After that, I picked up my pass from the Clockwork Alchemy booth and headed towards SJCC to take a few quick shots of the happenings outside the con.

Trying to dodge the heat, I headed over to the Fairmont since I've scheduled a shoot with my friend @kissywan. We went to the fountain right out front since the Fairmont pool did not allow photos/video. We quickly found out that the water is recycled nastiness that's been collected and pumped out for who knows how long. It was shocking to watch people bathe in this and parents letting their children play around it. We wrapped out as fast as possible and GTFO there. 



I decided to snipe a few more shots before switching over to video. The sun was playing nice this time so I was able to get some solid footage (seen here). Enjoy the rest of the photos!

You might have heard of the quote “the best camera is the one you carry with you”. In my case, I carry my DSLR with me all the time. It’s pretty much unavoidable since photography is my full time gig, so being able to ditch 45 lbs of gear at home and just use my iPhone for fun stuff is very appealing but there’s a catch; Like most of you, I find it really frustrating editing photos on my phone. I would load up my phone with several different editing apps just to get almost the same toolset as Lightroom and Photoshop, but switching between apps gets mind numbing and slows my workflow to a crawl. Luckily, there’s Picsart!

Picsart not only brings all the necessary tool set under one roof, but they have a very active user base and original content. This all-in-one app combines blog, editing tools, photo contests, social sharing and editing together. White other apps feature only photo sharing, Picsart encourages others to connect, inspire and even edit other photos to showcase different levels of artistic interpretations using their editing suite. The possibilities are endless - for example:

Shooting sunsets with my DSLR requires bringing along a graduated ND filter and eyeball the right setting to nail the perfect exposure.

With Picsart, all I have to do is take two shots; one exposed for the sky and then the landscape and bring them together using Add Photo.

Line them up as close as you can..

And start erasing the other layer. There’s a doorway popping out into the horizon in this photo, so masking it out took me a few tries.

Lens flare! Yes, it’s a very cheesy effect but when used correctly, it can enhance an otherwise plain looking sunset. Adjustable opacity, hue and blending modes makes it easier to make the flare more natural looking.

I like using color gradients to bring out colors that I actually see that weren’t quite captured with my iPhone camera. This can also be used to make unique artistic touches.

And here’s the finished product! Overall, it didn’t take long to translate my photoshop/lightroom workflow over to Picsart once you familiarize yourself with the tools and adjustments. For me, this brings back the fun in photography and being able to shoot and edit on the fly is pretty awesome. I’m able to create content faster and with additional accessories like the Olloclip, the possibilities are endless!

It's that time again where I look back at everything I've photographed through the year and pick out my top favorites. I've skipped 2014 so I owe it to myself to make one for 2015. This year was huge for me - I left my job as a Dental Assistant to pursue photography full time. It has led me to interesting pathways and although the journey has been a roller coaster ride of highs and lows, it has lead me to very interesting situations and places. Nevertheless, here's my photographic essay of my journey.

automotive

One of my earliest shoots of this year was Boris' MKIV Supra right by Levi's Stadium. Ever since crashing mine years ago, I've always wondered what it would have been if I had it today; what it would look like and what mods it would have. I wouldn't be writing this right now if that was the case since I would probably have spent the years building it up instead of jumping into the financial black hole that is photography.
The Shukai meet in Japantown, San Jose was when I started experimenting with tighter shots of cars rather than revealing the entire subject. The builders put so much work in the details that it gets lost in a wide shot.

Another example of a detailed close up at Cars and Coffee in Santana Row.

The first time going to a GoPro GrandPrix as an employee's guest was a blast; free beer and churros plus the track was right next to the campground. This year didn't have that, so I was a bit more focused on shooting the race. 
Out of hundreds of slow shutter pan shots made, there were only a handful that turned out fine. Honestly, I was disappointed in myself that for a whole day - I couldn't nail a decent shot.
This was my first time shooting drift with my new Canon 400mm f/2.8 IS. It's a totally different beast than with what I was used to so I would practice panning shots on the freeway adjacent to my house. They end up sucking obviously, so fast shutter/frozen-in-time shots were the only ones that ended up okay.

slice of life

I almost didn't shoot this sunset at Pigeon Point Lighthouse until I stumbled on this weathered old phone booth. I had my Canon 11-24mm f/4 at the time so it made the interior more spacious than it looks. The dirt coating on the glass diffused the golden sunlight and the deep blue setting sky nicely.

