I’ve had some photo shoots with little Gabrielle here before, but this time around I decided to see how she’d do with a fish-eye lens in front of her. I was able to get up super close to her while she posed for me and still get most of the room in the shot with her. I also thought it was interesting to get that giant portrait of Frank Capra in the shot. It was almost as though he were watching her with interest, while she was peeking back to notice the gaze of his eyes. I had to assure her that it was okay because he was a top notch director and was probably just interested in giving her a role in a movie. He he.

After the shoot I decided to process this shot using my trusty iPad. It’s been a lot of fun pairing my OM-D E-M5 shots with the iPad. I’ve gotten some interesting results and it’s also helped me learn about what I can do with whatever I have on hand. And because both the camera and iPad are with me on most days, I’ve been shooting something more than ever.

She feels his eyes Mark Esguerra

On a free night in Tokyo, Japan, me and my good friend +Takahiro Yamamoto decided to head over to the island of Odaiba out in Tokyo Bay to shoot around the area and hang out with our other good pal +Brian Kemper. The weather was quite comfortable so we were able to relax and enjoy the night air while walking from one part of the island to the next. After some fun with the Gundam statue (post about that to come at a later time, he he) we decided to head over to some of the overpasses that Takahiro knew about to get some neat shots with the overpasses by the bay water. To get there we crossed this bridge which leads to one of the Yurikamome transit stations in the area. It’s a very attractive bridge with such long leading lines so I decided to stop and get some shots of it while the other two went ahead. I also had the pleasure of borrowing Takahiro’s 16mm Nikkor fish-eye lens for this one. I would have used the fish-eye I have for my Olympus, but because I needed the better low light performance of my D3S, I was happy to have that 16mm available for this.

As much as I enjoy the distorted look of a solid fish-eye lens, I was quite curious to see what this shot would look like if I applied some of the lens correction profiles that come with Lightroom (or Photoshop), and this was the result I got. I actually liked this result so much which is why I’m sharing it here in this post. The leading lines of the bridge are just so attractive no matter what I suppose.

So which one do you prefer? Fish-eyed or lens corrected?

To Yurikamome Mark Esguerra

With the summer heat starting to creep in, it had me thinking about one of the hottest countries I’ve ever been to. Singapore! Then again, what country in Southeast Asia isn’t hot and humid, right? He he. Anyways, I loved my stay in Singapore and even as humid as it was I couldn’t stop walking around and exploring the country. I had decided to split up from my sister and her family and go off on my own and I found myself in the Bedok neighborhood around the eastern portion of the country. During my solo tour on my feet I decided to hop on board a bus to rest up in a nice, cool, climate controlled vehicle and see where the bus would take me. That’s when I noticed a giant body of water which I later learned was the Bedok Reservoir. I got off at the next available stop, headed over and was pleased to find a beautiful park area so naturally I decided to take a walk around, eventually find myself a nice  park bench and enjoy the soothing sounds of the water. While relaxing I noticed these students (whom I believe were from the nearby Temasek Polytechnic) going through some canoeing/dragon boat drills and I must say, they were pretty darn efficient. But then I also noticed one solo paddler. Already on the return to the starting point, by herself, going against the grain calmly and without a care in the world. It kind of made me want to get out there and try my hand at paddling too. But knowing me, I’d probably give up about halfway through and just jump in the water for a swim! He he.

Against the grain Mark Esguerra

There’s just something special about a sunrise. And I’m talking about any sunrise. Waking up when the sun has come up already puts me in a good mood, but when I’m able to actually watch the sun rise into the sky from beyond the horizon I feel especially good. That being said, there are certainly some sunrises that stand out more than others, like this one from the beach at Fort Baker in San Francisco. In all honesty, it wasn’t the greatest sunrise because the fog was doing it’s best to block it out, but the fog is what makes this one stand out to me. As I stood there trying to figure out what to shoot and how to compose the scene, the sun started to break through the thick haze, as if trying to reach me and warm up my day. Or at least that’s what I thought and felt at the time. It put a smile on my face and it’s a scene I won’t soon forget.

Trying to reach me Mark Esguerra

As stunning as the wide seascape scene was at the Salton Sea it was this guy that seemed to stand out the most to me. Just a lone bird, perched on top of what remains of what was once a strong standing structure of some kind. He stood there, steady and watching the sunset along with the rest of us that were out there. It was almost as though he was standing victorious, as if he were playing for keeps and eventually won the right to stand above all else in the area. Stories like that tend to run through my mind when I’m out on location and watching the scene. But I suppose everybody thinks of their own stories to go alone with any given image. In any event, I’m sure this guy enjoyed the remaining glow of the sun just like I did.

