Hin's Photo Blog

Love and Affection In Color

2009-11-05T19:43:00.001-08:00

Photo taken with Pentax K100D and
Pentax DA 50-200mm f/4.0-5.6

I took this photo while visiting Oakland zoo with my family back in 2007 when I started my digital journey with Pentax K100D. I have this picture printed and framed on my work desktop and it constantly reminds me the love and affection that animals have towards each other in a relationship. Looking at this picture, I have lots to share with my two boys to remember to have love and affection towards one another.

But that is so far from the truth when I come home from long day of work. Mom is dead tired in preparing dinner while the two boys constantly find a reason to be mad with one another. Perhaps, I need a bigger print and frame it in our living room for reminding my family about love and affection from my animals friends whom we love visiting in the zoos, parks and wildlife refuge.

Merry Go Round

2009-11-04T19:12:00.001-08:00

Picture taken with Pentax K20D and
Tamron SP 35-80mm f/2.8-3.8 adaptall-2 (01A)

Photos were taken in Gilroy Garden after sunset time on a Sunday when time fell back 1 hour in observing day light saving time.

While I failed to capture my boys' faster movement on another ride, I turned to the nearby merry go round that I could pan the slower motion. And it was a fun experience just to watch kids getting the excitement in the ride.

Mallard and Duck-aholic Photographer

2009-10-20T22:32:00.000-07:00

Photos taken with Pentax K20D and
Tamron 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 Di LD Macro

I mentioned in my Tech Corner blog that I am a duck-aholic photographer once I see a mallard pair. I especially like to take photos of mallard pair flying together. It is much more difficult than still shots photography but it is just breath taking to take a closer shot of a mallard pair flying low around a water area where the pair goes in circle as if they dance in the air enjoying their companies in the mating season.

I took these still shots while waiting in line for a paddling ride in Gilroy Garden. Once I spotted this mallard pair in the paddling pond, I wished the waiting line would be longer. The autumn and pretty soon the winter season will set in and my family will wait for the next spring and summer to visit Gilroy Garden again. I can't wait to see the mallard pair again.

Meeting Bear Bear, A Male Pomeranian

2009-10-15T19:23:00.001-07:00

Picture taken with Pentax K20D and
Pentax FA 77mm f/1.8 limited

Bear Bear is the name of a male Pomeranian that I met on a Wednesday. He is the cute dog belonging to a barber shop that I frequent to. I have a difficult time to find the pictures that I like to post for Bear Bear as he is just too cute and every stand and post is different. When I got to the shop and saw him on the couch, I couldn't stop to ask for pictures with that barber shop. My camera and flash woke him up from his lap and he barked at me as if he wanted to protest my disturbance to his quiet time. Though the barking, he sure was gentle and kind to my presence. His owner returned and he stopped the barking. He became more friendly and let me touched his fluffy body. It was cotton like. I later had a more difficult time in taking shots for Bear Bear as he constantly jumped up in joy anticipating another cookie from his owner. He was such a cheerful friend and he lifted my spirit high all day and when I manage to download his pictures, he once again warmed up my heart with his watery eyes and a prince charming face.

I love green

2009-10-07T20:48:00.001-07:00

Photo taken with Pentax K20D and
Tamron 70-300mm f/4.0-5.6 Di LD Macro

This green picture has inspired me to write an unusual blog post in Hin's Tech Corner.

Moon Shot Rotated

2009-10-05T19:32:00.000-07:00

Photo taken with Pentax K20D and
Pentax F* 300mm f/4.5 and Pentax F-1.7x AFA

I always love taking photos related to the moon. I don't quite get the hang in getting the sharpest picture as I have been using teleconverter to get closer to the view of the moon. And any post processing in cropping adds to the degradation on image quality. The moon reminds me of a love story in Chinese about a legendary romantic story with a lovely couple who had flung to the moon and lived their romantic lives together. I don't remember exactly the story but part of it was sad leading their departures to the moon. My teenage years celebrated the mid-autumn festival with my Chinese family in Macau and it was a festival not to be missed. It was always filled with fragrance that my mom put fragrance powder in an alter honoring the story along with tasty food as in moon cakes and desserts. The mystic stories of the legendary couples adds to the joy of Mid Autumn Festival for Chinese.