My dad had a Leica M8 and a 50mm f/1 that I used occasionally when I want to take a break from shooting heavy gear. I have a three photos here shot with this setup.
Shot with the Leica M8/50mmf/1 combo (1/3) - The Pacifica Pier is one of my favorite places to shoot the sunset. 
My younger brother Christian bought his first DSLR last year and has been shooting with it constantly ever since. I wanted him to experience how to photographed people, so I suggested he starts of shooting his friends to get off on an easy start. His friend Maylee was up for the part.

For his birthday/Christmas present this year, my fam put together funds to buy him a Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 IS.

Speaking of Christian, here he is.

A shoot with Miss Philippines 2015. A bizzare re-edit of one of my photos was used in the Miss Philippines facebook cover photo. I guess they really wanted her to have a pink dress instead. 
 
My buddy Mike picked up the new Sigma 24mm f/1.4 and naturally I wanted to try it out. Nanette was awesome enough to model for me at the Palace of Fine Arts.
After a long day of shooting guns in the back country of Groveland, we stopped by a cliff side to check out the view.

self portraits

Yeah, selfies. The one thing I really don't like photographing is myself. I picked up a ring light along the way and I didn't have anyone to practice on. Pardon the unkempt facial hair.
With the help of Myron and Catherine, I was able to make a few portal shots. Here's one out at Davenport Beach.

Another one near the Golden Gate Bridge.

sports

I was super stoked that I was able to time lapse the NBA finals. This was during the end of the last game, I was on the balcony with DJ Umami to lapse the crowd getting lit. 
For FlexxMafi a's shoot, I had to rig a few softboxes to get that strip light effect. This was shot last minute in my garage with a hastily put together setup.
There was a time where I paid my bills by shooting swimming. 
I spent the first half of the day snowboarding, then decided to take photos after one too many Jameson shots taken at a bar on the summit.   

the ocean

 
I've always been fascinated with the ocean and sunsets. It has been a reoccurring motif this year and I consider myself lucky living within minutes to the most beautiful beaches in the world. 
After upgrading my 300mm to a 400mm and purchasing a 2x extender, I was able to have enough reach to do surf photography. I've always wanted to shoot surf, but never had the adequate gear. My friend David just got back into surfing, so we've spent a good amount to time trying to catch the biggest waves. 
I would love to experience what that guy is going through. Then again, there might be sharks.
Monterey is a nice place to visit when it's not foggy
For some reason, I always end up at Sutro Baths every time I go out to shoot sunset. 

Back to Davenport Beach again. There's something so intriguing about remnants of the golden age of the Industrial revolution.
The best part is when there's no moon at night. Another photo at Sutro Baths. There's always something new and exciting every time I come here. 
One of the rare moments when the planets align for an epic sunset moment.
Oceanscapes are just as mysterious as they are vast.

Right after the sun dips over the horizon and the sky erupts with colors, I was lucky enough to catch this surfer right before the wave closed up.
Shot with the Leica M8/50mmf/1 combo (2/3) - It took us almost half a year to plan it, most because of schedule conflict and distance, but we've managed to squeeze in a quick beach shoot before I have to leave right away to shoot a wedding.

cosplay

Shooting cosplay is where I get to shoot for fun. There isn't much room to take things slow when you're under pressure when shooting weddings and gigs, so it's nice to go on my own pace and try oddball methods. I started using my 300mm last year for portraits and again for this years cons. 
I like using superteles for portraits since just like cars, you'll miss out the fine details that these coplayers put into their craft that can be easily overlooked with a wide shot.
Plus you get the benefit of completely blowing up the background which gives you interesting color effects.
I like the challenge of it, which pushes me to think outside the box. I would often reposition myself several times just to get a flair effect just right using objects between me and the subject.
Sometimes you have to make the background work for you.
This was my first time bringing my strobes to a con. I hate the thought of lugging it around but after the sun started to set and the crowd started to gather indoors, I had to use something to overpower the fluorescent lights. 
After a complete gear overhaul, I'm excited to see what's in store for next year.

