Herman Au Photography - LA / OC Wedding Photographer

BLOG MOVED! PLEASE READ!

2009-12-12T20:20:00.001-08:00

Thank you very much for your past support! I have decided to move on to WordPress and all future blog posts will be written in the new site on http://www.hermanau.comHope to see you guys there, and have a wonderful day!-Herman

On the Move!

2009-12-04T19:40:00.000-08:00

We're on the way moving the entire blog over to a new server and migrating over to WordPress. My website http://www.hermanau.com is also being moved over along with a brand new design, new pictures, along with new music from the very talented Mark Barnwell! Hang in there tight! ;-)

Wedding: Kelly & Johnny, 9/26 – 9/27/2009

2009-11-28T19:18:00.001-08:00

Yep, you read that right… 2 consecutive days of wedding! I really don’t know how I managed to have enough energy to hang with K & J that weekend… I had to take about 3 days off afterwards to recover from the 2 very long and eventful days from Los Angeles to La Jolla to San Diego, and back to Los Angeles on day two! There were lots of laughter, and there were lots tears of joy. And there’s

Wedding: Jenny & Mike – 9/7/2009

2009-11-25T14:37:00.001-08:00

When I first met with Jenny early this year I was a little overwhelmed 'cause they told me she and her 3 friends are all getting married within a year apart! All of them were having different plans but it's definitely a challenge to be sure all their pictures would have different characters and not feel the same. Time went by very quickly this year especially during this wedding season, and

What I've been up to?

2009-11-25T13:36:00.000-08:00

Ok folks, I'm back! Here's what I've been up to lately: I went to Hong Kong for a couple of weeks, had 1 engagement session, 1 wedding session, and 1 family portrait session, and some quality time catching up with family which hasn't happened for many good years. It's really been long due. =) My cat, CC, has been diagnosed with cancer about 4 months ago. Her conditions deteriorated

Out of Office - Hong Kong

2009-10-21T16:19:00.000-07:00

I'll be out of office for 2 weeks traveling to Hong Kong. Although I really never liked long flights 'cause I just never sleep well especially on the plane sitting next to strangers, it's about time I pay a visit to my families and spend some quality time with them! I'll be covering a wedding, an engagement session, and also one family portrait session during my stay. Be back soon! ;-)

Wedding: Becky & Ben @ Doubletree Hotel, Monrovia

2009-10-11T22:07:00.001-07:00

I still freshly remember when Becky, Ben, Shirley, and I met up at Solvang for breakfast the day we were doing their engagement session. There were Danish pastries, tall wild grass so thick that we could hardly walk in there, stopping by a winery with Becky all dressed up with a bouquet and everybody’s pondering what’s going on, and of course that fat kitty at Alma Rosa Winery who scared

Wedding: Kristy & Rob – East meets West

2009-09-23T14:28:00.001-07:00

I remember when I first met Kristy and Rob and we discussed about their wedding plans, and I could tell that they’re so deeply in love. Often times I come across interfaith and intercultural weddings, but I sensed something a little special in this one that got me really excited about their wedding. Originally their wedding wasn’t set until 2010, but one day I received an email from Kristy

Engagement: Ling & Huenjin @ Caltech

2009-09-02T15:24:00.001-07:00

Two Caltech faculties heading to Caltech for an engagement shoot, that’s gotta be fun. :-) They know exactly where they could get a sip of water, how the shortest route from point A to B to C, and Ling’s sister could come back with soda in matter of minutes (which I’m sure I’d be lost in there struggling to find my way back)! We started off the day taking a few shots on Mount Wilson, which is

Wedding: Lisa & Erwin, Oneonta Congregational Church, South Pasadena

2009-08-18T15:02:00.001-07:00

It’s a very hot summer day, but an absolute blast to work despite the heat because it’s finally Lisa & Erwin’s big day! How often do you come across a bride who forgets her wedding bands before the wedding and would still smile about it? Yep that’s Lisa.. easily one of the cheerful, caring girls who’s marrying the love of her life. It’s definitely not my average day – 300 McDonald’s nuggets,

August… Wedding Season!

