The majority of our time in Penang (as well as most of Malaysia) was spent eating. I kid you not, we virtually planned each day around the available lunch and dinner spots nearby. In a place like Malaysia, you’re hardly every going to go wrong with the food choice you make.
The Wu is coming through, outcome is critical… – Wu Tang Clan
The clan jetty’s of Georgetown, on the other hand, were not planned by with food in mind. Curiosity was the main draw. Despite watching endless kung-fu movies, it was only while in Malaysia that I began to understand the Chinese clan culture.
These jetties were created in the early 20th Century and housed families who all had the same last name.The settlers, from mainland China, couldn’t really afford land on the island and therefore built out into the water.
This particular picture I took was not the most interesting of the day. We were at the jetties around mid-day and the sky was fairly bright. After messing around in the develop panel for a while trying to adjust the colors etc… I decided to try the image in black and white.
Boom!
I had the shot I wanted. I was able to add some drama into the sky using a gradient filter with some underexposure. I dropped the clarity and exposure along the bottom half as well, bringing all the focus to the center of the image and the gloss of the water. I loved the way the boat was crossing the scene and moving behind the stilted houses so I wanted that part of the image to pop as well; in came a circular filter with some increase in exposure.
