april 2011
Two races into the F1 season and it's looking to be a pretty exciting year so far! Of the rookies, I'm definitely rooting for Kobayashi and Sergio Perez after their impressive races so far. Perez and Di Resta in particular look not only incredibly fast, but calm in the car. Good stuff.
I've never tried drawing in Photoshop (mostly image manipulation), but out of a sense of ennui, I tested it out. So far, I'm not super thrilled especially compared to the blending in Sai (though I can't really run that anymore on the Mac), but I'm sure that it'll make a bit more sense when I get the hang of it. In other news, I nearly ran into something again this weekend yet again while looking at some clouds. I blame my childhood watching of Miyazaki's Laputa so many times that I can't help but look at a towering cloud and wonder what might just be hiding behind it. I'm sure it'll be better in the summer when there are things closer to the ground to catch my gaze (hah).
I can't really draw clouds, so this comic does it no justice. You get what I mean though. Cloud are awesome.
Edit: I've got clouds on the mind! One more shot. Drawing on paper is still definitely easier than on the tablet. For one, you can make a bunch of little mistakes and because of the physical properties of graphite in the pencil, you get this inherent shading that is more natural than what you get in a digital brush. It also helps when there is a 1:1 relationship between what you are drawing and where your hand is moving (not so with the tablet), and the actual feedback you get from the pressure on the pencil helps immensely (you are really just guessing on what the output is if you do it with the tablet). After studying clouds a bit more, their structure is really kind of interesting -- the folds in the most intense clouds are almost random but fractal, and it helps greatly to just layer on clouds on top of each other. I found it pretty difficult to give the clouds a true sense of volume... mostly because shading is difficult, but also because shading on a cloud is especially difficult since the water diffracts light in a way that it's not like conventional single-light-sources approach to shading everyday objects. Or maybe it's just me, who knows.
These are the kinds of clouds I'm trying to talk about. And when you see them coming over the Santa Cruz hills, it's really hard not to feel amazed (if that is the word).
I've never tried drawing in Photoshop (mostly image manipulation), but out of a sense of ennui, I tested it out. So far, I'm not super thrilled especially compared to the blending in Sai (though I can't really run that anymore on the Mac), but I'm sure that it'll make a bit more sense when I get the hang of it. In other news, I nearly ran into something again this weekend yet again while looking at some clouds. I blame my childhood watching of Miyazaki's Laputa so many times that I can't help but look at a towering cloud and wonder what might just be hiding behind it. I'm sure it'll be better in the summer when there are things closer to the ground to catch my gaze (hah).
I can't really draw clouds, so this comic does it no justice. You get what I mean though. Cloud are awesome.Edit: I've got clouds on the mind! One more shot. Drawing on paper is still definitely easier than on the tablet. For one, you can make a bunch of little mistakes and because of the physical properties of graphite in the pencil, you get this inherent shading that is more natural than what you get in a digital brush. It also helps when there is a 1:1 relationship between what you are drawing and where your hand is moving (not so with the tablet), and the actual feedback you get from the pressure on the pencil helps immensely (you are really just guessing on what the output is if you do it with the tablet). After studying clouds a bit more, their structure is really kind of interesting -- the folds in the most intense clouds are almost random but fractal, and it helps greatly to just layer on clouds on top of each other. I found it pretty difficult to give the clouds a true sense of volume... mostly because shading is difficult, but also because shading on a cloud is especially difficult since the water diffracts light in a way that it's not like conventional single-light-sources approach to shading everyday objects. Or maybe it's just me, who knows.
These are the kinds of clouds I'm trying to talk about. And when you see them coming over the Santa Cruz hills, it's really hard not to feel amazed (if that is the word).march 2011
Friday's earthquake off the coast of Sendai, Japan was one of the worst disasters to hit Japan in modern times.
If you can afford to do so, please consider donating to the relief effort (for example via Google's Crisis Response page)
If you can afford to do so, please consider donating to the relief effort (for example via Google's Crisis Response page)
Interestingly, the GF-1 has an feature called Extended Optical Zoom which was confusing since the camera showed it as being a possible setting even though I had my 20mm prime lens on (as good as the GF-1 is, it's can't bend the laws of physics to get more light than is optically possible through the lens). And digging into the manual and online, I discovered that this is not technically a zoom as much as it is using the cropped portion of the image sensor. The way it works is that if you set all the settings to meet the constraints (JPG only, no RAW, picture size < L), you can enable the EX-Zoom to effectively double the focal length of the lens by using a cropped portion of the image. Now, one should remember that this is only a perceptual doubling of the focal length, due to the fact that the lens is still constructed with fixed focal length in mind so the image isn't actually going to look like what you get with a 40mm lens and at a step backwards (the sense of perspective is still that with a 20mm lens). You might wonder why anyone would do this especially if you have to lower the picture resolution and all this can be done in post-processing... but actually, it provides an interesting alternative to a camera that is bundled with a nice fixed FL lens -- it allows you to fake the longer focal length, but also ensures that the white balance, (auto) focus, and exposure of the item that you are framing is actually correct when you take the shot (we all know that post-processing can't make up for a lousy shot). In addition, while the difference between 14mm/28mm (2x) or 20mm/40mm (2x) may be noticeable, the perspective difference between 100mm/200mm is significantly less pronounced, so this might be a way to take that 14-45mm or other lens and double the telephoto end!
