Canon Eos M -Asian Openbill

Posted by Annette Johnson on April 22, 2020
Posted in: Canon Eos M. Leave a comment

 

Asian Openbill- taken 21/01/2020 from the Moo Baan across the road from where I live. For anyone living outside Thailand, a moo baan is a gated housing community, complete with security guards and various facilities, in this case a small lake!

A relatively small stork species with a grayish to white body and black wings and tail with a hint of gloss. The Asian Openbill gets its name from a distinctive gap in the dull grayish yellow bill. Note the pinkish legs. Asian Openbills inhabit wetland habitats including shallow marshes, flooded agricultural fields, and lakes. From a distance they could be confused with herons, but they can be clearly distinguished from herons by their feeding habits—wading slowly through shallow water.

All the images here were taken with the Canon Eos M with 55-250mm stm lens for the Asian Hornbill, and the Tamron 10-24mm wide angle lens and eos to efm adaptor for the lake pictures.

Phuket Mining Museum in Kathu-Phuket 2020

Posted by Annette Johnson on April 6, 2020
Posted in: Phuket. Leave a comment

From my trip in January 2020 to the hills of Kathu, I found the Phuket Mining Museum.

Stunning grandiose drive to this magnificent building. Which actually was more interesting on the outside than the inside. Most f this video is just that!

The outside and the inner quadrant of the mansion.

Something to view whilst stuck at home and remind ourselves of sunnier days out!

Phuket Mining Museum (or Kathu Mining Museum) was built with unusual grandeur in a very remote and isolated location behind the Loch Palm Golf Club of Kathu, somewhere in the hills before Patong. Museums in Phuket are not precisely living spaces where artists exhibit their creations, but this one gives you a pretty good vision of what Phuket was famous for during the tin mining era.

Driving through the Phuket Mining Museum massive double arch entrance gate and along the lake will lead you to a monumental Sino-Portuguese pink building.

Once you walked through the whole Phuket Mining Museum building, which doesn’t take long despite its size, you can explore the park around and have a look at some other mining remains and machine spare parts as well as a beautiful view on the nearby hills. As shown in this video.

Somphamit Waterfall or Li Phi Waterfall Laos

Posted by Annette Johnson on April 2, 2020
Posted in: Lao People's Democratic Republic. Leave a comment

From my trip across the Silk route and South East Asia, here in Laos and following the Mekong River the most amazing Li phi Waterfalls.

A reasonable walk will take you to the opposite bank from the falls and allow you to walk along to the freshwater lakes. A refreshing and cooling experience and on this visit people free!

Info; Tat Somphamit is locally known as Li Phi Falls. Li Phi means ‘spirit trap’ and locals believe the falls is a trap for bad spirits (of deceased people and animals) as they wash down the river. Located off the western tip of Si Phan Don, between the two islands of Don Xang and Don Khon and no more than 3km away from the Cambodian border is a raging set of rapids called Tat Somphamit, but referred to by just about everyone as Li Phi Falls. Li Phi means ‘spirit trap’ and locals believe the falls is a trap for bad spirits (of deceased people and animals) as they wash down the river.

Tat Somphamit is one of the most impressive waterfalls in South-East Asia. Consisting of a number of cascades as opposed to one major waterfall, Tat Somphamit is a dramatic sight and is a must for waterfall-lovers.

Jewel at Changi Airport- Singapore 2020

Posted by Annette Johnson on March 28, 2020
Posted in: Singapore Singapore. Leave a comment

You cannot help but marvel at this amazing domed indoor waterfall when you arrive at Changi airport in Singapore. Once you are clear of baggage collection and customs, you walk through what at first looks like a shopping mall.

Well yes and no, yes it is a shopping (duty free) mall, but the center piece is this stunning vortex of a waterfall from the top of the dome down to the bottom floor, three floors below! We spent around three hours here on arrival, juts taking it all in, walking the beautiful terraces full of greenery and mini waterfalls.

Grabbing something to eat in the numerous restaurants on all the different levels overlooking the waterfall. Right to the very top, where you can look across the whole dome and see it all. There you can see the mono rail and its trains passing through. A wonderful experience I shall never forget and one that I would like to share with everyone!

Super Trees Singapore

Posted by Annette Johnson on March 25, 2020
Posted in: Singapore Singapore. Leave a comment

on my recent trip in February to Singapore, I was wondering what differences I would see since my last visit in 2013!

One of the most amazing sights /Changes that I wanted to visit was the Gardens by the Bay. Most significantly the Super-trees! I was not disappointed. I even took the sky walk (the same height as the Arc de Triomphe in Paris), between the trees which gave me the most amazing feeling of freedom and wellness.

