Through the Looking Glass

Prints in a Digital Age

2010-10-20T11:23:00.000-07:00

Despite a lot of photographers going "digital", there is still a lot of interest and desire to have a physical print of an image, even if a digital version is readily available.

Now, I'm not referring to headshots or images that are specifically to be used on a website, or that needs to be put into a brochure, newsletter, or other printed material. Digital images are better suited for layout programs and websites. Nor am I referring to fine art photography where a print (sometimes limited & numbered) is the standard defacto mode of delivery (usually already matted and/or framed).

But there are certain events, like weddings or prom shots where the couples/groups in question much prefer to purchase the actual physical print.

Why? Part of my educated guess is that:
A. This a special event that is to be remembered and people want a physical representation of the event

B. Most people don't usually dress in finery except for those special occasions. So, they want a record of that occasion.

C. In the age of the digital camera, many people have too many photos trapped on their computer or their camera that never see the 'light of day'. So, if they can, they will much prefer a print over a digital image.

D. There are still many people of a certain generation who much prefer the tangibility of a printed photo versus a digital file.

When working any event that produces these types of shots, I always offer my clients the option of digital AND physical prints. The vast majority of my clients end up purchasing physical prints for their photo albums or prefer having the overall wedding album. But there is a small minority that prefer purchasing the digital prints and making images for themselves in an effort to save a little bit of money (even if they aren't saving time).

IMO, photographers who provide only digital images (with these types of events) do a disservice to themselves and their clients by not offering a print service. Considering that many photography hosting services (such as SmugMug, Zenfolio, or even Flickr, etc) offer 3rd party printing services, there really isn't an excuse to be able to offer both to clients. Your clients go to your gallery, choose their desired prints, and click a Buy button. Prints or downloads are automatically made available to them. This is a win-win situation for your clients and yourself.

The fees you pay for this type of service will be outweighed by the convenience, service, and satisfaction for your clients, as well as a method of generating profits for your small business.

Candid Images

2010-10-19T15:01:00.000-07:00

Often times, I just like to go out and take candid images of people in different situations. However, photojournalistic images of people in candid situations has never been my forte. You need a little bit of luck and a good instinct. However, since this is something I don't regularly practice, I don't quite have that photojournalistic instinct (yet).

Often times, I find my candid people shots lacking in a certain vitality. However, there are times when I do manage to capture a special moment that makes me want to continue just playing around with these types of images.

Large Group Photos Setup

2010-10-18T15:52:00.000-07:00

Large group photos are difficult, at best, to get good shots. Add some other factors, such as changing light and variable group numbers, and you've just added some interesting complexities for the shoot.

In our case, our client wanted alumni group photos for different eras.

The number of alumni ranged from 10-60 people.
The only location that made "sense" to host this wide range of numbers was in the outdoors atrium, where the light was going to drastically change between the different shoots (from nice perfect 5pm light to night).

So, when we did our first walk-through, we decided to make use of a few steps in the outdoor location. In this way, we could stack alumni members on those few steps to get a range of height, and spread out groups as needed.

We went with simple lighting setup. There were two large octogon softboxes controlled by a power source behind the photographer blasting light onto the scene.

Also, the photographer used a step stool to give her some height as well as a wider-angle lens to get large numbers in the frame. Obviously, there was going to be some distortion in the final image, but Lightroom & Photoshop easily corrected any distortion issues.

Group Photo Lighting Setups

2010-10-07T16:04:00.000-07:00

For many of the events I work, want to have couple / group photos shot of their attendees so they can remember the night.

(I often refer to them as "prom shots" as proms are often the very first time that U.S kids get their formal photos taken with their dates & friends.)

I know that there are a variety of ways to set up the lighting for a prom-like shot, but here's the general lighting setup I used that allowed me to do full length, 3/4ths shots, and closer 1/2 body shots. I stayed with couple (2 people) portraits, but also found that with a quick adjustment of lights, I could get up to 5 people (with chairs) without issue.

Note: Relation between objects is not 100% to scale.

1 10x20 grey painted backdrop
1 Large Softbox
1 small-medium sized softbox
1 reflector
1 strobe with 40deg grid pointed at the backdrop (low to the ground)
Subjects are about 6-7 feet away from the backdrop.

I used the reflector & strobe because I was getting some unwanted shadow from the subject, giving me a "dark area" on the backdrop" that I didn't like during the setup.

The whole lighting setup worked well, but for next time, I will probably add a second strobe with grid on the right hand side as well.

Homestead from the Grand Tetons

2010-10-06T10:53:00.000-07:00

While I'm getting my website updated with new images, I thought I might share a few of my favorites.

The image was taken at one of the many abandoned homesteads that dot the west side of the Grand Tetons.

Revisting the Animals

2010-10-04T11:17:00.001-07:00

Just revisiting some of the wildlife photography I took the past two years

Stanford Alumni Event

2010-09-26T15:24:00.000-07:00

This past Saturday, I had the distinct pleasure of working with the Stanford Department of Anesthesia, and their 50th year alumni celebration.

It was estimated that about 300 alumni and their spouses attended the black-tie event at the Stanford Alumni Center. With 3 photographers and 3 "studio" setups, we provided a motley of services, including: coverage of the event, class alumni photos (10-30 people), and small couple/group photos (2-6 people).

In addition, the department wanted to provide a "headshot" section to allow doctors to procure professional headshots, should they be interested.

Our "day" started at 4:30pm with set up, and extended until the closing of the event, around 10:30pm. It was a long evening of good hard work, but we were prepared for the event, which made things flow easier.

Myself and my 2nd photog met with the event coordinates to walk through the venue, and where we would place our 3 studio setups. We took plenty of photos of the venue, and brainstormed ideas on lighting for our "outdoor class" studio setup(esp. as the light was going to drastically change over the course of the evening).

We mapped out our light placements, backdrops, electrical needs, etc, so that by the time we arrived, it was just a matter of getting our gear setup, shots chimped, and adjustments made as needed.

Then when guests started arriving, it was a matter of placing them in the correct post, and shooting their images fast. Their biggest inconvenience would be waiting in-line for their photos to be taken.

I'll post our lighting diagrams at a later date, and the specialized needs of each "studio setup" in later posts.

Flautist in the wind

2009-12-18T10:42:00.000-08:00

Some time ago, a friend who is a flautist in Hawaii, asked me to take some photos of her for professional portfolio. She was going to be in the area in September.

Because she's a flautist, I thought to get some shots in the marshes in the area where reeds grow. Reeds / flutes..get it? Unfortunately, because of the time of the year, the reeds are pretty darn brown. But, she has a gold flute, so I figured, brown / gold...same coloration (although i would have preferred the contrasting green reeds).

Unfortunately, the day of the shoot, the weather turned and threatened rain. We got there with some pretty dramatic skies with bits of blue. The wind was also blowing, but not badly. The light was pretty even with the clouds. We shot in the reeds in her concert clothes (all black) as well as a bright leather jacket that she really loved. The wind blowing through her hair, which I thought somewhat apt. Reeds + wind + flautist...get it? LOL

Some school children on a field trip tromped by us, commenting on her flute, but not my camera gear. There was a whole herd (40 or so children) walking by on the boardwalk that cut through the marsh.

When the sky turned darker, we decided to wrap up for the day. Just as we left, the sky started opening up and within an hour, it was pouring rain. We concluded the rest of the shoot indoors.

Nostalgia about Old Photographs

2009-08-17T15:12:00.000-07:00

I was reading a blog about the non-noticeable difference between the output of today's digital cameras & yesterday's film cameras. A photographer had taken photos from the past 30 years of one location, and compiled them into a book for a publisher. The output difference between the film & digital are really no different. The one thing digital has brought is a form of convenience in taking photos.

This got me to thinking about old photographs and what they mean to us, as well as the plethora of digital images versus printed photographs.

Photos are what help us connect to the past and see the future we had before us. Photos help us relive who we were and the moments we had at that same exact time. Our memories might fade, but photos can last for a long time capturing a single moment in all of eternity. I have older photos of my grandparents, and I see their younger selves (probably in their 20s, newly married) and the future that was ahead of them. Sometimes, I go over my old photos, and remember past outings, conventions, trips, dinners, etc, and recall what I had forgotten.

Anytime there is a natural disaster, people grab their photos first or later bemoan not being able to take their photos. For the most part, I have almost all of my personal photographs in only a few binders and a photobox that are easily grab-able in case of emergencies. Growing up, my family had dozens of photo albums with photos celebrating various events. I remember sitting as a chid, and looking through them on a regular basis.

Since cameras became widely commercially available, many have carried cameras. But, film was expensive, and most people always shot images that had people or events to be remembered. On a trip, 1-2 people might have a camera. Nowadays, technology made cameras cheaper -- by making cheaper version, disposable cameras, and, now, digital cameras.

Nowadays, you'd be hard-pressed to find something *without* a digital camera in their pocket/purse either as a dedicated camera or as part of their phone. But, I suspect that most people keep their photos on their computer, without ever bothering to print them or put them on a digital frame. Or they put them up on public websites (FB, flickr, etc...) for others to enjoy.

I think the people who actually "print" photos will dwindle considerably over the next few years....even with the plethora of available home photo printers. (I've known many a person who bought a digital printer, printed only a few images, and now it sits in the corner, for the time they might decide they want to print something, which seems unlikely the less they use it.)

