WH Yeo Photography

Portfolios: Travels

This portfolio shows images from some of my travels. When I am at foreign place, I try to blend in with the crowd by not dressing like a flamboyant camera-wielding photographer. If my camera can be made less conspicuous, I will. Removing the battery grip is one of them. If small, light and stable tripods that do not require me to break my waist ever come onto the market, I will be on one immediately.

I was taking a walk at after an uneventful sunset shoot when I chanced upon this 2 elderly men chatting. I lifted my camera and smiled,the elderly man on the left smiled back in approval.
  
One of the frames from a morning timelapse shoot at Vietnam. It was never easy getting up way before sunrise and managing 3 cameras made it all a tougher task.
  
As our cruise reached one of the attraction points, the fruit sellers were quick to rush their boats over. The light was not at its best but overcast light would have been worse.
     
  
The morning sun was inviting and the boatride was fascinating. The boatman's son was on the boat too and the amazing softlight worked wonders.
   
The bustling Mekong River is a must see and activity was on both sides of the boat. I was constantly moving seats and looking ahead to prepare for any photos opps before they came past.
   
This picture would have failed miserably if the lady did not turn to face the camera. There were plenty of shots of the people on their various modes of transportation but this turned out the best.
     
  
It is not shown in this picture but the number of boats cramped together was astounding. I was in constant wonder of how they will actually move out if there was a need to...
   
A lady rides past a wall bearing the words, "For the country, for the people." It was most probably painted on during the Cultural Revolution and serves as a reminder to the Chinese people then.
   
This man was working at an amazing rate and the skins were coming off the fruit at an alarming pace. When the red basket was filled and he moved it forward, I stepped in, used it as a foreground and got the shot.
     
  
The light was gone and I had done some video with the 5D Mark II. While I was packing, a lady started to wash her hair and I rushed to get the camera back onto the tripod. She was amused at someone rushing frantically to shoot her shampooing her hair....I would be too.
   
Back alleys are always places with an abundance of photo opps. The exposure was a little tough on this one. I could done a HDR but it would have been too obstrusive.
  
The streets on the outskirts of the Central Business District in Xiamen is a wonderful maze and a tourist will have no problems losing his way. A map is always recommended though it can be easier to just grab one of the many taxis if you get lost.
     
  
I had worked hard to make my way into the waters that had some really slippery rocks. All setup and ready to go when a local tourist walked into the shot, sat down and lit up his cigarette. Could not blame him as I was using a long lens from a distance and he could not tell whether he was in my shot. A quick decision to have him in the picture was made and I recomposed and fired a series of shots. This was the only good one where he did not move throughout the exposure.
   
Dining by a roadside, I was getting a little frustrated at missing the sunset and decided to grab some shots of the local people. The llight was really dim and I worked with a slow shutter speed, panned along with the man and his bike.
   
It was six in the morning and the market was still void of the crowd. Caught the reflection of the stallholders in the mirror but something was amiss. The road in front was bare but the wait was not long as a man and his sidecar came towards the camera.
     
  
What caught my eye when I entered the wet market was this lady who had set up shop right in the middle of the walkway where ample sunlight was shining in. That made her stood out from the dark and moody market inside. Set the White Balance to Daylight and just let the warm background give the image a little colour contrast.
   
I have always loved the smell of dried mushrooms and seeing the entire row of the market filled with it was overwhelming, in a good way of course. A simple composition with the sellers and their goods is all that is needed at times.
   
The smaller towns in China have hawkers setting up stalls just by the roadside. This particular stall was packed with customers and true enough, an hour later, he was gone.
     
  
The bare road was bothering me and after a couple of exposures, a motorcycle with its signal light blinking rode through the gates, I fired off and the end result was a series of yellow strips. 2 more takes and I headed back in to finish up my cold meal.
   
The rows and rows of shops, from eateries to shops selling electronics to clothing had motorbikes cramped in front of them. Night markets can be great for some photography but having some watching your back and bag is always a comfort.
   
The sunrise shots were not fantastic and I was cursing mildly under my breath when I heard splasing sounds.Turned and saw a few women doing laundry with a stone as a scrubbing board. A Neutral Density Graduated filter had to be used to cut some light from the brightening sky.
     
  
Scrubbing, lathering, rinsing - part and parcel of the daily routine of these ladies. A slower shutter speed was used to get some motion blur.
   
Went to my favourite park to get shots of the Pacific Black Ducks. The light was however still not soft enough and while waiting, I chanced upon the man on the bench. Moved a little to my left and the backlit leaves filled the frame nicely.
   
One of the last few shots of Docklands before I headed back to Singapore. It was a very enriching year's stay and sad to say, this scene shall never be repeated as the area has been developed so much that I will not recognize half of the architecture around.
     
  
The boys were fascinated by my camera. I gestured and asked them for a shot. A second later, they were ready and I fired off. To give a sense of the enviroment, a wide angles lens was used and I made sure part of the market on the left was visible while composing.
   
