Photo Stories

Hong Kong Street Photography May 2002

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Hong Kong street photography - made with my first digital camera Olympus 2040ZI visited Hong Kong in May of 2002, but it was not exactly on purpose.  By that I mean I did not think to myself where do I want to go for a three-day trip?  Hmm, Hong Kong sounds good.  I went to Hong Kong, it could be said, just to see a movie.  Of course it was not just any movie, but rather EPISODE II.  I was living in South Korea at the time and the movie was not opening there for months later, which was unacceptable.  The movie opened on a Wednesday if I recall, and I did have a job teaching in South Korea then.  I just told them I needed a few days off, no reason given, and certainly not that I was leaving the country!

I do not remember how, but I made a contact with someone in Hong Kong, a fellow Star Wars fan.  Tickets would of course sell out so I could not just stroll up to the ticket counter on opening night, so he said he would buy one for me when he bought his ahead of time.  Now I was a total stranger just reaching out to another fan, and he totally came through for me.  I guess we just agreed to meet at the theater as I had no cell phone with me to use in Hong Kong or anything like that.  The power of fandom!

It felt like the buildings were leaning over you in Hong KongI saw the movie three times in those three days in Hong Kong!  I did manage to get out and explore a bit too though.  Hong Kong felt very intimate to me, like everything was packed together and happening out on the streets.  The buildings themselves felt like they were leaning over you, closing in even more.  

Sign overload in the shopping districts of Hong KongAll these photos were taken with my very first digital camera, a 2.1 megapixel Olympus 2040Z.  

You have to weave your way through pedestrian traffic in Hong KongIt was a great three days in Hong Kong.  I stayed in touch with the guy who got me the tickets for awhile afterwards.  I also made friends with the guys in the PC cafe near my hotel that I visited often to read about reaction to the movie, etc.  Somehow I bought a white Mountain Hardwear t-shirt at a shop there that I still wear to the beach this day.  In the airport I bought a portable alarm clock that I have been using since then too.  All in all, it was a very memorable trip.  I watched the sun set from the airplane window as my time ended and I flew back across the Sea.

 

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    Psychedelic Pelican of St. Petersburg Florida

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    A psychedelic pelican composite image made using a layer mask in PhotoshopI had two images lying around in my random folder for months.  One was a graffiti wall I photographed knowing someday I would use it as a texture background.  Then I had this kind of wide-eyed pelican photo.  This afternoon I thought to combine them for a psychedelic looking fine art photograph.  In Photoshop I placed the graffiti wall image right over the pelican photo.  Then using a layer mask I was able to brush away the wall to reveal the pelican underneath, as well as choosing the blend mode for the overall look.  This is actually a fairly simple Photoshop skill.  To get more of an idea of how the combo process works, check out this blog post.

    John's Pass Madeira Beach Large 12-person Family Beach Portraits Florida

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    Just the adults from a John's Pass Beach family portrait session - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/5.6 ISO 200 1/60th - Strobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-600 to frame rightThe weather was fine all day as I made my way to the beach at John's Pass to meet a 12-person family all from Canada for family beach portraits.  However, once on the beach there were storm clouds everywhere to the south, west and north, but none passed over until the shoot was finished.  Lucky again!  In this shoot I really tried to stress avoiding just having people line up side by side (the picket fence look) and asked for more hands on interaction, like in the above shot.  I placed the man in the pink shirt on the sand first, and then had everyone else stack on top of him.

    Sisters having fun on Madeira Beach Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/7.1 ISO 200 1/60th - Strobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-600 to frame rightThese sisters needed no prompting to take up a more fun pose on the beach.  The challenge with them was getting them to do something not too crazy with each other!

    Just the boys during this Madeira Beach family portrait session - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/7.1 ISO 200 1/60th - Strobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-600 to frame rightOnly the guys in this shot and the best way to keep two active boys under somewhat control is to have them under wraps!

    All twelve family members walking down Madeira Beach at John's Pass Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/4 ISO 800 1/500thThe whole 12-person family walking down the beach.  Overlap by someone walking too fast is a concern in these shots, so I instructed everyone to walk at the same pace and not get in front of each other.  By the second take they had gotten it down.

    Cousins all stacked up on Madeira Beach family portraits Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/7.1 ISO 200 1/60th - Strobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-600 to frame rightNothing like a small stack of cousins as the kids when on their own in front of the lens seemed to be more willing to smile and stay put.

    The whole family portrait all 12 on Madeira Beach Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 200 1/200th - Strobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-600 to frame rightThis was actually the first shot of the evening, everyone together in a large group shot by the sea grass.  Even in this type of shot I encouraged some overlap getting everyone to sit as close to each other as possible to show more emotional connection between the family.

    Sunset Beach Treasure Island Florida Family Beach Portraits with 8 kids!

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    8 kids on Sunset Beach Treasure Island Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/5.6 ISO 200 1/160th - Strobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-600 to frame rightVisiting from Ohio, I got a call about a beach portrait session from Jill who wanted portraits on Sunset Beach on Treasure Island Florida of all of her family, which included 8 kids and 12 people total!  As you can see, all the kids were thankfully about the same age and they all got along so it was much easier than I thought to get all 8 kids in multiple shots over our nearly 90-minutues of actual shooting time.

    All 8 kids rolling in the sand on Sunset Beach Treasure Island Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/5.6 ISO 200 1/250th - Strobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-600 to frame rightThe family wanted the kids to be the focus of the shoot, so most shots only featured the children.  The kids themselves had plenty of ideas for shots and were willing to get down on the sand, which meant I also had to get on the sand to get to their eye level for the above shot.