I wonder if the inundation of photos will mean the same thing to the people who take them more frequently now than ever? (You can't go anywhere without someone having a digital point-and-shoot available.)

What happens when photos are simply a commodity to be taken, put away, then forgotten?

Will they hold the same meaning 10 years from now when you've taken 20 shots of the same exact situation within a 3 minute span? How do you separate the wheat from the chaff?

What happens when you have Gigs and Gigs of photos that never see the light of day?

What happens when you're in a disaster? Do you grab your photo albums / hard-drives? Or will you forget that your precious photos are there?

Oh, I understand that online sites are easier to keep & view your photos; and I do rather enjoy being able to see different portfolios and albums. The online method can often be a foolproof way to keep photos safe from a natural disaster (although loss of data is another question entirely.) And that data storage is often cheaper and easier to accomodate than actual physical objects (i.e. a photo album). There are definitely pros and cons to either situation.

But, for me, there's something tangible about the printed photo that's a lot more satisfying than seeing something on screen. Its like holding a good book and turning a page (although I know that a Kindle can be more "convenient"). It's the sight, sound, and smell of paper and emulsion that somehow appeals to me. Or maybe I'm just a luddite at heart?

And yes, I do still print out a lot of photos. And, yes, I do keep them also online :-)

Playing it Safe

2009-08-13T15:45:00.000-07:00

This coming up weekend, I have a set of corporate portraits for a client who is updating their website. Their current portraits are a bit dated (i.e. at least 5 years ago), and look like high school portraits. Plus not all the new employees are on that site as of yet.

But, the client wants something *like* what they have now with the mottled background and such. I have a small collapsible background that I'm bringing, but I would definitely like to think outside the (soft)box for a second and take better, more-up-to-date photos that also showcase the business.

Consequently, I've been looking at various photographer blogs & websites for inspiration and guidance. Portrait work can get boring and monotonous, depending on the client.

Insofar as lighting, my old standby is: one big softbox to the left of my camera and a fill to the right, along with hair light(s) and the necessary reflectors. But I'm thinking I could use 3 lights with umbrellas instead -- one for the key, one for the main, then another one about 5-6 feet back to fill in the background.

I'll definitely take the "safe" shots with the mottled background and the lights as described above. Then I'm pretty sure I can get the folks to play around a bit.

When I took a walkabout of the building interior when I went to meet up with the client for details. There are *plenty* of places for a good backdrop that would look awesome when shot with a longer lens to blur the background. I'm sure the owner & employees won't mind too much, as they slated for me to have the whole of the afternoon.

Still, I need to map out a plan of attack for this shoot, which makes it easier for me than just winging stuff on the spot without any forethought. (Often times, 'winging it' and thinking fast on your feet can help save the day).

I often find that diagrams help when I'm busy running around setting up. It's easier to point to a diagram and have an assistant follow the diagram of what I have in mind.

Travelling Light with New Airline Fees

2009-08-06T13:12:00.000-07:00

I have to say that the Think Tank Airport International has made travelling a lot easier on airplanes as I can really fill it with gear.

However, the recent changes to airline baggage fees have made it a little bit more difficult, and requires a lot more forethought. No longer can I easily check in my regular baggage and carry-on my photo gear without incurring expenses. And, being injured and unable to lift heavy things (i.e a bag filled with camera gear) makes it doubly hard. (And this wasn't a big production wedding requiring assistants, additional lights, and the ilk, but really small scale).

So, on my upcoming trip to shoot a wedding in a very enclosed location required a bit of thinking and pre-planning.

Normally, I would bring several camera bodies, a general zoom, a longer telephoto zoom, 3-4 flashes, Pocket wizards, and assorted accrutements, including a tripod.

This time around, I planned on going a lot lighter on gear. Luckily, the wedding locale (a local pub) had a website with gallery photos that allowed me to get a handle on what exactly the situation was going to look like. And it wasn't good -- extremely low ceiling (less than 7'), yellow tungsten lighting, reflective surfaces everywhere, several big screen t.vs in several locations, etc. And it was going to be a small intimate wedding (insofar as weddings go) and there was going to be a lot of movement. The tripod might be a deteriment.

so, I decided that a flash bracket and a cross fill light would probably be my best bet. The wedding was small, so I didn't need the longer telephoto, but opted for the (much) smaller and lighter primes instead. I also decided to chance one single camera body.

All of this fits neatly in the Think Tank along with my clothes (not taking much), and weighed half it's normal fully-packed weight. Then, my small carry-on could just be filled with the bare essentials for a long plane trip.

The First Weekend of SVOS

2009-05-06T12:15:00.001-07:00

The first weekend of SVOS went relatively well, outside of a few glitches (as there are often are in these situations.) The biggest glitch was the tent we rented for SVOS. The second was the rain.

After some finagling of the tent, it was discovered we were missing the canopy. Luckily, there was a Costco only 5 minutes away from the site, while a phone call was put into the tent owner, who found the missing piece of the tent.

Between the Costco tent and retrieving the missing piece, we were able to set up relatively quickly. The rain, predictably, kept things a lot slower than we would like, but we managed to get a few small sales. One gentleman came down because he had seen my images in the SVOS catalog and wanted to see it in person. He didn't buy anything, but I was flattered nonetheless. We spent a bit of time talking about photography in general.

We got slightly more people towards the end of the day, but the traffic was pretty light. We had several people see the signs and stop by randomly just to look; and we had drive-by onlookers who pulled over slightly to gawk, but never really stopped, which was unfortunate.

The second day went a little bit better from the 1st, but the skies pretty much kept everyone away in the morning and early afternoon. We did have a flurry of visitors the last two hours of the show. And, as Murphy would have it, as soon as we began tearing down, the clouds parted and we had blue sky and sun. Go figure.

Of course, neither photographer took any photos during the course of the weekend, but luckily, Richard's wife had better sense.

We'll be showing again the 3rd weekend of May (May 16-17, 2009) at my studio in Redwood City. So please stop by and see the show.

WyldFire Studios Opening: SVOS

2009-04-29T12:05:00.000-07:00

The three weekends of May is the Silicon Valley Open Artist Studio. I have known about SVOS for the past two years, but only decided to enter this year along with another friend, Richard Man

In the 1st weekend of May, we will be showing at Richard's studio in Palo Alto, and the weekend of May 16-17th 2009, we'll be showing at my studio (WyldFire Studios) in Redwood City.

Richard will be showing off his photography and calligraphy combinations (quite impressive), while I'll be showing my wildlife photography of the past two years.

Along with some of the Venetian Maschera images taken over the past two years at the Carnivale, in Venice Italy.

Please come join us on both of these weekends. We'll be serving wine and refreshments the entire weekend, and showing off some great photography.

Check out the SVOS website for additional details.

Mounting, Matting, & Framing

2009-04-27T09:39:00.000-07:00

I love photography, ever since I was a little kid and I got my first camera. I even like spending time in the dark room, whether it is a traditional dark room or the digital dark room. Both are creative in their own ways.

I even don't mind actual printing, whether that is putting stuff in the developer pan or sending images to the printer (although I hate color profiling!). I *love* seeing the final image appear on paer.

I loved it, especially, when the image slowly appeared in the liquid developer and solidified. It was a kind of magic that thrilled me everytime it happened. And to some extent, I get the same little thrill seeing the images pop up on the large monitor for the first time and when it pops out of the printer.

I akin the LCD of my camera to being able to see the film negatives for the first time -- the excitement of an image that might or might not be perfectly captured; Lightroom as my contact sheet, seeing all the images lined up in a row -- picking and choosing those images that have potential; and then opening up the image for the first time as making a full fledge print of a good negative.

Albeit, all that the digital darkoom has done is make gratification of the final image much much faster for me (and removed that chemically smell of the darkroom, which, in truth, I actually grew to enjoy....)

What I have never particularly enjoyed is the final presentation process that often accompanies making images. I always dreaded mounting images, whether it be a wet mount, dry mount, cold mount, etc, for fear of never getting it down right. Nor do I particular enjoy the matting process either...from cutting down matte boards to figuring out mat borders, etc.

And the least thing I enjoy is framing.....from cleaning out frames and the glass ...to adding the final dust cover and the hanging hardware. Especially when you get a small glass cut, much like a paper cut, as you clean the edges of the glass. OUCH!

Mind you, I like the presentation of the final product, whether that is merely a matted piece or a framed piece. I just don't like the final steps of the project.

I am glad that this was part of my photography education in college -- the full mounting, matting, and framing aspects. (However, we never had to frame anything for class, except for the one student art show.)

This weekend, I finished the final touches of the images for SVOS....at least for the first weekend. I have more than several images matted & framed, along with several smaller matted images.

Miko

2008-12-30T00:21:00.000-08:00

As a female photographer, I love working with other women to help make them look the best. As a woman, I often understand more clearly in what areas women are often the most uncomfortable, whether it is about themselves or a given situation. Because of that, I think women often will relate better to me versus a male photographer in many instances.

This photo session with Miko was to help show off some of the inner garments she had made as part of a costume (NSFW) for one of her fashion projects, which turned more into a boudoir photoshoot than my anticipated fashion photoshoot. But I quickly turned the shoot into something more appropriate for the situation (and clothing) at hand.

Miko was great at taking direction, and after some time of just laughing and getting comfortable, her personality and beauty shined in the photographs.

