Here is a couple of pics I've been working one lately. My model is a friend, who has been very gracious and been willing to try many different ideas. Thus Ive been learning both Photoshop and portraits.
A little up close n personal.

This last one was made with commercial photography in mind.


Tell me what you think.

One shot from Kinmen just for fun.

Canon 400D
18-55mm F3.5-5.6
1/200s @ F11
ISO 200
PP in CS3 Raw
Grunge look by reduced saturation, over sharpen adding a few layers with various blend modes, and of course my signature.

I found the tortoise brothers the other day.

Here they are.

A couple more to oogle at.

Altered State

I used up some creativity this weekend, and added some 'art' to my portfolio.
All made with an incense stick.


Enjoy!

Thailand Part 3

Where did i leave off...oh yes the boat came back. As scary as it was it all worked out, and i had one of the best times of my life.

After this we went to another location and did it again. This time i decided to follow the scuba divers. I followed them from above. Quite an interesting view watching people way below you, but I had good visibility and could see almost everything they did. Once again very good.

Here is a picture of the first place we went. ( Here now that I'm back in the boat you can see more boats...go figure)

The next day I made a deal with a local to take me out sightseeing around the islands.
We went out and he showed me a number of hidden beaches. Hidden not really secretive, but you'd never know if you just drove by...but small openings in the rocks leads to an inner cove.

Like this:Here is a quick snap of my local guide hard at work.That night we went into Phi Phi Town and had some supper and went to a Muay Thai Boxing Stadium to watch some action. There were 8 exciting bouts and it is something hard to explain but loads of fun and you can really see the respect the fighters have for each other. The Stadium was filler about 80 % locals and 20% foreigners. It was very authentic and not merely a simple show for tourists.

A Sunset view:

We went to Phucket a couple days later for one full day so I could get my flight home the next day. We went to Patong Beach. Wow what an experience. It was .... very safe, clean, and secure, and out of this world wild just around the corner.
The sex trade is obvious, but not overbearing. Id say its still a very comfortable area for couples and even children.
The wild places that show oodles of skin are fairly obvious, and you will not accidentally stumble into them. The rest is quite modern, will loads of nice coffee shops, restaurants, pubs, and bars.

It was quite a night.

The next day on the way home I tried out KLM again, this time the plane was there. As I was about to board, I gave the ground staff my boarding card and the computer beeped. He stopped and said something quick to another one, and they nodded. He said...oh its ok...marked out my seat number which was row 33 and wrote row 72. I was minorly concerned as to why i just got booted to the far back corner of the plane, but i didn't say anything cuz i was just happy to get on.

Then i showed the flight attendant my number and she said oh thats upstairs. Well heck I know whats upstairs, so my heart jumped. Yee Haw ...FREE business class upgrade!! Peerrffeecct.

I had a very nice flight with KLM. With my champagne, free ceramic Amsterdam model house, and I spent the 15 Euro's they gave me for free on-board duty-free merchandise, not to mention the travel kit all business class passengers get to 'freshen up'.

My flight concluded on time and as i left the plane with a smile, I was greeted by the same freezing cold, can see your breath Taiwan airport I had so happily left 10 days earlier.

The only silver lining at the end is that I was one step closer to my seeing my dogs, and eventually in a couple of weeks my beloved wife.

Thailand trip part 2

After leaving the bar, I met up with my travel partner Paddy. We work together and so we had decided to take the trip together, but due to the busy season we couldn't get the same flights.

I showed him where the hotel was and we grabbed a small bite to eat and called it a night.

Next morning we got up and had bout 4 hours to get to the airport. so we decided to take the adventurous route. We hailed a tuk tuk, which is a motorcycle-ish taxi. Its open in the back with one bench seat. We took that to the train station, and thought we could take the train, but after the 45 minute ride through the winding streets of old bangkok, we got to the train station. Then we were greeted by some nuns (or Islamic women hard to remember) who help answer some questions. The train was an hour wait and minimum 45 minute ride.

But that would be getting close to the time to get to the plane .

So we went outside to get a taxi. This also proved more difficult than expected. There was a big line of people, and you had to fight to get a taxi. We tried many tactics and almost had one when we put our things in the trunk when someone else jumped in the car.

