Well, where to begin? Gonna’ keep this post short and sweet (hopefully). It’s been well over a year since I’ve last updated this…who knows if anyone still reads this (or ever read it to begin with, ha!). But I have since gotten into and started studying for my Doctorate of Physical Therapy at Rosalind Franklin University in North Chicago. I’m coming up on my first year. In fact, today is the beginning of finals week (wait, shouldn’t I be studying?) and I’ll be heading off to Portland, OR for six weeks for my first clinical rotation in June!

Enough about that, what have I been up to photography-wise? Regretfully, not much! I haven’t had the time! Although I have been accumulating some new gear (that’s what gearheads do, after all). Anyway, one of the cheaper pieces I got was a Neewer 72mm IR filter for my 35L. I don’t plan on getting too serious with IR photography, so I didn’t wanna drop a couple hundies on a Hoya R72. And for $15 with Amazon Prime (risk free), I have to say that I’m pretty damn impressed!

I’m still learning how to process IR photos, but here is my very first color edit!

I’m normally not into taking these shots, but tonight’s sunset was too wicked. Unfortunately, the version of ACR I have doesn’t support RAW files from the 5D2, so I had to process the JPEG. Also processed this on an uncalibrated monitor. In hindsight, it looks overprocessed. Oh well, I’ll redo it when I get back on my computer.

Click here for high resolution.

It literally looked like the city was on fire. It immediately reminded me of Paris in Flames, one of my favorite Thursday songs.

Not that it has anything to do with this picture, but my favorite verse from the song:

There is no sunlight
The sunlight is manufactured in a windowless room
Distant and incoherent
Businessmen hang themselves

Flying out to New York on Sunday for an interview with New York Institute of Technology on the 11th. And then it’s off to Chicago for an interview with Rosalind Franklin University on the 15th. Kinda nervous for both, so wish me luck!!

I also have two shoots booked in each city, so I’ll have my hands full the entire week. Can’t wait!

2011 is going to be a great year!

I think this lens is a great value at $300 BNIB shipped. Cons? Plastic body, definitely won’t take abuse well. No USM, meaning loud/noisy/obnoxious AF motor. Pros? Price, great bang for the buck. And despite the lack of USM, AF is quick and accurate.

*Thanks to Nij for the belt and Holga 15b flash. I’ve been looking for a brown belt for a couple months now. The brown belts I’ve come across were either too dark or light. This one is perfect. And the Holga 15b flash is something I’ve been thinking about ordering ever since I got the Holga 135bc.

*Thanks Na-umb-skees for my RVCA t-shirt. Everyone at CGP knows I love my RVCA.

*Thanks Greggie for the official beer pong balls. They’re official.

We were scheduled to depart at 10:15am Friday morning, but just as we arrived at the airport I received a text message from Southwest notifying me that the flight was delayed to 12:00pm. Not long after it was delayed to 12:15pm. Ugh. A 2 hour delay? Really? But that’s not the end of it. Of course not. As 12:15pm approached and we haven’t been called to board the plane yet, I received yet another notification of a delay. This time to 1:30pm…and then 1:50pm. We took off around 2:05pm.

Took BART to Anny’s pad. Man I wish San Diego and LA had mass transportation like this. San Diego has the trolly, but it’s nothing like BART.

Anny was stuck at work when we arrived, but her landlady generously let us in.

I didn’t have plans, but Anny was hosting a little Christmas get together for her friends and I joined. It was a grand time.

And can I just say that Anny is an awesome cook? Everything she made was cooked in a toaster oven! From the brie, brown sugar smokies, a stuffed mushroom dish, and to the chicken casserole. It was all amazing.

Adot had a shoot scheduled with Jenny from Model Mayhem (whom he met through my casting call, by the way ). Jenny directed us to the Golden Gate Park for the shoot.

Grabbed some shabu shabu and sukiyaki after picking Anny up from work.

The weather was somewhat clearing up, so Anny took us to the Golden Gate Bridge after dinner…where I nearly froze to death.

Found some awesomely soft window light at Anny’s pad, so naturally, I had to see if it looked as good on camera as it did through my eyes and in my head.

And yep. It did. Anny before dropping her off at work on Sunday.

Did some driving and exploring around SF after dropping Anny off at work. Found this cool garage pattern and had Adot jump out of the car for a couple shots.

And what would exploring a new city be without getting a little lost? Heh. Nah, it was fairly easy to get around (thanks to my iPhone). I will so, though, that drivers in SF are crazy.

Found an awesome ramen house (Genki Ramen). Highly recommend it if you’re in the SF area. I had the curry chicken katsu ramen with a size of gyoza.

And of course we had to make a trip to the famous Fatlace in J-town. It turns out Anny knows one of the guys, Tim, that works there. Dropped Anny’s name and a few bucks later I left with an “ill” zip-up hoodie. Above is my first attempt using the video function on my 5D2. I know. I need practice. But I’m going to give a shot at editing it with Adobe Premier later today. I’ll update this post with the new video…if I’m successful. In the mean time, check out Bomb Squad.

