Mike Nguyen

Plastic Surgery Blamed for Making All Miss Korea Contestants Look Alike

2013-04-25T20:51:00.000-07:00

Plastic Surgery Blamed for Making All Miss Korea Contestants Look Alike

It's an accepted truism that all beauty pageant contestants have a certain similar "look," but one Japanese blog has touched off a firestorm of speculation that South Korea's plastic surgery crazemay have taken that cliché too far.

It's an established fact that South Korea has one of, if not the highest rate of plastic surgery per capita in the entire world, and a Japanese blog covering South Korean topic recently wondered out loud if the phenomenon hasn't unintentionally turned the country's Miss Korea beauty pageant into a clone parade.

Photos posted on the site claim to show Miss Korea 2013 contestants before and after their "transformation," but it remains unclear if the apparent similarities stem from surgery or from something far more banal such as makeup or photoshop.

Still, the Twilight Zone-sh quality of the result, along with a group photo showing several beauty pageant hopefuls "pre-transformation" has sparked significant dialog concerning South Korea's "plastic surgery problem."

"You arent racist," one local wrote in a Reddit post on the topic. "Those women in fact do look unnervingly similar and yes, Koreans think so too. This is because they all get the exact same plastic surgeries and the surgeons follow the same formulas for noses and eyes and everything else theyve had done."

"Girls here consider eye surgery just like using make up," another Korean Redditor chimed in.

Others, however, weren't entirely in agreement.

Another user claiming to be from Korea insisted the entrants "dont look the same, but they look eerily similar."

And one top comment pointed out that much the same could be said about Miss USA 2013 contestants, several of whom could be mistaken for each other.

"Even in a country as diverse as the US you'll see a lot of similar looking women in these pageants because there's a certain aesthetic they're looking for (styled or shopped) that changes with what's considered attractive to that particular culture at that point in time," wrote user adlauren.

[images via Livedoor.jp, Reddit]

Best of Sessions Magazine Volume 2

2013-04-18T19:13:00.001-07:00

My Editorial Nagel Vision was Voted Best of Sessions Magazine Volume 2 2013

Published work In Highlights Magazine

2013-04-18T19:11:00.002-07:00

YAY!!! My printed #international copy if #highlights #magazine issue 38 featuring my latest #editorial #publication Cats Meow. I am very excited I been waiting for this for a while! This is the same creators of Noise Magazine, I feel honored to be in the same league.

My Pet Betta Fish Doing a Trick

2013-02-04T21:56:00.001-08:00

Uptown Girl by Mike Nguyen

2013-01-22T10:45:00.001-08:00

New publication cover editorial of Uptown Girl by Satellite Magazine 2012-2013

Photographer & Producer Mike Nguyen©

Wardrobe Stylist by Kristen M Stuart

Makeup by Leibi Carias

Hairstylist by Noogie Thai

Model by Amra S @ Pinkerton

Photographer Assistant Juan Octavio

Wardrobe Stylist Assistant Erin Cohen

Hairstylist Assistant Angel Cosio

Retouched by Mike Nguyen

New Publication Uptown Girl by Glassbook Magazine 2012-2013
Photographer & Producer Mike Nguyen©
Wardrobe Stylist by Kristen M Stuart
Makeup by Leibi Carias
Hairstylist by Noogie Thai
Model by Amra S @ Pinkerton
Photographer Assistant Juan Octavio
Wardrobe Stylist Assistant Erin Cohen
Hairstylist Assistant Angel Cosio
Retouched by Mike Nguyen

Mike Nguyen Fashion Photographer behind the scenes of Cats Meow Editoria...

2013-01-19T20:41:00.001-08:00

My latest published work behind the scenes making of Cats Meow
Beauty Editorial

Cats Meow Editorial

2013-01-02T22:07:00.001-08:00

Cats Meow Published by Sessions Magazine 2012- 2013
Photographer & Producer Mike Nguyen
Wardrobe Stylist by Kristen M Stuart
Makeup by Barbara Yniguez
Hairstylist by Tanya Quintero Abriol & Victor ValVerde
Model by Toni @ Elite
Model by Britni @ Photogenics
Photographer Assistant Juan Octavio
Wardrobe Stylist Assistant Nadine C Perez
Retouched by Borislava Borisova & Mike Nguyen

To revert breast cancer cells, give them the squeeze

2012-12-19T18:49:00.001-08:00

To revert breast cancer cells, give them the squeeze

By Sarah Yang, Media Relations | December 17, 2012

BERKELEY —

Researchers at the UC Berkeley and the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have put the squeeze — literally — on malignant mammary cells to guide them back into a normal growth pattern.

