Uploads from Patrick|Choi, with geodata

Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 25mm f/1.4 - Test Shots

nobody@flickr.com (Patrick|Choi) — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 15:54:24 -0800

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I never thought this day would come - I sold my Canon gear and now exclusively shoot with the OMD-EM5. I'm so impressed with the images that the OMD is capable of producing.

I recently picked up the Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 25mm f/1.4 and it doesn't disappoint. Images are sharp, crisp and punchy right off the camera and while wide open.

Palomino Restaurant

Camera: Olympus E-M5
Lens Model: Panasonic Leica DG Summilux 25mm f/1.4
ISO: 1600

Kerry Park - OM-D EM-5

nobody@flickr.com (Patrick|Choi) — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 21:05:55 -0700

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I know, I know.

Another shot from Kerry Park. But I had to take the Olympus OM-D EM-5 through it's paces and test it's potential as a 'landscape' camera. And yes, I think it passed the test.

I can't say enough how fun it is to shoot with the OM-D.

Camera: Olympus E-M5
Lens Model: OLYMPUS M.12mm F2.0
Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/1000)
Aperture: f/4.0
Focal Length: 12 mm
ISO Speed: 200

Seattle Center Skatepark - OM-D EM-5

nobody@flickr.com (Patrick|Choi) — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 20:13:08 -0700

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I finally went mirrorless.

I love street photography and the Olympus OM-D EM-5 is an incredible camera. With advancements made to mirrorless cameras, you know longer have to sacrifice speed, accuracy or image quality. JPG and RAW files are rendered beautifully on the EM-5 and I'm so impressed with its dynamic range and high ISO performance.

The OM-D coupled with the M.Zuiko 12mm f2.0 was perfectly matched for street photography. The M.Zuiko 12mm lens has the ability to scale focus allowing you to preset your aperture and distance scale thereby allowing you to shoot from the hip or focus solely on composition.

Camera: Olympus OM-D E-M5
Lens: OLYMPUS M.12mm F2.0
Exposure: 1/2500 sec
Aperture: f/2.0
Focal Length: 12 mm
ISO Speed: 200

Two Chairs on Pier 62

nobody@flickr.com (Patrick|Choi) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 21:37:17 -0700

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Yesterday evening, I went up to Seattle to get some air and take some pictures. I wanted to return to Pier 66 only to find that it was closed off and used for an event. I didn't want the night to go to waste, so I walked around and found this enormous dock which was Pier 62 and 63. I'm not sure how I could have missed this spot before, but the view behind these chairs was pretty amazing.

Now, I really have mixed feelings about this image. I'm not sure if the chairs help the composition or get in the way. When I shoot ultra wide, I like to have some objects in the foreground to move the eye not only left to right but front to back. But I think the chairs might be a little too distracting. I debated on whether or not I should even post the image.

If anything, I'm open to criticism - please don't hesitate to leave a comment and tell me what you think.

Camera: Canon EOS 7D
Lens: EF-S10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM
Exposure: 30
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 11 mm
ISO Speed: 320
Exposure Bias: +2/3 EV

Seattle Center - International Fountain

nobody@flickr.com (Patrick|Choi) — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 20:42:58 -0700

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It was such a nice day that I wanted to get out of the house and take a stroll through Seattle Center. My original intention was to snap a photo of the EMP but there were too many street venders blocking the view I was trying to get. But, I didn't want the day to go to waste. I took a detour on the way to the car and got a picture of the International Fountain.

My setup? 7D on a tripod with an ultra wide lens and ND filters stacked.

I'm not sure why, but lately I've been really into black and white photography.

Camera: Canon EOS 7D
Lens Model: EF-S10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM
Exposure: 13
Aperture: f/16.0
Focal Length: 10 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Bias: +1 EV

Space Needle view from Lower Queen Anne

nobody@flickr.com (Patrick|Choi) — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 01:57:41 -0700

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My friend Aron requested a black and white Space Needle image. Thankfully, I have a friend who lives in Lower Queen Anne with roof access.

The original shot was taken in color - then I used Silver Efex to process it in black and white. Black and white isn't really my forte, but after fiddling with the image for a bit, I think I'm pleased with the results.

