, ISO1600

First of all, you need a basic camera which is able to adjust exposure time at least >10s with aperture at minimum as possible.

The idea is very simple, you must allow as maximum amount of light as possible to enter into your camera with the usage of aperture, exposure time and sensor sensitivity (ISO).

For exposure time determination, please use the “600” RULE to avoid star trails.

Idea of “600” rule : - Exposure time = 600/(focus length x cropfactor)

Example :

Canon 550D at 18mm, Exposure time = 600/(18x1.6) = 21s

Nikon D7000 at 10mm, Exposure time = 600(10x1.5) = 38s

Talking about aperture, it is advisable to open as big as possible to allow more light to enter. However you need to beware of vignette for certain lens.

For ISO, it depends on your camera ability. Based on my experience, an entry DSLR has no problem to shoot at ISO800. For high end DSLR, it can go until ISO12800 with a minimum noise generated.

How to track the milky way? Please use an app called StarChart which will cost you USD0.99.

Click here for Andriod , Apple

For focusing, just set to manual --> infinity.

After shooting, the most challenging part is the editing. Use this link for basic guidance: Here

The second part of this article I would like to share is the location where I did my shooting. The quality of the photos are not that good as my editing skill is not up to pro level, yet my gear is lousy. Hope it wont hurt your eyes.

I am an islander, so mainly I did my shooting on the island. I seldom go to the mainland because I am not familiar. Very sorry. And REMEMBER, never to go to isolated location alone. Safety is more important than shooting your dream milky way.

So, below are the locations which I did my shooting.

I will start with…

Permatang Damar Laut : This place is very dark. Sometimes, there will be some light pollution from the plane in Penang International Airport.

Boats With Milky Way

Selfie with milky way

The Bunker

Road To Eternity

Teluk Tempoyak : This place is great for sunrise. But too bad the bridge has already broken

Panorama Twilight Milky Way

Bayan Lepas, 2^nd Penang Bridge : I tried to shoot something impossible. The super light pollution from the 2^nd Penang Bridge and Milky Way

Milky Way With 2nd Penang Bridge

Batu Uban : Just outside my balcony

Outside my balcony

Bukit Mertajam, Seberang Prai : Milky way on top Bukit Mertajam. Sorry I cannot remember the exact location.

BM Lonely Tree

Prefect Grass Bed

Karpal Singh Drive, previously known as Nautilus Bay : Milky way on top of 1^st Penang Bridge.

Milky Way On Top Of 1st Penang Bridge

Panoramic View

Clan Jetty : Shot the milky way set.

Milky Way Set On Top Of Flats

Milky Way Set On Top Of Flats#2

Heart of Georgetown : The ultimate light pollution. Just find a tall building and shoot into sky. I shoot in Kedah Road Flat

Milky Way In The Heart Of Georgetown

Batu Ferringhi : I seldom come to his area as it is very far from house. I only come here once. It is a waterfall in Batu Ferringhi. This place have dogs and dangerous.

Land Of Fantasy

Teluk Bahang : I cannot remember this place because while we are driving, we stop by the road side and using starchart to track the milkyway. We only have few shots and left the place.

Garden of Eden

Sungai Burung, Balik Pulau : This paddy field is very common for landscape photographers. During night time, you can simply find any spot here in Balik Pulau

The Rise Of Milky Way

Shy Behind The Cloud

Sungai Batu : This place is famous for pre-wedding and sunset. But for me, I prefer astrophotgraphy.

Milky Way Rising

BN!!!

Milky Way Set With The Moon

Setting By The Bridge

Gertak Sanggul : The champion of all. Anywhere in this area, you can get an amazing shot of milky way. This is because this place can consider a very less light pollution in certain direction.

In Between

The 2 famous locations are which we called it “The Lonely Tree” and “The Lovers Bridge”

The Lonely Tree :

Venus And Milky Way On Top Of Lonely Tree

Photography Under The Stars

Hiding Behind The Cloud

The Magical Moment

The Lovers Bridge :

The Rising

Panoramic View

Milky Way Rising With The Bioluminescence Sea

45 Degrees

My Little Planet

Fish Eye

The Spaceship

The Twilight Setting

Summer Milky Way

Milky Way on Top of Georgetown

Panoramic Summer Milky Way on Top of Georgetown

Besides, here is my previous timelapse which featuring some of these places.

Hope you enjoy this. And happy shooting.

