The Hands of Rat Island

The Hands of Rat Island

As you know, I’ve been giving myself assignments lately for several reasons. Of course the main reason is just to push myself. But another and just as important reason is to force myself to get out into my community. I travel all over the world, and shoot every imaginable location, but the place I probably spend the least amount of time with my camera is my own backyard. So, for the last three days, I’ve been visiting a small market here in Penang called Pulau Tikus or in English, “Rat Island”. It’s a fun little place with a lot happening, I hope you will enjoy this look at “The Hands of Rat Island”. (Be sure and take advantage of the full screen feature.)

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20 Comments

  1. heimana

    Excellent Matt! Only the hands gives an intimate feeling, it shows the variety of work people are doing there… The audio clearly add another kind of DOF 😀
    Well done and beautiful idea (that I may copy one day!).
    Take care!

    Reply
  2. Dave

    just a quick question…or two- What tool/app is the interactive slideshow viewer? It's great that you can add audio, as well as having the images individually selectable.

    Is it possible to assign audio for each image?

    Reply
  3. Matt Brandon

    Dave, the software used to make this to Soundslides Plus. It's not that you can assign audio to each image exactly. But more like you can sink the audio to the entire show. I think you see this when the scraping sounds happen at the same time you see the man scraping the scales of the fish or the counting in Malay while viewing the photo of the man pointing at the number. Also the picture of the meat being chopped as sound effects in the back.

    Reply
  4. Nicholas Chan

    I like this Matt, thank you for showing this little place in Penang to the world. Love your shots.

    Reply
  5. Matt Brandon

    Nicholas, thanks for stopping by. I'm glad you enjoyed the photos. Poke around the site you might find more places or people you know.

    Reply
  6. Matt Brandon

    Nicholas, thanks for stopping by. I'm glad you enjoyed the photos. Poke around the site you might find more places or people you know.

    Reply
  7. Bryan

    Hey Matt, the pictures really speaks about the lives of the people at Pulau Tikus Wet Market and they are beautifully shot. Hope you enjoy the stay in Penang.

    Drop me an email if you need any guide here. 🙂

    Reply
  8. Matt Brandon

    Bryan, Thanks for dropping by. I have been enjoying my stay for the past two years. Hopefully for many more to come 😉 Give me a shout and we can go explore.

    Reply
  9. Ray Ketcham

    Matt Please share more of your self assignments this was really nice to find, first thing this morning. The images give a real intimate sense of the market and the sound really adds to the sense of being there. Your use of the sound solved an issue I was having with a job I am working on so you are teaching even when you aren't, thank you.

    Reply
  10. teddavis

    I really appreciate your perspectives! I am a photographer just clocking in my time to learn my craft and these are the things that challenge me to get out and do something. Thanks.

    Reply
  11. Eric Taylor

    What a great collection! The ambient sounds really make the presentation!

    Reply
  12. vanessajackman

    Matt, these are wonderful photos and the audio just adds that something extra- I especially loved the hands of the man scaling the fish and the “scraping” sound that accompanied them….Hands can tell us so much about people- their age, occupation, hobbies, whether they like jewellery or not, their marital status etc etc- fascinating stuff.

    Reply
  13. Jamie Pang

    Beautiful images, the sing-song Hokkien dialect, my hometown. I could almost smell the hawker fare. What's not to like? Thanks for the feature, Matt!

    Reply
  14. Matt Brandon

    Thanks all of you. It was a fun exercise that proved profitable, at least image wise.

    Jamie, Are you in KL?

    Vanessa, long time no hear! Glad you're back missed you. Same with you Eric.

    Reply
  15. Jeffrey Chapman

    Great stuff. I love the cigar in the golden pipe.

    Reply
  16. Jamie Pang

    Yes I am, Matt. Due to work commitments, it's not often I come back. It was too bad that I couldn't be part of the WWPhotowalk you led. The KL edition was pretty boring.

    Reply
  17. Jen Heal

    Great images. I love the one of the pineapple man with the cigar… he is there every day and I don't think I've ever seen him without a cigar!

    Reply
  18. Patricia Combrink

    Great presentation! Thanks for your tips and insights this afternoon…we love learning from you!

    Reply
  19. Steven Scott

    Really creative combination of audio and still photography. I love Penang and Asian markets…will share this with all of my Facebook and Twitter friends. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  20. Deepa

    Stumbled across ur page …. superb project one of my favourite subjects to shoot 🙂

    Reply

Trackbacks/Pingbacks

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