Clouds 12/30/12

Shot this in the middle of the day. :)

Clouds - 12/29/12

Busy day today (I'm entertaining). But it poured all morning, so I knew I had to snap something today. Still trying to get the hang of this cloud thing so apologizes for the uncharacteristically boringness of it.

Today's Clouds

Decided to pop out on the balcony for a quick shot today. Hope everyone's finding good deals during the after-Christmas sales!

Pinkish Clouds

Hope you all had a great Holiday yesterday! It was quite good for me to have a break, see family, eat a ton of home-cooked, delicious food, and even to sneak in a few photographs.

I shot this from my balcony a couple days ago right before going to a dinner (so I didn't get to stay longer to photograph the changing colors). I didn't realize that my new home has a great view of moving clouds (because I'm now much closer to the ocean). I hope it keeps raining so that I can photograph more of this. I really need to figure out how to add a subject that's not the landscape or the sun (yaaaawn).

Minor change again: I am making the font of my website on this site the same as my other photography watermarks. It's hard keeping up!

Cheese & Crackers

Another shot from another Thanksgiving meal I had.

So, whatever I did to request invites to Ingress has resulted in me receiving multiple activation codes. I suppose I should wait until iPhone users can play so that I can give them to my friends. But that's assuming iPhone will be able to get it eventually. Who knows?

Thanksgiving Weekend

I have so much to be grateful for this year. :D

I'm thankful that I had TWO Thanksgiving dinners to attend this year ON THE SAME DAY -- which inevitably was a mistake as evidenced by my aching belly immediately afterward (thank you so much M+A and G!).

Secondly, I've had a chance to play Ingress on my phone after finally upgrading from Froyo. Ha!

Lastly, my family came back and all was well.

I'm now thoroughly excited as to what December will bring.

Travel: Palm Springs - Wind Power Generators

I spotted these on the way to Palm Springs, I believe after my friends and I missed our exit or near the exit off the 10. I shot this from the moving car (going just at the speed limit, of course). It's good being a passenger!

I think I shot these same wind power generators when I went to Joshua Tree National Park a few years ago as well. Maybe not?

Travel: Cabazon - More Dinosaurs!

Here's another shot from last weekend. This particular dinosaur was taller than the one in yesterday's shot so I couldn't get at eye level to see his glowing red eyes. But it was fun shooting him from multiple angles. Most of the other tourists were shooting his feet and I wanted to exclude them from my shot so I figured "why not shoot up?"

Travel: Cabazon - Dinosaurs!

I don't know my dinosaurs too well, so I'm not actually sure if this is a t-rex, but I think it is one! :)

Anyway, I shot this at a pit stop while on a quick road trip that my friends and I did yesterday. We went to Palm Springs to watch the Veteran's Day Parade (photos to follow this week, I hope) and ate near these dinosaurs (more photos of these guys to follow as well)! 

LA: West Hollywood - Vote 2012

Here's another from my West Hollywood (WeHo) 2012 Halloween Carnaval/Carnival shots. I thought it was appropriate since it is Election Day today in America (GO OUT AND VOTE!). ;) It was either that or Mitt Romeny's binders full of women shots (there were several of those!). Anyway, not my best shot by far (waaay too blurry for my taste), but definitely still funny. :)

Variety (B&W)

Click to enlarge.

B and I had a spent an afternoon at LACMA where I shot this picture above. I made two quick edits in Photoshop and voila! Not entirely sure why there's a blown out part on the left side considering that the sun was on the opposite side (it was late afternoon). Oh well. I like it. :)

LA - West Hollywood - Costume Carnaval 2012

Click to enlarge.

Last night was I think my 10th time going to the West Hollywood's Halloween Costume Carnaval (2012) and it was the most crowded I'd ever seen it (I'm guessing easily 1/2 million people have showed up). I took a few shots but, as I suspected, without a flash, many of my shots were blurry. It created interesting effects, so I'll see which ones I can salvage.

The shot above was a single, quick point and shoot type of shot (using my dslr, of course). After walking for miles midst the throngs of people, I was exhausted and saw people just dying for a place where they could sit down. The added bonus here were the costumed people eating.

The Trump

Click to enlarge.

This was my other view from my hotel room at the Palazzo. I found this to be an interesting perspective because I normally see multiple casinos crowding the skyline and, here, it looks like there's only one in the entire world: the Trump.

