#051: Horses of Batu Ferringhi

In June we spent a short weekend away in Penang, staying in the Batu Ferringhi area, the touristy beach of Penang. It was a nice weekend away during a non-peak period; the beaches weren’t too crowded and driving up and back down from KL was a breeze.

I didn’t have anything specific in mind to photograph and was just thinking that I would lounge by the pool all weekend. Then I saw the horses on the beach and decided why not, “let’s take a few photos and see what happens”.

If you ever visit Batu Ferringhi in Penang Island, you’ll definitely see horses moving up and down the stretch of the beach, with the horsemen calling out to tourists to take a ride. They’re out and about usually early in the morning and late in the evening before sunset. It’s not the first time I’ve encountered them, but definitely the first time I've tried to photograph them.

So there I was after breakfast and in the late evenings just wandering the beach and trying to get a good shot or two. Sticking to photos of the horses with their riders/minders and the surrounding beach, rather than photos of tourists riding the horses.

Displaying the photos in monochrome was my own artistic choice; hopefully giving it a more of a documentary-style view rather than a tourist snapshot feel to it; removing all unnecessary distractions from its surroundings and so you focus on the subjects.

All photos were taken with the Fujifilm XF10.

Hope you like the shots.

Cheers.