Seeing The Light

You’ll Have To Do Better Than That, Mate

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Last July, during a family holiday in Malaysia, we found ourselves in the Chinatown area of Kuala Lumpur. It is properly known as Petaling Street and as we slowly but cheerfully made our way to the end of the shopping paradise, we spotted this neon sign.

Er, um, let me re-phrase that. My son and I spotted the neon sign, while certain members of our (extended) family concentrated on retail details.

The interesting thing about the sign was that it switched very quickly between on-and-off modes. He knew exactly what I was going to do and chuckled as I lined up the shot.

Mate, it was easier said than done. I hit the shutter three times before I was able to capture this late-night scene with all the elements of the neon sign ablaze.

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The Mane Event

Chorus: There Is Nothing Like A Tame

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

No, I didn't run away and join the circus. But I simply could not resist shooting this scene in Singapore's Chinatown area just a few days before Christmas 2007.

As a kid, I was always in awe of lion tamers in the circus and the confident manner in which they would make the big cats perform. Of course, it's been decades since I've seen a circus with lions and tigers among the live acts - so this sight really brought back memories.

And for those who like a bit of rock trivia, can anyone recall the hit track by The Eagles that begins with the following lines:

City girls just seem to find out early
How to open doors with just a smile

Your first clue is that the song was written by Don Henley and Glenn Frey. You second clue is that the track was recorded in 1975. Your third clue is contained in the photo in this post.

The answer: Lion Eyes, er, sorry, I meant to say Lyin' Eyes.

(Extra, extra, read all about it: I've been interviewed here. Thank you to all those who have followed this link and checked out the interview. There have been so many wonderful comments that I've tried to reply to each one personally - but you're setting a cracking pace. My humble and heartfelt thanks to all of you for the wonderful tributes and thoughts you have shared on the interview.)

Check out the rules at Camera Critters or go to Misty Dawn.

The Shroud Of Tureen

What's Cookin', Good Lookin'?

Giant brass tureen in Chinatown, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Earn Your Stripes

This Place Will Have You Tied Up In Knots

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

It was a warm, humid evening in the famous Chinatown area of Kuala Lumpur, officially known as Petaling Street. But a bloke simply has to carry a camera all the time, right? You just never know what you'll see next. We were told by our concierge that the best time to visit Chinatown is in the evening - and it was great advice.

The place has a flavour that is impossible to capture in a single frame. There is a constant bustle, there are stalls everywhere. There are street vendors, there are stalls that stretch as far as the eye can see. There are bargains to be had in any line of purchase - and should you feel the need, there are plenty of places to stop and sample the local cuisine.

I must have been concentrating really hard on my photography, because I completely missed the opportunity to buy or tie or three. Next time, I'll race you there. As contests go, it could be neck and neck - but it could even end in a tie!

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Stall For Time

C Is For Chinatown

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

On our way back from Langkawi last month, we spent a few days in Kuala Lumpur and the concierge at our hotel told us that we simply had to check out Chinatown. He added that the best time to go was late evening, saying that the place really came to life after dark.

He wasn’t kidding. Petaling Street is a gateway to a realm of many enriching experiences. Apart from commerce, there is the novelty of cheek-by-jowl shops, the glistening array of goods for sale, the zeal of the shopkeepers and the unmistakable feeling that this is a place where no one sleeps.

I watched a couple of vendors pushing heavy trolleys around the crowded street. Intrigued, I stood oblivious to all else as one of them, a woman, opened up a strong conical plastic bag and poured ice into it. Then she opened a can of Coke and poured the contents into the bag. Next she inserted a straw into the bag and tied the top neatly together. Then she took the payment from one of the stall holders and handed over the made-to-order iced drink.


A few metres down the street, I asked this vendor if I could take some photographs of him and he nodded. He seemed to be keeping up a reasonable stream of commerce in the crowded precinct. But because of the angle from which I was shooting (and the throng around me) I didn’t think it strange that he was positioned on the corner of an alleyway.

Much later that night, as we left the area, I realised that his ``stall’’ was nothing more than an old motorcycle. Obviously, he loaded up all his equipment, rode in like one of the heroes in an old Western, plied his trade and then rode home again at the end of the night.