I've stayed at the Trump before and it's a fabulous non-casino/gaming hotel that is also smoke-free! Such an contrast to the rest of the Strip. Unfortunately, it has mandatory valet, which is such a pain in the butt, and which prevents me from strongly endorsing it. Last time we were there, it took them 30 minutes to find our car. I could have walked to my destination in that time. Oh well. Vdara is now another non-smoking/gaming option (although only a 4-star versus Trump's 5). I'm definitely looking at City Center next.

Glass Ceiling

This is my other favorite ceiling at the Bellagio. I, of course, took some artistic license to get its representation to look as seen above. But, overall, it retained the true nature of the glass panes and ceiling.

In other news, I'm weighing an offer to go on an all-expenses-paid trip to San Francisco this weekend. If only I weren't so busy...

Travel: Las Vegas - Palazzo (Maybe For the Last Time?)

This weekend, B and I stayed at the Palazzo again. I still love their suites and we had a great view this time. Not only did we see the pool but we got to see the fireworks from Treasure Island's nightly show.

Above is the new display near the waterfall. Their fall theme included a lot of giant orange leaves and barrels filled with grapes. I wonder what's in store for winter.

We met up with G, E, and B. Although we did take in a show, it was fun seeing "local Vegas" (aka not so touristy places). Our only mistake was going to Fremont when there was some D-list celebrity making an appearance that caused foot traffic to halt to a standstill and a fight to break out right in front of me. :(

E and B offered to put us up at their place for future visits, but I think I'll be moving down the strip for my next trip though. There are plenty of 5-star resorts down on the other end. ;)

Walking Toward The Light

Click to enlarge.

I actually shot this on the moving walkways at the Bellagio in Las Vegas over the weekend. I was trying to discreetly photograph this super romantic couple that passed me. Unfortunately, I think my DOF is a little off because the guy started to turn his head toward me and I only had one shot.

As for the funky colors, I'm applying the process I normally do on my black and white photos to a color one just to see its effect. I sorta like it; so, perhaps I'll play with it in a couple more photographs. Definitely a difference from the super sharp photos so common today.

Running on the Beach

I'm thrilled beyond belief that I can now view my G+ page account on my mobile phone (thank you Google engineers!). I've been waiting for this feature ever since I got started on G+. I'm hoping my engagement will increase from practically zilch to astronomical. I'm wondering if I should start posting photos from my phone as well. This is so exciting!!!

As for this picture itself, I was in Imperial Beach watching children and dogs running around while waiting for the sunset on Labor Day. This was originally a horribly underexposed shot that I decided to make black and white in my usual style.

Travel: La Jolla - H's Wedding

First off, yes, I'm playing around with my processing technique again.

So, over the weekend, I attended a wedding in La Jolla at a private residence. It was an interesting concept: rent a gorgeous vacation house for a week to use for both for out-of-town guests, and for a wedding. I wish I had taken more pictures (again).

Anyway, this wedding was by far the most unusual wedding I've been to. I guess I had gotten so used to over-the-top, completely manufactured weddings that I had ridiculously high expectations when I arrived at the uppity location. For this particular wedding, they had us hum the march song during the bridal party's entrance (because the band arrived 4 hours later), and the ceremony was more ceremonial than official (the couple was already married a few months earlier). The food was to die for though (Korean and American cuisine!) and the location provided an absolutely stunning sunset (what a view being on a high up hill!). Unfortunately, standing in 4-inch heels for 5 hours(!) killed my feet and I had to leave right after the cake-cutting and "first" dance. :(

In reality, it was a casual wedding (no rehearsal!!!, no coordinator, buffet dinner) with formal touches (a rented mansion, matching bridesmaids dresses) that made it clearly the couple's own and a night neither they nor their guests will ever forget. :)

Travel: San Diego - Border Patrol Airplane Silhouette

I had originally wanted to use this airplane shot for the hunt, but I didn't get a chance to submit any photos this round. :( I originally snapped this while mindlessly strolling on the beach in San Diego when all of a sudden a plane, ATVs and an SUV come roaring onto the sand in pursuit of illegal immigrants. Never a dull day in Imperial Beach.

