I can never quite get my b&w photos to look good, which is probably why I rarely attempt it, but here’s some I was randomly testing conversions on:

From last year:

Me: omg so the other night, after the shoot, I went to mcdonalds cause i was craving soft serve ice cream with fries…
Holly: lolol
Me: btw you can get it without the cone and it’s like triple the serving
Holly: you can!?? like, just in a cup
Me: but by the time i was almost home, all the fries were gone (mind you this is like 3 minutes in) so i had to stop by carls jr to order more fries
Me: yea it’s in a plastic to go cup the size of a tall cup from sbucks
Holly: LMAOOOOOOOO shut the fuck up. that sounds like the most pothead thing to do ever.
Holly: did you just get fries or did you get more than fries?
Me: i got fries and fucking fried zucchini and those mini burritos with guac LMFAO

02/25/2010
Debit Card Transaction
MCDONALD’S F2902 Q17 S 02/23MCDONALD’
$4.99

02/25/2010
Debit Card Transaction
CARL’S JR #7615 Q26 S 02/23CARL’S JR
$7.32

Holly: LOLOLOOLOL
Me: WINNER
Holly: omg i wish it had a time stamp
Me: i told mark too like, omg i got us fries and ice cream! he was so excited i could not come home without fries
Holly: LOLOL!!

We had a photoshoot a few days ago and being the senior designer for the company, I don’t normally shoot on set (sometimes I’ll do candids). I’m usually there to help style and see to it that the vision pans out successfully, while also making sure the shots translate well to the web.

For this shoot, we did a “1 Look 5 Ways” theme where you’d take a staple piece, like a button up or a dress and style it for 5 different settings. So basically, translating this look to a vacation getaway look, or weekend look or office attire… you get the picture.

So being that we had a studio set up along with a location set up, it made sense to shoot the model in studio and then take them to a location and shoot the same look. In order to be efficient, we had our main photographer on set in the studio, while myself and our second photographer take the models outside to snap a few images in an environment that caters more to the style of the look.

So anyway, here are a few images I took from the shoot. Disregard the Starbucks logos as those will definitely not be on the final images lol. As always, click for the larger (and better quality) photo.

Continuing my Love with fast primes.

Portrait session with designer, Michael Manguino.

Can you see the Na’vi in the tree?

I either ask you to pose randomly, or have you wait for me to randomly shoot randomness…

I wanted to find a really light and refreshing pasta dish. Something that’s healthy by using low fat ingredients. Shrimp is definitely a good option for a healthier protein and basil really freshens a dish up.

This shrimp and basil angel hair pasta is perfect for just that. Light, refreshing and healthy!

Ingredients:
Olive oil
Shrimp (almost two pounds worth)
Fresh tomatoes (about 5 small)
2 cans diced tomatoes (italian style)
1 medium chopped onion
Garlic, chopped
Basil
Parsley
Angel hair pasta
Hot pepper flakes (optional)
Salt and pepper

** Serving is for about 5 people

So the first thing you want to do is prep your ingredients because once you get going, there’s no real stopping. This includes peeling/rinsing your shrimp (and deveining if you want), chopping your garlic, onions, basil, parsley and slicing your tomatoes. Don’t forget to cook your pasta as well. I don’t usually time my pasta so I can’t provide an estimate. I usually just try it to see if it’s ready.

After everything is prepped, heat some olive oil in your pan and cook your garlic and shrimp (set aside some garlic for later). Don’t worry about perfectly cooking your shrimp. Just let it turn color and once that’s done, take it off the heat and set aside. If you don’t think it’s fully cooked, don’t worry about it. It will have time to cook later as well. Oh!, and optionally add in your hot pepper flakes with your garlic.

Shrimp aside, add in a little more olive oil to your pan and roast your tomatoes and onion. Pan fry them till they shrivel up and flatten. Once that’s done, add in your parsley, basil and 1.5 cans of your diced italian tomatoes. I only used 1.5 cans because of the fresh tomatoes I like to use. Let that cook till you have a nice hearty sauce. This would also be a good place to season with salt and pepper. Also, don’t forget about your pasta. Drain when done.

Now that your sauce looks great add in your pasta and shrimp. Also add in the garlic you set aside earlier. This will add a really fresh taste to your pasta… much like it does in bruschetta. Salt and pepper to taste.

And that’s it. A nice, refreshing, hearty, and healthy pasta for 5. Bon Appétit!

I was the crazy guy today, walkin’ around Seafood City taking pictures of produce while Mark shopped for a few groceries.

Just a little bit of every day things.

or right click save as

Something I say quite often. Here’s a couple more from that day:

Got a lot of requests for this wallpaper. Click for larger version

I don’t know much about cars, but when it comes to the design of a car, I’m all about it. The engine, torque, suspension, etc.? Not so much, although at one point I tried learning about it all. I’m currently driving a Mazdaspeed 3 with an CAI installed, tinted windows and sport springs. That’s probably as far as I’d ever go in terms of modifying a car. All the cars on my list are based on design alone since I haven’t driven any besides the one I own.

5. Mazdaspeed 3

This makes #5 on my list because not because I own it, but because I think the design of the car and the power inside the car, makes for one of those “bang for your buck” type purchases. It’s turbo charged, sits pretty low already (without sport springs installed), giving the car a really balanced look and doesn’t come with all those add ons to jack up the price.

The first generation of this car came in two variations. A sport version and grand touring (which is what I own). The only difference between the two is the latter has leather trim bucket seats and a bose audio system. Obviously there will always be add ons for cars like a navigation system and other random crap, but what I’m referring to is things like fog lights, 18in wheels, a large exhaust, etc., which in this comes standard.

I know many don’t dig hatchbacks, but I’ve always been a fan of them ever since Honda came out with that cool, og hatch.

4. Infiniti g35

If I didn’t want a hatchback, this would have been my car. It’s sleek. It’s minimal. It’s what I like about design.

3. BMW M3 Coupé Convertible

I’ve never been a fan of convertibles before. I hated the black ugly cloth-like top. But this car is brilliant. It looks like a normal M3 Coupé, sans that ugly black top. Instead it’s a hard top convertible that automatically folds down into your trunk for those days when you wanna get all boujie in the summer sun.

2. Mercedes G55

This car says transformers, meets rugged, meets modern design. Enough said!

1. BMW Z3 Coupé

My ultimate car of the decade, BMW Z3 Coupé. Technically the car was manufactured from 99-02 so it still falls under the last decade. I think it’s perfect for city driving. Small, compact but still still so stylish. I think the shape and proportions of the car are perfect. It’s almost as if you put together bits and pieces of all the cars listed above, this is how it’d look.

I could totally see myself, Mark and Cargo in this!

The world would be a better place. Taken with the lovely Canon 85mm f/1.2L of my lovely niece Jordan.

As we were driving along the coast, we spotted a home that probably best represents the closest style we’ve seen to looking like our dream home (shape wise). Mark and I both want our house to be architectural modern, taking form of the many principles of minimalism, which is basically design stripped of the unnecessary.

A lot of people don’t know that Minimalism actually takes root from a lot of Japanese traditional design. Clean lines, calm, attention to placement, etc. I guess the saying, “less is more” would sum up nicely what minimalist design takes after.

The reason I love minimalism so much in architecture is because it allows you to take the basic principle of design like line, balance, rhythm, emphasis, proximity, etc., and produce visually stunning structures. Come to think of it, that approach works well for me for most things. Like Louis Vuitton bags

I don’t know if my dream home would be exposed concrete like this, unless it was surrounded by a lot of greens to offset the concrete. But what I do love is the structure itself. Above the garage is what seemed to be a pool as the water from the pool cascaded down on the left side where the numbers of the house are located creating a little waterfall. How cool is that?!

The views from their home are amazing too. Probably more amazing then from where we were standing. Opposite of what the camera is seeing, is the ocean, unblocked and limitless with the setting sun. I mean, wow.