We quickly had to grab our stuff out before the bugger took off.
So our successful plan included one person to jump in and block the doors and the other to load the trunk. Then jump in and look tough. haha...It worked.

We got o the airport and had an uneventful flight to Phucket. then we grabbed the city bus to town and went to a tourist info shop for advice to get the ferry. It was 2:29pm...They said the last ferry leaves at 2:30pm. And its across town. In my defense the book I had said the last ferry left at 3pm. So i was unsure if this was a ploy for something else (like stay in our hotel etc) so we left and someone asked if we needed a taxi, we said yes and he said follow me. we did but he took us to his car. he said 100 baht each we said ok, and loaded our stuff. It was no a taxi..so this added to the confusion. Bu we got there....got ticket and rushed onto the overloaded boat...they pulled the ramp and we left. Just in time...it actually left 20 minutes late.

Got to the beautiful Phi Phi Island. Got off the boat and was told we'd hve someone waiting for us. we did eventually find him and he walked us along the beach and then to another boat?!?

I was confused but we got in. He pushed off and started the traditional long tail boat. We left the beach and cruised a long way out and to the far end of the island. We beached again and got out. We walked up a couple flights of stairs, to a trolley. We put our bags in and looked up. Way up at the top os a hill was out resort. So after an excruciating 10-15 flights almost straight up barefoot, and going on no food or water, dizzy, exhausted we made it to the top. Checked in and walked further to get to our cabin.

The cabin was spacious, airy, but sparse. no air con, but had hot water.

The place over all had the most amazing view but was very inconvenient, both for being at the top of the hill, and far from the action.
View:

Next day we hooked ourselves up with another place. Same price but with coupons for food daily and about 3 steps from the beach, 10 to the water. Cold water only and a little smaller but still 2 twin beds, and private bathroom......well kinda private. I had to share it with the wild...there were only 3/4 walls, so you had scenery when you showered and did your business. kind interesting, but a little scary at night.

I signed up to go snorkeling with Paddy's diving group. He signed up to get his Scuba diving certification. So I went with them and was dropped off in the ocean near some rocks and everyone else went diving below. I was a little concerned because I've never been snorkeling before...well not really. Never in the ocean, and never swimming over my head in the ocean. So here i was off he boat in the ocean by myself no life jacket. Well i looked down and instantly saw the bottom....way down.

Well i started looking at the fish...colors..oh my there were colorful fish...WOW. Then i saw the barracudas...then schools of them ...then schools of them circling me... Then the big fish were swimming by.

All this with the clear knowledge that I'm supposed to be looking for the sharks.

I don't think that I was in the best situation... 45 minutes later i was getting tired of swimming, so i started out into deeper water, as my boat had disappeared. Getting worried, looking around for divers, or a boat.... finally the boat rounded the corner and picked me up.




end of part 2

Thailand Trip

Thailand - Part One


My most recent adventure was to 'Amazing Thailand'.

My trip started a bit rough. I went to the airport 2.5 hours early, and get myself into the line up. I wait and the sign says counter will open 2 hours before departure (as usual). So i wait for 45 minutes, and well they were 15 minutes late. I see them but something is different. I'm supposed to be flying KLM, but these are China Airlines workers. They get ready and post Flight canceled posters.

But they are taking passengers bags etc. So i wait and i guess due to bad weather in China my plane is stranded there. So China Scarelines took over the flight...well part of it. Their plane comes in 5 hours later, and gets into Bangkok (BKK) at 1:40am...ugg
But not all passengers can get on...so i counted myself lucky.

I wait forever in the freezing cold terminal, and we take off 15 minutes late. We arrive in BKK and wait another 45 minutes in the plane because there is no gate available to park the big bird. Not very comfortable.

Get off the plane, get through immigration etc, and wait for my bags......wait forever.....my bags 2nd to last.

Go to find a taxi, and the chauffer people attack me, saying first this is a taxi. Then I say no and walk away, they ask how much you wanna pay, so i told them 1/4 of their asking price...they said oh ...and walked away. Then I saw the next set of doors had regular taxis, and a table to get the location for the driver. I go there, and as I am walking up to the drivers the only other guy wanting a taxi was going to the same general location as me...so I asked him if he wanted to share a taxi....so we did.