Anyway, talk about a whirlwind month! Between a wedding, a birth, a home purchase, and travel, I was slammed this month with varied photo opportunities. I want to get back into the flow of things (aka posting on G+), because, boy, do I have a backlog. It was sad to see that I didn't miss much while I was gone, other than some minor drama. I'm constantly amazed why some people keep going and others choose to quit (other than for time issues). If only darned life didn't get in the way of Internet addiction. ;)

Tree Flare

This location is actually next to a dog park a couple blocks off Venice Beach (California). I shot and processed this 4 months ago after I did a Venice photowalk. I've had so many photos since then that I only now got a chance to post this. I won't be posting much new stuff this month, seeing as how I'm reserving September's photos for a scavenger hunt again. So, I'll be pulling stuff from my trusty archives again or posting photos I've been sitting on for a while.

I hope you had a great Labor Day weekend! I can't wait to post my vacation photos from the long weekend next month! :)

Travel - Fountain Valley: L's Wedding

I attended my college friend L's wedding in Fountain Valley, CA. I arrived late to the ceremony and had to sit far in the back. I absolutely adored the skylight above the altar and was thrilled to fire off many shots of the couple beneath it. This was just one of them. As you probably noticed, I'm experimenting with a processing technique/style. Not sure if it's my thing, but it was nice to drastically alter settings I normally use. I'm sure I'll post more photos from this weekend as B and I stayed in a hotel that weekend to explore more of Orange County.

Tilapia

Click to enlarge.

I'm actually don't know what to do right now. I have had a large surge in followers in the past couple weeks that is a result of the B&W work I've been showing recently. However, that isn't usually my focus nor my preferred style. I meant for this site to be primarily a forum to show off my photographs of my travels. But it seems my black and white work are what people prefer. I'll obviously take that into consideration over the next few days as I reconfigure what I'm doing. Maybe, I'll do a hybrid: black and white travel photos. Perhaps.

This, by the way, was shot in the Philippines as someone was preparing fried tilapia for my breakfast.

First Place: Lines

Click to enlarge.

I know I've fallen a little behind. It's been an overwhelming week!

Here's the last of my San Diego County Fair images (taken July 4th). This image coincidentally won first place in Chrysta Rae's Scavenger Hunt (July edition -- for "lines"). I was absolutely blown away as I did not expect to win at all. I almost didn't even enter this image. But, I was shorthanded when it came to submitting something as the deadline loomed. I'm utterly speechless regarding all the comments, +1s, and shares my images are getting. Because of Chrysta's huge audience, more people are seeing my work than ever before. Frightening thought. ;)

The other image taken that same day and that won 2nd place for "motion" in the hunt can be found here.

Kiss

Click to enlarge.

This was my interpretation of the word "kiss." I had just had a birthday cake and on top were these cute little Hershey Kisses. I snagged a couple and originally posed them free standing. Then I had the idea to make the labels "kiss." I played with a few backgrounds before settling for this very warm pink one because of how cold the original metallic wrappers were. This photo didn't place, but I'm quite pleased with it. :)

Travel: San Francisco Bay

Oh, boy -- I have a backlog of trips I need to write about so let's get this out of the way right now.

Last month, a friend decided to celebrate her 30th birthday by inviting her friends onto a boat. Despite it being in the middle of the summer, we were absolutely freezing (and under-dressed) as we circled around San Francisco Bay. We did, however, get to see wonderful sights such as Alcatraz, the Golden Gate Bridge (which we went under 2-3 times), and Sausalito lit up at night. Absolutely beautiful.

This shot in particular was done one of the times went UNDER the San Francisco Golden Gate Bridge, through a window INSIDE the nice, warm cabin. The fog blocking the sun obviously didn't help. The condensation on the window just shows the vastly different temperatures between the outside and inside of the boat. Fun day, overall. If I ever did it again, despite it being summer, I would have worn my thickest winter clothes. Brr. The upside though was when we went to a club later and ate at a crepes place afterward that same evening, it didn't seem so cold compared to the 60 degree temperature above the water.

Sky Lift

Today's post was just supposed to show another shot from the San Diego County Fair.

Unfortunately, my thoughts right now are with the people in affected regions of the Philippines that are experiencing flooding as a result of 24+ hours of continuous rain.

