Photographing the Days

Henry & Bastine

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Tue, 14 Jun 2011 14:16:00 +0000

I took a few prom pictures for them.

Prom was pretty fun.

I seriously thought about bringing my fat camera to prom.

But of course I didn't, cause that's weird, ya know?

Done with highschool...forever.

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Mon, 13 Jun 2011 23:01:00 +0000

Summer is here.

It's nothing to cry about though.

No more studying/research papers!

You could say I'm pretty happy about that.

Mondayne

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 06:34:00 +0000

We had nothing better to do on Monday.
But we had fun!

Prom is this weekend!

Summer tones

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Mon, 30 May 2011 21:01:00 +0000

This is Kaitlyn. I just met her 2 days ago.

She's definitely the coolest person I've met this year, personality wise.

Yesterday she wanted to show me this mad delicious ice cream shop.

Foster's Freeze.

After eating, we started walking around.

I think I was supposed to be teaching her photography.

But things just turned into a casual photoshoot.

I don't even know when it happened.

But yesterday was fun.

Tylinn's Debut/Cotillion

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Sun, 30 Jan 2011 20:06:00 +0000

Back in December my friend Tylinn had her 18th birthday.

To celebrate, she threw a Debut. That's a traditional Filipino 18th birthday party given for girls, for those of you who didn't know (I didn't know).

She asked me to be the photographer. I said yeah. But I was crazy mad nervous about it. Excited, but nervous. I was thinking: What if I missed a moment? Where would I stand? What if my camera dies/fails? What if I underexpose/overexpose all the shots? What if my memory card corrupts?

To add to things, I couldn't find hardly any examples of Debut photography anywhere online (why is that???).

I realized that I was going to need a flash for the event. My 10D has a huge amount of noise at high ISOs. I borrowed a 580ex ii from a friend of a friend (life saver) at the last minute. I never used a hotshoe flash before. The thing was huge! I read up about bouncing flashes to get softer light and all that stuff. Then I learned as I went at the event.

For my first time doing something like this, I didn't do too bad. Here's just a few of the photos I took. I coulda done better, but theres always next time.

Disgruntled Saints

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 04:46:00 +0000

Sorry for the post drought everyone.

I went to a small show at my local mall tonight.

This metal band from Hayward, CA called "Disgruntled Saints" was playing.

They were pretty good.

I was surprised when the lead singer told me it was their first show.

I wouldn't have known.

Not bad for a kit lens + popup flash.

Though I feel like I could've done better with these shots anyway.

Props to the great band though.

You can check out Disgruntled Saints here:

http://www.reverbnation.com/disgruntledsaints

If you can't stand the heat...

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 21:32:00 +0000

Go swimming.

The female glare.

Warm Living

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 17:16:00 +0000

A lot of these pictures are overexposed.

I do that a lot.

And no matter how many times I tell myself to stop, I still do it.

I get caught up in the moment.

I'll learn eventually though.

With that being said, sit back, and enjoy.

Have an awesome day everyone.

Watch out for those trains!

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 17:06:00 +0000

Man I've got so many pictures to show you guys....

...Just gotta post them first!

My friends are getting annoyed because I'm taking too long haha.

Anyway, these are the most recent.

Yesterday me, Paul, Grace, and Reena went to Drawbridge again.

Remember when I went there last time?

These photos are more about the journey there, rather than what was actually there. If you want to see pictures of the old sinking wooden homes, go to the above link. I didn't have the best of lenses for taking pictures of the homes this time around.

The train came, as expected.

I wanted to frame this better, but it was kind of a spur of the moment thing.

And literally few steps back, there was a mushy dirty marsh waiting for me.

So I did the best I could.

A few minutes later, it came back again, from behind us.

And then about 15-20 minutes later, a freight train comes around.

That's where our journey got cut short.

See that man leaning out wearing the flourescent green vest?

As the train passed by, he told us that "people" had already called the cops on us.

And that we should get out.

We doubted it, (turns out we were right) but who wants to get slapped with a $500 trespassing fine?

Not us.

So we left anyway.

We were JUST about to get to this bridge where we tossed rocks to see who could toss 'em the furthest too...

Bummer.

But it was alright.

Grace and Reena were tired.

So we turned around and headed back.

Pro-Mehserle rally. (Send in the riot squad!)

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:20:00 +0000

I should have uploaded these photos dayssss ago.

I've been lagging lately.

To make a long story short, an unarmed man who was resisting arrest was shot in the back while lying face down on the ground on New Year's 2009 by a BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) police officer. The officer claimed that he was reaching for his taser, but instead reached for his gun and fired it in the spur of the moment. As a result, the unarmed man died. His name was Oscar Grant. The police officer's name was Johannes Mehserle.

The death of Oscar Grant has outraged many for multiple varied reasons.

More recently, Mehserle was convicted of involuntary manslaughter.