Another thing that caught our attention while driving by was the upside down Christmas tree hanging in what seemed to be a foyer, or larger living room? Mark and I have discussed hanging a tree upside down for Christmas. We haven’t got around to attempting it, but seeing this pretty much solidifies an upside down tree for 2010. The hanging vines from the top balcony with lights is pretty sweet too.

Anyway, just thought I’d share this amazing home. I can only imagine what the interior looks like, especially the kitchen!!!

Mark doesn’t like the pic cause it makes him look like he has a belly… I assured him it was the wind and that people would realize it’s the wind. But just in case, it’s the wind hah!

I wanna act like I didn’t touch my blog once during my vacation but in reality… I have posts waiting to be published lol. But I will say, I didn’t touch my email after my first day of vacation

My NYE outfit resurrected from a night out in NYC last year:

Miss Holly Haines:

Mr Mark Adam & Cargo:

** totally had to pixelate cargo’s private parts…

Clarione was in town and we did a small, intimate, impromptu – but super delicious- dinner with him, Holly, Mark and our new roomie Stacy. The plan was to take a sophisticated menu you’d see at a restaurant and bring it home and enjoy cooking with these different flavors adding a twist of asian-infused ingredients to each plate. The menu as planned consisted of:

• Butter lemon scallops on a bed of japanese cucumbers marinated with rice wine vinegar
• Wasabi infused crab cakes
• Seared ahi tuna salad with cranberry gorgonzola dressing
• Vodka spritzers

Let’s start with the scallops. This was my first time cooking with scallops so I was a bit terrified to serve them without trying it first, so I cooked one scallop earlier in the day and it came out great! All you need for this appetizer is:

Butter Lemon Scallops w/ Japanese Cucumbers

Scallops (two per person)
Butter (enough to use to substitute cooking oil)
Lemon
Salt/Pepper
Rice wine vinegar
Japanese cucumber (can also use regular cucumbers)

Before you do anything, you’ll want to ready your cucumbers so they can marinate awhile in the fridge (at least 30 minutes). You can use a potato peeler to get some really thin strips of cucumber. Be sure to peel of the layer of green. Place your strips into a bowl and add rice wine vinegar and pepper (I add some hot pepper flakes to give it a little kick).

Once that’s done, all you’re really need to do is cook your scallop! Add some butter and lemon juice into a pan (not too much so the scallop can brown) and once it’s hot, really hot, put in your scallops. Don’t put them too close together so you have some room and time to work with the scallops. Once the bottom of the scallop has a nice brown on it (a minute or so) flip them over and baste them with some of the lemon butter that’s already in the pan.

Let that side cook about the same time. I read that it’s best to cook scallops on a non teflon pan so it can get scorching hot. We only have teflon so maybe we lucked out because it cooked really well. Once the scallops are done, place them on the bed of cucumbers and let sit for a bit before serving. Not too long or they’ll be cold. I didn’t salt these scallops because you’ll get a lot of acid from the rice wine marinated cucumbers.

Next up is the crab cakes:

Wasabi Infused Crab Cakes

Crab (real, not imitation)
Mayo (light please)
Wasabi mayo (optional mixed in or as a part of your sauce)
Mustard
Worcestershire sauce
Garlic powder
Bread crumbs (or crushed crackers)
Green onions (thinly sliced)
1 Egg
Tartar sauce (or any dipping sauce you like)
Bacon (totally optional)
Flour for coating

All you need to do is mix in your crab, mayo, mustard, worcestershire sauce, garlic powder, bread crumbs, green onions, bacon and egg into a mixture that looks good to your liking. I’d start light on the mayo. You want the crab to be the main ingredient and not the mayo.

Next you’ll want to flour them up in a mini pancake-like form. You can add some of the bread crumbs into the flour to give it more volume.

Once you’ve got your crab cakes all ready to go, place them in a pan of hot oil, enough to coat the crab cake all the way to the middle of the cake so that the center cooks. Once golden brown, flip them over and cook for the same amount of time. Serve hot with tartar sauce, wasabi mayo or your choice of dipping sauce!

The last dish to prepare since it’s the fastest is the Seared Ahi Tuna:

Seared Ahi Tuna Salad

Tuna (sashimi grade)
Spices (sesame seeds, all spice, salt, pepper)
Mixed greens
Cranberry gorgonzola dressing (Trader Joes sells this)

This is pretty basic. Put all your spices in a bowl and cover your tuna with the spices.

Pan fry on high heat with a splash of oil until the edges are cooked. Cut into thin slices and serve on a bed of mixed greens with a dressing you think would go well with searched tuna. In this case, the cranberry gorgonzola dressing was perfect and light enough to not overpower the tuna.

And there you have it. A modern, elegant, asian-inspired, seafood meal perfect for dinner parties where you take the restaurant setting and bring it into your home. And what’s a deliciously modern looking dinner without the cocktail? An easy vodka spritzer to cleanse your pallet…

Bon A’ Petite!!

Pocket Wizard Flex, HSS, f/2

Gonna start the face project, inspired by a commercial from American Express seen here. Here’s my first one

There’s nothing like a nice hearty soup for winter. This potato leek soup recipe will warm your soul with a thick, delicious, soupy mouthful of goodness. Are you salivating yet? lol…

Ingredients:
butter, how much? Enough to pan fry your onions and leeks
5 leeks, sliced thin
10-12 small/medium russet potatoes
1 medium/large chopped onion
Chicken broth (enough to cover potatoes – I used 4 cans for this recipe)
1.5 cups heavy cream
salt & pepper to taste
Bacon (optional)

** This is enough for 6-15 people depending on serving. In this case, we’re serving a potluck w/ smaller portions

The first thing you want to do, if you’re like me, is pour yourself a glass of wine and enjoy the kitchen. I love looking at all the colors of the ingredients, setting up and organizing everything. You don’t want to be scrambling around looking for a spatula or strainer amidst a bubble and boil.

Once you’re ready to rock and roll, or in this case, chop and dice, grab your leeks and slice them thin. I usually cut up my leeks first and then soak them in water to clean. There’s dirt between the leeks so it’s easier to get rid of when it’s soaking in water. You’ll also want to trim off the root end which is about 1/4 inch of the white bottom. I also don’t use the end of the dark green leek because it’s rather tough. While the leaks are soaking in water, go ahead and give your onion a quick dice as well.

Once you’ve got you leeks and onions ready to go, bring them to a nice sauté with butter. Cook them enough to where you’re comfortable eating the onions. They should slightly brown.

While your leeks and onions are sautéing, give your potatoes a quick scrub and slice. I leave the skin on because I like the texture. Just make sure to rinse them well.

When you’re leeks and onions look cooked, go ahead and add in your thinly sliced potatoes. It’s important to thinly slice them so they cook faster and are a lot easier to mash. Also add in your chicken broth. Enough to just barely cover the potatoes. It’s better to under estimate the broth as you can always add later if your soup is too thick.

Heat to boil and simmer for about 10-15 minutes or until your potatoes are cooked. While you’re waiting, enjoy your kitchen! Fill your vase with the flowers you bought while shopping for groceries. Adding color to your kitchen really does make it a happier experience

Aren't they nice?

Now that your potatoes are cooked, mash and purée them with either a potato masher, or in this case, a hand blender. Mash and purée to your liking. I like my soup puréed pretty well, but I also don’t mind a few chunks here and there.

You should instantly start to see the heartiness of your soup. If it’s too thick, this would be a good place to add a little more chicken broth. If it looks perfect, go ahead and add in your heavy cream.

Salt and pepper you’re leek soup to taste and it should be ready to go in a minute or so! Next step is optional, or for me, essential. Bacon! I’ve tried adding the bacon in the soup as well as topping the leek soup with some bits and pieces. I find topping allows you to really taste the bacon, while adding it in the soup gives off a more subtle bacon taste. Some crazy people don’t like bacon so safer to add after.

