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Feb-21-2010
Gate To The Light At every gate to Angkor Thom there were these smaller side doors, seemingly to lead to the top. I remember how my stomach ached as I passed them. How I wished I had more time to climb those stairs. Maybe it would lead me to the top of the gates? Maybe I could have stood beside those coldly smiling faces of the legendary king, Jayavarman VII? The intricate carving of stone steps and door way was merely a glimpse of what's at Bayon Temple. I hope to show some more pix (later) of Bayon, where the all seeing eyes of 216 faces cover 4 directions and 54 provinces of the Khmer empire, and where all stone columns were decorated by dancing Apsaras.
Picture taken: Dec-11-2007
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter: 1/8 sec - F/6.3 |
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Feb-16-2010
Golden Gate At Night Maybe half of the people in San Francisco Bay area have taken this photo, and half of them at night. I've seen some exceptional ones with beautiful clouds, moon, fog or fireworks. There is even a Golden Gate Bridge Group on Flickr!!. I took this pic to tribute to the maiden "shootage" of my new Gizto tripod legs and Arca Swiss ball head. There is a tiny twist in my post processing though. :-)
Picture taken: Feb-16-2010
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter: 2:34 min - F/25 |
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Jan-30-2010
Zion Clouds (Colour) Compare to the B/W version, there was a lot of color. (BW)I pretend to have infrared, but the trees in the distance are merely impossible!
Picture taken: Nov-28-2009
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter: 1/10 sec - F/16 |
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Jan-28-2010
Zion After Storm 2 Zion Storm from a distance.
Picture taken: Nov-28-2009
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter: 1/10 sec - F/16 |
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Jan-24-2010
Zion After Storm Driving into the Zion National Park, through the raining clouds, we saw this spectacular dance of clouds and sunset colors. I hope I did it some justice with this pic.
Picture taken: Nov-28-2009
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter: 1/10 sec - F/16 |
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Jan-01-2010
Amphitheater Dawn What's better for the 2010 New Year's Day than a sunrise photo? Before the sun rose above mountain peaks, incredible light changes continuously to cast upon the Amphitheater at the Bryce Canyon National Park. Happy New Year 2010!!
Picture taken: Nov-26-2009
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter: 1/10 sec - F/16 |
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Dec-31-2009
Moonlit HW1 On Halloween night, car traffic and a near full moon light up a foggy High Way 1 along the Pacific coast next to Pigeon Point Light House Hostel. Let the lights lead us to 2010!
Picture taken: Oct-31-2009
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter: 60 sec - F/22 |
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Dec-30-2009
Pigeon Point Lighthouse Pigeon Point Lighthouse at night in a heavy fog should be used in the movie Pirates Of The Caribean. It was chilly and creepy. I took note of several trails there, and intend to go back for some more photos, with another photo buddy though.
Picture taken: Oct-31-2009
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter: 30 sec - F/22 |
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Dec-29-2009
Storm into Zion Storm coming into Zion National Park at the Kolob Canyon Drive. It makes me think of the white tree of Gondor in Lord Of The Rings.
Picture taken: Nov-27-2009
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter: 1/30 sec - F/13 |
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Dec-25-2009
Gate of Light (dark blue) A chilly night at Pfeiffer Beach gives a display of rotating stars and the gate towards the Pacific Ocean, which allows in waves after waves, drowning all sounds.
Picture taken: Sep-26-2009
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter: 15 min - F/29 |
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Dec-24-2009
Photographer On Sand Dune Some photographer got up earlier than 4am and hiked up further at the sand dunes of Stovepipe Wells at Death Valley National Park.
Picture taken: Apr-27-2009
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter: 1/60 sec - F/29 |
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Dec-23-2009
River Into Zion After a series of unfortunate events, we arrived at Zion National Park too late. Before the sun set behind the mountains, I managed to capture a few pix of its late fall scenery. I have to mark this place as a must-visit!
Picture taken: Nov-28-2009
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter: 1/10 sec - F/29 |
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Dec-20-2009
Arches If you look closer, there are many arches around the Delicate Arch at Arches National Park.
Picture taken: Nov-26-2009
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter: 1/60 sec - F/16 |
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Dec-13-2009
On Look Rock Arches National Park was the first of our Thanksgiving Utah national park trip. It's funny that my friends and I were so impressed by the rock formations as soon as we drove into the park area, we took photos of them at each outlook point as we can. The result? Not enough time to hike to the more famous scenic view points! I told myself I had to come back to hike more and photograph more. (Not to worry, I did get a few photos of THE Arches.)