I went to Koh San Road in Bkk the backpacker/foreigners main spot. Tried to get a room...the time now is 3:30 am. Tired. And every place we try is booked. The guy I'm with place was sold out too. So I went to the last place i had researched online, and they said we will have a room at 5 am. someone will check out early. Si I took it and waited 1.5 hours to get a room. Luckily they charged me for only one night as i was staying the next night as well. It was clean and basic. Tiny bathr4ooms, but had air conditioning.

I had a nap from 6 till 10am and went out to check out the scene.
Koh San Rd. is pretty tame, and is full of foreign backpackers. There seemed to be a feeling of one-up-man-ship when it came to backpack sizes. Some people women included all had enormous backpacks. Some little women, I'm sure their backpack was 3/4 their size and probably heavier than they were.

I went for a small meal of Pad Thai. Since I was in Rome I had to eat Roman food.
Basically you can find Travel Agents, Silver shops, souvenir shops,t-shirt and bars n restaurants. This is about all...and they just repeat over n over. The place felt safe and easy to walk about. But for me.. the Thai Weather Gods had a different plan....so it rained most of the day with a couple of dry periods.

That evening i went out again to find a local fish n chips place that had received rave reviews. It called 'Oh My Cod' and Oh my cod it was good...Super tasty.

I waited for a while and had to meet a friend at midnight as his plane was getting in one day later than mine. So we had planned to meet at one pub named Gulliver's Travels as it was on the corner of a major intersection. I went in about 1130pm, sat down ordered a drink. No longer than 1 minute one Thai bar chic sits down and starts chatting to me. Basic little chit chat and i tell her I'm waiting for a friend.

She asks guy or girl, I say guy and look towards the door. As I look at the door she attaches herself to my arm and starts flirting as hard as she can. I know what her goal is but I'm not playing that game. I stayed until midnight and told her i had to check for my friend. So i used it as an excuse to leave. a couple minutes later Paddy a co worker arrived. So a valid excuse but I was there to kill time not hook up .

End of Part 1

A bunch of you are probably wondering how my arm is doing. the answer ....Not bad.

80% good 20% bad

Im out of any sort of cast now for about a week and half now.

I have a cool scar to show off, and the arm is becoming more usable by the day.

Total time in a cast 1 and a half weeks in hosp, then plastic cast for 2 weeks. Kinda short. But the freedom is nice.

20% bad ...one bone chip/piece has moved or lifted so its not in place now.

I was explained that this bone piece is very important in keeping the elbow stable in the first 3 weeks, now it is less important as the muscle and tendons do the job.

this because of th dislocation.

but since it has lifted it bay need to be taken out, or it may be left in. Depends. The bone chip... it's really bigger than a chip...now limits my range of motion. I can not bring my arm back to my shoulder, it is blocked and painful. This sucks.

But extending my arm outward , as in reaching for something, should be no problem soon.

I might know more later this week as i see ol' saw bones on thursday.

here is a scar pic for now.

I had some fun the other day... I got creative in the bathroom.

Enjoy my pictures...

electric water
Shower of lime...or slime
The Mirror of your Soul
The Lavender Swish
The Neon Wipe

And my pride and glory!!!!!

The Blueberry Throne!!

Think Tank Photo Rotation 360 Photography Backpack.

Here is my review of my new backpack. The Think Tank Photo Rotation 360 Photography Backpack.Maybe doesn't look like anything now...just wait. Its a nicely styled slim bag that fits the airplane requirements for carry on size.
Here is a side view. You can see its slightly compartmentalized.

If you look up close you can see a strap and buckle looped around a handle.
The handle is connected to the bottom part which is detachable from the backpack.

This allows the bottom part to become a waist pack that slides around to the front of your body.

To release the waist pack follow these steps.


Undo the buckle on both sides of the pack.

Next pull the little strap with the unlock symbol and it releases the waist pack from the main pack.

The lock is actually some hook n loop (Velcro) fasteners. Here it is shown in the unlock position the white pieces are plastic panels that are like a gate...here the velcro is behind.
Below the position 'locked' in that the velcro is visible.

