ROBIN WONG

I am aware that I am mostly known for my street photography, and those who follow me will know that I do a lot of portraits, event coverage, stage shooting and a little bit of wedding photography for my paid side of photography. For personal projects, I dabble in portraits of strangers which is an on-going project, and of course, some insect macro photography on the side. Oh yes, I shoot a lot of cats too on the streets though those would probably not quality as street photography, but who cares really? I shoot what I like, at the end of the day I only have to answer to myself if it was not a paid shoot. Not many people know that I also love shooting food, almost as much as consuming them. I used to shoot a lot of food images, mostly in the weekends while hanging with friends in hipster cafes. The food thing has slowed down in recent years, partially because my newer friends are not photographers, and they won't understand the need of me spending 15 minutes alone with a burger. I think I should reignite the passion for food - or shooting them! These were old images, taken for the review of Olympus PEN E-PL10. 

I have taken so many images over the past more than 10 years of me dabbling in the world of street photography, and I got to say, out of the countless snapshots I have accumulated, there were not many that actually stood out, or have become personal favorites. I guess I am just being extra critical when judging my own work, as would any other photographers, but this is something that is so obvious - if you do love one particular photograph, it will stick with you for a long, long period of time. I don't have many photographs that can do that from my collection. A handful few, yes, the ones I am proud to show again and again, or even print large to be displayed in a exhibition setting. One of them was this shot taken at Hua Lamphong Train Station in Bangkok in 2019 (gosh, that was before the Covid-19). It was a blink and miss it moment, which made the shot even more meaningful, as it was not that easy to catch the right moment. I guess, some would dismiss the photograph's value as a random man walking by stereotypical street shots that run rampant everywhere in the street universe, but for me, this was special. It established the location very prominently with the iconic train in the background, it captured the ambience and messiness of the platform, and to some degree, the discomfort of high humidity and hot tropical weather in Southeast Asia. I don't know, maybe I am just imagining things, but definitely, one of my favorite shots that have been burned in my mind. Image taken with Olympus E-PL9 and 25mm F1.8. 

I used to squeeze in 30, gosh, sometimes 50 images into one blog entry, and when I look back at those posts I wonder what I was thinking - the endless scrolling of so many images. A better solution, is to split them up to more than one entry, so the individual images may get more attention. Melanie (IG @melcput), the talent was so awesome to work with, I just have to post one more time about here here. All images were shot with Panasonic GX7 and Olympus 75mm F1.8 lens. 

About more than a month ago, during my Chinese New Year holidays in Kuching, Borneo, I managed to sneak a bit of time to play with the camera. Special thanks to Nunong (IG @nunongtindin) and Kieron (IG @kieronlong72) for organizing a model portrait shooting session, I tagged along, and I thought this was the perfect opportunity to work the Olympus 75mm F1.8 lens. We were a little worried about this session as it was an outdoor shoot, and the weather has been unkind, pouring continuously non-stop for weeks in Kuching, but thankfully the rain stopped just in time for this to happen. This was also my first time shooting with the Panasonic Lumix GX7, which I will talk about in another time. Credit goes to the beautiful Melanie (IG @melcput) for being such an awesome model for the day. 

The images shown in this blog entry is a continuation from the previous blog article I published not too long ago, about shooting black and white images with intention. If I were to do more personal photography and not to worry about delivering images to clients and get paid (and hopefully have enough by the end of the day to put food on the table), I'd probably do more black and white work. I love the simplicity of not having to worry about colors interfering with the overall balance, framing and intention of the images. I'd even be more daring to shoot with black and white only cameras, like what Pentax and Leica are doing, so people cannot ask for color images if they decide they don't like what they see from my camera. I think photography can be a selfish pursuit, and it should be considered more as such, if we don't, please ourselves shooting our own images, what is the point of using the camera in the first place?

7Artisans sent me their latest 18mm F5.6 full frame lens, so I had some wide-angle shooting adventures with it on my own Nikon Z5 around the streets of Kuala Lumpur. Normally I'd say no to manual focusing lens, but I do make exceptions, especially when the lens is so cheap, at about USD89 only! Yet it covers the full image circle of a full frame sensor, has full metal build, includes 2 aspherical and 1 ED lenses in the lens construction and is so, so compact and slim in a pancake design! How can I not be curious about this lens? I have also made a video to share my thoughts on the 7Artisans 18mm F5.6, you can check it out here (click). 

I have heard so many times when an image was not good enough, just convert it to black and white and magically it will appear more artistic. Similarly, when the image was shot in poorly lit environment suffering high ISO noise, just remove the colors and the monotone scheme will save the day - masking the high ISO noise to look like film grain instead. What happened when the lighting isn't good enough for the colors to pop? No problem, the black and white images will still look good, getting rid of color. While I don't disagree with all of these sayings, I personally believe black and white photography is a powerful medium and should be explored with higher priority than just last-minute saves for poor shooting conditions or bad color outputs. Black and white photography should be done with more intention. 

