The beauty of Istanbul’s Mosques at night reminded me of a conversation I had a few days ago.

I was talking with a good friend of mine about photography and he asked me, “I know you do Travel Photography for a living but what’s your favorite subject to shoot? Landscapes, architecture, conceptual stuff, naked girls, what?”

After lingering on the thought of naked girls for quite a few moments, I realized that I didn’t have an answer to his question, and that kinda startled me. I mean, excluding naked girls, I shoot all of those styles of photography but I don’t particularly gravitate towards any single one. So what is it then? What is the unifying subject that sparks my passion for capturing a moment?

And then it occurred to me, “It’s the light.”

Monkeying Around The Globe…

With quite a few different countries to visit and a bunch of new gear to test out, I’m extremely stoked about my May and June travel schedule. Being location independent, the whole year is filled with destinations but the next few months pack a unique wealth of photographic variety.

I started out the month in the beautiful Vancouver Canada and spent the last 5 days overdosing on coffee and catching up on work in Seattle. Today, I’ll arrive in Central Florida to pick up some new cameras and gear. Then tomorrow morning, I’ll be flying to Tokyo, followed by Kyoto, Singapore, Amsterdam, and Barcelona. It’s sure to be one hell of a ride.

Along these jet lagged adventures, I’ll be posting many behind the scenes stories and photos and I’ll try to shed some light on the humorous ins and outs of a life on the road. Most of the photos won’t make it here on the blog so if you’re interested in following along, subscribe to my Facebook feed or circle me on Google+ profile for the latest updates.

The views from Ponte Sant’Angelo are some of the best that Rome has to offer. Whether you’re a photographer or just out for a casual stroll, it’s a serene and breathtaking experience. As you walk along the bridge, you can see the beautiful Vatican Cupola in the distance. Catch it at the right time and you can also watch the daylight fade as the city lights turn on.

I’ll be back to Rome this August to photograph some more of the phenomenal architecture. I may also be coordinating a Photowalk. I’ll update everyone as soon as I have more information to share.

From the first time I visited Singapore, I knew that it was going to become one of my favorite places for photography. Not only is it unique and beautiful city, but it’s also home to a wonderful community of very talented photographers. It’s truly a rare visual paradise that begs to be photographed. It’s no surprise that it’s quickly becoming one of my favorite destinations of all time. I’m literally drawn to it like a moth to a flame, or in this case, a moth to an awesome laser show.

That’s why I’m extremely pleased to announce my upcoming Secrets of HDR & Post-processing Workshop, on June 9th in Singapore. I’ll be covering my complete production workflow in an all day class followed by a guided “hands-on” photo walk around The Marina Bay Area. If you’re in the area and want to learn all about how I create my photographs, I’d love to have you!

Post-processing Before and After

Camera Info (Main Scene):
Nikon D700 / Nikon 24-70 Lens
ISO: 200 / 26mm / f/4
3 Exposure Brackets: -2, -1, 0

Camera Info (Laser Show):
ISO: 200 / 26mm / f/2.8
4 Single Exposures / Shutter: 2 Seconds

Post-processing
All 7 exposures (3 for main scene and 4 exposures for the laser show) were blended in Photoshop. Some selective contrast and sharpening was also applied. Since the camera was locked at 26mm, everything lined up perfectly.

Congratulations to the Winners of our Photowalk Singapore Contest and a special thanks to everyone who participated.

First Place Winner: Azrin Muhd

Congratulations to Azrin Muhd who will receive a FREE seat at our Photography Workshop June 9th.

©2012 Azrin Muhd

Second Place Winner: Jonathan Chiang

©2012 - Jonathan Chiang

Third Place Winner: Jacobs Chong

©2012 - Jacobs Chong

I’m excited to announce a Cambodian Photography Workshop later this year with fellow
award-winning photographer, Colby Brown.

Join us this fall on our Cambodian photo adventure that will take us to Phnom Pehn, the capital city of Cambodia, as well as, Angkor Wat in Siam Reap and the surrounding areas.

Throughout the workshop you’ll receive hands-on instruction in the field and demonstration of cutting edge digital editing techniques during small break out digital editing sessions. Get the full details on Cambodia Photography Workshop Page.

Dates: October 12th – 19th, 2012

Group Size: 10 people

This serene and empty view of The Temple of Heaven in Beijing was one of the trickiest locations I’ve ever had to shoot. It took me 2 visits to capture it but thankfully my perseverance (and rigid stubbornness) paid off.

I’ve always had a secret weapon for minimizing crowds and capturing my scenes free and clear of people. It may seem simple but all it takes is getting up early. I know it sucks getting up before the sun rises but it assures that you arrive at the location way before the tour busses do. It’s worked in every country I’ve visited except for China. All I have to say is, HOLY SHIT can those people get up early.

At the Temple Of Heaven Park, the tour busses were rolling in at 6:30am. I’ve never seen anything quite like it. In Europe for example, the earliest I’ve seen a tour bus show up is 8:00am, which — in most cases — is plenty of time after sunrise and AM Golden Hour.

So, to make a long rant short, I shot this just before sunset as the Temple of Heaven closed. This was captured literally 2 minutes before the uniformed guards blew the whistle on my little operation. I’m not speaking metaphorically either, they were actually blowing whistles at me.