Sunny day at the beach

 Beach benches

 Sunset

 Sunset over the ocean

 Miniature effect on the dock

 Apartments looking out towards the ocean

Miniature effect on the dock

Sunset in Vancouver, just love it~

Ambleside Beach, West Vancouver

Freedom of Wings

Flying with freedom, no cares for the world.

The life we all want to live and love.

Where do you find those pair of wings?

Through love one may say, or from a dove.

 We could wait for our chance to fly together

 Fly high above the sky where we could be searching for the love we are looking for

 Prepare ourselves for the obstacles in life, like getting over a mountain

Life requires a careful eye

 Speed is not a factor as we would have all the time in world to glide through the skies of love

Remember every little lessons, one wrong step, we could fall down below

Short Hiatus

Sorry for the short Hiatus.

The reason for me not posting anything was due to me being really busy with school and also due to the fact that I sold my camera. Another major factor was due to the poor weather in Vancouver. Every time there was a sunny day, I would either have school or work, leaving me unable to go for a quick photo shoot.

As I mentioned before hand, I sold my first DSLR, Nikon D3000. I sold all of my camera gear except for my SB-400 and my Nikoor 35mm F1.8. With that in mind, I bought the Nikon D7000 to replace the D3000. I also bought the versatile Nikkor 18-200mm F3.5-5.6 VRII and Nikon SB-600.

This jump was a big jump. All new gears with a much stronger and better camera. Just from a few sample shots, I can feel and see that the quality is much more superior. All I can say, I am loving the new camera. I just can't wait for the sun to come out for me to go and hit some photo shoots.

Hopefully there will be lots more new pictures to come!

Flying sky high, Falling ground low

She'll teach me how to fly
Even cushion my fall
If my engines ever stall
and I plummet from the sky
But she will keep me high
And if I ever die 

Then I guess it will be my last goodbye...

- Have we flown too high, too fast, where we fell as fast as we went up?Why can't we fly again? Why do we have to say down low? Do we no longer want to fly again? No longer wanting to teach to fly? 

I will always have my wings, waiting for that chance to fly up again. I want to take you on my own wings and fly without stalling.

Heart Cell

"So scared of what you think of me,
I'm scared of even telling you
Sometimes I'm like the only person I feel safe to tell it to,
Like if I am locked inside a cell in me"

- Is that how you feel right now? Many things you want to talk to someone about, but just can't because you feel its only safe telling yourself and no one else?

I want you to know that I too have a cell inside of me where you can yell and scream all the things you want.  I just want to be that person where you can talk to again, the person you can feel comfortable talking to. Even if I am not there beside you, I will always be in that one place where you can always find me...


I miss you

Shine

John Legend & The Roots - Shine

"Every human deserves an opportunity. Every human has potential. It needs to be developed, it needs to be cultivated. The best way to do that is to make sure that every kid has a good education. These beautiful minds trapped inside. Bring them back to life. Let them shine" - John Legend

Let them shine, let me shine again~
Everyone has potential, everything has potential. Just like the two of us. We just need to develop and take an opportunity to make it work again, just like from day one. Remember the first time we said those three words? It is time for us to shine again~

I don't mind...

Vancouver

I don't mind where you want to be or what you want to do.

All I want you to know is that I will always be there.

Remember that I am there to make things fair.

Just don't forget me so.

I miss you...

Questions?

Few people recently or in the past has asked me questions about me as a photographer and I have decided to write down all their questions and my answers on this blog post.

Lets start!

1. What kind of camera do you use?
- I use a Nikon D3000 (My first and only DSLR so far)

2. What lens do you own and use?
- I have 3 different lenses, the standard 18-5mm VR, 55-200mm VR telephoto and one prime lens 35mm 1.8F

3. What programs do you use to edit your photos?
- I use Photoshop CS5 and Picasa when I am lazy.

4. What kind of photos do you like to take the most?
- I mostly take landscape photography, however I do have great interest in taking photos of people too. Macro is something that I sometimes do, but not often. If I had to pick a certain object or thing that I like to photograph the most, that would be clouds. They are just very unpredictable and always comes in different kind of size and shapes. One of those photos that you would be only able to capture once in a lifetime.

5. What got you into photography?
- To be honest, I was never a big fan of photography until I started to take photos with my friend's DSLR. I have always and still a big fan of electronics and gadgets and I guess the camera caught my attention after that encounter.

6. What is your best and worst photography moment?
- Best and worst moment actually came from the same day. It was one of the best moments because I was able to photograph with a very special person and also of that special person. The shoot took place on a summer late afternoon at UBC Wreck beach. The whole time, I was really happy even though I knew all of the happiness would end. The sun was up in the sky, but covered with clouds. The sea rocked back and forth, but not too strong to create big waves. Just gentle silent waves, similar to the whole photography shoot. It was also my worst moment in photography because while I was so focused in taking a picture, capturing one of the best moments, I slipped into the ocean and my whole feet got soaking wet. The only positive was that it was only my leg, nothing more than that! However, we were pretty far away from my car, so I had to walk for a long time until I was able to take off my shoes and dry them.

7. Do you have a favourite picture that you took? If so why?
- Favourite picture? I actually have quite a few on my mind that I can think of. For sure there is one where stands out the most. Why it does? Well it captures everything I see and don't see at the same time. The picture just speaks greatly towards me. I would share the photograph, however, I would need the consent of that person. Despite that, I can share this other photograph that is one of my favourite photographs that I have taken.

Shores of Stanley in Hong Kong

This photograph was taken in the summer of 2010 when I went back to Hong Kong.

