I have been following Lisa’s trip from her initial take-off and have been quite impressed by her photographs. Her journey is also a good validation of the growing iphoneography trend. I can’t say I’m comfortable with going on a trip of that magnitude without my DSLR – you never know when something incredible will show up and I just can’t live with the thought of not having my fast, sharp, not to mention incredibly expensive, photographic machine by my side to capture that rare moment of greatness. Nevertheless, I really appreciate what Lisa is doing and her sense of risk and adventure.

Dan’s blog did get me thinking about how much creativity I can get out of my own phone. In a previous post, I shared some photos I’d captured on my Android device. Dan’s advice got me looking through the photo album on my own phone, and thinking about how those photos may have inspired my own creativity:

1. Finding interesting views in ordinary places: the airport in Barcelona (above), the grocery store in Paris (below)My backyard in France (above); walking by everyday structures in Toronto (below)2. Capturing photos in intimate spaces: Acropolis Museum in Athens, Greece (above)3. Appreciating the art of food. A chocolatier in London England (above); Fire and Ice restaurant in Boston, USA (below)Cupcakes! (above); Delicious ice cream at Dutch Dreams parlour in Toronto (below)4. Seeing the night in a new light: Aras, France (above); Toronto harbour front (below)

I just love the light in the last photo. This shot has actually inspired me to hang indoor lights, like the ones hanging on the trees, over my bed. So my big questions for you are:

1) Do you think your phone will ever replace your camera?

2) What are some ways your phone can push your photographic creativity?

But when I got home, I liked none of the images I took. Despite heavily editing the photos to bring out the contrast and colors, I was still unhappy with the shots and decided not to publish photos of the trip on the blog. Gradually, I forgot about them until earlier this year, when I was going through my old shots to update my travel photography portfolio.

I was still primarily focused on fashion and portrait photography when I visited the Grand Canyon, and I like to think that my photography has improved in these last few years. But these outtakes are a good reminder for me to keep learning, keep reading, and keep shooting.

Learning is not a product of schooling but the lifelong attempt to acquire it.

- Albert Einstein.

Now that I’ve finally made my peace with these photographs, I’m ready to share a few of them, at last:

A viewpoint: Eagle Point – see the head and wings of the eagle??The Colorado River, disappearing into around the bend. I’m curious to see what other people’s take is on this. Have you ever gone on a amazing trip and only wish you had nicer photos to show for it? If that ever happens, do you hide your shots, or do you show them anyways?

This winter, when the freezing rain and snow storms arrived, my insatiable need to get out of the city awoke like clockwork. Although my schedule and the harsh weather made it difficult to go far, I managed to sneak away to one of my favourite rural community in Ontario – St. Jacobs.

Located an hour outside of Toronto and a half hour from Niagara Falls, St. Jacobs is famous for its Mennonite heritage. Today, about 4,000 Old Order Mennonites still farm in its surrounding countryside. My favourite place in St. Jacobs is its year round farmer’s market, where a large number of these Mennonites visit, both as vendors and as customers.

Prior to my visit, I did a fair amount of research on photographing Mennonites since I knew that some of them, such as Amish Mennonites, strongly oppose being photographed. My researched revealed that while most of them will refuse to “pose” for a photo or agree to their photograph being taken when asked, many are fine with candid photos and comfortable with being around cameras. I’ve seen a lot of published photographs of Mennonites from St. Jacobs market so I knew I wouldn’t seriously offend anyone with my camera, but I still did my best at shooting discretely.

One of the reasons I love to visit this market is its delicious food – I can spend hours just sampling the various home-made jams and the wide selection of sausages. But my favourite part of visting the market is for its delicious apple fritter that tastes like sugar heaven.

While St. Jacobs is nothing as extreme as Alaska or Antarctica, it’s still shocking to think that just 1 hour outside of Toronto is a town where people live completely off the land and stores have parking stalls for horse carriages.

Apple Fritters!

1. Southeast Asia

(Photo Source: Link)

I once took a university course on Doing Business in the Asia-Pacific Rim. We learned about the economies and cultural practices of many southeast Asian countries, including Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Of all those places, I’ve only ever visited Thailand. Although I lived in China for 11 years, the rest of Asia is still a mystery to me. I would love to see the landscape and culture there one day. I’m also slightly concerned that I won’t get there before commercialization and industrialization ruin its beauty.

2. Turkey & Israel

(Photo Source: Link)

These 2 countries weren’t always on my radar – prior to visiting Europe, my travel scope wasn’t nearly as big as it is now. I also can’t quite remember when these places caught my eye, but as more of my friends visit and bring back stories, I’m intrigued by the ancient worlds of Eurasia and the Middle East. I think visiting these countries together would be a great trip; if I get the chance I’d also like to add Croatia to this journey.

3. Russia

(Photo Source: Link)

My grandpa used to be a Russian translator for the Chinese government; he attended many diplomatic meetings and often travelled to Russia for work. When I was little, he used to tell me about the amazing architecture in Russia and the country’s many traditions. I would love to visit Moscow and St. Petersburg one day and see the place for myself.

If you’ve been to any of these items on my wish list, I’d love to hear your impression. What’s on your list of places you’re dying to visit??

When time is not on your side, it’s sometimes better to enjoy a few places than exhausting yourself to hit up several sights and not spending much time at any of them. I limited myself to just 3 activities in San Diego. The first of which was the only thing I knew about the city prior to my visit – San Diego Sea World. The other 2 items were the USS Midway (plus the harbor around it), and the Coronado Ferry Landing across the water.

Although my time there was short, I thoroughly enjoyed the city. San Diego is a beautiful place; I found it much cleaner than LA, with less noise pollution and crowds. I highly recommend it for a weekend trip with the family.

I ended the day by visiting a family friend’s place for dinner, little did I know they lived in a luxurious home in Rancho Santa Fe. Visiting their house was like sightseeing in itself – I only wish I had my camera with me.

One of my favourite things about California – palm trees!Taking off the next morning, just as the sun was rising. Goodbye San Diego!

Although the crowds were dying down in January, the beaches were far from empty – there were still surfers chasing waves, people tanning on the beach, children playing in the water, and joggers exercising on the boardwalk. Having grown up in Vancouver, I love outdoor cities where people live active lifestyles – LA was right up my alley.

Venice CanalFrom the Santa Monica PierMalibu beachLeaving Malibu