A tip with the bacon topping. Just buy the pre cooked bacon. The kind where you can microwave it and it’s ready to go in seconds. This is perfect since bacon isn’t the star of the dish. That way, you don’t have to deal with the mess of cooking bacon in a pan.

Enjoy!!!

My favorite portraits of 2009. View my other favorite pieces here.

Just a few of my favorite things I’ve taken this year. You can also view my favorite portraits from 2009.

Welcome!
Please wait while we contact the next available agent…
You are now speaking with Ryan P.!
Ryan P.: Hi! My name is Ryan P.. How may I help you?
Michael : Hi I’m actually looking for the damier graphite camera bacl
Michael : bag*
Michael : item # N58027
Ryan P.: That is a popular item and I certainly understand your interest.
Ryan P.: As it is currently unavailable for purchase online, I am happy to check its availability in your local boutique.
Michael : Oh that would be fabulous
Michael : I am in San Diego, CA
Ryan P.: Thank you for your patience. Regrettably, it appears this item is currently sold out nationwide.
Michael : That’s quite alright, looks like I’ll just have to wait
Ryan P.: I am not certain if any of our stores will be replenishing their inventory prior to the holiday. You may wish to consider an alternate item, unfortunately.
Ryan P.: Is there anything else I may do to assist you, Michael?
Michael : That’s it. Thanks for your time

Not that I could have afforded this right now seeing as I have an unpaid parking ticket and medical bill (lol!), but who knows what I would have tried to sell to get my hands on this. Possibly even my soul? The Damier Graphite Camera Bag is seriously THE bag I’ve been looking for my entire life and will not rest until the day it’s on my shoulders.

Anyways, here are some other pieces to fancy. The backpack is looking kinda hot and I have the laptop sleeve in the regular damier and it’s really, really well made.

She looks pretty damn fierce with that on. I would definitely put the shippo in the back though.

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Updated our blog layout last night for 5byseven. Check it out: 5byseven San Diego Wedding Photography

For those that don’t know, I have a side thing with this whole photography stuff. 5byseven.com was created in mind with myself and my brother, 5 and 7 representing the number of letters in our names and of course the size format of a picture.

We started off doing some homie hook up weddings and have now successfully managed to book weddings throughout the year at a competing price with other local photographers. Our hopes for the future is to be able to open our own studio, maintain steady weddings, hire on other photographers and basically grow a business that started with the love and passion we both have for photography.

At any rate, check out our blog. Bookmark it so you can see what’s in store for the future! Thanks, xoxo

Island Prime off Harbor Island

Category: Seafood, Steakhouses
Neighborhood: Harbor Island
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
880 Harbor Island Dr
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 298-6802
Price Range: $$$
www.islandprime.com

This review is based on their weekend lunch menu. After a very leisurely hike at Cabrillo National Monument, by leisurely I mean I wore jeans and a button up, we headed over to Island Prime off Harbor Drive.

The first thing we noticed was the view this place had. Once you walk in, over the hostess’ section, you see these huge floor to ceiling windows of the bay. It’s quite the scene. It’s so San Diego.

Luckily they had a table open right next to the window. Outdoor seating is available, but there was a slight breeze and under the shade would have been a bit cold. The first thing I noticed when we sat, aside from the view, was their C Level Lounge happy or “Social” hour menu (pictured above). We’re gonna have to come back for that for sure. The backside of the menu also had some great drink specials.

Wherever we go, I see if they have calamari. I don’t care if we’re at a Thai, Italian, seafood, etc., restaurant. Calamari has a special place in my heart and if a restaurant can get it right, I’m already a happy foodie. So of course, we order that first along with a pomegranate pearl martini (pearl persephone vodka, pomegranate coulis, grapefruit juice, pomegranate molasses swirl) along with a nice refreshing karl strauss amber lager.

The calamari was great. Lightly breaded and fried and came with a really good vietnamese infused dipping sauce. I usually like marinara but this was good as well. Would be nice to get both.

For our entrees we ordered everything crusted ahi tuna with chinese black rice, pineapple salsa, wasabi, soy-ginger reduction and a snake river farms kobe filet burger with garlic aioli, caramelized onions, smoked bacon and cheddar cheese that was split for two people. I love it when restaurants do that for you and loved it when they asked if that’s what we wanted to do. I love variety, so if I can share a meal with someone and get a two for one, I’m all about it. Our burger also came with some delicious herbed parmesan fries.

I highly recommend this place. The only thing we didn’t like was our burger came out well done instead of asked medium well and I probably would have said something, but we were so excited we were half way done with the meal before we even noticed. I guess it couldn’t have been that bad. Plus, the service was most excellent for everything else.

Great place to go and I’m definitely going to ask my boss (hi!) if we could go here for happy hour at our next department outing.

One of the little gems of San Diego, CA.

Have a great weekend!

With Canon’s latest cameras like the 5dmkII, they have made it possible to micro adjust your specific lens to insure quality photos through the accuracy of its focal point. There have been times in my career where I’ve picked up lenses that I thought were awful.

I focused dead center on something and that focal point came out fuzzy and blurry. What gives? “Must be a bad a copy.”

This has all changed for me and many others out there. I have micro adjusted every lens I own making “bad” lenses now amazingly sharp and accurate and “good” lenses even better. The samples below show two states. The first being the lens straight out of the box, onto the camera, shot in raw and handled in CS4 with minor color and exposure adjustments. The second image is the lens after having been micro adjusted +15 on my 5dmkII.

This was a QUICK test, shot with the camera sitting on a table propped up by a box, iso 100, f/1.4 and on auto WB. The focal point was set to the word iron. I’ll use a tripod in my real test, but I just took two quick snaps just to see. I’m sure the camera shoot a tiny bit lol. Following the images are their respective 100% crops:

No adjustments

Micro adjusted by +15

100% Crops:

I only had time for 2 shots so I’ll have to go back and take a few more. I’m guessing I’ll be in the +13-16 range. But already, with this one adjustment, you can see how much more clear my lens is.

So to all you photographers out there… if your camera has the ability to micro adjust different lenses, you should really take advantage. If not for you, do it for your happy clients.

Just a few random images from the year:

View set here

They still fit! lol

View from the bar

Category: Mediterranean, Italian
Neighborhood: Banker’s Hill
Rating: 4 out of 5
505 Laurel St
(between Horton Ave & 5th Ave)
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 239-2222
Price Range: $$

Let’s start with the important stuff. Happy hour. Everyday from 5pm-7pm. It’s too bad it’s only in the bar area but the deals are pretty good. $3 draft beers, $5 well drinks and $5 sangrias. They also have daily specials and we happened to be there on Thursday which is great for flat bread/pizza lovers. It’s all half off.

Peroni - Local and Italian. Very refreshing.

Me and the boss

Here’s the before:

before pic

Hanging

Another view

View DIY post here

Edited some images from a wedding in Lake Arrowhead and thought I’d share a set. The thing with editing images from a series is that when you do a set, you should edit all of them the same way so there’s a coherent vision or theme.

In this case, I went with a golden tone because the weather was just absolutely beautiful and had this golden shimmer that I wanted to exaggerate a bit. You also want to give the client the same set in it’s original color in case they don’t feel the same way as you do about your vision. You might think it’s extra work, but it’s also a win win situation. If they don’t like it, they have a back up of the edit in the original color and you can use your vision for your portfolio… and if they do like it… fantastic!

So Mark and I saw an art piece the other day that we fell in love with it. Because it was so pricey, we decided to replicate it for our kitchen. The price tag was $500 and because we already have paint, two canvases and some art supplies, all we had to pay for were some really cool magazines that we wanted both for inspiration and clippings.

Semi Final Design

Testing out some lighting for an upcoming shoot. Lending my 5dmkII to my brother so I used my EP1 with 20mm f/1.7. Pretty freakin’ impressed by this little camera.

