Food Photography: Strawberry “Dessert” (Fuji X100)

Tried a bit of food photography in my DIY lightbox. Couldn’t find a basket of pinterest-approved rustic veggies or a hipster-loved mason jar full of god knows what. Instead, I crumbled nilla wafers, sliced strawberries, and dolloped a few spoons of inexpensive canned whip cream. My backdrop was a wooden board found in the garage.

Not bad!

My New Citizen Watches – Fuji X100

My Christmas Presents from Livi

Livi always gets me amazing presents, but this year was very special. These watches are a perfect statement of the personal style I’ve crafted over the years: simple, timeless, and subtle. Can’t wait to see how the leather softens and molds into the shape of my wrists.

Amiibo Photoshoot: Mario, Little Mac, Samus, and More! – Canon 7D

 

Took out my Canon 7D and 75-300mm lens and photographed some Amiibos. All of this was shot around the house using ambient light and my cellphone’s flashlight as fill. Ran color correction in Lightroom and that’s about it.

Blue Bottle Coffee – San Francisco, CA (Polaroid Automatic Land Camera 360)

 

I can photograph a person outside with relative ease but inside? Inside “street shooting” makes me nervous. I flinch. I double-think. I don’t shoot at all. Sometimes I think I’m being polite but really, I’m just missing the shot.

Here, I did not miss the shot. After a day of work interning at The Veteran’s Equity Center, my group members and I stopped by Blue Bottle in the South of Market district. They waited for their coffee and I waited for this lady to lower her gaze. She was reading quite intensely. From the giant “FRENCH” typed on the cover I assumed it was a tour guide or a language book.

I just love the diagonal tilt of the lighting. Feels very Edward Hopper-esque, only closer. The line across her face isn’t her hair – it’s mine. It was stuck inside the bellows, just behind the lens, and appeared in every subsequent frame. Does that count as a photobomb?

It Was A Dark And Snowy Night In Texas – Plano, Texas (Fuji X100)

Livi’s Mom: RANIER! RANIER! QUICK! IT’S SNOWING!

It is? In… Texas?

The first and last time I experienced snow was in 2000 at Angel’s Camp, CA. I was ten years old and the snow on the ground felt ten months old. It was hardened, like blocks of ice, but hey! I’m a Bay Area kid so I could care less! Snow angels, snowball fights, and snowmen, here I come!… Unfortunately, the snow was so stiff the snowball my oldest brother threw cracked the skin on my brother’s temple. He was pissed.

But this? This was wonderful. I never experienced falling snow so it was such a treat. I walked out with Livi’s mom, her brother, their dog Mila, and my dog Oso.

Handheld @ ISO 4,000

 

This shot blew my mind. I could actually see the snowflake shape on the tree stump. I had never seen it before. Maybe in art class cut out of binder paper, but not like this.

As I felt the gentle bodies of ice sleep softly on my cheek,  I was reminded of all the beauty and mystery of life.

  .

The Good (She)pherd – Oakland Zoo, CA (Canon 5D MkII)

 

This is one of my all-time favorite shots. Prior to this, I hadn’t even touched my cameras in months. Livi, my family, and I went to the Oakland Zoo as a learning experience for my nephew, Ariston. During the trip my brother-in-law, Mark, brought his newly gifted Canon 5d Mark II and was snapping away at giraffes, lions, and howler monkeys. Then, we walked in to the petting zoo barn and I saw this tiny, fleeting moment. A true H.C.B moment.

With the quickness, I borrowed the 5d Mark II in my hand, pretended I was interested in photographing the goat, and snapped this ONE photo. I felt like Clint Eastwood only less beard-y, more Asian, and less likely to talk to a chair. It felt good getting this shot. It was reassurance that YEAAA BABY! I STILL GOT IT! DADDY STILL GOT THEM MOVES!

I just love the ray of light beaming down on the little girl and the goat. Looks like it jumped off the page of “The Bible: For KIDZ” magazine – which I totally just invented just now.

WERKIN’ At The Car Wash (Yea!) – Sunnyvale, CA (Fuji X10)

One boring night in 2012 I stood up in bed, scratched my head and said, dammnit, I miss street shooting. So I went out and alleviated my artistic thirst. I drove around Sunnyvale at 12am and happened upon this brightly colored DIY car wash.

 

At The Recycled Bookstore: Campbell, CA (Fuji X100)

  

Going Somewhere? – Downtown San Jose, CA (Fuji X100)

  

Between Classes: San Francisco State University, CA (Fuji X10)