Server Problems - 2/12/09
First off, don't worry about the A Picture A Day project. I haven't stopped taking (at least trying) pictures for the project. Now on to the problems. The new server should of been up by Friday but I'm having hardware problems. The machine that I wanted to use can't find the hard drive for some reason. Could be the IDE cable needs replacing but won't know until tomorrow. Too lazy to open it up again today and test. Once the hard drive problem is fixed, it'll only take at most two days for me to install, configure, transfer, and bring it to operational state.
As soon as the new server is up, I'll begin uploading and updating the A Picture A Day project. Also plan on revamping the look of the blog and main site as well. During this transition period, there will be about a day of downtime. More like a few hours but I like to be on the safe side.
The Lenovo Ideapad S10 is one hell of netbook. It's sold out on newegg, amazon, and lenovo. Haven't checked any other retailers but it doesn't matter. I want one.
Well till next time...
Oh, and here's the last picture I uploaded to flickr before hitting the limit: Click!
Wedding Photography - 2/4/09
To start off: http://youtube.com/watch?v=2mXiXCsRGlM
I attended my first wedding about a year ago. At the time, I only had the Rebel XT, 28-105, and 430ex. It was the wedding of one of my relatives and so spent the day just hanging out with family and taking pictures of the immediate family. That day I saw so many "kodak moments" but didn't know how capture them. I was immediately hooked. There was nothing like it. So when my chemistry professor asked me to shoot his wedding as "backup" I jumped at it without hesitation.
I can't really explain the passion for wedding photography and I'm not going to try. The youtube link at the top of this post is from some of the world's best wedding photographers. Everything they say is pretty much how I feel. With that said I must add that I don't like Jerry Ghonis. In fact, I think he is what's wrong with wedding photography. A friend asked me to explain why I love wedding photography so much (she also said that I like it because I'm a "hopeless romantic") and this is my response (chat log):
(11:56:21 PM) directorronc: i just really like shooting weddings
(11:56:33 PM) friend: I hope you get practice with what the poses
(11:56:54 PM) friend: why?
(11:56:57 PM) friend: weddings are beautiful though
(11:57:05 PM) directorronc: its a rush
(11:57:08 PM) friend: ohh
(11:57:13 PM) directorronc: because its a wedding
(11:57:16 PM) directorronc: there's no going back
(11:57:21 PM) directorronc: you have to be prepared
(11:57:29 PM) directorronc: and be able to deal with whatever comes your way
(11:57:33 PM) friend: mmm
(11:57:35 PM) directorronc: the action never stops
(11:57:39 PM) friend: it's like the ultimate sport
(11:57:40 PM) friend: hehehe
(11:57:47 PM) friend: capturing all the moments
(11:57:51 PM) directorronc: the atmosphere is happy and festive
(11:57:57 PM) directorronc: haha yeah exactly
(11:58:06 PM) friend: yeah
(11:58:14 PM) friend: I love weddings b/c of the atmosphere
(11:58:18 PM) friend: it's inspiring right?
(11:59:18 PM) directorronc: the whole you're shooting you're under a lot of pressure/stress and you're always trying to look for the "moments" you notice so many things all at once but you have to decide which is important and how to capture that moment for the couple to see
(11:59:25 PM) directorronc: inspiring? maybe...