Ideally I would have liked some fill light but I didn’t have an extra strobe with me. I thought about using my ringflash on camera and the beauty dish above but I don’t have my 5dmkII. Anyway, here’s the result:

Self portrait w/ EP1 and beauty dish

All at f/1.7. Oh and Bamboo Hut is also good Great sushi in San Diego. Check my Yelp review here.

The day was beautiful as were the couple and company. Just a great day all together.

View the rest here

Mark’s 29th Birthday Party + new kitchen renovations = picture story time:

So there wasn’t a real theme to the party other than the fact that we didn’t want to use plates. So Holly, myself, Mark, Jasmine and Clarione designed a “grab and go, or stay” menu.

Read More…

I do.

Catherine&Josh

Welcome!
Please wait while we contact the next available agent…
You are now speaking with Ingrid N.!
Ingrid N.: Hi! My name is Ingrid N.. How may I help you?
you : Yes, is there any way to check inventory for a local store?
Ingrid N.: It would be my pleasure to assist you with that.
Ingrid N.: May I ask where you are located and what item you prefer?
you : I’m looking for the new Sporty Bag Beaubourg, product ID: M97036 in San Diego, CA
Ingrid N.: I am happy to check for us.
you : thanks
Ingrid N.: This is a great new bag.
you : Yea it’s perfect and exactly what I’ve been looking for
Ingrid N.: Both our Fashion Valley and Horton Plaza boutiques have this in stock right now.
you : amazing! Thank you so much
Ingrid N.: If you are visiting today or tomorrow we can certainly put one aside for you.
you : I’m definitely going today. Can you put one on hold at the Fashion Valley location?
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So far it’s been dusty, very noisy and flat out cluttered. I feel so helpless with this lack of organization through out the house. Other than what’s to be expected, things are going well. Seems a little slow, but I guess I’m stuck with the crap week where everything is being demolished, plumbing and electrical is being added, support beams being put in and nothing really looks good lol.

Mark is taking week 2… the fun week. It’s ok though! I’ve mastered working from home with banging noise all around. It’s called noise cancellation bose headphones

So here’s a pictorial update on what’s going down…

Read More…

I have to say that the quality of this is fantastic. Prior to this, I made a book with iPhoto and this Blurb book is miles better in construction, quality, size, finish, etc.

Their program is simple to use and connects with your flickr directly. Depending on how many photos you have on flickr, you may be leaving your computer on all night to let it access/download all the files. You can also import images from your computer. Keep in mind, doing all this makes a file on your computer. This book ended up being about 1gb.

Turn around time was actually pretty quick considering they have to print and construct the book. I also did ground shipping and all in all, it was just a little over a week. I’m sure choosing a faster shipping guarantees the book to be delivered sooner.

This particular book isn’t for sale since I have a few images here without a model release form and at the end of the book is fun drunken images of my friends. I don’t think this would be an appropriate coffee table book to sell, but I’m definitely going to be making another that will be commercial ready for coffee tables around the world!

Specs: 12″ x 12″ Premium paper, image wrapped, 70 page contemporary photo book.

View more sample pages here

1. On boom through shoot above
2. Camera side left
3. Camera side right

and of course, I want in on the fun…

I haven’t blogged in a real long while so I’m trying to make up for it. Check out some of our most recent engagement photos taken around San Diego on the most gorgeous days ever! Nothing beats San Diego weather. The shots in the collage below are all taken with the amazing 85mm f/1.2L II. I’m really starting to adore the focal length. View them all here.

Photos on exhibit in the main lobby of the Cooper Design Space in downtown LA with tons of other photographers. Thanks to h2 for capturing this, her photos are featured there as well!

Went hiking yesterday at Black Mountain Open Space Park in 85 degree weather so I didn’t want to lug around my dslr… this is where the DP2 excels. Didn’t feel pulled down by any weight at all. About a 2 hour hike up and down and the DP2 lasted the whole way.

I love the peacefulness that comes with hiking. I’m no expert hiker with hiking shoes and gear, but I do appreciate a nice – somewhat challenging – elevating destination with amazing views.

Sign:

Starting our hike on level ground:

The light was gorgeous, our hike stared around 5:40. Perfect light for me:

The green on this tree was really interesting for me, post process a little much, but that’s my style:

More gorgeous light infusing through nature:

View from atop:

Lastly, the end of the day drawing near:

Great place to go for beginners like myself. It did get kind of scary an hour into the hike because we weren’t sure if we were still on the loop trail. So instead of continuing (the sun was just starting to set and the gates closed soon) we backtracked the way we came. Definitely need some good shoes as the hills get pretty steep, but other than that… a nice walk.

Another good hike around the area is the Rancho Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve which is made up of mostly flat lands to which a 3 mile hike to a waterfall and 3 mile hike back makes for a great workout while enjoying the outdoors.

I 100% firmly believe these results (for me and my liking) would not have been achieved by any of the compact cameras I’ve owned taking in consideration color, dynamic range, low noise, quality of the image and I’ve owned many compacts including the G10 and LX3. Still fascinated with my Sigma DP2!!

Still workin’ on it but lovin’ swimming!! If you have a chance, take a swimming class and learn. It’s a huge learning curve but the pay off in the end is life changing. I promise! I started off here really slow because I took of from the middle of the pool and need to work on my arm movements, but overall, I’m pretty happy! (Exited cause I thought I looked like a hot mess in the water)

For those that don’t know photoshop all that well, here’s a tip for enhancing a photo in 2 steps, 3 when you include opening an image. See the effect below:

Original Image:

Final:

step 1: Open Image
step 2: Press command j (on a mac). This duplicates the layer
step 3: Turn the duplicated layer to “soft light”

From there you can save as, to keep the original file. Or you can simple right click the layer and flatten the image and proceed with a save.

I was once a kid with a red jacket trying to be Michael Jackson. He helped me realize a passion for dance I had burried in my soul. Back then, dance classes weren’t as attainable, affordable, or even as visible as it is today. So in essence, your performances and videos were my training.

The spark transcended through my high school and college years through theater and hip hop and those were indeed, some of the highlights of my past. I can’t imagine not expressing my emotions through dance when times were tough. It was an outlet that kept a lot of my friends away from who knows what. Dance was, and sometimes still is, who I was and am. I honestly don’t go a day without dancing. It happens in the morning when I brush my teeth. It happens in my chair when I hear a beat. It happens in my car when I’m driving and blasting that favorite jam of the moment.

So MJ, thank you for your brilliance as an entertainer and thank you for the inspiration for something I may never have known about if it wasn’t for you.

Videos in this .zip file include:

Beat it
Billie Jean
Bad
Smooth Criminal
Thriller

Again, this is optimized for iPhone playback. download here

Pay no attention to April’s shoes, or lack there of lol. Fixing that in the final version!

view larger version

For their artistic sets, see here and here.

The perks of working in fashion commerce is getting to see things before they go on sale on our site. Like this amazingly huge Adidas brown leather bag. I swear I could fit my house in here. It’s totally cute, but also has that metro vibe so it’s not so gay for a guy. Most importantly it’s something I’d love to use when I don’t want to carry around my LV bags.

It kind of reminds me of Mary Cherry from Popular. She use to pull the most random shit out of her bag, like hot sauce lol. I wouldn’t put a bottle of hot sauce in my icare, but this bag. Oh yes.

More from PGN Dance Co.

View the rest here

Quick links: Part I | Low light performance

I wanted to do a second review of the Sigma DP2, post field work, and since today was so gorgeous, I decided to take a ride on my bike around Lake Miramar for lunch and snap away. All images are clickable to 100% original files (the quality is out of this world). The only photoshop work done to these images are for resizing blog purposes and a bit of sharpening after the resize. The originals have absolutely no photoshop applied. All images were shot in raw, aperture priority mode and developed in Sigma DPP.

Also note that these images are after the latest firmware update and I can honestly say, autofocus really has improved.

