A Travel Blog - One photographer's journey with the Canon EOS 5 Series DSLR Cameras and Lenses

We are always taught in photography classes, workshops and magazines to never place the horizon dead center of the frame.  This contradicts the compositional "Rules of Thirds" whereby it states that the horizon should always be placed at the bottom 1/3rd or the upper 2/3rds of the frame.  However, compositional rules are not etched in stone.  Rules are just guidelines and should not be used just for the sake of using it.  There are times where you need to break all rules and compose according to the scene in front of you.  The camera is not going to break down just because you did not follow some compositional guidelines. 


While I am aware of the power of the Rules of Thirds, I have never allowed any compositional rules to dictate my way of shooting.  More often than not, I will still incorporate the Rules of Thirds in most of my images.  There are also times whereby compositional rules will not do justice to the architectural landscape in front of you.  The Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin Mosque shot from Ayer 8 in Putrajaya is one such example.  To enhance the symmetrical aspect of the composition, I had placed the horizon dead center in the frame - dividing the image into two equal half.  The Rules of Thirds composition will not work in this case.  I do not think the viewer's eye will be confuse on which half is the more prominent half of the frame.  The reflections of the mosque and buildings on the lower half of the frame will always play a supporting role to complement the upper half of the frame where I had placed the main focal point of the image.  In this composition, I do not mind the vast negative spaces left on the bottom and upper top of the frame.  These negative spaces had "isolated" the mosque from it's surrounding which to me had portrayed a stronger composition.


Two images were blended to make the single image you see above.  The strength of this image relies on the stillness of the reflection and the lighting of the buildings during the blue hours of twilight.  Close to the blue hour, a catamaran had powered across the lake.  This had created ripples and waves which had broken up the stillness of the reflection.  I had wanted to use an earlier image before the catamaran, but the lightings of the buildings were not prominent yet.  As a last resort, I had blended an earlier image before the catamaran had caused the ripples and a later shot of the mosque where all the buildings were lighted. 


Canon EOS 5DS R / Lens EF24-70mm f/2.8L USM

Back to a very familiar hunting ground! 
Many, many years ago when I was just starting out in photography, the Kuala Lumpur skyline from the Titiwangsa Park was among my very first few locations that I had visited to develop my photographic skills.  Back then, I was still using Canon's excellent EOS 3 and the Mamiya RZ67 Pro II medium format systems.  The Velvia 50 slide exposure was my sensor then.  Although I still have these fine cameras, it is now collecting dust in my dry cabinet today.  At that time, Putrajaya had not existed yet.  Seasons changed, weeks became months and months became years -  different locations were identified and visited, to an extent that I had almost forgotten about this location.


It was a very surreal experience coming back to the Titiwangsa Park after all these years.  I am now using Canon's EOS 5DS R - an evolution in resolution!  Besides my camera system, nothing else has changed.  I still know the exact location to set-up the tripod for the best viewpoint.  Most of my images from here was always cropped very tightly focusing only on the KLCC Twin Towers and also the KL Tower on the right.  For this visit, I had wanted to shoot a wider angle view of the Kuala Lumpur skyline.  The EF 24-70 mm standard lens was used at a focal length roughly at 35 mm - to ensure the skyline still retains it's function as a focal point of the image.  To enhance the symmetrical aspect of this shot, the horizon was placed dead center in the frame - mitigating the use of the Rules of Thirds.  Rules to me are only guidelines - it is not etched in stone.  Sometimes, you will need to break all compositional rules to ensure a better image.


This image is perhaps one of the last few images that can be shot from this location.  The Titiwangsa Park will be closed to the public very soon for the next two years.  This is to accommodate Kuala Lumpur's River Beautification Project which is scheduled to start next month.


Canon EOS 5DS R / Lens EF24-70mm f/2.8L USM

Just two and a half hours drive south of Perth, the Busselton Jetty is situated at the northern gateway to the Margaret River Wine Region, in the seaside resort town of Busselton.  Extending 1.8 kilometres over the protected waters of Geographe Bay, the heritage listed Busselton Jetty is the longest timber-piled jetty in the Southern Hemisphere.  As one of the most popular tourist attractions in Western Australia, it is a must see for any visitor to the Capes Region.


The Busselton Jetty which is overlooking the Geographe Bay is a must visit destination everytime we are in Perth.  The journey to Busselton is not difficult - unlike Malaysia, the roads in Western Australia are relaxing, easy and most important, toll-free.  I woke up extremely early in the freezing winters of Western Australia just to shoot the sunrise at Busselton.  It was a ten minutes drive from our apartment to this location.  Due to the freezing temperature, I had the location all to myself.  Using The Photographer's Ephemeris (TPE) apps, I knew that the sun would be rising in front of me and behind the Busselton Jetty.  To get this angle, I had to wade half-way out of the sea - risking extreme frostbite at my legs due to the icy seawaters.


As I was constantly battling the extreme weather and winds, I had to complete this shoot as fast as possible.  If not, there would be one dead photographer floating on the shores of Busselton later.  Within 10 minutes, I had wrapped up the shoot and making my way out of the waters to head back home.  Any longer, I would have succumbed to frostbite and that will be the end of my adventures in Western Australia.


EOS 5D MK II / Lens 24-70 mm f/2.80 (L) USM