(11:59:38 PM) friend: hehehe
(11:59:40 PM) friend: yeah
(11:59:59 PM) directorronc: the whole time i was at my prof's wedding i was on the edge of a panic attack
(5/24/2008 12:00:07 AM) friend: aww
(12:00:12 AM) directorronc: it was exhilarating
(12:00:44 AM) directorronc: i did get a panic attack but it was after the wedding was "over"
(12:00:50 AM) directorronc: when i had time to breathe
(12:00:53 AM) friend: oh =C
(12:01:02 AM) directorronc: but it was great
(12:01:09 AM) friend: but I thought you were taking the medication
(12:01:47 AM) directorronc: you're working so hard to stabilize the camera (especially in low light to avoid camera shake) that your whole body aches
(12:01:57 AM) directorronc: no i stopped after a little bit
(12:04:01 AM) friend: oh
(12:04:01 AM) directorronc: you're exhausted, aching, sweating, adrenaline pumping through you, your eyes constant searching for moments, your hands grip the camera like its an extension of your fingers (i learned real quick where all the camera controls were, i don't think i've ever been able to change settings that fast before or after that wedding)
(12:04:34 AM) directorronc: that's why i love shooting weddings
(12:04:38 AM) friend: hehehe
(12:04:41 AM) friend: the speed then
(12:04:44 AM) directorronc: its just a totally difference experience
(12:04:45 AM) friend: and excitement
(12:05:11 AM) directorronc: when you're at a wedding you don't feel that but you do feel the excitement, happiness, festivities
(12:05:23 AM) directorronc: but as a wedding photog you feel all that AND all that i explained above
(12:06:15 AM) directorronc: even the way i hold the camera during the wedding is different
(12:06:30 AM) directorronc: normally i would have my index finger on the shutter button
(12:06:57 AM) directorronc: but during the wedding my middle finger is on the shutter so that my index can be on the dial
(12:07:04 AM) directorronc: for changing shutter speed
(12:07:20 AM) friend: that is so cool
(12:07:22 AM) friend: hahaha!
(12:07:31 AM) directorronc: 8-)
(12:07:37 AM) directorronc: :-D
(12:07:37 AM) friend: hehehe
(12:21:50 AM) directorronc: i don't think many people will understand why i like wedding photography so much until they've done it themselves
Now... status update on the "A Picture A Day" project. Flickr has a limit on how many pictures a free account can have. So uh... at the moment I can't upload which means the project is at a halt right now. Looks like I'll be moving to my new server sooner than expected and I expect to have it up by the end of next week. Once that happens I will regularly post again.
Until next time...
Tiring Day - 1/31/09
Had a photo shoot this morning with Tanya. Didn't sleep well the night before and woke up feeling pretty bad. Photo shoot itself went alright... the pictures turned out pretty bad. Lack of preparation on my part, nothing to do with the model. Tanya was great to work with and looking forward to working with her again.
Found out my 70-200 has been damaged more than first thought. Tried to screw on a filter today and it wouldn't go on. Turns out the thread ring is bent inward. As a precaution, I'll be taking it for a trip to the mothership in Irvine on Monday.
Arms are sore... why? The 70-200 and 1DsII is HEAVY. I thought the 40D w/grip, 24-70L, and 580ex II was heavy. That's nothing compared to the 70-200 and 1DsII. Need to workout more. If an old dude like Joe Buissink can carry two pro-series cameras and equivalent lenses (he shoots Nikon) all day for a wedding, I can handle doing a full day shoot. Which brings me (finally) to the topic of tomorrow's post: my love of wedding photography. Like how I transitioned into that?? Damn right you did... Anyway, Joe Buissink is considered one of the world's best wedding photographers and is an inspiration for my wedding photography. Others that I considered to be the best are: David Beckstead, Yervant, Marcus Bell, Dennis Reggie, and Sol Tamargo.
Till tomorrow...
Oh and the picture for today will be posted tomorrow along with the post.
A Picture A Day - 1/30/09
Picture for today: click me
New Server? - 1/29/09
Encountering some problems with Flickr and other things. Again, I'll spare the details but my web site will be moving to a new home soon. After a LONG lecture from my dad, he's allowed me to convert one of our old servers into a Linux server that will be the host of the web site. Might be a Windows server but now sure yet. So expect some downtime in Feb. when I start the revamping of the web site and blog for transition to the new server.
Anyway, the picture for today is here!
A Picture A Day - 1/28/09
Picture for today is here!
A Picture A Day - 1/27/09
There will be two pictures today to make up for the days I didn't upload. Pictures for today: Clicky clicky
A Picture A Day - 1/26/09
Picture for today is here!
Home Invasion - 1/23/09
There was a home invasion on Salerose Dr. today and I happened to pass by when the LA Sheriffs were surrounding the house. Apparently, the intruder knocked on the door but the resident refused to open the door. So the intruder went around the side of the house, opened and entered through a first story window. The resident ran out the front door to a neighbor's house where she called 911. Well anyway, I was able to get two "good" pictures out of it.
Sheriff deputies storming the residence. They cleared the building but didn't find the intruder.
Deputies discussing what happened after clearing the house. The intruder wasn't in the house.
By the way, the top picture will be the picture for today. Click here for large version!