If you have loved ones in Manila and the surrounding provinces, you may find Google's People Finder useful: http://www.google.org/crisisresponse/2012-08-philippines-flood.html

It's available in English and Filipino.

Breakfast

Click to enlarge.

I'm using today to catch up on everything that's happened over the weekend. Boy, I missed a lot!

But, first, I really want to say thank you to everyone that left wonderful comments, +1'ed, and shared yesterday's photo. That just made my day after a very long, tiring day! I really was just through the roof! And a special thank you to the judges who actually thought my work was worthy! Really, thank you all.

Anyway, so, above was my submission for "breakfast" to Chrysta Rae's Scavenger Hunt. Unfortunately, I forgot to include the milk. ;). This was my standard overhead shot on one of my white backgrounds. I used only natural light from the large windows in my living room. I did very little processing (as I'm not a fan of it). This is in contrast to yesterday's shot where I actually deleted parts of the fair from the bottom right (via Photoshop), burned in the swing ropes, and turned the entire thing into a black and white.

Many of my submissions this round were actually just done in my own living room (I simply ran out of time this month as many of my weekends were dedicated to a lot of social events). Although I submitted my photos 3 or 4 days before the deadline, I only had time to complete a little over half the items on the list. Some items, of course, were downright difficult!

Now, I'm off to curate. I'll eventually post photos from travels from yesterday and the month of July during some downtime this month. Things are beginning to calm down for me now that summer is coming to a close. :)

Second Place: Motion

Click to enlarge.

I just got back from a trip, only to come home to an inbox full of congratulations from people on G+. Thank you all!!! I'll post a proper thank you tomorrow after I finish unpacking and recovering from my exhausting weekend.

Random Town in France

Here's another from the drive from Nice to Paris, France from a couple years ago. I don't actually know the name of the town, but I thought it was adorable.

This past week, I've been up at 3am quite frequently. I have no clue why but it sure let's me get my Google+ activities done quite early in the day without interruption. I'm beginning to like this :).

Road Through Vineyards

Click to enlarge.

I shot this while standing in the middle of a road somewhere in Epernay, France. We had stopped on our journey to Paris to trespass and get shots of grapes. Oh, what crazy, stupid things tourists do. I should have probably photoshopped out the tour bus in the middle.

Anyway, recently, I've been dealing with fragile egos (talk about an understatement), trying to get my photos seen by ONE particular person (success!), and making travel arrangements (for this weekend!). It's been a busy week, folks! Have a good one!

Statue at Versailles

So, because of my strange experience, I don't actually know if you're supposed to pay an entrance fee to enter the grounds of the Palace of Versailles. My friends and I happened to get there just as they were kicking everyone out. Entering the grounds was like swimming upstream against wave after wave of human beings. I kept thinking someone was going to instruct us to turn around at any minute.

The beauty of our timing was that the sun was also beginning to set on the grounds. The sun was reflecting off the windows and giving everything a nice orange glow. I just quickly went around the gardens happily snapping away. This statue was just one of many that I ran into and photographed.

Almost Twilight in Venice

I shot this while on a vaporetto enroute from Lido to my apartment. I like this because the lights were just starting to turn on as the sun was setting. It was moments like this, though, that while my camera ISO was cranked up all the way, I really wished I could have adjusted it even higher. Not having a tripod on a moving boat proved to be quite challenging. I think of all the Venice pictures I've posted so far (and I just realized that there have been quite a few), this makes me really want to return the most. Here's hoping for a 4th visit to Italy!

Moody Gondolas

This picture was originally a bright and happy photo. For whatever reason, I felt like making it gloomy and dark. I de-saturated everything but because the blue is so vivid, it remained as the only prominent color in the photograph. I probably should have photoshopped out the boat in the background, but other than that, the only thing I would have done differently is shot it at night. I couldn't really get any closer without being in the water itself.

St Mark's Square with One Hand

Click to enlarge.

This was obviously taken at the real St. Mark's Square in Venice, Italy -- and not at the replica in Vegas.

Anyway, I'm just reading up on the press releases about the new Canon EOS-M (a mirrorless camera) and I'm seriously considering getting one. I knew I wanted to change my camera this year, but I don't want a big clunky thing that's bothersome to carry around. This may be the answer to my prayers. More to follow...

SM Mall of Asia

Click to enlarge.