Picture taken: Nov-28-2009
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter: 1/20 sec - F/25 |
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Dec-07-2009
Dusk At Salt Lake Kennecott Utah Copper's Bingham Canyon Mine is our first stop during my Thanksgiving Utah trip a week ago. My friends Xiao and Hanyu organized the trip, and I was happy to be invited. Unfortunately, the mine site was closed to visitors for the winter, and I snapped this pix just out side its entrance.
Picture taken: Nov-25-2009
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter: 1/30 sec - F/9 |
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Nov-09-2009
Morning Glow on Cliff Panther Beach just outside of Santa Cruz was a secret hideaway along HW1. My friends and I got up 4:30am on Halloween to capture this morning glow.
Picture taken: Oct-31-2009
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter: 1/10 sec - F/22 |
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Oct-20-2009
Bixby Bridge At Night With a few tricks I learned in the night photography workshop, I got this picture of Bixby Bridge. A bigger version actually shows the stars in the night sky.
Picture taken: Sep-26-2009
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter: 5x30 sec - F/4 |
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Oct-11-2009
Walking Out Of Church On the 2nd day of night photography workshop at Center for Photographic Art at Carmel, a few of us went into the Carmel Mission. The girl at the entrance was kind enough to let us in for free as it was closing in half an hour. The mission was very well maintained and decorated. I snapped a few shots, including this one, as a praying girl walking out of the chapel.
Picture taken: Sep-26-2009
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter: 1/10 sec - F/3.5 |
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Oct-08-2009
Seafoods at Night I was invited by my friend Suprada to a night photography workshop by Harold Davis. It's my first photography workshop and boy did I have a ton of fun! The workshop was intense, with more than half of the class being professional photographers. The class started on Friday evening Sep-25-2009, at Center for Photographic Art at Carmel. We started with a couple of hours of viewing Harold's night photos, followed by a shooting session at the Commercial Warf at Monterey. Saturday was a full day of photo talk and shooting along coastal HW 1, and then some more photo talk on Sunday. This is one of the pix I took at the wharf...... no starry filters!!
Picture taken: Sep-25-2009
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter: 30 sec - F/22 |
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Sep-22-2009
Ghost Of Trees Fog on top of the mountain at Sequoia National Park makes the sequoia giants ghostly.
Picture taken: Apr-11-2009
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter: 1/60 sec - F/9 Exposure: +0.7 |
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Aug-30-2009
Tree On Marble Along the water way of Tokopah Fall at Sequoia National Park, I was again amazed by how trees can grow from the tiniest crack in rocks and become almost poetic.
Picture taken: Apr-12-2009
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter: 1/15 sec - F/22 |
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Aug-10-2009
Tree Shadow The shadow of a tree in the pond on the way to Tokopah Fall at Sequoia National Park. Something to add to my abstract page.
Picture taken: Apr-12-2009
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter: 1/6 sec - F/14 |
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Aug-02-2009
Pine Needles Melting snow on pine needles at Sequoia National Park.
Picture taken: Apr-11-2009
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter: 1/10 sec - F/5.6 |
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Jul-26-2009
Swamp This is to bring a chilly breeze to this warm summer.
Picture taken: Apr-11-2009
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter: 1/40 sec - F/8 |
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Jun-28-2009
Tough Road Sometimes, to experience an unusual scenary, one has to treck an unusual path. Marble passageway in the Mosaic Canyon at Death Valley is a perfect example.
Picture taken: Apr-28-2009
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter: 1/10 sec - F/22 |
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May-19-2009
Heat and Rock Artist's Drive at Death Valley came highly recommended for an evening drive, and the first welcoming canvas was painted by the Artist's Palette. I could not decide between a version of this picture that shows the heat, or another that shows the mutiple rock layers of the mountain, so you have both of them.
Picture taken: Apr-26-2009
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter: 1/20 sec - F/25 |
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May-10-2009
Zabriskie Point A Pink Floyd fan would not miss Zabriskie Point in Death Valley. The film by Michelangelo Antonioni was before my time, and I only heard about the movie after I have arrived in Death Valley. With the howling wind that nearly blew me off my feet, maybe I did imagine attending a rock concert by nature. Unfortunately it's a photographer's nightmare to have the wind so strong that one can hardly stand still and nearly blowing the camera off, not to mention snapping blurry pictures. For this picture, I climbed below the platform so the rock walls could somewhat block the wind. The price? A focused picture with wind only in my memory.