Shown are fluorescence images of uncompressed (left) and compressed (right) colonies of malignant breast epithelial cells. Compressed colonies are smaller and more organized. (Images courtesy of Fletcher Lab)

The findings, presented Monday, Dec. 17 at the annual meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology in San Francisco, show for the first time that mechanical forces alone can revert and stop the out-of-control growth of cancer cells. This change happens even though the genetic mutations responsible for malignancy remain, setting up a nature-versus-nurture battle in determining a cell’s fate.

“We are showing that tissue organization is sensitive to mechanical inputs from the environment at the beginning stages of growth and development,” said principal investigator Daniel Fletcher, professor of bioengineering at Berkeley and faculty scientist at the Berkeley Lab. “An early signal, in the form of compression, appears to get these malignant cells back on the right track.”

Throughout a woman’s life, breast tissue grows, shrinks and shifts in a highly organized way in response to changes in her reproductive cycle. For instance, when forming acini, the berry-shaped structures that secrete milk during lactation, healthy breast cells will rotate as they form an organized structure. And, importantly, the cells stop growing when they are supposed to.

One of the early hallmarks of breast cancer is the breakdown of this normal growth pattern. Not only do cancer cells continue to grow irregularly when they shouldn’t, recent studies have shown that they do not rotate coherently when forming acini.

While the traditional view of cancer development focuses on the genetic mutations within the cell, Mina Bissell, Distinguished Scientist at the Berkeley Lab, conducted pioneering experiments that showed that a malignant cell is not doomed to become a tumor, but that its fate is dependent on its interaction with the surrounding microenvironment. Her experiments showed that manipulation of this environment, through the introduction of biochemical inhibitors, could tame mutated mammary cells into behaving normally.

The latest work from Fletcher’s lab, in collaboration with Bissell’s lab, takes a major step forward by introducing the concept of mechanical rather than chemical influences on cancer cell growth. Gautham Venugopalan, a member of Fletcher’s lab, conducted the new experiments as part of his recently completed Ph.D. dissertation at UC Berkeley.

“People have known for centuries that physical force can influence our bodies,” said Venugopalan. “When we lift weights, our muscles get bigger. The force of gravity is essential to keeping our bones strong. Here we show that physical force can play a role in the growth — and reversion — of cancer cells.”

Venugopalan and collaborators grew malignant breast epithelial cells in a gelatin-like substance that had been injected into flexible silicone chambers. The flexible chambers allowed the researchers to apply a compressive force in the first stages of cell development.

Over time, the compressed malignant cells grew into more organized, healthy-looking acini that resembled normal structures, compared with malignant cells that were not compressed. The researchers used time-lapse microscopy over several days to show that early compression also induced coherent rotation in the malignant cells, a characteristic feature of normal development.

Notably, those cells stopped growing once the breast tissue structure was formed, even though the compressive force had been removed.

“Malignant cells have not completely forgotten how to be healthy; they just need the right cues to guide them back into a healthy growth pattern,” said Venugopalan.

Researchers further added a drug that blocked E-cadherin, a protein that helps cells adhere to their neighbors. When they did this, the malignant cells returned to their disorganized, cancerous appearance, negating the effects of compression and demonstrating the importance of cell-to-cell communication in organized structure formation.

It should be noted that the researchers are not proposing the development of compression bras as a treatment for breast cancer. “Compression, in and of itself, is not likely to be a therapy,” said Fletcher. “But this does give us new clues to track down the molecules and structures that could eventually be targeted for therapies.”

The National Institutes of Health helped fund this research through its Physical Science-Oncology program.

Before and After work by Mike Nguyen

2012-11-17T13:44:00.000-08:00

A lot of people have been asking me how I do my editing. Here is a example from one of my editorials called Magnolia This is one of my more difficult edits. This photo I believe took me 4-6 hours of editing time.

Man Sues Wife for Being Ugly, Gets Awarded $120,000 in Damages | Oddity Central - Collecting Oddities

2012-11-14T11:22:00.001-08:00

Man Sues Wife for Being Ugly, Gets Awarded $120,000 in Damages

In what may be the weirdest divorce trial in recent history, a man in China sued his wife for being ugly and actually won the right to divorce her and a substantial settlement of $120,000.