The man-made mechanical forest consists of 18 supertrees that act as vertical gardens, generating solar power, acting as air venting ducts for nearby conservatories, and collecting rainwater. To generate electricity, 11 of the supertrees are fitted with solar photovoltaic systems that convert sunlight into energy, which provides lighting and aids water technology within the conservatories below.

Varying in height between 25 and 50 meters, each supertree features tropical flowers and various ferns climbing across its steel framework. The large canopies also operate as temperature moderators, absorbing and dispersing heat, as well as providing shelter from the hot temperatures of Singapore’s climate to visitors walking beneath.

Friendship Beach

Posted by Annette Johnson on March 17, 2020
Posted in: Phuket. Leave a comment

Part of the reason for me moving to Thailand, was to get away from People?

Hahaha I hear you say, on a beach?but actually there are many places you can go to get away from direct contact with people.

During these difficult times of World Pandemics, I am trying to show you that there are spaces for your body and your mind to heal. friendship Beach in Chalong, Phuket is one of them.

Now I know you all can’t get here , or have such a wonderful space to visit, especially at this time of year. So i have put together for you this video to enjoy in your own personal spaces wherever you are.

Escapism can be such an important tool for our health, after all we watch TV series and shows to “escape” . These are not always pleasant places or good things, so much negativity, that I wanted to put some positive back into our view of the World around us. Trust me it is there, you just have to look!

Little India Street Art Singapore

Posted by Annette Johnson on March 2, 2020
Posted in: Singapore Singapore. Leave a comment

Some of the Amazing street Art I saw on my recent trip to Singapore. There are three districts that this is most popular, Chinatown, Little India, And Kampong Glam.

This one focuses on Little India I hope you enjoy it?

Little India Street Art Walk

27 Chander Road – Jasmine Flowers by Nadiah Alsagoff (Artwalk Little India 2018) 60 Kerbau Road – In the Clouds (Park 22 Hotel) by Speak Cyptic (Artwalk Little India 2019) 67 Kerbau Road – Buffaloes by Eunice Lim (right next to Little India MRT exit E), Artwalk Little 2017 33 Kerbau Road – Diff/Fusion by Zul Zero (Artwalk Little India 2019) 34 – 50 Buffalo Road – not sure who these were I think they were from Artwalk 2015/6 20 Clive Street – A Scent of Lights by Song (Artwalk 2019) 212 Serangoon Road (at Baboo Lane) – Bus 181 by Didier Jaba Mathieu 1 Hindoo Road – Little India 11 Hindoo Road – Rajinikanth by Zero 109 Rowell Road – Miami Man by El Mac Plus many more…

 

From Canon 70D to Canon M5

Posted by Annette Johnson on February 28, 2020
Posted in: Cameras. 2 Comments

 

So, I thought I would share my thoughts on   why I chose the Canon Eos M5 and sold my Canon 70d for it. Now this is purely from my point of view and in no way trying to tell others what to do, yes I expect I could have chosen better, maybe? But I chose in the end what suited me. So here it goes.

I have been residing in Thailand now for the last 5 years, from my home country the UK. That involved a massive life change and with the most positive effect for me.

Always with my life (as I am sure it is for many) there is always the fine balance of money for living/traveling and camera kit (yes I know for many I will have that the wrong way round, but I have a wonderful partner who facilitates this life I now lead, and without that I would not be here).

I have had and  loved my 70d for 6 years now, but I have noticed that increasingly even I have found it a heavy piece of camera to carry and use for prolonged periods of shooting. That is aside from carrying it with its lenses around whilst travelling to and from destinations. It has not gone amiss in my continued interest of all things new in Photography, that technology is moving forward, and more importantly for me Smaller and lighter!

So you may remember my short article back in October 2019, I bought myself from Carmarthen Cameras a 2nd hand, mint Canon Eos M, and 18mp Apsc sensor camera
Great price (£80) and great condition. This was my try out into the mirrorless world. Why this one? Well it could take my current collection of Efs lenses with adaptor. No brainer, no change in my current lens collection.

I have just spent five days in Singapore (last week) with just my Canon Eos M, the sigma 8-16mm, the 18-135mm stm, 55-250mm stm. Along with my viltrox adaptor. I ended up using the Sigma most of the time and the 18-135mm the rest.