Many believed that he should have been convicted of murder.

This prompted a rally in protest of the verdict which later turned into somewhat of a riot on July 8th, 2010 in Oakland.

Fast forward to July 19th, 2010.

A rally in support of the BART police officer, Johannes Mehserle, was organized in Walnut Creek. Both Grant and Mehserle supporters showed up. The whole ordeal was pretty peaceful. The following are the photos I took of the rally.

A number of Grant supporters lied down and began shouting, "Don't shoot!" repeatedly to make a statement. They'd do this for a little less than 10 minutes, then get up while being met with applause.

Not sure if filming was apart of his job or not, but I found it funny that he was.

The riot squad came...even though it was completely unecessary.

Even more cops came later, even though the rally was peaceful.

Waste of money in my opinion.

Although there was a lot of shouting and yelling between rallyers, all interactions were non-violent. These guys even shook hands after arguing for 20 minutes.

I'm pretty sure this man was a bit intoxicated.

As a result he was very loud and slightly uncoordinated in what he was saying.

He managed to get himself into a few arguments with some Grant supporters.

Gotta love his shirt.

"What would you do with your favorite old jeans?"

Not sure why he was lying down.

This woman didn't seem to be in the mood for conversation.

Munch Munch

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 15:27:00 +0000

This dog's adorableness is almost off the charts.

Second of course, to this dog.

I should shoot film more often.

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 07:44:00 +0000

Some people are always ready for the camera.

Like Berni.

6/17

Nothing better to do.

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 21:04:00 +0000

So we went to Nick's house and chilled in his backyard.

It was mad hot.

Fabi got a film camera.

I taught her about exposure, and now she's walking around looking like a pro.

I don't even know.

Mike's real masculine, playing with cats and all.

Nikki and Paul

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Mon, 28 Jun 2010 01:59:00 +0000

Summer

All the time in the world.

Paul typing a poem on his phone.

Life's good.

I LOVE PUPPIES!

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 18:33:00 +0000

I wish I had one.

I feel masculine.

To Australia, Japan, and back with photographer Nathan Makan.

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 18:54:00 +0000

The following is an interview I did with one of my favorite youth photographers, Nathan Makan. I had been following his photos for quite a while now, and thought that it would be great if I could ask him a few questions about himself and photography. Just as I expected, his answers to my questions were nothing short of interesting. Nathan's answers are in italics. Enjoy the interview.

How far back do you and photography go? How did things start out for you?

I bought a camera when I was 14 to help document trips overseas. Then I started to photograph my own country, city, house, bedroom, self. It stemmed from there.

You're currently attending the University of Washington. Are you a full time student, or do you also work?

I’m a full time student (studying entrepreneurship), but I also work as a Campus Rep for Apple. That’s my gin money.
Any plans to pursue a career in photography?

My ‘plan’ is to go into advertising or branding whilst waiting for a lottery win. I could only professionalize photography if it was of something I cared about. Photojournalism and architectural photography would tempt me.

From the looks of your photos, you enjoy traveling. From a photographer's perspective, what's been your favorite place to visit?

Japan. I’m fascinated by the layering of ancient tradition, cutting-edge technology, and bat-shit crazy adolescence. Two of my most visually appealing trips in the last few months were to Tokyo and Berlin. They do a decent job of explaining my change in style over the last 12 months.

Do you bring your camera with you everywhere you go?

Not always. If something noteworthy might happen, I bring a camera to document it. If nothing noteworthy is happening, I’ll bring a camera to brighten things up.

The majority of your photos are cropped to square format. Why?

In the last year, I’ve tried to make my images cleaner and simpler. No unusual perspectives or bold angles. Composition is still important, but color and geometry are precedent right now.

To you, what makes a good photo?

My tastes change. Right now, I’m enjoying simple compositions with powerful single elements: a face, or a color, or an interesting segment of a building. My Flickr favorites explain a lot.

I've known quite a few people who have had an interest in photography, but gave up because they felt they couldn't take great photos with a point and shoot camera. What do you have to say to that?

It’s a poor excuse. A lot of people fool themselves into thinking there’s a correlation between the input of money and the output of art. There’re thousands of stunning images taken with plastic bodied, plastic lensed cameras, and thousands of crappy images taken with fancy equipment.

You seem to have lots of film photos in your photostream. What does film do for you that digital doesn't?

There’s something about the color and tonal range of film that digital equipment doesn’t seem to capture. Images shot with my 5D Mk II always needs a lot of processing to make up for the medium’s downfalls, whereas my film stuff tends to go unprocessed.

Do the increasing costs of film processing faze you in the least bit?

Not really. I’ve found a local lab in Seattle which processes pretty much anything for $5. I also have the chemicals to develop B&W film myself. Sadly, I lack the patience.

What's 2+2?

Five. I like synergy.

Had to make sure you were still awake. So, the eternal question: Canon, or Nikon, and why?