Till tomorrow...
A Picture A Day - 1/22/09
Picture for today here.
A Picture a Day - 1/21/09
Today will be the start of my "A Picture A Day" idea. So for today's picture click me!!
Power Outage - 1/20/09
Silent Hill style. I'm still trying to figure out how to do the one picture a day thing. I'm thinking of either creating a separate page with small thumbnails or a flash gallery. Any ideas?
Used flash for this one. So foggy.
That's my flashlight...
New (Used) Camera - 1/17/09
My trusted workhorse camera, the Canon 40D, has moved on to (hopefully) a better life with another owner. Sold it along with the battery grip and 28-105 II lens for $900. It'll be missed. It's been a great, sturdy, and trustworthy camera. Excellent piece of photographic equipment and a camera that I highly recommend without reserve. The 5D is also up for sale and will be leaving me by Monday evening.
Although I've only owned the 5D for about 3 months, it is a camera that I will miss greatly. The image quality (IQ), noise performance, handling, feel, and it's "special something" that only 5D users come to understand is exceptional. It is another camera that I highly recommend without reserve. However, unlike the 40D the 5D requires a slightly "better" photographer to manage properly and effectively. What do I mean by "better" photographer? Many digital photographers, or more specifically, photographers that started out with a DSLR instead of a film SLR are accustomed to the depth-of-field (DOF) of crop cameras. Full frame cameras such as the 5D has almost a full stop more DOF at a specific aperture setting than those on crop sensors.
Both cameras will be greatly missed. In their place, I have decided on Canon's former flagship top of the line camera. The 1Ds Mark II (http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=139&modelid=10598). Since my return to photography almost 2 years ago, I've dreamed of owning a 1-series. What do I mean by return to photography? Yearbook. One word. For those that were in yearbook with me, you probably know what happened. And to those in yearbook that caused "it" fuck you. FUCK YOU. Nothing personal... but go fuck yourself with a 10 foot pole. During high school when I was still shooting with Canon's AE-1, I dreamed of owning the A-1 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_A-1). A-1 was Canon's top of the line back in the day before the move to the EOS system. Well next week, I'll be placing the order for a 1Ds Mark II. I'm excited... VERY excited. Only downside is the battery for the beast is $120 even with my NAPP discount. Oi...
In the previous post, I stated that I was going to explain my love for wedding photography. Well, I'm going to hold off on that until next post. Reason being I want to go through the photos from the two weddings I shot so they can posted along with the explaination. Also check back often because as soon as the 1DsII arrives, I'll TRY to post one image a day. Why? Just because... and to justify the cost of the 1DsII. More to come next time. Stay tuned for the unboxing video of the 1DsII and wedding pics!
Till then... have a good day. Happy shooting!
Week 2 - 1/15/09
Don't really have much to say in this post. Just wanted to post a few pics from taken on the way back to the States.
Intersection outside house in Taiwan
Skies over Japan
Economy Class of Boeing 777 - Improved a lot since I last took economy class a decade ago but still sucks... Yeah, I'm spoiled.
Next update, my love for wedding photography! Till then enjoy the pics.
More to come...
Winter Quarter Wk1 - 1/7/09
It's been a few days since I updated. Only first week of the quarter and the problems have already started to take its toll. I'll spare you the joy though. The picture of HK that I said I was going to convert to HDR ended up to be a failure. Didn't expect it to turn out well though, considering the 5 shots were taken at slow shutter speeds handheld.
Here it is:
Not too shabby...
<rant>
Now some sad news. My 40D is back at Canon for repairs for similar problems that I've had before. They replaced a PCB last time. They better fix it this time. It's been a very bad year for Canon (2008). The 1D Mark III AF problem being the biggest blow to Canonite confidence. I took the 5D in for sensor cleaning along with my cousin's XT. The 40D went in for repairs. I specifically pointed out all the spots that needed to be cleaned. In the past, the cameras would come back spotless. This time, however, there were still dust under the focus screen of the 5D and pentaprism of the XT. Instead of waiting the next day for them to clear those out I decided to do it myself when I got home. WTF Canon. A simple task like cleaning a camera and they still manage to fuck it up.
</rant>
Got homework and other things to do so that'll be all for this post.
More to come...