So there ya go, that's why EX-Zoom exists on the GF-1.
EDIT: Another awesome result of this is that it allows the longer effective focal length, but at the same aperture! For a 20mm f/1.7 prime, it's pretty awesome to get a 40mm at f/1.7 as well for free. :)
So there ya go, that's why EX-Zoom exists on the GF-1.
EDIT: Another awesome result of this is that it allows the longer effective focal length, but at the same aperture! For a 20mm f/1.7 prime, it's pretty awesome to get a 40mm at f/1.7 as well for free. :)
february 2011
Despite what it may seem, I don't spend all my free time taking pictures... but they certainly are fun to post.
It turns out there's this really beautiful Japanese garden in Saratoga, and since I didn't really get a chance to stop by one last fall (in Japan none-the-less) I figured I would go check it out. Somehow the shots make the place a little more tranquil than it actually was (there were more people than I would have guessed for a February afternoon), but regardless, it's still a nice little place to sit for a bit and leave the hustle of the normal world behind.
Just coming off of a tiny waterfall
Sunset over the Santa Cruz hills in the background
I am strongly refraining from photoshopping happy dicaprio right in this one :P
Did you know this is where they filmed Memoirs of a Geisha?
It feels like you are in a different world when you look up
Each pebble is in its curated position for this shot
You can't tell, but this is a tri-fall
Lots of Koi in the pond
The main house in the garden, too bad you can't actually go in though
An alternate world
It was pretty neat just watching the koi from the bridge. A couple asked me to take a picture of them on the bridge (not pictured).. they looked so happy :D
The main house
Gettin' down (and not so dirty)
Up and personal
Cherry blossoms!
The sunset is really something else here in the bay area
I know I know, need to work on the white balance and exposure in some of these shots.. I'm workin' on it. :P
It turns out there's this really beautiful Japanese garden in Saratoga, and since I didn't really get a chance to stop by one last fall (in Japan none-the-less) I figured I would go check it out. Somehow the shots make the place a little more tranquil than it actually was (there were more people than I would have guessed for a February afternoon), but regardless, it's still a nice little place to sit for a bit and leave the hustle of the normal world behind.
Just coming off of a tiny waterfallSunset over the Santa Cruz hills in the backgroundI am strongly refraining from photoshopping happy dicaprio right in this one :PDid you know this is where they filmed Memoirs of a Geisha?It feels like you are in a different world when you look upEach pebble is in its curated position for this shotYou can't tell, but this is a tri-fallLots of Koi in the pondThe main house in the garden, too bad you can't actually go in thoughAn alternate worldIt was pretty neat just watching the koi from the bridge. A couple asked me to take a picture of them on the bridge (not pictured).. they looked so happy :DThe main houseGettin' down (and not so dirty)Up and personalCherry blossoms!The sunset is really something else here in the bay areaI know I know, need to work on the white balance and exposure in some of these shots.. I'm workin' on it. :P
Seriously, this is awesome weather for February.
Random pictures from around Shoreline.
Parked on the hills by the Shoreline amphitheatre.
I still have no idea what these things are!
So many canadian geese!
Ready for takeoff!
I like the symmetry.
I like the colours.
I love the contrast.
Damn, s'mores are so good!
Random pictures from around Shoreline.
Parked on the hills by the Shoreline amphitheatre.I still have no idea what these things are!So many canadian geese!Ready for takeoff!I like the symmetry.I like the colours.I love the contrast.Damn, s'mores are so good!january 2011
I'll be the first to admit that one of the things that I love about California is KQED and the numerous (often hilarious) programs found on NPR and PRI. If you enjoy the station as much as I do, then you should definitely consider donating in their current pledge drive as well.
If it weren't for these regular beatings, I would be just another ignorant fool!
If it weren't for these regular beatings, I would be just another ignorant fool!
Took a drive over to the east bay last weekend for the last showing of the Pixar exhibit at the Oakland museum (which was awesome btw), but had a few free hours in the afternoon so I decided to drive around Alameda looking for things to take pictures of and stumbled upon the beast of an air craft carrier that is the (now decomissioned) USS Hornet. For something its size, it was remarkably difficult to find, which one of the volunteers also remarked as I was asking a bit about the carrier's history. Having always wanted to go on an air craft carrier, I jumped at the chance and took a few pictures. Picture dump ensues.
For a city with such a reputation, Oakland is actually pretty interesting a place. This is the first time I've been in the east bay since living in Emeryville almost five years ago!
They have scramble cross walks in Chinatown! Just a little play with post processing tilt-shift :)
Neat graffiti on a van. I don't know why it was parked across from a children's park though...
