ARPS #12 – Total Captivation

ARPS #12 - Total Captivation

Image #12 from my ARPS series…

These gentlemen were seen captivated by a chess game at Chinatown, Singapore. Selective processing/desaturation of the background was done using Photoshop to bring out the main subjects of the photo. These group of men have provided me with numerous photo opportunities on my repeated trips to Chinatown 🙂

Interestingly, I did a Google search on myself recently (you should try it for yourself — it’s amazing some of the things you can find sometimes!) and found a link to this photograph from a tutorial on selective desaturation 🙂 It’s worth taking a look!

Phra Phai of Wat Arun

Phra Phai of Wat Arun
The pictures I take sometimes stir up retrospective curiousity about the subjects I have taken. Luckily, I usually manage to dig up enough information on the Internet to satisfy the curious streak in me 😛

This was taken in Bangkok during my trip there last month… When I took the picture, it was nothing more than a study of contrast, lighting and architecture to me. Searching on the Internet though, I am made aware that the picture I have taken is that of a Wind God, or Phra Phai residing in one of the four Prangs (Khmer-style tower) that surrounds the central 79-meter high pagoda (Phra Prang) of Wat Arun. Wat Arun, or the Temple of Dawn, is a 17th-century Siamese temple named after the Indian god of dawn, Aruna. The Phra Prang is decorated with a mosaic of multi-colored Chinese porcelain and is symbollic of Mount Meru, the home of the gods in Buddhist mythology. The temple served as a royal temple and palace during the reign of King Taksin (1733-1782 AD). It is currently one of the most well-known landmarks of Bangkok visited frequently by tourists.

Checking Out The Competition

Checking Out The Competition
I have not managed to find a guestblogger for this week. If you are interested to be a guestblogger (or would like to nominate someone), send me a contact!

For the meantime, it’s back to the dragonboat competition shoot that I did a couple of months ago. I wonder what the drummer was thinking as he peered across at the other rival boats. The rest of team seemed to be all set to go though, judging from the way their oars are placed at ready. I love the reflections in the dark green water, which provided a nice backdrop to the shot.