New blog migration

This goes out to you subscribers to this somewhat plainly-designed Signal Element Blog.

The Wordpress migration is just about complete! The new digs are designed by no other than my long time friend, Van Phan. If you need any graphics or web stuffs designed, feel free to hit him up at find.van[at]gmail(dot)com .

However, this means this blogger based blog and any RSS feeds associated with it will no longer be updated.

If you visit the blog through blog.signalelement.com, it'll automatically redirect to the new site (and you probably won't see this post anyways).

If you're reading this in RSS, either visit the new blog, or directly subscribe to the new one by clicking here.

Thanks for reading!

Jon's M5

I have been reluctant to post lately because I'm on the verge of launching my website and new blog format. But, until I actually get my act together this is it.

Anyhow, teased from a previous post, I give you Jon's M5:











Pardon Blogger for cutting off the images. Wordpress is much more flexible in formatting and image gallery plugins, so it should be much better when I get to migrating everything over there.

Staying in shape in the off-season.

Well, after vegging out and being inactive for over a week after dragonboat season ended, I decided to hit the gym again....hard. I actually hit the gym last week, but it was just a lazy circuit train.

I did a slightly modified version of the Men's Health 300 workout. All are supposed to be done without any rest. But I cheated and rested a few times, else I would've passed out.

25 - pullups (kipping)
50 - 135lbs deadlifts
50 - bodyweight squats (the normal 300 workout calls for 24 inch boxjumps, but I was feeling dizzy at this point)
50 - floor wipers (I had to do 5 sets of 10)
50 - single arm clean and press with 35lbs dumbbell (original calls for kettle bell)
25 - pullups (kipping...I had to break it up into 3 sets of 2, 11, and 12...I was so burnt out of energy)

The 300 guys hold a record of doing it in 18-19 minutes. I did it in like 43 minutes.

For a video of what the original exercises should look like, check here.

Afterwards, I dashed out of the gym. They were about to close when I finished my last set of pullups. Furthermore, I had to sit in the car for a moment while I caught my breath. When I got out of the car when I got home I felt a crazy cramp in my hamstrings. I inched my way into the house and started stretching like a madman. I then proceeded to consume an orange, and then a banana. When my stomach settles, I think I'll fix up a protein shake.

Man oh man...feeling like dying never felt so good.

A little of this...a little of that.

Some hooliganism on Friday night resulted in this image:


Jon's M5-One-Oh!

That's all you get for now. But, be on the lookout for the launch of a new blog format, as well as a main website!

Season's over!

October 4-5 weekend marked the KP Dragonboat Race @ Treasure Island (www.sfdragonboat.com), which also meant the end of my dragonboat season.

My team, DieselFish did pretty well. Our DF1 crew took 1st in the Comp B division. While DF2 (my crew) and DF3 both ended up in the Rec B division. Even though DF2 made it to the championship, we were just edged out of hardware taking 4th in the division. In any case, we put on a strong showing, and I'm proud of our performance.

In any case, here are a few photos from racing weekend with my team DieselFish:


My team!


Todd and Victor, getting friendly. Todd's from LARD (Los Angeles Racing Dragons), our sister team from LA.


Tamara, a fellow Dieselfishie filling in for LARD (hence the confusing wardrobe).


Racing! That's me as the front right paddler of boat 4. My brother Gary snapped this one.


Mish & Brandon's Baby Jaden, taking a break between racing heats.


Me on a lunch break. Photo by Wes Ronquillo.


View of the bridge construction. Photo by Wes Ronquillo.


Our A-boat, taking the Comp B Division Championship!


Fearless Coach Mark. He said if we took first, he'd shave his head...this is him realizing the reality.


Tamara (in proper DF attire) and Claire, showing off their bling.

View more on my Flickr, if you're so inclined:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/signalelement/sets/72157607983915239/

Oh man, do I look forward to the 2009 season! Go DieselFish!

For now, I'll be taking up rock climbing again.

Debbie Triple Threat!

I've been shooting a lot, and not post-processing enough. In any case, here's a sneak teaser on what I've been working on lately:


Nick & Debbie Engagement Session


Tom & Debbie Doan Wedding, shot for Junshien Lau


Maternity shoot for my friend Deborah

There will be more to come soon, whenever I get cracking.

It's also pretty random that the three Deborahs I shot line up to be at different phases of family: engagement, wedding, maternity. I didn't plan it out to be that way, that's just how it unraveled in the past week.

So, enjoy these for now!

Europe Report Part 2: Give Way! More London!

I finally went through more of my London photos. I tried generating a video/flash slideshow, but until I get the right programs to do it right, you'll have to settle for a Flickr gallery for now.

London Gallery

Europe Report Part 1: London

Europe was awesome! So awesome, I'll probably have to report on it in multiple posts.

First off: London!