No, this is not a joke. Earlier this year, Jian Feng, a man from northern China took his spouse to court for being ugly. But you couldn’t really tell that by looking at her, in fact the unnamed woman could be considered attractive by most standards. To make things even weirder, the judge actually ruled in his favor, granting him the right to a divorce and a settlement of around $120,000. This probably makes no sense to you right now, but I’ll try to clarify things as best I can. Jian Feng’s problems began when he and his wife had their first baby. The man described his daughter as “incredibly ugly” and told the court she resembled neither of the parents. Now, most fathers would just hold their piece and love that little angel as if she were the most beautiful baby ever born, but not Feng. He started accusing his wife of cheating on him, and he kept at it until she couldn’t take no more and finally admitted she might have something to do with the baby’s appearance.

Jian Feng’s wife, before and after plastic surgery

You see, Jian Feng’s wife hadn’t always been attractive. Before she even met him, the woman spent around$100,000 on dozens of plastic surgeries to drastically improve her looks, and since the alterations weren’t passed on to the baby, she assumed she was the reason for the looks that weren’t up to the father’s standards. As soon as he heard his wife’s confession, Jian filed a lawsuit, accusing her of marrying him under false pretenses. Most judges would laugh at the claim, but not the one he found. This “model” father and husband was awarded the divorce he wanted and a settlement of around $120,000. It’s unclear who got custody of the baby, but I think it’s safe to assume she stayed with the mother.

Passion Pit - Take A Walk

2012-10-22T15:10:00.001-07:00

I just died and went to heaven! CINTIQ 24HD TOUCH

2012-10-10T18:36:00.001-07:00

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Ice Moon by Doshi Levien for Häagen-Dazs

2012-10-09T17:00:00.002-07:00

This white cratered moon is actually a densely filled ice cream cake created by London designers Doshi Levien for Häagen-Dazs.

Each Ice Moon is pitted with smooth craters. Nipa Doshi and Jonathan Levien say they were inspired by Georges Méliès’ 1902 silent film Le Voyage dans la Lune, Armenian surrealist Léon Tutundjian’s relief work of 1929, a childhood Bollywood song and the near-spherical shapes of early ice cream bombes. “The moon idea came from many different places and has elements of fantasy, adventure and imagination,” they say.

The white moon consists of a pistachio biscuit base, layers of macadamia nut ice cream and meringue and a coating of raspberry ice cream. The orange moon has crunchy chocolate at the bottom, layers of nutty ice cream and salted caramel and a coating of vanilla ice cream.

“Our concept is almost spherical, so the ice cream has to be moulded in two separate parts and then put together without seeing the join,” explain the designers. “We love the ephemeral nature of ice cream and design to be eaten; we never had a design meeting before in which we ate the prototype.”

Adapter Turns Your iPhone 4 into a DSLR Camera

2012-10-09T16:51:00.004-07:00

If you’re in love with your iPhone 4 and use it as your go-to camera for everyday pics, but meanwhile, your SLR lenses are gathering dust, you may want to explore a way to get the best of both worlds. If you want to expand the camera capabilities of the iPhone 4, a new lens mount that accepts SLR lenses just might be the answer to your prayers.

“This case-adapter combo lets you mount your Canon EOS or Nikon SLR lenses to your iPhone 4 giving your phone powerful depth of field and manual focus. Telephoto, wide angle, macro, or your fixed-fifty lenses all attach to this mount giving you a full range of lenses at your iPhone lovin’ fingertips.”

While this adapter gives you a world of different choices for phone photography, there are a few drawbacks, including the fact that because the iPhone camera is mirror-less, all photos will be upside down (which can be solved using an app), and it is necessary to manually focus so that you’re not just taking close-ups of the focus screen on the mount. But considering how much more amazing your phone photos will be, those are pretty small drawbacks.

There are two versions of the mount adapter, an F-mount adapter for Nikon, said to work with all Nikon lenses, and an EF-mount adapter for Canon EOS lenses. Made from aluminum, the iPhone SLR Mount also has two loopholes on each end of the case for a camera strap, and sells for $249 at Photojojo.