2009-08-11T22:30:00.001-07:00

Boy, it’s HOT in SoCal the past couple of weeks. I’ve been a little overwhelmed lately with all the projects unwrapping in July, August, September. I have a farmer’s (photographer’s) tan… and it’s getting more serious by the day I bought an old Miata to reward myself and to save the earth (some gas), but the convertible driving is making my photographer’s tan even worse This week

Wedding: Helen & Danny, 7/18/2009

2009-08-05T21:35:00.001-07:00

Helen and Danny had their e-session just a few months ago, and I still remember the worried look on Helen we she picked up her canvas print. It was one of the hottest days this summer, and we had more guests showing up at the Chapel of Roses that was packed! But then again, everything went smoothly and the sweet couple had a great and happy wedding day in the end. I have to thank you two

Jane Lui @ Hotel Cafe, Los Angeles 7/25/09

2009-07-31T14:27:00.001-07:00

I don’t normally go out to concerts, or parties, or clubs… you get the picture. But then one day Shirley came across Jane on Youtube, and I was like, Jane who? Turns out that it’s the Jane that I’ve known since highschool, some… 15 years ago? We haven’t kept in touch for sooooooooo long, and I guess we always have the Internet to thank for these types of reunions. It turned out that Jane

Photo Booth at Helen and Danny’s Wedding

2009-07-27T01:34:00.001-07:00

Helen and Danny… what a fun couple. They had set up a photo booth at their wedding reception for their friends and family to take pictures of themselves. The bride and groom even set up an arts and crafts table next to the booth for the guests to make scrapbooking pages with their photo booth pictures and write cute little messages to the newlyweds. At the end of the night, we got in the photo

Engagement: Abba & Paul in Los Angeles, CA

2009-06-28T22:50:00.001-07:00

I met Abba and Paul back in March… and I remember them being so excited about their wedding and choosing their vendors. They were supposed to meet with another photographer from her friend’s recommendation, but I guess something magical happened that day that Abba thought I was the right person for the job and she decided to go with me on the spot. I was flattered and it was a huge honor on my

Engagement: Becky & Ben – continued

2009-06-23T14:57:00.001-07:00

This is one of the most memorable photo sessions for me thus far this year. I’ve been away from home 70% of the time over a span of 2 weeks on several mini trips, and honestly I was a little home sick. But then again Becky and Ben really made it worthwhile for me rewarding me with some images I personally really enjoy. As I mentioned before, we travelled to the Central Coast around

Engagement: Becky & Ben - Central Coast

2009-06-02T00:02:00.000-07:00

And so I haven't been in my office for the most part recently... I was working on my birthday a couple weeks ago, and then my wife took me out to Las Vegas for a short break. I had to catch up with work once we got back, and then we're off to Santa Barbara, Buellton, Solevang area for an engagement shoot. I'm still out of town at the time being, and I seriously miss working on my pictures on

Engagement: Helen & Danny

2009-05-12T19:25:00.001-07:00

Helen! Danny! I still remember you guys told me that you needed “a lot of help” with posing, and didn’t I tell you not to worry? ;-) You guys started off being real shy, but we ended up having so much fun that day… and they even did a little chicken dance in front of the Chicken Graffiti. It was a hot day, but nonetheless it’s another fun e-session as usual. We started off the engagement

Engagement: Helen & Alex

2009-05-03T14:03:00.000-07:00

Ahh… the weather has been very unstable lately, one day we have a heat wave and then the next day we’re hit with a cold front. I don’t even remember when’s the last time I dressed properly for the weather. Helen and I probably just picked the hottest day this year for their e-session, but nonetheless we had a great day of photographing. We originally wanted to start around 1pm, but ended up

Premium Album – Herman Au Photography

2009-04-21T17:03:00.001-07:00

It’s been pretty crazy lately with several engagement shoots, consultation meetings going on in the past 10 days, and on top of all that I acquired a new iMac yesterday and began migrating all my work from my PC to the Mac. It’s a painfully slow process, but it will be well worth it in the end. Today the UPS man dropped off another package I’ve been longing for – the 2 sample Albums I ordered

Wedding: Christina & Andrew - April, 2009

2009-04-17T23:33:00.001-07:00

I met up with Christina and Andrew back in 2008 when they were really anxiously telling me about their wedding planning at the Marriott at Marina Del Rey. They’re such a sweet couple whom I feel they totally deserve the best. I was really fortunate to have the opportunity to work with them and meeting Vivi who’s extremely kind to us during the entire day. Christina’s beautiful dress,

Engagement Session: Carly & Lawrence

2009-04-02T20:45:00.000-07:00

I actually did this e-session with Carly and Lawrence several weeks ago, but since Carly was doing a teaser on wedding bee and I didn’t want to ruin it by posting all the pictures before she posted the final blog post, I delayed this post since then. Anyway, they're just such nice to me and natural in front of the camera and easy to work with, not to mention they look absolutely adorable

Facebook Business Page

2009-03-24T10:43:00.000-07:00

Real short post today, but anyway I've been putting this off for a while now, but here it is... my Facebook Business Page - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Los-Angeles-CA/Herman-Au-Photography/59456830846, or here's the shorter version - http://tinyurl.com/c8hsqr.Don't be a stranger, stop by and say hi. :)

