I finally received my Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX lens a few days ago. I figured it will be good enough to do macro shots. I took the lens out for a test shoot and it performed quite well. Click here to view the samples.

posted by Andy at 5:28 AM

I thought the top menu frames looked a bit cheesy, so I took the liberty to remove them. It's much more simple without any frames, and any links to images or whatnot can be posted immediately here.


posted by Andy at 3:05 AM

SALAD ARE GOOD !!! EAT THEM!!!


posted by Andy at 10:33 PM

... And another!!!


posted by Andy at 4:31 PM

Here is another one I finally got around to doing.


posted by Andy at 5:03 AM

I'm back again! Stayed home all day and watched the David Westerfield trial. It looks like Westerfield's lawyers are scared when put up to ask questions. He always seems nervous and does not gather his sentences too well. The people he end up examining becomes frustrated from what he is trying to ask of them. So I finally gave up and turned off the TV. I went out and biked again for 6 miles. I brought along my nifty digital camera to shoot pics along the way. Being out there, I remembered the camera having a panoramic feature and gave it a try. When I got home, I fired up the stitching application and boy was it easy. The program does it for me! All I have to do is choose the sequence of images and the computer throws it together for you. Being my first attempt, it looks pretty darn cool! Take a look! You can click on the image for a larger version. Enjoy!



posted by Andy at 8:32 PM

Hey, whats up folks?! Once again, I'm back from this hectic world. I finally took my finals and everything is just dandy. In fact, I'm so glad that it's over that I'm not even worried about the grade I received. I also moved into a new house which has a section for me to set up my darkroom, it's going to be perfect! I cant wait. So I finally got a decent digital camera for ebay usage and snapshots. I photographed a bunch of my prints for illustration purposes.. You can check them out here. So I guess there will be loads of new snapshots. I'm planning not to upload too many photos taken from my film camera. Instead, I want to try to keep them independant from the internet. The reproducation on the monitor just doesnt do them any justice. So one must experience the print. G'day.
posted by Andy at 9:59 PM

I know you guys miss me! Now come give me a big hug!


posted by Andy at 10:44 PM

Ah, what a day it has been! And what a day it will be when the sun rises. I'm going to be meeting up with my makeup artist at around 10:15am. This means I'll be getting approximately 4 hours of sleep that day. Yipee!

On a side note, I finally got a new lens to accomidate my travelling needs. Sigma 28-70 EX f/2.8! I shot one roll of TMX using that lens, today. I'm pretty skeptical about the lens since there seems to be a lot of complaints about them. I guess I can only see for myself. I bought it used for a pretty good price. The best part about it is that the lens is in perfectly new condition. It feels like it has never been used at all. Not a single scratch on the lens, not a single swirl mark. Besides all the skeptic reports I've been reading, I am pretty confident this lens will perform. I am really gentle when it comes to camera-handling, so this makes all the bad news a little beat easier to overlook. I guess I'll just have to shoot some more film to see how this lens actually performs. I just hope the bokeh is not as bad as the Sigma 105 EX 2.8 Macro. In any event, it's time to get off work. Have a good one.

BTW, there are new pics in the gallery - Diffused Lighting.
posted by Andy at 4:24 AM

Wow, can you beleive it? It's been a while since I've written. Well, I've taken a great vacation to Las Vegas and to the Grand Canyon, so now I am all worked up for spring break and am feeling much more relaxed. Now that I have a taste of the wine, I'm wanting more. I'm planning on heading down to Rosaritos once the drug wars are over in Tijuana. :)

So like I was saying, the trip was great! It's about 1:30am also, so why don't you go ahead and take a look at the photo gallery, and I'll be in bed getting my rest. I will surely write about my experience and provide recorded audio excerpts from the trip. Have a good one.
posted by Andy at 1:28 AM

Welp, it's time for me to do my patriotic duty:


posted by Andy at 4:11 AM

Hey All! Sorry I haven't updated this page in such a long time. I am in the process of creating a better featured album for the website. I will also include optional audio for each gallery, so that you can enjoy the ambience while looking at the photos. See you again soon!
posted by Andy at 1:20 AM