Camera: Canon EOS 7D
Lens: EF-S17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM
Exposure: 30
Aperture: f/10.0
Focal Length: 55 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Bias: +2/3 EV

Seattle Cityscape from 12th Street Bridge

nobody@flickr.com (Patrick|Choi) — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 01:33:52 -0700

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Here's a shot of Seattle's skyline from the 12th Street Bridge taken back in August 2009. This was taken when I was just beginning to learn digital photography. The image never really made the cut because it was poorly underexposed - about 2-3 stops. But, I was feeling bored and I was browsing through old images when I stumbled across this one and decided to revisit it. Over the last 3 years, I've become more knowledgable in post processing and I'm glad I originally shot this in RAW which gave more information to work with. Also, I just have to add that I'm so impressed with how good the software is today. I used Lightroom 3 and the digital noise reduction tool is just incredible and it's what saved this image.

Camera: Canon EOS REBEL T1i
Lens: EF28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM
Exposure: 3.2
Aperture: f/4.5
Focal Length: 47 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: 0 EV

Cadillac CTS-V

nobody@flickr.com (Patrick|Choi) — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 19:42:44 -0700

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Another image from our CTS-V shoot last week.

As mentioned in my previous post - this shoot may have been my most challenging yet. After this shoot, I now have a much higher appreciation for this type of work.

To recap my last post - the most challenging aspect of the shoot was trying to hand hold 1/15 of a second in a car that was move and bouncing around. If I had to give anyone advice, I would recommend shooting wide angle. 10-22mm on APS-C was perfect or 17-35mm if you shoot full frame.

In post processing, I added additional motion blur to the back ground to exaggerate the perception of speed and movement. Then, I added some vignetting to narrow the attention onto the vehicle.

Camera: Canon EOS 7D
Lens: EF-S10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM
Exposure: 0.067 sec (1/15)
Aperture: f/5.0
Focal Length: 10 mm
ISO Speed: 160
Exposure Bias: +1/3 EV

Cadillac CTS-V Rolling Image

nobody@flickr.com (Patrick|Choi) — Mon, 18 Jun 2012 00:46:56 -0700

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I was definitely out of my comfort zone.

My first attempt at a rolling car image - I'm pretty happy with the results and I learned a lot with many take-aways. I never would have thought that a shoot like this would take so much effort. The most challenging aspect was holding the camera still enough at 60mph while trying to achieve shutter speeds as slow as 1/15th of a second.

We first started out on the tide flats and rolled through downtown Tacoma. The whole time I used the Canon 10-22mm lens which is an exceptional Ultra-Wide Angle lens for APS-C cameras.

In post processing, I added additional motion blur to the back ground to exaggerate the perception of speed and movement. Then, I added some vignetting to narrow the attention onto the vehicle.

Special thanks to Brian Patterson for lending his Cadillac CTS-V.

Camera: Canon EOS 7D
Lens: EF-S10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM
Exposure: 0.067 sec (1/15)
Aperture: f/6.3
Focal Length: 22 mm
ISO Speed: 160
Exposure Bias: +1/3 EV

Surfing French Bulldog

nobody@flickr.com (Patrick|Choi) — Tue, 12 Jun 2012 22:15:14 -0700

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It's not everyday you see a surfing french bulldog.

Robby put his dog Bailey in a life vest, took him for a swim and got him on a boogie board. It was a great day to play on the beach and have fun in the sun. A day of basking, relaxing, surfing and skateboarding. Nothing beats good company, good food and nice weather.

We shot this at Alki Beach, Seattle and a shout out to Robby Ramos and his dog, Bailey.

I shot this RAW, went through the usual steps and added some vignetting.

Camera: Canon EOS 7D
Lens: EF-S17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM
Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/2000)
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 47 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Bias: 0 EV

Meet Bailey - French Bulldog

nobody@flickr.com (Patrick|Choi) — Wed, 16 May 2012 20:21:17 -0700

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Vote for Bailey in the pdn faces Portrait Photography Contest!

The last time I posted an image to Flickr was Feb 15, 2012 and even then - it was sort of a cop out. I just haven't been very motivated to go out and shoot so I'm glad my friends invited me out for an awesome day at the beach.

It is finally starting to feel like summer in Seattle and a couple friends and I decided to hit up Alki and play on the beach. We got in the water, lounged around, ate lunch at Slices and I even learn to skateboard.

Also, don't think for a second that this skateboard is just a prop... Stay tuned and I'll post a picture of Bailey surfing on a boogie board.

