JLim photo

2010-03-24T19:41:00.000-07:00

Well it's been awhile

2010-03-24T19:27:00.000-07:00

Life has been pretty crazy over the past 6 months. During that time I've been to the Virgin Islands, back in Michigan, and traveling back and forth between Los Angeles and las Vegas. I guess it's good to be busy but if you don't slow down and reflect it can get out of hand pretty easily. Most recently, I had the pleasure of meeting and working with Terry Goodlad and Ana Tigre at a photography workshop called Weekend with the Masters sponsored by Vegas Vision Studios. For those who don't know who Terry and Ana are: Terry is probably the premiere fitness photographer in the fitness industry and owner of www.bodysport.com and Ana is a top fitness model and owner of Sweet Revenge clothing line. Both were absolutely wonderful to work with and were very professional. Here are some shots from the workshop!

more images from the game

2009-09-07T06:43:00.000-07:00

GO BLUE!

2009-09-07T06:28:00.001-07:00

Recently, I went to the University of Michigan's 2009 home opener football game. My old alma mater had a terrible season last year- the worst in it's storied history. For the winningest team in the the history of college football, this game was important to get to a great start to being competitive once again. I sat in the first row at the soundwest end of the end zone. Using my 70-200mm f/2.8 with 1.7 teleconverter, I was able to get some good images. When shooting sports it's important to get in the field but considering I don't have press credentials the first row will have to do. The above shot was taken from the opposite side of the field so I had to really zoom in and crop this image to get this shot. Of course some photoshop helps to get the end product. I really need to work on my reflexes when it comes to shooting sports. There were a lot of missed opportunities that I'm really kicking myself for missing. Only practice can remedy this though.

The game itself was incredible. You could feel the tension and excitement before the game and in the opening Mich drive. I've been to a few games but this one was different. There was more electricity in the air and when T. Forcier threw the first TD in the game the stadium exploded with cheering and jumping from the stands. Going to these games is a great experience and hope to go again this season!

High in the Sky

2009-07-09T07:43:00.000-07:00

Recently, I had an opportunity to shoot for Stars and Stripes, a local vegas Helicopter tour company. They do tours around Vegas, Hoover Dam and the Grand Canyon. They are starting a new advertising campaign and needed a shot of one of their helicopters in front of the Hoover Dam. Everyone I met was way cool and professional. The pilot told me that he would lock the sliding door open so I could shoot without any obstruction. At first he was going to leave both doors open (left and right side but decided to leave just one open). After buckling in, the pilot securely taped the seat belt buckle so I wouldn't accidently open it and look like I just committed suicide if the copter pitched suddenly!

Taking off and the overall flight was all smooth despite the high winds. I actually stayed pretty calm in spite of this being my first time in a helicopter.I did get a little nervous taking off but calmed myself down by reminding myself that I had a job to do and kept focused on what I had to do. I took various shots of the helicopter taking off as well as different shots as we headed to the dam.

When we got to the dam I took my shots leaning outward and my right foot hanging out. I didn't realize it until the copter pitched a little from a gust of high wind! I guess I tend to be oblivious when I'm really dialed in shooting... There was a point as we were hovering over the waters and I thought... wow.. this is how Superman must feel... yeah it a geek moment.

Overall it was a great time and a unique experience - I'm more used to shooting models- not being 3-4,000 feet in the air

Miss Asia USA

2009-06-16T07:11:00.001-07:00

This past weekend my niece competed in Miss Asia USA in Glendale ,CA. All of us had a great time. Although she didn't do as well as we all hoped we all were very proud of her. All of the contestants were very beautiful and the competition was strong.

When shooting at events like the pageant, lighting can be very tricky. Usually its low lighting and varied lighting which translates to a high ISO and tricky white balance settings when using a DSLR. Also finding a spot to shoot to get a good close angle is always a challenge at any event. My original seat was high in the nose bleed section so I managed to work/ninja my way to the first row. My niece was very surprised to see me in the first row taking photos of her!

Go Fly a Kite

2009-06-10T08:03:00.000-07:00

When I was in San Fran for a cousin's wedding I had time to go to the Kite park between the wedding and the reception. I remember, as I was walking to the park, what kind of photo I was looking to capture: kids, blue sky and of course kites. It helps to pre-visualize what you want in a photo. Normally it helps to go to the setting the day before when doing a shoot but of course that doesn't always work out. I walked around for a bit enjoying the weather and seeing kids with their parents having a great time. In this photo I used the negative space ( blue sky) and the perspective of how small the kids are to the rest of the frame ( sky and grass). There actually was an adult in the frame but I photoshopped him out. When taking photos of children it always leaves you with an interesting photo.

Dear old dad

2009-06-07T21:23:00.000-07:00

There's tons of different blogs out there today- probably too many. I hope I can make mine stand out by not being long winded but also by including photos that show my personal life a little. I'll try and talk about the background of the photo and why and how I took it to give some insight. Hopefully, you'll find something interesting! The first photo is my father. We were in San Francisco shopping one day and my dad came walking out of the store. I happened to be across the street and saw my dad. I told him to stand near the light post and lean into it. I knew that a great photo was in the making because I saw something in my mind's eye that could be composed with the negative space. I like using negative space because it forces the viewer to reflect because the subject in the photo tends to look reflective.

Nikon D3 f/10 1/320 ISO 200 focal range 60mm