I shoot with Canon because a man in Hong Kong gave me a boss deal. He could have sold me a Nikon and I’d be equally as happy. A lot of people try to make ‘Canon or Nikon’ into a ‘Mac or PC’ debate, but there’s simply no need for debate.

Guess that's about it. Anything at all you might want to say or add?

No nukes. Go Huskies.

These are Nathan's top 5 favorite photos of his, in no particular order.

"Moon River."

"Your Ex-Lover Is Dead"

"Twist."

untitled

Thanks again, to Nathan Makan.
You guys should really check out the rest of his photostream on flickr. He travels extensively, so he's got some really GREAT and interesting photos. You can find them here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ndm007/

And his personal site which is under construction here: http://www.nathanmakan.com

Thanks for reading everyone.

Nikon f/1.8 50mm

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 17:32:00 +0000

This lens is delicious.
And cheap too.

I've wanted it for months now.

Finally with my birthday money, I was able to buy it a couple weeks ago.

Just when I thought that I hated Kodak Ultramax, this lens changed me.

I still haven't invested in a better scanner though....

I need a job.

A great start to the summer

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 16:01:00 +0000

Pool + People + Hot day = Pool party.

We didn't plan it, it was the last day of school, and we were bored.

We all went to BC's house and...this happened.

BC plays softball, but I think she'd do fine at water polo too.

Look at that bicep!

The faceoff.

Agustin gets pulled in

Carlos is next.

Scheming

Tylinn's super secret business phone call...

In the pool.

When Katie gets hungry....well, yeah.

Later that night we went to go see the midnight release of Toy Story 3.

It was an awesome movie.

It brought back memories and was really nostalgic.

I won't lied, I teared up like 3 times.

Yeah, I'll admit it.

I wasn't the only one either.

I'd see it twice over, or more.

It doesn't matter if you're an adult or a kid, you'll enjoy it either way.

But yeah, thursday was a great start to the summer.

Today, I'm stuck doing chores.

Photographing Dogs

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 13:29:00 +0000

Mannn, I've wanted a dog all my life.

First when I was like 3 years old I wanted a dalmatian.

(Probably due to 101 Dalmatians).

Then later I decided that I wanted a golden retriever.

All those years, my dad always said,

"Son, when we move out of here I'll get you a dog".

We used to live in townhouses.

Now we actually live in an actual single family home.

Still no dog though...17 years later.

I can't lie, he offered to get me one on May 10th for my birthday.

But I wanted a camera instead.

I guess I changed a little bit haha.

I guess for now I'll just settle for photographing other people's dogs.
Which is really hard...cause they keep moving.
Especially puppies.

Ali the Pomeranian. Remember him?

Now I want a Pomeranian.

I love my camera and all....but seriously, look how cute that thing is!

Wish I had've gotten more shots of him.

He kept hiding under a table though.

Ali's got a new friend now.

She's a 2 month old puppy.

~~I don't know what breed though.~~

She's a chihuahua/beagle mix.
(Thanks Erica!)

When I get my own place, first thing I'll do is buy a Pomeranian.

Do any of you have a dog that you feel really close to?

What breed is it and whats its name?

Oscar and Natasha

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Sat, 19 Jun 2010 14:17:00 +0000

6/17/2010.

Last day of school.

YES.

So me and a bunch of friends gathered at someone's house for a pool party.

I have some great photos from that day, but there's too many for one post.

So I'm breaking it down a little.

This post is dedicated to Oscar and Natasha, who decided not to swim.

They make a great couple, as you'll see in the following photos.

It was a hot day.

Pork

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 21:48:00 +0000

In anatomy class we dissected a fetal pig.
It was pretty cool.
It was all pickled and stuff.

Are any of you against animals being used for dissection?
I wanna read your opinions.

Tim

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 12:34:00 +0000

Man, I haven't posted here in almost two weeks! It's been too long.

I've got like 3 rolls of film to show you guys. Gotta scan them first though.

But anyway, yesterday at school my friend Tim was asked to perform at lunch. He wanted me to photograph the performance. It was a new experience. I've never really photographed a show before.

I had to keep following him in my viewfinder, and people kept passing in front of me. But it was pretty cool overall. The photos aren't up to my own personal standards, but I'll give myself a break just because I've never really done this before. I'm learning fast though! Next time will be better. Much better.

Enjoy the photos.

Santa Clara, CA

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 16:56:00 +0000

I could've done better.

But it's cool, I'll be back to take better photos soon.

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 19:24:00 +0000

So I was walking down the street, right?

When in the distance, I heard revving engines and tires screeching.

I love cars.

So I ran to see what was up.

And I found this:

I'm not too great of a car photographer.

And I was limited because of my position and the lens I had.

But I thought these were the coolest shots I took.

People and their families.

noreply@blogger.com (Lee) — Sun, 30 May 2010 04:23:00 +0000