» Olympus

Today’s DCM/MPH Workshop Walkabout Shots

admin — Sat, 17 Jul 2010 16:40:56 +0000

As promised to all my workshop attendees today, here are my 9 shots from today’s 30min walkabout session. I gotta set an example to shoot together with the rest too, and it was fun. I believe some probably “hate” me after my photo critique session today, so do feel free to “whack” me here. My shots aren’t perfect, many still have “flaws”… we all learn together, and the most important thing is to have fun!

Photography is very individualistic, so stay that way. Don’t give up just because someone pass a negative criticism and hurt you, ok? To open up your works for critique is to give yourself a chance to see what others see and feel about your works. You may not agree with them all BUT it definitely matures you and makes you grow.

Some technical info: All of the following shots are shot with the E-PL1 with VF-2 attached for easy manual focusing, using the old silver nose OM Zuiko 50mm F1.4 lens. Most of the shots are stopped down to F8.

Pinhole Art Filter

Grainy Film Art Filter

Diorama Art Filter. Robin Wong, robinwong.blogspot.com

Diorama Art Filter

Upcoming Olympus Talks and Workshops

admin — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 10:18:55 +0000

Just some info on where to catch me in case you are not following Olympus Malaysia’s Facebook.

1. In 2 days’ time, I’ll be speaking at the 1-Utama Shopping Centre MPH bookstore, click HERE to find out more. This is for people who are interested in the PEN and those who need questions on which camera to buy to begin in photography. There will be PEN sets for loan to try out.

2. 8 MORE DAYS to sign up! The second Olympus workshop in 2010 is targeted at the PEN users, BUT all can join. Canon and Nikon users are encouraged to join too to discover the PEN and also for an enriching session of Pasar Malam Street Shoot with a Photo Critique Session (if weather permits). Click HERE to find out more.

As for those up North in Malaysia, keep 9 Aug FREE as there will be a workshop in Penang. More details will be updated in Olympus Facebook Page soon.

My First Experience with Urbanscapes 2010

admin — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 17:21:32 +0000

I have had a busy week so this post is kinda 2 weeks late… so sorry… here are my E-PL1 ART FILTER shots of the event. For those who missed this event, remember to look out for it next year! If you are a ART lover, you would definitely love it!

It’s an annual BIG gathering of Artistic Talents! We have had great music, great Art Works and even Tribute Screening of the late Yasmin Ahmad’s films! I did not have the time to really enjoy the event as I was “working” with Olympus… … so these are the limited shots I did for the day. All images are either done in Pinhole, Grainy Film B&W or Diorama Art Filter. No further post-processing has been done. Enjoy…

Urbanscapes 2010, Olympus Photo Walkabouts

admin — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 06:51:21 +0000

Can everyone shoot artistic images??? With a camera like the PEN, almost!

Though I have been teaching photography for a while now, I find that there’s just one thing that can’t really be imparted: how to see artistically!

But with the latest technology, digital cameras like the Olympus PEN series which produces fantastic jpegs straight out of camera, and with the additional in-camera Art Filters… … shooting ARTS straight out of a small and portable interchangeable lens camera has never been so easy before!

I have the images to prove you here. Not all are excellent but most are impressive! These are ALL the images from the participants of the 3 sessions of Olympus Photo Walkabouts on Sat, 26 June, Urbanscapes at KLPAC!

The shots are mostly shot with E-P1, some brought their own PEN, and only Art Filters are used.

Guess who are the 6 winners? (if you do not already know…) Click and enlarge the individual images, put in your comment if you wish.

Judging was based on the public’s votes and 3 judges: the Urbanscape organiser, our Olympus GM Kee Nyap and myself. (Not all the winners’ shots are among my personal 6 favourites… so judging was fair… :p)

Lowlight Shooting with Olympus E-PL1

admin — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 16:58:34 +0000

The following shots are done at the last Olympus workshop which I conducted. Location is Chow Yang Pasar Malam. Many of us are impressed with the high ISO performance by the Olympus E-PL1. Shots are all done in P mode with auto ISO and many of the shots are at ISO1600. It’s a truly enjoyable camera to use! These are some of my favourite shots:

Best Mode of Transport

Medicine Man

Pink Theme

Resting

Underaged Drivers?

DVD Seller

Cheap Wardrobe

Look Out for our next workshop! Join us and have fun while learning something valuable!

My Olympus E-PL1 Workflow and Re-Review

admin — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 13:09:10 +0000

Okay, as promised in my previous post, you shall see my crappy shots in this post. Again, I seriously think my shots aren’t half as good as some of those Olympus Brand Store Guys. But, still I really enjoyed the shooting session with the whole bunch of them. Join me for photography workshop in future. It’s fun!

I have been getting quite a number of questions emailed to me regarding the use of the Olympus digital PEN E-P1/2/L1… so I’ve decided to list down here how I usually “manage” the camera.

1. I shoot in P mode when I just wanna concentrate on getting the shot, the expression, the action, irregardless of the depth-of-field. In fact, I want a deeper depth-of-field in order to quickly capture a moment, minimizing the risk of getting things out-of-focus. “F8 and be there.” Like Weegee said.

