Photography in Kuala Lumpur

So I have decided to use up those frequent flyer miles on a place i have never been to - KL

I have done a search on these forums and these are the places I have come up with to visit for PHOTOGRAPHY...not just to see. What do you all think? Am I missing something? Basically I am looking for anything interesting, people...life in KL...architecture....etc.

Petronis Towers
KL Zoo / butterfly garden (worth it?)
Chinatown / Petaling St (same place?)
Batu Caves
KL Tower ( would anything come out photographing through the glass?
Mardeka (nice buildings right?)
Little India

Am I missing anything????

Also, which of the above should I do at night???

I also want to go to the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque just out of KL. This looks spectacular!

Petronas Towers: Lots of good vantages for photographing these. The adjacent park and fountains make good foreground subjects too.

KL Zoo: Not worth it.

KL Bird Park: Can be good, the birds are very used to people so they will sit still and pose for you.

Chinatown/Petaling St: Yes, the same place, Petaling St is the main drag through Chinatown. Best in the early evening - first before sundown when you can still walk through easily, then right after sundown when it really fills up with vendors.

Batu Caves: Good for monkey + temple shots.

Merdeka Square: The Sultan Abdul Samad building is quite nice. I think the lighting on it after dark is sort of cheesy, I prefer it by day. Nearby, the old KL Railway Station is of similar style and also worth a trip.

Little India: Go on Saturday evening when the market is in effect. During the daytime, good for colourful silk markets. For more Indian photo-ops head over to Brickfields. Little India is mainly muslim whereas Brickfields is mainly hindu, so you get different clothes and music and goods for sale.

Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque: I agree, it's spectacular, and great to photograph around sunset. The downside is that other than that mosque, Shah Alam is the most boring place on earth, and it's kind of a pain to get to. One hour plus on the bus. Or you can take the KTM train to Shah Alam and get a taxi from there, probably a less maddening approach.

The Federal Territories Mosque ("Wilayah Mosque") at the edge of KL (Jalan Duta) is also an impressive photo subject.

And if it's architecture you're after, you must go to Putrajaya, with all its strange futuristic bridges and very beautiful pink mosque.

For people shots, try Jalan Alor just after sunset. It's a very crowded street lined with outdoor restaurants that spill out into the road at night.

But what about the countryside and rainforest? Do you have any plans for them? :)

Not in KL but easily accessible there woudl be the elephant sanctuary at Kuala Gandah. There is also an orang asli village and a deer park (although we didn't go to this). You could do all this in the same day trip as Batu Caves.

yes i agree with all of the above and near by to Federal Territories Mosque ("Wilayah Mosque") there is the local court house which has what i call an onion top roof.. its also quite nice... but also at various place all around kl at about 7 - 8 am just taking pics of the sky line is great. you get the early morning sun along with a gentle mist in te air. I am from uk and live here in kl and every morning on the way to work i really enjoy the view. Also check this site out below, i went on it once you get to fly around kl in a four seater plane and you can get some amazing shots there.. try to request to sit in the front of the plane when you book tho as you can get much better shots....

http://www.kuala-lumpur.ws/tours/skytour.htm

Have fun in kl

kuala selangor is just a couple of hours away and worth a visit

Thanks guys so much for all your help, especially Rajulkibar!

I will only have from around 6pm on Friday to 11am Monday, so really only a night and 2 full days, so the chances to go much further than the mosque is unlikely.

Re the mosque...i notice that it is only open 10-12 and 2-4. How can one take sunset photographs?

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<hr>Re the mosque...i notice that it is only open 10-12 and 2-4. How can one take sunset photographs?<hr></blockquote>
The Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque? It's in a public park that is open through the evening. Only the interior of the building itself has limited visit hours.

ahhh i see.

Thanks again.

Here is the plan I have so far.

Friday night
• Petronis Towers / KLCC Park
• KL Tower (closes 10pm)

Saturday Day
• Blue Mosque (KTM train to Shah Alam then taxi)

Saturday night
• Little India / Brickfields

Sunday Day
• Caves

Sunday Night
• China Town Sri Mahamariamman Temple (until 8pm)
• Merdeka Square – Sultan Abdul Samed Building
• KL Railway Station
• Masjid Jamek – Sunset mosque

Monday Day
• Masjid Jamek – Sunset mosque again (open 8.30am)

You also suggested:

Federal Territories Mosque – (Jalan Duta)
Putrajaya – futuristic bridges and pink mosque
Jalan Alor – Popele shots at night

Where could I fit these in in the above schedule...not sure where these are

I you like macros you might also try FRIM (forest research institute malaysia) which is not far from Batu Caves. www.frim.gov.my. There are canopy walks and many local photographers go there for insect macros - butterflies, dragonflies, ants etc

ooo...good tip...thanks THL

Apologies leggova, there's no canopy walk in frim. confused that with some other jungle place

Isn't there a nice chinese temple with a beautiful view just across the whole city..I rember that i shot some really nice pictures in 2004...