Prom Night

2008-11-30T00:07:00.000-08:00

For her 40th birthday, one of my clients decided to throw a "Prom" birthday party with all the trappings of any high school prom. All the guests were in various prom outfits of many different eras, a DJ spinning records, balloons and other decoration, lots of tables, lots of dancing, and, of course, the prom photographer. Budget was tight for a typical 'prom' props, and my client created her own backdrop full of balloons and white tulle.

The atmosphere was casual, campy, and fun. The DJ played many songs from the 70s, 80s, and 90s, while couples and groups of friends danced on the floor. Many couples posed for the "traditional" prom photos, but soon, thereafter, groups of friends also started getting photos and many ended up being rather silly in nature.

I rather enjoy my clients having fun during their events, and many of the guests were having a lot of fun during the event, and while taking their prom photos, and it showed in their final images.

Kitchen Courtesan

2008-07-13T23:24:00.000-07:00

The Kitchen Courtesan is a one-woman show in San Francisco that creates some of the most spectacular desserts that I have ever had the pleasure of tasting. The chef, Harriett Jernigan, is passionate about her desserts and it comes through with every single bite!

One of the perks of food photography is the ability to sample the plates put in front of the camera (after they've been duly photographed). Unfortunately, it can also gain you several pounds of weight, especially when it comes in the form of desserts. My assistant was the recipient of most of the desserts that were finished being photographed. Considering his silence throughout most of the photoshoot, it was obvious he was enjoying this benefit!

Almost all of these images were taken with a large East-facing bay window and using strobes as fill flash. As the day wore on, we moved to using two strobes and larger softboxes. Unfortunately, we didn't have a food stylist per budget constraints, but I did what I could with what little food stylist techniques I knew. I tried to match the look and feel of her website (via color temperature and layout, etc) as much as possible. The client was extremely pleased with how the photos turned out.

Lemon Scones
These buttery scones are can be eaten by themselves or paired with the Courtesan lemon creme.

Lemon Tart
This dish is primarily the Courtesan lemon creme in a light and flaky tart shell.

Salame di Cioccolato (Chocolate Salami)
This dish was easily my favorite from this amazing chef. This dish combines nuts, chocolate, and butter cookies into a most amazing dish that will have your taste buds screaming in ectasy. She had made five variations: orange, cherry, espresso, and pecan. The images featured here is the pecan and espesso versions.

(Pecan)

(Espresso)

Flying Solo

2008-07-08T11:58:00.000-07:00

There are times, when I find myself needing a bit of help. As a one-woman outfit, it falls on me to do everything from the photography, the post-processing, the business-dealing, the contract negotiation, and as well as the grunt work (but necessary work).

Not that I mind most of the time; I love what I do.
But, there are times when things get a little backlogged and I find myself needing to clone myself for just a little bit of extra help.

Now, where's a cloning machine when you need one? :-)

Happy 4th of July

2008-07-04T11:59:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July to the Americans! As every year, there are always fireworks at many places around our area.

We have spent the last three years celebrating it in our hometown, although many often will trek up to San Francisco or down to San Jose to see the "bigger" celebrations. I prefer something closer to home. It allows me to be "closer" to the fireworks for my preferred fireworks abstracts, as well as not dealing with larger crowds or very heavy traffic.

So, for those celebrating, here are a few photos to remind you of this day. And for the non-Americans, a few firework photos to enjoy.

All photos taken at about 100mm @ ISO 100 F11 - F22 for 1-5 seconds.

And the Band Played On...

2008-06-22T21:52:00.001-07:00

A few months ago, a friend asked me to photograph her band for promo pictures. Having never shot a band before, I agreed. After scheduling issues, we finally managed to get a free time and date for the shoot.

I checked out some band photography groups on Flickr, etc, but they all seemed a tad bit cliche (or started looking very much alike).

The group wanted 'casual' photographs, so I went with some very basic group shots. Due to a misunderstanding on my part, I thought we only had a short amount of time before the band had their scheduled practice. It turns out that they had scheduled the shoot in leiu of their band practice, so I could have gone for other backdrops and scenes. However, it seemed much of the band was grateful for cutting out of posing for me earlier than anticipated. LOL

However, the band members were very gracious and very patient as I set up strobes around them in the late afternoon sun.

I had pre-planned a few of the poses and general group shots. Earlier that week, I had scouted out a few places for potential group band shots. Some locations didn't pan out, as the sun had moved too much into the horizon more so than I had anticipated for some locations, but luckily, I had about a half dozen spots that I saw as potential locations for the band.

It helps to scout out areas ahead of time and do a little pre-planning in order to make things go a little more smoothly.

REVIEW: Think Tank Airport International V2.0

2008-05-15T23:46:00.000-07:00

If you're looking for a decent camera bag to roll through hotels, airports, and other urban areas, I suggest looking no farther than the Think Tank Airport International V2.0. It's not the bag to take trekking out into the woods, but if you're travelling from one area to another through urban settings, this bag is amazing

I love all of the Think Tank products I've purchased over the past few years, and this isn't an exception. The Airport International fit quite a lot of equipment, while remaining compact. I was pleasantly surprised how much I could put into the bag.

After purchasing it, I immediately used it on a 3-day convention I was covering. I hauled around 2 camera bodies, a 70-200mm lens, a 24-70 mm lens, 50 mm, 35mm, five flashes, pocket wizards, small portable HD, a monopod, a tripod, and an extra lightstand. (Not to mention all the small stuff: PW cables, off shoe cable, bungee cords, extra batteries, business cards, bottle of water, cell phone, chargers. etc.) Plus, I could easily have fit more equipment. I did take out a lot of the dividers provided by Think Tank (personally, I think they give too many dividers), and organized it to my liking. You can also purchase "half-size" dividers if the ones they give you are a bit too high (which I might do at a later date).

For the convention, I merely wheeled to a specific area of the hotel I was covering, got my gear out, and started shooting. I didn't have to wear out my back carrying all of my gear. And it rolled extremely smoothly. There was barely any "pull" from the bag. I did, however, carry the Think Tank Speed racer to carry small misc. items, while shooting. (Unfortunately, the Speed Racer is quite bulky even when empty so I couldn't store it inside the roller bag.)

Also, the ability to *completely* lock down the bag is an awesome feature. Think Tank provides two lock down cables with the bag (front and back), and the zippers have a special locking mechanism. Talk about secure! I locked down my bag in several locations and felt safe enough to walk away from it.

This bag is going to make my life easier while on real estate photography assignment; before I carried 2.5 bags: my camera bag, my strobes bag, and a small bag for all the light stands. While the setup was quite compact and efficient, it was still a handful. Now, I can fit all of the camera and lighting gear in one bag, and stack the light stands ontop of the roller.

Although, I have yet to bring this on a plane (I only recently acquired it two weeks ago), I have high expectations. My last two international trips had me carrying (non-Think Tank) backpack full of camera equipment through airports and city streets, which caused a lot of back strain (I have a herniated disc). I'm hoping to just be able to roll this through the airport without an issue.

(On a Tangent: I wonder if the Airport Antidote fits inside this particular roll bag? Then, I can store the equipment in the Airport Antidote, roll the bag through the airports, hotels, etc, and be able to take the Antidote for trekking through the cement jungle and leave the roller in the hotel?)

My only complaint about this bag is that while the entire bag feels rather sturdy and well made, the telescoping handle feels rather wimpy in comparison. Think Tank does warn you to NOT lift the bag by the telescoping handle due to weight. However, my Eagle Creek roll bags have exceptionally sturdy telescoping handles. I hope Think Tank will take notice.

Montana in January

2008-02-20T15:42:00.000-08:00

Back in January of this year, I went to Bozeman, Montana for a chance to work photograph some cougars. I was a little hesitant, because, it’s JANUARY in MONTANA, which normally translates into snow, cold, snow, and cold wet snow.

Have I mentioned the snow? For a California girl like me, snow is something you "drive" to in order to go skiing. But, it was a chance to work with some large cats, so, I packed up my snow gear meant for very very cold weather (not skiing gear, but boots rated to 0 degrees Farhenheit, my different layers (base, secondary, outer, and shell), baklavas, as well as hand/foot warmers, not to mention all the gear to protect my camera equipment, and off I went.

I arrived on a Thursday afternoon, and proceeded to spend days in the snow (walking through, laying in snow, and having snow fall on us). While it was ‘cold’, it wasn’t ‘cold’ by Montana standards, hovering around 28-32 degrees Farenheit throughout the entire time I was there. For the San Francisco Bay Area, that type of weather is COLD, but whether it was because I was bundled up or because I was too busy having fun, I never really minded the snow.

And, I did have fun. Each day was even more fun than the previous day. I got some amazing shots of the large cats in their natural habitat, and as an added bonus, I also got to photograph a large alpha male (I couldn’t get the alpha female) wolf while snow came down around us. It was an amazing experience.

For those interested in copies of these prints, you can purchase them at my website:

Venice: Costume Accessories

2008-02-12T07:45:00.000-08:00

A lot of the maschera models have little props that they often us in addition to their masks and costumes. These often compromise of little things, such as mirrors, dolls, staves, hand-bag, or some hand-held trinket that complements their costume.

Just as with any costumer, some props become integral to the costume, some are merely something to hold, and for others, it's just an accessory that could be left behind. Some models use their accessories well, some don't know what to do with theirs, and some use them badly.