Here is where it connects inside the main pack. Works quite well.

Another feature is the sliding rail with the option for extra bags to be locked or movable.

Thgis little pouch can hold my Canon 50mm f1.8 lens.

The main part of the waist pack is really spacious.


You can see it fits 2 lenses and my camera body with lens attached. On the left i have the Canon 10-22 wide angle lens, and on the right my Canon 70-300 IS USM lens. These are not small lenses so to fit both and the body is very convenient.



Below you can see a small blue tab.
If you pull it ...

...you get a rain cover!!

Infact you get a rain cover for the whole backpack and the waist pack individually.
Below the handle is a place for a name card.

Just infront (below) this is a zipper.
This buckle is for the top of your tripod, so that when its attached to the backpack its very stable and wont fall.

The bottom of the tripod will slide into this cup.
There is also a strap in the middle as well if needed.

The main compartment is a nice size and although its empty it comes with a bunch of dividers for and infinite combination of configurations. for cameras lenses or anything else you want to bring.

The front straps have compartmens for cell phones, PDA's, gps equiptment what ever you need to bring with.

As well on the front straps included are two hooks for holding/attaching the camera to the pack to take the weight off your neck.

As well the camera strap that you would normally use to hang the camera around your neck doubles as a strap to hold bigger lenses down when your walking so they dont stick out in front and/or swing around.

None the less there are extra straps to sling more equipment bags underneath, some are made to attach either side, and its just a great system to have.

The quality is second to none with very strong main material, strong big zippers, and tough buckles.

It really is a photographers dream come true.

Getting better. The arm is still in a cast but just a plastic 1/2 cast. I can take it off easily. I can use it more and more everyday. Ex. Sunday i rode my scooter for the first time since i broke my arm. I couldn't grab the grips with both hands, Tuesday i could, Wednesday i could use the brake a bit with that arm.

Its kinda uncomfortable cuz the cast doesn't let me extend my arm, but then again it helps keep my elbow from popping out of place.

Otherwise i am still gearing up for the trip to Thailand. I decided not to do Cambodia, as its a tough journey and the itinerary would mostly be hiking and crawling over the ruins. Sounds cool, but not as a one armed bandit...one slip and I'm in big trouble. So I'm hoping that the beaches will be easier to navigate.

work has been relly understanding...more than i expected. That was nice. My students sympathies make up for not being around family in this time... they really have genuine concern, and will help me out with anything if i need.

Take care all, and feel free to drop me a line.

Today is a great day. Its cloudy, cool, misting outside, nothing is on TV, my arm is aching and my stomach is a little upset from the antibiotics. So why a great day?

If you know anyone 'into' photography you gotta tell em about this blog, or wesite. What follows is super cool.

Many companies make photography bags, Tamarac, LowePro, Crumpler, etc. But the smartest, most logical, think of everything company Ive ever heard of is ThinkTankPhoto.

This is a company I can respect.

After a little hinting and verbal going-on-too-long-ness, I was able to convince my wife to get me the PERFECT backpack for traveling for the day or the week with my photo equipment. Its the Rotation 360

This may seems stupid and a lot of hype about a back pack, but its really cool!!

There is so much about it thats cool. Like the bottom part slides around to be ready for a shot without taking everything off etc. Thats its claim to fame i guess. But every piece has high quality zippers, rain gear, and quality material on the outside.

It has perfectly placed pockets, personal panels providing portable personalizeable protection this photographer pronounced this particularization prefaced primarily with PERFECT!!

spit that out 3 times.

Really though, i took all afternoon getting acquainted with its features. I can find fault. Even the fact that I'm a big guy this pack still fits.

The products can not be described as cheap, but could be extremely good value for the money.

Check them out ThinkTankPhoto

Another day in the green room done. This post i wont complain. no more IV no more tubes in my arm...just a splint and tensors. minimal pain, maximum boredom.

Could have been much worse. my roommate has some bigger issues. his wife is with him almost 24/7. he has numerous staples in 4 places in his head. they have 2 kids, Nicole and I gave them candy canes on Christmas. everyone has been big smiles ever since.

Doc Young said i can go home on Friday...ugg 2 more days...but like i said it could have been worse.