Playing for keeps Mark Esguerra

When I was driving around the Eastern Sierra Nevada I happen to notice this far off cabin in the middle of the valley. No other building were in sight. It was just this old, rusty cabin alone with the beautiful Fall Colors. As soon as I spotted this cabin I pulled over as soon as I could and walked back just to try and shoot this scene. After snapping this shot, I stood out there for a bit just examining the scene. Thinking to myself, “If this was a place all our own, would it be a happy life?” and other random thoughts like that. I’ve often wondered if I could live in an area like this, totally away from a metropolis like L.A. or Tokyo. I love visiting places like this but I’m not sure I would last for too long if I’m honest. I’ve spent almost my entire life in the big city, I might go a bit stir crazy if I were out there for an extended period of time.

Then again, I’ve always felt happy when I was surrounded by nature. Happy and at peace.

A place all our own Mark Esguerra

On my last visit to the Magic Kingdom, aka Disneyland, I decided to go a little shoot crazy with my 7.5mm fish-eye lens. I think at this point it’s no secret how much fun I have with that lens and if you happen to be at Disneyland on this day, you’d see a guy with a mustache and Dodger hat getting up super close to a bunch of subjects and firing away. Like this statue of Cinderella and Prince Charming depicting their iconic waltz from such a timeless animated film. I was literally inches from this statue but was still able to get everything I wanted into the frame. I still have a ton of fish-eye shots to go through but this one I particularly enjoyed. In fact I was so eager to see how this would turn out that I processed this photo on my iPad in between rides (or more accurately, a break from waiting in long lines. He he). And of course, having a photogenic couple to shoot made the scene much more fun.

A fairy tale waltz Mark Esguerra

When I was in Japan last month, one thing that my dear friend +Yumi Shoji was determined to do was to get me out to some areas of the country that I had never been to before. And she followed through on that goal perfectly by taking me out to Hakone in the Kanagawa Prefecture of Japan. And more specifically she took me out to one of the spots that Hakone is known for, Ōwakudani. Ōwakudani is the area around the crater area created by the last volcanic eruption. To get there we were able to hop on board the Hakone Ropeway which gave us an incredible view of the surrounding mountains, the valley between, and of course, Lake Ashinoko. The clouds had become too thick to see Mount Fuji, but I’m told that on a clear day, Fuji-san will appear so close that you’d feel like you could reach out and touch it. The area is still highly active and in case we didn’t believe it, Ōwakudani made sure to rumble a few times while we were up there. The area is also saturated with sulfur with such an overpowering smell. But that smell wasn’t nearly enough to keep us from enjoying such an incredible view.

The composition possibilities in the area would have been endless, but we just so happen to get there at the same time as several tour groups from China. They were out and about enjoying the are too so it didn’t leave us much space for a shot clear of people. But through what seemed like a bit of luck and sheer will, we managed to get right up to this sign. For those of you who don’t know enough Kanji (like me, he he), the sign just says Ōwakudani along with the height of altitude in Meters. I didn’t think I’d be able to get this shot because I think this was by far the most photographed spot of the day with an endless line of tourists waiting to have their photo taken next to it.

Me and Yumi ended our stay up there at Ōwakudani with a tasty lunch of Kuro-tamago, aka black eggs. Long story short, they were really good and has supposedly added more years to my life. But I’ll save that story for another time.

Ōwakudani Mark Esguerra

When I first got my fish-eye in the mail, I was super excited. I suppose the same could be said for any lens I’m lucky to get my hands on, but the fish-eye just adds that extra bit of fun with all of the crazy distortions you can apply to a subject. And because it was the 7.5mm for my Olympus OM-D E-M5 I pretty much carried it around everywhere. From walks around the neighborhood, to hang outs with friends, and of course, the home that pays me enough to be able to pay for lenses, the Capra Building on the Sony Pictures Studios lot. I’ve always enjoyed the classic look and feel to this building. And I’m not the only one as it’s been used in numerous television shows, movies, commercials and just about anything that might see airtime. So with such symmetrical lines and a classic design I decided to use my trusty fish-eye on the face of the building. And because because I was at work and away from my laptop I processed this shot on my trusty iPad 2. A fish-eye, neat building, and processing on the go. It doesn’t get much more fun than that. Well, at least when it comes to being at work. He he.

Enter the Capra Building Mark Esguerra

The heart of DTLA, or Downtown Los Angeles, is home to many hidden gems of art and some of the most beautifully designed buildings in the city. On this particular evening I happen to come across this interesting sculpture of rings pointing out to some of the Downtown skyscrapers. I don’t think they’re actually rings, but that’s how they looked from this particular viewpoint. I liked how it seemed to be highlighting the lighted windows on the building across the way, so I set up my tripod and took my shots. I’ll have to get back to exploring the city at some point soon. It’s actually been quite a while since I went walking around DTLA. Now that the weather is warming up, I think I’ll have to make some time to do that.

DTLA rings Mark Esguerra