Li & Kin's Wedding

2009-03-23T14:48:00.001-07:00

Haven't blogged my weddings for a while since I've been overwhelmed with other things lately. Since the launch of the new website, things have been going pretty smooth and I redirected most of my attention to the wedding album designs. Lately I've been caught up with changing the workflow to get the pictures to my clients and online in a more efficient manner. Next major thing in line for an

Adobe Lightroom 2.3 update

2009-03-05T16:01:00.000-08:00

Adobe Lightroom 2.3 has gone live!!! Besides the seemingly ordinary Nikon D3X and the Olympus E-30 support that probably doesn't benefit you and I, there are several bug fixes including that multiple undo bug that wasted many of my precious time, and also it seems to have the memory leak under control this time. I tested the PC version thus far and it's performing MUCH FASTER than it used to be,

Twitter

2009-03-04T21:19:00.000-08:00

I've been so caught up with work, that I haven't been caught up with the latest trends and technology... but for those who are interested: add me here :-)

Looking for Professionals to Network

2009-02-25T21:48:00.000-08:00

I posted something like that on Craigslist but amazingly I never got 1 reply... (usually get 30+ replies for anything I post there) I guess the reason is that I'm not getting married, and I'm not looking to hire somebody, meaning I don't have money to offer nor I have money to spend.Bummer.What a shame.The economy is bad for everybody, and I think I probably picked one of the most challenging

Windows Color Management, Lightroom 2, Windows Pictures and Fax Viewer, and Color Calibration...

2009-02-22T10:56:00.000-08:00

Alright, I'll admit I'm not as familiar with color management as I'm supposed to be, and there really isn't a lot of ways to get around it without digging deep into the technical aspects in understanding how it all works. I got myself a new 24" LCD a little while ago, and set the old failing Dell 20" monitor on the side as a secondary monitor. I thought I was done after calibrating the colors on

New Website launched :-)

2009-01-27T20:35:00.000-08:00

I've been trying to get organized the past few months. Knowing myself, sometimes my thoughts do scatter and at times I have trouble finishing up any major projects by myself. I've been writing down my open projects on a to-do list on my iphone, which I use every day to remind myself what I should be doing. It's working alright thus far, and I finally managed to get my new business card

2009

2009-01-23T01:22:00.000-08:00

Well, there are several things planned in January 2009 that's pretty much on schedule at this point. First of all, I have a brand new re-designed business card with a new logo thanks to Alvin's generous help. The printing went pretty smoothly this time and I'm hoping this will help me define the identity of my photography business.Then, next in line is a brand new flash website that I've been

Hong Kong / Japan Trip

2008-12-04T06:29:00.000-08:00

Sorry I haven't been blogging for a while. I've spent most the past month or so working on my website and a brand new album to offer in 2009. I'm hoping the website would positively represent my work and the album something to be desired. I'm picking a couple of the top vendors, and I should get everything ready by mid-January.Last week I flew back to Hong Kong to spend some time with my long

Jennifer and Soap's Wedding

2008-10-22T23:23:00.000-07:00

I met with Jennifer and Soap several months ago when they're in the planning stage of their wedding. They're just the absolutely sweetest and caring people I have ever meet. I know they worked really hard to get this wedding organized, and I'm really happy that their wedding turned out to be exactly the way they envisioned. This is the one wedding that I've really looked forward in 2008, and I

Engagement Session : Maria & Andy

2008-10-07T09:51:00.000-07:00

A few months ago I photographed Gail and Yong's wedding, and only a few months after, it's going to be Yong's brother Andy and his fiancé Maria getting married in October! :) We picked a Monday and went off to a couple of locations in West LA, and wrapped up the day shooting at the beach on a beautiful sunset. In the end, Maria picked the picture she liked, Andy kept his tummy filled eating every

Session for the Little One: Isaac

2008-10-07T09:44:00.001-07:00

Sorry folks I'm still here, just really getting behind updating my website and my blog lately. A lot has happened lately and I've been busy working on photos rather than my sites. I've also been working with a couple of vendors trying to narrow down which one to use in producing the album for the ONE package. Before I get sidetracked again, here are the pictures I took of Isaac, Peter, and

Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! ;-)

2008-09-14T23:10:00.001-07:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Happy Mid-Autumn Festival! ;-), originally uploaded by hermanau. Just want to take a moment to thank you guys for all your support. =) Wish you all a happy Mid-Autumn Festival and have a fun and safe night playing with

San Dimas Farmer's Market

2008-09-01T21:17:00.000-07:00

Several weeks ago I received an inquiry from Mauricio who's behind the NPO that organizes the San Dimas Farmer's Market asking if I would help them out taking some pictures. I thought to myself, it's about time I give back a little to the community... and I have always wanted to take a look there anyway. :) Last week I went there was pleasantly surprised by the friendliness of everybody, and had

