Monday 8 September 2014

My First Taste of Shutter Therapy

It was yet another Saturday morning in which I battled to get out of bed for an opportunity I certainly did not want to miss. 

Carmen invited me to join her, Robin and Jackie on a photography trip at Pudu Market (yes, of all markets!) in which I was really excited for. Since the photos I've been capturing normally consists of cooked ingredients already incorporated to create a single dish, I thought it would be interesting to do the same but this time with fresh & raw ingredients.  

But first, one needs breakfast. What better way to kick start the morning than with dim sum!
Location: Restoran Tuck Cheong @ Jalan Kancil, Pudu.


Very pleased with this loh mai gai because it doesn't contain the typical Chinese sausage, which I dislike with passion, but rather it has a thin slice of pork. 
Loh mai gai is basically steamed sticky rice with chicken and usually wrapped in lotus leaf. This one is a variation.


After breakfast, while we were making our way to Pudu Market...

"Emily, are you sure you want to wear your sneakers?"
"Oh yeah, they will get dirty and may be hard to clean off!"
"Okay, you definitely need slippers."

... which lead me to ask, "so how dirty is the market?"

"Errrr... you'll see!"

Such a comforting response.


Conclusion: Do NOT wear even decent shoes to Pudu Market. Go cheap flip flops all the way!

Thankfully, a store at the mall nearby just opened and I managed to get a pair of Flippers for RM10.00!


* * * *


Indeed, like most markets, this was nowhere near clean but it was bearable (I've experienced worse). There weren't that many unavoidable puddles and potholes but you need to be careful of where you step - especially when you get close to the meat areas.

Here are some of my shots from the trip! Most of them are edited with the OLYMPUS Viewer 3 which came with my camera - a program I decided to experiment with.


Saw a mother and her baby on the way to the market. Loving the hair!

Chasing light moment.

Smile with your eyes.

Blessed with the morning light.

So the first part of the market comprises fruits and vegetables.

Traffic light peppers, kind of. Clearly, I need a lot of practice with these kind of shots.

I didn't really edit this. The position and light were just in my favour. Definitely caught the shot I wanted!

Marinate with turmeric, salt and pepper, then deep fry away.

There, my RM10.00 slippers. My feet got quite dirty at the end of the trip but better my feet than my sneakers.

Alternatives.

Only one stall selling chicken like this.

Fresh coriander. 

Sigh, those colours.

*insert that title of Taylor Swift's song*

Candid.

More chilies.

The shiny redness caught my attention.

A bit of nostalgia. I used the Art setting (Pinhole style) of my camera.


Two shots of the same girl speaking with her eyes.


The entire trip was a challenge on so many levels. I learnt to be quicker when shooting despite having various items to remember (i.e. focusing, angles, lighting, exposure, moving your camera strap out of the way, watching out for your bag, checking if your precious phone is still in your pocket, etc.). There was much pressure especially from the people who were inconsiderately pushing their way through the crowd, motorcyclists and stall owners chasing you away from blocking their customers.  

Nevertheless, the trip was a great first-experience. I'm definitely looking forward to shooting at more locations like this now that I've discovered love in the colours of the market. 

Do check out Robin's Pudu Market entry where you can find heaps of Photography 101's that can probably save your life. 


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