The Merdeka Eve

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To all fellow Malaysians, Happy 55th Merdeka Day. The country is celebrating its 55th anniversary of independence. 
On this beautiful eve of the celebration, as usual, me and my mates were attacking the streets, and it was more like a mix of relaxing, catching up, eating, drinking, and a little bit of shutter therapy. And while the world is rushing for the next best camera or that newly launched huge lens, I was happily snapping away with a lowly Olympus PEN E-PL1, with an extremely cheap manual focus CCTV lens. Any photographers who walked by me and saw me using that tiny camera, miss-matched to an even tinier lens, might have thought that I was using nothing but just a toy that was not capable of producing anything decent. To a certain extent, I do agree, but hey, for the strangest thing in the world, I actually LOVE using that tiny toy-like CCTV lens. I have no reasons to explain it, but it was such a fun lens to use. And I find myself coming back to it more and more these days. 
All images in this entry were taken with Olympus PEN E-PL1 and CCTV Lens 25mm F1.2
On the floor


Mobile Generation
A Gun
Motorcycle Space
Stranger headshot
Sitting at the bar
Beneath the giant cube
Blow the Horn
Food
Luke Ding trying out his new Nikon 85mm F1.8
Nick Wade with his superb Voigtlander 28mm F2.8 lens. 
Everyone's got a new toy but me !!! No fair. That new external flash. Nice. 
Choon Wee joined us for the night shooting as well. 
Where we had our dinner
Beef Noodles
CHATIME to complete the night
I often find it strange how so many people who have chased for the best of the best photography equipment, spending a fortune, yet at the end of the day they would never be satisfied with what they have, and still yearning for something better. I think there is no finish line, or an end point for the gear lust to stop. The cure? Strip down to basics. Forget all the advancement of technology. Pick up a film camera (no I have not done so). Or if you aren't into film, like myself a digital boy, stay with the simplest setup you can find. Focus on the subjects and shooting techniques to get the shot that you want, instead of wondering which camera to use or what lens could have improve the shot better. Pay attention to your own photography execution and how you bring out the best of your photograph while shooting, regardless of your gear choice. When you get the shot that you wanted, you will be happy knowing that the shot was accomplished by your own hands and vision. It was you in the photograph, it was you who took the photograph, NOT the camera or gear. 
I think the CCTV lens is teaching me a very important lesson. Best photographs are not necessarily produced by the best camera or lens. It is important to challenge oneself, pushing boundaries, and going the distance. Working around the technical flaws of the CCTV lens, and the absence of Autofocus were truly challenging, and helped me appreciate my Olympus gear even more. 
Long weekend started, and that only means one thing. Shutter Therapy marathon begins. I shall be back with MORE photographs.