Hopefully his theme song was that film classic, "For A Few Dollars More".

For the home of ABC Wednesday, go to Mrs Nesbitt's Place.

Hard-Boiled Customers

But They're Coming Out Of Their Shell

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

There's this highly plausible theory that my camera is simply another limb of mine, hot-wired to my brain. One warm tropical night in Kuala Lumpur a few days ago, we were in bustling Chinatwon when I spotted this sight at a pavement food stall.

I reckon it wasn't just the eggs that caught my attention. Not even the speckled shells. Not even the carton. But I was immediately drawn to the metal implement, which I can only guess is used to produce a fried egg in a perfect circle. Or maybe, given its size, it's used to produce not one but two fried eggs in perfect symmetry.

And speaking of symmetry, Australian egg cartons simply have round indentations for the eggs. This is the first time I've seen hexagonal indentations in egg cartons.

Which brings me, in a roundabout way, to a question I have pondered since my college days. How do psychoanalysts prefer their eggs - boiled or Freud?

(The Odd Shots concept came from Katney. Say "G'day" to her.)

Glow In The Dark

Soft Colours On A Tropical Evening

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Sometimes a photographer just gets lucky. Last week, I was walking down a main street near Kuala Lumpur’s bustling Chinatown precinct, in search of a camera store where I could buy a spare memory card. My timing could not have been better, because there was a brief tinge of delicate pink in the darkening sky.

As I looked around for the best vantage points against which I could shoot the sunset scene, I spotted these buildings further up the street, to my left. I knew if I spent a couple of minutes walking over to photograph the buildings front-on, I would miss the last vestiges of colour from the sunset.

I walked quickly across Petaling Street and got as far to the edge of the pavement as I possibly could - without toppling over into the busy traffic - to hit the shutter on this one.

Lion Down On The Job Again

It's Time To Dance A Simba Samba

Photographs copyright: DAVID McMAHON

It was late evening, the light had begun to fade, and there was no colour in the sky at all, so it was a bit of a challenge to make these photographs work. It was September 2005 and I was in Montreal, halfway through a ten-day photography assignment for the Canadian Tourism Commission.

These lions are at the entrace to Chinatown and because the light wasn't great, I decided to work with unusual angles instead. I had to work quickly, because the light was degenerating swiftly. As you can see at the mid-point of the first frame (above) a lot of the restaurants already had their streetside lighting on.

I shot these with a Canon EOS 3000, using multi-purpose 400 ASA Kodak film. Lions play such an important part in Chinese culture and as soon as I saw these white concrete lions, I was reminded of the similar ones that guard Chinatown in my home city of Melbourne, which suddenly seemed very far away.

In the second frame (below) I was practically flat on my face trying to get the lion into the frame with a generous view of the overhead archway. I guess it must have been worth all the effort, because if you look carefully, you can see the "twin" lion on the other side of the street.

Like the Eagles used to sing, ya just can't hide your lion eyes!

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Is It Sunday? Or Monkday?

Close Race, And They're Going Neck And Neck

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

I was walking through Chinatown in Singapore when I saw this monk bending over his meal at a food court. I was intrigued by the rolls on his neck but I didn't want to invade his personal space. I took this tight frame with my 125mm lens, which allowed me to zoom in close. It looks as if he's in front of a mirror, but that's actually another monk in front of him.

I particularly like this shot because of the clarity of detail, the visibility of those beautiful Buddhist robes, the sheen of the saffron fabric - and most of all the fact that you cannot see the faces of the two monks. Look carefully at their shaven heads, however, and you'll see a reflection of light on both of them. Some sort of divine blessing, perhaps.

It Ain't The Bermuda Triangle

But Do You Know What This Is?

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Sometimes the most unusual sights are really the most common, everyday sights. It's only when you look at them from a unique angle or in a rare light that they seem so very different. These were just postcards on a rack, taken during my time in Singapore's captivating Chinatown. The photo below shows the rack with the postcards in full view, but the first shot makes you think, doesn't it?