Tag Archives: olympus e-p3

3 A.M. At Masjid India

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The Ramadan festive bazaar at Jalan Masjid India winds down at around 3 in the morning. Traders prepare for a brief nap in their makeshift bedrooms, road sweepers emerge from nowhere while others converge at nearby tea stalls. I ventured there with the new Olympus Pen E-P3 paired with my favourite street lens, the new m.Zuiko 12mm (24 eq) f2.0 prime…

Olympus Pen E-P3, ISO 800, f2, 1/60 sec

Olympus Pen E-P3, ISO 800, f2, 1/60 sec

Wayang Kanvas. Around 3:00 am, the tarps are drawn down and the silhouettes  presented a fascinating shadow play.

Olympus Pen E-P3, ISO 1600, f2, 1/50 sec

Olympus Pen E-P3, ISO 1600, f2, 1/50 sec

Uncle Bob (right) kept reminding me his chicken is skinless, grease-free and therefore healthy. Quite tasty actually.

Olympus Pen E-P3, ISO 200, f2, 1/80 sec

Olympus Pen E-P3, ISO 200, f2, 1/80 sec

Long Time No Tea. I was touched that the famous tea makers came out to hug me. I was a regular there during the ’11 LA’ heydays. The party godown was across the river.

Olympus Pen E-P3, ISO 500, f2, 1/60 sec

Olympus Pen E-P3, ISO 500, f2, 1/60 sec

The Manny. The f 2.0 lens is great for subject isolation. Not overly shallow but still sufficiently bright for handheld night photography.

Olympus Pen E-P3, ISO 500, f2, 1/60 sec

Olympus Pen E-P3, ISO 500, f2, 1/60 sec

Ali’s Sticks. To prevent himself from keeling over, the steam-stick seller rely on a can of Tongkat Ali-spiked energy tea.

Olympus Pen E-P3, ISO 1600, f2, 1/50 sec

Olympus Pen E-P3, ISO 1600, f2, 1/50 sec

Back Street Boy. Some pulled down the tarps to sleep, others dance around the rubbish pile. I like this guy’s enthusiasm, even at 3 am.

Olympus Pen E-P3, ISO 1600, f2, 1/40 sec

Olympus Pen E-P3, ISO 1600, f2, 1/40 sec

Smooth As Lace. A pillar ad on the front of a lace shop befits the tranquillity of the hour.

All pictures photographed with the Olympus Pen E-P3 by & © TV Smith

Tip: You can view larger versions of the images here, gallery-style. When the page finishes loading, click on any picture. Navigate via the arrows on each side of the frame.

The Ramadan Bazaar: A Celebration Of Us

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The Ramadan Bazaar at Section 14 is a celebration of us. The crowd is diverse, the fashion contrasting and the food tantalising. The riot of colours, smoke and strong sun presented a wonderful photographic opportunity.

I’ve included some photography tips with this photo essay. And those who asked whether the new E-P3 carried over the legendary Olympus colours, judge for yourself…

Olympus Pen E-P3, ISO 200, f7.1, 1/200 sec

Olympus Pen E-P3, ISO 200, f7.1, 1/200 sec

Peaceful, Multi-Racial Assembly. Crowd queuing patiently for famous Kassim’s Popiah Basah. Popiah, a Hokkien spring roll, means ‘thin biscuit.’ I chose a wide angle lens to take in the queue curling around the back lane.

Olympus Pen E-P3, ISO 200, f5.5, 1/160 sec

Olympus Pen E-P3, ISO 200, f5.5, 1/160 sec

The Wizard’s Brew Is Bubbling! Smokin’ Kerang. This kind of shot is possible only when the sun gets low. So timing is important.

Olympus Pen E-P3, ISO 200, f7.1, 1/200 sec

Olympus Pen E-P3, ISO 200, f7.1, 1/200 sec

She Sells Sea Shells. I stuck the ultra-wide-angle lens so close that the lens misted up from the heat and smoke. An UWA exaggerates perspective and adds drama to any scene.

Olympus Pen E-P3, ISO 200, f7.1, 1/250 sec

Olympus Pen E-P3, ISO 200, f7.1, 1/250 sec

Going Dutch. On the other hand, a simple ‘Dutch Angle’ adds dynamism to certain scenes. Use the tilt wisely.

Olympus Pen E-P3, ISO 200, f7.1, 1/250 sec

Olympus Pen E-P3, ISO 200, f7.1, 1/250 sec

Sour Sun. With subjects like ice and liquid, don’t be afraid to shoot against the sun. Backlit, the drink jumps out at you.

Olympus Pen E-P3, ISO 200, f5.6, 1/250 sec

Olympus Pen E-P3, ISO 200, f5.6, 1/250 sec

Frame The Man. Tough but if you are patient, use people to frame a subject. See how the eyes draw you to the action.

Olympus Pen E-P3, ISO 640, f6.7, 1/250 sec

Olympus Pen E-P3, ISO 640, f6.7, 1/250 sec

Texting Time. Use a short tele to pick out candids but move in closer afterwards so the subjects get a chance to ask you why you were photographing them, if they want to.

All pictures photographed with the Olympus Pen E-P3 by & © TV Smith

Tip: You can view larger versions of the images here, gallery-style. When the page finishes loading, click on any picture. Navigate via the arrows on each side of the frame.

Chinatown Walkthrough

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Petaling Street in Chinatown Kuala Lumpur may be a visual treat but the traders can be a little aggressive. They do not like a camera in their face. Which is quite reasonable, considering almost every product sold there is a counterfeit. And don’t forget that nervous worker is probably a foreigner with a counterfeit work permit.

So when the Nepalese guy stuck his pinkie into his nose, I breathe a sigh of relief. It was their secret code of approval for the diminutive Olympus E-P3 camera. The illegal network of walkie-talkies crackled through the labyrinth of tarps but no one pulled out a machete. Phew! Of course, little did they know that the tiny, harmless, touristy-looking camera can produce a video with quality better than any of the fake Blue-ray discs sold there 🙂

I set out during twilight and it soon became night. The myriad range of lighting conditions gave the E-P3’s auto white balance and exposure metering a good workout. I chose to arm myself with only one lens. The new Olympus m4/3 12mm f2.0 street videographer’s lens. The low light capability of this combo is quite amazing, as you will see.

The new Olympus Pen E-P3 & M.ZD 12mm f2.0 lens. Backpacker-friendly too

The new Olympus Pen E-P3 & M.ZD 12mm f2.0 lens. Backpacker-friendly too

Those unfamiliar with this KL landmark, may find the following trivia interesting:

The messy peanut pancake (kuih apam balik) hawker is sort of an icon there. He is quite friendly to photographers who shoot and don’t buy.

The corner winter-melon-dried-longan drink remains the most popular stall there. See that woman with two cups.

I wanted to capture the sounds of the Chinese conversations between traders. With so many tourists from Middle East countries there, I ended up with a fascinating ambient sound track full of Arabic chatter instead 🙂

If you have a media player and a big screen HD TV, you can also download this Full HD clip from vimeo.com/tvsmith and watch it large and loud.

All pictures & videos photographed with the Olympus Pen E-P3 by & © TV Smith