Picture taken: Apr-27-2009
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter: 1/15 sec - F/8 |
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May-04-2009
Sand Dunes at SunRise What impressed me the most is how much life there is in Death Valley. With trees, bushes, and cacti blossoming and even fruiting in sand and rocks, in almost every crack they can find. When the sun first hits in the dawn, everything glows with the celebration of life in a new day.
Picture taken: Apr-27-2009
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter: 1/20 sec - F/13 |
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Apr-12-2009
Red Giant I went to Sequoia National Park for a short short short camping trip, and saw GIANT GIANT GIANT trees like this one. General Sherman Tree is the largest living tree (by volume) in the world. As a fellow tourist put it: "Just imagine, when Julius Caesar was fighting in Europe and Egypt, little did he know this tree has been growing here in US, and out lasted him and his Roman Empire till now."
Picture taken: Apr-11-2009
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter: 1/40 sec - F/8 |
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Mar-22-2009
Hot Air Balloon At Napa I've seen so many hot air balloons back in Canada, at Gatineau Hot Air Balloon Festival, and in Tanzania, during our Serengety Safari trip. There was even a Hot Air Balloon Day at Waukesha, WI. Never had a chance to ride one though. Nor was I ever able to capture a decent pic of it. Maybe this one on a spring day morning at Napa can be the first.
Picture taken: Mar-14-2009
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter: 1/20 sec - F/20 |
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Mar-15-2009
3.14 Tulip I read that it's now fashionable to celebrate March 14th as the "White Valentine's Day". I suppose white roses are popular instead of red roses. I like it better as "Pi Day", and found a website with 1 million digits of it. To celebrate Pi Day, I went for a photo shoot in Napa with Suprada, bringing back not a single drop of wine, but a white tulip.
Picture taken: Mar-14-2009
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter: 1/1000 sec - F/5.6 |
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Mar-01-2009
Parallel Forces It's been a loooooooooooong time since my last shooting. After being reminded by several friends that I should upload some pix onto my webbie, I decided to use some taken in the past. Here, at Ta Prohm of the Angkor compound (Siam Reap, Cambodia), it's a showcase of force of nature vs force of man kind. "There is a poetic cycle to this venerable ruin, with humans first conquering nature to rapidly create, and nature once again conquering humans to slowly destroy." -- Lonely Planet Cambodia 2005
Picture taken: Dec-11-2007
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 400 Shutter: 1/8 sec - F/22 |
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Jan-25-2009
Big Bang This is what happens when there was a Big Bang. (Rushing on HW1 at sunset.)
Picture taken: Nov-27-2008
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter: 1/50 sec - F/22 |
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Dec-21-2008
Christmas Candles So this is Christmas I light candles for you With all my good wishes For dreams to come true And so this is Christmas Let's forget the tears Wear your brightest smile And light'p the new year A very merry Christmas And a happy New Year Let's hope it's a good one Without any fear
Picture taken: May-22-2003
Camera: Nikon F-801S ISO: 400 Aperture: F/13 Shutter speed: 1/4 Lens: 28-105mm |
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Dec-10-2008
Sunset Waves Waves come in, touch the rocks and then go back into the ocean.
Picture taken: Nov-27-2008
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 400 Shutter speed: 1/160 sec - F/22 |
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Dec-03-2008
Sun After Fog Fog rolls in from the Pacific, then the sun shines through.
Picture taken: Nov-27-2008
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 400 Shutter speed: 1/80 sec - F/22 |
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Nov-23-2008
Red Bark Remember the red bark pix I took at Ottawa years ago? Here is one from California.
Picture taken: Nov-22-2008
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 400 Shutter speed: 1/5 sec - F/5.6 |
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Nov-16-2008
Mad Dash Shark wanna-bes take a mad dash for the puck at a roller hockey game.
Picture taken: Nov-11-2008
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter speed: 1/15 sec - F/5.6 |
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Nov-09-2008
Waiting To Sail On a crisp fall afternoon along the piers in San Francisco, she patiently waits.