Tags: Cameras, Cameras and Photography, Gadgets

Big Production Campaign with Mike Nguyen

2012-10-02T20:17:00.002-07:00

A Spin on a new favorite of mine. Pretty Lights - Finally Moving

2012-09-29T16:55:00.001-07:00

Publication by LA Canvas of Lady Luck

2012-09-25T13:28:00.000-07:00

Editorial Lady Luck Published by LA Canvas Fashion Issue 2012!

http://issuu.com/lacanvas/docs/volume2issue6?mode=window&pageNumber=1

Botched Fresco Artist Wants to Get Paid

2012-09-20T14:06:00.002-07:00

September 20, 2012 by Annie Colbert

The Spanish woman whose botched restoration turned a church’s fresco of Jesus into what a BBC reporter described as “a crayon sketch of a very hairy monkey in an ill-fitting tunic” wants to get paid for her blunder.

Cecilia Giménez has hired lawyers to fight for a cut of the approximately $2,600 brought in by the church from tourists coming to view the painting. The church has also reportedly lawyered up in anticipation of an ugly — like, really ugly — art battle.

Instant Photos

2012-09-12T18:08:00.002-07:00

The Impossible Instant Lab Turns Your Digital Pictures into Instant Photos

by Tori Lewis in Tech on September 12, 2012

It’s no secret that we’re kind of obsessed with the retro camera aesthetic. Can you blame us? And while you know we love our smartphones, checking out a picture on Instagram or Path doesn’t give quite the same satisfaction as watching an instant photo develop. Well, Impossible Instant Lab is on it!

The newest undertaking by the Impossible Project, the company that purchased an old Polaroid factory to keep instant film available, the Instant Lab is currently a Kickstarter project. This incredible product turns your iPhone pictures into real instant photographs.

It’s super easy to use. You take your pictures, open the app, and attach your phone to the lab. Slide open the shutter and wait until the exposure is finished. Close the shutter, take out the photo, and watch the picture develop right in front of your eyes. It’s also incredibly portable, so you can have cool instant photos anywhere you can take your iPhone… which is basically everywhere.

Early Kickstarter supporters can snag the instant lab for $149 or, if you’re really feeling supportive, go for one of ten gold editions for a whopping $2,000!

While there are obviously other ways to turn your digital photos into analog beauty (chocolate Polaroids, anyone?), this one is particularly awesome and definitely taps into our love of nostalgia. If you want your own, be sure to pledge to the project over on Kickstarter.

How do you get your instant photo on? What’s your favorite retro tech product? Talk to us in the comments below or over on Twitter.

Second publication of Wonderlust by Satellite Magazine Sept 2012

2012-09-07T21:41:00.001-07:00

My fiancé Kristen M Stuart

2012-09-07T14:09:00.001-07:00

Kristen M Stuart just won a $1000 shopping spree at H&M. We entered this contest a few weeks ago! Congratulations to my boo!

Did Steven Klein Steal This Concept?

2012-09-06T12:05:00.001-07:00

Did Steven Klein Steal This Concept?

The post below shows the original artist and his post about how Steven Klein copied his original concept. What do you think, is this a stolen concept and does he have a case?

Steven’s photo below, original concept above.

jeffreestar:

the fact that famed photographer Steven Klein COMPELETLY ripped off and STOLE my photoshoot concept I did in 2006 (and was one of Myspace’s most viewed photos in history!) makes me WANNA PUKE.

even down to the fucking BOWL color and placement of a spoon.

how is this OK? because I’m not as big as Britney Spears, it’s ok to steal MY idea and put it in a big magazine and pretend it was your idea? PATHETIC.

Editorial Photoshot

2012-09-03T12:53:00.000-07:00

Make sure to enter!

Enter to Win!

Busy Phillips Cover for Annex Magazine 2012

2012-08-28T13:56:00.000-07:00

Celebrity Busy Phillips Cover Editorial Shot by Mike Nguyen Published by Annex Magazine 2012

Wonderlust Published by Devono Magazine August 2012

2012-08-14T11:18:00.002-07:00

Wonderlust Published by Devono Magazine August 2012
Photography by Mike Nguyen©
Wardrobe Stylist Kristen M Stuart
Makeup Artist Barbara Yniguez
Hair Stylist Andrea Pezzillo @ Salon Sessions Studio
Model Alannah @ Photogenics
Retouched by Mike Nguyen