ROBIN WONG

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). 

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). 

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). 

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!

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). 

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. 

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).