Browse Category: photos

What a great day!

Today there was no school so I got to hang out at home and write my reports. I think the dog appreciated not being stuck in the garage today too. Amazingly, I managed to finish 1 1/2 reports today! I also went to lunch for some Korean food with Jesse, my cousin Pish, his wife Debbie, and her co-worker. The best part of the day, however, was the unexpected delivery of TWO cameras!! Our Canon SD400 came this morning and my Holga came this afternoon. All these came just in time for my trip to SF/Napa this weekend. Michelle, Ryan’s wife, will help me tape up my Holga and get it ready for my photo excursion. I can’t wait! Ah…life is good when you don’t have to go to work.

shutterbug is feeling antsy

Last weekend my digital camera gave up on me. I bought it back in 2003 and almost 2 years later, the autofocus is no longer working. Is the life of a camera that short or did I just kill it by using it so much? Anyway, with 2 weddings and plans to go up to Napa this month, I’ve been feeling really antsy this week. I am back to my trusty 35mm SLR. I love my Nikon but there’s just something about digital photos that I’ve become fond of. Perhaps it’s the instant gratification of seeing your photos right away and maybe it’s the flexibility of taking whatever you want whenever. All I know is that I’m itching for a new camera and there are so many options! What is a shutterbug to do?
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Speaking of weddings, we have Ti and Thilan’s this Saturday. People from all over are flying into town and we get to all hang out again. What’s special about this one is that Dayantha’s younger brother is marrying Huy’s younger sister…how sweet. It’s going to be huge considering both sides have lots of family and friends. It’ll also be interesting to see how they mesh Vietnamese, Sri Lankan, and Catholic cultures into one big celebration. Stay tuned…

Woo hoo! Only $75 to go!

Just yesterday, my istockphoto account hit $25! It’s taken me about 6 months to get that far. I only need $75 more dollars in order to cash out! Haha. It’s going to take forever. Johnny got a head start and is up to at least $50 now. Boy, I’m not sure how I’m going to catch up and beat him. Hopefully I’ll be able to get some cool shots up in Monterey. I’m thinking the only way to catch up or at least be in contention is to get a camera with more megapixels (downloads of large files make more money).
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The debate between 35 mm cameras and digital cameras continues…
35 mm SLR pros: great print quality, versatile lenses, quick shutter speeds
35 mm SLR cons: big and bulky, more difficult to use for websites, photos are more difficult to share
compact digital pros: no waiting for film processing, photos are easy to share with friends, camera is usually smaller too
compact digital cons: prints still suck, shutter speed too slow, less creative options
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Now the other thing to consider is the digital SLR (particularly Nikon D70), which I’ve had my eye on for some time now. I’d get the ability to use my existing Nikon lenses, it has a faster shutter, and I’d have the convenience of digital photos. However, it’ll still be big and heavy and it’s still rather pricey. What’s a girl to do?!
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—We’re leaving for Monterey tomorrow morning before the birds even wake up. I’m looking forward to seeing the sea otters in the bay. Kayaking should be a hoot.

Photos courtesy of Beakatude

We went to Vegas this weekend for a little project. Jes’ friend Kevin wants to build a website for his restaurants so I had the opportunity to take some photos for him. Sounds fun, huh? Not really. Photography has always been a little hobby of mine but I’ve never had to actually do it well. With my Nikon and 6 rolls of black and white film in hand, I got free roam of the kitchens. The dim sum chef even made some dumplings for me so I could get some close-ups. It was sort of fun but I can’t help worrying how the prints will look. I also shot some digis and will hopefully be able to add some to my istockphoto.com portfolio. Stay tuned…

I’m gonna be rich!

My brother introduced me to istockphoto.com and I got my first 2 photos approved last week. You can look up my photos by searching by member (beakatude). I checked my account today and found out that someone has already downloaded one of my photos!! Woohoo! I’ve got $0.20 in my account and only $99.80 to go before I can cash out. The race to $100 is on, Brother!!

That was close.

A very scary thing happened. On our first day back on the slopes, Jes fell while snowboarding. He tried to shake it off, finished the run, and completed another run. Back at the lodge, he checked himself into the Kirkwood clinic, had a mini seizure, passed out, and was transported to Barton Memorial. He ended up having abdominal surgery, stayed in the ICU for 3 days, transferred to Kaiser in Sacramento, and he’s now back his old self with a new scar down his tummy. Phew! That was close. Not the best way to start a new year.

Here are photos of our crazy adventure.