A funny thing happenned yesterday, a little girl maybe 4 and her dad came out of the elevator as i was nearby...the little girl looked at me with a puzzled look and asked "Santa Claus?"

what?? when did i start to look like santa claus...geez. maybe my red outfit and fuzzy slippers ave me away.

I have to say Nicole has been awesome with everything...like i said i have to say that.....just kidding...coincidentally she got me the perfect xmas gift an ASUS eee PC 8 GB.

Its basically a tiny laptop, 1 gb ram, 8gb HD, 7" screen, but fully functional.
its got a webcam,wifi, preloaded with open office, and skype and ton of other programs. And too boot its quite a bit cheaper than a reg laptop....so cool, and so useable...especially now.

well so long from the one armed santa claus.

part 2 ...DIY hospital

here is where my disappointment with the health care system comes in. imagine this, you can barely walk (sprained ankle) but you got to go the bathroom...but of course this arcane system can not provide you with bathroom tissue. wireless internet, and hours of surgery but not toilet paper.

the next day and i am thinking they must have me on a restricted diet....no i missed a couple meals because...they dont provide food!!! you change your own sheets, and pillow cases, and all injury dressings except for the surgery one. you also must go to the second floor to buy all your supplies as well including any tape you may need to hold the gauze to the wound.

medicine is left beside you in a sealed bag, which is hard to fight into with one arm broken and the opposite thumb sprained. and no water, thats down the hall turn right, go down that hall to the nurses station you can find a little fountain on the left. oh of course...sorry to bother you.

bring your own soap...or you will spread infections and will need to stay here for a much longer time.

now im gonna nit pick....the walls are stained and dirty from the many people before me. The bathroom walls are dirty with who knows what, there is mold growing on something in the corner beside my bed.

Language is an issue, even though one head nurse proudly told me they are becoming part of some international group. She said their english ability is very low....um ya i noticed, when i asked about toilet tissue and 2 nurses ran away giggling, and one was left to say...um....you ....family...bring.

thats all for know.

So here i am merry Christmas. I had a bit of an accident....well here is the full story.

I went to our great Christmas party from work. After the awesome meal i went home to my wife who was sick. i brought her some dinner, and since she was going to bed soon, i decided to go back out. I called a cab and met up with some of the other guys from work.

We stayed out till about midnight and the left...everyone was going home except one guy he asked if anyone wanted to go for coffee. I said sure and he drove ahead, i said id walk. so far so good.
I decided to jog and was doing well i went one block then 2 and decided to cut through a new park. well it was quite dark but i could easily see the other side and i could tell that there was no one else in the park.
I truck through and before i know it there is no more sidewalk under my foot, my right foot hits the concrete and twists. I fall with my full weight landing on my arm somehow.

im stunned, dazed, and in pain. i wiggle my feet...yup sore ankle but it moves, arm 1 ok arm 2......no oak.

so i phone the guy im meeting and told him. i picked myself up and hobbled to the street..he got a cab and i went to the hospital. i think cabs are safer, faster, and more caring than ambulances here.

so in the end my injuries, sprained right thumb, sprained right ankle, cut and deep scrapes on left knee, AND dislocated elbow with 5 breaks.

Now post surgery, with plates n screws in arm and elbow I'm slowly regaining strength.

next episode....this damn DIY hospital. you wont believe what isnt included.

Just FYI, Im having problems with the program to build my website, hence the lack of updates. I want to re create one with Adobe Dreamweaver, so if anyone has any experience let me know. I need some help with a few issues.

Otherwise all is well and here is a kwik pic for you.
Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year!!!

Hmmm busy season coming up. Christmas, then New Years eve n day, then Nico's Birthday, then Chinese New year. All in a month and a half.

I was planning a trip to Cambodia, but tickets became impossible. then possible and now no problem but prices came out and I can fly to Canada for less money...stupid airlines.

But i did get a good offer on a flight to Bangkok. So Im thinking about Thailand now....hmmm sounds good. I didnt want to go with out Nico, but its either that or stay in Taiwan. And to stay in Taiwan by myself sounds lonely. Traveling sounds much better.

Just thought spew that useless info out there...Cambodia 90% out, and Thailand 90% in.