The editing was pretty basic. The image was shot in RAW and the file was pretty easy to work with. The sun was behind me and off to the right so the sky was nice and blue in the direction that I was shooting. Most of the work was spent balancing out the colors and playing with the levels to give it some contrast and a good amount of pop. Then, I used the brush tools in Lightroom to add clarity in a few spots and finished it off by sharpening the image to give it that extra edge.

Special thanks to Robby Ramos and his dog Bailey

Camera: Canon EOS 7D
Lens: EF-S10-22mm f/3.5-4.5 USM
Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/1250)
Aperture: f/10.0
Focal Length: 10 mm
ISO Speed: 800
Exposure Bias: +2/3 EV

비빔밥 - Bibimbap

nobody@flickr.com (Patrick|Choi) — Wed, 15 Feb 2012 22:14:18 -0800

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I have the highest level of appreciation for food photography but it has never been my thing because I'm usually far to hungry and impatient to hassel and fiddle with my camera while there is delicious food to be eaten. However, it has been so long since I've used my camera or even take a picture that I decided to dust it off and take an image of my dinner today.

On the menu? 비빔밥 or Bibimbap when pronounced phonetically.

Here is the Wikipedia definition - Bibimbap is a signature Korean dish. The word literally means "mixed meal" or "mixed rice". Bibimbap is served as a bowl of warm white rice topped with namul (sautéed and seasoned vegetables) and gochujang (chili pepper paste). A raw or fried egg and sliced meat (usually beef) are common additions. The ingredients are stirred together thoroughly just before eating. It can be served either cold or hot.

Wikipedia

Camera - Canon EOS 7D
Lens - EF-S17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM
Flash - 580EX II
Exposure - 0.004 sec (1/250)
Aperture - f/2.8
Focal Length - 55 mm
ISO Speed - 320

Created Tension

nobody@flickr.com (Patrick|Choi) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 00:31:43 -0800

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I haven't posted anything onto Flickr in sometime, and I haven't really been shooting much but I felt inclined to post something... anything at all. So here it is.

This was a fun and interesting image to work on. Originally, these were two separate images where both subjects were facing left and intended to be two separate profile images. I later decided to have both subjects facing each other thereby creating a little bit a tension, which is why I've titled this image "Created Tension".

But it wasn't so easy... Because I had taken the images at varying distances, the boards in the background were misaligned because of the difference in magnification. So, I cloned the backdrop behind the left subject and applied it to the right and laid the subject back into place -- It may not be obvious at first, but if you look in the grain pattern in the wood, you'll notice that it's a mirroring image. I could have taken the extra step to distinguish the two sides, but this image was more about experimentation.

Camera: Canon EOS 7D
Lens: EF-S17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM
Exposure: 1/800
Aperture: f/2.8
Focal Length: 43 mm
ISO Speed: 160
Exposure Bias: 0 EV

Pier 66 Sunset

nobody@flickr.com (Patrick|Choi) — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 02:23:51 -0700

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While I was waiting for the perfect moment to snap a shot towards the city, I decided to turn around and get a shot of the sun setting.

Camera: Nikon D80
Lens: Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8
Exposure: 0.001 sec (1/1250)
Aperture: f/14.0
Focal Length: 11 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: +1/3 EV

Space Needle Vertical Panorama

nobody@flickr.com (Patrick|Choi) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 14:22:30 -0700

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A beautiful day it was in Seattle and not a single cloud in the sky.

I feel like this image was a little out of the ordinary for me. Usually, I'm out catching more dramatic scenes but the weather was so nice yesterday evening, that I could not resist.

This is a vertical panoramic shot of the Space Needle using four images stitched together in Photoshop CS5. Fairly simple for the most part, and CS5 does a great job matching the exposure to make the image appear as if it is one seamless image. There was a fair amount of distortion but I was able to straighten a lot of it out in post processing.

Camera: Canon EOS 7D
Lens: EF-S17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM
Exposure: 0.02 sec (1/50)
Aperture: f/13.0
Focal Length: 17 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Bias: -1/3 EV

Another Rainy Day in Seattle - Pier 66

nobody@flickr.com (Patrick|Choi) — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 11:20:01 -0700

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I waited on Pier 66 in the pouring rain for 3 hours to get this shot. Although it wasn't the shot that I wanted, I'm still pleased with the results. My original plan was to wait for the sun to set behind me and for it to light up the clouds in front but the weather turned for the worst. But, I'm just glad that I was able to get a small break in the clouds to capture this image as storm clouds were rolling in from behind me.