japan

With the 16th World Kendo Championships coming up, the folks over at San Jose Kendo Dojo are gearing up for their portraits for the press kit. 
I flew to Japan with Team USA to document the championships. While there, I did a little bit of sight seeing.
The famous Fushimi Inari-taisha was a sight to behold. It was a solid hike to cover the entire shrine, but worth it.
After the hustle and bustle of the daily routines of the Tsukiji fish market, there was an eerie quietness calmness amidst the buzzing of machinery. It was a challege shooting WKC with so many things going on in different courts.
Catherine Kikunaga steps into what would be her last match for Team USA.  

weddings / engagements

One of my favorite engagement sessions with Mitch and Angie.  
I feed off the vibes that couples put out during my shoots. Happy couple = happy photos! 
The best part of shooting one your best friend's engagement session is hanging out with your best friend. Rahmi and his fiance Ally poses for an epic Little Mermaid-inspired shot.  I was second shooting for Alex Wong for Steve and Kengsha's wedding when the clouds lit up with color during sunset.
The colors we so vibrant and the lighting was just perfect during the sunset.  The next couple of photos is of my Brother JR's for his wedding. The cherry blossoms at the Golden Gate Botanical gardens complimented Barry's shirt nicely.  It wasn't hard capturing the precious moments before the big day -  These guys were in bliss.
The scenery in Sebastopol made the wedding weekend epic.
Shot with the Leica M8/50mmf1 combo (3/3) - I told my brother to do the one thing that would annoy Barry the most. 
This shot needed a lot of work. There were several wedding guests bystanding in the back ground that needed to be removed  and a few lighting fixes to capture exactly what I have envisioned for this shot. I think it turned out pretty good.
One of the many fleeting moments of the night. 
A single flash can make all the difference in the world.
I like how this one turned out for being mostly natural light. The light was a good mixture of softness and intensity to make the perfect exposure.
I tried to recreate the same shot right outside the hotel room since the light in the lobby had the same softness but without the dark shadows. 
Wedding shoes can be pretty tough to shoot if you don't have much to work with, so you have to get back down to the basics.
I just rained an hour earlier before we showed up to the park. The water added a nice reflective surface on the rocky pathway. 
I was working against time before the sun completely dips in this photo. My softbox had a golden reflector when reversed, giving it that warm light to contrast the cool sky.  

And there you have it. I will leave you know of this photo of a seagull catching a crab

fin

I’ve been lucky enough to somehow score some passes for the VIP/Media event for this year’s San Francisco Auto Show thanks to the help with a few supraforums buddies. It was supposedly a suit and tie event, so I threw together a suite and filled my flask before I uber’d it over to the Moscone Center to check out the latest and greatest of the automotive industry.

After being ushered in the lobby, I descended down the huge mezzanine where I was greeted with free champagne and tri tip. Of the two hours I was here, I think I’ve spent more time here than actually looking around. Why you ask?

It’s like walking through a carpeted parking garage. If you get excited over a $38k Honda accord, then this event is for you. I mean, some of the cars aren’t bad, but you have to walk through isles of Chevy Aveos to get to the Camaro SS which looks exactly like last year’s Camaro SS.

BMW had this on display, which was a stark contrast from their post Chris Bangel travesties.

Here’s a few shots of Lexus doing what they do best; trying hard not to be BMW while doing BMW.

Look at this Veyron, which looks exactly the same as it was in 2005.

Ooh, cardboard fiber.

Oh hey, a Mitsubishi STD

LOL this ecotech turbo is bigger than my phone. This table displays the parts that you have to replace during the 100k mile maintenance schedule.

What’s this? The next Supra? LOL fuck no, its a hyped up prius sedan. You think Toyota would make anything fun again? Get real.

