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One of my favourite things to do on the street is to shoot portraits of strangers. I have been asked too often the techniques I used to approach random people and get friendly looking shots. I have also repeatedly answered that I did not have any secrets or techniques, I just walked up to people and took their photographs. With consent? Definitely, else their facial expression would look very differently. Yet people have difficulties believing that I have no other ways to making my portrait of strangers shots. And believe it or not, even cats come to me and pose willingly for my shots. I have friends who have followed me around to testify. Photo credit:  Matti Sulanto Here is what matters: show yourself, don't hide and pretend like you are invisible and sneak around like a thief or someone suspicious. As stealthy or invisible as you would like to think you are, people can see you with your camera. Present yourself as a human being, show respect and kindness, and prove that you are ...

If you are a photographer then you will definitely want to check out the upcoming Obscura Festival of Photography in Penang, Malaysia on 25 to 31 August 2018. The festival is the place to be deeply immersed with anything and everything photography related, with highlights including print exhibitions, photo sharing sessions, photo books and mixed media presentations spanning 5 separate venues by 22 artists. All images & captions by Tang Chun Cheuh . Used with permission.  Masterclass with Maggie Steber Malaysia may seem to be a little bit off the epicenter of all photography happenings (eg, Photokina in Germany, CES in Las Vegas and CP+ in Japan) but we are not completely out of touch. Myself and Ming Thein are actively shooting, writing and sharing our passion in photography through our blogs. We also have international level photography events happening in Malaysia, and one of them is the Obscura Festival, which is running its 6th iteration this year. The founder and director ...

It was rather disappointing that there was no dedicated black and white mode utilizing the one camera that has only black and white image sensor on the earlier camera app on the Motorola G5S Plus. One of the perks of having dual camera is the advantage of a true monochrome image sensor in one of the modules. In Motorola's latest firmware update, the "True B&W" mode was added, finally, after relentless requests from their fanbase. I have just discovered this mode last night (pardon me, for I only use smartphone camera for my daily casual snaps), and can't wait to bring the new monochrome mode out for a spin. My previous experience with multiple Huawei dual camera iterations (P9, Mate 9 Pro, P10) has been positive when it comes to monochrome shooting using the dedicated black and white image sensor. I may not necessarily expect similar performance on the budget-friendly Motorola option, but I am very curious on how Motorola renders monochrome results. Lets hope the ...

Recently I conducted a new photography workshop for Olympus Malaysia, dealing with casual and lifestyle product and food shots. In that workshop I have shared several interesting tips and the one that got everyone chuckled in disbelief was this particular figurine shot in a simple plain white background with side lighting. When I revealed that the shot was nothing more than a simple, straight to the point image taken on a white chair by the window with no other tricks, I could hear some people gasped. I think improvisation is important. Of course it would have been better if there was a proper studio setup with professionally done background and wireless flash or strobes for better control of light and a more polished finish. If you are a working professional photographer you do what you have to do to get the shot. However, I was not speaking to a crowd of pro photographers. I was speaking to hobbyists, amateurs and also social media users, who were looking to improve their shots. Simp...

To all my fellow Muslim readers here and also on Ming Thein's site, I wish you Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri, Maaf Zahir dan Batin!  May you eat all the awesome festive food and have joyous time with family, relatives and friends in this auspicious celebration. I can't wait to feast on the ketupats and rendangs! Here is a portrait of me in a loose baju melayu to hide my ever expanding tummy. Image credit: Robert Evangelista Photo taken with Olympus PEN-F and M.Zuiko 75mm F1.8

An excerpt from a recent conversation with a friend. "Whatever happens, will happen. At the meantime, we do the best we can. Some things are beyond our control. But... we can surely eat MORE BURGERS!" Chicken and Egg Confusion - Myburgerlab, Mytown Image shot with Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II and 12-40mm F2.8 PRO lens. 

If you have been following my writing over the years you would probably have come across me voicing my disapproval on photography contests in general. I believe photography is a personal journey that should not be made into a competitive sport, stroking ego and glorifying stereotypical approach and styles. However, I also believe that if done correctly, photography contests can be a great platform to create awareness and draw a crowd for a good cause. My photographer friend Sanjitpaal Singh is co-organizing a currently open "The Ocean's Story Photography Competition 2018" , and he is also the chief judge for the contest. Sanjit in action, in his natural habitat shooting wildlife somewhere deep, deep, deeeeeeep inside the rainforest. Photo by Sanjitpaal Singh , used with permission.  Sanjit has been a photographer that I have admired for the longest time. He is an award winning nature and wildlife photographer, whom I have learned a great deal from over the years. He is a...

I have just found out that Olympus officially launched their special edition PEN E-PL9 Blue. My E-PL9 review was published on Ming Thein's site here  in February this year and I was actually using the limited edition blue for the review! I do think that the blue color is rather unique, definitely not a mainstream choice of color scheme. Personally I prefer my own cameras and lenses to be either classic black or silver, and I am ok with any combination of both but I would not intentionally go overboard with color choices. Call me traditional and conservative but hey that just fits my own style and personality. Nonetheless, for those who love bombastic colors and daring to be fashionably loud, I can totally see how the denim blue can fit into creative style easily. After all, if you are just shooting as a hobbyist, using a camera that looks good can inspire confidence and you want to pick it up more and use it frequently. I always thought Olympus PEN cameras look sleek and classy in ...