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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Noah's Arch

Hungry For Success

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Sometimes a single image, symbol or word can transcend all cultures and all languages. The golden arches of McDonald’s, the global corporation envisioned and tirelessly promoted by the late Ray Kroc, would have to full into that category of instant global recognition.

This was shot as we walked down Petaling Street, in the Chinatown area of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on a hot July night last year. There’s no language barrier. There’s no need for a translator. More crucially, there’s no ambiguity about the product.

Now that’s what you call great advertising.

And I couldn't resist the chance to post this image below. As we entered Petaling Street, one of the hawk-eyed Authorbloglets pointed out this delivery motorcycle. Now I have to ask the question - do you know of a McDonald's outlet that does home delivery? Seriously?


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Local Flavour

Quite An Appetite For Photography

Photograph copyright: DAVID McMAHON

Petaling Street in Kuala Lumpur is the place to be after dusk, if you’re an avid shopper. But you don’t just have to be into retail therapy to appreciate this memorable thoroughfare, the heart of Chinatown. If you appreciate adventurous cuisine, or simply observing the world go by, this is a great place to be.

I can truthfully say that I bought nothing on the long evening we spent here last July. But I did take several photographs of the many sights that caught my attention. The street stalls do a very brisk trade and tourists walk away with some very handy bargains, but as most males will tell you, it’s a handy idea to have plenty of food stalls in the vicinity.

The young woman behind this counter looks as if she is having a quiet evening. In truth, she was almost run off her feet. I watched her serve a long line of customers efficiently and courteously. As swiftly as she served some people, others would arrive in the queue – obviously a reliable sign that the food being served from behind the counter was high-quality.

It was several minutes before she cleared all the orders and I hit the button just as she took a moment’s breather before the crowd descended again.

This was shot without a flash, because the lighting on the street is more than adequate if you are happy to adjust your settings. I took this at 1/60th of a second and ISO 800, so it’s a good thing she wasn’t moving. The slightest motion would have caused a blur – which is exactly how she probably thought the hours were passing.

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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".

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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.