Regardless of their use, they often add a touch of something to the overall photo instead of just having a masked costume.

Mask with Mask

Again, an allegory for the different masks an individual wears, but in this instance, the mask is the same exact one as what she is wearing.

Mask & Her Dog

The dog was dressed almost exactly the same as its mistress. They were a large hit with the crowd...and the photographers.

Pirate

I suppose a pirate isn't exactly complete without his sword, and this pirate was more than willing to use it as a prop throughout the day.

Hearts

The little doo-dad this model was carrying complemented her outfit, but, unfortunately, she didn't know much what to do with it outside of holding it infront of her or in a single hand. She was often instructed on exactly how to use her accessory to the best photographic advantage.

Mask Types in Venice

2008-02-12T00:02:00.000-08:00

The following is a very very brief and summarized of mask types. It's meant to give a brief overview.

A majority of the maschera models in Venice tend to favor the "volto" mask, which completely hides their face. The volto is not a completely historically accurate Venetian mask (except for the moretta, which was an all black velvet mask made for women held in place by their teeth, which was supposed to add to their mysterious air. You were supposed to charm a man without necessarily "talking" -- ala Little Mermaid.)

The Volto Mask type

In terms of other masks, there are the different traditional types: "bauta", the Venetial "plague doctor" (or anything with a very long ibis-like nose), and the half-mask, etc. You see quite a bit of the bauta, the beaked mask a little less so, and the moretta is extremely rare.

The traditional bauta mask allows you to eat and drink without removing it as it jets out from the face by several inches. It's also known as a "spoon mask.

The Bauta Mask type

The plague doctor mask was said to protect you from various diseases with its very long nose.

The Plague Doctor & Volto Mask type

Visitors and tourists will often wear the half-mask variety more frequently than the other types, whether or not they are in costume, as these tend to be cheaper than other masks and you can get them from any street vendor (being mass produced in China.)

The initial purpose of the mask was to completely conceal the identity of the wearer so that they could enjoy in the festivities of Carnivale and let commoner intermingle with the elite, so almost-full face mask coverings were popular.

As time went on, people wore masks throughout the year, you were forgiven anything (much like if you're drunk in Japan, no one faults you...). However, after a time, the Venetian government outlawed them during certain times of the year (religious holidays) and from wearing them in certain buildings (i.e. churches). Men were prohibited from dressing as women, and vice versa.

Carnivale in Venice, Italy

2008-02-11T16:54:00.000-08:00

I'm woefully behind on keeping up this blog, so, first and foremost, my apologies. We recently got back from a trip to Venice for Carnivale (much like last year). I never tire of Venice. It's a small jewel onto itself. And I while I detest the crowds of Carnivale, we still have a lot of fun.

I'm currently working my way through more than a few photos from the trip, and I'll be posting them up here, as well as the ones from my Montana animals series shot in Jan 2008.

I'll do a small write up on the various parts of my trip later, but for now, just a small image of one of the many models from Venice.

Picture of the Day; Out Take of Devyn

2007-10-26T20:23:00.000-07:00

Everyone deserves to be a little silly even during a photoshoot. Here is one of the out-take photos of Devyn during her “Trash the Dress”.

Pinole, CA

Trash the Dress

2007-10-22T23:18:00.000-07:00

After seeing a video of a photo workshop that had a model "trash" a wedding dress (by climbing various urban landscapes, going into a pond of water, etc), Mike Soo decided that we should do the something similar.

He got two wonderful models, Rayna Pitter and Devyn Falcon (no relation), to be our victims for the day. Both girls went and purchased wedding dresses for the shoot; Rayna found her dress on ebay for $30.00 + $15.00 shipping, while Devyn went to a bridal boutique and found hers.

The day was a pretty long day, totaling about 10 hours (6.5 for the shoot, 1.5 for prep time, and then another hour for driving time to and from my house to the location).

We started off at the train tracks near a swampy area, where both girls dragged their dresses through the gravel and climbed all over some black tankers that had been left along some side tracks.

Personally, I had a great time with both models as they moved very well, took direction easily, and often anticipated a pose for me. In addition, both had a great sense of humour and adventure.

Devyn climbed the tankers in her wedding gown, while Rayna laid across the train tracks for me (after the Amtrac trains rolled by). (For the photo below, a single bare bulb flash is to the camera right pointed straight down. The exposure balances out the bright afternoon sun.)

After shooting at the train location for several hours, we headed off to the second locale for the day; a beach on the Pacific Ocean. We set up alongside the water and some drift wood. It was nearing the "golden hour" of sunset, and the light against the golden sand created a nice backdrop for both Devyn and Rayna. We shot frames on the beach of both girls, but as the sun began to dip lower, we had them move closer and closer to the water.

The waters were still pretty warm (for Northern California), and both girls eventually ended up in the Pacific Ocean surrounded by a bunch of photographers trying to catch the last of the "sweet light" of sunset.

Here we have the two girls in the water, looking much like water lilies.

By the end of the day, the girls had thoroughly "trashed" their dresses, dragging them through gravel, dirt, soot, sand, some unknown brown substances, and finally getting them wet in the Pacific Ocean.

Both had a great time, as normally, they have to worry about the clothes they are wearing during a shoot as they belong to a designer who wants the dress back in pristine shape. In this instance, they didn't much care what happened to the dresses, so they were willing to do a lot more than just a normal photoshoot.

For this entire day, I mainly shot with a 24-70 mm lens with one flash strobe on a light stand to balance out the ambient light or to add only a little fill.

Here we have an out-take of the 6 photographers, some assistants, a videographer, and the various types of lighting equipment.

To see additional photos of Rayna and Devyn from the photoshoot, please visit my portfolio

Sutro Baths

2007-10-01T23:17:00.000-07:00

Sutro Baths is a spot on the San Francisco coast near the infamous Cliff House. It's a great place to photograph at night with infinite possibilities.

Sea birds gather along the sandy beach, making a perfect opportunity to catch them with long exposure shots.

This one was taken with a 70-200mm lens at a 20-30 second exposure. (The birds were kind enough to stay relatively still.)

The large rock formations along the shoreline provide ample opportunity to get an "otherworldly" feel with longer exposure times.

This second photo was taken with a 24-70mm lens using a 30-45 second exposure. With even such a relatively short exposure, you start getting some star trails in the night sky. You just need to watch for the tide coming in!

And, with enough pre-planning, such as bringing in flashlights and colored LEDs, you can "paint" with light, creating all sorts of different effects.

The following photo was taken using a 30-second exposure with a large flashlight behind the subject.

LED lights allow you to "write" letters. This photo was taken with a 30-second exposure time.

Pictture of the Day: Soo Cool

2007-09-30T20:28:00.000-07:00

The Soo Cool Forum Gathering
Playing with LED Lights
Sutro Baths, San Francisco
Canon 5D

Lady of the Elves

2007-09-16T21:41:00.000-07:00

Just after a friend got married, I had asked her to do a photoshoot with me because she really reminded me of the elves of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy-fame. Even her wedding gown was even of a Rivendell cut and nature.

After a bit of time due to scheduling issues, we finally managed to get some time together to do a shoot.

After getting to her house and setting up, I had shown her some of my concept drawings of the poses I'd like for her to do so that she had some idea of what to do in front of the camera. We went through her wardrobe, got her wedding dress, and another elven one she had made for another occasion, and we got to work.

I set up the backdrop in her living room and used only 2-3 strobes and one flash for most of the shots along with a reflector.

(TOP:I really wanted to make her look like a light source in this first photo, so I purposely made her white dress slightly overblown then softened it a bit in Photoshop. Added the sepia tone and burned the edges.)

(BOTTOM:For this one, I wanted to recreate a medieval look with a touch of the Romanticism era. She had another gown, in dark blue, so we took another sword, and lit only half of her face with a small reflector providing some fill for the other half.)

After some time with her wedding dress, she changed into the dark blue velvet gown, and we continued with the shoot.

Although she had never really posed infront of the camera before, she took to it well (with a little direction).

It also helped that we are good friends, so our comraderie put her at ease.

But, I have also noticed that when I do photoshoots with women, they have a tendency to relax a lot more around me and are more willing to work with me to get that "good" photo of themselves. Perhaps, it's because I'm a female photographer that they feel more relaxed, much like how some women much prefer having a female doctor or nurse.

House in Hayward

2007-07-16T23:57:00.000-07:00

In Hayward, there exists a house tucked away from it's middle-class neighbors. It is a house, that if you weren't looking for it, would pass it by. Or, if you were looking for it (like me), you'd have to drive by twice in order to find it.

The house is nestled at the bottom of a steep driveway, so the house, itself, cannot be seen from the street. The front of the house seems rather plain, but once you go inside, does the house really shine.

There are three floors to this house: upstairs for the bedrooms, the main floor for the kitchen, living room, family room, and downstairs where there is a romp room. Each of the bedrooms is a different pale color, that while strange at first, works really well together.

On the main floor, there is a very long dining room and bar that merges into the high-vaulted ceiling living room.

And, of course, there's the absolutely gorgeous kitchen.

Coupled with a very large deck on the main floor and a smaller deck just off the master bedroom, it's one of those rare gem in the housing market that will really please its new owner.

