A group of photographers, armed with their iPhones, explore the streets and attractions in Malaysia to capture the festive atmosphere of Chinese New Year (CNY).
The photographers reconnect with some of Malasyia's nostalgic or soon-to-be forgotten spaces and traditions. They also revisit the places, landmarks, cultural practices and even food, that have contributed to defining our uniquely Malaysian culture, but may be at risk of being forgotten with time, all told through the lens of iPhone's cameras.
1. Louis Gan: https://www.instagram.com/louis_gan/
Photographer Louis introduces us to his hometown, Royal Town of Klang. He shares the name "Royal Town of Klang" often conjures images of a town steeped in history and lined with heritage architectures and it really is. However, in recent times, Klang has embraced a broader approach to be a glorious heritage town that is worth exploring". Louis adds that many of the buildings from the colonial era are still being preserved in this town, "when night falls, the colourful lights will cast a splendid glow to the buildings" and Louis used Night mode and the Ultra Wide Angle to capture the effect.
2. Annice Lyn: https://www.instagram.com/annicelyn/
Annice developed her passion for photography while obtaining her architectural degree. Drawing inspiration from all architectural aspects and transposing them into timeless imagery, such as light, shadows, texture, vernacular architecture, facade as well as tradition. The heart of photography to her is capturing the present while preserving the past.
Annice shares "while the past two years have been tumultuous for most of us amidst the global pandemic, with movement restriction and our world has shifted virtually to the cyber universe... this year I decided to revisit the past of Chinatown KL, as I grew to explore and revisit certain places where I grew up in the heart of the capital city.
Sin Sze Si temple piqued my curiosity as I often took a familiar turn and walk past it. The temple is situated in the middle of the ever-bustling street, a tranquil place of worship, situated just a three-minute walk away from Petaling Street. The temple functions as a cultural center for the city's Chinese community and is usually filled with devotees during significant occasions such as Chinese New Year".
Through the gaze of her iPhone 13 Pro, Annice feels the Ultra Wide Angle "opens up my perspective in seeing the lights filled into the temple, where the Chinese lanterns were hung, the intricate and architectural ornaments were captured vividly in one frame.The macro photography captures the wrapped incense sticks and their vibrant colours and details where devotees used to offer their prayers". She finds iPhone 13 Pro is a compact device hence it did not intrude on any devotees on site. All visuals were edited on the iOS native app such as pulling up the contrast, with a touch of minor adjustments and enhancement of highlights and shadows, to bright bring out the detail from the initial image.
3. Sher Reen Lim: https://www.instagram.com/sherreenl/
Focusing on forgotten traditions, Architect and Photographer Sher Reen shares as her family prepares to leap into the Year of the Tiger, she and her family found comfort and excitement revisiting rituals the pandemic deprived us of. She spent time visiting a Buddhist temple, such as the Petaling Jaya Kwan Inn Teng, to make offerings to deities and ancestors, as well as to pray for blessings and good fortune in the year ahead.
Sher Reen also went traditional biscuit shopping and visited Fung Wong Biscuits - a century-old family business with a new kopitiam-style outlet in the heart of Chinatown. They are famous for their "husband and wife" wedding biscuits but also offer other Chinese pastries such as tau sar pneah, walnut cookies and kaya rolls with coffee, tea and 'cham'. Chinese New Year is also a time for family and Sher Reen shares "Mum has been busy baking a storm in the kitchen, and in recent years, her low sugar chocolate chip cookie has become a favourite among friends and family."
Sher Reen's tips for iPhone Photography:
- Always shoot in natural light.
- Shoot with the Ultra Wide Angle in tight spaces.
- Shoot flatlays in Portrait mode at approximately 45 degrees - moving away from the 90-degree angle offers a fresh way of looking at looking at meal scenes.
4. Ahady Rezan: https://www.instagram.com/huxsterized/
Photographer and graphic designer Ahady loves Lion Dances and headed to Central Market to see them in action. "I was happy to see a lion dance performed by the UM Lion Dance Troupe inside Central Market. I really enjoyed watching them interacting with the crowd while walking around inside the building. I had a chat with the troupe members and they said it was their first time performing at Central Market, and they were happy to have the chance to perform at a such nostalgic venue".
Ahady also went to just outside China Town and notes "there was another lion dance performance right inside the market place. This time it was performed by KLKSK Lion Dance. After the performance was done, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the performers underneath the lion costumes were four young Indian gentleman. This shows how beautiful our multi-racial country is".
5. Shaz Sharif: https://www.instagram.com/moksva/
Photographer and busy mum Shaz decided to photograph Pasar Seni, "famously known for its nostalgic cultural shops of our multi-racial country. It is a place that is often packed with locals as well as tourists. But since the Covid-19 pandemic, Pasar Seni has suffered greatly. It was not as lively as it used to be especially during festive seasons". Shaz further shares that she has not been to Pasar Seni in a long time and being back here "has brought back so many memories for me".
"While I was at Pasar Seni during my recent visit, I was drawn to a shop called The Heritage Gallery. This shop was founded by a married couple over 30 years ago. It started off as a small booth in Pasar Seni, which eventually upgraded to a corner shop lot and now the family business is run by their 24-year-old daughter, Yen. Yen's aunt has also been helping her out to manage the shop. Yen said she is happy and relieved with the improving situation after going through the pandemic challenges, and she hopes the year of the Tiger will bring more luck and prosperity".
