Week 16: Theme Based Project Real Submission

21.10.2013
Wan Mohd Danial 0316570,
Intro2Photography
Theme Based Project

About This Series:

Batu Caves, a limestone hill containing several caves and cave temples in the Gombak district, 13 kilometres north of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The origin of its name comes from the Batu River, which flows past the hill. The series tries to capture the different essence that makes up Batu Caves. Giving the series an extensive look into one of Malaysia’s famous landmarks.

Taken inside a cave that was off-limits to the public. The first picture was definitely about trying to capture the texture of the limestone cave. The picture was taken with a very slow shutter speed. One picture of this nature would take me around half a minute to wait. The slightest movement would cause the picture to blur. Patience is certainly a virtue in photography that will result you with this wonderful picture.

Oil lamps are used by the Hindus for their prayer. The inclusion of this particular photo is to show that Batu Caves is not just a tourist attraction because it is still a place of prayer. The oil lamps represent a state of calmness that is brought from the extinguised fire. Metaphorically giving the sense that this is the place where they seek peace. The picture was shot with a multi-point composition in mind to show an abundance of oil lamps, showing that many people visits the temple to pray as well.

The fire strengthens the religious aspects of this renowned attraction. The huge flame near one of the temples is caused by a high number of people praying. The flame also showed a strong presence in the picture, different from the previous photograph that went for a more serene look. The flame was shot with a slightly fast shutter speed to freeze the flame yet maintaning the glow of the flame. A low Aperture was used to blur out the background, isolating the flame from the background.

The three statues show the amazing details in the craftsmen’s carving and painting. As these statues were inside a cave, I had to shoot with a slow shutter speed to get a right amount of light in the picture. To me, the focal points of the picture are the eyes of the statue, which are small yet quite frightening to look at especially at night. The picture has a triangle composition that is achieved by having three focal points.

Concluding the series is a picture of a monkey calmly looking down the flight of stairs. Showing a soother side of it, this monkey was sitting in that position for quite awhile; giving me the opportunity to get different angled shots. The monkey represents a big part of Batu Caves. They are a mischievous bunch that’ll steal your food the minute you opened your bag zipper. Getting this type of shot is not as common as people might think.