30th of January, Thaipusam 2010 is over!!!!

I really made used of every hour of this day and it is a really memorable one for me! I will be posting the images I shot over the next week and on my deviant art so do look out for it!

When I think of shooting at Thaipusam 2010, I think of really scary people and that it is impossible to shoot with a short lens. I also think of shooting behind a safety zone so that you will not get hit by the kedavi. Which is why my dad wanted me to take the 70-200mm and told me that no one in the right mind will shoot with a short lens and that I should not even think of bringing the 24-70mm.

However, when you shoot Thaipusam with M, things change 8D When M brought me into the temple to get my shots, I almost freaked out and died. Besides the fact that there were so many people and we could not even move, it was really really scary watching them pierce their tongues and some of them were like half fainting and shouting>.< I was like O.O kill me now>.> Thankfully, I managed to overcome my initial panic and started shooting. I got really lovely images with the exception of those which got killed by the camera shake.

After we finished ‘touring’ the temple, normal photographers would just stay behind the yellow barricades to get their shots of the procession. With M, I joined and became part of the entire procession… I literally walked with the devotees from the start to the endpoint and experienced the energy of the whole procession! I even drank the milk that the devotees were carrying as M’s friends were really nice to offer some to me.

The entire journey from start to the end was around 10km and it took the both of us about 4-5 hours to complete it. It was a really wonderful experience. Although I was really really petrified of the number of people but it was just so interesting to watch the intense and determined look on their faces to complete the journey!

I went back home at around 8 in the morning and walked to the very far post office and tadah~ Kiyomi is home(:
Slept like a log for the next 6 hours before going out to shoot at China town, watch the fireworks at Clarke Quay and walked back to Douby to shoot the procession again.

It is really easy to shoot once you gained access! The rest of it all is how you approach your subject. I have some really good shots with the 35mm and as much as I was freaking out while I was shooting, for once in my life, I did not think about my composition at all. Somehow, the composition just came really naturally to me! When I experienced the entire energy of the procession and got so close with the devotees, I think I really managed to capture the spirit of it and this is something that I can’t replicate with a long lens! So the 70-200mm is like a dead weight in my bag which did not see the sunlight…

All in all, today’s or yesterday’s event since it is already 2.42 am can be summed up as AWESOME and I really thank M for allowing me to tag along!

Tag replies:

Chanel: haha okie<3

Angela: haha I talked to many strangers today<333