New lens, new hat trick

I recently acquired my new Canon 16-35mm F2.8L mk II lens and had some fun with it. Random shots from the other night while packing for my New York trip. Love the lens so far, but I really miss the Canon 10-22mm which was one of my favorite lenses for goofy pictures. Don't mind the weird expressions, I wanted every shot to be different as the hat was moving around my head.

San Jose's backyard.

As stated in the title, I finally got a chance to snap a few shots of my car. Reyna and I were driving up the back roads of San Jose when we discovered this little spot. It was already getting dark so we knew if we were going to take the picture it would be now or never. After the photos were taken and everything loaded in the car, the R decided to poop on us. Meaning there was a leak in the clutch master cylider line. I couldn't get the car into gear to drive it home so here we were stuck in mountain lion territory while the sun was setting. Sitting and waiting in the car was not an option so I pushed the car up and over the hill to get us safely to a nice bright location to phone for help.

To make a long story short, we got the shot but at the expense of a dent in my trunk because of my shoulder and a very angry wife because ofthe inconvenience the car had caused. All in all, I really hope you enjoy this photo. Thanks~

Post HF 6 meet in San Mateo.

What a day! I couldn't be anymore happier to be home sitting here relaxing my legs and hands from exhausting them that day. Too many cars to shoot but not enough energy to accomplish. I went to Hella Flush 6 meet with only 3 hours of sleep the night before because of work. It was hard staying focused and even harder staying awake. Here are a few pictures from the shoot. Click here to see the page. Thanks

Just one for an update

This car is currently going through a few changes. Just thought I'd post a pic of whats to come. Just an FYI, blogger really desaturates the photo's upload here. Please refer to this link for the better, original version.

Sadie and Motley at the park

Had a lot of fun taking the dogs to the park today. They had fun and I had fun shooting them. I must say though that it was hard trying to juggle shooting pictures and playing fetch. There weren't too many dogs there today which made it much easier for me to just let them roam freely around the park. Something interesting I saw though was that there was a new newsletter informing guests about recent rattlesnake sightings in and around the dog park. So FYI. if you plan to take your dogs to Ed Levin Park in Milpitas, please be cautious and aware of your environment. Rattle snakes are commonly found during hot, humid weather which is about mid-day in the bay area. They don't strike or attack for no reason, if you see one or hear one grab or call for your dog and leave the area. Also, do not put your hand or step into an area where you can't see. Enjoy the rest of summer with your pets while we still have it but continue to safe and cautious about your surroundings.

This is Reyna, my wife.

I did a quick shoot in our backyard with my new lens and tripod setup to test out the DOF ( depth of field) and Reyna was happy to be of assistance. For one of the photos, I wanted to create a "windy hair" look so I used a leaf blower to achieve it which wasn't necessary because we had more than enough fans to blow the hair off of her head. The rest of the photos were just random poses that worked out pretty well. Again, thanks for being a brave model and not surrendering to the leaf blower!

P.S. I know that the pictures needed a fill flash but for this particular shoot, I really only wanted ambient light as my main light source.

Family Photos

Heres a picture I took sparingly of my brother David his girlfriend Justine and their son Jaiden. It's nice having pictures to look back on especially of your family. As a kid growing up, I can't recall a time where we sat down and took pictures just for fun. In a family of seven including my parents, you would expect a huge photo album but unfortunately we only have one. My mom still has it and I often look through it whenever I get the chance to. As an adult now looking back, I promised myself to always have a camera around to capture moments I share with my family so that one day my kids and future generations can have something to refer back to. I don't hate my parents for not taking more pictures but the memories they had captured and saved in an old, dusty, half-way torn 30 page photo album from the early 80's to mid 90's were some of the best memories I remember sharing with my siblings. So I guess for this situation quality was more important than quantity.

In addition to my immediate family, I also have a beautiful wife and two super energetic puppies that keep us going. We already started a family album together and as the years go by, I know we'll have plenty more memories to add to it.