The Oakland Museum of California. I missed the other exhibits, so I think I need to come back.
Warp 9.8
This picture really doesn't do the carrier justice... it is genuinely MASSIVE.
The last of a line of USS Hornet christened ships.
It was kind of odd, but they also had a Nasa exhibit on the hangar deck, including a recreation of one of the Apollo escape pods.
With quarantine facilities like this, I am genuinely surprised that we aren't all dead from some fatal alien disease already.
Pretty cool.
It's like a tiny robot!
Some cargo ships tied to the same dock as the carrier.
An old school prop training plane.
Took this one from a bit farther away to compress the perspective.
Looks pretty menacing!
The bridge on the island structure. The island is pretty massive as well.
Ah yes, the F-14 Tomcat, such a frickin' awesome plane!
End of the day. In more ways than one?
Want to race to the end of the deck?
Life in the cracks of a war machine.
Perhaps my favourite shot of the day. The Tomcat is such a slick machine, and I'm not only saying that because I watched Top Gun, haha.
The exhaust on the engine is large enough for a grown adult to sleep in. Crazy.
The "Grim Reapers"
A look up at the huge radio dish on the island.
Preparing for take off!
The inside of the carrier is even more ridiculous. There are like a million frickin' compartments, and I was genuinely lost for 15min or so trying to find my way from one end to the other. Really fun to explore though.
Just wanted to add some colour to the set.
July 1969, the same month and year that Neil Armstrong took his first steps on the moon. Amazing.
Miniatures rock.
The attention to detail is what makes the miniature.
I can't really tell if these are real guest signatures from the 50s or not.
Honestly, I didn't look behind the curtain to check. :) (I believe this is called the Bystander Effect?)
If this were Jeopardy, the answer would be "What is a bunch, paddling, or raft of ducks."
I liked the little christmas decorations (hard to see in this scaled photo) inside the bridge.
Damn straight!
If it ever gets up to 3 over, then people need to start bailing!
Shot from the bow.
I really like the colours of the tribute clock tower at night. They aren't actually based in that building anymore though. :(
For a city with such a reputation, Oakland is actually pretty interesting a place. This is the first time I've been in the east bay since living in Emeryville almost five years ago!They have scramble cross walks in Chinatown! Just a little play with post processing tilt-shift :)Neat graffiti on a van. I don't know why it was parked across from a children's park though...The Oakland Museum of California. I missed the other exhibits, so I think I need to come back.Warp 9.8This picture really doesn't do the carrier justice... it is genuinely MASSIVE.The last of a line of USS Hornet christened ships.It was kind of odd, but they also had a Nasa exhibit on the hangar deck, including a recreation of one of the Apollo escape pods.With quarantine facilities like this, I am genuinely surprised that we aren't all dead from some fatal alien disease already.Pretty cool.It's like a tiny robot!Some cargo ships tied to the same dock as the carrier.An old school prop training plane.Took this one from a bit farther away to compress the perspective.Looks pretty menacing!The bridge on the island structure. The island is pretty massive as well.Ah yes, the F-14 Tomcat, such a frickin' awesome plane!End of the day. In more ways than one?Want to race to the end of the deck?Life in the cracks of a war machine.Perhaps my favourite shot of the day. The Tomcat is such a slick machine, and I'm not only saying that because I watched Top Gun, haha.The exhaust on the engine is large enough for a grown adult to sleep in. Crazy.The "Grim Reapers"A look up at the huge radio dish on the island.Preparing for take off!The inside of the carrier is even more ridiculous. There are like a million frickin' compartments, and I was genuinely lost for 15min or so trying to find my way from one end to the other. Really fun to explore though.Just wanted to add some colour to the set.July 1969, the same month and year that Neil Armstrong took his first steps on the moon. Amazing.Miniatures rock.The attention to detail is what makes the miniature.I can't really tell if these are real guest signatures from the 50s or not.Honestly, I didn't look behind the curtain to check. :) (I believe this is called the Bystander Effect?)If this were Jeopardy, the answer would be "What is a bunch, paddling, or raft of ducks."I liked the little christmas decorations (hard to see in this scaled photo) inside the bridge.Damn straight!If it ever gets up to 3 over, then people need to start bailing!Shot from the bow.I really like the colours of the tribute clock tower at night. They aren't actually based in that building anymore though. :(
First post of the new year.
I think I want to do more writing this year, but until then, here is a random picture dump including some of shots of SF at night.
Warp 9.7
Gliding in the night
Sshhhhhhhh!
Peeking at the Transamerica pyramid
Mmm
Bokeh!
At the clock tower..
..and the ferry docks behind it.
Who knew these things actually worked?
I think I want to do more writing this year, but until then, here is a random picture dump including some of shots of SF at night.
Warp 9.7Gliding in the nightSshhhhhhhh!Peeking at the Transamerica pyramidMmmBokeh!At the clock tower....and the ferry docks behind it.Who knew these things actually worked?
Sup Abe? (Courtesy of