Operation Eagle II

I call this Operation Eagle II because it is the second time I dedicated myself to photographing Bald Eagles exclusively. The first was back in January of 2011 and I would call it a moderate success. Most of the eagles were far away, and there was too much cloud cover. I promised myself to try again someday.

On November of this year, I kept my promised and returned to once again capture the grace and beauty of America's national bird. Waiting for hours in the cold was certainly worth it for me. These are the results of the trip.

Summer Sunset Nostalgia

It has been a quiet lately only because I am now busy working full time. But I still keep my photography up whenever I can. I have now found time to post some of my photography that I have done in 2014, first with my favorite shot of the summer, and the Jersey shore. Here is a sunset taken at Long Beach Island in New Jersey.

Life is short and precious, I am blessed with photography to capture the beauty of life for the benefit of myself and others. This includes enjoying the visual benefit that each season provides.  

Stray Dogs of Taiwan

The culture of dog ownership various around the world, and I found another example of that during my visit to Taiwan. Like owning a firearm, dog ownership has its uses and benefits that date back centuries. Such ownership however requires responsibility; responsibility that not everyone is up for. There are many dog owners in Taiwan just like in America, but at the same time, there are those who cannot take responsibility for their dogs, which leads to a problem of stray dogs. While walking through the streets of Taipei, I photographed various stray dogs. You can tell they are stray since they roam around with no human supervision. Some are approachable and others are not. Generally they should be left alone. Some people do leave food out for them.

This one had a collar, but was left unattended at a parking lot.

These two are seen dashing into traffic, causing problems for motorists.

Visit to Taiwan

At the beginning of this year, I paid a visit to the place my parents came from and where the other half of my family tree lives. An island full of history, natural beauty, and people. It is the island located just south east of China, and south of Japan. It has been ruled by various regimes including the Dutch, a couple of Chinese Dynasties, the Japanese, and now the Republic of China. Known formerly as Formosa, the island is now known as Taiwan and is home to over 20 million people. Most of the population consisting primarily of Chinese Descent live in cities along the western side of the island. Along the central and eastern mountains live Aboriginal Peoples who have been living on the island long before the first reliable recording of history was made on the island in the 1600s. It was a great experience visiting an island nation located in the heart of Asia.

Some photographs around Taipei.

The Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial. Like any leader, he is subject to controversy. But he is still considered, the father of the Republic of China and is honored as such. 

Some areas outside of Taipei.

The mountainous region means that you can find yourself above the clouds in certain areas.

 The Formosan Rock Macaque, the only primate living in Taiwan.

A retreat area known as "The One", a prefect place to get away and relax. You take in the fresh mountain air and enjoy the scenery while sitting in old fashion Asian architecture.

A large Koi. Although found abundantly throughout the world due to the aquarium trade, it should not be forgotten that these fish are native of Asia.

Christina Von Eerie

I love taking portraits and have done so for people looking to build their portfolios as well as professionals looking into more photographs. During one of my professional jobs, I had the honor of photographing not a professional model, but a professional athlete. This athlete is Christina Von Eerie, a professional wrestler. Her real name is Christina Marie Kardooni, but is known by her ring name, Christina Von Eerie. I had the honor of working with her for a client who wanted photographs of her in a calendar. I got to spend some time with her for casual photographs. My goal was to capture her character. She gave me her signature ring greetings and battle cry.

Visit Christina Von Eerie's website.

Updates and Happy Holidays

I have been busy with the last few months dealing with school, and professional work. But by next month (or in this case year), I will finally have some free time for more photographs. I am looking forward to an equipment upgrade in the near future, which may certainly help with providing photographs. However during the times of professional work, I have gotten some photographs worth while of posting. I shall provide my next photo update no later than New Years Day. I wish everyone Happy Holidays!

Tilt-Shift Lens Trials

I had the opportunity to experience with a Canon TS-E 24mm f/3.5 II lens in the two major cities that surrounded me. This is a member of Canon’s Tilt-Shift lens series. First, I took the lens with me to the Grand Central Station in New York City. I always saw this station as an impressive example to old fashion architecture, and setting. Not to mention, perfect lighting for photography, allowing great ambient lighting as long as the photographer can keep the camera steady! There used to be another station like this New York, Penn Station. Unfortunately modern design turned it into non photogenic. 

Next I went to Philadelphia and photographed two icons located and the “X” intersection of 9th and Passyunk Avenue. This is the birthplace of the famed Chesesteak, a Philadelphia dish and icon. This intersection is dominated by two Chesesteak giants; Pat’s King of Steaks which started it all, and Gino’s Steaks, which claimed to have perfected the recipe. 

This interesting lens offers a new perspective. It gives a unique depth of field, making objects appear distorted and look like toys. It is a fun lens to use, but not recommended for the beginner. It is manual focus only, and requires a good eye. Finally, it is not something to overuse, or else something supposedly exciting would quickly become boring. In addition, the distortion cannot be corrected if one desires to reverse it. Overall it is one of the specialty lenses that would be used only on very rare occasions.