Also worth visiting is new new eye on malaysia skywheel that should offer great view across the city...And to take photographs of the twin towers I recommend the Rooftop Bar @ traders hotel

toby

Hi

I found Putrajaya to be quite picturesque :-) As the others have mentioned you can get some nice views of the stunning Petronas twin towers from the park right next to it. I had the pleasure of working in one of the towers for a couple of weeks last year and the view from the office was amazing. Here is my KL trip report with pictures. Maybe that can give you some ideas to start with :-) Get in touch if you have any questions :-)

Thanks so much for all the help. I think I will definitely go to Putrajaya. If I go to the caves one day and that other mosque out of KL...which is the closest to Putrajaya if I want to do them on the same day?

Great trip report Gard!

Hi

Check out this Google map of KL that I have made. If you zoom out you will see where Putrajaya is :-)

ooo..thanks Gard...so basically the complete other side from the cave....what about the Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Mosque...so that anywhere near Putrajaya at all?

Also, I hear bad things about taxi in KL...are they really so unpredicatable? I heard it is difficult to get them to turn their meters on.

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<hr>Isn't there a nice chinese temple with a beautiful view just across the whole city..I rember that i shot some really nice pictures in 2004...<hr></blockquote>
Thean Hou Temple. About a 30-minute walk from KL Sentral, or you can just take a taxi.

Hi

Yes, I have had some experience with taxi drivers that don't want to drive me, drivers that want to overcharge, don't want to use the meter etc. I guess you just have to move on or in worst case agree on a fixed price.

It's possible to take nice photos out of the KL tower in the evening, but make sure you have a tripod and a polarizer filter. FWIW, even with the polarizer filter, I still managed to capture a small reflection of one interior light on the glass. A bit of photoshopping eliminated that. Don't know what kind of camera/ lens your using, but I captured some real cool shots by taking a longer exposure and zooming in / out with my zoom lens during exposure. Bracket if possible. Try to start taking shots before it's pitch black outside, the shots with a bit of ambient light turned out much nicer. However, there are somany lights twinkling from the city below, you will still get something good even if you shoot later on in the evening.

needstotravel.....thanks so much...yes i have a tripod and a polarising filter

:)

I foudn the taxi drivers good in KL (ie, better than in other parts of Malaysia) but I mainly caught them from KL Central where there is a booth for pre-payment.

the problem I found was with the traffic, ie, often quicker to walk somewhere or take public transport than take a taxi.

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<hr>I foudn the taxi drivers good in KL (ie, better than in other parts of Malaysia) but I mainly caught them from KL Central where there is a booth for pre-payment. <hr></blockquote>
If you go out back to Jalan Tun Sambathan (not the booth immediately behind the station, but the road on the other side of the car park) you'll pay 1/3 as much.

ok..back and had a wonder time.

Will post some pictures soon.

Some thought about the city itself. It really is a fascinating mix of religions and nationalities.

There needs to be some SERIOUS infrastucture projects if the city is going to move into a well run developed country. What is that mess of a train system??? :)

The people are really welcoming.

It is murder trying to get somewhere during peak hour which seems to run for hours in the morning and afternoon, expecially if you are trying to flag down a taxi. They also never seemed to obey the 2 RM for the first 2 km rule. What is up with that?

Never take the Komuter from Midvalley (where my hotel is) to Central during rush hour

I am convinced that Putrajaya is in fact an elaborate ICT social experiement / theme park / advertising for KL but that no one actually lives and works there but the government pretends they do. That place is just odd, yet strangely appealing

wonder = wonderful!

and one last thing...they need to turn off the high pitched advertising in the KL Express from the airport....not a good start to anyone's holiday!

Some pictures - Won't bore you with them all

Agreed on your reactions. People are very nice, but the transportation situation is appalling and getting worse by the day.

I'm impressed you made it all the way out to Shah Alam! Looks worth the trip, you got some nice shots.

i ended up hiring a taxi for a few hours to take me to Shah Alam and Putrajaya...probably paid way too much but worth it for the lack of hassle