Back in the States - 1/2/09
Didn't get a chance to get online in Taiwan. Got over 4500 pics to go through taken from the trip. Part of our family stayed in a hotel while the rest stayed in our new house in Taipei. The hotel we stated at was by far the WORST hotel I've ever stayed at. Makes Motel 6 look like a 3 star hotel! No shower curtains, holes in the tiles, smell of sewage coming from the AC, toilet water on the carpet floor in front of the restroom, fucking crappiest breakfast money can afford just to name a few complaints. Didn't take any pics of the place because well I just didn't feel like it. Now that I think about it I should of taken some pics. Oh well, too late now. On the other hand, our house is really nice. Pics to come once I get them off my cousin's CF card.
Already started to process some of the pics. Started to upload some of them while writing this post.
Let the pics begin!
Tunnel in HK - Taken from bus
Apartment Buildings in HK - Taken from bus
Pattern on the seats of the plane - Airbus from Taiwan to HK
Hello Kitty Terminal in TaoYuan Airport, Taiwan (Terminal 7 if I remember correctly)
Street in HK - Can't remember which one but I think it's Ning Po St.
That's it for the pics from the trip, for now. Took the following pic at UC Irvine during finals week.
Aldrich Park - UC Irvine
More to come soon...
Back in HK - 12/25/08
Just a quick update today. First off, Merry Christmas to those of you that celebrate it. For those that don't, happy [place name of holiday]! Got back to Hong Kong today around 4:30pm local time. Got back to the house around 5pm. Today has been especially interesting and stressful. I'll spare you the details though. Didn't get a chance to look through and post pictures yet. Too damn tired and lazy right now.
Tomorrow was suppose to be a relaxing day for me but fate wouldn't allow it. I'll be acting as tour guide for a "friend". Without going into details, it seems I am again the target of a parent. What do I mean? Well, to put it simply they want their daughter to "get to know me well". If you don't know what I mean, just sit and think about it for a bit. And if you still can't figure it out... well it basically means they're trying to play match maker. So tomorrow, I'm going to take this girl around and "show her HK". What the hell is with chinese parents and this matchmaking shit anyway? This is like the 6th parent that has pulled this shit on me (that I know of... according to my parents there are "possibly more"). And they're all from Northern China. WTF.
On the good side though, this girl isn't bad looking. Better than others... MUCH better than one in particular *shivers*. She seems like a decent person too. At least from my very short encounter with her tonight. Anyway, back to my question. What the hell is with Northern Chinese parents and their attraction to matchmaking? And usually, the mothers are the worst (not necessarily the mother but the female "guardian"). They'll try to set shit up. Like tonight, the girl's parents aren't in HK so it was her aunt or whatever. Originally, my parents was going to have dinner with them and we (siblings and I) were just going to stay home. The aunt called and insisted that we all come with the excuse of "I miss your children, especially your son." Yeah right... So we're there eating and the aunt starts bombarding us with bullshit about how smart I am, how strong I am, etc., etc., etc. As soon as the first compliment came out I knew what was happening. I cried out in my head "AH FUCK SHIT DIDDLY!" Ok so maybe not the exact words but you get the idea.
She keeps showering us with putrid bullshit for the next half hour about how great I am and I'm just sitting here politely smiling like a drugged up brain damaged retard. So finally the monkey poo throwing contest finishes and she starts telling my mom how [the girl's name which I can't remember] hasn't really explored HK and that she's been stuck with her (the aunt) in their hotel room or off on business. Of course, this leads to the dreaded "setup" where the aunt goes "She (referring to the girl) would love to go out and explore but she doesn't want to go out alone. Oh! What's Ronnie doing tomorrow?" FUCK BEANS! Great... I think to myself "There goes my day of rest" Anyway, long story short I'm going to be taking her out to the seaside tomorrow for a good part of the day. And if my parents hadn't insisted on me taking my sister along I would probably strip naked and stand in the shower with the water on cold the whole night trying to get in a "sick condition".
Ok ok... I'm exaggerating about that last part. The girl isn't bad looking so that's a definite plus but still. Oi, it's going to be a long day tomorrow and it's fucking late. I'll probably update again tomorrow if I get the chance. And I'll definitely try to get pics posted before leaving for Taiwan in two days. Till then.
Happy Holidays again!
