Moving On, And MORE Shutter Therapy

30 Comments
A lot of people have been asking me, so how is life after Olympus? What is next?

Honestly, I have taken a short break from everything for a while, to refresh myself, and to reorganize my life. My priority was fixing my sleep patterns, eating habits, sorting out plans for income generation since I do not have a full time employment now, and of course, focus more on photography growth.

What better time to focus on repairing my health than now, since I have the flexibility to do it, by having at least 8 hours of sleep daily, going to bed and waking up at consistent hours, eating more healthily, avoiding quick meals and convenient lunches that I have had so often for the past several years.

Mum visited last weekend, for the first time, in Kuala Lumpur, since I have worked here many years ago, and I spent the whole weekend with her.

Do not worry, I have not forgotten about this blog. Far from it actually. Oh I have such huge plans! And as I mentioned, all will be revealed soon. Just give me a bit more time to work out some kinks and finalize the preparations, before the official launch.

I have been busy shooting as well, both for myself, as well as taking in some paid assignment, just to keep some money flowing in.

Life in Olympus Malaysia was fantastic, but that life has come to an end, and it is time to move on.





Oh, and what was this rumor about me joining Sony?

Yeap, I have been following the discussion over at DPReview forums about my departure from Olympus, and boy there were some wild theories flying around. The craziest ones speculated were me being hooked over by Sony (weirdly, I did wish this happened, though whether I would say yes or not, is another thing), I was mistreated in Olympus, being underpaid, and there was some internal conflict. I have to admit, reading those speculations and guesses was quite entertaining! Of course, none of the theories were true, except.... one. Someone actually nailed something right. I will not reveal at this point what that was, but I was shocked, and pleased to know that people actually can be quite perceptive.

And come on, nothing sour or bad happened between me and Olympus, I was a huge fan before joining the company, I believed in the system and fought for Olympus the best I could, contributing positively during my time with them, and now I have left, I am still an Olympus fan. My opinion about the Micro Four Thirds system has not changed.  For my latest shutter therapy session, I used the sexy looking Olympus PEN E-P5 and my current favourite lenses for street photography, Panasonic 14mm F2.5 and Olympus M.Zuiko lenses, 25mm F1.8 and 45mm f1.8.


Close Your Eyes

Colleagues

Engineers

Dress Code

Shoes

Father and Son

I think my style of street photography is very reactive. From my personal observations, I found that I have always been seeking for something to happen, waiting for an action or interesting moment, and I would react to that opportunity with the camera. I believe this keeps things fresh and exciting every single time I hit the street, though walking along the same streets again and again but subjects were always changing, and there can be no similar moments happening twice. 

Being reactive depends largely on how fast you can respond to a scene. Half a second too late, and you miss the shot. Two extremely important contributing factor to consider here, to nail that split second shot: 1) The speed of your camera/lens combo and 2) your own speed/reaction time. 

I rely on autofocus, and I use longer focal lengths which render zone focusing impractical. I need a camera system that instantaneously respond as I clicked the shutter button, so far OM-D/PEN cameras from Olympus (latest generation of course, I am not talking about E-P1 or E-PL1 from dinosaur years ago) did the job splendidly. 

Even if you have the fastest camera in the world, if you are not quick enough to move yourself to a good shooting position and work yourself through the camera to get the shot, you will still miss the opportunity. Know your camera. Spend lots and lots of time with it, know the settings inside out, know the behaviour and how to get the best out of it. Then shoot and shoot and shoot. The more you are out there shooting the faster you get and the higher chance of you nailing the shot. 

Holding Hands

Fly

Meow

Heads

I think phones should be banned for pedestrians as well. 

Textiles

Blue vs Yellow

The Twin Towers

It feels so good to finally have time to shoot and write again. Having shutter therapy makes a very happy Robin. 

There will be a collective exhibition by local photographers, and I intend to visit the exhibition venue tomorrow. 

Have you guys been shooting lately?



30 comments:

  1. Hi Robin, good to read about the positive changes that happened in your life. Camera systems are not key to photography, the human eye is. Keep well and Enjoy life.

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    1. Thanks Adrian! Indeed, gear should not be over-emphasized, we should focus more on our artistic vision!

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  3. I dont know why your pictures are always so SHARP. Any post editing ? Can't wait for you to join FUJI and write lots of reviews. I follow the shutterbug for his photography style not the brand of his gear !!

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    1. Hey Simon, they 2 most important things to consider while shooting to guarantee sharp photos, are getting rid of camera shake, and making sure the photos are critically in accurate focus. Most people did not pay attention to these factors, using too slow of a shutter speed and having even slightly out of focus images, hence the result is not as sharp. Hope that helps.