2. Using the camera in P mode when there’s sufficient light, i.e. when ISO does not automatically go up to 1600 with corresponding aperture of F3.5-5.6 for the kit lens is fine for the “F8 and be there concept”. Yes, I use Auto-ISO too. Sometimes, when I want more control, I will set the ISO manually.

But for lowlight usage, WATCH your shutter speed. Even with the Image Stabilization (IS) ON, a slow shutter speed CANNOT freeze action. Image Stabilization helps to capture non-moving subjects in sharpness when shutter speed is slow.

3. To speed up the camera, I always TURN OFF the automatic preview on my LCD and use my camera in Sequential Shooting Mode. To capture a certain action, I usually shoot 2-3 frames to get the best shapes and forms. I also hardly “chimp”, i.e. look at previews when I shoot. I don’t wanna lose a moment while “chimping”!

4. In my personal opinion and experience with different brands of digital cameras, I found out that Olympus’s RAW files are not all that “tweakable” as compared to the other brands. I figured out that since I am not getting a whole lot more from it’s RAW files, unlike the Canons or Nikons where the tolerance can go as far as 3-4 stops, I’d rather shoot Olympus JPEGs. I also figured out that the Normal JPEGs are good enough for me for general usage as I find no visible difference comparing them to the Fine JPEGs.

However, if I need to use the camera to shoot any stuff that’s exceptionally important, I will still shoot RAW, more for my mental and emotional consolation. Olympus’s JPEGs are about the BEST you can find in the world. The only other brands which I think can come close to it are Leica and maybe Pentax. Okay, I know I may sound subjective, but look at the skin tones! Any colors on any inanimate objects can lie BUT skin colors DON’T LIE! (If you still disagree with me, okay.. it’s my personal taste, alright?)

5. The E-PL1 has much lesser noise at high ISOs as compared to the E-P1 and E-P2, so I am more confident using it at ISO1600-3200.

6. According to Steve Huff’s review, he complained that the movie-record button on the E-PL1′s back can be easily and accidentally depressed BUT I have since found out that it only takes less than 5 steps to OFF the switch permanently in the menu system! No Issue At All! Just OFF it and use the same shutter button for recording video and stills. (Menu-Button-oFunction-Off)

7. I shoot in A mode when I wanna shoot at specific apertures to achieve the depth-of-field I want.

8. I prefer P mode over the E-PL1′s i-auto mode as I don’t like the i-enhance to be always ON as it does in the i-auto mode. Personal preference.

9. Generally, Olympus JPEGs can be a little under-exposed. So some brightening is usually necessary at post-processing. Or for the E-PL1 users, you can choose to use it’s Live Guide, which is “idiot-proof”. If you know digital cameras, a little under-exposed is definitely better than over-exposed as burnt highlights in digital files can never be restored.

10. When using the Pin-hole Art Filter, images may seem a little under-exposed too, so some brightening at post-processing stage will be good.

11. When using the Grainy B&W Art Filter, avoid high contrast scenes as highlights can easily be washed out!

12. If you are a fervent Art Filter Fan, I suggest you shoot RAW and choose your desired Art Filter in Olympus Software afterwards so you can enjoy shooting without having to wait for the “almost forever” in-camera Art Filter processing. Those few seconds can mean eternity when you are out there.

Okay, finally, there’s ONE THING I hate about the E-PL1!

It DOES NOT HAVE AN ORIENTATION SENSOR! Which means, I have to manually rotate all my vertical shots! Olympus, is it that expensive to have this included in the E-PL1? This should already be the norm among all digital cameras of year 2010!

Here are my shots from the street shoot, constructive comments are welcomed!

Drying her hair by the roadside, hip shot.

Pinhole Art Filter Effect

Prostitute outside motel entrance, hip shot. I forgot to watch my shutter speed!

panned shot of man walking past

HOT!

Fierce! Hip Shot.

Pin Hole Art Filter

Travelling

My small reflection in-between.

Beggar

Security Guard

Summon!

Diorama Art Filter

Pop Art Filter, shot by manually focusing till patterns appear

The following are two shots by the NEW 9-18mm M-Zuiko Lens. This is such a small, compact and sharp lens with good close focusing distance! It’s in stock!

Shot with NEW 9-18mm M-Zuiko Lens

Another shot by the NEW 9-18mm M-Zuiko Lens

Lastly, the bunch of Olympus PEN Street Shooters! Shot by a stranger. Isn’t it great to have an “idiot-proof” camera for a stranger to hold? I’m sure the in-camera IS helped. LOL…

Malaysia Olympus Brand Store Street Shooters!

Related Posts:

1. BEST Street Photography Machine

2. Photo-enthusiasts ROCKS!

3. The Power of Small Cameras

4. E-PL1 Review

5. More about the E-PL1

The (one of the) “BEST” Street Photography Machine Ever Made!

admin — Mon, 31 May 2010 19:41:50 +0000

I am very sorry for the overdue updates to this site due to my busy schedule lately. I actually have the images of the “Mom and Baby Fair” photo kiosk shoots that are yet to be posted… followed by some of the images of last week’s workshop’s night street shoot… and etc..