When I started doing street photography, I put more emphasis on visual drama, capturing images that look appealing to the wider audience. It was about the use of strong colors, creative composition, play with interesting lighting and forcefully carve images that are striking on the first look. However, as I journeyed on many years further down the road, still doing street photography, I craved for deeper meaning in the images that I framed. Instead of just making images look stunning, I also found that it was equally important to tell a compelling story or idea through photographs. Is the content of the image more important than the visual appeal?

This coming Sunday, 23 February 2025 at 10pm Malaysian time, I will be a guest on Rob Trek's YouTube Live Stream, together with a group of amazing Micro Four Thirds photographers and content creators! Special thanks to Rob Trek for hosting this, you are the MVP for coordinating and getting everyone together for the live stream. I look forward to joining Emily Lowrey (Micro Four Nerds), Peter Forsgard and Lee Hoy to talk about Micro Four Thirds and photography topics! If you are free, please do come in and chat with us, I do have some interesting things to share during this session! Live Stream link here (click). 

There was the consumer touch and try event happening all over Malaysia for the newly launched OM System OM-3 camera, so I decided to pop by Artishutter X N4 Camera Store to get my hands on the OM-3. Special thanks to the awesome people at Artishutter X N4 for allowing me to do my first impressions video in their premises. There are many things that I do really like about the OM-3, but there are also a few potential deal breakers for me as I have used the camera for a just a short duration of time in the store.  I think OM-3 is going to be a hit for OM Digital Solutions, and honestly I cannot wait to see what else they will launch for the remaining of this year 2025. If you prefer to watch my first impressions in a video format, you can do so here (click). 

Last Saturday evening, I was invited by my dear friend Jaya to watch the Fish Lantern Parade happening at Little Ghost Lane (or locally known as Kwai Chai Hong). My friend Kieon Long visiting from Kuching also joined us. I was not planning to shoot the parade in the first place, I was out and about and was doing other things. Since I have never seen a Fish Lantern Parade before, and it did look quite interesting, I decided to put the camera to work. I had the Nikon Z5 with me and I was in the midst of testing another lens, but I brought the versatile Nikon 40mm F2 lens with me, so used the 40mm F2 for the entire shoot. I did wish that the parade started a little later when the sky got a little darker. In some shots, the bright sky was fighting with the glow from the lanterns, and I think the lanterns would have shined brighter as the sun set further. 

Last Sunday afternoon, I attended a private launch event for yet another exhibition by dear friend Azul Adnan in Kuala Lumpur. This time the location was at a cafe in Cheras, Erni & Tina. This exhibition showcased some of Azul's past work, all compiled in one place, while the patrons can enjoy coffee, tea and treats while viewing the images exhibited on the cafe walls. Since I was away for 2 weeks for Chinese New Year holidays, and just got back to KL in time for this event, my fingers were unbearably itchy and I worked my Nikon Z5, capturing some shots from the event. I am sharing these images here, taken with various lenses - Viltrox 20mm F2.8, Nikon 40mm F2 and TTArtisan 75mm F2. Azul's exhibition at Erni & Tina will continue to run until end of March 2025!

I was away from Kuala Lumpur, and was back in my hometown Kuching, Borneo for more than 2 weeks recently. I went home for the Chinese New Year celebrations with my family. Every time I went home to Kuching, I would embark on my Kolo Mee journey. Those who follow me on my personal Facebook account would know that I post photographs of Kolo Mee every single day I was home without fail. Of course I took some images of them with my camera and I shared them here. 

The last tine I tried the Panasonic 20mm F1.7 was more than 10 years ago, and it did not leave a good impression on me. From my memory with limited experience shooting with the lens, the AF was the slowest among all Micro Four Thirds lenses and there was something unnatural and not pleasing about the image rendering from the lens. Therefore I never bothered to look at the lens at all. I must admit the Panasonic 20mm F1.7 is a favorite lens among the Micro Four Thirds community, especially the street shooters and I thought it would be a great time to revisit the lens. I found one in the used market recently and I did some shutter therapy with my beloved Panasonic GM1. You can see my video I have made on the same topic here (click). 

I purchased the Fuji XF10 in 2020 because I found one at a very good price, and I was curious about a "Ricoh GR III alternative". I did shoot with the camera for a year or two and gave it to a friend, because I no longer used it as often as other cameras that I have. Fast forward to 2025, I thought it would be a great time to revisit this camera, so I borrowed it (took it back for a while) from that said friend, and did some shutter therapy with it recently. I think Fujifilm should definitely bring the XF10 back! There is clearly a huge demand for compact, advanced cameras with larger sensor and designed for street photography - an updated XF10 with much improved AF, weather-sealing, built in image stabilization and tiltable-LCD screen would have been a huge hit! I talked about this in my latest video here (click). 

My friends Azul Adnan and Grace Ho have just launched a new photobook titled "Under The Shadows Of Merdeka". This was a one year long project in collaboration with PNB Merdeka Ventures and Think City, documenting the scenes, surrounding activities, people and happenings around the areas surrounding the Merdeka 118 building (currently standing at the second tallest in the world). I am so happy to see the project finally coming to fruition, and the book is now published and available for sale! I attended the book launch event last Sunday afternoon at Riwayat (book store) and of course, being myself my hands got terribly itchy and I clicked the shutter button away, covering the event. Both Azul and Grace were there sharing their experience and adventures not just about the photography process but also the journey of making the photobook happen.  I am so incredibly proud of both Azul and Grace, a hearty congratulations to both of you! 

