Looking back...

Time and time again when I look back at my older work, this image I took at the Redwoods National Park strikes me as the very definition of Yin and Yang.  This picture to me, has a great balance of peace and uproar.  With the calm of the fallen tree, and the diagonal line that leads your eyes to the uproar, it's a powerful image.

I remember this was a location where I spent some time sitting, enjoying and being mesmerized by its beauty.  That is, until my girlfriend finally broke silence, wanting to leave as it was pouring down rain... We'd been sitting in the rain! :)  Finally, I snapped this picture, keeping my memory intact. This spot definitely sucked me in, and I am glad that this panoramic scope brings back the beauty in my memory.

What you see on the monitor definitely does not do this location justice. The printed version on the other hand comes close.  Printed in large format on metallic paper, it will make you stop in your tracks and admire its beauty.

As I take more and more photographs, I am glad to say my photography doesn't just reflect the iconic symbol of a location, where everything has to be absolutely perfect, but also shows that I personally have to feel and enjoy the place before I snap a picture.  Maybe that's a sign that I am a naturists first before a photographer?  You tell me.

Yosemite National Park

I know, I know!!  Yosemite has been photographed like crazy, but it still draws my attention.  This time, I went with the purpose of camping and biking in the Yosemite Valley, while carrying my camera gear on the back of my bike of course.  Didn't take many photos, but I think I got some nice pictures within the handful of shots I snapped.

Thanks to my friend Dan, I was able to borrow his Hasselblad Xpan, a 35mm panoramic camera on this trip.  Here is one shot with it of El Capitan at sunset.

The contrast ratio had at least 5 stops difference between the light and shadow areas, but luckily I had my soft ND grad filter, guessing the position of the placement of the filter; and with the nature of the panoramic cameras, where the edges vignettes at least 1 stop, I was able to capture this image without much work in post at all.  I got lucky with this one I must say.


For other stuff I've shot with the Xpan, make sure you visit my Grand Tetons National Park page.

Regarding My Photo Tour in China

Just an update.
A new date will be set in Springtime 2010.  Around March or April.  There will be an update of the itinerary and price soon.  Stay tuned!


For information about past tours, please visit Paper Lantern Photography Workshops.

Results!

Blown away!!  The G617 delivers for sure!  The lens is as sharp as they come, although I was shooting mostly at F32!  Below is one of the photos at Zion National Park.  It's down converted quite a bit so it's not as sharp, and I did not use a drum scanner for these scans, just my Epson V700.

One thing I learned is how to frame a shot with this camera.  Whatever you see on the eye piece is not what you get in the picture.  I framed it with a lot more room on all sides, but it came back tighter than I expected.  Overall though, I still had a great experience with the test.

It's a bulky and somewhat heavy camera, but it's all worth it!

Say Hello to my Little Friend!

Finally and gladly received my first and new panoramic camera in the mail!!  The Fujifilm G617.  It's a beauty, and it's beefy.  I'm very glad to be shooting film again.

Did some tests, and went up to Zion National Park over the weekend.  Will post more about that soon.  Stay tuned!