Not too long ago at Olympus, we had a workshop training with the staff of the newly setup Olympus Brand Store at Mid Valley Shopping Centre Unit #LG068. There were a total of 8 participants and we had a street shooting session at Petaling Street, each holding a Olympus PEN E-P1 with the 14-42mm kit lens. I was using the Olympus PEN E-PL1 with the kit lens.

As I have always said, Images That Speak! Let the images do the talking. Now, let’s see some of these amazing shots and you tell me, is the Olympus digital PEN one of the BEST street photography machine ever made?

Yes, I know… the person behind the camera plays the Major Role in seeing and capturing the images, but we absolutely can’t deny that the Olympus PEN indeed helped us so much in getting what we want! It was a truly enjoyable and memorable street shooting session we had with the digital PEN!

And do you know? It’s not the first time I encounter in my teaching that a student with the least knowledge in photography actually produces the best shots! This is enlightening! If you have been a photographer for many years and if you call yourself a “PRO”, you really ought to think along with me, why does this actually happen, I am saying, a person who knows nuts about photography, takes up a camera and produces a higher amount of keeper shots as compared to someone who’s actually trained in aperture and shutter speed.

The question is, “Are we all too bothered with what white balance to set, which shutter speed to use, which focal length is best, what aperture is better… etc… OR are we more concerned of getting that expression, getting that “look” we saw, getting the moment?”

The following are the selected shots by the 8 participants.

NONE of the pictures are cropped. Only slight brightening is applied to some of the color shots. If you are a PRO who often crops your own shots during post-processing, you ought to be ashamed. All of them are staff in the Olympus Brand Store and they are not PROs. They are not even frequent shooters! Due to the large amount of pics in this post, I shall feature my own shots in a separate post. I seriously don’t think I got better shots than some of these here.

Enjoy!

Grainy B&W Art Filter in E-P1

Pinhole Art Filter in E-P1

Grainy B&W Art Filter in E-P1

Sleeping Guard

Foreign Worker

Asking directions from a monk?

Grainy B&W Art Filter in E-P1

Grainy B&W Art Filter in E-P1, same sleeping guard from another point of view.

Grainy B&W Art Filter in E-P1, I like the tension in this shot.

Pop Art Filter in E-P1

Related Posts:

1. Photo-enthusiasts ROCKS!

2. The Power of Small Cameras

3. Olympus E-P1 Review

4. Olympus E-P2 Review

5. Olympus E-PL1 Review

1st Photography Workshop 2010

admin — Sat, 22 May 2010 10:09:31 +0000

In partnership with Olympus Malaysia, I’ll be conducting my 1st workshop on 27 May 2010, Thursday evening. This is a comprehensive workshop organized by Olympus Malaysia and it’s open to both Olympus users and Non-Olympus users. Location will be at my studio in Petaling Jaya. The exciting thing about this workshop is we’ll all be going out for a Pasar Malam Night Shoot together and review the pictures after that! (If weather permits) This short 4-hour workshop is gonna cover the basic handling of your camera, practical shooting tips, basic artistic expressions and going beyond making ordinary pictures. I will also be answering all your questions and doing a photo critique. Charges are made very much affordable by Olympus. Please CLICK HERE for more information and to register.

Who Says You Can’t Shoot Streets With A Telephoto?

admin — Tue, 18 May 2010 19:14:50 +0000

I hardly promote anyone in any of my posts and have never just write a post directly referring you to another blog post or source for reading. But here is ONE I think really deserves it!

I can’t help but to share with you how Robin, my friend has handled the Olympus 70-300mm F4-5.6 lens so well FOR STREET PHOTOGRAPHY! Mind you, it’s NO F2.8 super-professional-expensive-fast-nano-aspherical-weatherproof-whatever lens we are talking about here! Guys and gals, we ought to be ashamed of ourselves if we shoot crap with the Leicas or big Nikons/Canons/what-nought…

Photography is from the heart and from the heart comes the CONTENT! Junk IN-Junk OUT. Shame to all those who only know how to shoot F2.8 bokeh shots of pretty girls on the streets and call that street photography. I am no fan of those shots. I like COMPELLING IMAGES!

CUT the talking, SEE IT HERE: ROBIN WONG

“Photograph Your Child” Talk on 8 May

admin — Wed, 05 May 2010 11:20:45 +0000

A shot captured spontaneously in my everyday life

I have been invited by Olympus Malaysia to give a short talk on “Photographing Your Child” on this Saturday, 8 May 2010, 4pm at Mid Valley Exhibition Centre, Kuala Lumpur. So, do drop by if you are interested. For more details, please refer to the image below:

We are also having a photography booth for babies and children at the event from 7 to 9 May. Do look out for the Olympus Booth! Bring your child, or somebody else’s child… … hahaha… and enjoy a photography session with me! And don’t forget… there shall be some good deals on Olympus’s compacts and PENs too.