Previous Posts
First off, don't worry about the A Picture A Day project. I haven't stopped taking (at least trying) pictures for the project. Now on to the problems. The new server should of been up by Friday but I'm having hardware problems. The machine that I wanted to use can't find the hard drive for some reason. Could be the IDE cable needs replacing but won't know until tomorrow. Too lazy to open it up again today and test. Once the hard drive problem is fixed, it'll only take at most two days for me to install, configure, transfer, and bring it to operational state.
As soon as the new server is up, I'll begin uploading and updating the A Picture A Day project. Also plan on revamping the look of the blog and main site as well. During this transition period, there will be about a day of downtime. More like a few hours but I like to be on the safe side.
The Lenovo Ideapad S10 is one hell of netbook. It's sold out on newegg, amazon, and lenovo. Haven't checked any other retailers but it doesn't matter. I want one.
Well till next time...
Oh, and here's the last picture I uploaded to flickr before hitting the limit: Click!
Wedding Photography - 2/4/09
To start off: http://youtube.com/watch?v=2mXiXCsRGlM
I attended my first wedding about a year ago. At the time, I only had the Rebel XT, 28-105, and 430ex. It was the wedding of one of my relatives and so spent the day just hanging out with family and taking pictures of the immediate family. That day I saw so many "kodak moments" but didn't know how capture them. I was immediately hooked. There was nothing like it. So when my chemistry professor asked me to shoot his wedding as "backup" I jumped at it without hesitation.
I can't really explain the passion for wedding photography and I'm not going to try. The youtube link at the top of this post is from some of the world's best wedding photographers. Everything they say is pretty much how I feel. With that said I must add that I don't like Jerry Ghonis. In fact, I think he is what's wrong with wedding photography. A friend asked me to explain why I love wedding photography so much (she also said that I like it because I'm a "hopeless romantic") and this is my response (chat log):
(11:56:21 PM) directorronc: i just really like shooting weddings
(11:56:33 PM) friend: I hope you get practice with what the poses
(11:56:54 PM) friend: why?
(11:56:57 PM) friend: weddings are beautiful though
(11:57:05 PM) directorronc: its a rush
(11:57:08 PM) friend: ohh
(11:57:13 PM) directorronc: because its a wedding
(11:57:16 PM) directorronc: there's no going back
(11:57:21 PM) directorronc: you have to be prepared
(11:57:29 PM) directorronc: and be able to deal with whatever comes your way
(11:57:33 PM) friend: mmm
(11:57:35 PM) directorronc: the action never stops
(11:57:39 PM) friend: it's like the ultimate sport
(11:57:40 PM) friend: hehehe
(11:57:47 PM) friend: capturing all the moments
(11:57:51 PM) directorronc: the atmosphere is happy and festive
(11:57:57 PM) directorronc: haha yeah exactly
(11:58:06 PM) friend: yeah
(11:58:14 PM) friend: I love weddings b/c of the atmosphere
(11:58:18 PM) friend: it's inspiring right?
(11:59:18 PM) directorronc: the whole you're shooting you're under a lot of pressure/stress and you're always trying to look for the "moments" you notice so many things all at once but you have to decide which is important and how to capture that moment for the couple to see
(11:59:25 PM) directorronc: inspiring? maybe...