I will suggest my readers to take a pause in the middle of the night and find the moon to appreciate its sheer beauty at night. Best to hold hands with your loved ones if they are there with you. It can become an enlightened moment only you and your other half can unfold the love story you both see in the moon.

A Drunken Year In the Past

2009-10-02T20:44:00.000-07:00

Photo taken with Pentax K10D and
Vivitar 24mm f/2.8 with 'A'

This was my first photo taken on new year on 1/1/2008 when my family and I took a spontaneous overnight stay in San Francisco and I was up in the morning to get breakfast for my boys and spouse in our unplanned trip.

My sweetie complained as usual as we were not prepared as we took the public transportation with Bart to San Francisco and walked a mile plus from downtown to Fisherman Wharf area. We did not have our car which was usually staffed with spare clothings and our daily amenities. I was the nut case in the family who jumped on ideas of fun, romance and spontaneity. Unfortunately, my sweetie did not see the romance that I saw and envisioned in the cold night with fireworks, lovely restaurants, great artist galleries in Fisherman Wharf, warmth and spirit with hope for a better year with peace in the last evening in 2007. With begging and convincing words, my sweetie said yes for the occasion while my boys jumped in joy when we found a Wharf Inn that happened to have one vacant room. It was the 4th hotel that we tried our luck on spontaneity.

Came next morning on new year day of 2008, I got up early to get breakfast and as I turned the corner on 2nd floor, I saw this Coroner Extra beer bottle sitting on the rail quietly, I thought of good luck in 2008 with lots of celebration in the year to come. The beautiful morning shined brightly through the bottle. It was a scene of surreal beauty in the morning and the beer bottle invited me for positive thoughts as well as safety concern. Someone from last evening must have left it there unknowingly of the danger of falling to the street down below. I had my 1st thought of throwing it to the recycle bin and there wasn't any around. And my 2nd thought was my picture of celebration and a good year to start in 2008. Not a drunken year but a year of celebration. I took few pictures and moved the bottle to the floor so that the janitor would pick it up easily. On I went for the breakfast hunting.

Now that I looked back, I just remembered all the bad things in 2008 related to economy, the continuing war in Iraq, the Bush administration and the continued struggles in family with Asthma and others. And I could not remember a thing that is worth celebration. Perhaps I was drunk all year in 2008 and forgot to appreciate life and let alone the celebration that was much needed and absent for a balance. And 2009 is about to end shortly and I have got to to celebrate every positive thoughts, praises, milestone, goal achieved, challenge fulfilled that the Lord almighty have planned in my life before my negative mind plays tricks on me in not remembering the good things.

The more you praise and celebrate your life,
the more there is in life to celebrate.

by Oprah Winfrey

Hummingbird In Flight

2009-10-01T14:00:00.001-07:00

Photo taken with Pentax K20D and
Pentax F* 300mm f/4.5

I should have gone back to the same location and look for the hummingbirds. They are just gorgeous to see and their movements, dancing pattern up in mid-air with curiosity pause and look at the photographer are pretty much breath taking in appreciation and wonder with nature. They are the testimony to why we have to pay close attention to nature. They come often for the California Fuchsia and work has been busy and I don't find the time in the morning to stop by a little park and trail on my commute to work in the morning.

My friend Babu and Bharatanayam Arangetram

2009-09-22T18:56:00.000-07:00

1/30 sec, f/3.5, 115mm, iso 640, 0 Ev, hand-held

Photos taken with Pentax K20D and
Pentax DA* 50-135mm f/2.8 and
Pentax FA 77mm f/1.8 limited

I met Babu in the shooting of a Bharatanayam Arangetram and Babu is the Director
Keerthana School of Indian Music & Fine Arts. Babu has a wonderful voice that I can't describe it in words, you have to be at the audience to experience his wonder of his songs. He has his own website with clips of his wonderful work in Babu Music. He also has great expression often felt in his deep voice and it is my pleasure to have met him in the dance. I am sure he has a fan base and I learn from him that he has an interest in finding a job on a permanent base in the US. I surely hope that I can meet him again.

