Minnesota Landscapes

Having lived in Los Angeles for so long, I'd forgotten how gorgeous certain places in the world could be. I was immediately tranformed into a kinder person the moment I got out of the Minneapolis/St Paul Airport and headed to the city of Eagan to pick up my car rental. I took in big gulps of fresh air and felt an instantaneous crispier vision. It was as if a layer of haze was removed from my eyes. The August weather was perfect, being a bit on the cooler side, making the adventure of looking for my rental place an enjoyable activity.

What empowered me most from this trip were the majestic and serene landscapes, with their infinite stretches of pedestrian-friendly walkways and parks along the lakes. Everything was so lush and the colors so saturated and vibrant. It felt as if I had hi-def lenses implanted into my eyes.

The image above was taken on 8/7/09 around 9:23 AM on my way to Duluth. The overcast was much welcomed. There seems to be a story behind this photograph with the two people in the rowboat making their early morning excursion out on Lake Superior. The sky looks epic and painterly. I would have liked a bit more foreground colors to give it some visual interest. If I had waited a bit longer, I would have a better capture of the rowboat moving further out on the lake, but I'm happy to have captured this moment to document the scenery.

This image above was taken on 8/10/09 at 6:08 PM. I was mesmerized by the beauty of the golden hour colors pouring onto this bridge. I've read about how beautiful sunsets can be but have never truly felt it until then. The various hues danced their way sweetly on the platforms, yielding to a wide array of shadows and highlights on the platform. I'm especially pleased that the hottest spot in the photo was blocked by the wooden post on screen-right to minimized the lens flares.

This Week's Guilty Pleasures

-aromatic medium grind illy espresso coffee
-chunky chocolate chip cookies
-halequin intrigues and historical

Before-and-After Family Portrait

Not every photo is perfect, and to try and get a perfect photo can result in losing that naturalness and spontaneity, not to mention the time spent. Often times, we get so caught up on soliciting a mood from our subjects that we forget the environment, props, and lighting all play a major role in making a photo keep-worthy. Below is the before-and-after showing procedures:

Our primary objective was to keep the baby engaged for that perfect moment, so while juggling that, I pushed the red cloth napkin in camera to add some visual interest. We'd just finished with our sushi dinner and so the dirty plate had not been collected. At the time, while James was occupied with the camera, I was calling attention to Haley to focus, and as I evaluated the situation, I had this feeling that the plate will cause me grief later. Sure enough! It showed up like a sore thumb, so I had to remove it in post. The lighting was quite low, causing the subjects to blur, particularly on Cynthia and baby Haley, so I sharpened them up a bit, more so on Haley as I would like to make her the center of focus.

Haley and Family

James and I visited our friends recently to see how Haley has grown. She is starting to flip over on her belly, becoming more engaging with her eyes, and associating sounds with the movements on our lips. We went all out with our cameras and took many photos. Below are the few I chose to add some personal touches so as to remember those sweet moments.

I thought this 3/4 view will be useful for her parents to document her growth for the coming years. Love that shine on her lower lip.

Haley is beginning to form words, so while conserving energy from her recent flip, she decided to study the colorful shapes on the blanket instead.

We went out for dinner and Haley let her parents enjoy their food by sleeping through most of the event. She woke up just in time for this family portrait.

Inspirations from Spain

Initially, I went to Spain with the thought of taking lots of photos of buildings and landscapes. As it turned out, I ended up with more shots of people than concrete. Below are some photos of inspiration to document my experiences:

A freeze-frame of a beautiful Spanish-style dancer at Plaza Mayor. As I watched her dance and observed her rhythms, I was rewarded with this calculated moment when she made her turn. If this photo was all I took for that day, I would have been just as happy!

A low angle shot of James running up the staircase, which shows a glimpse of Castle Montjuic. The cloudy, overcast sky, particularly from this angle, gives it an epic feel.

A couple, seemingly in love, displays adoration for each other in the public square. This scene captures the poetic moment of romance, especially through its shallow DOF blurring out the streetlamps in the backdrop.

Although pigeons are a dime a dozen, this photo stands out in my collection. I like the naturally desaturated colors, drawing our attention to its amber colored eye. This was taken during my visit to a Gothic cathedral under construction. It invoked an image of those scenes from the movies where we see pigeons fluttering away high up from the bell tower, giving me a feeling of being a part of the medieval times.

Fish BBQ

This weekend was packed with events but life is what happens when one is busy making plans. Just finished uploading photos to Facebook of Arpi's BBQ gathering. Below are a few photos to document the evening:

Bruchetta-topped eggplants and bell pepper. Very healthy and delicious.


This over-the-shoulder shot of a little girl eyeing the dishes convey how eager I was to try some of the dishes.

Arpi's dad used a smoker to bbq his talapias. I was told that he smoked them with oak wood. The fish were really fragrant.

Then there's the home-made hummus. Arpi's sister, Sona, made it from scratch. It was absolutely delicious.

It seems like this blog is all about the food, but in truth, it is about a family who expressed their joy in having friends over for some fun and conversations. Before this, I have not tried Armenian food, so it was truly a wonderful learning experience.

Amber Photos

Below are photos taken of my niece in her first week of life. Today is her one-month celebration and my folks and I will be attending her gathering. I'm hoping to get these photos printed in time for her parents to add to their collection.

So instead of just printing out a plain image, I just thought it would be worthwhile to design a nice border with an embossed heart and her name on it. Just to be extra thorough, I think her parents would appreciate a date stamp of her first bath.



Below are photos taken in succession of Amber one day after her birth. I was busy getting my camera to focus correctly on her face and didn't realize her eyes were opened momentarily until I reviewed the photos at home. The whole time I visited her, she was always asleep. Because this was such a fleeting moment, I wanted to document it.

Miniatures

So I promise myself not to collect anymore. While I love miniatures, I'm also practicing the three "r's": reduce, reuse and recycle. I'm hoping that by documenting my collection, I can at least remind myself what I already have rather than not have.

Hot Buttered Rum

Recipe to a drink I'd like to try out one day:

dark rum (2 oz)
apple cider (8 oz)
cinnamon stick (1)
whole cloves (4)
butter (1 tsp)
nutmeg

Courage

"Courage is not the absence of fear. It is action in the presence of fear." -Anonymous

Robert Frost's "Nothing Gold Can Stay"

"Nature's first green is gold,
Her hardest hue to hold.
Her early leaf's a flower;
But only so an hour.
Then leaf subsides to leaf.
So Eden sank to grief,
So dawn goes down to day.
Nothing gold can stay."

Just a brief entry to express how beautiful and poignant this poem is!

Testing...testing...testing

My first blog entry.