Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts
Showing posts with label travel. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 09, 2014

Professional Photographer working experience

The theme of ‘Street Photography” was share during the workshop on early last month.
The Instructor in action. By Mohd Hafiz
I share with them the important elements how to conduct a creative and fun photography.
The instructor share with the participated the photography is all about sharing having fun and be crazy. By Mohd Hafiz.  
And be professionalism means, The student expect you to have expert in photography knowledge about conducting a photo opportunity, they expect you to have good judgment and experience, as a professional photographer must dress and act like a professional, and to have good interpersonal skills that make you someone who makes photography very fun.
A family that love street photography so much, Carmela M Nair and her daughter Diveena Nair. By Brian Moh.
I also share one of the simple rule was shoot first then you ask. During the workshop I also share with the Participants my recent work during my diving trip at Puetro Galera in The Philippines.


After an hour class room at YMCA KL , we gone down to Petaling Street to conduct some great street photographs.

Finally I want to thank all the participants that they have spent their lovely Saturday afternoon with me.
The instructor posted with a group of photography enthusiasts after a great photography workshop in YMCA Kuala Lumpur. By Mohd Hafiz.

Saturday, May 11, 2013

My Underwater World ( We are Malaysia)

About a year ago I picked up scuba diving as my adventurous hobby to unwind myself from my hectic life in the city. 
Things that I  bring with me for my Scuba diving trip are Canon G12 with WP-DC34 Case, Lavocore thermo guard, colorful beach pants and etc. 
I was inspired by a group of diving enthusiasts during an assignment at Pulau Tioman to cover 1Malaysia corals cleaning projects.
During the trip, I was told by the divers that “as a diver you get to see the colourful and diverse marine life”. After I came back from the trip, I rapidly began my search for more and in due time I was connected to Sam Ong he is PADI instructor by profession.  We undergo series of confined water training before going to open water.   
After a week’-long training, we visited Pualu Pangkor for my first open water dive. For my first dive at Pulau Sembilan dive site, visibility was poor.  But it was sufficient to make me excited all about underwater world. I was lucky enough to have Angel Tang to join me in my unscheduled outing that started with a trip down to Perhentian Island, Terengganu to discover the marine life.
Perhentian Island is one of the most popular islands in Peninsular Malaysia, it have more than 15 dive sites and about 18 dive centers to choices.
I have discovered Temple of Sea dive site, massive pinnacle and sandy bottom. it is one of the best dive site in the island. Good visibility with plenty of marine life , healthy mix of hard and soft corals Scopionfish, schools of yellow snappers, boxfish , puffer fish, green turtles, nudibranchs can be seen and don’t forget the cute clown fish in the movie Finding Nemo, the computer-animated comedy-drama. Almost every month I pay a visit to this beautiful island. It has become my second home since then.

Every time I relate my diving experience to my friends, there are two things that I cannot forget to tell them I bring with me - Lavocore thermo guard and colorful beach pants.
I usually get that funny look, then they the question pops out, “why u like to wear the colourful pants, every time you dive?”
With a smile I answer” So that shark doesn’t attack me.”  I was told by Jonn Benedict Lu of Sharksavers Singapore. “More people die per year from dog bites, lightning strikes, than people dying from shark attack”, Shark normally doesn’t attack human.
Last  August, I went on a weekend break to Sabah. The trip was just about 30 minute of bus and boat ride from Kota Kinabalu International Airport. I reached the paradise of clear water and powder-fine beaches of the Gaya Island Resort located on Tunku Abdul Rahman Marine Park. It has always been my desire to see that exotic island and scuba diving.
Tunku Abdul Rhman Marine Park has over 25 named sites, all with their own marvels and catering to all levels of divers.
I decided to choose the Eddell Patches and Sulug North dive sites as there two are most popular sites at Marine Park.
During my trip I bumped into some Singapore divers, we share a lot of Scuba diving memory and jokes about our two countries.
After 2 great dives I ended up unwinding myself with a class of wine at infinity pool to make my trip an awesome one.City folks gear up to get out of your busy city life.