Panorama Milky way with bunker in Penang

noreply@blogger.com (informationwebsite) — Fri, 06 Jun 2014 14:37:00 +0000

Panorama Milky way with bunker in Penang

Download : Download

2048, the game makes me nuts

noreply@blogger.com (informationwebsite) — Fri, 06 Jun 2014 04:03:00 +0000

I played this game for almost a month now. The best score you can ever have is 3868532 where the highest combination is 131072

Selfie under milkyway in Koh Lipe

noreply@blogger.com (informationwebsite) — Sun, 01 Jun 2014 14:03:00 +0000

Selfie under milkyway in Koh Lipe

Sunset in Pattaya Beach, Koh Lipe, with a rain moment

noreply@blogger.com (informationwebsite) — Thu, 29 May 2014 13:49:00 +0000

Sunset in Pattaya Beach, Koh Lipe, with a rain moment

Download : Download

Lightning Show by The Almighty in Penang

noreply@blogger.com (informationwebsite) — Sat, 24 May 2014 15:46:00 +0000

Lightning Show by The Almighty in Penang

Sunset in Pattaya Beach, Koh Lipe

noreply@blogger.com (informationwebsite) — Thu, 22 May 2014 12:30:00 +0000

Sunset in Pattaya Beach, Koh Lipe

Download : Download

Ko, RokRoy... Koh Lipe 2014

noreply@blogger.com (informationwebsite) — Mon, 19 May 2014 15:12:00 +0000

Shot this is in Ko, RokRoy... Koh Lipe

Download : Download

20140513 Wesak Day Sunrise in PDL

noreply@blogger.com (informationwebsite) — Tue, 13 May 2014 00:44:00 +0000

20140513 Wesak Day Sunrise in PDL

Download : Download

20140510 Sunrise in QEII

noreply@blogger.com (informationwebsite) — Sat, 10 May 2014 02:40:00 +0000

Sunrise in QEII ( Church Street Jetty)

Download : Download

Garden of Eden, Penang Malaysia

noreply@blogger.com (informationwebsite) — Sat, 03 May 2014 01:31:00 +0000

This will be one of my favorite shot so far.. wake up at 3.30am and hunt for the milky way.. Finally we get it.. it is very hard to find a place without light pollution in Penang Island. So i named this photo as "Garden of Eden".

Download Wallpaper : Download

Sunrise in Karpal Singh Drive / Nautilus Bay

noreply@blogger.com (informationwebsite) — Sat, 26 Apr 2014 04:02:00 +0000

Sunrise in Karpal Singh Drive / Nautilus Bay

Download as wallpaper : Download

Sunrise in Jelutong Jetty, Penang Malaysia

noreply@blogger.com (informationwebsite) — Sat, 19 Apr 2014 02:27:00 +0000

Sunrise in Jelutong Jetty, Penang Malaysia

Download : Download

20140412 Sunrise in Bayan Mutiara, Penang

noreply@blogger.com (informationwebsite) — Sat, 12 Apr 2014 07:03:00 +0000

20140412 Sunrise in Bayan Mutiara, Penang

Download : DownloadWallpaper

Sunrise in Church Street Jetty (QEII), Penang

noreply@blogger.com (informationwebsite) — Sun, 06 Apr 2014 01:32:00 +0000

Sunrise in Church Street Jetty (QEII), Penang

Download : DownloadWallpaper

EXIF : 20mm | F16 | ISO50 | 420s | Single RAW

The Lonely Tree and StarTrails

noreply@blogger.com (informationwebsite) — Thu, 03 Apr 2014 13:52:00 +0000

The Lonely Tree and StarTrails Shot in Penang Island, Malaysia.
Download : DownloadWallpaper

Another version

March2014 Sunrise in Penang Bridge, Malaysia

noreply@blogger.com (informationwebsite) — Sat, 29 Mar 2014 01:02:00 +0000

March2014 Sunrise in Penang Bridge, Malaysia

Download : DownloadWallpaper

Panorama of Summer Milky Way in Penang Island, Malaysia 2014

noreply@blogger.com (informationwebsite) — Thu, 27 Mar 2014 12:54:00 +0000

Panorama of Summer Milky Way in Penang Island, Malaysia 2014

Download : DownloadWallpaper

My deepest condolences to friends and families of MH370 passangers.

noreply@blogger.com (informationwebsite) — Mon, 24 Mar 2014 14:20:00 +0000

I am very sad to see the tv conference by the PM, Datuk Seri Najib Razak said that the flight of MH370 ended in Indian Ocean. Haih...