Vivian & Kenneth's Wedding, Aug 2008

2008-08-25T18:34:00.000-07:00

Vivian's and Kenneth's wedding were booked long ago when I met them in their best friends' wedding. They're one of the sweetest couples, always worrying about me, the photographer... making sure I was well fed. =) Thanks Viv, Thanks Ken! I had a blast and it's really my pleasure to be your photographer. I hope you had a great time as well and wish you the best. Big thanks to Jennifer Ho as

Delia Photoshoot

2008-08-18T01:29:00.000-07:00

We've been planning on this shoot for several weeks already... with limited budget and experience and a lot of uncertainties, we went ahead with this photoshoot last Saturday. It took a little while til we all warmed up and had the lights, reflectors, and everything else figured out properly to get the effects I was hoping for, but I think the whole experience was well worth the effort. We only

Light

2008-07-23T23:30:00.001-07:00

I've been attending a lighting class at Tri-Community Photography School taught by Don Gale the past couple of months. I chose that class primarily because I wanted to catch up on one of the most important aspects of photography, light.Just before I take you completely off track as usual, there are a couple of books that I found particularly helpful while we're on the subject of light.Existing

Ida & Hil's Wedding

2008-05-29T22:11:00.000-07:00

I actually shot this wedding more than a month ago, but due to various reasons I never got around to write about it. I'm sitting myself down in front of my computer hoping that I still remember the experience and jot it down before I start forgetting. :)testtesttest

On Equipment Management during a Wedding Job

2008-05-27T23:53:00.001-07:00

It's been a while since I actually sat down in front of my computer not editing pictures or emailing clients. Lately I've been shooting weddings after weddings, and even a Gown Trashing session with a couple. I've been updating my equipment rather frequently to adapt to the needs. The old Sigma 28-70mm F/2.8 is replaced by a wider Tokina 16-50mm F/2.8 for indoors as my bread & butter lens. I

Lighting for Food Photography

2008-04-15T21:19:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to improve the lighting on my food photography for a while. A big part of what I enjoy about photography is the reverse engineering on the shots I enjoy, and that includes both technical and artistic aspects. In this shot particularly, most of the hurdle for me was the lighting setup and the fine adjustment in post-processing that added the final touch that made it look

Choosing Macro Lens

2008-03-21T01:54:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across a post in strobist forum on flickr earlier which somebody asked for advice in choosing macro lens while she had the Tamron 90mm in mind. Just thought I'd cross post my response here since this might benefit others who may be interested in the subject and elaborate a little. Below is my post:Be advised... all 3 versions of these 90/100/105 versions of macro lens made by Sigma,

Flickr Explore Tips and Tricks

2007-11-25T00:42:00.000-08:00

I joined flickr for about half a year, and have 57 pictures on Explore (71 as of Mar'08). I once strategically made a few of mine to show on Explore... although I can't force them to get up there, I do have a pretty good idea how it works. Here are some pointers and cruel truth about it:#1. Faves, Comments, and Views are basically the things that account for the positive score (interestingness

Wine Bottle

2007-10-02T14:41:00.001-07:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Wine Bottle, originally uploaded by hermanau. Thanks to Strobist.com, Flickr, and web 2.0 helping me solve a lot of reverse engineering puzzles in my head. With the limited resources, some very wacky setup, and the recent

Thanks Ken Rockwell, but...

2007-09-18T11:16:00.001-07:00

A lot of you who are into photography would have stumbled across Ken Rockwell's website one way or another. Before I begin, I should really thank him for contributing so much free and useful information to the Internet. His site is undoubtedly generating lots of traffic and probably earning quite a bit of advertisement dollars, and I really think he deserves the recognition and credit. It's

They're here! Nikon D3 and D300

2007-08-23T09:08:00.000-07:00

It wasn't long ago when I upgraded my D70 to D200... and today Nikon finally released their top secret projects of the D300 and professional D3 to compete with Canon. I browsed the spec sheet briefly and I'm still digesting the information... here's the link to the 2 cameras for your information. :)Nikon D3Nikon D300It appears that Nikon finally delivered their flavor of full frame sensor, and

Goodbye my Nikon D70

2007-07-25T13:04:00.001-07:00

"Thank you"My Nikon D70 really took me to a different level moving up from my Nikon D50 with a lot more features that are missing. For that kind of money, it's an absolutely perfect camera for anybody to move up from point & shoot to really get a taste of DSLR photography. I had a talk with my die-hard Canon friend comparing features of the few cameras we've had our hands on, and I'm sure

