Posts Tagged ‘photography’

POTD: Walk down platform in train station, Hua Hin, Thailand

Saturday, April 11th, 2015

Photo of the Day: After all his passengers had safely alighted from his train, this weary but smart-looking driver alighted and walked down the length of  the platform, proudly inspecting his train as he walked.

This smart looking train driver - is he just visiting from Bangkok, or is he homeward bound to his home in Hua Hin? What kind of life story does he have? Photo taken with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 mirrorless interchangeable lens camera with Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO lens. Photo credit: John Tan.

This smart looking train driver – is he just visiting from Bangkok, or is he homeward bound to his home in Hua Hin? What kind of life story does he have to tell? Photo taken with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 mirrorless interchangeable lens camera with Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO lens. Photo credit: John Tan.

We were visiting the historic and beautiful train station in Hua Hin when the train from Bangkok arrived.

The passengers promptly unloaded and dissipated quickly from the platform.

I was lingering on the platform, snapping photos when the train driver emerged from his driver’s cabin and began walking down the platform.

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Holiday greetings: Easter 2015 – In Te Speramus

Sunday, April 5th, 2015

Easter is a special day for Christians to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead – three days after his crucifixion and death at Calvary on Good Friday, as depicted in the New Testament of the Bible.

Relief on the metal door of the Salzburger Dom (Salzburg Cathedral). Assuming the inscriptions are in Latin, Google Translate says that “IN TE SPERAMUS” means “wait for you” or “we trust in you”. Photo taken with a Sony A7 with Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS full-frame E-mount zoom lens. Photo credit: John Tan.

Relief on the metal door of the Salzburger Dom (Salzburg Cathedral). Assuming the inscriptions are in Latin, Google Translate says that “IN TE SPERAMUS” means “wait for you” or “we trust in you”. Photo taken with a Sony A7 with Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS full-frame E-mount zoom lens. Photo credit: John Tan.

The above photo was taken of the door of the Salzburg Cathedral when I visited Austria last summer in 2014.

I hope my Christian friends had a spiritual and reflective Easter today.

POTD: Fortress Hohensalzburg in Salzburg, Austria

Saturday, April 4th, 2015

Photo of the Day: Hohensalzburg Castle is named “Festung Hohensalzburg” which means “High Salzburg Fortress” in English. The fortress is built on top of of a small hill in Salzburg, overlooking the historic Austrian city.

* Information for this article was from Wikipedia.

View of Fortress Hohensalzburg from Kapitelplatz at the foot of the hill upon which it is built. Photo taken with a Sony A7 with Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS full-frame E-mount zoom lens. Photo credit: John Tan.

View of Fortress Hohensalzburg from Kapitelplatz at the foot of the hill upon which it is built. Photo taken with a Sony A7 with Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS full-frame E-mount zoom lens. Photo credit: John Tan.

Construction of the fortress began in 1077 at the behest of the Prince-Archbishops of Salzburg.

With a length of 250m (820ft) and a width of 150m (490ft), Fortress Hohensalzburg is one of the largest medieval castles in Europe.

View of Salzburg City from the Fortress Hohensalzburg. You can see Salzburg Cathedral (Salzburger Dom) in the centre with the Salzach River flowing in the background. The golden globe statue in front of Cathedral was where the above photo of the fortress was taken from. Photo taken with a Sony A7 with Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS full-frame E-mount zoom lens. Photo credit: John Tan.

View of Salzburg City from the Fortress Hohensalzburg with the Altstadt (old town) in the foreground. The Salzburg Cathedral (Salzburger Dom) is in the centre with the Salzach River flowing in the background. The golden globe statue in front of Cathedral was where the above photo of the fortress was taken from. Photo taken with a Sony A7 with Vario-Tessar T* FE 24-70mm F4 ZA OSS full-frame E-mount zoom lens. Photo credit: John Tan.

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Holiday greetings: Good Friday 2015

Friday, April 3rd, 2015

Good Friday commemorates the crucifixion of Jesus Christ at Calvary. It is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians, and is a public holiday in many countries, including Singapore.

We were trekking from the Salzburg Fortress to the Nonnberg Abbey one evening on vacation when we came upon these beautiful altarpieces set into the rock surface of the hill upon which the fortress was built. It even had a shelter above it to protect it from the elements. Photo taken with a Sony A7 with 24-70mm lens. Photo credit: John Tan, 2014.

We were trekking from the Salzburg Fortress to the Nonnberg Abbey one evening on vacation when we came upon these beautiful altarpieces set into the rock surface of the hill upon which the fortress was built. There was even a shelter built above the altarpieces to protect them from the elements. Photo taken with a Sony A7 with 24-70mm lens. Photo credit: John Tan, 2014.

The year of the crucifixion is estimated to have occurred in AD 33.

Here’s wishing our Christian friends a peaceful and reflective Easter Weekend.

Holiday greetings: Happy Lunar New Year 2015

Thursday, February 19th, 2015

It’s the first day of the Lunar New Year. This year, it’s the year of the Goat, according to the Chinese zodiac.