So because I didn’t have a model with me, my bike became my muse. I’m sure I looked a little crazy in my normal clothes, in the middle of a reservation, taking pictures of a bike lol… but whatever. That kinda stuff doesn’t bother me all that much anymore.

So here’s my bike. At 100%, you can really see the amazing depth this camera captures:
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Gonna recommend this app for all you type heads and designers: TypeDrawing

click here for larger version

with 5byseven. Channeling some Terry Richardson + lomo in these edits. Nice job group 1. Look forward to shooting group 2.

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I find it to be stylish, old school and cool.

I’ve seen these all over flickr and also on a few blogs and never got around to doing it… until today. I didn’t realize how awful I laid my stuff out until I downloaded the images onto my mac, but shit… I ain’t laying that shit out again and retaking the image. Plus, the contractors doing our master bath will wonder WTF I’m doing lol!!

Somewhat from left to right:

Louis Vuitton Beaubourg bag
13″ Macbook Pro (4gb ram)
Cheap sun glasses
Panasonic TZ5 (party camera, on sale at Frys for $200!)
Louis Vuitton Brazza wallet
Louis Vuitton coin purse (hangs inside the Beaubourg)
Calumet CF card reader
WD 250gb portable hard drive
Sigma DP2
iPhone 3G
Bose noise canceling headphones (sometimes essential in the office)
Purell hand sanitizer
Keys and LA fitness pass
Portable Energizer iPhone/iPod charger (takes AA batteries)
Matches from Butter restaurant
Black book for quick notes, ideas, grocery lists, etc.
Altoids
Small screw driver set
Dinky little tripod

and yes, it totally all fits!

Louis Vuitton Damier Canvas 13 inch laptop case. And my heart melts…

41 years and strong. My idols. My inspiration. My all.

Thanks to Ziggy for emailing me this! Check out this hunk. Filipino-Italian actor, model, racer, student of musical theater and Zac Efron lookalike. Also a lover of Louis Vuitton. Wow. Hope he makes it in this industry to represent us Pinoys.

Love the whole musical thing! OMG. This is totally my teeny bopper moment.

And he totally makes the Filipino accent sound adorable. Not an east feat by any means!

Category: Japanese
Neighborhood: Hillcrest (gayville)
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
3739 6th Ave
San Diego, CA 92103
(619) 692-4189
Mon-Sun. 6:00 p.m. – 1:00 a.m.

So Mark, Holly and myself went to check out happy hour here yesterday from 6pm-7pm and was not disappointed. Because it was happy hour, we (they) ordered some really crazy shit. The theme of this place is kinda like small À la carte type appetizers on barbecue sticks. Some things you order to share and for your favorites, you make sure to order one for yourself Price ranges from 2-7 dollars per dish with about each dish serving a tasting to 4 people.

First up was chicken skin. Haha, yea… Read More…

Quick links: Part II | Low light performance

If you aren’t a camera geek, I suggest you just look at the pictures and skip all the text. It will be a boring ass read for you.

This thing is BAD ASS but give it to someone who doesn’t know the quality it produces and first thought is, “This is wack.” On the contrary, give it to someone who has seen sample images and their thought is, “GIMMEE!!!!”

With all that’s said and done, there is one thing certain about this camera. The images it can produce in the right hands, rivals those of entry level DSLRs with good glass.

Before reading this, I suggest you use google for those reviews that tell you this camera is slow in functioning, has an awful LCD screen, etc., etc., because I won’t get into that jibberish. This isn’t really a review as I’m sure I’ll jump all over the place.

Quite frankly, those reviews are CRAP anyway and only made me wait longer till I actually jumped the gun with this. I only wish I had it last week for my trip to NYC.

The only disclaimer about this camera that I will point out is that, this isn’t the point and shoot turned dslr for the average consumer. Not by any means and I don’t think it was intended that way. This is strictly for that photographer/enthusiast that values quality over quantity and ease. Cause I’ll tell you now… Pimpin’ ain’t easy.

UPDATE: This also isn’t the kind of camera you can take to the clubs and use the flash. There is no AF assist light to help you focus so you’d probably end up with all blurry images. Looks like I’ll have to invest in a club camera… I’m thinking the Panasonic ZS3

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Saw this amazing photo blog template and I just had to use it. For a selection of work, please check out Picture This.

Here’s a quick peek at our newly installed hardwood floors. The whole top floor was done and looks quite amazing. No more awful, heat absorbing, carpet!

I am so excited to test this thing out. Was browsing around flickr and the results of some of the images this beast puts out are kind of amazing. This is crazy good. The depth, color and character this thing produces is just mighty. So damn amazing from a compact digital camera.

Designers and lovers:

This weekend was devoted to renovations, patience and growing up. Probably the three things I need to work on most lol. Renovations take patience… which I don’t have when it comes to things like this… And growing up, because it’s hard.

As always, gotta have my starbucks. Nothing like an ice cold cup of coffee to start the weekend.

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via lookbook.nu

Better in HD, 1000 frames a second:

I-Movix SprintCam v3 NAB 2009 showreel from David Coiffier on Vimeo.

Going to start recapping every weekend of mine just for remembrance purposes…

First… Cargo’s day at the beach. La Jolla Shores San Diego:

Tried to make her pose on the ledge… the wind took her ear lol:

Sun bathing on the grass before heading home:

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Cavit? Ghetto bird for “Can I have it?”

Offering all of the features that Panasonic’s multiple award winning TZ range of cameras is renowned for – including a remarkable 12x optical zoom in a compact, stylish body and 25mm ultra wide angle lens – the TZ7 goes one step further to offer AVCHD Lite*1 motion picture recording, making the TZ7 a truly versatile proposition.

via dpreview

Basically, a compact camera with a 25mm-300mm range (crazy!) and records AVCHD video, which is basically HD video at half the size. AVCHD is what HD camcorders use and allows for HD footage to be captured in less space. Downside is, it’s harder to edit the video clips, but eh… I’m not much of an editor. You can however, continue to shoot in motion image HD (which most do now) but it will of course be a larger file size.

I also want the new Sigma DP2 (even more):

This is, in a nutshell, a compact digital camera with a fixed focal length with the same sized sensor as a dslr. What does that mean? Basically, the quality of your photos will be dslr-like in a little tiny ass body. The fixed focal length of the DP2 is close to 40mm, perfect for portraits and street photography on the go. This is gonna be a gem!! I’d totally sell my G10 for this thing.

You can see the craziness in quality from their sample gallery here.

The ZS3 is available now overseas (as the TZ7) and is expected in us stores sometime in April, which leaves a couple weeks. Sigma has not yet announced when it’s DP2 will be out.

The right side of this backyard shed was a patio/storage room… that is before we got all Hulk on it with sledge hammers. We almost went all the way with the demo, except there was just so much to throw away and tile to break down that we had some professionals come in with their dump trucks to finish the job.

At first they quoted us $2,500 to demolish the room. We go to working and from where we left off, it was only an $829 dollar job. Not bad for a couple gay guys! LOL.

Ok enough of the boring stuff. Now comes the really fun, gay, non-sledge hammering stuff. What are we gonna do with that space? First thing that pops in my mind for that section is a Cabana, the kind like at The Wynn, lol.

For real though, how hot would it be to have a Cabana area in your backyard? I’m thinking these wood panel floor tile we found for the ground, some chase lounges with matching chairs… the modern wicker look. Throw in a hookah and some table areas for food and drink. Finally add in some nice drapes to give it that flow and resort feel. Of course we gotta have the firepit close by.

A Cabana would be sic right? Well, that’s if there’s a pool to go with it! Heck yes I said pool. Holla!! Summer parties 2010 is where it’s at. Get ready… Haha. In all realness, this is the ultimate goal. A nice backyard area (cabana style), a simple pool for laps and leisure, and a small getaway right at the tip of our home. The fabulous-ness comes with the company.

Where you at HGTV?!

Can we say ANTM?