Picture taken: Nov-09-2008
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter speed: 1/13 sec - F/22 |
 
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Oct-31-2008
2008 Halloween It's Halloween night. All ghosts come out with delight. A gargoyle flexes its wings. A skeleton strikes on some strings. Does blue or red freek you out? Sorry! This is the Haunted House of DC Cemetery, I really did not PS anything.
Picture taken: Oct-31-2008
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 1000 Top Shutter speed: 1/2.5 sec - F/5.6 Bottom Shutter speed: 1.30 sec - F/5.6 |
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Oct-05-2008
Oh Deer! On my first hike in California, I encountered a number of deers along the tails of Rancho San Antonio. I was amazed by a few things, while images and stories of hiking in Gatineau and Adirondacks flooded my memory: - Hills and nature are REALLY just minutes away from all the high tech buildings. - These deers are REALLY just too comfortable with people around. - The trails are REALLY dry and yellow.
Picture taken: Oct-05-2008
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter speed: 1/160 sec - F/5.6 |
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Sep-28-2008
San Francisco's "Giant Lego Land" Looking up an anonymous hill in San Francisco from some where around Glen Park. The houses make me think of the Lego Land in Danmark (no, haven't been there yet.) If it only wasn't sooooooo foggy!!! I have to laugh that I had twice enjoyed the perfect sunny weather of the "fog city", London, UK. Yet twice since my move out here, San Francisco welcomed me with its fog.
Picture taken: Sep-28-2008
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter speed: 1/500 sec - F/5.6 |
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Sep-21-2008
Water Surface It's been over a month since I moved to California, and a few friends asked me about any new pix I've taken. Entangled in all the hassles of moving and adjustment to my new life here, I only had a few opportunities to walk around the neighborhood with my little Canon. Maybe this pic shows a little of my new life: Shinny smooth surface reflecting sun, wind, sky, cloud, tree, bird ......
Picture taken: Aug-14-2008
Camera: Canon Powershot SD700 IS Digital Elph ISO: 80 Shutter speed: 1/60 |
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Jul-27-2008
It's Time It's time to say "Goodbye Wisconsin, and hello California."
Picture taken: Jun-11-2008
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter speed: 1/10 - F/14 |
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Jul-20-2008
Milwaukee Reflections River reflections of Milwaukee downtown.
Picture taken: Jun-11-2008
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 500 Shutter speed: 1/2 - F/5.6 |
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Jul-13-2008
Moon Lit It wasn't a full moon, but it lit up the sky.
Picture taken: Jun-11-2008
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter speed: 1/25 - F/13 |
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Jul-06-2008
Flowers of Fire Just in time to post a pic of fireworks. It blossoms momentarily and disappears so quickly into darkness. It's all about timing.
Picture taken: Jun-26-2008
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter speed: 30 - F/22 |
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Jun-29-2008
Blue, Orange and White 3 It's all about perspective.
Picture taken: May-25-2008
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter speed: 1/40 - F/22 |
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Jun-22-2008
Blue, Orange and White 2 See where I'm getting at?
Picture taken: May-25-2008
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter speed: 1/30 - F/22 |
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Jun-08-2008
Blue, Orange and White Another pic of Milwaukee Art Museum from a distance, on Michigan Street.
Picture taken: May-25-2008
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter speed: 1/30 - F/22 |
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Jun-01-2008
Through The Kite Tunnel At last weekend's Milwaukee Kite Festival, I met Mr. Yves Laforesty, a BIG kiter from Montreal, Canada. Wind Sock is one of his three big kites launched. 60 lbs of material without a frame had to be tied to a tree with a rope ~0.5 inches thick, and pulled by a golf cart. I had the pleasure to help Mr. Laforesty launching it once, and the sheer size of it really stirred some imagination of traveling tunnel.
Picture taken: May-24-2008
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter speed: 1/40 - F/20 |
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May-26-2008
Chocolate Great Dane I went to see the Kite Festival at Milwaukee this weekend. Nearly got sun burnt, saw lots of kites and stunt kite shows, and a BIG BIG dog. It was a 4 year old chocolate brown Great Dane, with maybe 1m tall from the shoulders, and 170lb.
Picture taken: May-25-2008
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter speed: 1/125 - F/4.5 |
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May-18-2008
My heart goes to the victims of Sichuan May-12-2008 Earthquake. None of these are my pix. I've selected Tzu Chi Foundation for my donations as it has direct access to Sichuan May-12-2008 Earthquake Victims, and no overhead cost for check donations. |
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May-11-2008
Guarding God The temple of Bayon is surrounded by Angkor Thom. The city of Angkor Thom has 5 monumental gates, each of which is led to by a bridge, with 54 gods on the right and 54 demons on the left. The south gate is the most popular, as it is the most complete with restoration (most with a copy of statue head in place).