    Getting a ride from her brother on Sunset Beach Treasure Island Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/11 ISO 200 1/200th - Strobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-600 to frame rightHe and I were both thinking the same thing when I suggested he give his sister a piggy-back ride for their portrait with the tall sea grass as a background.

    Mom and her two children on Sunset Beach Treasure Island Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/11 ISO 200 1/200th - Strobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-600 to frame rightWhen mom is willing to get on the sand and let her kids sandwich her, that is making a sacrifice for the photograph!  I was on the sand too and was glad to have a chance to try this more dynamic beach pose.

    Dad and his three daughters on Sunset Beach Treasure Island Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/11 ISO 200 1/200th - Strobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-600 to frame rightMy idea for this shot of a father with his three daughters I wanted to show all the girls surrounding their dad and being as close to him as possible.  Dad was set first as the anchor of the group and then each daughter wedged in next to him.  

    Family Beach Portraits Sunset Beach Treasure Island St Petersburg Florida July 2013

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    Getting on the sand for their family beach portrait on Treasure Island Florida - Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/8 ISO 200 1/250th - Strobist: SB-800 @ 1/2 power to frame left & SB-600 @ 1/2 power to frame rightIt was a quick return to Sunset Beach on Treasure Island Florida for me since my last visit on Thursday for another candid family beach portrait session.  I never know what the sunset will be like for any particular shoot, and it is surprising to me about how different they always turn out to be from each other.  This evening was a mix of pure sun followed by dramatic clouds.  The youngest member of this family was not impressed with anything though and as you can see by his damp eyes, was crying almost the entire time being up a bit past his usual bedtime.  I know I get cranky too without enough sleep, but that usually is about waking up too early in the morning.

    Sunset Beach reveals another great Treasure Island Florida background - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 200 1/100th - Strobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-600 to frame rightOne last shot before the sun disappeared below the horizon bringing the end to another day on Sunset Beach on Treasure Island.  Just after we finished a few raindrops started to fall.  Another lucky weather evening out on the beach!

    Pouring sand on his brother on Sunset Beach Treasure Island Florida candid portraits - Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/8 ISO 200 1/250th - Strobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-600 to frame rightNow getting sand poured on your head by your older brother is enough to make anyone cranky, that's for sure!

    Sunset Beach Treasure Island Florida Candid Family Beach Portraits July 2013

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    Mother and daughter candid black & white Sunset Beach portrait on Treasure Island Florida - Nikon D300 Nikkor 50mm @ f/2.5 ISO 200 1/250th - Strobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-600 to frame rightLately I have been photographing rather large families on Florida's beaches.  This time it was a family of four and I was reminded of the benefits of photographing such a small number of people, and also with children not out of control.  We were also at my favorite beach, Sunset Beach on Treasure Island.  This was an opportunity for me to try new shots and take my time.  The shot above was a candid between setup shots of mother and daughter.  Converting to black & white had a dramatic effect on the overall look of the photo and it may end up being one of my personal favorites of 2013.

    Family visits Sunset Beach on Treasure Island Florida and jumps to the sky - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/6.3 ISO 200 1/100th - Strobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-600 to frame rightThe family requested a jumping shot, one that is not on my normal shot list, so another chance at a new type of shot.  It took quite a few tries to get everyone to jump in a semi-coordinated effort and not have faces blocked, etc.

    Carrying the kids family beach portraits on Sunset Beach Treasure Island Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/5 ISO 200 1/100th - Stobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-600 to frame rightAs you can see it was not a clear sunset that evening, but more a dramatic backdrop of clouds backlit by the setting sun.  The family liked this background, and for me it provided another differentiating factor for this series of images.

    Family in form on Sunset Beach Treasure Island Florida - Nikon D300 Nikkor 50mm @ f/2 ISO 200 1/160th natural lightThis photo was my idea, earlier on in the shoot.  The dad mentioned how he did not mind if he was not in some shots, so I placed him furthest back and using a 50mm lens at f/2 let shallow depth of field create interest in the framing.  I do not often get to use my 50mm lens during beach portrait sessions due to lack of time.  

    Family walking down Sunset Beach Treasure Island candid portraits - Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/4 ISO 320 1/500th natural lightThis last shot is one I often make of a family walking down the shore using my long lens (Nikkor 80-200mm f/2.8D).  It was a windy day and it kicked up waves making the Gulf of Mexico look more like a proper ocean background.

    Madeira Beach St Petersburg Florida Family Photography at Sunset

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    Family Beach Portraits on Madeira Beach Florida at sunset - Nikon D300 Nikkor 80-200mm @ f/5.6 ISO 200 1/250th - Strobist: SB-600 @ 1/2 power to frame right & SB-800 @ 1/2 power in frontI met Lisa and her family visiting from Georgia at their condo on Madiera Beach in St. Petersburg Florida for a candid family beach portrait session.  There were never any worries about the weather all day, which is rare for July, but I did not know what the beach would be like on that particular stretch of Madeira either.  Thankfully, there were not that many people and there was some sea grass to use as a background that blocked out the adjacent condos.  

    Three generations in this Madeira Beach family portrait in Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/8 ISO 200 1/125th - Strobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-600 to frame rightThough there was no rain this evening, there were plenty of clouds along the horizon to make for a dynamic background over the Gulf of Mexico.  I personally like a lot of clouds in the sky as opposed to a cloudless sunset only background.  I chose to convert this particular portrait to black & white to add even more impact.

    Sea Oats background on Madeira Beach family portraits in Florida - Nikon D300 Tamron 17-50mm @ f/10 ISO 200 1/250th - Strobist: SB-800 to frame left & SB-600 to frame rightA willingness to get on the sand allows for a wider variety of shots, and the above style photo has been my go to first photo for beach portait sessions letting the sun go down a bit (it's too strong to shoot against an hour before sunset) and making use of the existing flora.