Also awarded an Emmy for this performance! Miss Janet is also in this video, but I can’t compare her to anyone. She’s in a league of her own. Not particularly with this performance, I think Paula beat her on this one. But in general, there is only one Miss Nasty.

It’s like Christmas:

Edit, Wallpaper time (click for 1920×1200):

We made Pad Thai Saturday night. It came out 90% right. Not bad for our first time. Spicy 7:

Accompanied by Shrimp Tom Kah. So delicious:

Started some origami for our tree:

Not quite done, but coming out well. Need some cherry blossoms for the tree branches:

Resurrected my Giant Halfway bike. Will be taking this bad boy out more often:

Went for a late afternoon bike ride in Little Italy/Downtown. Needed some me time:

Good weekend – minus work and bitch fits. But I’m focusing on the good. So there is the good.

Cavit?

Over the weekend, I saw that bitch on Barefoot Contessa make a deliciously simple lookin’ chicken salad sandwich. Seriously, she made it look scrumptious. So tonight, I wanted to do a chicken salad sandwich because it looked that good.

Mark suggested doing a twist to it. “What if we add curry?”

First thought was, “NO! Barefoot didn’t do it with curry so I don’t want to!”

A few seconds after my mini bitch fit, I thought “damn… that’s a delicious ass idea.” I know right? It was so easy. The longest part to this recipe is boiling the chicken in seasoned water. You know, salt, pepper, oregano, some basil and a couple chicken bouillon cubes. That Barefoot Contessa lady baked her chicken, but since we’re doing a curry twist, we might as well do it our own way now! There’s no turnin’ back.

So after that’s done, you chop up the chicken in bite sized pieced and add in some low fat mayo, chopped celery, onions, raisins and bell peppers (yes, bell peppers is key H2… sorry) and vwala. Pop it in the fridge for about 30 minutes and you’ll have such a refreshing and delicious sandwich. Oh and we also used really good toasted garlic bread and had a pickle on stand by.

This shit was fucking good!!!

see on flickr

Everyone has a finger
But they can’t point me to the light
It can’t be that hard to find
After all we’re so bright

I don’t know if tomorrow has a day
I don’t know if the rays will shine my way again
All I know is that I’m standing in a place where
My future is like the skies of L.A.
Skies of L.A.

- Celine Dion – Skies of L.A.

So hot for this not so hot Monday. Sad Face.

Ok, so I said it cost about 37 bucks for all these ingredients, but that’s also because I bought excess of a lot of the ingredients to use with other recipes… at any rate, I loved every single bite lol.

Ingredients include:

- Chips
- Lean Ground Sirloin
- Onions
- Jalepenos
- Tomatoes
- Light Sour Cream
- Guacamole
- Cheese Dip
- Melted cheddar cheese
- Cumin, salt, fresh ground pepper, creole and spice
- Chipotle cube

Enjoy!

If you want delicious food in a delicious neighborhood, go to Parkhouse Eatery in Hillcrest. It’s so good and their mimosas are perfect. I had the eggs benedict a few weeks ago and that shit melted in my mouth.

Mark and I went and we had a table in less than a minute. Others with parties of 4 or more had an unfortunate wait time of about 45 minutes. So if you are totally hungry and need to eat right away, this isn’t the spot. But if you go early enough, as in before your stomach starts to growl… then I highly recommend this place.

Went out to Mission Trails in San Diego to test out a new lens. We’re doing a Spring Fashion Shoot here for work (djpremium.com) and it was beautiful out. This 12mm is really fantastic for landscapes. Here are some test shots:

Have some big shoots coming up!

Yes, it’s growing and it’s totally and absolutely out of control. Someone stop me.

Canon 5dmkII w/ BG-E6 – but only one battery, doh’!
Canon 24-105mm f4L
Canon 16-35mm f2.8L (sold to matt!)
Canon 85mm f1.8 (selling this one)
Canon 100mm f2.8 Macro (sharpest lens ever)
Sigma 50mm f1.4
Sigma 12-24mm f4.5
Sigma 24mm f1.8 Macro
580EX Speedlight
Rayflash Ringlight
Set of three 750 strobes with backdrops and stands

I want a Lumiquest Softbox III and a Boda Dry Lens Bag. Ahhhhhh.

March 2009: Pretec creator of the highest capacity CompactFlash card in the world (100GB) and the fastest CF card in the world (433X), continues today its record breaking history in the field of speed and capacity by unveiling the extraordinary 666X CF card, the world’s fastest CF card.

Four times faster than a typical CF card, Pretec 666X CF’s dazzling 100MB/s speed is the largest speed boost in CF history. 666X CF card is the newest member of Pretec’s family of innovative flash memory cards, consistently first to market in high speed and capacity products; 233X and 333X CF cards were introduced by Pretec at Taipei in 2007, 64GB CF card started shipping in Sept. 2008, and 433X CF card were launched at Birmingham UK in Feb. 2009. -dpreview

Ok, who really needs a 64GB CF card? Who would rely on a 64GB CF card to put all their images in from a shoot or vacation? For real? 64GB of images?! That’s kinda ridiculous and it’s even more ridiculous that I want one (lol!) sans the 666x write speed. That fucking number keeps following me. Argh.

Some quotes I’d like to share:

1. I love you not because I need you, I need you because I love you. - anonymous
2. An archeologist is the best husband any woman can have; the older she gets, the more interested he is in her. - Agatha Christie
3. You’re sexy. Wanna hump? - anonymous
4.But most of all, if Harvey had not been taken from us 30 years ago, I think he’d want me to say to all of the gay and lesbian kids out there tonight who have been told that they are less than by their churches, by the government or by their families, that you are beautiful, wonderful creatures of value and that no matter what anyone tells you, God does love you and that very soon, I promise you, you will have equal rights federally, across this great nation of ours. Thank you. Thank you. And thank you, God, for giving us Harvey Milk.
- Dustin Lance Black
5. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. - Albert Einstein
6. So you’re not my type. I think I like that idea. Because my type usually breaks my heart.
- The Hopeless Romantic
7. Now, like, I’m President. It would be pretty hard for some drug guy to come into the White House and start offering it up, you know? … I bet if they did, I hope I would say, ‘Hey, get lost. We don’t want any of that.
- George Bush, talking about drug abuse to a group of students
8. Every artist was first an amateur. - Ralph Waldo Emerson
9. I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because some people out there in our nation don’t have maps and I believe that our education like such as in South Africa and the Iraq and everywhere like such as and I believe that they should our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S. or should help South Africa and should help the Iraq and the Asian countries so we will be able to build up our future for us.
- Miss Teen USA 2007 South Carolina answers a question
10. Only a fool tests the depth of the water with both feet. - African proverb
11. Silence is one of the hardest arguments to refute. - Josh Billings
12. Be kind; everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle. - Plato
13. Ahhh… I see the fuck-up fairy has visited us again… - Personal work experience
14. Welcome to Nobody Cares, population 6.5 Billion - anonymous
15. I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ. - Mohandas Gandhi

So I know that I said that Beaubourg tote would be my last Louis piece for awhile… but… I totally lied (thank you tax return!). I had to get this wallet since it’s been sold out for the longest time everywhere! It just so happens that the Louis Vuitton store in Fashion Valley had one in stock so it was a must get, otherwise I’d be waiting another 6 months for this wallet.

I wanted a large wallet. The monogram print wallet I have is nice, but I think it’s time for an upgrade. I’ll probably hold onto that one for a more low key look I guess. Anyway, this Brazza wallet is perfect. Not too big and not too small and my iPhone fits perfectly in the coin pouch. Yes! Crazy right?

I haven’t transfered all my wallet goodness into yet but I did take a few snap shots to share. FOR REAL, this is the last LV piece I’m buying till at least 6 months!

I was on the pier when I saw a pattern of light in the ocean glimmer. At first the strong highlights hurt my eyes but after a few seconds of starring, my sight started to adjust.

What I saw was the most beautiful sparkle.

