England's Countryside Swept Me off My Feet

People have asked me what I liked most about living in England and for a while I thought it was because London's fashion was accessible in less than 60 minutes. Then I thought it was because I could fly from Stansted to anywhere in Europe at bargain prices. But all along the countryside had won me over and it was never far from my doorstep.

The grass never departed from its magnificent green color. Signs of England's history appeared around every bend. Rain regenerated the land weekly. Time became an endless commodity. And getting lost never felt so good. These were the things that swept me off my feet.

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1/2500
ISO 200

Tran Family~July 15, 2009

I just realized that I forgot to blog this amazing family session I had with the Tran family a couple months ago. You might recognize Grace from a previous blog entry because I took her pictures when she was one. Now she is two and her personality just shines and warms my heart.

I am so excited that Pictage now has slideshows available for all my clients. So here is what it looks like. Thank you Picatge!

Singapore's Nightlife

What impression do you have of Singapore? If you think it's a strict, oppressive place, then you are sadly mistaken. Singapore's nightlife is far from boring; it can keep you stimulated into the wee hours of the morning!

Whether you are at La Pau Sat enjoying the local cuisine or at one of the many trendy clubs, you can be sure there is something for you to do after dark in Singapore. And for all you foodies, Singapore has a restaurant that will suit your experienced palates.

Now let's talk about my picture. If you look along the horizon you will notice there are lamps that look like stars with long rays of light. After shooting many cities at night I began to notice this starry effect and I fell madly in love with it. The trick is to use the smallest aperture setting on your camera and adjust the shutter speed accordingly. Also don't forget your tripod and cable release so the camera is as still as humanly possible.

There was a lot of light around when I took this picture so you might have to leave the shutter open for 20 or 30 seconds. Have fun at night and enjoy a city while everyone else is sleeping, but don't forget to be safe!

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10 sec
ISO 500

Be at the Forefront of Fashion on Your Wedding Day

Just recently I had an opportunity to attend a launch event for Michel Benaroch Hair Studio. It was a fantastic event for beauty, fashion, wedding and special event styling and what fashionista misses a fashion show? Not me!

With top stylists from around the world Michel Benaroch Hair Studio interprets new trends so their clients can be at the forefront of style. Whether you are a bride, model, mom, fashion designer or guest attending a special event you can be sure that Michel Benaroch will translate your vision into a stylish masterpiece that works with your lifestyle and enhances your unique characteristics. And in true avant-garde manner the salon offers limousine transfers and scrumptious luncheons for bridal parties. 

Here are my images from the Concierge Beauté launch event. For more information please visit Michel Benaroch Hair Studio.

Fashion designer, GOGA by Gordana
Event launch, Triax Associates
 

 

 

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

  

 

 

Cambodia's Hidden Temple

Cambodia's temples blew me away. Just the sight of them made it hard for me to fathom when they were first built and what life was like at that time.

The picture below is a temple off the beaten track and it was our favorite temple in Cambodia by far. If you go to this temple, chances are that you will be one of few tourists amidst its mountains of ancient stone.

It's tough for me to say this because I am a photographer, but this picture doesn't provide justice for this temple's archaic existence. It is simply amazing and is something you need to see with your own eyes.

So if you have plans to see Cambodia I will be more than happy to let you in on my little secret. Ask and you shall receive.

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ISO 800

It's Time for Color

Some images should be black and white and some should be color. So how do you know when to decide?

When I come across an image with a good amount of red, I almost always keep it in color. The reason being is that red is very gray in black in white. It doesn't pop. The other color you want to see here is yellow. If this image was in black and white you wouldn't be able to tell me that those lines are yellow. It is possible they could be white.

What is the first thing you notice in this image?

I notice the bike right away. I am drawn to it because it is off center and it is in the lower half of the image. Also the bike is parked on a double yellow line where there is no room. Maybe the owner was in a hurry? Look again at the bike. Did you see that it is locked? Most people lock their bikes in university towns.

Look at the bricks. They are different shades of red. It makes the picture more interesting and it tells you something about its location. California doesn't have many brick buildings because of earth quakes. Also there are large stones incorporated around the windows and there is a horizontal line of them across the building. So where else could it be?

I took this picture in Cambridge, England where there are loads of students, bikes and old buildings. The hints here were the large stones and the locked bike.

Here are my camera settings for this shot.

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1/2000
ISO 100

Barcelona's Barri Gòtic or Gothic Quarter

It's one of the sentences you will hear when someone talks about their trip to Barcelona. "The architecture was amazing."

You can see that some of the buildings were built during medieval times by the massive stone walls, pointed arches and spires and skeletal stone structures. Underneath this bridge are skeleton heads carved from stone.

I chose this picture so you can see how intense the light is when it glares down the alley on the left side. And only vertical light will hit this street, so it gets sun from about 10am-4pm. If you want uniform light get there early in the morning or later in the evening.

Also this picture gives you a good idea of how easy it is to get lost. If the sun was behind the clouds, it would be hard to know which way is north. But for now just imagine walking down the street marveling at all the intricate details!