(11:59:38 PM) friend: hehehe
(11:59:40 PM) friend: yeah
(11:59:59 PM) directorronc: the whole time i was at my prof's wedding i was on the edge of a panic attack
(5/24/2008 12:00:07 AM) friend: aww
(12:00:12 AM) directorronc: it was exhilarating
(12:00:44 AM) directorronc: i did get a panic attack but it was after the wedding was "over"
(12:00:50 AM) directorronc: when i had time to breathe
(12:00:53 AM) friend: oh =C
(12:01:02 AM) directorronc: but it was great
(12:01:09 AM) friend: but I thought you were taking the medication
(12:01:47 AM) directorronc: you're working so hard to stabilize the camera (especially in low light to avoid camera shake) that your whole body aches
(12:01:57 AM) directorronc: no i stopped after a little bit
(12:04:01 AM) friend: oh
(12:04:01 AM) directorronc: you're exhausted, aching, sweating, adrenaline pumping through you, your eyes constant searching for moments, your hands grip the camera like its an extension of your fingers (i learned real quick where all the camera controls were, i don't think i've ever been able to change settings that fast before or after that wedding)
(12:04:34 AM) directorronc: that's why i love shooting weddings
(12:04:38 AM) friend: hehehe
(12:04:41 AM) friend: the speed then
(12:04:44 AM) directorronc: its just a totally difference experience
(12:04:45 AM) friend: and excitement
(12:05:11 AM) directorronc: when you're at a wedding you don't feel that but you do feel the excitement, happiness, festivities
(12:05:23 AM) directorronc: but as a wedding photog you feel all that AND all that i explained above
(12:06:15 AM) directorronc: even the way i hold the camera during the wedding is different
(12:06:30 AM) directorronc: normally i would have my index finger on the shutter button
(12:06:57 AM) directorronc: but during the wedding my middle finger is on the shutter so that my index can be on the dial
(12:07:04 AM) directorronc: for changing shutter speed
(12:07:20 AM) friend: that is so cool
(12:07:22 AM) friend: hahaha!
(12:07:31 AM) directorronc: 8-)
(12:07:37 AM) directorronc: :-D
(12:07:37 AM) friend: hehehe
(12:21:50 AM) directorronc: i don't think many people will understand why i like wedding photography so much until they've done it themselves
Now... status update on the "A Picture A Day" project. Flickr has a limit on how many pictures a free account can have. So uh... at the moment I can't upload which means the project is at a halt right now. Looks like I'll be moving to my new server sooner than expected and I expect to have it up by the end of next week. Once that happens I will regularly post again.
Until next time...
Tiring Day - 1/31/09
Had a photo shoot this morning with Tanya. Didn't sleep well the night before and woke up feeling pretty bad. Photo shoot itself went alright... the pictures turned out pretty bad. Lack of preparation on my part, nothing to do with the model. Tanya was great to work with and looking forward to working with her again.
Found out my 70-200 has been damaged more than first thought. Tried to screw on a filter today and it wouldn't go on. Turns out the thread ring is bent inward. As a precaution, I'll be taking it for a trip to the mothership in Irvine on Monday.
Arms are sore... why? The 70-200 and 1DsII is HEAVY. I thought the 40D w/grip, 24-70L, and 580ex II was heavy. That's nothing compared to the 70-200 and 1DsII. Need to workout more. If an old dude like Joe Buissink can carry two pro-series cameras and equivalent lenses (he shoots Nikon) all day for a wedding, I can handle doing a full day shoot. Which brings me (finally) to the topic of tomorrow's post: my love of wedding photography. Like how I transitioned into that?? Damn right you did... Anyway, Joe Buissink is considered one of the world's best wedding photographers and is an inspiration for my wedding photography. Others that I considered to be the best are: David Beckstead, Yervant, Marcus Bell, Dennis Reggie, and Sol Tamargo.
Till tomorrow...
Oh and the picture for today will be posted tomorrow along with the post.
A Picture A Day - 1/30/09
Picture for today: click me
New Server? - 1/29/09
Encountering some problems with Flickr and other things. Again, I'll spare the details but my web site will be moving to a new home soon. After a LONG lecture from my dad, he's allowed me to convert one of our old servers into a Linux server that will be the host of the web site. Might be a Windows server but now sure yet. So expect some downtime in Feb. when I start the revamping of the web site and blog for transition to the new server.
Anyway, the picture for today is here!
A Picture A Day - 1/28/09
Picture for today is here!
A Picture A Day - 1/27/09
There will be two pictures today to make up for the days I didn't upload. Pictures for today: Clicky clicky
A Picture A Day - 1/26/09
Picture for today is here!
Home Invasion - 1/23/09
There was a home invasion on Salerose Dr. today and I happened to pass by when the LA Sheriffs were surrounding the house. Apparently, the intruder knocked on the door but the resident refused to open the door. So the intruder went around the side of the house, opened and entered through a first story window. The resident ran out the front door to a neighbor's house where she called 911. Well anyway, I was able to get two "good" pictures out of it.
Sheriff deputies storming the residence. They cleared the building but didn't find the intruder.
Deputies discussing what happened after clearing the house. The intruder wasn't in the house.
By the way, the top picture will be the picture for today. Click here for large version!
