Hogwarts

 Diagon Alley
Orlando, Florida

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter was overrated...or so I thought before I experienced it for myself. It was grand, fantastical and made me unbecomingly childish. The butterbeer tastes like everything a butterbeer should be - every nook and cranny of Diagon Alley needed to be explored. Best thing? The Forbidden Forest ride, in Hogwarts castle...I geeked out, not to mention it was the best BLOODY ride ever. The seamless integration of spherical projection technology and 4d experience was amazing realistic.

At the gates of Diagon Alley, there was a life size replica of Hogwarts Express. I played all day, and the train was brightly illuminated for the night. This was the only non-blurry picture I had. It was alright but didn't have the 'magic' of Harry Potter. After a lot of experimenting in post-process, I hit a block and could go no further. 

The chocolate frogs on the other hand, were beautiful displayed in the windows. Honeydukes was had the most delicious display which spanned across their walls. The frog was just...chocolate, but the packaging is a splendid keepsake. 

Hikari II

 Model: Yuan

It's not really spring, but not really summer. The type of light contentment the mellow weather brings.

The day was pleasantly warm and brilliantly lite. There was faint hints of clouds in the sky, and occasionally it covered the sun to diffuse the light. This scenic route near an elementary school has grass, flowers and open skies. Pretty ideal for the Japanese style we were going for.

And the best part? Wind. There was a soft breeze that came every so often and in those moments we went crazy. She moved around to find the poses while I snapped like a mad person to capture the breeze. I like to think the fun we had can been seen in these pictures...after all, the key to this particular style is muted contentment!

Post process for this is surprisingly hard. There is a fine balance between saturation and exposure. The color should be vivid, but muted at the same time. It drove me crazy experimenting with the lighting. I like how it turned out, but it didn't match my expectations.

Does anyone know how to achieve this effect without it looking dirty and grayed out?

Hikari

 Model: Yuan

It's not really spring, but not really summer. The type of light contentment the mellow weather brings.

We had wanted to achieve the light Japanese style portraits and decided her kitchen was the best place. The walnut cakes were delicious, and the smile was true...just us enjoy the simplicity of the moment. 

More pictures to come!

Sakura

High Park
Toronto, Ontario

I almost missed the cherry blossoms in their late bloom. It was a overcast day, and I headed to High Park right after work. The park was packed full of families, couples and photographers. I took sporadic shots from below, but never finding the right angle to layer the flowers. This shot was by chance.

Next time, I want to shot portraiture in the cherry blossoms. The complexity and texture of the petals would be an amazing backdrop. 

Riveting

Model: Cass

Unplanned photoshoot. A friend came down to use the studio and invited me to drop in on his photo session. He set up the lighting, and welcomed me to try out the flash. This was the first time I was in a studio environment, and WOW...overwhelming. You have to know the type of light, the distance, where to position the model, the F-stop, the light drop off...

NEW KNOWLEDGE.

I was intimated by all variables and took a few shots under his direction. It came out well. The lighting was perfect, but it lacked complexity in the background. I didn't know how to post process it until half a year later!

Verdict: Experiment with studio more. Prefer natural lighting (for now).

Penjing

Lands End
San Fran, Cali

By miracle I found THE spot. The place of absolute picture perfection.

At the western end of the peninsula there is a trail called Lands End (fitting for such a mystical place). It some distance away from the city and I came across it in my travel research. Boasting land, water, sunset and hiking trails...I was just looking to fill up my days in San Fran. I'm from Canada, nature scenes are no biggie. 

But when I got there...well, pictures to come and speak for themselves. This photo was taken on my 3rd and last day. It was a little past sunset, the drizzling finally stopped and lighting conditions were dim. I saw a groove of interestingly placed trees jutting from the cliff-side and impulsively took the shot. I must have knelt in that muddy trail for hours trying to take a non-shaky picture (really need a tripod). My frozen fingers seemed to make a stable base cause the pictures turned out alright. 

Homme

Model: Thomas

Another unplanned photoshoot. Once again I leeched onto my friend who came down from Toronto and used his session to take a few pictures. The lighting and flash settings were set by him, and I pushed the shutter.

It was as rare opportunity for me to take pictures of a male model (why are they so rare?) so I jumped at the chance to experiment with dramatic lighting. Emphasizing the hard lines and rough textures...of manliness. I used the lighting reference from GQ shots and what I couldn't achieve, I post processed. 

I'm still not comfortable with studio setups, but there's so much diversity in the lighting. One day...

Beaux-Arts

City Hall
San Fran, Cali

Nice place, cool architecture, fantastic natural light. I took a few photos. I didn't spend much time at the City Hall since I was chasing my travel itinerary. 

I kept on seeing these beautifully shot architectural photos on 500px and I wanted to try it out. The City Hall had the right type of design and I jumped all over the place trying to find angles. I wish I had references from the greats photographers, to make a story out of building. To capture a moment of the City Hall as a structure in this time, this point in history. Unfortunately, the photos did not match my thoughts.

But I finally tried my hand at HDR in post process...sort of.

