#061: The fish lantern parade

Earlier this month, I took the family out for an impromptu parade experience. It was not in our plans, but one thing led to another and we were down in Chinatown to witness the second and final edition of the fish lantern parade hosted by the amazing folks that run the Kwai Chai Hong lane.

It was a Saturday evening, and the fish lantern parade was held at Kwai Chai Hong, a little back alley lane, parallel to Petaling Street in Kuala Lumpur. Everyone that knows it, knows that it has some very nice murals that everyone comes to take photographs of, and it periodically hosts a lot of art installations and small events. This particular fish lantern exhibit was held in conjunction with the Lunar New Year and it was the second and final parade, conducted again due to the popularity of the first parade - I only knew of the first parade via social media, so I was thrilled to witness it this time and with the family.

It was a fun experience as I had never taken part in a fun parade like this that marched down one of the major streets in Chinatown. It did cause a temporary closure of the south end of Petaling Street and circling back onto Jalan Panggung. A truly cheerful and festive walk with many other participants from all walks of life sharing in the moment. Not to mention all the fellow photographers who were out in full force to capture the colourful moments. And all this was done and dusted within about 45 minutes, thankfully we arrived just in time.

I didn’t know about this event until the very last moment, through our friendly neighbourhood shutter therapy addict Mr.Robin Wong; who I had called up to borrow a lens, and since he was already out and about, he was unable to provide me with the lens. So what did I do instead? I went out and bought the lens for myself! I’ve always wanted this lens, and after one year with the Nikon ZF and the 40mm lens, I finally got a second lens to pair with its wonderful camera. Then, right after buying the lens, there we were, down in the Petaling Street area to witness the parade. I had already shot with its particular lens before - borrowed it from Robin not too long ago to test. So I was already anticipating the field of view, the kind of shots I could get and the overall experience of shooting with a wider field of view.

So as some of you keen-eyed art connoisseurs may have guessed by looking at the photos below, I finally got the Nikkor 28/f 2.8 lens for my Nikon ZF. A wonderful wide-angle lens that could potentially live on the camera for all my street photography needs moving forward. At the time of writing this, I have already done a few other street photography sessions with this lens and can say that it hits the sweet spot for street shooting - even though I would say that the 35mm field of view is the more “traditional” way I see on the streets - I do like the 28mm and paired with the Nikon ZF, it just feels at home.

Anyway, without further ado, enjoy the photos of the fish lantern parade. All taken with the Nikon ZF and the 28mm/f 2.8 lens and edited in a way that I think shows off the colours and the excitement of the parade.

Cheers.