ROBIN WONG

If you have been following this blog, you'd know that I love small cameras. That's the reason I am a huge fan of Micro Four Thirds system; they make truly compact cameras that can deliver great results. I happened to have both the smallest cameras from Panasonic and Olympus, the GM1 and E-PM2 respectively, and I thought it would be a great idea to pitch the side by side and discuss their similarities as well as differences. At the end of the day, both are fantastic cameras, I intend to keep both, since these models are effectively discontinued, but if I had to pick just one, which would it be? I made a video to discuss this too, you can check it out here (click). 

This is a continuation from the same series from the previous blog entry, about shooting in black and white more for my own personal street photography. I used to fit in as many as 40-50 (yes, 50!) images in a single blog post, and I am starting to do things differently now. The reason I fit so many images was mostly for my review articles. When I started reviewing cameras, I actually did break down my reviews to multiple parts, but there was a consequence - people did not bother to read all parts, after they have read one blog entry or just a few without completing the whole series, they drew conclusions. For example, part 1 of my Olympus 17mm F1.8 review was about the technical image quality and handling, and part 2 was about the things I disliked about the lens, including the flat and uninteresting rendering. Many did not read Part 2 and assumed I have backtracked on what I said about the review in recent times, but the truth was, if they have read both parts, they would have known that my opinion has been consistent over the years and nothing changed. After that incident (and a few similar others) I decided to just lump everything into a singular review post, which sometimes can exceed 50 sample images. Well, since I don't do much long form reviews anymore, and most of my blog articles are just photo-sharing and random thoughts thrown in between the images, why not break them up into smaller, more digestible parts?

One of the things I want to do more this year is black and white street photography. Since I probably won't use black and white images for my review content on YouTube, or paid shoot, I will have to intentionally shoot black and white for my own personal excursions. I do think black and white is a powerful medium in photography, a different yet effective way to convey strong messages, emotions and ideas. This round, I had my Olympus E-M1 (the OG 2013 first version) and my beloved Olympus 25mm F1.8 to get that equivalent 50mm perspective. I went to Pudu Wet Market in Kuala Lumpur on a cloudy Sunday morning which was less busy than usual, probably due to Ramadan but it was still an enjoyable walk nonetheless, and I think I got some interesting shots! 

Special thanks to OM System Malaysia for the loan of the new OM System OM-3! I shall be spending the next couple of days shooting non-stop with the OM-3, and I really can't wait to get the shutter clicking. I probably won't be making a full review of the camera, considering the internet is already flooded with so many reviews left right front and center. What I can do is to use the camera like a camera, take some meaningful photographs, and based on my experience using the OM-3 I shall share the things that I like and dislike about it. The OM-3 is just so good looking, it begs to be held, and it wants you to go out with it and get some shutter action. More to come, and I can't wait to share fresh images from the OM-3 and my experience with it. Stay tuned. 

Credibility is very important to me. After all, I do share a lot of reviews, opinion and thoughts on imaging products and photography in general over the years. Why would people come and read my blog, or watch my YouTube video if I don't have any credibility at all? That's why when my credibility was attacked recently, I had no choice but to defend myself - after all, without credibility, there really is no reason for me to be here. This was one of the rare cases where I did need to make a stand and throw some punches. 

Since I have got some nice magnetic filters to play with for a bit, I thought it would be fun to do some long exposure, slowing down the shutter speed, capturing some motion of the flowing water. I was at KL Birk Park (yes, again) to test another product which will be mentioned on another blog entry, but it was just the perfect place to shoot the fake, man-made waterfall. Many people would be quick to point out that the OM System OM-1 that I was shooting with has built in Live ND filter, a computational trick to simulate the effects of neutral density filters, but the limit is at ND64, or 6 stops exposure. It was barely enough to achieve the silky smooth water effect, which required ND1000 (10 stops) or more, so I snapped on the 10 Stops ND on the Jetmag Pro magnetic filter kit, used it on my Olympus 12-40mm PRO, and took some 2 seconds hand-held images. 

NiSi sent me their latest magnetic filter kit, the Jetmag Pro and I made a video to talk about its features and share my experience using them. You can check out the video here (click).  I must say I am very impressed with Jetmag Pro Magnetic filter kit, it is simply the best option available on the market right now, with such versatility, smart locking mechanism, stickability and excellent image quality. I personally think the filter system is very well thought out, and NiSi did a wonderful job in putting their feet in the shoes of a practicing photographer - solving the common issues and figuring out their needs. 

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.