So, yesterday, I was not able to do a photowalk in LA because I attended a party in Pasadena at 3PM and didn't even make it home until 1AM. :( Man, I really need new images of Los Angeles.

Anyway, today, as I was curating, I realized that there are so many places in the Philippines I have yet to see and places I would desperately like to revisit to photograph in a new light. One of which would be this mall (the SM Mall of Asia) which I would really love to get at night. I just learned that it had a tram! Now that would be cool to ride while taking pictures.

Orchid on White

Click to enlarge.

Here, I took last week's orchid and switched up the background to white from black. I took it on the same day that I was getting the diffused light (it was cloudy that day). I probably should buy more backgrounds for my shots in LA now that I know I'm staying here a few more years. I was thinking how nice it would be to convert my office to a very small photography studio. Unfortunately, I think after I place light stands, it would be very, very cramped. I've seen people with smaller space constraints do it and they achieved amazing results. It would make taking portraits so much easier that's for sure.

Clock Tower

This'll be the last of my Salzburg shots for now. I haven't decided yet if I'll do another European city next week, but it's quite fun digging through my archives and going down memory lane. It definitely makes me want to go back (to Europe, that is), for sure, and makes me realize how incredibly cheap we were able to do our trip while staying in 4-star hotels and apartments. Someone recommended I start my own travel agency. Ha. We'll see. 

Random Salzburg

Sorry, I don't know the name of this building. I just found the sky and texture of the wall to be beautiful. This week I'm focusing on Salzburg for some random reason. I had realized that I haven't really focused that much on my European travels yet on G+. I think it's because I didn't really own a DSLR for most of my travels to Europe in the past. :( That's one thing I'll always regret -- not owning a proper camera sooner. I think that's how most people feel though once they get one and learn how to use it.

In other news, I started looking up airfare to Europe in the fall and can't believe what a bargain some offers are. One deal that I saw was sold out within 20 minutes for fares out of Los Angeles. Maybe it's time to start planning another trip...

Dupinga

This is Dupinga in Nueva Ecija, Philippines. The highway we were taking to go to the beach passes above this river and I took shots from both sides of the bridge. I think the other side is prettier (think greener, more lush, and closer to hills/mountains). This side is flat and emptier.

I'm completely wiped out from the weekend, and I'm too exhausted to post anything new. I'm thinking maybe tomorrow I'll start going through my new San Francisco pictures. Right now would be a good time to take a vacation. We'll see.

Bench Overlooking Emerald Bay

I remember this bench quite vividly. I was terrified I was going to slip and fall on my way to it as my brand new Uggs (then) did not have any traction at all whatsoever.

By the time you read this, I should still be in SF. I hope I got a few decent shots to bring back tomorrow.

Oh, how I wish you could pre-write posts on G+ the way you can here on blogger. Sigh.

Alpine Sunset

Whew -- looks like I'll be able to sync up this blog and G+ soon AND knock out my remaining Tahoe pictures this weekend. Woot! It's getting harder to keep track of what I've posted where. I wonder how other people manage it. No, seriously. I've looked at my images so many times that I'm not even sure if I've even posted it already - much less know where. Like for this picture, I actually scanned through my blog's entire 2011-12 entries. There's gotta be an easier way.


Anyway, gotta run. Tomorrow, you'll know why. :D

Birthday Orchid

I threw a birthday party last week the explicitly stated "No gifts, please." Naturally, practically half the guests ignored it and gave me presents. :) What's interesting is that one of the gifts was this orchid which is growing out of a cute, pink flower pot. I totally appreciated it when I received it, of course, but it wasn't until a week later when I got a whiff of its scent across the room that it occurred to me that I should photograph it! How strange is that? So thank you H for the lovely present that has doubled as my photography subject for the day. I promise I won't try to kill it. I've been instructed to water it once a week. Hopefully it doesn't die on me in this hot, hot weather.

View from Kahekili Highway

So, sometime last month my G+ page got verified! Yay.

I've been thinking a lot about photos recently because I see an awful lot of photos everyday. One thing that continues to puzzle me is why some photos that I think are bad receive a lot of comments, +1s, etc. and others that I think that fabulous receive no such fanfare. Am I out of touch with what people think is good? I hate when I doubt myself but it seems I'll always just see other people's work and think "horrible!," "beautiful!," etc. and public opinion clearly disagrees. Gah. Things like this totally shake me once in a while. And then I go on shooting and wandering...