These are the questions that I get the most from people and if you have any more questions, feel free to ask me!

Cheers,

Kevin

"Where there is love, there is hope"

Batman & Two-Face (Harvey Dent)

"Where there is love, there is hope" - Batman

This quote is from Batman that was said in the episode "Two-Face Part II" about Two-Face's (Harvey Dent) situation.

Is there hope for me?

Kevin

Life with Decisions

Which step to take?

We all ask ourselves which is the right decision or the right step to take in life everyday. Everything we do will reflect on our future, small or big. But, how does one come down to these decisions. Just like that bird in the picture, there are so many stumps that he could have landed on, but why that one? Was it a much safer place? More beautiful? or simply just that one because it was the first one he saw? No one will know unless we ask him that and of course, we can't really ask a bird that question, can we now? 

During life there are decisions what we are proud that we have made and some that we regret making. I have made a lot of decisions in life that I am very proud of and still thinking about them. I have always been proud of making the right decision of going to the university that I wanted and taking the courses that I found interesting. The people that I have met have been amazing and wonderful. However, I have always wonder what if I went to the other University that I was also considering going. I would be studying totally different subjects and meeting different types of people. And I wonder, what if I made that decision, how would my life be right now? 

Obviously I do not  regret my original decision because I have had so many experiences with people, friends, school that I will never forget. There were so many life changing experiences that I experienced because of my decision of going to the university that I am in now. I am truly grateful for all the opportunities that I have received because of that decision. However, there are still many decisions that I regret or wished that I never had to experience or make.

So, can we always make the right decisions? Or do we think its the right decision because we want to believe that it is the right decision? To be honest, I think I have. For sure I think there are some decisions that deep down in my heart I know its the wrong one, but try to play if off as the right one. Simply mistakes in life that I have made that I don't want to think of as a mistake or decisions that I think are mistakes, but can't be redone.

Just wished the right decisions in life were as simple as hoping from one stump to another...

Kevin

Father and Son Badminton

Father and son badminton, what a good way to share some father and son time together! When I was in Hong Kong, I got the privileged to play with my little cousin at badminton and also watch my uncle play with him. Although my little cousin was not super good at badminton, we all had fun and was able to enjoy ourselves despite the limited time we had. Of course, my little cousin was just learning how to play. What made it enjoyable for me was he tried to smash the birdie every single time even though he was like 1 feet away from the net. He is such a hoot~ Nothing better than spending time with your family.

The smashing I was talking about...

Not sure why he is holding there...

Successful smash?

Does he hit it or not?

Father (Uncle Lou) returning his son's hit

Going for the all out smash!

To become a great player, one needs the game face and stance

Not trying for a smash?!!?

I miss my family, wish I could capture more of their moments together. I know one day I will be back to do so!

Kevin

China 2010

This trip was probably one of those experiences that you will always remember for the rest of your life. At first I was not very intrigued or even interested in going to China. I just wanted to stay in Hong Kong with my cousins and uncle. However, my mom and one of my uncle convinced me to tag along with them to visit my uncle's friend that works in China. So the trip consisted of a local tour guide, therefore, I was able to experience many things that I would never had if I went alone or with an actual tour group to China. I was able to visit local clothing factories and local markets. The trip for sure was an eye opener for me as I was able to experience and see the culture of Guangzhou, China. So for the trip, I was in a van that travelled to places that I never even heard of. All in all, the trip was something I will never forget and I have to thank my uncle, Wai Kwong, and my mom for bringing me along. I actually had a lot of fun, despite it being super super hot.

Please click on the pictures to enlarge.

City of Tai San

Roundabout (Shot from my hotel room)

Parking Lot of the Hotel

City Shot

Shrine in the mountains with local buildings on the foreground

Industrial Road

Taken from the front driveway of the clothing factory

Motorcycles are very popular, even for farming

Flags at a local store

Fish Market

Bought the fishes at the market and gave to a local restaurant to prepare for dinner

Old preserved buildings by the river

Old lady on boat transporting her goods on the river

Another angle at the buildings

Alley way

Another shot of the buildings (16:9)

Alley way shot (This is my favourite picture)

War Propaganda

Local Crabs for sale (The red one was the dominant one)

A stove to cook the food at the local restaurant

 

Local weaved baskets for sale

Manual Sesame grinder
Had one of the best Black Sesame Soup in my life

Baby Carriage

(To be honest, I don't even remember taking this picture)

Most of these photos are in 16:9.
As you can probably see. China is still a lot different than majority of the developed countries, but they are on the rise of becoming more developed economically and also the standard of living. I am very fortunate to be able to experience what I experienced and will always cherish these memories. Hopefully one day, I will be able to return to here and see it again and of course hope that you will be able to visit here too!

Kevin

Last Day of 2010 Photography Shoot

Before I start off, I have to say thanks to a special friend, Felix,  for getting me out and doing some last photography of 2010. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't have gone out in the cold and took some amazing pictures of Downtown Vancouver from Lonsdale Quay.


The day was really nice with fantastic clear skies and the sun out. It was nice seeing the sun again after days and days of rain and snow, however, the sun was up high at noon creating a lot of glare, making the camera over exposed. I wished I had more time to take pictures, but that is alright, 2011 will give me the opportunities that I need to go back again for more!

Downtown Vancouver

Burrard Inlet Coast

North Shore Dock (Shot idea from Felix)

Benches on the dock

Wide angle shot of the dock

Dock view with Vancouver in the background

Same shot as above but its in 16:9 ratio

Desktop wallpaper for 1920x1080

Hard at work (Courtesy of Felix)