Picture taken: Dec-11-2007
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter speed: 1/15 - F/22 |
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Apr-06-2008
"Be careful with your sunglasses!" That was the warning from the guide at the Erawan National Park in Kachanaburi.
Picture taken: Dec-27-2007
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 400 Shutter speed: 1/20 - F/5.6 |
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Mar-17-2008
Monk in Window Buddhist monks recently gained a lot of media coverage, first in Burma, now in Tibet and India. When I was traveling in Thailand and Cambodia, I realized how well they were integrated into the society, as I was the one who stands out in the crowd by giving a longer look, and sometimes snapping a shot. Their orange robes just never failed to catch my immediate attention. Under that peaceful look, many of them have a young men's heart with much curiosity to the outside world. My coversations with them (in English) were as much asking as answering. (Y:) Where did you learn English? (Y:) How long have you been living in a temple? (M:) Which country do you come from? (M:) Have you been to Toronto? (M:) Do you like Angkor? ...... These are the questions with answers. ...... However, I may never find out what it feels like to live as one of them.
Picture taken: Dec-12-2007
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter speed: 1/30 F/22 |
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Mar-09-2008
Sun Spot On top of Doi Inthanon, Thailand's highest peak (2565 m), there are two Napamaytanidol Chedi. One was built by the Royal Thai Air Force to commemorate the King's 60th birthday in 1987, and the other for the Queen in 1992. The King's Chedi was under maintenance construction for his 80th birthday while I was there, so I only visited the Queen's. Around the back, from the garden, this is the view with a ray of sun through the mountain fog.
Picture taken: Dec-18-2007
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter speed: 1/30 F/22 |
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Mar-02-2008
Feeling a little caged? On the leap day of a leap year, this little dog probably would be happier if it could leap a little in the open air.
Picture taken: Feb-29-2008
Camera: Canon Powershot SD700 IS Digital Elph ISO: 80 Shutter speed: 1/30 |
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Feb-17-2008
Sunset Prayer Back in Ottawa, my friends and I often went to a Thai restaurant for lunch, which was named after the first capital of Thailand (or Siam), Sukhothai. With this in mind, I decided not to take the convienient and comfortable overnight sleeper train from Bangkok to Chiang Mai, but to spend a day visiting Sukhothai. It turned out to be a crazy day of traveling, from Bangkok to Phitsanulok to Sukhothai and then finally Chiang Mai, switching from train to tuk-tuk to bus to motorcycle to truck. I only spent a couple of hours in the Sukhothai Historical Park after a long day's travel, but it was all well worth it. The golden lighting of sunset made the whole experience among the statues and temple ruins all magical. My Crazy journey: 8:30 - 2:30 train from Bangkok to Phitsanulok (1 hr late than scheduled) 2:30 - 2:35 tuk-tuk 2:40 - 3:40 bus to Sukohthai 3:45 - 4:00 trying frantically to look for a taxi or moto for the tour in the historical park 4:00 - 6:00 moto tour of the Sukhothai Historical Park 6:00 - 7:00 bus back to Phitsanulok 7:00 - 7:30 leisure walk to the train station 9:00 - 5:30 sleeper train to Chiang Mai 6:00 - 6:10 truck ride to SK House
Picture taken: Dec-17-2007
Camera: Canon Powershot SD700 IS Digital Elph ISO: 80 Shutter speed: 1/15 |
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Feb-10-2008
Wat Pho Offering Bowl "What would you wish for if you were granted 3 wishes?" If I was asked this question, I'd answer "I'd wish for xx more wishes." As soon as I entered Wat Pho, I heard this very high pitched noise, echoing inside the temple room, constant, almost without any pause or hesitation. After seeing the reclining Buddha and turning to its back side, I saw this row of copper bowls. There were 108 of them, all lined up on racks against the wall. For each Baht, one can exchange 4 small copper coins (0.25 Baht, not really used in circulation any more). Visitors put these coins into the bowl, and made wishes or prayed as they walked from end to end. That was where the noise came from, metal hitting metal. Maybe I was too involved into the sight and sound of the temple and Buddha, maybe I was too busy wishing for more wishes, maybe I was thinking how another person would experience all this...... I don't remember what I wished for as I tossed the coins into the bowls, and now I only wish I do.
