Merdeka Merdeka Merdeka!!! Malaysia 49

Mood and spirit was high for most Malaysians as they celebrate Malaysia’s 49th years of independance. Klang Valley recorded its highest ever traffic congestion especially when party animals and city dwellers throng their favourite spots to catch a piece of it.

We cameraderie of course didnt loose out too as we took the whole day contemplating where to shoot the best fireworks display. The decisions were tough as many factors needs to be considered before heading to the right spot. You only have 1 chance and you of course cant be at 2 places at the same time.

Few things to consider:

Traffic congestion and parking availability to the vicinity
Viewpoint of the fireworks display
Scale of the pyrotechnics (fireworks) display
Groups / company you are going with
Camera equipment needed

Well I m not going to elaborate on all of the points as most are already self-explained except for the last point. If you dont wish to carry you whole drybox to the shooting, you need to plan your shots ahead. Find out how far is your viewpoint from the ‘Ground Zero’. Tripod and shutter cable release is compulsory as well as an eye for details.

Most of my shots were taken with a Minolta AF 24-85 on my Sony Alpha A100 with a tripod but unfortunately without a shutter cabble release. I chose a mid-range zoom as I want to get some wide shots (to include the surrondings) and some tele (to narrow down). Using bulb mode and aperture set at F/8 with ISO80Lo set on a sturdy tripod. I was contemplating using Shutter Priority Mode earlier but I have forgotten that the camera might get fooled by the inconsistent exposures. A friendly reminder by Alex and Paul saved the day. Oops did i forget to mentioned setting focus to infinity too? Ok now here comes the pics.