James Shackleton's Photoblog
I know this photo looks rather fake and “dramatised”, but really the scene did look rather like this.
Penang is a curious place. Despite being a small island off the Malaysian peninsula, the weather could vary widely, even if you were only a couple of miles away. Here you can see a tropical storm brewing, presumably about to descend on Straits Quay. Sudden storms, with very heavy rain are a feature of Penang life.
Another seascape!
Once upon a time, Penang was a hub beween the UK and Hong Kong. During the war, various battles were fought in the Straits of Malacca and later it was a submarine base for the Japanese. These days, the harbour mostly handles cruiseships and ferries carrying holidaymakers to Langkawi (which I will probably write about another time).
When I lived there, once a week, I would try to walk from my home to the ferry terrinal. Some days, it would be fiercely bright, making the sea look a light blue and on other occasions, thick clouds would appear and the sea would take on a greener hue (like here).
Yes, it is another sign. But this one as you can see – is hand painted!
I love hand-painted lettering and in Malaysia, there is an abundance of it. On trucks and vans, the owner and vehicle details are nearly always painted on the driver’s door.
Sometimes, when you take a picture you are recording history without knowing it.
In this case, the seafront by Gurney Drive has been drained for development.
When I first came to Penang, walking along Gurney Drive into Georgetown was a favourite Saturday morning thing to do. Early on, it was cool and quiet and I would often see other people starting their day.
I always try to keep a camera with me, so that I can take pictures of things I see everyday. In this case, I was riding the bus into town, when a man sat down infront of me. And he held onto the seat handle in an unusual way, which made me notice his hand. It is what it is. So I took a quick picture.
It looks like a working hand.
I used to live in Penang. Street traders are a feature of life there, selling sweets and snacks from the back of a motorcycle. I am told the Roti Man delicacy is an ice-cream sandwich. I wish I had tried it.
Technical Details
Canon EOS 650D and 24mm STM lens. A really good combination for this kind of photography, just right for walking down fairly narrow roads. Nice and sharp into the corners. I did consider posting a black and white conversion, but it felt like I was pushing an “olde worlde” view – which I’m not.
It amazes me how changing a photograph to black and white, can completely change its atmosphere. It was a lovely sunny day, with a blue sky, but here, with the trees cutting the frame into boxes, it feels rather menacing.
My contribution to the mountain of cat pictures found on the Internet.
Penang has a large stray cat population – most being more elusive than this little character. Most appear to have a kink in their tails.