6. Anuar Yusli: https://www.instagram.com/nuar_yusli/
Photographer Anuar shares images from a variety of nostalgic places including Pasar Seni, Chong Kong Tong Temple and Chin Woo Stadium. He notes "visiting historical landmarks and nostalgic destinations will give you an appreciation of Malaysia's hidden gems and unforgettable memories.
Chin Woo Stadium is one of the earliest sporting facilities in Malaysia and the first to own an Olympic-sized swimming pool in the country.
The 50-meter outdoor swimming pool is still in its original structure, with most of the original mosaic tiles still intact for over half a century. The stadium is more of a multi-purpose badminton hall with an adjoining swimming pool. This swimming pool gives a special purpose not only as a sporting facilities rather elevate people's mood, giving a sense of relaxation as well as reducing stress levels. This facility hosts for a memorable sports activities".
Anuar's tips for iPhone Photography:
- Shift your perspective: To step up your game, try taking photos from outside your regular sitting or standing position. You can do this by shooting your subject from high or low angles.
- Turn on grid to follow the rule of thirds: Placing your photo's main subjects along these lines creates more visually compelling images.
- Find leading lines: When you incorporate long, straight lines into your photo, you provide viewers with a roadmap to your image that helps them make sense of it.
7. Sufian Ghaffar: https://www.instagram.com/iamod_/
Photographer Sufian shares the photos of Central Market shop owner Kraft Tangan Adik, also known as @Lot4dreamer on Instagram. He notes she sold DIY handicrafts and souvenirs and "those things really in-trend during my childhood. As time flies and there's a change of interest among new generations, demand for souvenirs has decreased.
With the current pandemic situation, things have gotten worse as many businesses had closed down". Sufian emphasises "I hope this pandemic will end soon so we can have our normal livesback and all these forgotten places can become tourist attraction again".
Sufian's tips for iPhone Photography:
- You can easily edit all your photos simply using iPhone's basic editing tools such as - Basic adjustment (Exposure, Saturation & etc), straighten and balancing. It's easy to use and photo looks more natural.
- To get the best photo, pay close attention to framing and angle positioning.
- Try using the different lenses on iPhone to get different types of shot from Portrait mode to Ultra Wide, it can really change the perspective of your photo.
8. Khairul Amin: https://www.instagram.com/k__amin/
Photographer Khairul recounts his favourite memory from Chin Woo Stadium, noting "back in 2012, my favourite music band from Mexico came down to Malaysia and performed at the Chin Woo Stadium.
I vividly remember how big the hall is back then, it's really good to see it's still intact and unaltered, still untouched after 68 years since the opening and i just realised there was a big architectural design on the ceiling. This place will always mean something to me, i will always cherish the happy moments i have with my friends here when we were younger".
Khairul's tips for iPhone Photography:
- Always have an idea before going out to shoot and always use your imagination to visualise your photos in advance.
- Use all the features that are provided in the camera such as the Portrait mode, Ultra-wide mode, Low-light mode, Etc.
- Go out and explore. Step out of your comfort zone and look for unusual shots or subjects. You might surprise yourself.
- Remember to always tap the screen, lock the subject and manually adjust the exposure by sliding up or down depending the shot's condition. Find the ideal exposure depending on the propriety of the location.
9. Zarnizar: https://www.instagram.com/zarnizar/
Travel photographer Zarnizar shares his most nostalgic locations including Central Market, Pekan Cina or Chinatown in Alor Setar Kedah, Thean Hou Temple, Kwai Chai Hong and Tasik Melati in Perlis.
He finds using the Ultra Wide Angle and Night mode helped him capture dramatic and unique photos while Smart HDR makes every picture look amazing.
Zarnizar's tips for iPhone Photography:
- Try using the different lenses and apertures to achieve different results. Shoot photos with the Ultra Wide at 13mm f/1.8, Wide Lens at 26mm f/1.5 , Telephoto Lens 77mm f/2.8.
- Take your time to do framing of your shots. Activate the Grid tools in Setting.
- When shooting outdoors, use the Night mode setup to capture bright colours in low light. Night mode makes a huge difference in terms of the quality of low-light pictures.
- Use the native editing features in Photos - adjust the exposure, brilliance, highlights, shadow and vibrance to your liking.
- Use the Vibrant and Warm Photographic Styles to make photos appear more warm & vibrant.
10. Naive Farhan: https://www.instagram.com/naivefhn/
Photographer Naive shares the images of Aunt May who has been running and antique store for 25 years near Petaling Street. He recounts how "the store feels full of nostalgia when you walk around it, each antique item holding so much history, it really was heart warming." He feels iPhone 13 Pro was great to shoot with as it wasn't intrusive and Night mode allowed him to take great photos around the store and Petaling Street with vibrant colours.
11. Amsyar Naaif: https://www.instagram.com/amsyarnaaif/
Street photographer Amsyar visits a couple of his favourite places to shoot in Chinatown namely, Guan Di temple - which he has been to more than eight times, Lorong Panggung and Sin Sze Si Ya temple. He notes "the best time to capture light rays coming through the temple is between 9am to 10am." He shoots using Ultrawide lens on iPhone 13 Pro and the result is "spectacular as always".
- When planning for street photography, you need to be patient.
- Wait for the perfect moment and always have your phone on hand to capture unexpected moments of wonder.
Celebrate Chinese New Year with joy by using Lazada Voucher when shopping to enjoy further discounts.