My first real Photo Shoot - Audi TT

2007-07-16T10:03:00.001-07:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Moro Blue Audi TT Coupe, originally uploaded by hermanau. The pressure was on, and I was seriously getting quite nervous. I found a few guys over the Internet willing to show up with their rides for a photo shoot last week

2007-06-21T09:57:00.000-07:00

Shot with Sigma 105mm Macro, Nikon D50I have a few shots published on flickr from the shoot last week with a few friends of mine. This probably is the last one with my car in the same lot since I think I've gotten enough practice with the place and I'm ready for the real thing. I'm getting more comfortable with my different arsenal of lens and how to get the shots I want. Although I must admit

Tutorial - Abstract Smoke Art

2007-06-07T12:36:00.001-07:00

This has yet been another interesting experiment for me. After all the fruit splashes, I feel much more comfortable working with my flash. With a lot of questions in my mind have been answered with more experience under my belt, I decided to give the smoke shots a try. To my surprise, it's much easier to get good results than I originally anticipated. Here are some of the tips for you if you

Transparency and Reflections

2007-06-04T13:38:00.001-07:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Transparency and Reflections, originally uploaded by hermanau. The side entrance of Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles. On a hot sunny day, my friend and I were shooting the famous Disney Concert Hall, which is a hot spot for

Boost! In car action shot

2007-05-22T23:27:00.001-07:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Boost!, originally uploaded by hermanau. Trying a slightly different approach today attempting to actually take this shot during the day. I figure I need about 1" shutter speed to capture enough sense of motion, OR I'll

The death of Sportsmanship

2007-05-20T23:00:00.000-07:00

Yep, it's dead. Sportsmanship has probably been dead for a long time in this country. It has become very obvious when the penalties were announced for Robert Horry of the San Antonio Spurs, Amare Stoudamire and Boris Diaw after game 4 of the NBA Western Conference Semi-Finals.I've always been a believer that sports is a form of fair competition where people can play against one another in a fair

Subaru Impreza WRX

2007-05-19T10:25:00.001-07:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Subaru Impreza WRX, originally uploaded by hermanau. rmed with the proper tools, I went back to my favorite HDR location last night hopefully to get a little inspiration. Knowing the right spots this time, I got lazy and

Robert Horry Foul On Nash

2007-05-15T09:57:00.001-07:00

What do you know... the Spurs just keep living up to the "dirty team" name Amare called them. Robert "Big Shot" Horry landed a cheap shot on Steve Nash last night in game 4. Robert, word of advice for you here: "learn better from master Bowen". At least the dirtiest player in the NBA Bruce Bowen does it with some subtlety.

Baron Davis DUNK over Andrei Kirilenko

2007-05-11T23:42:00.000-07:00

OMG OMG OMG... Game 3 2nd round playoffs Golden State Warriors against Utah Jazz. I think this guy Baron Davis is turning everybody who watches his play into his fans. BARON! BARON! BARON! BARON! BARON!

Bruce Bowen's "Champion Defense"

2007-05-10T22:50:00.001-07:00

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a youtube video is worth 10,000,000 words. Bruce Bowen is known to be a tough defender, and also a dirty player to some. You be the judge... and be sure to check out the other Bowen videos when u're done with this one.

Choose a Vista

2007-05-10T01:14:00.001-07:00

Apple rolled out a few new commercials and I love this the most. As a PC guy, I really hate the new different versions of Vista to death. It's just way beyond software and OS, and simply a stupid shallow crooked marketing move. Kudos Apple, haha! :)

Steampunk Keyboard

2007-05-09T22:18:00.000-07:00

I'm sure I'm not the first one to blog this, but this keyboard "mod" is way beyond crazy... It reminds me of all those Sherlock Homles games I played... If computers were invented back in those days, I'm sure this is how the keyboard would have looked like. :) If not mistaken, the original modder Jake Von Slatt at Steampunk is actually willing to make these if the price is right. Wish you the

Upcoming BMW 1 Series

2007-05-04T02:27:00.000-07:00

All I can is WOW... BMW is seriously redefining the art of consumer level automotive design. I don't entirely love every part of the car, but just try to get a pencil and trace the lines of the car and see how much work and attention to details they put into their craftsmanship and design work... I especially love the height of the trunk that they seem to be trying to go back to design/looks >

Golden State Warriors made History!