The book "Under The Shadows Of Merdeka" is currently on sale at Riwayat book store. More places available soon, and you can check both Azul and Grace's socials for updates, or contact them directly. Below are the images shot during the book launch event by myself, unless otherwise stated. 

In all the midst of chaos and crazy packed schedule, I managed to squeeze in some time to do a quick review for the Viltrox 35mm F1.7. Viltrox sent me the lens but I made sure I have full control on what I have to say here as well as on my video published on YouTube (here). I managed to test the lens on a Nikon Z50 II which was loaned from Futuromic Malaysia (official distributor for Nikon in Malaysia) and I brought this combo out for some shutter therapy sessions. In my quick test, I was very impressed with the Viltrox 35mm F1.7 - it is so compact and light, it produces excellent sharpness and bokeh, it manages lens flaws very well (no distortion, minimal flare and chromatic aberration) and the autofocus on Z50 II worked wonderfully. There really is nothing much to complain about the lens, considering the budget price tag! If you are in the market for a 50mm-ish equivalent prime lens for a Nikon Z APS-C camera, I'd say this Viltrox 35mm F1.7 should sit at the very top of your consideration list!

I was approached by Futuromic Malaysia (official distributor for Nikon in Malaysia) to do a project on their latest camera, the Nikon Z50 II. At first I thought it would be something to do with me reviewing the camera, or shooting some sample images with the camera to be shared on their socials. When I asked further it was none of the above assumptions I have made, in fact they wanted me to do something with my YouTiube, about making a video as a content creator and share my experience using the Z50 II in such capacity to a real life audience in one of their consumer events. I immediately jumped in and said yes! The images shown in this blog entry were all taken by my amazing friend, Van Ligutom. 

I have always loved shooting with 28mm equivalent wide angle for my street photography especially when I am doing environmental portraits. I believe Micro Four Thirds has the best setup for 28mm street shooting - Panasonic GM1 + 14mm F2.5 lens. This combo is so compact, yet it performs so well and can deliver amazing results. This is truly what Micro Four Thirds is all about, truly tiny footprint that can produce impressive big results! I brought the GM1 and 14mm lens out for some street shooting and I am sharing my experience using this combo with some fresh street images in my latest video here (click). 

I may have mentioned in my recent blog entries that I was in Medan, Indonesia in the last weekend of 2024 for a wedding shoot. During that short travel, I did not have much time for myself, but I managed to squeeze in a bit of shutter therapy time. It was a day after the wedding, on a Sunday morning, and I had about several hours of street walk time before returning to hotel at 11am, and checking out at 12pm. In those short 2 hours plus, I roamed around the streets around the Medan train station area (the train to the airport), it was a quiet Sunday morning, but I did get some cool shots. Images were shot on Nikon Z50 II which was on loan from Futuromic Malaysia, and Viltrox 35mm F1.7 lens which I was in the midst of reviewing. Admittedly these are not my best work, as I had limited time in a location that was alien to me, and I was also physically and mentally drained from a full day wedding shoot I had the day before, and not having enough sleep did not help things either! Nevertheless, Medan is such a beautiful place and I do plan to visit again, hopefully soon. 

I recently added the Nikon 28mm F2.8 Z into my Nikon Z system arsenal mainly because I needed a wide-angle coverage for my street shooting. I have the venerable 40mm F2 Z, so adding the brother lens 28mm F2.8 Z makes sense - both are compact-sized, budget prime lens designed primarily for street shooters. I found the Nikon 28mm F2.8 Z on Lazada (online retail store here in Malaysia) at such a good price during a recent sales event, I just could not resist the temptation, and since I have the lens, I have been shooting on the streets with the lens mounted on my Nikon Z5. I am sharing my quick thoughts on the Nikon 28mm F2.8 Z for street photography, as well as plenty of fresh images! I have also made a video to talk about this, you can find it here (click). 

Happy New Year 2025 to all you awesome people out there! 

Thanks for still visiting this space, and I appreciate your patronage here. To kick start the new year, let's play with something not so new - the Pentax Q! It is almost impossible to find a Pentax Q in Malaysia, I am not even sure if it was ever sold here, and I was very lucky to nab one recently in the used market. I brought the Pentax Q out for a shutter therapy session, and I am sharing plenty of fresh images in this blog article. The Pentax Q is super compact, cute, beautiful in design and solidly built, but I must be 100% honest I did not enjoy using it. The experience was very similar to using any compact point and shoot digital cameras back then - poor image quality which was a consequence of using such tiny 1/2.3" image sensor. I personally think this was a missed opportunity for Pentax, if they have chosen a larger sensor for the Pentax Q, say joining the Micro Four Thirds alliance, the landscape of imaging industry would have been very different. Nevertheless, that is the past, and I share more opinion in my latest video here (click).