 

What I liked;

  • I loved the light weight of the M;
  • I loved the anonymity of the M.
  • I loved the IQ of the M.
  • I loved the portability of the M,
  • I loved the direct focus point touch screen of the M.
  • I loved the crisp clear screen of the M

What I didn’t like;

  • The biggest  thing that got to me was the lack of a viewfinder, which meant I was struggling to frame properly, in strong sunlight, of which there is a lot here. It doesn’t move, and whilst this works for most f the time, there is also a lot of time where it is just plain impossible to see, Yes I have tried the screen shades and loupes, but all add to the size of what I was trying to reduce.
  • I actually found it quite arm aching holding it out at arm’s length all the time. Even more tiring than the 70D. This goes back to the lack of a viewfinder, but a 2nd reason that the viewfinder becomes a critical piece of the camera.
  • Also the inability to change settings on the fly also frustrated me, there are few buttons on the M and apart from the focus touch screen, you have to do everything else through the screen to get to the menus, Which means that you have to take your eye off what you are photographing.
  • The last one surprised me, as it had not been an issue up until this trip, the  little to no grip on the camera itself. Not an issue with small lenses, but with the larger ones made it quite the hand ache, not to mention the feeling of dropping it from your hand. Whilst I have a para-cord strap attached to the camera, I still found I was getting hand cramp clutching the camera and lens combo for prolonged periods of time.

So  when I got back here I knew had to do something about it, so I sold my 70d for around 9,000bht = *283$ , on the Facebook online market place. Along with my longer needed but much loved Tamron 10-24mm lens, which fetched 3000bht =*98$.  I considered this a good price as I have been watching the prices plummet in the UK, and bought this M5 for 11,000bht =*346$, also from a seller on the Facebook Market place. Now I know that the two cameras have been around similar prices 2nd hand and the M5 has been always edging it against the 70d, mostly because of the newer tech. So it was a loss I knew I would have take. Yes I was sad ;-( , I have owned and used the  70d from new some 6 years ago now, it’s been a trusty friend, but times move on and so do cameras. I would still recommend it to anyone!

So my current kit is and still will be for the foreseeable future;
Canon Eos M,Canon Eos M5,Sigma 8-16mm EFS,Canon 18-135mm stm,Canon 55-250mm stm,Canon 15-45mm EFM,Mieke 24mm 2.8 EFM

Apart from the Sigma which is heavy, the rest of my lens collection is very lightweight, as are the cameras.

Things to be aware of;

Now I have since found out that the software that the M5 runs on is completely different to the 70d and the Eos M. what does this mean in the real World? Well, you can’t run Magic Lantern firmware, and all the extras it gives you on the 70d. That for sure I will miss, notwithstanding being able to see you actual shutter count!
Otherwise I am not sure yet if I will notice any other differences, I will keep you posted.

The Raw files from the M5 don’t open in my Lr5.7 without me running them through Adobe DNG converter first! Another tedious step in the pp workflow, but hey it’s not insurmountable. Especially as I am not in the position to start paying adobe anytime soon for their “subscription” based software upgrade.

I am sure once I have flexed the M5 in a decent trip, i will return with my further thoughts on it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*Prices worked on currency exchange at time of writing and publishing this article

Chinatown Murals: Heritage In Street Art 2020

Posted by Annette Johnson on February 26, 2020
Posted in: Singapore Singapore. Leave a comment

I have just come back from a very recent trip to Singapore, for four days!
Whilst there visiting the Gardens by the Bay and other amazing places that have popped up since my last visit in 2013, I took the time this time to capture and have a through look at the street art that was then in it’s infancy!

In this Video you will see the street art from the China town district, there will be one from Little India too! So subscribe and wait for your notification when it’s out!

All the works have been commissioned by the Singapore cultural development agency made up of the three distinct cultures that make Singapore, Chinese, Indian and Malay.
Below i have given you a Chinatown walk list of streets where you will find some of these wonderful murals. But you don’t have to follow them verbatim, and to be fair I didn’t either!

Chinatown Walk 1
40 and 6 Everton Road – Barber and Amah by YC Yip.
8 Spottiswoode Park (at Everton Road) – Provision Shop and Soyabean Drinks cart by YC Yip
2 Blair Road (back of gallery located here) – Mardi by Alex Face
To get there: Outram Park is the closest MRT stop

Chinatown Walk 2
In the heart of Chinatown, cut through Pagoda Street connecting Smith and Temple Streets to see YC Yip’s Letter writer at 333 Smith Street adorning the Chinatown Complex Food Market building. This walk is 1.2KM.