Picture of the Day: Fire Dancer

2007-07-11T20:30:00.000-07:00

Fire Dancer

Sutro Baths, San Francisco
Canon 5D

Fireworks: July 4th

2007-07-06T23:41:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm a little late in posting 4th of July firework photos, but better late than never?

For the second year, we headed down to the Redwood City Harbor port to see their fireworks display. It's a small, but it's really good fireworks show, and there's no driving required.

We arrived early and managed to get some decent seats. I set up the tripod, camera, and cable release, and waited for the show to start.

All images were taken with a 100-400mm lens on a Canon 5D. The lens was pre-focused and the shutter was held open for about 3-4 seconds apiece (essentially, from the moment I heard the firework being shot to the 1-2 pops. In this fashion, I could watch the fireworks and take photos (occassionally chimping to ensure I didn't fudge the focus).

I hope you and yours had a safe and sane Fourth of July.

Real Estate Photography

2007-06-07T08:29:00.000-07:00

I've been working with Scott Hargis on real estate photography, and I've been learning a lot from him.

Yesterday, we went to a house in Berkeley to work on a shoot for a house coming onto the market. It was being staged, but the staging was not yet complete so we were only able to do 80% of the house (1st floor and parts of the second floor).

We rotated on each of the rooms; Scott starting in the dining room, me in the living room. My 3rd strobe started having issues and would not fire, but luckily, most of the rooms only required two lights with the nice white high ceilings acting as bounce.

It was a beautiful house with hardwood floors, lovely archways, and nice ceilings providing a lot of light bounce. The windows also provided a lot of ambient light coming in from outside. The stagers had done a good job with the house. It was only a shame they weren't done so we could finish up the rest of the house during the shoot. Scott was going to return later in the afternoon after the stagers completed the last three rooms, while I had to run back to the office.

It was a fun shoot, and Scott showed me a few things I wouldn't have even considered when bouncing light, which I'm going to use for the next time.

A Splash of Color in the Desert

2007-04-22T20:38:00.000-07:00

When I found out I was heading to Tuscon, AZ, I wasn't quite ecstatic. I was going for a competition, but as many of my collegues were going to be there, I saw it also a chance to catch up with them.

Upon landing in Tuscon, I noticed a distinct lack of color through the airplane window. I had brought my camera with two very light and fast prime lenses (35mm & 50mm), but wasn't sure if I was going to get any time taking any photographs; the days were pretty full. I knew I would barely have any time to explore Tuscon and I doubted if I would have time to see any fabulous desert sunrises or sunsets.

The area around the Convention Center (where I was desitned to stay the entire weekend), was surrounded by freeways, tall buildings, and a lot of concrete. Not exactly the picturesque desert that I know Arizone has within its borders.

However, whilst walking around the convention center area, I came across veritble oasis of color that were hidden in the area that was mostly filled with browns, beiges, and other earthtones. It was a perfect place for me to spend a bit of my lunchtime taking photos and just marvelling at the array of color these buildings had been painted.

The little area consisted of mostly private businesses and several shops (delis, restaurants, coffee houses, etc). The buildings were all painted a different jewel toned color. Windows and doors were of different colors, as were roofs, floors, and fixtures. There were a lot of little bistro type chairs and tables to sit, and a lot of trees to offer daytime shade in the hot Arizona mid-day sun.

The colors weren't garish by any means, and the contrasting colors really made this little area seemed alive. The days were slightly overcast, but it helped bring the color of the buildings and window frames more.

So, if you're ever around the Tuscon Convention Center with little time on your hands, take a bit of time to explore this little gem in the desert.

Picture of the Day: Pink Window

2007-04-22T20:32:00.000-07:00

Pink Window

Tuscon, AZ
Canon 5D, 50mm f1.8 @ 1/1250seconds

The Crown of Italy: Venice

2007-03-06T21:08:00.000-08:00

In Feb. 2007, we headed to Venice to enjoy the yearly Carnivale that is held the two weeks prior to Lent. I have alway wanted to go to Venice, both for Carnivale and for the city itself. After Katrina hit New Orleans, I thought better now than never. So, we headed to that most amazing city.

If you've ever been to any part of Italy or love Rome or Milan...Venice is not those things. In fact, Venice is nothing like anything else in Italy...and nothing in Italy is like Venice. It is an experience, and here is mine (along with photos).

Is Venice the Carnival ? No gentlemen, pardon me : Carnival is Venice!

Honestly, the two of these things really can't be separated. Venice is more than Carnivale, yet it IS Carnivale. Carnivale can't be separated from Venice...in many ways, it is Venice.

Contrary to belief, the events of Carnivale are not limited to San Marco square, they really encompass large parts of Venice. However, San Marco Piazza (Saint Mark's Plaza) is where most of the events are located. In this piazza roam your tourists, pigeons looking to be fed by tourists, those in costume who want to be seen, and those who want to see those in costume (and feed the pigeons). Most people stay around the San Marco district, especially during Carnivale because of these events and those in costume, but there's so much more to see.

At first, I wasn't sure of this 'jeweled' city of Italy. When we first arrived, I really thought about how much this place is like a 'movie' set. Everything just seemed a bit 'unreal', from the narrow streets, to the uneven cobblestone streets, to the saturated colors of the buildings. It didn't appeal to me, and I wondered if I would dislike Venice. I had heard that you either loved Venice or disliked it. And I was wondering if I would fall in that second camp. A friend's girlfriend hadn't been too keen on Venice during their visit only 3 months previous from mine. She much rather prefers Italy as Italy, and not as Venice. And I wondered if that would happen to me as well. However, as I started to walk the streets of Venice...well...that changed. You could feel Venice. The city isn't perfect by any means; it has its own set of problems that it must face, but, there's something about Venice.

It is like travelling back through time to the age of the Doges, to when Shakespeare wrote "The Merchant of Venice". To be trite, it is like living in one giant movie set, where everything seems a little unreal, yet it is real. The city has substance, grit, and life.

Much of the city really heralds back to the original designers, from its buildings and bridges. There are bridges stamped with the original designers' & architects' symbols from several centuries ago. There are standing buildings where historical figures, such as Cassanova or Vivaldi walked. Modern buildings, like the Gugenheim museum or even the new museum of modern art stand out as Not Venetian. And the city of Venice is investing heavily in restoring a lot of what is in disrepair.

Venice has its own culture, its own style, its own separate history. It has its own "feel". And every time you turn around, things just make you go "wow". Venice's unique character steeped into every cobblestone, building, and bridge. The best way to see Venice is to walk Venice. You can feel it walking the streets, crossing the bridges, and you can feel it in the air on a crisp morning.

If you've been to Italy, but not Venice, then you can't compare it to any other Italian city. The city of Venice, which stands out from Italy, is really its own world. Venice is unlike any other city of Italy.....or maybe better said, no other city is like Venice.

If there was any one place you could walk around in historic costume and be in sync with your surroundings, that would be Venice. If there's a place that could appeal to the romantic...that would be Venice. If there is a place that could inspire and awe...it would be Venice.

>Unlike any other place in Italy, I don't think it would be out of place for anyone to be walking down the street in costume outside the typical Carnivale season of two weeks. (Historically, Carnivale was known to last two months, and people wore masks all year round, except during Lent and other religious holidays.) If you were to walk in costume outside of Carnivale season, I doubt any of the 6000 residents (or even the tourists) would look at you strangely outside for more than 1/2 second before walking by; however, I'm sure the tourists would ask to take a photo.

And Carnivale adds a little bit more to Venice. The color and vibrancy of many of the costumes add to the atmosphere. Of course, there are downsides, like the crush of tourists in the middle of a Saturday afternoon in Piazza di San Marco. (According to news reports, they had record breaking attendance due to the aytpical nice weather this year). But we stayed away from San Marco during the weekends. During the week, it was much much nicer.)

If you're a costumer like me, you just stand in awe of those costumes.

And, if you're a photographer like me, you'll love the abundance of picturesque buildings and costumed people who are more than willing to stop and pose for you.

Honestly, I think I'm in love with this city. It's not "magical" by any means. It's a busy city with the regular shops, bookstores, supermarkets, and the whatnought. It's got its own set of problems, from pickpockets, the flooding during the rainy season, and the little problem of sinking 1metre every 15 years. But, it's about as magical as you're going to get in this world (at least IMO).

I have been to places like France, Amsterdam/the Netherlands, Frankfurt, Colonge, and England. Cologne comes a little close to what I feel in Venice, but that's like saying I am similar in height (of about 5'3") to Michael Jordon.

As we traversed its sidewalks and its alleyways and churches, I see why people fall in love with it, and come back year after year. You could spend a lifetime in Venice, and still not know it. And, I think I'm one of those people, who have fallen in love with a city...Venice.

For more photos of Venice and Carnivale, please vist my gallery of Carnivale, 2007

Picture of the Day: Mustard Fields

2007-03-04T20:34:00.000-08:00

Mustard Fields

Taken at the Coyote Hills Ranch Park.
Canon 5D, 70mm f7.1 @ 1/250seconds

How Canon Lenses are Made

2007-02-02T22:42:00.001-08:00

This is very cool. It's how Canon makes their lenses, using the 500mm f4.0L IS USM lens as an example.

If you ever wonder why *good* camera lenses are expensive...well, this will answer your question.

http://www.canon.com/camera-museum/tech/l_plant/f_index.html

Impromptu Food Shots

2007-01-22T23:21:00.000-08:00

My department at work had a late (really, an after) Christmas holiday party, and had chosen a company that gets you into groups and cook a dinner.

