Experimenting With Cheap Macro Setup - They Work Really Well!

I always say that you don't have to break the bank to enjoy photography, and that applies to insect macro photography too. Assuming you already have a basic setup, even an entry level camera with a kit lens, any brand will do, you just need to spend an additional USD100 to start enjoying macro shooting. The trick is to get extension tubes and a cheap flash. The extension tubes allows any lens, even the kit lens to go extremely close to the subject creating massive magnification, almost macro like. The flash helps light the subject, there are many cheap, powerful flash available now, though for cheaper options you may need to control the power manually, which honestly is not a bad thing - you get to pick up a new skill along the way. If you don't want to spend more for a dedicated ready made flash diffuser, go make yourself one, there are many DIY options available, a simple Google search will give you some ideas and directions. I made my first DIY diffuser long time ago from a shoebox! Stop making excuses, and start shooting! I made a video to talk about this topic here (click). 

Trying Out Taylor Swift's Favourite Vintage Art Filter on Olympus Cameras

Taylor Swift has been spotted using Olympus cameras over the years. In her Instagram posts, she specifically uses Olympus Vintage Art Filter I for her personal images. I thought it would be super fun to try out Taylor's favourite Art Filter doing a full street shooting session with it. I brought my Olympus E-M1 Mark II together with Olympus 25mm F1.8 and did a full shutter therapy session around Kuala Lumpur, shooting only with Vintage Art Filter, and the images shown in this blog entry were all straight out of camera. I also did a POV shooting sharing some tips on using Olympus Art Filter in my latest video here (click). 

This OneMoreShot SD Card Holder Is Awesome!

My friend Jon Low made a new SD Card holder, he named it OneMoreShot. I think the simple idea and design work so well as an always ready carry solution. He gave me two units to play around with, and I have been using them for more than 3 weeks now.  I got to say, I love how well it works, and I think photographers should consider this as a wearable solution to ensure you have a back up at all times! I made a video to talk about OneMoreShot, you can find it here (click). To purchase OneMoreShot, you can go to the official product's TikTok Shop here (click). 

Watch Out, Here Comes A Street Photographer in Malaysia!

I find it amusing that people think those photo touts (as I have mentioned in my previous blog entry) are anything new. They have been around for so long, and the authorities have been battling them, you can easily find news coverage on this topic by Googling "photo touts Malaysia", you can find hundreds of matches dating years back. It is just strange that suddenly this made headlines in news portals outside of Malaysia, suddenly claiming that these are "street photographers" that the government has deemed illegal and tried to crack down in recent times. No, these photo touts are nasty, they deserved the harshest punishment possible and I am glad the authorities are stepping up their enforcement. However, myself and many street photographers out there, we still love to do what we do, and this news causing so much confusion had nothing to do with street photography!

Photo Touts Mislabelled As Street Photographers in Malaysia

In recent news, it is reported that the authorities are clamping down hard on street photographers in Malaysia. At a glance, it seems like street photography is now banned in the country. However, that is not true, what the news reports were referring to were not street photographers, but photo touts. It is quite sad to watch how poor journalism and classic misreporting has caused so much confusion and misinformed the public about what street photographers actually do. No, it is still perfectly legal and safe to practice street photography in Malaysia. I have also made a video to talk about this topic, you can see it here (click). 

Casual Stroll Along Jalan Masjid India With Olympus E-M5

When Peter Forsgard asked me where would be a good spot to both film a video together and do some street photography, I immediately suggested Masjid Jamek area (downtown Kuala Lumpur). In early mornings, there are quiet spots along the back streets so we can film our conversation without worrying about excessive background city noise. Also, the whole area is very vibrant, people there are friendly, just the right place to do some shutter therapy. Peter interviewed me about shutter therapy while filming me in action, doing my thing on the street. You can watch behind the scenes video of me in action on Peter's YouTube video here (click). I am sharing the images I have captured that day here, all shot on Olympus OM-D E-M5 and M.Zuiko 25mm F1.8 lens. 

Bird Park Adventures with Olympus 50-200mm F2.8-3.5 on OM System OM-1

Since I have recently acquired the old Olympus 50-200mm F2.8-3.5 lens at a bargain, I have been itching to test the optical performance of the lens. I did some tennis shooting previously, but that was not the right place to test the lens image output. To push the lens to the limits, I brought it to the Kuala Lumpur Bird Park and did some close up portraits of the birds there. I think the birds have missed me, so a visit was necessary. The lens performed admirably, resolving plenty of fine details, excellent contrast and the sharpness was already so good even shooting at wide open. For a fraction of the cost of what the new OM System 50-200mm PRO is asking for, there really is nothing much to complain about the old Olympus 50-200mm F2.8-3.5 lens. It may not outperform the new lens in any way (lacking image stabilization built in, internal zoom or constant aperture, for example) but it sure can deliver beautiful results! I did a POV video shooting at the KL Bird Park, you can find the video here (click). 

