I had some time over the holidays to clean up some old pictures of Liz from about two years ago. I am making it my new year’s resolution to create something epic with Liz this year.
Liz Ashley
Posted in Equipment, Lighting, Post-Processing with tags Beauty Dish, Einstein, Glamour, Lingerie, Liz Ashley, Parabolic Umbrella, Westcott on January 4, 2014 by projectxoSuper Moon – June 2013.
Posted in Landscape, Personal with tags Chidren, Full, Moon, Photography, Super on June 28, 2013 by projectxoLast July, I made an attempt to photograph the super moon. And this is how it came out…
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Shooting Wat Arun, Bangkok
Posted in Cityscape, Landscape, Travel with tags Arun, Arunratchawararam, Bangkok, Temple, Thailand, Wat on December 16, 2012 by projectxoI had a chance to make a brief stop in Bangkok during my year-end trip. I only had one night to shoot; so I scouted the internet for locations which I feel best represent beauty of Bangkok at dusk. Most importantly, it must be easily accessible since again, I had a dinner deadline. Turned out most of the images I found of Bangkok were citiscapes, buildings, night lights, etc. Wat Arun stood out because it is a well-lit ancient temple, and it is right next to Bangkok’s famous river. Thanks to the tips from Prachanart Viriyaraks and my buddy Panu; I was able to find the right location, plan the shoot with enough margin after sunset, and still make it on time to dinner despite Bangkok’s infamous traffic.
I thought I needed HDR to properly expose the image. It turned out, single exposure from one of my bracketed frames was nearly perfect. What a majestic site, don’t you think?
Sunset over Shinjuku – 2012
Posted in Cityscape, Landscape, Travel with tags Bunkyo Civic Center, Fuji, Fujisan, Japan, Mount, Shinjuku, Tokyo on December 16, 2012 by projectxoThis is my 2nd attempt at capturing sunset over the city of Shinjuku. The weather was virtually perfect, sky was clear and glowing orange, mount Fuji was clearly visible and gigantic as the result of compression from my teleconverter. However, I ran out of time – I had a dinner appointment that night; I had to leave by 4:50PM. 15 more minutes the lights would have been perfectly balanced. May be next year, may be.
Francesca for Eye Sparkles
Posted in Equipment, Lighting, Uncategorized with tags Ann Ho, Beauty Dish, D800, Eye Sparkles, Francesca, Grid, Nikon, Portrait, Trang Le on October 27, 2012 by projectxoI am so thrilled; it’s been a while since I’ve had this much fun. I have been in contact with Ann off-and-on over the past year. I am actually embarrassed to even contact her because I’ve canceled on her too many times. This time, I am determined to see the project through. Ann agreed to collaborate with me to shoot some accessories for Eye Sparkles fashion outlet. To sweeten the pot, I recruited the amazingly captivating Francesca. She is simply wonderful; I could shoot with her all day. So many looks, so little time.
We decided to start with a clean natural look with Francesca’s hair tied up. This way we can showcase the accessories without too much distraction. But seriously, how could you not be distracted by Francesca? Ann and her assistant Trang Le quickly went to work. Watching Ann work is like watching a maestro perform. Every move is crisp and confident; it must be such a pleasure to be doll’d up by Ann.
Meanwhile, I started to prep the set. A white seamless paper is used for background. For lighting, I started with the following:
- PCB Einstein with white beauty dish. Center, above eye-level.
- PCB Einstein with softbox. Behind Francesca, pointing down for hair and rim light.
A quick test shot. Not bad, but rather boring; too catalog-ish. Continue reading
Taipei – Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall
Posted in Cityscape, Post-Processing, Travel with tags Chiang Kai-Shek, Cityscape, CKS, Freedom Plaza, Memorial Hall, Taipei on September 21, 2012 by projectxoI had the chance to spend the weekend in Taipei last month; so I made sure that I packed my Benro tripod with me. I chose CKS memorial since it was relatively close to my hotel, and easily accessible from the MRT. Continue reading
Hannah
Posted in Equipment, Lighting, Post-Processing with tags Hannah, Lighting, Portrait on September 17, 2012 by projectxoShooting Hannah (and Wen) was quite a learning experience for me. I had limited gear (speedlights, umbrellas, eBay softbox, and reflector) and tight space (my hotel room). To be fair, I knew my challenges before I set out on my trip; but I didn’t realize how little I knew about lighting in small spaces. Continue reading
Singapore Sands Casino – In the Rain
Posted in Equipment, Landscape, Travel with tags Cityscape, Sands Caisno, Singapore on September 15, 2012 by projectxoIt was my last night (of two) in Singapore. I sat there at the Fullerton Bay Hotel, drinking my Asahi, contemplating how I was going to capture the casino without tripod. Then it occurred to me that I had my light stand, which had a 1/4″ thread. I could run it through an adapter and secure my camera on the light stand! Yes! Nothing could stop me from finally getting some decent pictures now; right? Well, not quite. Just as the sun start to set, it started to rain. I stood there under a porch in front of the Oyster Bar; taking a snap shot every minute to check for light balance. Mean while, the rain got heavier and heavier. The wind got stronger and stronger… you get the idea. Finally when the sky and the casino light reached the balance I liked, I dashed out to the edge of the quay, took some quick shots, then ran back to the Fullerton Bay to finish my dinner. All soaked. May be next time…
Shanghai through the Window
Posted in Equipment, Landscape, Travel with tags Bund, Cityscape, Hyatt on the Bund, Shanghai on September 15, 2012 by projectxoIt was my first trip to Shanghai. I packed my best lenses, lighting gears, trigger cables… Dragged the heavy luggage across three different countries. But guess what? Forgot to pack my tripod. Argh!
Sea to Summit Workshop – Santa Cruz
Posted in Equipment, Landscape, Post-Processing, Travel with tags Filter, graduated, Hole in the Wall, neutral density, Santa Cruz, Sea to Summit, Seascape on September 14, 2012 by projectxoI finally got around to join the Sea to Summit Workshops in Santa Cruz ran by Jim Patterson and Josh Cripps. They hold landscape workshops up and down California coast; and every once in a while, they venture out to the sierras. Boy, did I learn a lot. Continue reading