People would break up into teams and cook parts of a large meal. It's a team building event and very fun. Of course, I brought my camera with me, because it was a chance to not only chronicle the event, but some impromptu food shots.

Luckily, the area where we were cooking had plenty of light coming in through the very large bay windows that took up one wall and part of the ceiling. There was a lot of diffused light through the slightly cloudy day of the event.

I won't post photos of my kooky collegues at work, but I will post the food images I took at the event.

Now, I tried to get some decent shots, but this is really where a Food Artist comes into play. Some of my other photog friends have done food product shots and they always use a Food Artist to come in and really make the food stand out.

I had trouble arranging the food as to how I wanted it. Granted that people were preparing food around me and it only afforded me a few minutes, but I thought it might be nice to have someone expertly arrange the food.

And, of course, there were 'grease' stains from trying to rearrange certain cooked foods, like the lamb skewers, that would have been circumvented by a Food Artist. But, overall, not a bad shot (minus the grease stains).

I've seen some very good food product shots taken by photographers sitting at a restaurant for their meal. Of course, I'm not quite *there* yet, but I must say it was fun.

Especially, when you get to eat it afterwards :-)

Picture of the Day: Raven

2006-12-29T20:39:00.000-08:00

Raven

Canon 20D. Yellowstone 2006

Picture of the Day: Netsuke

2006-12-29T20:37:00.000-08:00

This photo is just me playing around with my flashes and Canon 5D. This item is known as a netsuke, which is a small sculpture that had practical uses as a knot-end. It prevented items on a cord (that acted like a belt) from falling off as you wore your kimono .

Netsuke

Picture of the Day: Cougar in Captivity

2006-12-26T20:42:00.000-08:00

Cougar

There are many big cats, like this one, who live in rescue shelters all over the U.S. Some are former pets whose "owners" realized they can't ever be domesticated. Some are illegally bred. And some can't be released back into the wild.

Picture of the Day: Morrywn

2006-12-25T20:45:00.000-08:00

Morrywn
My friend's corgi

Picture of the Day: Aren't I Cute?

2006-12-22T20:46:00.000-08:00

Aren't I cute?
I'm such a sucker for my cats

The 'Perfect' Model

2006-12-15T22:00:00.000-08:00

There is a certain phenomenon occurring in some of the anime and cosplay circles that warrant a spin off subculture. This new subculture deals with Resin Ball-joined Dolls (known as BJDs) that are predominately made by Asian companies in Korea and Japan.

These aren't your little Barbie or GI Joe dolls that you had as a kid. These are serious dolls that are completely articulated, anatomically correct, and cost a few hundred dollars (upwards to a few thousand for the Limited Version) for a naked doll.

They stand anywhere from 5" to 16" tall, and often come with their own line of clothes, shoes, wigs, eyes, and other accessories. Their faces are hand-painted, and many face or body artists are sought after. There's even a sub market of home-grown enterpenuers who cater to the BJD owners by making custom clothes. No, these aren't meant for kids at all.

BJD owners often have several dolls (if they can afford it), and these resin-kids get royally spoiled by their parent. And, it's not just females who own these dolls; there are a fair number of guys who also own their own BJDs (and no, they aren't gay).

Now, before you think these BJD owners are a little insane, consider other types of collectors...anyone who will spend a few hundred dollars for a rare coin, stamp, or other collectable goodie. These owners adore, care, love and really enjoy their resin kids. And, financially, these dolls can be worth quite a bit; with extreme limited editions reselling for a few hundred over their initial resale value...IF you can get a beloved owner to even part with their BJD.

But the BJD owners don't just keep their dolls in glass cases to look at on the shelf. These resin kids are taken to BJD meetups, parties, and other get togethers. They are handled very carefully, but they are 'played' with, lovingly, by their owners.

Now, what has this got to do with photography?

Since many of my friends have their own BJDs, I've gotten first hand looks at their resin kids, and frankly, they are often the most perfect model (as the name of this entry suggests). You don't need to worry about makeup, they come with their own wardrobe, and will stand still for you for minutes at a time without moving. Plus, they don't complain, and won't charge you for modeling time.

I haven't yet succumbed to purchasing a BJD (in spite of my friends trying), as I'm still working to get a lot of my own studio set up in order. So, in the meantime, I borrow a friend and their BJD for a day for their own photoshoot. Neither the friend or the BJD mind too much. :-)

Cougars

2006-12-11T22:58:00.001-08:00

Several weeks ago, I got a chance to briefly visit with my father, who runs a big cat rescue organization. My dad & his wife take in cougars and other cats that would be otherwise destroyed because their owners kept them illegally, they were abused, or their owners decided that they could no longer keep a cougar as a "pet" (despite the fact that these magnificent animals are not pets!!!).

No zoo will take these cats for fear of contaminating their own population, nor can these animals be let out into the wild again. There are two choices for these animals: death or life in a rescue organization.

Their most recent addition is a two-month old cub named Tonka. The cougar shown above is Sheeno. These animals are magnificent creatures, but require a lot of care, feeding, and vetinary care. They do this out of love and respect for these creatures.

Right now, my dad gets very little in terms of outside funding. He and his wife, Erika, fund their rescue org straight out of their private pockets. They spent the better part of five years training and apprenticing, and making sure they could provide a good home to these types of cats.

In terms of costs, each cat eats up to 5-10lbs of raw meat per day. It takes about $1400 a year to feed two adult cougars. They have a vet who reduces her prices for them, but it still adds up.

Their organization, Yahtok'ya Animal Sanctuary, is non-profit in the state of Florida, but, unfortunately, not in the overall U.S.

If you want to help and can afford it, please consider making a donation to them. All proceeds go directly to the cats. They do not make a profit by running this organization.

Cats, Cats, & More Cats

2006-10-30T23:37:00.000-08:00

Everyone always seems to poo-poo yet another cat or dog photo on many of the photography forums. And granted, there are a lot of photos of people's cat, dog, and children on many of the photography forums.

And I can understand that people often get 'sick' of seeing that many cute (or in some cases, not-so-cute) dogs, cats, and kids. But I have to say, they provide readily-available subject matter in which to hone your skills.

Personally, I have more cat photos than I can count taking up storage space on my computer as well as in the traditional photo box (prior to moving to digital), but they have proven useful in helping to understand a little bit more about light and fur textures.

When I first started photographing my cats, my filter had plenty of nose smudges from the cats curious about the camera. Now, they just don't even blink an eye when I place it in front of them when they are looking especially cute and cuddly.

Of course, cats aren't the most obliging of all species. There's often the 'turning' of the head, or the shifting of the body so that there's unwanted motion or an unwanted angle. Luckily, telephoto lenses help as I can capture them unsuspecting a bit farther away.

Now every cat, dog, or kid owner thinks that their little ones are the most adorable species on the planet. And, there's no shortage of owners of those cat, dog, or kid photos, asking, "Isn't s/he/it cute?!?"

As much of a cat-lover as I am, I, personally, can only stand looking at those photos for a short amount of time. I can only look at so many cute kittens, puppies, cats, and dogs before I just have to walk away lest I be assimilated into The Cuteness.

And while there are some pretty decent shots out there of cats/dogs/kids, unfortunately, there are just as many, if not more, photos which aren't so good, and some are just downright bad (bad composition, bad lighting, bad background, etc). But, it's a learning experience right? Keep photographing your subject and eventually you'll get better at it. (That's the theory anyways)

It takes a really good photographer to capture one of these creatures in such a way that is universally "awww"-inspiring, esp, when the studio is a bedroom, a rumpled pet bed.

Personally, I haven't gotten the 'money-shot' of my cats yet either (if I happen to get the money-shot, so much the better), but then again, I'm not necessarily doing it for that money-shot, but rather for my personal viewing enjoyment and learning.

If I can use them to help further my photography knowledge, so much the better. And if I can capture my own personalized images of the cats, even better still. Because kittens turn into cats, puppies turn into dogs, and babies grow up to be teenagers; that cuteness phase doesn't last long.

And aren't photographs a means of capturing a moment in time, a memory, and as a way of preserving what is so fragile and delicate for a future time?

So, I say, continue photographing your cats, dogs, and/or kids, and foist them onto the world. I don't have to read every thread out there showing off these prized photographs to the world. I can sit here and take my own.

So, in parting, I have to ask...aren't my cats cute?!? ;-P

Yellowstone National Park

2006-10-28T10:23:00.000-07:00

Last month, I headed out with family to Yellowstone National Park for a week long vacation. I had never been to Yellowstone (that I could remember at least because there is a photo of me as a child in front of a geyser, so who knows?)

Now, I have often frequented the closest national park to me, Yosemite, and it has a special place in my heart. So naturally, I ended up comparing the two parks as I travelled along Yellowstone despite knowing they are different in nature.

First, I must say that Yellowstone and Yosemite are two very different national parks with two very different "personalities". Where Yosemite is just GRAND on a Paul Bunyan scale, Yellowstone is grand just in the terms of *vastness* and differing types of landscape.