Picture taken: Dec-10-2007
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter speed: 1/60 sec - F/3.5 |
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Feb-03-2008
Vachiratharn Waterfall When I was learning about literature analogy at school, tears were described to be like rain drops, streams or even exagerated to be like waterfalls. What kind of saddness could cause tears to come down like a waterfall? Thank goodness there is a rainbow. Vachiratharn Waterfall is in Doi Inthanon National Park, which has the highest peak in Thailand. The park is then called "The Roof Of Thailand."
Picture taken: Dec-17-2007
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter speed: 1/100 sec - F/22 |
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Jan-27-2008
Girl In Front Of Temple Wall I thought after my experience in China, Brazil and Africa, I'd be able to handle child beggars in Cambodia. But I could not stop the heartache when I see these children selling souvenirs to every tourist that passes by. The growing popularity of tourism allowed them to learn several foreign languages, enough to carry out simple conversations in English, and simple greetings and bargaining in Japanese, French, and Mandarin. This girl followed me quite a flight of stairs at the temple of Kbal Spean, tring to lead me to a water stall. She greeted me in English, Japanese and Mandarin.
Picture taken: Dec-14-2007
Camera: Canon Powershot SD700 IS Digital Elph ISO: 80 Shutter speed: 1/15 sec |
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Jan-22-2008
Wat Pho Mosaic I was in the city of Bangkok 4 times during my trip. On my orientation day, which was supposed to be leisurely, I had 3 boat rides, 1 motor cycle ride, 1 sky train ride, 1 subway ride, at least 15 km of walking and stair climbing, and 4 blisters (2 at the bottom of my feet???). The two wats I visited were Wat Pho (The Temple of The Reclining Buddha) and Wat Arun (The Temple of Dawn). People are attracted by Wat Pho because of its golden reclining buddha and Traditional Thai Massage, while Wat Arun easily stands out on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River. It was a first time for me to see buildings completely covered by 000,000's of pieces of multicolored Chinese porcelain, some of which were even whole plates and bowls.
Picture taken: Dec-10-2007
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter speed: 1/50 sec - F/13 |
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Jan-13-2008
Pink Socks Kachanaburi was the last stop of my Thailand and Cambodia trip. It was famed by a WW2 movie "The Bridge On The River Kwai". The waterfall of Erawan National Park was the most beautiful I've ever seen...... so beautiful I had to go there twice. It's not so grand as the Niagra Falls on the Canadian/US border. Nor is it so tall as the Angel Falls in Venezuela. Its 7 tiers from the top of the mountain to the bottom, each tier with a pool of clear blue water, with fish as long as a baseball bat visible up to the 3rd tier pool, with monkeys playing in the trees...... all give the waterfall life. As I climbed up the mountain, every turn and every slope brought a different view and symphony of water.
Picture taken: Dec-29-2007
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 Shutter speed: 1/5 F/7.1 |
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Jan-07-2008
Thailand Cambodia Map Airplane in red. Train in black. Bus in blue. That was my trip.Travelling map of Thailand and Cambodia between Dec-08-2007 and Dec-31-2007.
Map Source: bootsnall
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Dec-01-2007
Yellowstone Mammoth What would Yellowstone look like in winter with a snow blanket? Steam will still rise from the holes. Stream will still run. But what would the colors be at Mammoth? Will it be like spilled ink cascading down the stairs like this one? This will be the last post before my trip. Happy Holidays, everyone!.
Picture taken: Jul-02-2007
Camera: Nikon F-801S ISO: 100 Shutter speed: 1/60 |
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Nov-20-2007
Chaos Trees There used to be a TV advertisement for vacuum cleaners, in which the punch line was "Life is messy, clean it up!" That was all I could think of when I saw these two trees: The twisted trunks and interlocked branches seem chaotic, but there is order, if we follow the branches to the trunks, to the roots, where the evidence of growing from one seed is.
Picture taken: Nov-10-2007
Camera: Canon Powershot SD700 IS Digital Elph ISO: 80 Shutter speed: 1/10 |
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Nov-13-2007
Spring in Amsterdam That was a beautiful spring in Europe 4 years ago. As winter approaches, I anxiously wait for the next.
