Road Trip with Shannon and Violin Girl

Shannon and I went on a road trip together. We brought Violin Girl along. Destination: house in the wood. I asked Shannon to style the shoot, and she came up with the most amazing concept. Painted sticks and precisely 167 origami cranes on strings. Take a look, 'the crane' and all...

Serendipity in Black and White

I've not shot film since going digital in 2004. There were about a dozen rolls of film in my possession that have been sitting in the fridge even though they all expired in 2006. Recently I came across a creative exercise in David DuChemin's Ten More, to shoot monochrome as a way to learn to see lines, tones and gestures without the color. David even suggested shooting black and white film with a manual camera, to give color and all the digitalness a much needed break. I was itching to pop a roll into my Nikon FE, my first camera given to me by my dad in 1983. However, I needed a partner in crime, someone crazy enough to hop down the block with me because, "hopping down the block on one foot is a lot less silly if you find a friend to do it with." At about the same time my friend, the fabulous Shannon Sewell, also found her long-since-forgotten film camera and some expired film. So we conspired to go on a little serendipitous adventure together.

We went down to the Old Town section of Portland and just wandered around to see what interesting subjects would come our way. True to the spirit of serendipity, a group of monks in their red robes appeared in front of our eyes to cross the street. Well that red color would really stand out in the black-and-white---NOT! That became the running joke of the day, "I wonder how that would look in black and white." Color contrast was to take a back seat because of the medium, yet I did not know how to shoot for black-and-white because of my unfamiliarity with it. I had few expectations because the film was so expired in the first place. I was ready if nothing turned out at all. Yet we went through the exercise of carefully exposing and composing the shots, because it was not free like shooting digital. Except we kept wanting to chimp--to look at the non-existing LCD to make sure we we got "the shot." Several times I clicked the shutter and nothing happened because I had forgotten to advance the film after the previous shot! It was interesting to return to film after so many years of shooting digital. Personally, digital has helped me become a better photographer.

It took a good week and then some before we would see the prints. Boy what a surprise! They turned out way better than what I had expected. I was beyond thrilled and I will let the images speak for themselves. Somehow the prints came back in sepia, which was also, serendipitously, unexpected. Incidentally, my flatbed scanner is so old that it no longer works with the new computer. So I "scanned" the prints with my 12MP digital camera mounted on a tripod...

Kari and Marcus: A Simple, Intimate Wedding

I had the pleasure of working with my friend Kevin Meyers at Kari and Marcus' wedding. It was a simple and intimate wedding with family and close friends. After the 'getting ready' shots, we took a stroll around Tiffany Center for some portraits. Nothing fancy, just the bride and groom enjoying each other's company--zero stress. Kari's grandfather officiated the wedding which made it extra special. I had just met Kari at the wedding but was immediately impressed by her warmth and friendliness. It was no wonder that friends traveled all the way across the country to attend this special occasion. Congrats to you, Kari and Marcus!

Joy in the Journey

This past month has been one of the most inspiring in my life, photographically speaking. I had the opportunity of running into an old acquaintance on a forum. It was wonderful to learn about her new-found passion in photography and to see her excellent work. I had the privilege of seeing photographers of various skill levels try new things and the excitement that resulted. I had the joy of witnessing an "A-ha" moment from a friend with whom I shared the basics of off-camera flash techniques. I had the honor of writing introductory photography lessons, in Chinese, on facebook, for my brother and his friend, both new to the world of digital SLRs, who live across the Pacific Ocean. I was in the company of some lady photographers until the the topic turned to Boudoir--um, Awkward!! I had the pleasure of reading several books by passionate photographers who were like mentors who came alongside to encourage me to dig deeper into the craft, to move beyond the how-to into the why-to.

One of them was Joe McNally. I have been poring over his books The Moment It Clicks and The Hot Shoe Diaries. These books not only contain beautiful photographs and technical tips, they're also sprinkled with wise words by one of the most respected photographers today.

"You're not going to be in the same room when people look at your pictures. Your picture has to speak for itself."

"Don't pack up your camera until you've left the location."

"Remember the hardest thing about lighting is NOT lighting."

"The only way to keep your heart beating as a photographer is to shoot what you love."

Another mentor goes by the name David duChemin, whom Zach Arias mentioned on Dane Sander's askdane.com. David is a humanitarian photographer who has traveled the world and works with relief organization such as World Vision. His e-book entitled Chasing The Look--10 Ways to Improve the Aesthetics of Your Photographs spoke to me in a special way. Using the visual language metaphor, duChemin challenges the photographer to answer two questions, "What are you trying to say?" and "How does that camera and lens help you say that?" Every decision, be it shutter speed, aperture, ISO, ... will change the look of the photograph. How does the photographer acquire new vocabulary and become fluent at it? I was inspired to continue to improve my craft, and be very deliberate about it. There's so much to learn still. I must continue to experiment, to sharpen the vision.

"Perfection is overrated, and technique without passion is like vision without a voice--it rarely moves the heart."

David ends the book by quoting Joe McNally, "This is a journey without a destination. We keep learning not to 'get there' but for the joy of being wherever we are, camera in hand, chipping away at this hoping to uncover our vision, learn our craft..."

Speaking of joy, I photographed water drops for the first time! You should have seen the big grin on my face. Brings back sweet memories of discovery... such is the joy.

Savoring Life

French photographer Marc Riboud once said,

"Taking pictures is savoring life intensely, every hundredth of a second."



This image won the Best Wedding Candid award as well as a Kodak Gallery Award in the Wedding Division at the recent 2010 Professional Photographers of Oregon print competition. It was exciting and humbling at the same time. Awards aside, capturing genuine moments is what I love the most about photography. It is almost magical how an instant is forever preserved. Imagine fifty years from now, how the pictures might bring back memories of the wedding day. Imagine what the little flower girl's grandchildren might say when they see this picture.

Won't you join me in savoring life? Don't forget to bring your camera, and take lots of pictures.

Spring

It has become somewhat of a tradition that I photograph cherry blossoms around this time of the year. I waited all winter for this--it really excites me for whatever reason. Once a year the streets around town are graced with these pink blossoms, signaling that the cold and rainy days are almost over. Almost. If the weather cooperates the flowers will stay for about a week. Some years we'd get a rain storm that washes the petals down in a matter of days.

Here's a new one. A bit early this year.



And a few from past years.