The photo shooting of my first Bharatanayam Arangetram was the most difficult shooting that I have ever performed. I lack the photog experience. The lighting is good for the artistic image but difficult as there are times that high ISO 1600 and wide open f/2.8 still had problem to get enough lighting for the scene. Though I was exhausted and spent two days in the shooting and 16+ hours of photo editing afterward. I was not aware of the fact that my volunteering job of the photo shooting of my co-worker's friend actually took away two weekends of my family time and many editing hours in between. I spent many late nights after work to go through the rehearsal and formal pictures. It was my most excruciating editing job on over 2000 pictures taken in 2 separate days of the event: rehearsal on Thursday and formal dance on Saturday.

I love the challenge in learning to take pictures in a staged performance with difficult and constantly changing lighting while the song and the themes in the dance change from one stage to another. In hindsights, I should have spent time to find out the time commitment. Had the family informed me about the time engagement, I would have walked away from the gruesome tasks of 2000+ pictures. Was it my stupidity that make all this resentment in my heart after the shooting. And was it the family that tried to exploit my enthusiasm for free photo service. I think both are involved. I walked away from the shooting relieved as I did the best that I could as an amateur for the family but I felt bitter as the family really took advantage of me for saving the cost involved in their 2 days photo shooting for their daughter. I got no one to blame but myself to let my enthusiasm in photo learning opportunity to let others looking for free photography service to take full advantage of me

The family mentioned no time commitment of 5 hours of shooting in each of the two long days of shooting. Perhaps, they didn't want me to know what I signed up for. I would have walked away had they mentioned about the long hours.
In the formal dance, they gave me an Volunteer badge instead of the Photographer badge that I thought I rightly deserved. This is little thing that didn't bother me as I did volunteer for the service but it showed that they might have little respect to the profession of photography. I did not check on the professional that they hired for the formal video production and I would bet they had different treatment as an hired professional.
My name and my service was not even mentioned once. I was honored in the last catch all phrase of thank you to all "volunteers" in the dance. That was no biggie too but it would have made my free service to be honorable and respectful.
I was not given a bottle of water for my service in the rehearsal. In the formal, one of the five musicians actually offered me a bottle of their water when I asked them during intermission at backstage where I photoed the backstage lighting as well as candid photos for the musicians.
I was finally offered dinner on the formal dance. I earned my right for the restful dinner as I finally took my camera down and placed them on a table while shoveling the food to fill the void. I took more guest pictures when I was asked to take m ore pictures with their guests after the gruesome photo shooting for the reception, introduction, formal dance backstage intermissions and ending ceremony. My mind and physical body was somewhere else in Mars and I couldn't remember the day and the exact location of my presence when I took my dinner sitting next to Babu and the three other musicians in the event.

When I finally finished the editing and upload of rough count of 600 pictures to flickr, I felt relieved as I did my volunteer job well for the family but I was totally resentful with the service and the family whom I had no relation other than acquaintance through a co-worker's son 1st first birthday in which I helped out with photography. That was an hour of my time and my co-worker provided all the thirst quenching water and great food in the party. I was thinking that the volunteering work was a matter of another birthday event, I could do it and I could make new friends with this unknown but seemingly friendly and well educated Indian family. Was I so wrong in my expectation?