Despite the setback, I think us Seattleites are blessed with some of the most amazing cloud formations which have the ability to add a whole new dimension to your image. Others may see adverse weather as an excuse to pack up but I see it as an opportunity.

Camera: Nikon D80
Lens: Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8
Exposure: 0.4
Aperture: f/16.0
Focal Length: 11 mm
ISO Speed: 200
Exposure Bias: -2/3 EV
Filters: Neutral Density
Tripod: Gitzo GT2531 + Markins Q3t

J.A.B. Slap Productions

nobody@flickr.com (Patrick|Choi) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 12:53:00 -0700

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Here's another image with J.A.B. Slap Productions. Again, it was a pleasure working with them. They produce great music and their content will become available on iTunes.

Please support your local artists, and I'll keep everyone posted when their music drops.

Like in the previous image, the lighting was pretty simple. One strobe, camera right, angled downward, with a medium sized softbox. The thick overcast gave us a lot of diffused lighting.

Camera: Canon EOS 7D
Lens: EF-S17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM
Exposure: 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture: f/8.0
Focal Length: 28 mm
ISO Speed: 160
Exposure Bias: 0 EV

J.A.B. Slap Productions

nobody@flickr.com (Patrick|Choi) — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 23:17:05 -0700

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I had a great opportunity to shoot for J.A.B. Slap Production and in working on their visual content.

Not far from the Port of Tacoma, this image was shot in a back alleyway where we happened to stumble upon this old and rundown truck. As previously mentioned, this is just the kind of setting that I love to shoot in and we were lucky to find it. We had initially setup around the corning where this area was not visible to us until one of our own had ventured off. The further we went into the alley, the better the setting became.

As far as the lighting? Fairly simple. I setup one speedlight, camera right, with a medium sized softbox, angled downward. In addition, there was thick overcast which gave us some useful all around diffused lighting.

Camera: Canon EOS 7D
Lens: EF-S17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM
Exposure: 0.008 sec (1/125)
Aperture: f/9.0
Focal Length: 55 mm
ISO Speed: 160
Exposure Bias: 0 EV

Sherene

nobody@flickr.com (Patrick|Choi) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 01:04:55 -0700

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I love shooting in rustic environments and I found an amazing lot in the Port of Tacoma with plenty of rundown pieces from old marine vessels. I scouted this location a couple weeks ago and thought that it would be the perfect spot to put together the shoot that Sherene and I have been waiting so long to do.

I particularly loved the rust in the background in that it almost matched the shade of magenta found on her top.

The lighting was pretty simple. One speedlite, camera left and tilting slightly down with a medium sized softbox.

Shooting conditions were a little tough with the high winds, but I'm just glad I had a didn't use an umbrella.

Camera: Canon EOS 7D
Lens: EF-S17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM
Exposure: 0.005 sec (1/200)
Aperture: f/4.5
Focal Length: 46 mm
ISO Speed: 100

Night at the Museum

nobody@flickr.com (Patrick|Choi) — Sun, 18 Sep 2011 19:33:26 -0700

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This was taken on the same night as the previous image in my Photostream.

It was pretty dark and I was forced to shoot at ISO 3200 and -1 stop exposure compensation to shoot fast enough to catch these people with an acceptable amount of motion blur.

Honestly, I'm not sure what would have been better on noise... either shoot at ISO 6400 or shoot at 3200 and bring it up the exposure in ACR.

I know that normally, you'd want to push the histogram to the right, and then bring it down in post processing, but under these circumstances, I'm not sure if it would have been possible under such lighting where I was struggling to get 1/8 of a second at f2.8.

Either way, the image would have resulted in quite a bit a noise and I had to get really creative with the noise reduction. Not only was the sky incredibly grainy, there was so much color noise that it was practically beyond repair. So, I ended up selected the sky and used the brush tool with a low opacity to color in the sky. Then to finish it off, I added some vignetting.

In the end, I think I'm happy with the way the image turned out.

As always, don't hesitate to share your thoughts.

Camera Canon EOS 7D
Lens EF-S17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM
Exposure 0.125 sec (1/8)
Aperture f/2.8
Focal Length 55 mm
ISO Speed 3200
Exposure Bias -1 EV