2007-05-04T00:53:00.000-07:00

Tonight, Baron Davis, Stephen Jackson, Jason Richardson, and the entire Golden State Warriors (42-40) led by Don Nelson made history by defeating the #1 seed Dallas Mavericks (67-15) in the first round in game 6 winning the series 4-2. This is first time a #8 seed beating a #1 seed ever since the NBA changed to 7game/series in all rounds, and probably one of the biggest upset in NBA playoffs

Opanda iExif Viewer 2

2007-05-03T11:05:00.000-07:00

This nifty little FREE program is a Firefox / Flock script that allows you to view the Exif data of the pictures inside your browser. Quite a convinent tool to let you understand better how the shots you like are taken. :-) Enjoy!Note: They also have an iExifPro version that includes even more features at $19.99. http://www.opanda.com/en/iexif/iexif_firefox.htm

2007-05-03T09:15:00.000-07:00

General Motors Corp.'s first-quarter profit fell 90 percent compared with a year ago, citing losses in the home lending operations of its former financial arm. It was the second consecutive quarterly profit for the nation's largest automaker, which said in Thursday's report it had record vehicle sales worldwide and improvements in its automotive operations in the latest quarter. But the profit of

Nikon D50 vs D70

2007-05-03T01:44:00.000-07:00

I picked up a Nikon D70 a while ago from Patrick through a friend of mine at a discounted price (thanks Patrick!). I've been using it for a little while now and I feel comfortable enough to start writing about the differences. I'm sure you'll find a lot of articles comparing the specs on the Internet, but let me be honest and say that most of them are not useful. Why? Because they're not

Strawberry Drop

2007-05-02T22:32:00.001-07:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Strawberry Drop, originally uploaded by hermanau. My first attempt to this type of shot. This is far from perfect, and I honestly don't have the setup exactly the way I wanted. Hopefully next time I'll get my hands on a

Peacock

2007-04-29T14:28:00.001-07:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Peacock, originally uploaded by hermanau. I went to the Arcadia Arboretum with Bernard on Saturday. It's such a beautiful place, way better than that garden we visited last week. There are birds roaming around everywhere,

1000+ Views, 100+ Faves!

2007-04-24T19:22:00.001-07:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Endless Tranqulity, originally uploaded by hermanau. My first ever 1000+ views 100+ favorites shot... :-) This shot really kinda surprised me when I developed it from the NEF file 'cause it almost came out like this

Waterfall

2007-04-24T17:00:00.001-07:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Untitled, originally uploaded by hermanau. My first waterfall shot ever. I've always wanted to shoot these, but I never come across one. This one wasn't shot in the ideal angle 'cause the plants were in the way, and also I

FixNEF, yes seriously, Fix your NEF!

2007-04-20T10:33:00.000-07:00

Huge props to Jaewook Chung writing both programs... this one is probably even better than PreviewExtractor of the previous post. Wow, even taken those pictures that the WB is so messed up that you would have to spend an hour in PS just trying to correct it and eventually fail? Now this tool is here to the rescue... It appears to have a smarter algorithm in correcting white balance, and it

Shutter Count - Nikon

2007-04-20T10:16:00.000-07:00

Most of you should already know that the life of your DSLR is closely tied to the shutter count. Although there hasn't been any confirmed number of counts on how many times a shutter would fail, but it should give you an idea what the "mileage" is on your camera. It's especially helpful if you were to purchase a pre-owned unit.I came across this one today for Nikon and I find it doing just that

Bugeye WRX Wagon

2007-04-16T18:00:00.001-07:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } 02 Subaru Impreza WRX, originally uploaded by hermanau. Alright, I'm trying some a little different on this shot. I actually took 7 shots of different exposure on this but I only used 4 of them. Instead of using a wide

Tutorial: Adobe Photoshop basics - Levels

2007-04-13T22:58:00.000-07:00

I browse about 100-400 pictures / day on flickr, and I notice a lot of pictures out there are underexposed or overexposed. The truth is, if a picture is overexposed, there really isn't much you can do to save it; but if it's underexposed, you have a pretty good chance of saving it. To understand this, you have to understand how your digital sensor works. It works much like film in this case:

Paint.NET, a free alternative to Adobe Photoshop

2007-04-13T16:07:00.000-07:00

I've been flickr'ing too much lately, and started coming across a lot of pictures that are underexposed. We live in a digital world, and underexposed pictures can be saved a lot of times. Although the vast majority of people out there who owns a digital camera, only a hand full of them own Photoshop or have enough knowledge to use it to their advantage. I came across a so-called alternative

BMW 330i

2007-04-12T10:51:00.001-07:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Shirley's BMW 330i, originally uploaded by hermanau. My 2nd HDR attempt. This time I talked to my friend to get his advice to clean up most of the distracting visual elements before uploading the final version. I'm

Nikon 55-200 mm F/4 5.6G ED-IF AF-S DX VR Zoom-Nikkor Lens w/ Vibration Reduction