My enthusiasm in helping people taking pictures for free has caused me an important lesson to learn. I went to the rehearsal, two days before the formal dance at 3:30pm on a Thursday in Palo Alto near Middlefield and San Antonio Road. I was invited to the rehearsal to practice the shooting. I eagerly agreed to it as I didn't want my inexperience to hamper the pictures of the family important and once in a lifetime dance graduation of their daughter. The ceremony of Bharatanayam Arangetram was an important and sacred event in the family. They hired separate professional video grapher as well as stage lighting and music crews on the formal dance. I returned home that Thursday night with 390 pictures on the rehearsal at 10:00pm as I took dinner in Taco Bell at 8:45pm. I slept past 2:30pm on early Friday morning finishing the upload of rehearsal photo set. The theater was at least 40 miles from my home. I was not offered even a single bottle of water. I was essentially starving throughout the 5+ hours of rehearsal practice while the dancer and the musician practiced in the theater well prepared with snack and water. I was not told anything about a 5+ hour long rehearsal and I could not have anticipated the long event but I was also occupied in studying the lighting, my hunger and thirst were second nature. No biggie and I was delighted and excited to see the Taco Bell before highway 101 entrance when I left. That $2.79 spicy crunchy wrap was the best that I have ever had.

I wasn't upset on Thursday as my mind was more focused in getting the best of the rehearsal shots to the family to show that I qualified for the task and their trust. I was relieved that my practice run was smoother than expected. Come Saturday, I was more prepared with extra slack and started the day with McDonald Ice Mocha. I loved the large drink from McDonald that it lasted through 3/4 of the dance for me. I was aware that the family really misinformed me on the shooting time required. I was totally naive in not knowing anything about the dance of 5 hours of shooting in each day. And I was not aware that the performance alone was 3 hour stretch in the dance with a 15 minutes intermission. Unlike the rehearsal, I was offered with snack like the rest of the guests in intermission and I finally earned my South Indian dinner after 10 hours of shooting in two separate days and the previous 4+ hours of editing for the rehearsal on Thursday night. In total honesty, I liked the dinner but I was so freaking tired anything would smell and taste like a feast from heaven. In the dinner, I met new friends and relatives of the family.

I have many Indian friends and colleagues who are great people with kindness, honesty, well education and best of all consideration for others not of the same ethnic background. This incidence has revealed a different face that I unfortunately have learned the hard way. After the Bharatanayam Arangetram, I was contacted by one of the relatives of the Indian family on a Friday afternoon with a quick next day photo service request. The gentleman and I work in the same company and he requested my assistance to photo service on the next day on an half marathon on behalf of an Eye Hospital donation in India. It was meant for a charity service and the event started early at 7:00am on Saturday with a 30 mile driving distance from my home. I normally will jump at a great opportunity to help and learn and donate my time for a good charity purpose. There was no way in my slightest imagination that I would be ready to find the shooting spots on a half marathon trail stretching in miles in the Shoreline park of Mountain View. Let alone the very little information and time for me to get informed from this gentlemen about the exact location of the shooting. I did not hesitate for a moment and said no to the urgent request as I was resentful with what I was about done at the time with all the 2000+ picture editing and selection for the Bharatanayam Arangetram event.

More free photography requests kept coming. One included shooting many Hindu Gods in their temple after certain activity where each Hindu family placed their Gods' symbolic figures for display. I said no right at the moment of request as I have conflict of religion belief in Jesus Christ. I did comply with two photo services from Indian colleagues as they were meant for an important functions of two different groups in my company -- Women In Tech and Indian Heritage Day in 2009. I helped out the two requests and declined the rest as I was simply exhausted and resentful to my enthusiasm in helping others with my amateur photo skills

Please ask me not for photo service again unless I have a good reason with interest or that my family approves my time spent for the service. And I have made it known in my contact page that I no longer offer free photography service. I am tired with the requests and I can not give a reason to justify the complaint from my family. I surely have met the people that I was perhaps not meant to help but I did what I could in helping them saving cost from a true professional service.

When the family asked me for a free DVD delivered to their home. I finally said NO and I explained my resentment to them. But out of my courtesy of service and that it is an important event to their family, I allow them to print as many pictures as they desire from my Flickr account.

But for my good friend Babu and the other three great musicians who did not ask me to work for their pictures, I let them download all of their photos and they are not the client who requested my presence and service. I hope that I can clear my mind with resentment and move on to another chapter where I learn to say no for a reason and learn to gather information so as to arrive at an informed decision in saying yes to a service.