Is that a space shuttle simulator? No! It’s a driving simulator for their new F-150 where you take their new truck off-roading at the local Safeway’s pot hole filled parking lot.

Wow a mustang! A MUSTANG! Nothing is more basic bro than waving around a dealer spec sheet at the local ricer meet saying you can beat anyone in a race but won’t because technically the bank owns it and putting fart pipes on voids the warranty.

I’m so rich, my doors will ding your quarter panels instead of your door, you poors!

I thought Lambo doors were out of style in the 2000’s but hey, enjoy getting stuck in your $200,000 coffin when this thing flips belly-up on an embankment because Bobby 80 year old CEO wants to impress his 18 year old trophy misstress but couldn’t handle the power.

My homie presenting this PROTOTYPE corolla. What does it do? Does it go fast? Do you race it? Do you track it? I don’t know! All i know is that the ricer body kit is detachable judging from the way it was separating from the chassis from the melting double sided tape. I guess it’s a feature.

Yawn, 15 mins walking around the basic bitch section had me sleepy, so I hopped over the modified street cars to check out things that are actually interesting.

Way cooler than the stock cars. Time to finish this flask and go home but not before I swoop on 5 more champagnes since the tri tip ran out. See you next year!

I know I know, wear marks give lenses their own characteristics. But to hell with that, like it makes my photos look any different. I care more about client presentation that some romanticized imagery of a battle hardened pro with beat up gear – So I decided to pick up a bottle of Canon touch up paint.

My 400mm f/2.8L IS arrived in great condition save for a few wear marks mostly concentrated on the foot. After sticker bombing the hood with my logo, I looked online for methods other used to cover up the ugly wear marks. A few people praised the Tamiya XF-55 deck tan model paint but after picking up a bottle, I found it to a bit too brown and dark. Canon has a tiny can of their OEM paint going for $50 but since i’m not going to restore entire portions of the lens, I opted for the fairly cheap Canon White touch up paint from NEPhoto for $18.

Here’s the foot before painting.

Then after –

I cant even there it’s there. I went hog wild and covered up every brassing I could find on the body. The thing looks brand spanking new! Even under direct sunlight, I could barely tell the difference except for the areas that weren’t textured due to paint chipping. Oh whale.

This gets 4 thumbs up from me *throws feet in the air*

Shooting with Midnight Kumiko on a sunny day at the beach

It took forever for our schedule to free up, but finally me and Claudia had a few hours on a Saturday to pull of an hour shoot at the beach. For the shoot, I brought out the Leica M8.2 + 50mm f/1 in addition to my normal gear just to mix things up. See if you can spot the difference:


 

Leica M8.2 + 50mm f/1




 

After a long weekend at SacAnime, I had some free time during Labor day to go around the city and do some fun non-work related photography stuff. As I was packing up my usual kit, I stopped for a moment and remembered that my dad had a Leica M8.2. Since I was staying at my parents house for the weekend, I borrowed the Leica to shoot for the day and left my Canon setup at home.

It was refreshing to carry a camera body with 2 lenses weighing less than my Canon 1D X alone. I felt like I can move around normally and not think about shifting my weight to counter balance an equivalent of a 2 year old around my neck. It’s pretty stealthy and I like how it was much less intrusive snapping away while walking around the streets and wouldn’t nearly get as much attention as holding up a huge square camera with a forearm size lens.

For my first stop, I went to the Palace of Fine Arts since guaranteed there will be a plethora of tourists around because of the holiday. Once I started walking around, my expectations were not disappointed.

Leica M8.2

This particular model wasn’t as popular as the Leica M9. It was Leica’s first digital camera, so the technology was not as polished and it suffered a few quirks that gave it a bad rep. The M8 was initially released in 2007 and the M8.2 at 2011, it had a  1.3 crop factor (same size as the Canon 1D mark IV) 10 megapixel APS-H CCD sensor from Kodak. The sensor is really sensitive to IR, so sometimes black fabric appear to be purple. The M8.2 is upgraded with a sapphire glass rear screen and had a few cosmetic changes.