Alrighty! I'm back. Suprisingly, the results turned out pretty well for Melva. I didn't like most of the shots because I didn't have the right lighting and whatnot. I will try to do another shoot with her in the future. Next time, with 'assistants'. Yesterday evening I won a Jobo CPE-2+ with Lift. Brand new too! I'm excited! So what's next on my shopping list..? Probably nothing. Right now, I simply want to shoot some nice B&W and make 11x14 enlargements. It's a crapload of hard work, but once the results are revealed, it is so gratifying! I think it's even more gratifying to finally have it dry mounted and framed. And even MORE gratifying to have it hung up in livingroom. And even MOOOREEEE gratifying if someone bought one *hint*hint*. So I have two big projects handed out from class. One is due in less than 2 weeks and the other is due 1-2 weeks after. I don't think that's very fair, since the entire photographing process, developing process, and printing process will take up ones time by a large factor. And it's not always a convenience for people to shoot shoot and shoot. It makes it even harder when they don't have the equipment and can only rely on 2 days of class per week to get any work done. I shouldn't complain, I have everything at home :). So it totals 3 rolls for the next 2 projects. So I'm in a class of about 28-33 people. I'd say about 5 out of everyone is "serious" about photography. It's a bit discouraging given the fact that taking the class alone is a big investment for most people. So why not make the most of your money? So a few days ago, our project was due.. We had a group of about 10 people display their photos in front of class and have the teacher go over it and told us what he liked about each photos. He commented on one of the student's photo and said "I think this photo would be great if you could add a little bit more contrast to give it that PUNCH". Knowing who the student was, I really doubt there was any potential of that ever happening (reprinting). So it makes me wonder if suggestions or general input are ever relivant. People can give great critiques and recommendations, but nothing is learnt when there is no initiative to go out there and make it better than it once was. Ok, I'll stop ranting about photography for one day.

Lets talk about Minidisc! I finally got myself a new portable minidisc recorder. The Sony MZ-R700. I used to own the MZ-R500, but sold it because I really needed the Mic In feature. So now that I have the MZ-R700, I can bring it along with me when I'm out on the field, or when I'm in class absorbing his lectures. I'm still trying to think of ways I can make use of the Mic. Oh yes, I know. I wanted to log my dreams. When I wake up in the morning, writing down my dreams is NOT one of the things I want to do. So I can just transcribe it onto my minidisc then type it out later on. So, I think this week is pretty spanky.. I'm a happy man. Now lets see how next week goes. Hopefully the Jobo will arrive in one peice.

And now the moment you've all been waiting for:


posted by Andy at 3:08 AM

Wow... I haven't had much time to write here lately. Don't worry, I haven't fallen short on words. I've just been so busy with school and work that it's driving me absolutely insane. New projects are handed out even before the previous projects are due. This weekend I photographed Melva. Beautiful mexican girl who lives in Tijuana. The shoot went very well. This is the first time I've actually photographed human subjects using slide film. Although I'm not exactly sure how Sensia 100 will fair for skin tones, I can only hope they turned out well. It's a good thing I attached a warming filter. Otherwise it may have came out too cold. So, I will try to get the results back by the end of this week and we'll see how they turn out.

I feel like I'm actually progressing! My grandmother showed me a nice 11x14 color print she had taken about 5 - 7 years ago, and I took the liberty to help her frame it. I went out and bought a mat cutter, a sheet of 4 ply 32x40 off-white mat board. I used a 20x20 frame with inner metal borders. To my suprise, the setup was really captivating. I handed the framed photo to her for Chinese New Years and she was exceptionally pleased.

I'm quite excited! Next week I'll be getting my Jobo CPE-2+. In a way, I am super excited. In another way, it'll be $900+ bucks out of my pocket. Isn't life fun?! So, since I don't have much to talk about, I'll stop here and will post some photos next week for your enjoyment. All 5 of you. Ha Ha.
posted by Andy at 2:13 AM

Hey look, it's me, Will, and Khuong!


posted by Andy at 12:36 AM

What a weekend it has been. I finally got around to developing my two rolls of TMX!

Welp.. I'm here at work again. It's been a surprisingly slow night.