Till tomorrow...
A Picture A Day - 1/22/09
Picture for today here.
A Picture a Day - 1/21/09
Today will be the start of my "A Picture A Day" idea. So for today's picture click me!!
Power Outage - 1/20/09
Silent Hill style. I'm still trying to figure out how to do the one picture a day thing. I'm thinking of either creating a separate page with small thumbnails or a flash gallery. Any ideas?
Used flash for this one. So foggy.
That's my flashlight...
New (Used) Camera - 1/17/09
My trusted workhorse camera, the Canon 40D, has moved on to (hopefully) a better life with another owner. Sold it along with the battery grip and 28-105 II lens for $900. It'll be missed. It's been a great, sturdy, and trustworthy camera. Excellent piece of photographic equipment and a camera that I highly recommend without reserve. The 5D is also up for sale and will be leaving me by Monday evening.
Although I've only owned the 5D for about 3 months, it is a camera that I will miss greatly. The image quality (IQ), noise performance, handling, feel, and it's "special something" that only 5D users come to understand is exceptional. It is another camera that I highly recommend without reserve. However, unlike the 40D the 5D requires a slightly "better" photographer to manage properly and effectively. What do I mean by "better" photographer? Many digital photographers, or more specifically, photographers that started out with a DSLR instead of a film SLR are accustomed to the depth-of-field (DOF) of crop cameras. Full frame cameras such as the 5D has almost a full stop more DOF at a specific aperture setting than those on crop sensors.
Both cameras will be greatly missed. In their place, I have decided on Canon's former flagship top of the line camera. The 1Ds Mark II (http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=139&modelid=10598). Since my return to photography almost 2 years ago, I've dreamed of owning a 1-series. What do I mean by return to photography? Yearbook. One word. For those that were in yearbook with me, you probably know what happened. And to those in yearbook that caused "it" fuck you. FUCK YOU. Nothing personal... but go fuck yourself with a 10 foot pole. During high school when I was still shooting with Canon's AE-1, I dreamed of owning the A-1 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_A-1). A-1 was Canon's top of the line back in the day before the move to the EOS system. Well next week, I'll be placing the order for a 1Ds Mark II. I'm excited... VERY excited. Only downside is the battery for the beast is $120 even with my NAPP discount. Oi...
In the previous post, I stated that I was going to explain my love for wedding photography. Well, I'm going to hold off on that until next post. Reason being I want to go through the photos from the two weddings I shot so they can posted along with the explaination. Also check back often because as soon as the 1DsII arrives, I'll TRY to post one image a day. Why? Just because... and to justify the cost of the 1DsII. More to come next time. Stay tuned for the unboxing video of the 1DsII and wedding pics!
Till then... have a good day. Happy shooting!
Week 2 - 1/15/09
Don't really have much to say in this post. Just wanted to post a few pics from taken on the way back to the States.
Intersection outside house in Taiwan
Skies over Japan
Economy Class of Boeing 777 - Improved a lot since I last took economy class a decade ago but still sucks... Yeah, I'm spoiled.
Next update, my love for wedding photography! Till then enjoy the pics.
More to come...
Winter Quarter Wk1 - 1/7/09
It's been a few days since I updated. Only first week of the quarter and the problems have already started to take its toll. I'll spare you the joy though. The picture of HK that I said I was going to convert to HDR ended up to be a failure. Didn't expect it to turn out well though, considering the 5 shots were taken at slow shutter speeds handheld.
Here it is:
Not too shabby...
<rant>
Now some sad news. My 40D is back at Canon for repairs for similar problems that I've had before. They replaced a PCB last time. They better fix it this time. It's been a very bad year for Canon (2008). The 1D Mark III AF problem being the biggest blow to Canonite confidence. I took the 5D in for sensor cleaning along with my cousin's XT. The 40D went in for repairs. I specifically pointed out all the spots that needed to be cleaned. In the past, the cameras would come back spotless. This time, however, there were still dust under the focus screen of the 5D and pentaprism of the XT. Instead of waiting the next day for them to clear those out I decided to do it myself when I got home. WTF Canon. A simple task like cleaning a camera and they still manage to fuck it up.
</rant>
Got homework and other things to do so that'll be all for this post.
More to come...