I got to thinking about all the similes like, "Don’t judge a book by it’s cover" or "Beauty lies within," and you know what… I truly believe in that.

There’s so much more to life than what you see on the outside and that’s a lot of what photography is about. Taking in what you see… what other people see with their naked eye… and connecting yourself with what you can enable yourself to see.

And in this instance, I took that harsh light and turned it into something that to me, is beautiful. That’s not to say I didn’t adjust my settings by taking the image out of focus to create bokeh, or compensated some exposure to get rid of highlights… but that’s also what life is about for me. Adjusting, learning, and trying to live better.

I’m posting again today because I’ve neglected this part of my internet life due to another internet love: flickr

Anyway, I just got my Beaubourg Tote by Louis Vuitton. I’ve been a fan of their monogram collection for awhile but the damier is slowly creeping up. This is currently #__ (who cares right!) of my LV pieces. It also might be my favorite piece thus far because it’s one of those every day totes for men or women. Sadly this is one of the last pieces I’ll be buying for a real long time.

The lovely thing about this Beaubourg Tote is that it also doubles as a laptop carrier. I already own a piece for that, but in the event I wanted to travel light, this is the perfect bag. For my everyday use, the Beaubourg is carrying my Canon G10, 250GB WD portable/slim hard drive, keys, LV coin pouch (attaches to the side), Nintendo DS Lite, iPhone, Kodak Zi6 HD video recorder, sun glasses, chap stick, a few files and other misc items.

Can’t say enough good things about this bag. It’s a little stiff at the moment, but Louis Vuitton is known for getting better by the age… so this Beaubourg bag is definitely going to be a keeper!

Inside the meatball we have: Breadcrumbs, 2 eggs beaten, diced pepperoncini’s (make sure to dry with cloth), parmesan cheese, onions, garlic, lean ground beef, creole seasoning and hot pepper flakes.

SO GOOD and easy. Just keep adding in breadcrumbs till the consistency isn’t too moist (but not too dry) and dice everything up so it doesn’t fall off when you pan fry. I usually use olive oil but it doesn’t matter. Basically fry them till the outside is nice and brown and the remainder will cook with your spaghetti.

I usually cook a few all the way through just to eat alone… especially when the cheese melts in your mouth with that tiny zest of pepperoncini!!!

Take a look at the final outcome:

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I totally won!

Quick review of this cool gadget. If you’re looking for some scientific bullshit analysis of the light output, don’t bother reading on. The only thing I will say is that so far, there seems to be a loss of one stop in your flash unit with this on.

I’m currently shooting with a canon 5dmkII and 24-105mm f4L.

At any rate… this thing is bad ass! The fact that I could achieve this type of lighting pretty much anywhere I go is awesome. It’s portability is one of the main reasons I decided to go with it. There are no cables, batteries, electronics of any sort. Just snap and play. That’s the best thing about this ray flash ring light.


I’ve tested it a bit outdoors as well and it’s provided me some really nice fill light. The colors are fantastically natural and the output does not feel harsh at all. Also, my friend was standing a few feet away from me and from where I was the flash lit her really well while still maintaining the beautiful orange light that was hitting her from the setting sun.

I haven’t had a chance yet to post all images, but if you’re interested, please visit my flickr page for updates on this amazing little unit. Highly recommended!!

Befriend me on flickr.

ExpoImaging Ray Flash:

Just like you said it would be. Life goes easy on me. Most of the time.

More from Mark:

He’s decided to start selling his paintings. Wish him luck!

When I saw this through my view finder, I automatically thought of Final Fantasy. It just looked so dreamy to me and felt like at any second, some creature was going to walk about behind the shrub. WTF right? I guess this new camera is making me feel giddy about photography again. I’ve been caught up so much in doing events and studio work that I forgot how freakin’ fun it is shooting for yourself.

Looking through the view finder for your eyes and not the eyes of a client. This is the first time in YEARS I went out and shot for myself. As in like, I did it for fun and as a hobby. I can’t remember the last time I went out to shoot without any objective, clients, or pay. It was kinda… amazing.

The flash was a little too hot on my face. I suppose I could have lowered the power a little more but to be honest, I wasn’t focusing on lighting on this. I’m going to be doing more self portraits in the future. Not because I’m vain and like touching up my own face lol, but because it’s how I started out in photography when I didn’t have subjects. It was me and the camera. Exploring not only light, but also expression and composition.

Ok, so I just bought myself a Nintendo DS Lite last Friday and I can tell you now, this thing is the fountain of youth. I’m pretty sure that over the weekend, I’ve managed to age backwards.

I found myself waking up at 7am on both Saturday AND Sunday to play video games. The difference was that I didn’t have to get out of bed, turn the TV on and grab the controller. No, instead, I woke up, turned to my newly charged DS Lite and played straight from my bed. Before I knew it, it was already 10 muthafuckingAM. Was this how 3 hours felt as a kid?

Weapon of choice? Final Fantasy IV, the remake for DS. For those FF geeks out there, to put into perspective the amount of playing time I’ve invested over the weekend… I am now in the underworld reunited with an all grown up Rydia.

/geek

This game console is so much better suited for me than PSP. I ended up giving that shit to my nephew. Ok, the PSP graphics are so much better, but the double screen for the DS Lite is perfect for Final Fantasy and it’s just so much more fun! It’s straight up Nintendo again!

And guess what else? My super sic co-worker noogs just bought one too! Aww snaps.

Matt, Migs, Apes:

This hobby of mine is fucking expensive. I’m eying the new 5D mkII. My bestbuy card is currently at a 0 balance awaiting 18 months of glorious no interest. Now only if they would stock this bad boy. It seems nearly impossible to get.

I did hear about some bad copies being distributed with some sort of black dots appearing in images, so I guess it’s good I wait a little. But those that know me understand that, waiting sometimes isn’t in an option. Not for this brat.

Next up, on “The Nalco” lol:

Could video editing be in my future? Probably not. I have no clue what I’m doing but I’ve been testing out the Kodak zi6. Used iMovie ‘08 for this. Tried Final Cut Pro but closed it as soon as it launched.

Especially with a gold backpack. Unless of course that shit has speakers.
For some weird reason, UPS decided to drop my package off at 10pm. It was a shady drop too. Some dude literally jumped out of his cargo van, dropped off my package, and left. All this at 10pm. WTH right? Whatever, I’m totally stoked with my new toy or bag?

I guess I’m either going to look pretty damn cool with this thing on while riding my Vespa… or look like a total douche bag, no pun intended. I don’t care though. I love it!

I had a studio shoot today and I decided last minute to shoot a look outside. I’m so glad I did because they turned out to be my favorite from today! Check it out:

Testing this blog post from firefox’s ScribeFire… oh and Happy Thanksgiving from me and Cargo
Technorati Tags: cargo

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We launched our Holiday Campaign for work yesterday and the shots turned out extra fabulous with some photoshop work. At first, there was some skepticism about how the final product would look because it really didn’t look all that exciting pre-photoshop, but I must say… it turned out fantastic.

This shit was hard first time around the course, second time went smooth sailing from the adrenaline. Team Pud Mies:

Seriously, this is one of the MUST HAVE FREE applications for mac. Forget stickies. This is the app it should have been and more. You can actually draw on your post-its, write notes and set alarms. Since I have a tablet, I’m gonna find this extremely useful at jotting down notes and to-dos on the fly. Yes. Check out a screen cap:

Download here

We shot Arlyn, Kat and Tiffany as a continuation for their “Danity Kane goes Asian project.” I’m looking forward to doing the group shoot with all 8 of them at the studio! Should be killer. Here are some images from today’s shoot:

Without the snow on the ground…

I look about how I feel. Cold.

A couple shots from our shoot last week… have a few more solos lined up and then a group shot in November. I’m excited for that!

We were driving down 163 yesterday just as the sun was setting and it looked amazing. I always thought sunsets along that freeway looked “Lion-King-esque” so I finally attempted to capture it in motion.

