Sunrise at Masjid Sultan Salahudin Abdul Aziz Shah, the Shah Alam Mosque, Malaysia

I've expected a rainy morning today, but went ahead to Shah Alam for a sunrise shot anyhow. It actually turned out quite alright!

© 2018 Edward Chen. The view of Masjid Sultan Salahudin Abdul Aziz Shah from Taman Tasik Shah Alam.
Taken with the Samsung smartphone camera and edited raw using Snapseed.

It's common that people nowadays use the smartphone, a device which they always have on them as their primary camera. However, I was a little surprised of how powerful a smartphone camera can be these days. I wouldn't imagine producing a photo like the one above with my older smartphone cameras.

The photo above was taken handheld using the Samsung Note 9 and then edited RAW with Snapseed right away with the phone. All these were done while my Sony a7r3 was still recording S&Q on the heavy tripod. At times I was thinking if I should have left the camera and the tripod behind! Haha!


Below is the video taken from the Sony a7r3, available only at 720p due to the filesize. You may also watch the 1080p HD version here: https://youtu.be/bD4LOJoEC8w

Note: 720p only due to size constraint 

With the rapid advancement in smartphone AI technologies, I think it may affect not only the feasibility of getting a dedicated camera like the Olympus OM-D E-M1 micro four thirds camera, but also other advanced cameras like the Sony a7 series which are currently popular among hobbyists.

What do you think?

Morning walk at the Setia Alam Wetlands

I thought of going for a short walk at the Setia Alam Wetlands after sending my kids to school early in the morning. But it was already seven o'clock when I was leaving the school, so I decided to do some grocery shopping before I went (since the sun was already rising). 😆

I reached the wetlands slightly before eight o'clock and took photos as I walked around the park. 😊 

All photos are taken with the Olympus OM-D E-M1 with the Kowa Prominar 8.5mm f2.8 MFT manual focus lens.

© Edward Chen Photography

As expected, due to the time of the day, it's not really what I wanted. The sun was too bright and the lighting was harsh. But it wasn't hot, so I just continued my walk around the park.

© Edward Chen Photography