Yellowstone, itselt, covers several million acres and parts of two states, and in order to see most of it, you *have* to travel by car or motorcycle, especially if you were to try to see all of it in one week. There's just so much there, that unless you were to spend more than a few weeks/months or made Yellowstone your annual two week vacation for a lifetime, you can't even make a dent in seeing it. Spending a week here gave the smallest taste (a sampler platter if you will) of what this park has to offer for a visitor. (We're already making plans to return to see parts of Yellowstone in much more detail.)

Because of the sheer size of Yellowstone, there are different 'landscapes' ranging from plains to mountainous regions and the transition zones in between. I didn't quite understand the scope of size, until we drove from the mountainous region to Lamar Valley, which is dubbed the "Sereghetti of North America". Once upon a time a few million buffalo roamed the plains of Yellowstone, and upon seeing Lamar Valley for the first time, I could understand why.

This plain was so vast, that the buffalo were mere black dots in the distance. There were several herds grazing, and I counted at least 100 members in each herd, and there was AMPLE space between each of the herds.

Of course, Lamar Valley isn't the only place to see wildlife in their native habitat. Buffalo and elk are the most commonly seen from the road, and there are plenty of "buffalo jams" as tourists gawk at the buffalos and rubberneck, or the buffalo decide the road is a great place to stand for a while.

Other wildlife are a bit harder to see, unless you're lucky or travelling in the back country. Wildlife range from moose, to coyote, to bears (both black and grizzly), to wolves, to foxes, to prong horns, to big horn sheep, and many more. I had the luck to observe coyotes, bears, prong horns, sheep, and wolves. Unfortunately, some weren't obliged to pose for me (or it was too dark to use the camera effectively at a distance.

About 10 or so years ago, a huge forest fire raged across Yellowstone, burning acres and acres of forest. However, now, there is a lot of new tree growth. A lot of very young pine trees are making the start of a very impressive forest. You see a lot of the old growth, charred and burned. There's a lot of ash on the ground in many areas. And, you see a juxtaposition of dead tree trunks and those young pines growing up around the dead trunks. In less than 10 years, this place will look a lot different than it does now; the trees I saw are going to be a lot taller and a lot more mature.

The forests of Yellowstone aren't the only ones undergoing change. As I discovered, Yellowstone is one big caldera. Consequently, the geo-thermal activity in Yellowstone is quite active. From geysers to hot pools, Yellowstone is a changing landscape. Geyers that erupted for years, might turn around and remain quiet. Geo-thermal areas that didn't exist 50 years ago, exist now. A section of the forest might die off if a new thermal area springs up, as the hot water and calcium/minerals slowly kill off the trees.

Insofar as the geysers, just watching one erupt is simply amazing. And, there's no lack of geysers. The Lower and Upper Geyser Basin is wrought with geysers. In the Upper Geyser Basin, there are at least 12 geysers, including....

Old Faithful

In addition to the geysers, there are a numerous hot springs that dot the landscape. The hues of these pools match the colors of a rainbow, as well as cook any living being within 5 minutes (temperaturs can range upwards of 200 deg F). However, algae and bacteria live in the differing temperatures of the pools, and giving each pool its breathaking colors.

Without a doubt, Yellowstone is probably one of the most scenic, beautiful, and grand places within the United States. A place worth visiting repeatedly and seeing in more detail.

We've already made plans to return.

Picture of the Day: Geyser Clouds

2006-10-24T14:49:00.000-07:00

Yellowstone National Park

From afar, it looks like this geyser is filling the sky with its steam

Picture of the Day: Sapling

2006-10-23T14:47:00.000-07:00

A majority of the forest in Yellowstone burned during a forest fire that occurred 10+ years ago. A lot of the pine cones then released their seeds and a new crop of trees are growing. Consequently, there are a lot of young trees 5-10 years in age that are growing around the now dead, but still standing, coprses of their forefathers.

You Never Know When You Need a Camera

2006-10-21T23:01:00.000-07:00

You never really know when you're going to need your camera, because something could happen at any given moment, or when the most perfect picture opportunity is going to happen.

Sometimes, I don't like carrying my camera around, because there are times when it becomes a hassle to bring it with me.

But then there are moments, that I'm glad I have it, because people wouldn't believe me unless they saw it for themselves.

Take for instance this little gem that I saw while we were driving down the road, and I was glad my camera bag was at my feet instead of in the trunk. I was tickled pink to see a Tiki Van. I have a friend who is very much into the Tiki, and I knew she would enjoy seeing this...

(The little Tiki God Eyes Light up when it breaks or for a turn)

I directed the driver to pull alongside, because I wanted to see the side of the vehicle. I wasn't disappointed.

The sea shell hubcabs were just absolutely priceless. And so were getting these photos. They aren't 'perfectly photogenic', but at least I had proof as to what I had seen.

It makes me glad I bring my camera with me almost everywhere I go....

Picture of the Day: Sillohette

2006-10-06T20:50:00.000-07:00

Sillohette on the Sill

Cheap Doesn't Mean Bad

2006-08-17T23:42:00.000-07:00

I've noticed that there's a lot of amateur photographers out there who rush out to buy the latest and greatest (and often times the most expensive) piece of equipment they can find. Unfortunately, I haven't quite won the lottery yet, nor do I want to put my credit card into shock, so I have to pick and choose what I need to buy. And save up extra funds so I can purchase some of the lenses I want.

However, there's one lens in my arsenal that gets a *lot* of use, and that's the Canon 50mm f1.8.

It's a small, light-weight lens. The body is mostly plastic, but it's super tack sharp, and the best part? It's only about $70.00. How can you go wrong with that combination?

I took this lens to the Monterey Bay Aquarium during their Jelly Fish exhibit, and I couldn't be more pleased with the results.

I had brought a monopod with me to help steady shots, but I found myself using the monopod more as a walking stick. Even in the extreme low-light situations of the aquarium, it performed incredibly well. The images were spot on, even with slower shutter speeds.

I've heard the arguments for using the Canon 50mm f1.2, and there is merit to having a little bit more faster lens. But at a few couple hundred dollars more than the f1.8, the f1.8 version is the best bang for the buck.

I suppose one day, I will purchase the f1.2 lens, but sometime after I win the lottery.

Picture of the Day: Taiko!

2006-08-16T13:50:00.000-07:00

I just really like this one. The Taiko Drummers had such energy and had so much fun playing that it was infectuous for the crowd. Their outfits were so colorful that I wanted to isolate the main drummers from the others in the background.

Nihonmachi Street Fair: SF Taiko Dojo

My Friends' Weddings

2006-08-15T22:39:00.000-07:00

I'm not very big into doing wedding photography, because I find the entire thing extremely stressful; what with the couple being stressed, the parents of the couple being stressed, and the *need* to just get the perfect shot at the perfect time.

I know some photographers who excel in that type of situation; I am not one of them. However, it hasn't stopped me from doing the occassional wedding for friends as a favor or at a reduced cost, but I don't do it often. I've probably done a handful of weddings in the past 5 years, which I think is pretty good rate. I've looked at other wedding photographers' portfolios thinking, "It's just really a matter of practice and doing this over and over to the point where you just get used to it."

However, it's the part of trying to get used to it that causes stress. Put yourself through stress so you get used to stress so you wont't stress out when you're stressed. Somehow that doesn't quite sound right to me. *lol*

So, I would have thought that doing various friends' weddings would help me get over that stress-level. Yet, I find my friends' weddings even more stressful as there is a certain emotional investment in doing a good job for them. So, I find myself doing weddings very rarely.

Personally, I like doing the pre-wedding shots. The ones where you can stage the bride with lighting and props to make her look good. No stress, no worries, but then again, that's not really wedding photography, is it?

Whenever I do a wedding, I find myself longing for just one more extra body so that I have the right lens at the right time. Heck, I'd even opt for an assistant who can anticipate my every move and hand me the right tool at the right time (much like a really good golf valet who hands you the right club at the right time so I've seen in the movies....)

But, it's just not the camera equipment either. There's also the outfit to wear to the wedding. For guys, this is easy with black dress shoes and simple black slacks and a nice button-down shirt. For women, this isn't so easy.

The one thing I've found with doing weddings is that I'm always on the move; getting shots of guests, family, of picturesque moments. This means comfortable shoes. However, when you're a 'photography guest', you should dress up so that you don't stick out like a sore thumb with jeans and a t-shirt.

On my very first wedding, I made the mistake of wearing heels. They were very low and normally very comfortable, but I hadn't anticipated being on my feet non-stop for 6 hours. OUCH! Luckily, I found some nice, modest, FLAT, comfy black shoes that should go with almost everything at my local mall.

But I still need to figure out some 'outfit' -- preferably not a dress or with any form of skirt -- that allows me to move around, blend in with guests, is comfy, and has pockets. I've gotten too used to wearing my photo vest around when I go out photo-shooting, or my comfy cargo pants with its multitude of pockets.

Unfortunately, most of the nice outfits with pants that fit this criteria make me look like I'm going to a power lunch instead of a wedding. I've tried various outfits, and nothing quite works the best. One day, I'll find the right wedding/photography outfit, preferably the next time I do a wedding (which will hopefully be in the far off future).

And, insofar as my own wedding and any photography for that special event? I'll be hiring one, preferably an acquaintance at most, and definitely not a friend. I don't want to put one of my friends through the stress.

Nihonmachi Street Fair

2006-08-15T00:06:00.000-07:00

As my first post, I thought to post some images taken from the Nihonmachi Street Fair in San Francisco. I had first heard about the street fair from some friends on a photo forum that I frequent for some Bay Area shooters. I decided to meet up with them, especially for the two events, the Lion Dance and the Taiko Drumming.