I Was Featured On Peter Forsgard's YouTube!

Peter Forsgard was here in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for the Kuala Lumpur Photography Workshop that I did together with him and Matti, so I thought it would be really great to do some street photography together. This time, instead of me interviewing Peter like what I did in my last blog article, I was actually being interviewed instead by Peter. The topic was about Shutter Therapy - how I came up with the phrase and what it meant for me. I guess by now, if you have been following this blog for some time, you would know what shutter therapy is, and I foresee myself doing it for a long period of time! It was really fun hanging out with Peter, he even said that Kuala Lumpur has become his top favorite city for street photography! I hope he comes back to KL soon, and do check out the video that Peter did, about me and Shutter Therapy, and he also shot plenty of footage capturing me shooting in action behind the scenes! Check out Peter's video here (click). All images in this blog are screenshots from Peter's video, used with permission. 

PETER FORSGARD - FROM SNAPSHOTS TO STORIES

I managed to catch Peter Forsgard while he was here in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and did a video interview with him about his recently published street photography book titled "From Snapshots to Stories". We had a coffee sit down session in a local cafe, and the interview went on for about an hour. Peter shared about the inspiration behind the making of the book, the writing process and who the book was written for. He also shared some interesting challenges he faced while publishing the book. The book consists of a wide array of street photography topics - various shooting techniques, documentary vs artistic approaches, the thought process behind images, diving deeper into understanding the key visual elements of photography, ethics of street shooting and many more!  I have personally read the book, and I can highly recommend it to anyone seeking to improve their street photography game. Watch the video interview here (click). You can buy Peter's book here and here. 

Olympus E-M5 Original - Still So Awesome After All This Time!

Olympus OM-D E-M5 was released in the year 2012 and I think it was one of the most historically significant cameras for Olympus in the modern day digital era. Not only it revolutionized mirrorless cameras, the E-M5 Original has a magical charm that is difficult to replicate in other cameras. Even after all this time, using the E-M5 for my shutter therapy session recently in Kuala Lumpur, it is still such a wonderful camera to shoot with - it has decent image output, fast AF, good handling and ergonomics, 5-Axis Image Stabilization and all that made into a small, compact form body that looks super stylish. I hope OM Digital Solutions can recapture this charm in their next releases. I also made a POV video for my street shooting session, you can view it here (click). 

Dining At Park Lounge on 75th Floor of Merdeka 118 Tower

Gregory, a participant of my Kuala Lumpur Street Photography Workshop invited me for lunch with him at Park Lounge restaurant on the 75th floor of Merdeka 118 Tower. Not only was it my first time dining in a restaurant elevated so high above the ground level, but it was also my first time stepping foot into the iconic Merdeka 118, the second tallest building in the world! It was quite an experience dining at Park Lounge - the food was excellent, restaurant service was exceptional, such beautiful views of KL from 7th floor and the experience could not have been better shared with incredible friends. Matti Sulanto, one of my partners for the workshop was also there. I made a vlog to commemorate this, you can watch it here (click). 

SONY R1 - Unconventional Retro Innovation, None Like It!

I found this really cool Sony R1 from 2002 and I got to say, Sony made really cool cameras back in the day. They dared to be different and innovate their cameras, pushing boundaries and pushing the development ahead. The Sony R1 was the first large-sized sensor format camera (APS-C) to feature Live View, something that was unconventional at the earlier days of DSLR. It also features electronic instead of optical viewfinder. Perhaps the weirdest thing on the Sony R1 was the top mounted tiltable LCD screen, which works in some situations, but definitely not for high angle shooting. Having large sized 10MP APS-C sensor and bright zoom lens, this "prosumer" grade camera not only has a clear advantage over smaller sensor advanced compacts at that time, but it also challenges entry level DSLRs, with a strong proposition of built in lens with longer reach and brighter aperture compared to most kit lenses bundled with entry level DSLRs. I made a video to talk about this here (click). 

Going Monochrome With Panasonic GF7

I have mentioned several times about me disliking the color rendition from Panasonic cameras, but that does not mean I cannot enjoy using them shooting in black and white instead. That was exactly what I did recently with the Panasonic GF7 and pairing it with the Olympus 25mm F1.8, I did some street shooting purely in black and white. I also made a video to show the POV of this session and shared my personal reasons on why I love shooting with smaller cameras for street photography. You can check out my latest video here (click). Black and white was so much fun, I should do this more!