4 elderly men seated at a square table with hands moving so fast, one can just be in awe of their quick thinking and movment. A midrange telephoto was used to crop the heads off the men on the opposite. Showing only the hands can work at times.
   
I try as much as possible to get out of the main streets when I travel. Quite frequently, the back alleys are where you will really see the way of life of the local people. These group of boys were getting excited when I lifted up my camera. The elderly man however was not bothered at all.
     
  
The markets of China are always a draw for me. Walking through one allows me to capture very spontaneous images and the people usually do not really care. The goldfish do however as they get excited at every movement in front of their tank....
   
Tonnes of fresh merchandise greets her customers as this veggie seller waits for the crowds to arrive. With a wide angle lens, I got down low, used the Liveview on the camera and grabbed a few shots.
   
After spending a fufilling week at the Great Ocean Road, I was totally exhausted and had reached Flinders Street Station when I saw a lone male waiting for the train. I was a few seats away and set a slow shutter speed to blur the train as it arrived.
     
  
It's always a great feeling when my subjects either ignore me or acknowledge me. For this shot, a group of old ladies were playing a card game when one of them shouted "Photographer! (in Mandarin of course)". I stopped in my tracks but continued shooting when her friends told her to ignore my presence and carry on with the game.
   
A pedestrian-only street in Guangzhou, China. The street was a popular shopping district and it was tough getting a tripod set up and trying to avoid people kicking it. A handheld shot would have worked but habits are habits and using a tripod is one of my die-hard ones.
   
As much as I love to wonder around the back alleys during the day, they are a different tale altogether at night and I do not venture into one, at least not without a local friend or guide. This was shot out from the hotel window with a long lens, the safest point but not the best.
     
  
Evening light works great for street scenes as well and I was wondering where the seller of these shoes was as there was no one standing nearby. I got down low, used a wide angle and waited for the trishaw rider to fill the left of the frame. Him looking at the shoes left me wondering whether he was thinking about the exact same thing.
   
Getting to a location prior to either sunrise or sunset is what I always aim for. It allows me time to do some last minute location scouting and get some compositions and ideas in my head first. Thereafter, it really is just waiting for the light to arrive.
   
After placing our order, I walked over to the outdoor kitchen and marvelled at the agility of the cook. In minutes, he was done and the plates of food was brought to our table.
     
  
An adrenaline-filled morning as students from a local university protested against some government policies. I had my gear and followed the crowd. It ended near the school where the students took it out on the wall. It was a peaceful demonstration though as there was totally no violence or clashes. Whew....
   
These 2 locals had nothing to do with the signage which read "Dentist". They were at a backalley and the light on them looked good. It was fortunate that the gentleman was in red as that allowed the image to "pop" out more than a dull colour would.
   
Walking along the conserved shophouses, I turned back and saw the guard at the doorway. I got a shot but his face was in dark shadow which looked weird. He went back in and came back out almost in an instant. Got it.
     
  
Shot from our bus, I initially thought the shooting angle was not that great but on a second look, it could work. If I had been on street level, the attention would have been on the cyclists which is not what I really wanted. The huge transformers baffled me and that was what I wanted to show.
   
Weird title but it was because this shot was way overexposed and I took it into ACR to salvage what would otherwise be a goner if it had be on film.
   
The shortage of electricity meant that switching lights on in the day was a wastage. Ambient light comes to the rescue of this elderly man who makes full use of it.
     
  
An open-air market in China is always a visit I look forward to. Full of colour and sounds, it fills your senses to the brim.
   
Whilst shooting along this corridor, my colleague gestured to me, "Do not look to your right." I went to her and asked why? She pointed and under a concrete ledge, in the corner was a wooden coffin. Turned out it was not occupied (whew!) and the people believed in "investing for their future."
   
A 93 year-old lady from the Earth Buildings in China acknoledges the group of us. Despite her old age, she was alert and did not have any walking aid.
     
  
This family specialises in making joss paper. Joss paper are burnt as offerings and are purchased in huge bulks from the family.
   
The homeless elderly man lugged his belongings and walked past me. I turned and handed him the bag of bananas I just bought from fruitstall. He nodded in appreciation and sat down after a few steps. Tearing open a small pack of crackers, he placed a few on his palm and had his lunch.
   
A typical scene in the smaller towns; double storey buildings with shops beneath and lodging on the upper level.
     
  
The sun was rising and we were still a distance away from the intended location. When I saw the fishermen a few hundred metres away, I jogged towards them. Lugging the eqpt and trying to move fast on wet sand got me crawling at a snail's pace.
   
The camera had the 24 TSE on it and I decided not to change lenses. Plonked the bag on the wet sand and dashed towards the fishermen who greeted this strange guy pounding towards them. I smiled and they nodded, got the approval and went into a shooting frenzy.
   
The fishermen had completed their task and were heading off with the nets. Grabbed a last shot and for a split second while shooting, I wished for an option to have a true panoramic DSLR.....