I have always loved the lion and dragon actors at various Asian festivities, and I also have a fondness for taiko drumming (as well as having friends who do taiko).

I checked the weather websites, and it had said it would remain around mid-to-high 60s with the promise of fog. Instead what I got was a beautiful sunny day with extremely harsh lighting. *sigh*

So, I decided to just have fun, and not worry too much. I slapped on an ND filter onto the camera, and went from there.

The Lion Dance was particularly fun, albeit a little loud with the strings of firecrackers going off. I managed to get in the front of the gathered crowd, albeit to the backsides of the lions, but still managed to get a few good shots off. The very young lion cub dancers were particularly cute, but performed very well.

With the harsh lighting, I just decided to see if I couldn't just shoot for B&W conversions later. But, even during the post-processing, a lot of the colors with the Lion Dance just screamed to be let out.

After the Lion Dance, the San Francisco Taiko Dojo set up to perform. It's just so much fun watching them, as they really seem to get into the rhythm, the beat, and just playing their hearts out.

For the taiko, I stuck my longer lens onto the camera, as I was a bit farther back than the Lion Dance (for which I used a wide angle lens).

During the second set of the taiko, I was fascinated by an older gentleman who was so intent on his playing that I could have watched him all day just playing on the drums.

I tried to get a lot of shots of him with his intense looks and whatnought, but after a while, I just stopped and watched him play. His expressions were just so serene, calm, and wonderful. It was just a pleasure to watchi him play. I didn't know who he was, but I pretty much figured him for THE teacher of the taiko dojo.

I showed the images to some of my taiko friends, and they pegged him as Seichii Tanaka, the founder of taiko movement in the U.S! It didn't surprise me at all.

Overall, for the street fair, I didn't take as many photographs as I thought I might originally, but I decided to just enjoy myself and experience the festival instead of just being behind the camera. Regardless, I think I got some decent photos out of the day; just a few select pieces, which makes me happy.

Picture of the Day: Lion Dancer Cub

2006-08-14T13:49:00.000-07:00

Taken at the Nihonmachi Street Fair

Picture of the Day: Hands

2006-08-11T13:48:00.000-07:00

Picture of the Day: Lion Fish Flower

2006-08-09T13:47:00.000-07:00

For whatever reason, the stamen of this flower reminds me of a lion fish.

Picture of the Day: Statuesque

2006-08-07T13:46:00.000-07:00

Picture of the Day: Maria

2006-08-05T13:44:00.000-07:00

While adjusting the kicker, I got a bit of lens flare taking the shot. However, the shot was interesting with the flare, so I decided to play with the post-processing a bit to come up with an effect that I liked. The result was this 70-ish photo.

Canon 20D
ISO 100 F11 @ 1/250

Picture of the Day: Spokes of Rust

2006-08-03T13:40:00.000-07:00

The one thing about cemetaries, like the Mountain View Cemetary, is all the cool entrances to the various crypts and masoleums. There’s a wide array of patina, rust, and other surfaces; not to mention the variety of types of doors and gates. For this particular shot, I set up the camera high on the tripod because the spokes were at a height taller than me. I manually focused on a lower portion of the door, then raised the tripod to about level with the spokes, and used a remote trigger to take the shot. It took a few attempts to get the shot I wanted.

Next time? I bring a step stool.

Canon 20D
ISO 100 @ 17mm f5.0 @ 1/30

Picture of the Day: Contemplating Heaven

2006-08-02T13:38:00.000-07:00

There was some post-processing work to turn this into more of a sepia-toned image. I ramped up Curves in photoshop in order to totally obliterate the background, which was uninteresting at best with a low-brick wall. Then I converted to B&W, then sepia-toned. I wanted the focus to be completely on the statue itself.

Picture of the Day: Face of an Angel

2006-08-01T13:37:00.000-07:00

Canon 20D
ISO 100 @ 22mm f8.0 @ 1/200

Picture of the Day: Toy Cemetary

2006-07-29T13:23:00.000-07:00

This image was taken at the Mountain View Cemetary with a tilt-shift lens. The tilt-shift lens gives a selective focus that gives a minituarized toy look to photos.

Canon 20D
ISO 100 @ 90mm f2.8 @ 1/320

Picture of the Day: Wall Climbing

2006-07-27T13:22:00.000-07:00

Canon 20D
ISO1600 50mm @ f 2.0 1/200 sec

Taken at the local amateur rock climbing locale.

Picture of the Day: Flowers at the Conservatory

2006-07-26T13:20:00.000-07:00

Flowers at the Conservatory

Canon 20D
ISO100 22mm @ f 4.0 1/400 sec; .6ND filter

I took this over on a really sunny day over at Golden Gate Park near the Conservatory of Flowers. The flowers were absolutely gorgeous in the harsh afternoon light with a ton of color. Of course, it’s also probably the worst time of day to even attempt to shoot, but I thought, why not? I threw an ND filter onto the lens and took some low-angled shots, trying to crop out the sky.

Picture of the Day: Japanese Garden

2006-07-25T13:18:00.000-07:00

Portland, OR
Canon 20D
ISO100 59mm @ f 5.6, 1/10 sec

Picture of the Day: Wedding Bouquet

2006-07-24T13:04:00.000-07:00

Wedding Bouquet
Taken at Dorothy & Kevin O'Hare's wedding

Picture of the Day: The Burn

2006-07-19T12:56:00.000-07:00

Canon 20D
50mm f5.6 @ 1/250 sec., ISO 100

Picture of the Day: A Man & His Balloon

2006-07-18T12:54:00.000-07:00

Taken at the Sonoma Balloon Classic 2006
A volunteer pulling down on the rope to help bring down the balloon.

Canon 20D
41mm f5.0 @ 1/2 sec., ISO 100

Picture of the Day: Up, Up, and Away

2006-07-17T12:53:00.000-07:00

Taken at the Sonoma Balloon Classic 2006
Canon 20D
24mm f5.6 @ 1/640

Picture of the Day: Dandelion

2006-07-13T12:45:00.000-07:00

Dandelion

Picture of the Day: Famer John

2006-07-12T12:41:00.000-07:00

Farmer John
(Actually, I don't know if his name is John, but I thought it at least appropriate)

Picture of the Day: Fjord Mane

2006-07-08T18:05:00.000-07:00

Canon 20D
80mm, f11 @ 1/320 sec ISO 100

The mane of a Norwegian Fjord Horse. Their manes are extremely characteristic; white on the outside and dark stripe down the middle (like a reversed skunk). They are very gentle and lovely horses.

Picture of the Day: Fireworks

2006-07-04T18:03:00.000-07:00

Fireworks
Canon 20D
EXIF: f11 @ 5secs ISO 100

2006-07-03T18:02:00.000-07:00

Bubbles

Canon 20D w/ 35mm f1.4 lens
EXIF: f1.4 @ 1/6400 @ ISO 100

Picture of the Day: Beer Bottles

2006-07-02T18:01:00.000-07:00

Beer Bottles

Picture of the Day: Candy!

2006-07-01T18:00:00.000-07:00

Picture of the Day: Bonsai

2006-06-30T17:59:00.000-07:00

Bonsai

Picture of the Day: Passion Flower

2006-06-25T17:58:00.000-07:00

Passion Flower

Picture of the Day: SongBird

2006-06-22T17:55:00.000-07:00

Song Bird

Picture of the Day: Lotus

2006-06-17T17:53:00.000-07:00

Lotus

Picture of the Day: Dolfie

2006-06-12T17:51:00.000-07:00

Dollfies
A Ball Jointed Doll

Picture of the Day: Two Guitars

2006-06-09T17:46:00.000-07:00

Picture of the Day: Sillohette

2006-06-08T17:44:00.000-07:00

Sillohette

Picture of the Day: Aluminum Overcast

2006-06-06T17:42:00.000-07:00

"Aluminum Overcast"

B52

Picture of the Day: Ostrich Egg

2006-06-05T17:41:00.000-07:00

Picture of the Day: B52

2006-06-04T17:41:00.000-07:00

B52

Picture of the Day: Zen Rocks

2006-06-03T17:39:00.000-07:00

Zen Rocks

Picture of the Day: Two Drafts

2006-06-01T17:38:00.000-07:00

Two Drafts

Picture of the Day: Zoe

2006-05-31T17:37:00.000-07:00

Zoe
A friend's cat

Picture of the Day: Percheron Foal

2006-05-26T17:36:00.000-07:00

Percheron Foal

Picture of the Day: Looking Down

2006-05-23T17:35:00.000-07:00

Looking Down

Picture of the Day: Blue in Repose

2006-05-17T17:33:00.000-07:00

Blue in Repose
My cat, Blue, reclines on the bed in the morning light.
Taken with a 50 mm f1.8 @ f1.8

Picture of the Day: Venus Fly Trap

2006-05-15T17:32:00.000-07:00

Venus Fly Trap

Picture of the Day: Stamen

2006-05-11T17:30:00.000-07:00

Stamen

Picture of the Day: Hearst Pool

2006-05-10T17:29:00.000-07:00

Swimming Pool at Hearst Castle

Picture of the Day: Gecko

2006-05-09T17:28:00.000-07:00

Gecko