Back in the States - 1/2/09
Didn't get a chance to get online in Taiwan. Got over 4500 pics to go through taken from the trip. Part of our family stayed in a hotel while the rest stayed in our new house in Taipei. The hotel we stated at was by far the WORST hotel I've ever stayed at. Makes Motel 6 look like a 3 star hotel! No shower curtains, holes in the tiles, smell of sewage coming from the AC, toilet water on the carpet floor in front of the restroom, fucking crappiest breakfast money can afford just to name a few complaints. Didn't take any pics of the place because well I just didn't feel like it. Now that I think about it I should of taken some pics. Oh well, too late now. On the other hand, our house is really nice. Pics to come once I get them off my cousin's CF card.
Already started to process some of the pics. Started to upload some of them while writing this post.
Let the pics begin!
Tunnel in HK - Taken from bus
Apartment Buildings in HK - Taken from bus
Pattern on the seats of the plane - Airbus from Taiwan to HK
Hello Kitty Terminal in TaoYuan Airport, Taiwan (Terminal 7 if I remember correctly)
Street in HK - Can't remember which one but I think it's Ning Po St.
That's it for the pics from the trip, for now. Took the following pic at UC Irvine during finals week.
Aldrich Park - UC Irvine
More to come soon...
Back in HK - 12/25/08
Just a quick update today. First off, Merry Christmas to those of you that celebrate it. For those that don't, happy [place name of holiday]! Got back to Hong Kong today around 4:30pm local time. Got back to the house around 5pm. Today has been especially interesting and stressful. I'll spare you the details though. Didn't get a chance to look through and post pictures yet. Too damn tired and lazy right now.
Tomorrow was suppose to be a relaxing day for me but fate wouldn't allow it. I'll be acting as tour guide for a "friend". Without going into details, it seems I am again the target of a parent. What do I mean? Well, to put it simply they want their daughter to "get to know me well". If you don't know what I mean, just sit and think about it for a bit. And if you still can't figure it out... well it basically means they're trying to play match maker. So tomorrow, I'm going to take this girl around and "show her HK". What the hell is with chinese parents and this matchmaking shit anyway? This is like the 6th parent that has pulled this shit on me (that I know of... according to my parents there are "possibly more"). And they're all from Northern China. WTF.
On the good side though, this girl isn't bad looking. Better than others... MUCH better than one in particular *shivers*. She seems like a decent person too. At least from my very short encounter with her tonight. Anyway, back to my question. What the hell is with Northern Chinese parents and their attraction to matchmaking? And usually, the mothers are the worst (not necessarily the mother but the female "guardian"). They'll try to set shit up. Like tonight, the girl's parents aren't in HK so it was her aunt or whatever. Originally, my parents was going to have dinner with them and we (siblings and I) were just going to stay home. The aunt called and insisted that we all come with the excuse of "I miss your children, especially your son." Yeah right... So we're there eating and the aunt starts bombarding us with bullshit about how smart I am, how strong I am, etc., etc., etc. As soon as the first compliment came out I knew what was happening. I cried out in my head "AH FUCK SHIT DIDDLY!" Ok so maybe not the exact words but you get the idea.
She keeps showering us with putrid bullshit for the next half hour about how great I am and I'm just sitting here politely smiling like a drugged up brain damaged retard. So finally the monkey poo throwing contest finishes and she starts telling my mom how [the girl's name which I can't remember] hasn't really explored HK and that she's been stuck with her (the aunt) in their hotel room or off on business. Of course, this leads to the dreaded "setup" where the aunt goes "She (referring to the girl) would love to go out and explore but she doesn't want to go out alone. Oh! What's Ronnie doing tomorrow?" FUCK BEANS! Great... I think to myself "There goes my day of rest" Anyway, long story short I'm going to be taking her out to the seaside tomorrow for a good part of the day. And if my parents hadn't insisted on me taking my sister along I would probably strip naked and stand in the shower with the water on cold the whole night trying to get in a "sick condition".
Ok ok... I'm exaggerating about that last part. The girl isn't bad looking so that's a definite plus but still. Oi, it's going to be a long day tomorrow and it's fucking late. I'll probably update again tomorrow if I get the chance. And I'll definitely try to get pics posted before leaving for Taiwan in two days. Till then.
Happy Holidays again!
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