ELMARIT-M 90mm f/2.8

 

The 90mm is an older design but still pretty damn good. It suffers from flair since its basically an empty tube with the elements placed towards the front section. You an actually unscrew the two sections apart, but I’m not sure if that’s suppose to happen or if it became loose over the years. I like using flair in my photography, so it wasn’t a huge deal to me. The only issue is that at this focal length, it gets kinda weird since your viewfinder doesn’t “zoom in being a rangefinder and all, so it takes a while to get used to.

Noctilux 50mm f/1

This is by far my favorite 50mm. I have the plastic fantastic Canon f/1.8 and the ham beast f/1.2L and they can’t even come close to being as good as this. Wide open, the DOF and subject isolation is ridiculous. Stopped down, it’s sharper than my 11-24mm f/4L and 300mm f/2.8 IS. Leica took out all the stops when building this lens and spared no expense  and made no compromises. With a retail value of almost $10k, it performs superbly (as it should be). Even at 10 MP, it looks like it was taken with a high megapixel camera like the Canon 5DsR and scaled down. Micro contrast, sharpening and color all work together make your images pop out from the screen. The only downside I noticed with a lens of this age is that it exhibits some chromatic aberration, but then that can be easily corrected in post production.
There was a huge swan in the lake that happened to set up shop near me to dry off. I snapped a few shots to show how much clarity I can pull from its feathers. Of course, it was obliged to pose for a few shots.

Also within the mix, a few white herons take an opportunity to show off their stuff.
I was lucky enough to stumble on an Indian wedding when I was there, so I took the opportunity to take a few shots to test out the dynamic range capabilities of the camera. As you can see in this photo, the hot spots can be controlled without pushing the shadows too far, but then of course the sky is blown.  

While there was still a good amount of sun left from the day, I went to the Pacifica Pier to grab some golden hour shots and hopefully an orange sunset.

I wasn’t able to grab some shots of the sun dipping into the horizon since the battery died out. 306 photos seemed relatively low from a fully charged battery, but then again I was used to taking 200-500 shots by mashing my 1DX at 14fps. It was nice to take things slow once in a while and methodically think about my shots before even pressing the shutter button. I can see how Leica owners can become elitist since not only is the skill demand higher, but there’s something unique about how Leica glass renders a scene. Overall, the experience was truly rewarding and it brings me back to when I first started photography. It actually made it a whole lot more fun again.
 

I think i’ll take a few more batteries with me next time.

Bonus Shots

Before I show you the photos, check out a video I made!

Warning: long winded rambling ahead. Get your popcorn and favorite alcoholic beverage ready.

I started shooting back in 2002, when the sole purpose of photography is to take pictures of my friends and photoshop them into hilarious and compromising situations. Before the mainstream popularity memes and advancing complexity of photoshop, me and my friends would take photos from each other’s now-defunct friendster accounts and create intricate PaintShop Pro masterpieces. Armed with a lowly Casio whatchamacallit point and shoot and a huge 128MB CF card, the possibility were endless. I immediately upgraded to a Canon G5 and then to a Nikon D70s when the latter was stolen. The D70s was a game changer for me since it opened up the moneypit world of interchangeable lens and solid manual controls. It was upgraded to a D7000 when fellow ThoseAreNice photog Myron showed me his new T2i shoots videos. I was considering about dabbling into video work, but lets save that for next time. Nonetheless, this gave me that push to upgrade my gear with some serious glass. The 18-105VR kit lens had to go, replaced with a Tamron 17-50/2.8VC on the mid range and a Tokina 11-16/2.8 for the wide. I threw in a Nikoor 35/1.8DX for portraiture and bought a Nikon 80-200/2.8 AF-D from Alex Wong, which was later upgraded to a Nikon 70-200/2.8 VR. I was set and ready to take on some next level shit but first, what do I shoot?

 

2011 was my first Fanime (I don’t know why it took me that long to go to one). I’ve shot both photos and video during the event and since this was my first foray into the uncharted territories of cosplay photography, I didn’t really know what I was doing. While most shots are run-and-gun, it definitely motivated me to refine my style. 2011 Fanime was special to me since not only was I able to field test my new gear outfit, but also to see my favorite anime characters come to life via cosplay.