Picture taken: May-08-2003
Camera: Nikon F-801S ISO: 200 Shutter speed: 1/30 Lens: 28-105mm |
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Oct-31-2007
mmmmmmuhahahahahahaaaaaaaa An orange pumpkin, fat as can be. Carve a face so he can see. Put in a candle, light the light. A jack-o-lantern for Halloween night!
Picture taken: Oct-31-2007
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 400 F/4 Shutter speed: 1/2 |
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Oct-27-2007
Mediteranian Blue The day I discovered the magic of polarizers. The blueness of the Mediteranian was like the color palette of a painter.
Picture taken: May-24-2003
Camera: Nikon F-801S Lens: 135mm ISO: 200 F/22 Shutter speed: 1/30 |
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Oct-21-2007
Flying Home It was a beautiful evening on HW1 in California last weekend. The fog was rolling in, and these birds flew in to come back home.
Picture taken: Oct-13-2007
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 90mm ISO: 100 F/14 Shutter speed: 1/320 |
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Oct-09-2007
Jail Door of Chateau d'If Until the 16th century, If is an uninhabited island and the occasional haven of fishermen. It is Francois the 1st, who, during a visit to Marseille in 1516, assesses its strategic importance and gives the order to build a fortress on it. In a very short time, the fortress changes its purpose and becomes a prison. Rebels, ruffians and refractory galley slaves stayed there for more or less long periods. From 1689 onwards, the Protestants are thrown en masse into the unhealthy dungeons where many of them die. However, the fortress offers quite decent living conditions to distinguished prisoners. The most famous prisoner was without Jose Custodio Faria, whom Alexandre Dumas immortalized in The Count of Monte Cristo. After having received the revels of 1848 and the communards of 1871, the fortress lost its prison character and was opened to the public in 1890. As regards Edmond Dantes, the Count of Monte Christo, the chronicle of If has no trace of his imprisonment. On the other hand, the hole which he dug in the wall of one of the cells is still very visible. (From the official website of Marseille)
Picture taken: May-24-2003
Camera: Nikon F-801S Lens: 28-135mm ISO: 400 F/13 Shutter speed: 1/30 |
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Oct-01-2007
Peeping Johnny Look, it's a whole different world behind the doors.
Picture taken: Sep-29-2007
Camera: Nikon D80 Lens: 18-200mm ISO: 100 F/13 Shutter speed: 1/10 |
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Sep-23-2007
Roof of Chim Chim Cheree Remember that chimney song in Mary Poppins? Houses in Bruges, Belgium have these very characteristic step like roofs. Together with the cobble stone streets and bicycles, it's not hard to feel that one has returned to the land of children's tales.
Picture taken: May-15-2003
Camera: Nikon F-801S ISO: 200 Shutter speed: 1/30 |
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Sep-18-2007
Autumn Twigs This could be counted as an abstract, I suppose. I was working at a company surrounded by some woods and an equestrian park at the back. As long as weather permits, my colleagues and I will take walks in the woods after lunch, enjoying the sunshine, the fresh air and the sight of animals. On a couple of occassions I brought my camera with me, and this is one shot I took to test my macro filter, which is significantly cheaper than a macro lens and looks like a magnifying glass.
Picture taken: Sep-15-2004
Camera: Nikon F-801S ISO: 200 Shutter speed: 1/60 |
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Sep-09-2007
Fire Torches Autumn is here soon. Day light is noticeably shorter, and I'm starting to feel the coolness of the breeze. There seem to be some maple trees close to where I live. I'm waiting to see if they will be as brilliant as those in Gatineau.
Picture taken: Oct-01-2005
Camera: Nikon F-801S ISO: 200 Shutter speed: 1/60 |
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Sep-05-2007
Cooooooooooool Ripples It doesn't matter what kind of famous artworks that are displayed in New York MoMA, he had the most fun here.
Picture taken: Jun-02-2007
Camera: Canon Powershot SD700 IS Digital Elph ISO: 80 Shutter speed: 1/30 |
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Aug-28-2007
Keukenhof Park, Holland Keukenhof is a famous tulip park about 1 hr of train ride from Amsterdam, Holland. In the park, the trees and flowers (mainly tulips) arranged themselves into a picture which ever direction one looks.
Picture taken: May-13-2003
Camera: Nikon F-801S ISO: 400 Lens: 28-105mm Shutter speed: 1/30 |
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Aug-16-2007
Ottawa NAG Gate Miss Ottawa again. This is a pic I took the first day I got my little canon. I often go to the National Art Gallery in Ottawa, to see the exhibits, to see fireworks, to walk around the nearby Byward market.