Emerald Bay in South Lake Tahoe

2009-09-15T20:36:00.000-07:00

Photo taken with Pentax K20D and
Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5

South Lake Tahoe is a beautiful place for visit. My family enjoyed the long weekend in Labor day along with fireworks and beach visit. We also ran into a museum close to camp Richardson. On the back of the museum is another beach open to the public. I can only see the beautiful lake and blue sky and mountains stretched right before my view. Precious moments

Searching

2009-09-10T19:36:00.000-07:00

Photo taken with Pentax K20D and
Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5

I shot this photo while waiting for fireworks in the past labor day weekend in South Lake Tahoe area. It is perhaps a bit too dark but I really enjoy the scenery especially the reflection in the water and the mystery of what he is searching for in the dark.

Life is a mystery at times and when seen from another angle, it is a beautiful mystery

Labor Day South Lake Tahoe Fireworks

2009-09-08T19:09:00.001-07:00

Photo taken with Pentax K20D and
Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5

Over the long weekend with labor day, my family visited South Lake Tahoe and we happened to be around a beach very close to our motel and the fireworks were spectacular over the lake. My location was a bit too far from the fireworks but we enjoyed it from a distance and I was glad to take my boys out for the fireworks.

Dried Leaf

2009-09-01T19:59:00.001-07:00

Photo taken with Pentax K20D and
Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 1:2.3 DC Macro

Our family visited the Don Edward San Francisco Bay Wildlife Refuge and we had met the wonderful volunteer tour guide June. We ran into a tree with all leaves dried up and June mentioned that the tree turned its leaves all dried in a matter of few weeks due to the hot weather and she let us see the new cycle of life in the new buds forming around the small branch ends. It was an outstanding nature walk tour that both my boys, wife and I enjoy in the weekend.

Cafe Lightings

2009-08-29T20:06:00.001-07:00

Photo taken with Pentax K20D and
Pentax DA 35mm f/2.8 1:1 Macro limited

I took this photo on a late Friday in the cafe area in the building G of my workplace. I was watching the sad news of Ted Kennedy and how people cherished him for the better part of his life and how many hills he had climbed over to where he was in the late year of his life. I have been touched with his vigor, his speeches, his family tragedies, his poems and his unrelenting efforts in his works in the Senate.

Cute Duckling Pair

2009-08-24T19:12:00.000-07:00

Photo taken with Pentax K20D and
Promaster Spectrum 7 60-300mm f/4.0-5.6

I was lost on Sunday skipping church once again making excuses in wanting to sleep some more. I have had problems in sticking to my schedules on the weekend. And I certainly lose myself in the hobby of photography. I have been looking for a purpose in my passion. I may have run once again in the wrong direction. I was walking along the park promising my wife not to take another photograph in the exercise but I did once again bring along my camera and gear for companion and added weight for exercise in the lonely walk. At the end of the walk, I saw a pair of cute ducklings bundling up together while the bigger ducks gave them a difficult time around a small area. I couldn't help but breaking the promise to take a few shots of the ducklings.

In my passion for photography, I did seek His purpose to glorify Him that I am meant to honor Him and yet I couldn't accomplish. I have turned to the other direction wanting to seek recognition and approvals from others. And I explore the opportunity in whether I could use my skills as a freelance photographer to earn extra income for the household.

All those thoughts are in vain if I can't stick to my original goal in finding His purpose for my life, and glorify Him in my quest for His purpose and plan in me. He has placed the photography passion so dearly in my heart as I found relentless energy in getting close to nature and seeking the warmth, humanity, smiles and the best out of people in their daily lives. We all have an influence on other and pictures with the right motive touches life with a positive impact to share joy and sufferings in a unique way.

I am seeking help for the discipline and align my passion to His purpose. I felt lost like a lonely feather drifting without a purpose in the little pond where I found the ducklings. Lord, please guide me and tell me if I had done it all wrong that is against your purpose for me in the passion.