   

   

anon then came out with the 5D Mark III which fixes all the issues I had with the Mark II at the time. It wasn’t hard to dump all my Nikon gear through craigslist, the most difficult part of the switch now I have a legitimate reason to spend on exotic glass. I think half my paycheck of the entire 2012 year went to acquiring gear. Although it sounded like I’m just blowing money left and right without a thought about financial responsibility, it gave me leverage to jump start my own photography business. I shot 2012 FanimeCon with this new setup and again, I found myself venturing into unknown territory; It was my first full frame camera and it was a system that was completely different from my trusty D7000. After leaving BorrowLenses at the end of 2012, I ventured out as a full time professional photographer. I was kitted out with the best what Canon has to offer; 16-35mm/2.8II, 24-70mm/2.8, 50mm/1.2 and a 70-200mm/2.8ISII.  And then again, I was ready to take on some next level shit but first, how do I make a living?

It wasn’t easy.

I sort of took a break from 2013 Fanime since I was focused on shooting weddings, motorsports and anything else that brings home the bacon. There wasn’t any time to shoot anything that I wasn’t getting paid for and getting “credit” for work won’t make my credit card payments go away. In the past, free work has led me nowhere except to the possibility of more unpaid work, so shooting fun things have to put on the back burner. The skill level and technical proficiency required to get into this lifestyle is set pretty high, so it’s either that you’re pretty damn good or you’re eating leftover instant ramen rationed from the night before.

It was a rough year, but from it, I’ve gained invaluable experience. Things started to settle down and once again I had time to shoot for fun. Along the way, I had a few major changes in my gear lineup. Some of my gear went to fellow ThoseAreNice photogs; the 5D mark III the to Myron and my 24-70 went to Ed. I picked up a 1Dx, 6D, Sigma 35/1.4 art, and a Canon 300mm f/2.8 IS along the way and used it to shootFanime 2014.

So it pretty much leads me here, my current state of this ever evolving style of photography. I found my niche with my 300mm since no one in their right mind would haul a supertele around Fanime. I like the challenge of shooting subject with unconventional gear, so the 300mm focal length for cosplay photography was the perfect choice. Normally cosplay photos are taken to showcase the costume in its entirety, but I opted for something more personal and nothing gets more personal than someone pointing a big ass lens at you from a distance. Using motorsport photography as inspiration, I wanted to get the “moment of” emotions typically seen with portraits of drivers prepping for a race. I don’t really want to show case the costume, but by the way the cosplayer gets into character from it.

This unconventional choice of gear leads to unconventional methods of using it. I have to remain unnoticed while dodging other photogs just to get that angle right. More often than not, the majority of the photos suck but with the pile of shit, a handful of gems emerge. Setting my 1DX at 10fps lets me capture fleeting moments of transition before anyone notices and stop to look for the idiot that’s burning through their shutter. I don’t care, I’m there to take my shots, not give each other handjobs and high fives. I’d rather give myself handjobs and high fives, so here’s the rest of Day 1

 

 

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Police presence was obviously hiked up this time since we've all seen the mayhem that happened after the 2010 and 2012 World Series. I found out later that the peaceful loving people of San Francisco end up making intersection bond fires anyway. No buses were flipped this time (I think).

News coverage at Civic Center was on point. Called in to report an ebola cure? Its not going on air tonight motherfucka

It was pretty cool to see news crews work on mobile editing stations

And whats a World Series game without drums and weed?

Good to see some 49er flags within the crowds. They should hire Bruce Bochy to coach them.

We saw KRON4's news anchor Stanley Roberts behaving badly.

I saw this poor pizza delivery guy walking within the crowd, desperately trying to find the person that ordered it.

It was the ninth inning and the tension was high

And the Giants Won! Even-year bullshit is alive and strong!

Illegal Fireworks Everywhere!

This guy predicted the outcome on his sweet Tahoe (or Denali? I don't know, same thing)

While everyone was basking in the glow, I hurried back to BART to avoid the shitstorm that was brewing

Congratulations San Francisco Giants!