ROBIN WONG

The recent forum discussions on smartphone cameras can get even more dramatic than the most extensive "equivalence" argument on DPReview forums. It is true that in terms of smartphone wars, it is no longer just about specifications or what the smartphone itself can do (everything is about the same, having powerful processor with fluid, smooth operations, long enough battery life and beautiful, large responsive touch screen capabilities). The war centers on the camera prowess and feature sets, plunging smartphone photography right at the center of the most heated debates everywhere.


The popular topics being how the newer smartphone cameras can finally take photographs at night (as if the older ones suddenly stopped functioning) and that the newer iterations are replacing actual dedicated cameras. The brand wars can get quite aggressive with camps from Huawei championing their multiple camera module setup versus other alternatives out there, while Samsung claims that their physical aperture changing on the lens is a next huge thing. The cringe-worthy moments happen when I started reading comments or argument put forth by people who clearly are not photographers and have very little interest or understanding on how camera actually works. They were fed with marketing and advertising junks and when you start to believe that today's 40MP smartphone can be a as good as today's 40MP DSLR, something got terribly wrong somewhere.

I have used some of the "flagship" smartphone cameras over the years. Let's not name brands as I do not intend to get caught in the middle of the war. To me, as always, what matters the most is you going out there actually using your camera and actively make new images. Shoot and shoot and shoot, stop caring about what your phones can or cannot do, and just take more photographs. You may spend the rest of your waking hours obsessing about the lack of megapixels or wanting better low light performance but those things mean nothing if you never had a meaningful photograph to begin with. The more you shoot, the more you will realize that the features and functions of the camera were there to serve you, and you have to be the one to create the images. If that is true, should you not be spending time being out there shooting instead of worrying what others may reply to your latest defense on why your smartphone camera is better than others?

Instead of using a highly ranked smartphone for my mobile photography, I am now using the Motorola G5S Plus, a budget-friendly smartphone that never oversells itself. No over the top "super high Megapixels claim", no "see in the dark" slogans, etc. Just a plain, straightforward, simple phone. And you know what? I love it. I found myself shooting more and more with the Moto G5S Plus.

When I tried to recall when was the last time I changed my blog layout, I honestly could not remember. I must have been using the same theme on this blog for more than 5 years or more! I just thought I should give it a simple face-lift and a much needed refresh for a more modern and updated look. The previous layout did seem a little dated. The new layout is a work in progress and still requires some fine-tuning, so do expect a little hiccups along the way for the next few days until all the kinks have been ironed out. Do bear with me.


Do let me know what you think of the new blog layout? Do you prefer the cleaner, smoother look? Or do you have suggestions you would like me to think about? No promises on implementing any feedback (I am terrible at coding and HTML scripts) but if I do think it benefits everyone, I will gladly take your idea. 

It is no secret that I am a pork lover and I eat all things pork. A few days ago, I was fortunate to be invited for an exclusive tasting session at ANTE, a highly acclaimed premium pork specialized restaurant in Kuala Lumpur. God knows where have I been all this time, missing out all the porky heavenly cuisines ANTE has to offer!




The combination of Pork Rendang with Nasi Kerabu was quite surreal and undoubtedly a great match.

That was something I never saw coming. I have always been a fan of the traditional nasi kerabu, having vivid blue rice served with a plethora of accompanying condiments. Furthermore, rendang, both chicken and beef have been my comfort food and these dishes are unmistakably uniquely Malaysian. It is then fitting to have this dish as a special limited edition only available for the coming Merdeka month. Oh did I say I love pork? Never would I have imagined having a pork rendang, this was certainly my first experience.

ANTE's Nasi Kerabu features traditionally prepared blue pea flower rice, surrounded by house pickled acar, salted egg, wok slow cooked sambal, toasted kerisik, four angled beans, long beans and keropok ikan. To make the Pork Rendang, select imported pork shoulder cuts were slow cooked for about 5 hours in a traditional rendang style.

While I am not an expert when it comes to Nasi Kerabu, I can be very picky about my rendangs. I like strong flavoured and bold spicy taste. The Pork Rendang certainly had the dominantly unique rendang traditional signature, but without being overpowering and just at the balance to preserve some of that irresistible pork flavor.




Besides the new dish, we also feasted on several items on ANTE's on-going menu. To me, the most memorable one was the Pork Steak (pictured above) and ANTE definitely lives up to the title of best Pork Steak Restaurant in town. There are not many places that can do proper Pork Steak, mostly some form of Pork Chops or deep fried meat. ANTE served a properly grilled steak, which was fabulous and the tenderness and juiciness of the meat was well preserved. When I was shooting the Pork Steak I cannot help but think of what Antoni from Queer Eye (Season 1 Finale) said: "grill marks make me so happy".

Those who know me will know that I am a meat-lover. I will eat all the meat and I live to eat!

I have a few Olympus cameras at the moment. The old and dying OM-D E-M5, which I have retired from active duty, the two E-M1 (original) bodies strictly for paid assignment and serious work, and an E-M10 Mark II which currently had a faulty screen (due to a nasty fall during a demonstration in one of my workshops). Oh and also an E-P5 which has stayed with me and strangely, of all my flirtations with different cameras over the year (there were Fuji X100, Sony RX100 series, Panasonic GM1, Panasonic LX100, etc) the one that I ended up keeping was the E-P5.

I know I have been blogging about Kuching food quite frequently since I have been returning home more often these days. However, I find myself loving the food shots I have taken each and every time I was home. There was just something about Kuching food that you cannot find elsewhere. And they are super photogenic too.

I am not sure if I make any sense in saying that it is more difficult for me to shoot photographs of people that I personally know in real life, versus strangers. Shooting random strangers on the street has always been a touch and go affair. I found someone fascinating, either with interesting facial features (facial hair, nice smile, soulful eyes, etc) or unusual character (choice of clothing, doing something cool) and I would approach them and triggered the shutter button merrily, without much thought. We may exchange short conversations and the encounter ended just there. However, when it comes to shooting friends, family or anyone that I know, I think I have the fear of "what if they do not like how they look on my photographs?".

Nevertheless, that did not stop me from taking the risk, and still point the lens on my friends anyway, with only willing participants of course.

Recently my dear friend Georgette Tan visited KL after her work trip to Berlin, and I attended her poetry recital at June Readings @ Seksan event. She looked super stunning in a white floral printed dress and I just had to take portraits of her. I brought her out to the yard and positioned her against short trees and shrubs in the background. The natural ambient side light from an overcast day did wonders in creating a flattering look on Georgette!

OBSCURA is the largest photography festival in South East Asia and they run photography Masterclass by experienced industry experts. I personally know the organizing team of Obscura and also some of my photographer friends have participated in their Masterclass before. This allows me to interview these photographers and I shall be featuring them in this and following few articles, sharing their experience being in Obscura Masterclass. To find out more about Obscura Festival of Photography, kindly go to their official site here. 

OBSCURA is the largest photography festival in South East Asia and they run photography Masterclass by experienced industry experts. I personally know the organizing team of Obscura and also some of my photographer friends have participated in their Masterclass before. This allows me to interview these photographers and I shall be featuring them in this and following few articles, sharing their experience being in Obscura Masterclass. To find out more about Obscura Festival of Photography, kindly go to their official site here.