Wednesday, April 03, 2013

Adventurous Getaway


PROBABLY the last frontier of the archipelago that makes up the Philippines, the island province of Palawan is still draped with virgin forests. Here lies El Nido, or “The Nest” in Spanish, a place which lays claim to being one of the best beach destinations of that country.
If you are game for some good diving and a bit of an adventurous getaway from bustling city crowds, El Nido, some 420km southwest of Manila, seems to be an ideal choice.
Our plane from Subic Bay (100km north of Manila) landed at the airport of Palawan’s provincial capital, Puerto Princesa, and within 10 minutes we were transfered via bus to Deep Forest Garden Inn. As The Philippines is the world’s third largest English speaking nation, communication with the locals was not an issue for us.
Badjao Seafront Restaurant is one of the most popular restaurants in Puerto Princesa and that was where we had a great dinner.
Upon checking into my air-conditioned room, I hung out at the jacuzzi, and later had my lunch by the pool, spending my Saturday afternoon lazily at the hotel.
We were told that the Badjao Seafront Restaurant is one of the most popular restaurants in Puerto Princesa and that was where we had a great dinner.
To get to El Nido, we had to catch a bus. The journey through the rolling hills of Palawan province took us past little towns and villages, and along a scenic coastal road.
After six hours, we reached our destination – a paradise of clear water with a beach of fine, soft-as-cotton, white sand.

we reached our destination – a paradise of clear water with a beach of fine, soft-as-cotton, white sand.
It's easy to settle into the relaxing island way of life at El-Nido.
El Nido is such a small town that there aren’t any hospitals or ATM machines, while electricity is only available from 2pm to 6am. However, the place is very safe, with an almost zero crime rate. And you also get to see the same people again and again; in our case, we kept bumping into two South Korean women who were on the same bus with us.
Soon, we headed out to find the Deep Blue Seafari dive centre. Tourists can choose scuba diving or island hopping packages.

The rate was Peso 3,500 (RM270) for three boat dives inclusive of lunch, all equipment, and after the dive, a free half hour massage!
Dive master Diana Acera also told us that we could choose from over 20 dive sites, ranging in depths from 6m to 40m to suit beginners right up to experienced divers.
“As El Nido’s Bacuit Bay is rich with marine life, you have the chance to see an array of wildlife as well as many corals and tunnels,” she added.
Me and my buddy post for photograph during our dive at West Intalula dive site.  
We did our first dive at West Intalula, and as we moved to deeper waters, saw plenty of marine life and a healthy mix of hard and soft corals.
We also saw green turtles, butterfly fishes and nudibranchs.
I had once been told by Daniel Quilter, the founder of conservation group Ecoteer, that seeing is believing.
“We all love to take photos on land, so why not take photos while diving. Then show the world the marine life you have seen.”
So we took our time snapping photos before ending our dive an hour later.
After an interval of about an hour on the surface, we did our second dive at South Miniloc which is one of the best dive sites in El Nido.
With good visibility between 10m–20m, the coral reefs here were in excellent condition, giving us many opportunities to indulge in macro or close up photography.
A scuba diver swims with green turtle in West Intalula dive site. and the healthy mix of hard and soft corals can be seen during our dive.
Jose Calzadilla, a master scuba diver trainer, said we were very lucky that the weather was good and the seas were “calm like a mirror” during our dive.
He also told us that the town was “very quiet” 10 years ago with only handful of tourists. As tourism has boomed in the last two years, Calzadilla hopes that visitors will be aware of the fragile marine environment and take care not to spoil it.
“To quote Michael Jackson, ‘If you wanna make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and make a change’,” a tourist at El Nido told us.
 For our final dive of the day, we went cave exploring at a depth of 18m. The cave’s entrance was wide enough for more than two divers to enter together, and an 18m tunnel led to an air pocket chamber in the centre of the cavern.
Visibility around us was good, making it yet another a perfect chance for underwater photography. We ended our day with a massage.
And our dinner of pizza and pasta, both in seafood flavours with lots of cheese, was enjoyed with our two new South Korean acquaintances.
After just three days, I was already settled down into the serene island way of life, but soon realised that it was time to leave. I packed my bags with a heavy heart and told myself that I had to return to this lovely place.
Copyright© The Star
For more photo and story visit Brian Moh FB and  The dive nest