2007-04-11T09:06:00.000-07:00

I don't know how I missed this one when it was released in March, 2007... but I just got to post it for those who are slow to react like myself... 2 words: GET IT!!!!!!This is the very first VR lens ever priced at the budget consumer's level. I thought it was April's Fool, but no it's seriously priced at $249.99! Expect plastic construction all over like the Nikkor kit lens, but I'm pretty sure

HDR Tutorial with Photomatix and Photoshop

2007-04-11T08:41:00.000-07:00

Forewords: I hated HDR. Why am I even bothering with it and writing this? It's only because there are too many that really give HDR a bad name, and I finally got around and decided to learn how to do it well myself. I'm not claiming to be an expert in this and I'm only sharing what I've learned so far.Preparation: First off, you need an HDR software to make HDR shots. There are lots of HDR

My first HDR

2007-04-10T22:06:00.001-07:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Subaru WRX, originally uploaded by hermanau. Finally got around to get my first ever successful HDR shot. I stopped by the parking lot of a close by theatre at night a couple days ago and took a series of shots including

Fun projects with Photography Tutorial

2007-04-10T13:24:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across popphoto.com today and found a few interesting tutorial articles teaching how to shoot numerous fun subjects and have tips that will really help amateurs and intermediate photographers who have not been exposed to those areas.I've picked a few to list here:How to shoot smokeHow to shoot star StreaksHow to use a Second FlashHow to create HDR Images

Subaru WRX Wagon

2007-04-09T13:37:00.001-07:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Subaru WRX Wagon, originally uploaded by hermanau. My first night parking lot shot. I've always wanted to try these but I don't have wide angle lens, and so I tried a few with my widest 28mm. That kinda limited myself to

Beauty is in the Eye

2007-04-08T20:18:00.001-07:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Beauty is in the Eye, originally uploaded by hermanau. My very first eye shot. Took me less than 10 tries to get this right. Next time I'll try to get a more interesting subject in the reflection.. :-)If you're interested

Domokun Attacks!!!

2007-04-08T02:32:00.001-07:00

.flickr-photo { border: solid 2px #000000; }.flickr-yourcomment { }.flickr-frame { text-align: left; padding: 3px; }.flickr-caption { font-size: 0.8em; margin-top: 0px; } Domokun Attacks!!!, originally uploaded by hermanau. Hehe, here's another one of those Photoshop "accidents" where I just let my imagination run wild. Pictured is Domokun attacking a miniature Seattle (shot this actually

ISO 1600 with my Nikon D50

2007-04-07T01:41:00.000-07:00

I've learned to stay away from anything above ISO 400 at all costs over the past by all means because of mainly the noise. Shooting with a DSLR, getting better lens, and all other supporting equipment usually does 2 things: 1) get a sharper shot, 2) get a cleaning shot with better optical quality; Using ISO 800 or 1600 with the D50 is guaranteed to produce an visible noise, and often times

Candid Photography

2007-04-06T08:57:00.000-07:00

I just happened to stumble across the term Candid Photography today over Wikipedia: link while I was trying to figure out the proper terminologies and classifications of photography. I feel that I'm seriously lacking knowledge of this area, and it's about time I gather my attention together and actually start reading to fill the gaps of all my new found knowledge. By definition, it's the art

FREE Lens Hood

2007-04-04T01:27:00.000-07:00

The best word of the Internet is, without a doubt, FREEI was cleaning up my emails earlier and found this great site for the fellow photographers who may want a Free lens hood, printed directly from your own printer. Sure they're made of paper and aren't as durable as the real thing, but it's FREE comparing to spending $40-$50 for a piece of plastic that occupies space in your camera bag. I'm

My Flickr pictures for the past few months

2007-04-02T16:54:00.000-07:00

Flickr Toys treated all pictures of everybody on flickr as if they're shown on Explore, and here's a little piece of glory that reflects the pictures I've taken over the past few months. Link to my Flickr account here: Herman Au1. Light and Shade of Yellow, 2. Ripple, 3. Contrasting Personalities, 4. Symmetrical Illusion, 5. The wait, 6. The art of learning, 7. Color in darkness, 8. Two halves

2008 Subaru Impreza WRX

2007-04-02T11:21:00.000-07:00

MotorTrend has revealed new images of the 2008 Subaru Impreza WRX and shocked the world. In merely one week, there has been 267,853 posts since the initial post date of 3/26 on the thread on nasioc.com, one of the biggest Subaru sites of North America. The news is so shocking mainly because of the tremendous disappointment in the design. Not only is it not ground breaking, it looks remarkably

Water Drops

2007-02-23T12:04:00.000-08:00

Having tons of fun with shooting water drops... Check these out! :-)http://www.flickr.com/photos/hermanau/sets/72157594552458508/detail/

About Photography

2007-02-23T09:20:00.000-08:00

Trying to backtrack a bit here so bare with me.I remotely remember why I decided to step up to a DSLR (digital single lens reflex), mainly because I wasn't happy about the quality of P&S (point-and-shoot) cameras, and I wasn't able to really learn how to take good pictures when there's only 1 button to press. That X'mas my wife and I exchanged gifts. She bought me a Nikon D50, and I bought her

I quit!

