Old External Flash for OM-D E-M5!

I dislike using flash in my photography, but most indoor lighting condition are not really bright enough for even illumination.

Direct flash can cause even the most flattering photos to turn out bad, direct flash is harsh and highlight in photos are "burn out" and lack detail.

If you are serious about your photography, the first technique you must learn is how to BOUNCE your flash!

Sadly, virtually all the smaller, so called "point and shoot" cameras came with tiny, fixed flash that you cannot tilt and bounce! Even if it can, the output is just too weak for that purpose.

I can understand cheapo point-and shoot cameras came with tiny flash, what about a NZ$1,600 Best Camera of 2012?  You will be lucky ;)

The Olympus OM-D E-M5 came with a really tiny removable, camera powered flash that plug onto the hot shoe.

The light output from this tiny light is just about useless, not only that; the illumination from this flash is hardly able to cover a e_28mm lens!

And when my favorite lens is the ultra-wide 7-12mm, DISASTER

Mr Ji's Hidden Delights In Petone!

A couple of months ago I discovered this little Chinese restaurant in Petone, it was recommended by Michelle Zhang who is a part-timer at our office; we are glad we took her recommendation seriously!  Thank-you Michelle :)

Petone (Māori: Pito-one) is a major suburb of the city of Lower Hutt in New Zealand. It is located at the southern end of the narrow triangular plain of the Hutt River, on the northern shore of Wellington Harbour. The name, from the Māori Pito-one, means "end of the sand beach".  - Wikipedia

Mr Ji's Kitchen like all restaurants and cafes in Petone is situated along Jackson Street.

So on one Saturday afternoon late last year, Le General and I set off to taste-test this new found shop for lunch.

It took us two drive up and down Jackson Street to locate this "Kitchen", it is right up (if you are coming from town) the other end of Jackson, the shop front is not conspicuous; in some way situated at 285 Jackson have some advantage for diners, in the week-end the lower end of Jackson Street is painful to get a parking space!

My View Point on DxO ViewPoint

Early January this year I was attracted by a special offer at DxO for their ViewPoint software, instead of the regular $79.00 US; I only have to pay $49.00 (NZ 60.00) ! It is a no brainer! I bought a copy!

What is this DxO ViewPoint?

In short, these are what it can do...

Fix key-stoning. Recreate the original shapes of buildings. Converging vertical and horizontal lines once again become parallel.

Restore the natural proportions of the people on the edges of your ultra wide photos in just one click.

Penthouse Cinema & Cafe @ Brooklyn

Sunday... we were informed by our MetService that this will be the last day we are gonna enjoy the hot, sunny summer day!

We can't complain really, it has been TEN DAYS of sunshine; I don't know about you but we NEVER experience that kind of continuous "You Can't Beat Wellington On A Good Day!" for 10 days!

To make full use of this Sunny Sunday, we had a yum-char at a Chinese joint that we have not been for a long time... Le Gen insisted they got themselves a NEW chef, we were disappointed!  I vaguely remember the previous chef was slightly better ;)

Which Metering Mode Should You Use?

This shot taken yesterday was "over" by 2 stops.

Looking at the RAW images of Karori Park I took yesterday, I noticed a few of them were over  exposed. A quick check of the camera responsible, my OM-D E-M5 confirmed my metering mode is set at "Center Weighted"; just to confirm the metering in my favorite camera is spot on, I decided to do a quick test.

First, for those that are not familiar; according to Wikipedia...

"In photography, the metering mode refers to the way in which a camera determines the exposure.  Cameras generally allow the user to select between spot, center-weighted average, or multi-zone metering modes.
Various metering modes are provided to allow the user to select the most appropriate one for use in a variety of lighting conditions."

Rediscovering Our Karori Park

When we landed in Wellington, 1988; our new found friends took us to Karori and we rented our first home there.

Four years later, because of my new job we moved to Singapore.

When we returned after four years, we ended up in Karori again!

But this post is about the Karori Park!  A beautiful park that all these years we are living here, we went there LESS THAN a dozen time! Shocking!

A rare moment in 1999 when we went walking our beagle at the Karori Park

A Simple But Yummy Mee Goreng!

Mee goreng (Indonesian: mie goreng or mi goreng; Malay: mee goreng or mi goreng; both meaning "fried noodles") also known as bami goreng is a dish common in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. It is made with thin yellow noodles fried in cooking oil with garlic, onion or shallots, fried prawn, chicken, or beef, sliced bakso (meatballs), chili, Chinese cabbage, cabbages, tomatoes, egg, and acar (pickles).

Ubiquitous in Indonesia, it can be found everywhere in the country, sold by all food vendors from street-hawkers to high-end restaurants. It is an Indonesian one-dish meal favorite, although street food hawkers commonly sell it together with nasi goreng (fried rice). It is commonly available at mamak stalls in Singapore and Malaysia and is often spicy.    - Wikipedia

I like to cook mee goreng, it is fast and good; perfect for old working couple like me and Le General ;)

Below are step by step to my fast simple Mee Goreng Ala C.Y.   :)