I knew I had to do at least one shoot, especially after finding that sweet window light. I had the pleasure of shooting with Liana from Model Mayhem on Sunday. We were actually scheduled to shoot on Friday, but as mentioned earlier, that was canceled on account of rain. I texted her Sunday morning asking if she had time to shoot. Fortunately, she finished a morning shoot earlier than expected. The shoot was last minute and cut short, but we made the best of a poor situation.

And of course I had to break out the Instax 50s (among other film cameras, I’ll have them developed ASAP).

The debut of my first sample shirt. The final release should be available January, 2011.

Swooped Anny up from work.

And what would a Southwest flight be without another flight delay? Luckily this time I received the notification prior to being dropped off at the airport. Our flight was delayed from 9:00pm to 10:55pm, giving Anny a couple hours to give Adot and me a LAST minute tour of SF.

And finally, it was time to say goodbye.

Thanks to Anny and SF (despite the rain) for a good time!

I received my Canon AE-1 Program from BH today. I must say that I’m kinda disappointed…with BH, not the camera itself. I called BH prior to placing my order specifically to ask if this particular AE-1 Program came with the action grip. The gentleman I spoke with confirmed that it did. And today I received it grip-less. Not to mention it came with a Nikon lens cap! Blasphemy! Not a big deal, but something I thought they should have mentioned (whether on their website or to me on the phone).

Needless to say, I’m going to return it. The A-1 is the better camera, anyway. Especially at the price I got it for. If you’re wondering why I got both, it’s because I wasn’t anticipating getting the A-1 when I purchased the AE-1 Program online. By the time I found the A-1 on Craigslist, the AE-1 Program was already shipped and on its way.

I’m finding that the best part about classic SLRs is…cheap lenses! I just picked up a Canon 28mm f/2.8 for $30 shipped on eBay. It arrives Monday. Can’t wait to use it.

Not long after I was shopping at Urban Outfitters when Holga’s 135bc toy camera caught my attention. I’ve seen some people achieve interesting results with this, so I figured what the heck? The Holga does not have a meter and does not require batteries. As a result, it has a fixed aperture and shutter speed. Well, it does have an aperture switch that supposedly allows you to alternate between f/11 and f/13, but this switch has proven to be useless and the aperture remains constant. The only way you can adjust exposure is with film speed (unless you’re in bulb mode and doing a long exposure).I put my first roll through it and am disappointed, though. It has 4 focusing distances, none of which are marked with numerically. Instead, they are marked with stick figures. The manual does explain what each represents, but I don’t remember what they are. And because the viewfinder is independent of the lens, you can never really be sure that the subject is in focus. It’s just going to take practice and learning what each focusing distance is.

Because the Holga is so plasticy and slow, I began searching for a Lomo LC-A+. I was lucky enough to find one on Craigslist. The body is metal and the lens is glass – a huge step up over the Holga. It’s also a fixed lens, but at 32mm @ f/2.8. However, unlike the Holga, the Lomo has a built in meter and has variable shutter. I haven’t put a roll of film through it yet, but I have much higher hopes for it than I did for the Holga. Albeit, I am expecting poor to mediocre results for the first few rolls at best. It also has 4 focusing distances and a viewfinder that is independent of the lens. The Lomo, however, has the focusing distances labeled on the camera. I just have to practice estimating subject to camera distances and I’ll be good to go.

I’ve been looking for a clean AE-1 Program and thought I might have last week, but it turned out to be a dud. Luckily, the seller (whom I found on Craigslist) was nice enough to take it back. Maybe that was for the best as I was able to find a Canon A-1 in remarkable condition on Craigslist today. The body has maybe two very minor blemishes, but aside from them its condition is incredible considering its age. The gentleman I purchased it from included the standard 50mm f/1.8 FD lens, two sport grips, two battery doors, two batteries, and a fresh roll of film. I anxiously shot the 24 exposures when I got home and had them developed this evening. I must say, I’m quite impressed. The only errors were mine, not the A-1′s. Manual focusing isn’t as difficult as I thought it would be, but I’m still a tad slow at it. Overall, I’m very happy with this purchase.

Lastly, I wasn’t planning to buy this, but it was a deal too good to pass up. I found an Olympus Stylus Epic (mjii) For $26 shipped on eBay. I see them sell for $75+ normally. The film door does have a small crack, but it still appears to be light tight. Worst case scenario, I find a way to seal it. Aside from the crack, the body and lens are in pristine condition. This is the version that is sought after for its remarkably fast f/2.8 lens fixed at 35mm. I haven’t received it yet, but I am looking forward to seeing what all the fuss is about first hand.

Side note(s): In less than 24 hours, I will be DONE with my undergraduate career! Short of graduation, of course. But no more classes. No more finals. At least until I get into graduate school. Oh, and I just checked the weather for San Francisco…it’s scheduled to rain ALL three days I am there!

Bought a round trip ticket to SF for next weekend as a mini graduation present to myself. Just finished my last undergraduate class this morning, but now I have three more finals…and I’m dunzo!