I got my best friend a set of frames for his birthday. We had done an impromptu shoot awhile back and since the images came out so well, I thought I’d put them to good use. The frames consist of one 11×14, 8×10s, 5×7s and 4×6s. I hope he has room on his walls!

The obsession continues… as does my shopping problem.

Louis Vuitton Monogram Canvas Messenger
h&m double breasted pea coat
BDG jeans from urbanoutfitters.com

I sculpted. I painted. I carved. I drew.

But ultimately fell in love with photography and design. I really should be editing wedding photos right now =P

Never used this function before but I think I like what I see. Saw someone post about it over at Dpreview and took a snap of my desk at the moment. Kinda gross.

Samuel Adams Oktoberfest. Lotion. Baby cologne. G10. Dayquil. Green tea. Can of dog food. SDHC and CF card readers. Blank CD. Edge of a macbook pro.

This thing is sweet. Who would have thought you could instantly print images from your camera through a pocketable printer that uses inkless technology? Hey, it’s no high quality print, but it’s something awesome you can bring forth to the table with clients, especially at weddings.

I made a new action for my photos specifically for my blog and who better to test on than Matt?? I think I like it. Polaroid like, but not. Perhaps this is fitting since I have my eyes set on the Polaroid PoGo!

So I just picked up a Canon G10. What am I thinking? I know right. I totally just bought a LX3 last month as a non DSLR camera and here I am with a non DSLR camera #2. Crazy as it may be, I’ve had my eyes on this camera for awhile. I’ve always wanted a Canon G series, but the lack of a wide angle always threw me off.

Now that this has a 28mm lens on the wide side, they reeled me in. Don’t get me wrong. I still love my LX3, this will just suit different needs and I can totally let Mark borrow the LX3 when he travels for work. I usually don’t like lending him my cameras because I’d miss it (gah! I know)… but now I can let one go and still be a happy camper.

Plus, this G10 is built like a tank. I like tanks.

Still testing the waters

Photographer Chris Jordan turns cold, hard stats into proactive statements on economics, culture and the American way of life.

Amazing stuff

After a pretty awful weekend, I finally had some time to try this out. All images taken at f1.8, 800iso with the exception of the second and third image which is at 400iso. Obviously at small resolution, this is not meant to show you the amazingly low levels of noise. Instead, its to show the capability of this lens in low lighting situations is just damn good.

Canon’s best bang for your buck lens:

The photography manager at work let me take the 5d home for the weekend for a test drive. I’m in the market for a full frame camera and after shooting with it for about an hour, I’m pretty much sold. Taking images feels so much more like home to me for some reason.

It feels more mechanical and raw, rather than digital. Currently, I own a 40d, but that’s going to change real soon! Actually, I’ll probably keep my 40d as a back up and get the 5d mkII when it comes out. I just need to somehow come up with $2,700.

Anyway, here are the initial images I took.

Scoped out a wedding spot for next week. The area is ok, nothing spectacular so we’ll have to work it out. Should be a good day!

I love my new lens. Haven’t had time to take it out in the real world, but Cargo seems to love it.

Now all I need is the new Canon 5d mkII

After a long weekend of work… I finally redesigned 5byseven.com. Never worked with slide shows before so it took awhile to configure with lots of help from google. I’m happy with it. It’s much more clean than the previous design and I think a bit easier to navigate. Content is still pretty low, but more to come soon. For now, take a peak!

P.S. There’s music in the intro slide show.

Minus the whole work related convention thingy….

Read on…

Clarione needed some headshots before my trip to Las Vegas on Wednesday. Without any of my studio lights on hand, we ghetto rigged some Target lights. Our results after 20 minutes…

Not to bad eh?

Not as sexy, but a valiant effort none the less wouldn’t you say? LOL. Left – Justin Timberlake 2008 Vogue, Right – Migs Vuitton 2008 Room and Board.

was not as good as I hoped he would be. Plus he cried like a bitch. His garment in his closing episode was something I’d see at Charlotte Russe; a piece on the sale rack after it’s been tried on several times. Think hooker.

Left = ugly. Right = fabulous. Korto is the shit. Even though the form slightly plays off her first challenge piece and even though she used seat belts… she still knocked it out. That garment screams money, bitch and status.

Still, the winner Leanne, had the best garment. It was innovative, stylish, tailored beautifully and fit her model like a glove:

Left = Leanne. Right = Jerrell (also pretty awesome). The others need to step up their game. So not fierce enough.

For my vespa… he needs a touch of class too ya know, even if it’s hanging from a key hole. Holla!

I went crazy yesterday and stayed up late customizing these awesome wordpress themes. I’m also attempting, yet again, another photoblog. I’ve titled it, “Picture this” and am so far having fun with it.

Hopefully it will also get me out there exploring again and snapping any and everything in my way. I’m starting to remember why I love photography. It’s a way for me to express the world as I see it. To view certain grievance in something as simple as a washed up sticker or feel the love in something like a landscape. God, it’s great.

And when I get my hands on this bad boy, I’m sure my ipointishoot sn will live up to it’s name once again.

He’s my favorite right now. Speaking freely… it’s not because of his garments on the show thus far. It’s because he’s all man with the ability to sew. Most of the time, the gay dudes on this show are flamboyant, over the top, have neon colored hair, are ugly or they’re straight up queens.

Keith on the other hand looks like a man. His designs from his portfolio also have this look about them that says “A hot man made these.” I also love the fact that he acts like one. No BS on the show (so far) and I hope he continues to stay cool, calm and collective.

Check some of my favorites here:

Totally Filthy Gorgeous

This is going to be my latest camera. Here are the reasons why…

F2.0 LEICA DC VARIO-SUMMICRON Lens
24-60mm ultra wide
RAW Format
16:9 aspect ratio:
Full manual controls
1/1.63″ sensor
3-inch LCD with 460,000 reso
HD 16:9 aspect ratio 24fps video
Hot shoe for external flash or optical view finder!!!
Wide lens converted to 18mm + filters
Sweet old school leather case
Face detection
Mega O.I.S.

Now those are just some of the features in this jammed packed little “mini dslr” if you will. I can’t also help but feel this camera looks so old school. I loved my Leica, but I think this guy will fit my needs more. Plus it’s way more affordable.

Head here for more details. Comes out late August!

CSS Type Set is my new bestfriend. This will totally cut down my save and refreshes.

Just found this amazing action and wanted to use it. How cool is this? Don’t be alarmed if you see random cubes of images in the next couple posts.

P.S. I’d totally post the action except the 20 people that come here probably don’t care enough. lol.

During a quick lunch break at work, the newly turned 26 Holly, snapped away.

Calumet 750 Studio lights. Soft box and fill light. Post processing in photoshop CS3.

Talk about taking design to another level. This is mad cool and 100% original. Not only is it a space saver for those residing in tight corners, but this super couch transforms into a two person sleep station. Of course, something like this would cost an arm, a leg, and maybe an eyeball, but that doesn’t mean it ain’t pretty to look at. Simply amazing.

A sofa with removable covers and integrated/patented mechanism which transforms the sofa into a bunk bed. Doc XL furnishes the day area and with a simple movement transforms into a practical ready made bunk bed with integrated supporting ladder and protection guard.

Buy it for me here.

I shot my first wedding with 5byseven.com. It was really fun/tiring and something we’re definitely going to venture off into. We also just purchased our own studio set up so we’re pretty stoked on getting this thing going.

If you guys have any work you need done, holla atcha your boy.

Don’t even trip.

I went shopping just now… shopping with money I don’t have but I had to buy this from metropark:

Sick huh?!? Haha, I’ll be rocking this for awhile, along with my not so popular – popular anti.war scarves urban was selling for a short while.

And then there’s also my pancho hoodie I found at the thrift store.

Panchos. Bling. Politics. It will be the inspiration to my new line haha.