I recommend a show called Mr. Robot. It ranks up there in the Westworld category as being somewhat confusing, but I sort of like that, I think. You really have to pay attention… but it’s a cleverly written show.
Daily Photo – Alone in the Mosque
I visited the National Mosque in Kuala Lumpur between services. I would not be allowed to take photos otherwise. But, mosques are almost always open to anyone that wants to come in to pray or relax, like this gentleman is doing. Sometimes, on very hot days in these Muslim countries, I will go into mosques to relax too. They are often air-conditioned and I just sit on the floor with all my equipment and relax/meditate. Running around all day long in the heat can really get to ya.
Oh, and I’m giving some of these bags away! To be in with a chance of winning, step 1 is to subscribe to my YouTube Channel. Be sure to check out this video which explains step 2:
360 Video when flying the Phantom
Join me and Tane on this early morning flight! 🙂 Don’t forget you can grab the screen and move it around.
Daily Photo – When Tane Had That Epiphany
While we were in Malaysia, something possessed Tane to shave his head on the same day we went to go visit a Mosque. I think he was trying to trick his dad into thinking he was converting from Atheism to Islam. I don’t think he actually tricked anyone, but he certainly played the role well.
Hey it’s my birthday and all that stuff. No big deal; just an arbitrary radian around the sun, but I can come to you, my 48th, with a nice birthday message. When I turned 35 is when I initially got into photography… so it’s never too late! The best time to start trying something you think might be a calling for you is Right Now! Speaking of that, here’s a promo of our new Beginning Photography Tutorial.
Daily Photo – Kuala Lumpur from KL Tower
I know I’m getting old and everything, but when I was at KL Tower seven years ago, I don’t remember an “outside” area. I remember shooting through a window and having a terrible time with the glare. Now, of course, I use a Lens Skirt, but I didn’t know about it back then. Anyway, this time I went to a new level that had an outside area where you could get unobscured shots of the city.
This is a video that shows how I enhance reflections using Aurora HDR 2018. I took this photo at a cool outdoor shopping area in Singapore. Believe it or not, they air-condition the OUTSIDE, which seems like a ridiculous waste of money… but hey, Singapore is a pretty wealthy spot!
Daily Photo – Young Adventuress in Kuala Lumpur
It was fun to spend some time with Liz out of New Zealand! She joined me as part of the #80Stays tour in Kuala Lumpur. Boy, was it hot while we were there! It was probably over 90 degrees when we went into this mosque where we had to put on these heavy robes. Outside, there was a little bit of a breeze, at least. It had recently rained and left a thin layer of water on the marble… so it made for a nice reflection shot. Find out more about Liz’s story from her visit on her blog.
New Drone Tutorial – advance access for Passport Members!
I just put the finishing touches on a really awesome new video tutorial series on drones/quadcopters. If you’re a Passport Member, you get free access to that as well as a bunch of other tutorials and goodies. Here’s a little trailer below. The whole thing will be available for sale soon to everyone else if you just want the standalone version. Below is the trailer for it!
A Failed Timelapse
I realized that I don’t talk enough about all my failures. They are numerous and disastrous! Anyway, here’s one for you.
I know my Phantom has a mode that allows it to take a photo every five seconds. I thought I could maybe make an elevated timelapse. You know, launch the quadcopter on a fairly windless day and leave it up there till the battery runs out. Good idea, right? Well, it didn’t really work out. Below are the two videos.
Video 1 is the initial capture:
Video 2 is after stabilization. It still looks bad! So, anyway, there’s a few hours down the drain! 🙂
Daily Photo – A New Rock Band in Kuala Lumpur
Well, it’s not really a rock band, but maybe some day! I was in the Batu Caves outside of Kuala Lumpur, which is a famous Hindu temple. There is a massive cave network there, and this was inside one of the biggest chambers. As you can see, there is plenty of graffiti and all kinds of scrawlings. There’s a huge staircase to get to the top, so people often like to take a little rest. I saw these four resting and went over to take a quick photo.
This is a good video! I think you’re really gonna like it. I spent 24 hours camping out in a very remote area of the Southern Alps. You can see some of what went on when I was getting some special photos for a patron. We choppered in and there was a bit more drama than I would have liked!
We released this first over a year ago to the Passport Members. Hey, you should join up! Why not?!?
Daily Photo – A Chinese Temple in Kuala Lumpur
How beautiful is this temple at night? My friend Liz there went during the day and it was pretty spectacular. It was a hot day for sure, and she was definitely complaining about the heat. Hey, I was too! But then, I figured, I’ll go at night. I swear it was just as hot at night time! It doesn’t look like it, but this is about seven stories up from the ground level. And in those humid, hot conditions, getting up here while carrying a bunch of stuff is sort of a sweaty experience!
This is Part 4 of the Glenorchy series where I show a little Photoshop trick illustrating how to make mountains taller! Enjoy!
Daily Photo – Re-visiting the SkyBar
It’s been about eight years since I’ve been to this place (atop the Trader’s in Kuala Lumpur) and it was exciting to return! It’s pretty much the exact same as I remember it. My goal was to try to improve on previous photos. One of the best areas to go here, even on crowded nights, is the second floor. It’s usually empty and there are good railings to secure your camera, as tripods are not allowed.
Right when I got this machine (see my Phantom 4 Review), I took it around a few favorite spots in New Zealand to check out the quality. I wasn’t disappointed! I made a quickie little highlight video to show off the clarity and color balance. None of this is color-corrected or anything,… straight from the Micro SD card to you!
Daily Photo – Tane in the Element at a Mosque in Kuala Lumpur
Here’s our assistant Tane, fresh after shaving his head on the road. The next day we happened to visit the Federal Mosque and we had to wear robes. I thought the whole thing looked like a bit of a timeless scene. And even though I asked Tane to stand there for a photo, I did not expect our friend Liz (@YoungAdventuress) to come sauntering along from the right side. I thought it all made for a nice photo.
You can see a lot of what happened in the creation of this shot in this video below — enjoy! 🙂
Daily Photo – 10 Hours in Kuala Lumpur
I do love this airport! It’s absolutely beautiful and the reflections are what I think really does it for me. I don’t know how often they have to buff these things, but they must have a crew of 100 people constantly buffing it! I really wanted to take off my shoes and just slide all around like a little kid in socks… I was there for so long, I should have!
I have a behind-the-scenes of this. Be sure to pop over to Videos page here on the site to see more. You might want check out the playlist for “My Tips and Tricks”! 🙂
Daily Photo – The Mass Graves Near the Barbie Exhibit
I don’t know why, but when I was here and saw all these dudes wrapped up, it just reminded me of mass graves! I spent quite a while in the Kuala Lumpur airport, and this is one of the strangest things I saw. They were all very confused as to why I was taking the photo, but it’s incredibly obvious, I say!