"When anything in creation
fulfills its purpose,
it brings glory to God."
The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren

My Muffin Boy

2009-08-20T14:10:00.001-07:00

Picture taken with Pentax K20D, Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8,
AF 540 Flash, and Spectra Light Diffuser

Ever since his uncle and aunt visited from far away, we have a new name for my boy with "Muffin Boy" as he kept singing the song with "Do you know the muffin boy...." We took him out for his favorite pizza place in Foster City for his recent birthday.

Missing My Lens with Color

2009-08-18T21:16:00.001-07:00

Photos taken with Pentax K10D and
Lester A Dine 105mm f/2.8 1:1 Dental Macro

I sold my Lester A Dine macro lens way too soon. Now that I re-examine my old pictures done with the macro lens, I really miss the color from this lens. Some of the difficulties that I found with the lens was really me instead of the lens. In hindsight, I wished I had it longer to have tried its macro ring flash to open up the depth to see the flower in detail. Color me blind in my guilt of having too many lenses in my possession that I picked hastily in selling.

Perseid Meteor Night Attempt

2009-08-14T12:25:00.000-07:00

All photos taken with Pentax DA 10-17mm f/3.5-4.5 and
Pentax K20D

I woke up at 2:00am trying to shoot the falling stars with Perseid Meteor on August 12, 2009. I went for the wrong location where the city lights disrupted the beauty of the night sky and the meteor happened behind the mountains and trees lower in the horizon. Instead, I salvaged the moments on a couple of shots on the moon and a plane flying over.

Though the sky is not as dark as my encounter of the dark night in camping in Yosemite, I sat alone admiring the night sky while waiting for the camera ready to take the next contiguous shot of 30 second shutter shot. In between shots, I made the connection to the Almighty creator for the universe. I felt His awesome presence while appreciating His wonderful creations and I was in awe of its natural beauty at night. Though I have not made a successful attempt in getting a good picture with the falling stars in Perseid Meteor, I am renewed in spirit in the admiration of His countless stars in the sky sparkling in a great distance that show His wonderful creation and love of mankind.

Psalm 19

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

¹ The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

² Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.

³ There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.

⁴ Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,

⁵ which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

⁶ It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is hidden from its heat.

⁷ The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.

⁸ The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.

⁹ The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are sure
and altogether righteous.

¹⁰ They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.

¹¹ By them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.

¹² Who can discern his errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.

¹³ Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then will I be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.

¹⁴ May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

Musician in Bharatanatyam Dance

2009-08-10T19:48:00.003-07:00

Picture taken with Pentax K20D and
Pentax DA* 50-135mm f/2.8

Bharatanatyam Dance Rehearsal

2009-07-31T13:20:00.001-07:00

Picture taken with Pentax K20D and
Pentax DA* 50-135mm f/2.8

Spreading The Wing - Froster's Tern

2009-07-29T10:55:00.000-07:00

Picture taken with Pentax K20D and
Pentax F* 300mm f/4.5

Making A Turn

2009-07-27T19:19:00.001-07:00

Picture taken with Pentax K20D and
Pentax F* 300mm f/4.5

The flying parttern of Froster's Tern always amazes me. It is fast and unpredictable at times. It is difficult to find them flying in a straight line to pan its movement. The best moment to capture them is when I spot them hovering over a certain area for food.

Wild Flowers

2009-07-23T19:58:00.001-07:00

Picture taken with Tamron 70-300mm LD Di 1:2 Macro

My Green Banner

2009-07-21T10:33:00.000-07:00

Picture taken with SMC A 50mm f/2.8 1:2 Macro +
Cosina 1:1 Macro Adapter

I am editing this green water drop photo and use it as a banner for Hin's Tech Corner once I manage to upgrade the blog with a new theme. I love green and hence I pick this as a potential choice for new banner.

DJ Nik

2009-07-17T13:51:00.001-07:00

Picture taken with Pentax FA 77mm f/1.8 limited