Showing posts with label single shot+landscape. Show all posts
Showing posts with label single shot+landscape. Show all posts

Thursday, February 14, 2019

Lighting Up Kek Lok Si Temple for Chinese New Year

The lights of Kek Lok Si Temple in the blue hour during Chinese New Year
 
Come every Chinese New Year, the famous Kek Lok Si Temple (Temple of Supreme Bliss) in Air Itam, Penang will be lit with lanterns and LED lights, turning it into a sort of light display wonderland. This yearly tradition no doubt attracts a lot of tourist and photographers wanting to capture this beautiful light display.
 
The lights of the temple will come on with the following schedule:

  • January 24 to February 8 2019 :  7.30pm till midnight
  • February 9 to February 21 2019: 7.30pm till 10pm
 
In my opinion, the best times are during the blue hour, which last only 15min or so, plus at that time, the lights are just being turned on in stages, so you will probably have at most 10 mins to shoot the lights in the blue hour. It is best to go before dark and sort of scout out which angle you prefer, and you might need to go on several occasions to get a good sky. I was lucky to get some clouds this time around.

Parking space at this temple are available at three different levels, the first and the lowest actually consist of three tiers, and the entrance is just past the shops as you turn in to ascend the road up the hill. The second is a smaller car park with an entrance arch leading to the Goddess of Mercy Hall, and with a good view of the Pagoda of 10,000 Buddhas. The final parking area is somewhat limited and is located at the Goddess of Mercy (Guan Yin) statue area. If you park there, it is some distance up the hilly terrain and you would have to take the tram down to the main temple to view the main temple complex.

Sunday, August 05, 2018

The View from Above - The Black Virgin Mountain

The Black Virgin Mountain or Núi Bà Đen in Tây Ninh Province of Vietnam is the highest peak in Southern Vietnam. The hill is actually an almost perfect cinder cone of an extinct volcano (which gives it its distinctive shape) and is a popular tourist spot. You can take the gondola up the hill and then opt to take the more exhilarating luge ride back down. The upper gondola station gives you a lovely view of the plains below.

View from Núi Bà Đen, Tây Ninh, Vietnam
View from the top station of the Núi Bà Đen gondola lift.