ROBIN WONG

I have been getting an influx of paid shoots recently, and the calendar is getting filled fast, at least for the coming several months. Thankfully I have also piled up on my content buffer for YouTube, with some free time I had previously, I had as many as 8 videos stacked in the pipeline to be released one by one for the coming weeks. It is not easy being a YouTuber, as we adhere to consistency, we do need to continue pumping up comments to please the algorithm. Being a freelance photographer, honestly I cannot predict my work schedule, I can be free for the entire two week stretch, or I will be fully booked with back to back shoots. Either way, having more jobs is better than none at all, so I should not be complaining. 

Viltrox is releasing their 40mm F2.5 soon (I am not sure when the exact date is at the moment) at the price of USD158. This is the second lens in their budget primes line up, after the first Viltrox 20mm F2.8. They both look very similar, and have similar price tag too. I am privileged to get an advanced copy for review purposes, and I took the lens out for some street photography action. I have made a video review if you prefer to watch in video format (here). I am sharing my thoughts after having used the Viltrox 40mm F2.5 on the streets quite extensively. 

I have started doing Live Streaming on YouTube about more than half a year ago, regularly on my channel, typically on Thursday night 10pm, Malaysian time. I have written before about my intentions why I started Live Streaming, the challenges that I faced and how I worked around them, you can find my previous articles here and here. Since my last update more than 3 months ago, there has been some small changes which I do want to explore and talk about in this blog. It has been quite fulfilling being able to reach about 150-200 people concurrently during a live session, and throughout the entire stream, thousands of people. My Live Stream is definitely a work in progress, so from time to time it is important to sit down, reelect and make adjustments for further improvements. 

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri to all my Muslim friends who are celebrating this incredibly beautiful festival. Maaf Zahir dan Batin. 

My friends and I decided to take a short evening walk along Kampung Baru, a Malay village settlement located right smacked in the middle of the city, just adjacent to the metropolitan Kuala Lumpur City Center. This is also my frequent street hunting grounds. Our primary objective was just to observe the festive celebrations by the residents there and document whatever we can, without being intrusive. Everyone in Kampung Baru was super joyous. I brought along the Olympus OM-D E-M1 and M.Zuiko 25mm F1.8, which is the perfect combo for this photowalk. I captured a mix of the surrounding environment, with human elements in the frames. The cloudy weather added to the overall atmosphere, and made the walk a little more bearable, as we have had quite a bad heat wave hitting Malaysia in the past several weeks. 

Hari Raya Aidilfitri is the largest festive celebration in Malaysia. Though Eid is a Muslim celebration, we do it with our own style here. Everyone dressed up in traditional costumes and looked their best for the festive days. They will visit each other's houses, all prepared with scrumptious feasts. We even got invited to one of the houses for a feast! Unfortunately, the invite came at the start of our walk, so we wanted to explore the area and have some shutter action first before sitting down for dinner. It was a pleasant walk, and definitely invoked some nostalgia in me, as me and my friends back in my high school days, used to visit Malay Muslim friends during Raya too. Such good, old times. 

Here are some of my curated shots (cut down to 10), Raya at Kampung Baru 2024. 

I remember when the Olympus OM-D E-M5 original was launched in 2012, I thought there was no other camera like it. The E-M5 Original showed the world that a compact sized mirrorless camera can be used in a professional shooting environment - the camera was solidly built with magnesium alloy construction, sealed against splash and dust, has ultra-fast and reliable AF system, has a viewfinder built in, featured new 16MP image sensor that has dramatically improved resolution, dynamic range and high ISO performance in comparison to predecessors, and the camera also introduced 5-Axis Image Stabilization, which is staple in every single flagship camera from any brand today. The E-M5 original was ahead of its time, it became the default blueprint of how to make a good mirrorless camera for everyone. I revisited the E-M5 original, took it out for some shutter therapy action, and I shared my thoughts on how OM Digital Solutions can recapture the magic of the E-M5 original in my latest video (click here). Micro Four Thirds was the pioneer and leader that spearheaded the mirrorless revolution, I think they can do it again.