Arboretum

Conservatory of Flowers
San Fran

The Conservatory of Flowers is what I imagine a 1900's century solarium would look like. Humid, green and the scent of dirt and flowers illuminated under a great glass dome. It was a pleasant surprise. There was a quixotic romanticism in the flower arrangements and everything looked so lush. I enjoying the muted sunlight for a while before the taking photos. 

The photos didn't come easily. The greenhouse was so humid that my lens fogged up. No amount of wiping cleared away the condensation fast enough so I ended up running back and forth between a cooler climate room and the garden. But sometimes, the haze gave the pictures a dreamy effect. 

Summer Marmalade

Model: T

Summer time in December, such ridiculously good weather only exist down south. We didn't really plan out this photoshoot. Not impromptu, since I wanted to take pictures of her for the longest time, more like "what's in your closet". We dug out a classy white dress and went out to her patio. Threw together a fancy breakfast selection - tea, orange and chocolate.

It was a...giggly start, we experimented with different looks or scenarios (you too a bite of the orange and it's the most succulent fruit you've ever tasted so you look '?') to set the mood before establishing a flow. It became quite apparent her smile was the charm.

Classy!

Spine

Mountain Range
Colorado?

Truth be told, I have no idea where this is. It was on my flight to San Francisco and at sunset. The light were brilliant rays of red and pink...it was the first time I seen the intense hues that characterize Colorado sunsets (well, Colorado in my mind).

I took a lot of pictures up in the air. Bumped my lens into the windows to find the right angles. Cursed at the airplane wing that blocked the scenery. At one segment, patches of cloud spanned below us and it looked like pink silk blowing in the sky.  

This picture was taken in the last moments of sunset. I took out the wing, upped the saturation and sharpened the peaks.

Flamboyance

Jungle Island
Miami, Florida

Not going to lie, but I am very happy with the how this picture turned out. It had been a terrible day but this picture was worth it.

It was New Years day, and everything was closed. Jungle Island was one of the few open attractions so I set out with no map, no phone and hope the public transit will direct me there. As it turns out, some locals were friendly...a bit too friendly and a little more than sketchy. Being a lost solo female traveler is never fun. 

When I finally hit Jungle Island, the park was surprisingly full. Family and couples milled in enjoyment, once again I was reminded of my...solidarity. I walked around aimlessly to see what I can shoot before coming to Flamingo Lane. The flowers were in bloom and thickly surrounded the enclosure. The colors! The contrast! Luckily the day was overcast so I was able to capture the full scoop of colors. 

Post process went quickly. I intensified the saturation and blurred/masked different regions to get the dreamy effect. 

Up in Air

Mountain Range
Colorado?

I took a lot of pictures up in the air. Bumped my lens into the windows to find the right angles. Cursed at the airplane wing that blocked the scenery. At one segment, patches of cloud spanned below us and it looked like pink silk blowing in the sky. ​

I wish I was outside the plane, to have an unobstructed view of the world. 

Pastel Beach

South Beach
Miami Beaches, Florida

Got to the beaches around 8am, devoid of people. The brightly colored chairs covered the beach and sunlight was relatively weak. 

I went around snapping pictures left and right, absolutely loving the pastel tones. It felt like summer!

Dusk

South Beach
Miami Beaches, Florida

It was my last day in Miami, so I decided to enjoy sunset at the beach.

Interesting cloud formations circled the skyline and cargo ships looked like toys in the distance. This was a quick snapshot of that peaceful moment before I packed my camera away.

Tiger

Animal Kingdom
Orlando, Florida

Disney - does things right. Every habitat was like a story and filled with artifacts of region. The tiger was lazing by the painted wall while people ogled from behind the glass. The enclosure was anything but nature...still, it's fantastic for pictures.  

Jako

Puerta Maya
Cozumel, Mexico

My favorite picture...ever. It's sweet, in a morbid black comedy way.

We were waiting for the tour buses by massive orange doors, when a kid noticed the pressed gecko between the door frames. We were told there was lizards, but I never thought I see a mummified one. Looking closer I noticed a spider was immortalized too...holding hands with it's natural enemy. An macabre if unlikely friendship. 

Telegraph Hill

Telegraph Hill
San Fran, Cali

The booking promised a view and we got it. We stayed in the Hilton near Chinatown which overlooked Telegraph Hill. Every morning and every night, I would take pictures from our window. This was the best of the bunch. Tilt-shift done in post.
 

Dragonfly

Vizcaya Museum
Miami, Florida

Simple shot in a grand place. The Vizcaya Villa is a magnificent architectural space, and the garden were particularly magnificent. I saw a dragonfly land on a fountain sprout - the murky water perfectly reflected the sky. Everything was still. 

Versailles

Legion of Honor
San Fran, Cali

I wandered through the museum looking at the different period pieces and this was the last exhibit. Adornments from the Palace of Versailles. 

I almost started hyperventilating in effort to contain my excitement. The spotlights illuminated each piece in warm clarity, and the mirrors which lined the walls provided further intricacy. I was looking from shadows to the mahogany to the glittering gold...every detail was so perfect (want to draw it). I had a hell of a time trying to keep my hands steady, but the focus turned out well.