Happy New Year to all the people from cultures that celebrate this traditional festival! And to all Chinese around the world, Happy Chinese New Year!

I snapped this photo of a kid in a small town called Takamori at the Southeastern corner of the Aso caldera in Kyushu, Japan. The Chinese greetings is a pun during the Goat (on the Chinese Zodiac) years on the traditional Lunar New Year greeting “三阳开泰” - which augurs an auspicious year as the sun ushers in the warm Spring from the cold Winter. Photos taken in 2012 with a Nikon D800 DSLR with an AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II lens. Photo credit: John Tan.

I snapped this photo of a kid in a small town called Takamori at the Southeastern corner of the Aso caldera in Kyushu, Japan. The Chinese greetings is a pun during the Goat (on the Chinese Zodiac) years on the traditional Lunar New Year greeting “三阳开泰” – which augurs an auspicious year ahead as the sun ushers in the warm Spring from the cold Winter. Photo taken in 2012 with a Nikon D800 DSLR with an AF-S NIKKOR 70-200mm f/2.8G ED VR II lens. Photo credit: John Tan.

It’s customary for Chinese to give out Ang Pows during the Lunar New Year. These are red paper envelopes containing money that’s given to relatives and children.

It being the new year, you’re supposed to use crispy new notes in these red packets.

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POTD: Laughing boy statuette in Hua Hin book cafe, Thailand

Sunday, February 1st, 2015

We were walking around the beautiful railway station in Hua Hin, Thailand when we stumbled upon this happy figurine of a laughing boy, sitting at the entrance to a quaint book cafe.

A cheerful little statuette of a laughing boy welcoming us into the book cafe. I’m posting this photo here to welcome February 2015. Photo taken with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 mirrorless interchangeable lens camera with Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO lens. Photo credit: John Tan.

A cheerful little statuette of a laughing boy welcoming us into the book cafe. I’m posting this photo here to welcome February 2015. Photo taken with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 mirrorless interchangeable lens camera with Olympus M.Zuiko Digital ED 12-40mm f2.8 PRO lens. Photo credit: John Tan.

The peaceful cafe was on the other side of the traffic circle in front of the railway station.

The small cafe was simple and peaceful, a welcome refuge from the direct heat of the midday sun.

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POTD: Getty Images – Most Moving Images of 2014 number 10

Wednesday, January 14th, 2015

The tenth most moving image of 2014 on Getty Images – as voted by the global public – is a photo by Daniel Berehulak of the Ebola outbreak in Africa.

Residents look on as a man lays dead in a busy street on September 15, 2014 in Monrovia, Liberia. Photo taken by Daniel Berehulak.

Residents look on as a man lays dead in a busy street on September 15, 2014 in Monrovia, Liberia. Photo taken by Daniel Berehulak.

According to locals, the man in the photo passed away three days earlier.

The family had been calling to have his body removed but no burial team came to dispose of the body.

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POTD: Getty Images – Most Moving Images of 2014 number 9

Tuesday, January 13th, 2015

The ninth most moving image of 2014 on Getty Images – as voted by the global public – is a photo by Tom Stoddart of the Asian tsunami 10 years ago.

The earthquake and subsequent tsunami that devastated the coastline around the Indian Ocean on Boxing Day 2004 was one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history. Photo taken by Tom Stoddart.

The earthquake and subsequent tsunami that devastated the coastline around the Indian Ocean on Boxing Day 2004 was one of the deadliest natural disasters in recorded history. Photo taken by Tom Stoddart.

Such was the magnitude of the disaster that both the human and environmental impacts are still being felt over a decade later.

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POTD: Getty Images – Most Moving Images of 2014 number 8

Monday, January 12th, 2015

The eighth most moving image of 2014 on Getty Images – as voted by the global public – is a photo by Harry Borden of deceased actor and comedian Robin Williams.

Actor Robin Williams is photographed for The Observer Magazine on February 27, 1999 in London, England. Photo taken by Harry Borden.

Actor Robin Williams is photographed for The Observer Magazine on February 27, 1999 in London, England. Photo taken by Harry Borden.

Robin McLaurin Williams was a celebrated American actor and comedian who was born in 1951 and committed suicide at his home on 11 August, 2014 at the age of 63

Starting out as a stand-up comedian, Robin Williams rose to fame as Mork in the Mork & Mindy TV series, and went on to star in many widely acclaimed movies.

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POTD: Getty Images – Most Moving Images of 2014 number 7

Sunday, January 11th, 2015

The seventh most moving image of 2014 on Getty Images – as voted by the global public – is a photo by John Moore amidst Liberia’s battle against a spreading Ebola epidemic.

Umu Fambulle stands over her husband Ibrahim after he staggered and fell, knocking him unconscious in an Ebola ward on August 15, 2014 in Monrovia, Liberia. Photo taken by John Moore.

Umu Fambulle stands over her husband Ibrahim after he staggered and fell, knocking him unconscious in an Ebola ward on August 15, 2014 in Monrovia, Liberia. Photo taken by John Moore.

People suspected of contracting the Ebola virus were being sent by Liberian health workers to the center, a closed primary school originally built by USAID.

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