Scott's workshop was quite the ton of bricks. He covered A LOT of information, and my attempts to apply them were, let's say, challenging. More than half of the students in the workshop are returning alums, and I can see why. Scott's methods are not only constantly evolving, but his students appear to grow exponentially and are definitely hungry for more. I am definitely humbled by the amount of skill and artistry that was present at the workshop in London. God willing, I would like to attend another one of his world workshops next year. It'll also give me an excuse to travel.

Without further ado, here are some of my photos from the workshop:

Ama


Liz


Abigail


Fliss


Vanessa


Abigail @ The London Eye

Art director: Gavin Conlan

To top off the workshop. On Saturday night, we had a gallery showing of our work at The Jago. The piece I showed for that was this:

Kelly @ The Fashion & Textile Museum

Print Mastering: Gavin Conlan (I've since modified it from the print version, but he still deserves credit)

I picked that one because it was a different perspective than most of the other shots I produced. The low angle, the colors, and the impact that it had really stood out for me. To add to the fact that my print was hanging on a gallery wall was quite a confidence booster.

I'll also have to mention there was yet another awesome display of talent at The Jago by our very own photographer & model, Abigail Vander Hamm. After the crowds cleared and we were beaten and tired, she graced us by singing, "Over the Rainbow." I was quick enough to capture most of it on video. And with her permission, I'm posting it here. She is so spectacular that Scott states he's going to have her sing at his daughter's wedding. Yes, Scott, it's caught on video. No taking it back now!



Thank you to Scott, and all the students (Bandele, Linda, Daniel, Gavin, Christina, Abigail, & Arielle) for your knowledge, camaraderie, and artistic synergy. Thank you David Brubaker for making the gallery show a reality. And of course, thank you to all the models (Liz, Fliss, Ama, Kelly, Vanessa, Marco & Abigail) for your hard work, patience, beauty (handsomeness for Marco), and grace.

If this wasn't enough of London and photography for you, check out the other photographers' websites/blogs:

Scott Robert Lim
Bandele Zuberi
Linda Tamarpirat
Daniel Zihlmann
Gavin Conlan
Christina Chung
Abigail Vander Hamm
Arielle Langhorne

Stay tuned for more reports from my Europe trip!

Europe - T-minus 17ish hours

Europe still doesn't feel real yet. But, as my friend Lindsy said, "It'll feel real when you get on the plane."

I'm still having trouble deciding on what to pack. Oh, I don't mean clothes, I haven't hit that bridge yet. I'm talking camera gear. After all, the main purpose of this trip is Scott Robert's Next Level Workshop. I want to pack light, but at the same time, I want to make sure that I have all the tools I'll need to succeed.

Warning: Camera gear geek speak to follow.

Anyways, this is what's going in my Think Tank Airport Antidote backpack so far (kickass bag, I must say):

Nikon D200 camera
Nikon 17-35mm f/2.8 lens
Nikon 50mm f/1.8 lens
Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 VR lens
Nikon SB-800 flash
Fujifilm F50fd digital camera (point & shoot)
30GB of CF cards in Pixel Pocket Rocket
Lexar UDMA CF & SD card reader
Phottix Cleon N8 wireless camera remote
AA NiMh batteries (16)
EN-EL3e batteries (2)
Chargers and adapters for all those batteries
Giottos Rocket air blower
The Pod Pro Series camera support "beanbag"
Gaffer's tape (20-10" strips)
Gretag Macbeth i1 Display 2 color calibrator
Binoculars
Raincover (it's supposed to be drizzling)
Lenovo T61 laptop (thanks Gary!) - not shown, goes in flap of bag

Now, here are the things I have up for debate:

Nikon 28-70mm f/2.8 lens (my buddy Wes likes to call it "Big Bertha"):
I like this lens. It takes beautiful portraits. However, it's kinda big physically for it's range (hence the nickname), the focal length equivalent is a little odd on APS-C sensors (~42mm-105mm), and I can "almost" fill the range with the other lenses I'm bringing. But, it just won't be the same. I don't want to leave it behind, but I might have to. It's just not practical.

Gitzo 2560T carbon fiber monopod:
I wanted to bring a tripod, but my Calumet cheapy tripod isn't very portable, nor can the head support the weight of the D200 with the 2.8 glass very well. So, that leaves me with my ultra portable Gitzo monopod. I won't be taking 5 second exposures with this thing, but it will probably somewhat stable with 1 second exposures. It will also allow me some creative high angles when shooting the models and the Cheer families. It's light, portable, and fits neatly in a side pouch in my backpack. So, why the debate? It would have to be checked in during flight. Monopods are potential beat-down "clubs" and they can't be in the main cab during flight. Boo. I wish I had a Gitzo 1540 tripod. "The Pod" may have to do for now.

Anyways, pending internet access and fresh thoughts to share, I'll try to blog as much as I can on the trip. The next posts probably won't be as gear oriented, as well.

Now, I should figure out what clothes to pack. That should theoretically be easier than the gear.