On the Fence in Maui

Click to enlarge.

Here's a shot from when B and I were randomly and precariously driving around Maui. Never again!

Anyway, on this front, you guessed it! I've been busy. I'm beginning to think that the middle of the week is when things slow down for me and I have a chance to catch up on things. Especially, since I curate on the weekends and stuff.

So, today's news is that I've resumed learning basic-level French. I had to pause earlier this year because I went to the Philippines for like 3 weeks and left my French software and audio CDs behind. Terrific for when you have a 15-hour flight, I know. Yesterday, a French friend (currently not residing in France), sent me an email and inadvertently reminded me of my new year's resolution. So, au revoir for now. I'm off to re-remember what I've already learned and should be back to learning more material by Thursday! Oh wait -- that's tomorrow!

Wood Pile

Click to enlarge.

Wow, it's been a busy week!

This is the last of my LA river photowalk pictures from last week. I, apparently, went flower crazy and shot way too many macros. And I can't stand flower pictures!

Over the weekend, I was asked to do a baby shower and maternity portraits, both of which I had to turn down. :( That field seems like such an odd specialty that I can only see leading me down a path of doing inevitably cheesy shots (hearts on a protruding belly, anyone?)

I'll give it more thought, if I can come up with something tasteful and original (which I highly doubt).

Blue Backyard Living

Click to enlarge.

So this was a typical backyard scene that we passed as we walked along people's backyards on the LA river photowalk. This area is not affluent (by any means) and it was hilarious when we even saw live chickens at one point.

One thing I regretted about that day was that I had come from a party straight to the walk and didn't have a change of shoes. I really needed it as I spent the day avoiding rusted fences and broken glass along the path in my flip flops. I really must remember to pack gym shoes in the car AT ALL TIMES. Next time, I suppose. You'd think I'd know better this being my 5th G+ walk and all. Oh well. :(

Under the Overpass

Happy July 4th, everyone!

This is another from the LA river photowalk that we did on Saturday. I had a lot of time to process this and actually ended up removing a lot of the busy foliage to the sides of the freeway. It just made for a cleaner image. I, of course, played with all the light sliders before realizing that this probably looks better as a black and white and ended up re-doing it all from a nearly completed color shot to the B&W you see above. All in all, I was thrilled I was able to salvage this originally, horribly overexposed shot.

Graffiti

Click to enlarge.

I went on a photowalk this past weekend to the LA river in honor of G+'s 1-year anniversary of public existence. I had a great time and was thrilled to meet so many people (old and new)!

I think my favorite moment of that day was when a daughter of one of the photowalkers came up to me and started asking me random questions. One exchange went something like this:

Little Girl: So, how old are you?
Me: Hold old are YOU?
Little Girl: I'm 6 and a half!
Me (trying to avoid answering her question): So that means you're in the first grade?
Little Girl: Yes! I am! So, wait, how old are you?
Me (still trying to avoid answering her question): Guess!
Little Girl: Um, I think you're 22!
Me: I think you're awesome!

Ok. That's all for now, kids. My Tahoe pictures will probably resume after I finish posting the photowalk this week. So much to do! So little time. :(

Drive Around Lake Tahoe

This week on G+ I'm uploading photos from my trip to Lake Tahoe during the winter of 2011. Some are old (and seen here on this blog already) and some are new (like the one above).

It seems like I'm spending more and more time on G+ now. I managed to convince a friend to try it out. He's a way better photographer than I am and deserves his work to be seen by thousands as well :)

I'm also pretty excited about several of the photowalks planned for Saturday. I'm hoping I can get out of a social obligation early and actually attend one of them.

That's all for now. My current photography project is self-portraits and it's turning out to be a disaster. If I get a good one, I'll share here.

Berries

I'm so glad my favorite Los Angeles botanical garden (there are a few in LA) happens to be less than 3 miles away from where I live. I'm not big on shooting flowers (and sunsets) ever since my first photography teacher banned us from taking those kinds of shots, but I go because of the stream and the TURTLES that inhabit it (along with the koi fish). However, I never can get a decent shot of the them. Oh well. There's always a next time.