Ok, this is what's been running through my mind lately. Have you ever had the feeling where you've become so absorbed into your own time that you don't spend very much time with any of your friends? For the last 6 - 8 months, I've been focusing 89.9% (it's THAT accurate!) of my time towards photography, so I don't have that much leftover to go out and socialize with my buddies. Ever since last week, I started running into old friends, and meeting new friends. I feel like I'm going back up the hill I once came down from. I guess people go through stages in life and some are worth repeating. I've devoted a lot of time to my craft, and I feel I must slow down a bit, otherwise I'll burn myself out. Hopefully, I'll be able to get back to a normal cycle again. Wish me luck!

Anyone watch the Superbowl? Hell, I thought it was a great game. But the commercials weren't as good as they could've been. I started watching the game when it was nicely into it's half-time. So either I missed most of the good commercials, or there wasn't really many to begin with. I liked the one beer commercial where his wife/gf is telling him she's in her teddy lingerie outfit, and he responds without care. Then she tells him that the velvet sheets are laid out. He still responds without care. Then she tells him she has the beer out for him. He jumps out of his couch and runs upstairs! He opens the door and flys in the room head first! Lands onto the velvet sheets and slips-n-slides right out of the window! Totally unexpected!

So, lately, I've been thinking about how to make money from photography. I'm thinking I should attend those Import Showoff events. Not exactly the best place to gain my credentials, but there's potential everywhere. Shoot a bunch of half-naked girls, and if they like it, work out a contract with the models, and start selling! I know I know, it sounds ridiculous. We'll see.

I think I'm beginning to feel more self-conscious about my weight. So my good buddy Tuan and I went out this weekend to find bikes (purchase, not steal!). We didn't need anything fancy, just something that would take us for a good ride around the city and not break into 40 pieces while going downhill. It was a miracle, but we found bikes that were being cleared out at Target. The original prices on these bikes were about $150 each. Guess what the clearance price was? $29.99!!! Tell me thats not a good deal, so that I can kick you in the crotch. Wooo Hooo!

Finally spoke to Chris this week. He didn't fall into a drain ditch like I had suspected.

posted by Andy at 12:27 AM

What an exciting week it has been! First off, my good friend, Ronald, returned from Japan (Marines). So he threw a great party! Got in touch with a lot of people I haven't seen for so long. Best of all, I'm glad Ronald is back home. Now I'll have someone's ass to kick, when playing Subspace!

I need to get out and photograph some more. Have you ever had that feeling where you've traveled to almost everywhere imaginable in your county and have photographed every subject possibly conceived? That’s exactly how I'm feeling at the moment. Every morning when I ask myself whether I should go out to photograph or not, I start saying to myself "Nah, I've already been there”. Surprisingly enough, that is the single answer I use for every location I plan to photograph at. So what do I want to photograph, instead? I think Still Life is getting pretty intriguing! I think the onion photo is making me really curious. But how many ways can one photograph an onion? Ah, I just remembered something. I need a darn timer. I’ve been doing quite a bit of night photography, lately, and the Mamiya M645 goes down to 8 seconds only. So when I’m out there making a photograph, I have to sacrifice DOF to keep within the 8 seconds. That’s no fun at all when you end up at f/2.8 @ 8 seconds. Ok, what’s next on my mind? Oh, I know! I need a bigger space for my studio gear! Hopefully when production picks up, I’ll be comfortable to move freely.

Oh yeah, I must put in a good word for Virtual Tourist. Since there are a lot of photographers out there, I am assuming that most are travelers or potential travelers. I think this site is a great place to share your experiences and post those wonderful photos you’ve taken along the way. Besides, there’s a lot of pretty ladies on there – I think this website is superior to the local bar!

Well, for those of you who are still reading, I must commend you. Even I almost fell asleep writing this. So to keep you coming back, I will be posting up new B&W photos next week.

Haven’t chatted with Chris this week. Did he fall into a drain ditch?

posted by Andy at 1:42 AM

Here are the samples I was talking about yesterday:


The Onion


Balboa Park at night

The Balboa Park photo was the one where I tried waterbath development. This is the result from using a 1 1/2 filter instead.