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    2. Just curious, what kind of autofocus mode you prevalently shoot with, with you OMD? Like, do you keep the focus on the center spot and then reframe or let the camera choose the focus area? How big is the focus area you usually use, etc? Thanks of any answer and, please, keep up with your great work on this blog.

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  4. "Someone actually nailed something right. I will not reveal at this point what that was, but I was shocked, and pleased to know that people actually can be quite perceptive"

    Can't wait for the "Big Reveal" ;)

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    1. Hah, the reveal will definitely come. Stay tuned!

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  5. These shots show such celebration and fun. Maybe it shows a release and new freew

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    1. Hey Ananda, my shots always show the brighter side of human emotions! After all, I am drawn to the joyful smiles and playful innocence of younger children. Hence the subjects shot in my frames.

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  6. Hey Robin wish you luck, by the way you should update your youtube channel;)

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    1. Hey andrenj1970, thanks! Youtube takes so much work! But I shall try my best.

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    2. bye the way Robin check out my site ;) Anybody can tell when I left Canon for micro 4/3 ?: https://fineartamerica.com/profiles/andre-vernacchia

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  7. I admire the positivity your blog (and probably your person) radiates. Whatever you're going to do, keep that up! It's inspiring!

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    1. Thanks Jochem! I believe it is crucial to stay positive always, regardless of the situation we are in. Positive minds create positive results!

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  8. Very positive blog Robin, welcome back.

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  9. "Have you guys been shooting lately?"

    Yes, always! :-) Here are some shots from last week, no flash. Using a light from the street.

    http://raist3d.typepad.com/files/talkingtoheadphonesp1060050.jpg
    http://raist3d.typepad.com/files/p10600822017-ricardo-hernandez-machado.jpg
    http://raist3d.typepad.com/files/p10605012017-ricardo-hernandez-machado.jpg

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  10. Random comment - is the difference between the pen e-p5 and its 5 axis stabilisation significantly better than the e-pl7 at slow shutter speeds?

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    1. E-PL7 does not have 5-Axis IS. It has 3-Axis IS. Therefore, the E-P5's 5-Axis IS is definitely superior.

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  11. Thanks for all your help - I used your information to buy & set up my EM-1 & use all the lenses you mentioned in this recent posting.

    Question: With the EM-1 mark 1, I have been unable to find out how well the lens-based image stabilization works with the new Olympus stabilized lenses and the EM-1, mark 1. I know they do sinc with the internal system, but is this does work not as well as it does in the newer EM-1 mark 2?

    Thanks and I look forward to your KL work - perhaps with Ming!

    Chris

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    1. Hey Chris,
      E-M1 Mark I works perfectly syncing with the image stabilization of lenses with IS, the only difference with E-M1 Mark II, is that E-M1 Mark II is about one stop more stabilized than the E-M1 Mark I, that's all. I have personally used the 300mm F4 IS PRO and 12-100mm F4 IS PRO on the E-M1 Mark I and both lenses performed well.

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    2. Thanks Robin -
      This is the first confirmation of what I suspected - You are so knowledgeable - thanks so much!

      Chris in Wisconsin, USA

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  12. Pleased to see this entry, Robin. Back on the street and shooting. Somebody else mentioned your photos here looked different, more cheerful perhaps? I thought they looked a bit different, too. Probably my imagination. Just happy to see more from you and looking forward to your next venture. Good luck and May God bless!

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  13. Hey Robin,

    Great pictures as always. I love your colors.
    As for your future stuff my guess is MT's reviews. Hopefully I'm right :)

    Greetings from Czech Republic

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  14. Great to see some more of your street photography Robin. I have spent time in KL before and your images of people on the streets reminds me of the times there. Keep up the shutter therapy...Thanks.

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  15. Hi Robin,
    shutter theray always helps. Can't wait to see your next step!
    Best wishes,
    R

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  16. Hello Robin, I am writing from Peru, in South America. I just bought an OMD M10 Mark II and your photos and advice are a great inspiration. Luck with your new ventures and continue with this beautiful blog.

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  17. Hi Robin and greetings from the Uk.
    Ive been an avid follower of your blog for sometime now, and have just become the proud owner of a new em10 mk2 largely due to your excellent work. what a fantastic piece of kit, and it reminds me of my old OM1 (which i still use regularly too). I'd like to wish you all the best for your new venture whatever it may be, and am looking forward to the 'big reveal' with interest. I hope you do as well in that as you did at Olympus.

    keep up the great work.
    regards
    Mike

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