2007-02-23T01:46:00.001-08:00

Yea, I quit my day job. I quit my job for numerous reasons, and I think you may find some of them very familiar:I don't enjoy working with (some of) my co-workers, mainly because of too much drama/politics.I find myself growing beyond my position, and the chance of getting a raise/promotion is slim.I find the company/industry I work for is going downhill.I find myself spending way too much time

4EAT WRX vs 5MT WRX

2004-10-11T13:33:00.000-07:00

Definitely a good read, interesting insight in this post (sorry OP i can't find the original thread):All of us are forgetting the main advantage of the Auto-WRX: the AWD system itself. When we talk of "Rally Proven", the "proof" is actually missing in the Manual-WRX. Here is the reason why:The VTD-AWD system of the Auto-WRX is the most advanced AWD system of Subaru, with a true torsen (torque

Speed Loading Adobe Acrobat 6.0

2004-09-29T13:01:00.000-07:00

Ctrl-R, enter C:\Program FilesNavigate to Adobe/Acrobat 6.0/ReaderRename plug_ins folder to plug_in_NOTMake new folder plug_ins and copy the following 3 files from plug_in_NOT to the new folder: EWH32.api, printme.api, search.apiThat's all you need to do. :) Enjoy Taken from PC MAGAZINE October 19,2004

WRX model number clarification

2004-09-24T13:38:00.000-07:00

What is "GDA", "GDB", "GGA", "GGB", etc.? GDA - 2002+ Impreza WRXGDB - 2002+ Impreza WRX STiGGA - 2002+ Impreza WRX WagonGGB - 2002+ Impreza WRX STi WagonGDB-C - Current model (US 2004+) WRX STiS202 - Limited Edition WRX STi. Light weight version. Came with Carbon Fiber rear spoiler, Volk wheels, lowered/uprated suspension, titanium exhaust and other performance/appearance differences.Spec C -

Subaru WRX Wagon

2004-09-22T16:10:00.000-07:00

Here's an interesting article that's worth reading a couple times :) Road Tests: Follow-Up Test Follow-Up Test: 2002 Subaru Impreza WRX Sport Wagon Subaru Boosts its Versatile Compact Wagon By Brent Romans Date Posted 01-01-2002 We like the Audi S4 Avant. This 250-horsepower wagon has handsome styling, capable handling characteristics and a

Wagon Body Kits

2004-09-20T01:30:00.000-07:00

Wagon Spoiler!Wagon body kits

BOOooost Gauge!

2004-09-02T12:02:00.000-07:00

Finally got that thing installed... cost me $100 thou. >_< I actually worked with the guy on the installation and nothing's really too complicated really. After this I think I'll feel a lot more comfortable working on my car by myself. Well, maybe with a friend around to give me advice and some handy help. Taking apart the TMIC wasn't too bad either, and I think *IF* I ever get my hands on

BMW E30 M3

2004-08-31T10:20:00.000-07:00

I remember a while ago I had a very strong urge of owning a BMW E30. I was still going to school and working part time, and I managed to save up a couple thousand dollars, ready to trade in my 94' Corolla DX for an even older car of my dream. The enthusiasm died down after I moved down to LA snapping back into reality. I forgot about the car and ended up purchasing a Subaru WRX Sports Wagon,

KikoMan!!!

2004-08-20T15:57:00.000-07:00

Dude, you'd think it's a joke but uhh... they made a Ultra-man style Kiko-man (kikoman is a soy sauce brand if you don't know). I hope it's a prank... I thought Pepsi Man was kinda crazy already.http://www.seanbonner.com/blog/archives/000322.phpEnglish version:http://www.starterupsteve.com/swf/kikkomaso_e.html

MR2 -> Ferarri 355

2004-08-16T16:32:00.000-07:00

http://www.flack1.f9.co.uk/projectferrari/index.html Enjoy!

2004-08-13T17:51:00.000-07:00

Several bookmarks for myself... :D Pikko's Pot WRX noise question on Cobb Forum Herman's FFXI corner The WERKS WRX Gold WRX APS high flow Turbo Discharge Mr Josh Pulley Siya & Linaaa Kastle's Korner Steering Rack Bushings FoundryFX