Oh yeah, purchased some Office Depot Premium Glossy photo paper as well, 3 packs for $19.99. The paper is manufactured by Konica. Thicker than the Epson Premium Glossy! More on that next time.
posted by Andy at 6:36 PM

Almost 4:00am again.. What a boring day it has been. So what's on my mind today? Ah, I know.. Lately, I've been really curious about doing nude B&W photography. I've been browsing through a lot of fine-art nudes, and they seem to really present a real challenge. I think the real challenge is finding someone who is actually willing to be a test subject. Perhaps I'm just not that good at soliciting people to get naked. I feel I have the technical abilities to create a really great image, but time constraint is always the forefront of my lack of participation. Since I don't have any nude subjects just yet, I figured I should just shoot flowers and onions. I have done a great job with this one photo I did of an onion stripped apart. I did a second series with a batch of garlic in the scene as well, as this turns out, I need to reduce development time by a bit. I took very accurate readings on all parts of the onions and the garlic, but didn't realize the difference in contrast were so tremendous. I guess having the surface on zone I, the onion falling on zone V, and the garlic falling on zone VIII wasnt such a smart move. So now the onion looks as if it was floating in deep space. The onion was fine, and the garlic in contrast with the base was perceptually too intense. There was exceptional details in the garlic, but the black made it pop out too much. I didn't like the photo too much in particular, so I must admit that I didn't spend too much time with burning local areas on the garlic. Perhaps I shouldn't have mentioned it to begin with.

Photography has become such an obsession! I am ready to plunge some money into purchasing a JOBO. Why? I'm working towards a self-reliance approach to photography. I want to have total control of the process. It's going to be costly, but I hopefully in the future when business expands, I will make up for most of it.

Oh yeah! My good buddy, Chris, recently visited Cape Town, Africa. I envy this bastard! He travels so much! Being the good man that he is, Chris has brought back great images for us to see as well. So do check out his website at http://topher50.tripod.com or if you're lazy, you can click HERE!

Have you ever heard of Shitter Speed? Just curious.
posted by Andy at 4:07 AM

Looks like this site is no longer under construction. I really have no idea why, since nothing has really changed. Although I do like this layout much better! So here I am at work again, killing time, and waiting for the next hour to pass by. I'll be home by 5:00am, so I'm pondering whether I should head out to do some photography as the sun rises. But I ask myself that same question each and every day. 99.9% of the time, I end up staying home and sleeping hours later. This truely messes up my schedule, since I fall asleep around 7am, I don't wake up until 3pm! That leaves about 4 hours before I have to head out to work again. What a life !!! Resigning the graveyard shift has seriously became a consideration, which will not happen until I find a photographic assistant job. So it looks like school is about to start next week. I can't wait to see what this year has to offer. Will I be seeing the same people as last year? Hopefully. But who knows.

Interestingly enough, I finally got around to using the darkroom again. It's been almost 2 months. But what I've noticed now, is that I'm being much more patient. Retesting exposure strips isn't as bad as it once was. So for each grade that I'm using, I'm retesting my strips. The best thing about this patience that I'm building, is that the payoff is tremendous! I just find it fascinating that photography is truely an ongoing experience. When I was in the darkroom this weekend, I tried to print a night shot I took of Balboa Park. Exposures on the negatives were great, and matched grade 2 perfectly, but I didn't like the results in the shadows. There were a lot of blocked out shadows which didn't cooperate with my conveyance. That's when I decided to try out "Waterbath Development". Well, as a result, I ended up getting streaks down my prints and the results were absolutely horrible. I can clearly see the improvements of the shadow details, but with the streaks, the prints were unusuable. I was puzzled when this happened. It turns out that since I was using RC paper, it completely develops within 60 seconds - which is fast! Fiber Based paper develops in about 3 minutes. So when I lifted the print out of the developer to be waterbathed, the developer dripping from the print was continuing to develop certain areas of the print. I figured if I used a more diluted developer combination, I could get away with a longer development time, but that didn't help whatsoever. In the end, I sacraficed a bit of contrast on the midtones for better shadows, by using a 1 1/2 grade filter. It helped the photo represent a more opened-environment feeling, but I think waterbath development would have been the best way. The results are excellent, but one day I'll try it again with Fiber-Based paper + waterbath development. Maybe I'll pull the flatbed scanner out of my drawer one day and scan the comparisons. I should've saved the streaked photo for illustration references.
posted by Andy at 3:48 AM