The year of the piggy

What took me so long to write the next post? Frankly no idea. I probably said that I have a few other projects, like running a half marathon in June and also keeping an eye on the counter of the bike so I beat my mileage of last year. Plus a couple of family,  friends and (yes) work related things adding up.

Nonetheless I keep shooting, so here are the digital shots of the week end before Chinese new year. These are shots with the now familiar Leica M262 and the not so faithful Summilux 50mmv2.

The Summilux is back focusing a bit but I think I manage to compensate for it now.

Traditional CNY outing is in Chinatown, where you can find a lot of stall selling food.

And  a lot of people hanging around, shopping or not.

Amazing enough this year is the year of the Pig again, meaning I arrived  in Singapore 12 years ago and completed the cycle of the Chinese zodiac.

The 50mm is a bit tight sometimes as below; I must say I am a recent convert to the 35 focal length.

Below one of the many murals in town inspired by local life as it was a few decades back.

 

Advertisement

The Feast Day of the Heavenly Jade Emperor

Singapore Yu Huang Gong celebrate the Feast Day of the Heavenly Jade Emperor (Yu Huang Shang Di).

Sunday the 17th of February 2013 was the 9th day of the year of the snake. The 9th Day of Chinese New Year Festival is the Birthday of King of Heaven aka the  Jade Emperor the main deity of Taoism.

This day we went for a walk in Telok Ayer Street, to see if there was any activity in Thian Hock Keng temple. The temple itself was pretty quiet, but it gets us the opportunity to take better notice of the neighboring Yu Huang Gong Temple of Heavenly Jade Emperor.

This temple is actually attached to the Thian Hock Keng temple to the right when you face the entrance. The building has been under renovation for a long time now, and I have not seen any signs that it could be visited. Outside however, activities are regularly undertaken, like of that day.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

As explained by the Presentations of Monuments Board Website this building also known as “Keng Teck Huay, was founded in 1831 by  Hokkien Peranakan merchants from Malacca . … The rear building still serves as an ancestral hall and the Pagoda is used for the worship of the Jade Emperor, the main deity of Taoism”

So that Sunday  a celebration was held outside of the temple, a tent was set-up in the side that goes to the small park to Amoy Street.

We arrived at the point where after prayers the devotees were purchasing (it seems) offerings and bringing them to the place to burn them. Burning the offering send them to the afterlife where ancestors will receive them.

The altar on the side of the temple

 

Devotees collecting offerings

 

Bringing the offerings to the bonfire

 

Bringing the offerings to the bondfire

 

The bonfire – 1

 

 

 

All pictures taken with the Zorki C, with the Industar 50mmF3.5, the rangefinder is still broken so I used the guess-o-meter. You can still spot the flare of the Industar and some potential light leaks.Film was Kodak TriX 400 iso and light measured with Sekonic 380; processing by the lab scanned with Epson v500.

A note for Taoist friends: I just wanted to give here rough indications of what is seen on the pictures and I’m not well versed in your faith. Please fell free to correct or complete the above.

Waiting for the year of the dragon

Waiting for the year of the dragon

First Film of the year ! Yeehah.

Stroll around Waterloo street in Singapore before the Chinese New Year. I asked this gentleman for the picture. I focused on his hand and his ring, not a to good oof effect. But I did not know how long I could wait before shooting.

Camera: Hasselblad 500 CM
Lens: 80mm F2.8 Planar
Film: Fuji Reala 100
Scanner: Epson v500

Gong Xi Fa Cai – Thian Hock Keng Temple

Gong Xi Fa Cai - Thian Hock Keng Temple

A tour downtown for the first day in the year in the rabbit. I carried the Tamron 28-75 F2.8 which is supposed to be a walkaround lens, right? I hate this lens, well ok, not hate but it seems I never have very good shots with it, and i never come to the point where is is sharp enough. Well here is a sharp shot. So keep, sell? Time will tell.

Camera: Nikon D700
Lens: Tamron 28-75 F2.8
Retouches: Lightroom 3