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RAMADHAN THROUGH THE LENS (A Photo Essay)
by TV Smith
22/11/03

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This year's Ramadhan may coincide with the rainy season but that is no reason to stow away your camera. The rain and the festive activities combine to provide many interesting subjects for the photography enthusiasts and 'casual clickers' alike.

Gloomy weather may result in blurry pictures from camera shake as most 'point & shoot' cameras automatically select a slower shutter speed to compensate for the low light. You can get around it by using a faster film/ISO speed, by firing your flash or by mounting your camera on a tripod. I prefer the latter but one need not walk around town with heavy camera support equipment on the shoulders. Just use a cheap mini table-top tripod or anchor your camera on any surfaces available; on the road, on top of dustbins, on stationery vehicles and even traffic cones.

A tripod only reduces camera shake but not the blurring of moving subjects when using a slower shutter speed. However, you can actually take advantage of this as the resulting trail of lights and colours add fluidity and dynamism to your pics.

Selamat Hari Raya!

An abridged version of this essay appears in print and online in today's StarWeekend (The Star)

	Activity & Inactivity. A slow shutter speed was used to emphasise the flurry of activities near the breaking of fast at the mosque in Jalan Masjid India. A conveniently located DBKL dustbin doubled up as a tripod. Exposure setting: ISO 50, f6.3, 0.8 sec