Skye Under the Sky

Tony Yang July 8, 2015 3 Comments Automotive, Photography

The unusual east coast weather this summer has caused some amazing skies lately. I took the opportunity to snap a few photos with my Olympus OMD E-M1 with ND filters, and did some post processing through Lightroom 5, then Photoshop CS6. Shooting in RAW helped enhance the shadow details from the car, and highlight details from the sky. It’s always safer to shoot a slightly darker exposure since you can always retrieve more shadow detail than you can from blown highlights.

It’s normal to get all kinds of ambient color reflections from the environment onto the car, so I desaturated the car and pavement to a neutral gray (don’t forget to keep the turn signal colors intact), but left the windows slightly tinted from the sky. The final steps included sharpening, more Shadow/Highlights to bring out some more details, and final highlight dodging of the car to make it pop.

Olya in Los Cabos

Tony Yang July 2, 2015 0 Comments Photography, Vacation

I recently took a strictly vacation only trip to my timeshare in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. No weddings, no clients, just Olya and I. Being on vacation is a very different experience compared to shooting on location no matter what most people might think. There is significantly less stress, no itinerary, and no post production work deadline. The only thing missing is the fact that the travel is paid for.

Micro Four Thirds First Test

Tony Yang June 10, 2015 0 Comments Photography

I’ve been very tempted to get a Micro Four Thirds camera for travel and day to day life photos. I like the idea of compact bodies with prime lens options, although not a big fan of how the equipment costs almost as much as DSLRs. I borrowed a friend’s Olympus OM-D E-M1, with a 12-40mm f/2.8, and a few primes. This body is on the bigger side of M4/3 bodies, but it allows it to be packed with dials and buttons easily accessible, along with a sturdy grip and flip screen. Coming from DSLRs and a 6 year old Canon S90, I was very impressed by the focusing speed and sharpness of the images. The entire kit of body and 4 lens fit in a small pouch that I can easily take anywhere, much of an improvement from my Lowepro backpacks.

Focus Stacking Tutorial

Tony Yang May 21, 2015 0 Comments Automotive, Photography

Most of us love the 3D pop effect of a shallow depth of field photo. It’s practically impossible to get these effects with a phone camera, so it’s crucial to use a DSLR or a higher end compact camera to achieve these effects. Even with a prime lens at the widest for the best bokeh, it means you may not get the entire subject from front to back in focus either. Focus stacking technique lets you keep the beautiful bokeh background while having full control of what objects to keep in focus.

Lexar Card Reader

Tony Yang May 13, 2015 1 Comment Photography

B&H (who takes all my money) had a sale on this Lexar Professional USB 3.0 Dual-Slot Reader for $12.95 recently, and I decided to jump on it since the micro USB 3.0 connection on my previous Inland 3.0 card reader snapped off. The micro USB 3.0 connection feels weak and easily broken if not careful. The Lexar card reader has the same micro connection, so I hope it isn’t built as flimsy as the cheaper Inland brand.

Intro to Adobe Lightroom

Tony Yang May 7, 2015 2 Comments Photography

While Photoshop has become a household name and even used as a common verb, the term is usually vaguely defined as fixing up an image. While Photoshop is an industry standard photo editing software, and probably one of the most powerful tools out there, not all images require a heavy duty tool just to tweak or enhance the image. It’s comparable to always rolling out your $30k Snap-on tool chest with all shelves loaded with tools just to replace the battery on a toy that needs a Philips screwdriver.

Blackened Salmon

Tony Yang April 10, 2015 0 Comments Photography

As a bachelor for most of my life, without spending much time at home and eating out with friends often, I never really got into cooking until recently, with help and support from my best friend to teach and guide me. My favorite tool in my kitchen arsenal is the cast iron skillet. I’ve begun to create some delicious steak and decided to try salmon. The recipe looked easy enough, with just four ingredients: salmon, butter, lemon, and blackening spice. The method is pretty much like making a steak, two to four minutes per side, however I did not anticipate how heavy and spicy the smoke would come from the rub at high heat. My house will smell for days! Perhaps I will photograph more cooking adventures enough to create a new category.

Crossroads

Tony Yang January 20, 2015 0 Comments Photography

Reminiscing the sublime moments of flaunting what I have, exposing what I love, and capturing a new crossroad in our journey thousands of miles from home.

Summer!

Tony Yang July 23, 2013 0 Comments Photography, Vacation

What do you do when it’s scorching hot outside with unforgiving sun? Jump into the pool of course! Considering I don’t like the water nor do I know how to swim, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to practice some outdoor flash techniques. Nothing advanced here except for two remote Canon Speedlites on each side, and one on-camera Speedlite, although more powerful studio strobes would have been easier. It’s great to have subjects who are so willing to endlessly jump into a pool of water on your command. Hope you enjoy the photos!

Best Cake Ever

Tony Yang June 17, 2013 0 Comments Photography

This is how a one year old should really celebrate, getting to discover and enjoy cake for the first time in all it’s glory. Perhaps we should be so free to enjoy cake this way too.