Picture taken: Jul-30-2006
Camera: Canon Powershot SD700 IS Digital Elph ISO: 200 Shutter speed: 1/15 |
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Jul-29-2007
Radiation The abstract page needs some company. After taking up photography, I feel that I've also learned to look at things around me with a different perspective. The light, the texture, the arrangements..... all can be so different through a lens.
Picture taken: Jul-15-2007
Camera: Cannon Powershot SD700 IS Digital Elph ISO: 200 Shutter speed: 1/30 |
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Jul-26-2007
Fe in H2O Yellowstone is the first national park of US. It's been called as a photographer's heaven. I was there within 6 months of getting my first SLR camera 5 years ago, and I wonder if I could capture its beauty better today.
Picture taken: Jul-05-2002
Camera: Nikon F70 ISO: 200 Lens: 20-35mm Shutter speed: 1/60 |
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Jul-19-2007
Waterlily Waterlily is never speckled even though it came out from the mud. That was a line from an classical essay I learned years ago.
Picture taken: Jul-14-2007
Camera: Nikon D80 ISO: 200 Lens: 28-105mm Shutter speed: 1/400 |
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Jul-17-2007
MAM Gate It's my 3rd time going to Milwaukee Art Museum. I can always find something new and click away.
Picture taken: Jul-15-2007
Camera: Nikon D80 ISO: 100 Lens: 28-105mm Shutter speed: 1/30 |
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Jul-12-2007
Beach Walk Taking a walk on the beach along HW 1...... on Christmas day.
Picture taken: Dec-25-2006
Camera: Nikon D80 ISO: 100 Lens: 28-105mm Shutter speed: 1/640 |
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Jul-11-2007
Merry Or Creepy The kids on the Merry Go Around were really having fun. It's interesing how this pic without kids could suggest to another bystander "creepiness".
Picture taken: Jul-02-2007
Camera: canon Powershot SD700 IS Digital Elph ISO: 400 Shutter speed: 1/8 |
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Jul-10-2007
Purple Flame This was a fun pic to take. I didn't quite want to show what it exactly was. I've been given two guesses so far and both were wrong, so I thought it might be a good idea to use this pic to start my abstract page.
Picture taken: Jul-01-2007
Camera: canon Powershot SD700 IS Digital Elph ISO: 80 Shutter speed: 1/30 |
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Jul-09-2007
Storm One of the best things of having a little digicam is to be able to carry it anywhere. Today, right before a 10 min thunder storm, I was able to capture these images right outside of my office.
Picture taken: Jul-09-2007
Camera: canon Powershot SD700 IS Digital Elph ISO: 80 Shutter speed: 1/30 |
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Jul-08-2007
Sculpture This was taken on the bridge along North Michigan Avenue in Chicago.
Picture taken: Jul-02-2007
Camera: Nikon Lens: 28-105mm ISO: 1000 Shutter speed: 1/10 |
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Jul-07-2007
Boy In Sunset Remic Rapids is close to my home in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. After getting my little canon last summer, I went there almost every night after dinner with my roller blades. The sculptures were created by John-Felice Ceprano, a local artist by using the rocks upon site every spring since 1993. It's become quite an attraction especially during sunsets.
Picture taken: Aug-02-2006
Camera: Canon PowerShot SD 700 IS Digital Elph ISO: 80 Shutter: 1/15 |
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Jul-05-2007
Yellow Rose This is a really lucky shot. With the combination of natural light and a light above the flower, this yellow rose looks almost like a piece of jade.
Picture taken: Apr-29-2007
Camera: Canon PowerShot SD 700 IS Digital Elph ISO: 80 Shutter: 1/15 |
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Jul-04-2007
Chicago Night I went to Chicago a couple of days ago, and took this shot on the bridge along North Michigan Avenue. I took an architectural boat tour on the Chicago river and immediately fell in love with the city. Chicago is a phoenix rose from ashes. The people of the city started an endless effort to rebuild the city after a devastating fire in 1871. Aside from one skyscraper after another, they've also reversed the water flow from Michigan lake inwards in an effor to clean the water of the river.
Picture taken: Jun-30-2007
Camera: Canon PowerShot SD 700 IS Digital Elph ISO: 80 Shutter: 1" |