83 Pagoda Street – Mid Autumn Moon cake and lantern festival by YC Yip
Mohamed Ali Lane (at North Bridge Road) – a series of 4 murals: Mamak Store, Paper Mask & Puppet Seller, Lion Dance Head Maker and The Window all by YC Yip
158 Telok Ayer Street – Thian Hock Keng Mural: An Immigrant’s Story by Yip Yew Chong (immense 40 metre piece depicting history of the Hokkien’s migration to Singapore)
Amoy Street Food Center (inside wall facing Muslim stalls) has a series of murals, includning the Samsui Woman

THERE WILL BE FREE MAP AVAILABLE TO DOWNLOAD HERE:  http://atomic-temporary-111522494.wpcomstaging.com/chinatown-murals…n-street-art-map/ ‎

 

 

 

 

Three pieces of music accompany this video all from Youtube music library and free under creative commons licence.
Sao Meo by Doug Maxwell/ Zac Zinger
Sao Meo Orchestral Mix by Doug Maxwell/ Zac Zinger
Lau Tzu Ehru by Doug Maxwell

 

Sarangapani temple, Kumbakonam

Posted by Annette Johnson on February 7, 2020
Posted in: Indian Subcontinent. Leave a comment

During my 4 month trip round Southern India in 2015, I stayed in many Temple towns. Here is the Sarangapani temple, in Kumbakonam

At a distance of 2 km from Kumbakonam Railway Station and 500 m from Adi Kumbeswarar Temple, Sarangapani Temple is a Hindu temple situated in Kumbakonam.

The temple is dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Sarangam means bow and pani means hand. The deity is having a bow in the hand. Also known as Tiru Kudanthai is the third of the 108 Divya Desams. The Sarangapani Temple is also one of the Pancha Ranga Khestras with the other four being Srirangapatnam, Srirangam, Appalarangam, Parimala Ranganatha Perumal Temple at Mayiladuthurai and Vatarangam at Sirkazhi.

Sarangapani Temple is the biggest Vishnu temple in Kumbakonam. It is of great religious significance and considered to be second only to the Srirangam Temple in Trichy. The temple boasts of 5 prakaras and a holy tank which is known as Porthamarai Kulam. The rajagopuram has 11 tiers and has a height of 150 feet. This is the third tallest temple gopuram among the Divya Desams other two are Srirangam (236 feet) and Srivilliputhur (192 feet).

Chariot festival is the most prominent festival of the temple, celebrated during the Tamil month of Chittirai (March-April). The twin temple chariots are the third largest in Tamil Nadu, each weighing 300 tons. Brahmotsavam, spring festival and Navaratri are the other important festivals of this temple
I have included a pic of the chariots that are pulled by the devotees….

Ohm Nandhi Kesaraya Namaha

Posted by Annette Johnson on February 3, 2020
Posted in: Blog, Indian Subcontinent. Leave a comment

The giant image of Nandi (Bull) is located at the top of Chamundi hills in Mysore. More than 350 years old, this is one of the oldest icons in Mysore. The Nandi is portrayed in sitting position with its left foreleg folded in an about to get up posture. While the image is in great proportions, the finer details are executed equally brilliant.

You can see many sequences of bells and garlands dexterously carved over the Nandi. With his ears pointed in rapt attention, the expression on the face is something not to be missed.

The whole image sits on a 4 feet or so high platform. According to Hindu mythology Nandi is considered as the vehicle (mount) of Lord Shiva, the lord of destruction. In front of every Shiva temple, on the court facing the shrine, you can see the image of a Nandi. About 16 feet in height and 24 feet long, this Nandi atop the Chamundi Hills is the third largest in India.

The creation of this colossal image is attributed to Dodda Devaraja Wodeyar (1659–1673) on of the illustrious Maharajahs of Mysore. It is the same maharajah who also commissioned the 1000 stepped stairway to the hilltop.

Originally this was a colossal boulder. The image of the Nandi was carved out of this boulder in situ. When you visit this Nandi just look around to see similar boulders around this site. In fact right behind the Nandi image is small cave temple under an overhanging boulder dedicated to Shiva. These boulders are painted with white and ochre stripes.

And yes I climbed the steps to the Temple at the Top!

Old Coconut Plantation

Posted by Annette Johnson on February 3, 2020
Posted in: Peaceful Moments, Phuket. Leave a comment

Sometimes , when out exploring this wonderful World, you happen upon some unique and almost forgotten places.

Places still lived on, or in, but a shadow of what they used to be. Sometimes as in this case , the shadow gets bigger, or should that be taller!

whilst out on a photography project , I saw this old Coconut plantation, dotted with Banana trees too, and went for a walk of serene calmness and natural beauty. A oasis of green in the busy town.