This Saturday, I went for a hiking trip to 宜蘭. I bring my camera along with me, but I didn't have proper camera bag for hiking. So I just trough it inside my backpack with some foam pad cover.

I said to myself, this should be more than enough. But it's far from enough. Just went our group got off the train, it starts to rain. with no proper rain cover I couldn't risk my camera got water damage, so I barely take out my camera. Even when I find some cover for rain, it's hard to take a camera out from the bottom of a full backpack.

    When you shooting outdoor, you would never think you will need flash light. That is where you are wrong, within the forest. I don't have proper lighting most of the time, I been force to crank up my ISO in order to get a safe shutter speed.

so this is what you need in order to fully use your dear DSLR to the hiking trip.

1.separate camera bag that can be strap on your waist.
2.rain cover for your camera bag
3.umbrella or camera raincoat to taking photo during the rain.
 

    It's been 2 year since my last post, I am not surprised. It's not like I use this website as much as I use my computer. And I took a little break during my time try to pursuit a career in eSport.  (which fail terribly BTW )

    One of the reason I revisit this website is try to update my portfolio, I took a wedding gig two weeks back, it's a horrible experience for me. I was not really being respected nor pay well. However it did reignited my passion in photography. I switch my lens to Canon 24-105mm, the one I always wanted. It offer useable wide angle with enough teleport focal length in Canon APS-C format. And this is a good lens to carry around with. I also brought a steady, well build tripod from manforrto. I realize I should do that a long times ago, not only it's cheaper to buy in US, I also can ease the suffer I had when I use my old crappy tripod.
    Oh~ and yes, I moved back to Taiwan on the summer of 2011. I can only hope it's for the better, because everything up to this point is just like black hole, "it sucks".

I know the last time I update my blog, the dinosaur still wake around on the surface of earth. But I was Kinda busy with summer school, and my family visited. And since almost no one ready my blog anyways, I just don't felt the reason for update.


And during the summer I was very into a video game some of you folk might heard "StarCraft II". It's a real time strategy game that can be change the e Sport entirely. I also start doing commentary and tutorial for the game. And that is where most of my time went.


Amateur photography is a dying business anyways. Now day everyone has a DSLR. Even you have no clue how to use it, You will get decent photo from time to time. However e Sport is a fast growing market especially after the release of StarCraft II. Recently there is a tournament in Korea, with huge price pool of $ 170,000. 

Today, my friends takes me to a park in Downtown Seattle. That park is about 5 times better than the park in Bellevue.

the sun is a little bit too bright, and for the sake of light-packing I didn't bring my lens hood. I really worried lens flare at the movement. But too bright is always better than too dark. And other than the use of balance flash with 1/200 sync, I can comfortably raise my aperture and shutter speed.

Those are not my main point today. when we are leaving, I saw a perfect lighting with a beautiful scene.

       Sure, the landscape photo are great. I did take a few great shoot of trees, however if there are people in the scene to accommodate the scene, that would be a great photo. Lucky for me, there is a cute couple walking toward me.

Don't be afraid to ask, the worse thing could happen is they say "No".

As it turn out, I have one more great photo to my collection.

I love how he make fun of Olympus, when he said worst camera, I was thinking point and shoot  or cellphone. 


Although use the lighting equipment in that level defeat the whole purpose of shooting with iPhone. But just like what I always say, photography is all about lighting. 


Don't go crazy about what camera or lens you should get, get a hotshoe flash first.

This years 4th July is on Sunday, so as a devotive Christian. My plans for the day was sunday service. However I have no plan for the evening. The maybe some drinking Coke-Zero and taking firework photo in my apartment.

After sunday there is cell-group at my place. the leader origionally plan to picnic at the park. But the the weather was like 50 degreed out there. Isn't gobal warming suspose to make it warmer?

I dont know how it happen, but after cell group me and three others whom has no plan for the night just decide have hot-pot party then watch firework. For those who dont know what hot-pot is, it's an Asian food where you have a pot with boil water, and you add meat slice, vegetable and other ingredient into it, and people just sit around the pot dining.

The night turn out pretty sweet and awesome. we all know each other for a solid few years. and since Julia will be back to Texas on Thuresday, this also serve as a goodbye party. Like the song, it's so hard to say goodbye, I dont know if I would ever see Julia again. Maybe if in the future I can self support a trip to Texas, I did always want to go the water park in texas.

latter the night we watch firework, this is the first time I photograph firework. It's not like you can see firework everday, and last year I was out of country on 4th July. fortunately  I was in my apartment, at least I have tripod. after first few shoot, i know I have to do long expoursure. I am just lazy, only have one 30sec expourse, I latter found out only that one meet the stander.

Photography firework is not hard, you just need luck.

You have no idea what the next bang look like.

I remember in the TV serial Entourage, Johnny Drama once said "an actor with no agent is...." Eric: is what?  Drama: is fucked!


Same thing goes to photographer with no website. It seems like every photographer has website to display their work. Either in blog form like the famous Storbist or in portfolio form.

I know sooner or later I will need a website, although I am not paying bill with photo. If I ever want to expand my field in photography, I must have a website. not only to display my work to the world, but also bring up the professionalism to have more photo shoot opportunity. 

Just not too long ago I have a chance shoot an formal event. I contact the event planner, when she ask if I can sent her the link to my website. I choked right there, At the time I don't even have my portfolio picture sort out. I upload few better photo to my Flickr account, and it look terrible. I haven't heard from her again.

when I start photography I have set a few step for myself.

1. Foundation
2. Advance gear
3. Post-process (Photoshop)
4. Website

 As today I think my photography skill is solid enough and have decent equipment to do the  job.

Before I learning photography I was aim to be a computer designer. So Photoshop is not a unfamiliar thing for me, I have done some photo editing before. The reason I didn't Photoshop my photo when I first start photography is to force myself learning pure foundation. I latter spent about a week to learn all about post-process including Adobe Lightroom.

The problem was website, this is a complete new territory for me. I never have class in computer science nor html. So I did what everyone does when they have problem. "Google it".  the first thing pop up was a site call Wix, it can help you construct a website without real knowledge in construct website. I play with it for a day, and can't accept the fact it does not have blog function. I remember a friend of mine has a blog in "Tumblr", and look pretty nice. I through maybe I can write blog in tumblr then post it on my site in wix. So I spend another day play with tumblr. the problem with tumblr is it doesn't feel like a blog. it feel more like a huge facebook wall. where you post photo, text, quota, video and other stuff. there is no real blog option, you post many text post to form your blog. I hate it.

Thanks to a friend of my Alice, she tell me about Weebly. I take a look and it's instantly better than the other two.So this bring me here today, hope I can add more fancy stuff to this website in the near future.


-Tony