Through the Lenses

I always look for ways to improve my photographic skills, and recently I came across Travel to the Edge with Art Wolf. It's an excellent site for travel photographers at all levels. I spent hours on it just going through the tips and techniques section. There's so much information to absorb. I felt like a little girl in a candy store :p.

One of the tips from Art is to use circular polarizer filter when taking landscape shots on a sunny day. Here are two photos I took of post Gay Pride Parade party at English Bay last Sunday. One was taken with filter, and one without filter.




Why circular polarizer filter and when? Basically, circular polarizer filter blocks certain amount of light coming from the sun, darkens the blue sky and creates a contrast in your photo. In the second photo, the blue sky appears to be light blue, and the white clouds do not pop out catching your eyes. However, you can see a striking contrast between the blue sky and the white clouds in the first photo. To maximize the effect, use the filter on a bright sunny day when the sun is high in the sky.

Where to buy and how much? Most electronic stores do not carry accessories such as filters. You can find them at camera specialty stores. Here in Vancouver, Lens and Shutter carry a variety of filters. A good circular polarizer filter normally costs around $50. I also looked around online like CameraWorld.com; however, the ones they carry are quite average. I'd rather spend a bit more on a quality filter that will go a long way.

Labels: Photography Tips and Talk, Vancouver

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Having lived on Vancouver Island for nearly a decade, I have seen a lot of live animals off the road. Deers and bald eagles are common sighting, but I had never seen a black bear on the side of the road before our trip to Tofino.


We spotted this black bear just outside of Ucluelet, a small town south of Tofino. The bear probably just came out of hibernation, hungry and determined, causing a scene on the only through road to Port Alberni. A few cars stopped including us, hoping to catch his prominent presence on camera. I grabbed my camera and stepped out of the car. Nick thought I was crazy as the bear turned around and looked at me right in the eye. I was no more than 20 feet away from him, and probably wouldn't have a chance to get away if he decided to come after me. I was determined to get a good shot of him. Nothing could stop me at that moment.

Labels: Tofino Long Beach

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I've been absent from blogging for a little while due to personal commitment. It feels good to be back to my normal routine. Let's pick up where it was left off.

What you see here is African Beach House Nick and I stayed at in Tofino. I searched for Tofino accommodations online, and very few nice accommodations came up within our price range. At the very last minute, I booked a cabin from African Beach House after obtaining the details from the owner over the phone. The owner sounded very friendly and trusting, and didn't even take any deposit or credit card information for our reservation.


After a 3 and 1/2 hours drive from Nanaimo ferry terminal, we finally arrived at African Beach House Bed & Breakfast. At first sight, "Oh god, we're staying at a run-down house..." thinking to myself. The owner came out immediately to greet us. His welcoming presence made us at ease. He led us to the cabin located behind the house you see in the photo. The self contained cabin was built with solid wood, fully equipped with kitchen, bathroom, living room and bedroom upstairs loft. Inside the cabin was tastefully decorated with an African influence. The entire property was surrounded with ancient cedar trees, providing tranquil ambiance during our stay. The best of all is its location. it's right across from North Chesterman Beach, easy beach access for morning walks or sunset watch.


I have to say it was quite pleasant to find such a hidden gem along west coast Pacific Rim. We would definitely stay there again.

Labels: Tofino Long Beach

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It was a sunny but rather windy day when we woke up in our little log cabin Bed and Breakfast, and Nick was more than ready to do some surfing. He signed up a surf lesson by himself (I was still recovering from a shoulder injury) with Surf Sister, a well-known local surf school, and they were kind enough to take on a few "brothers" among their students for the day.

Once suit up and hitting the sand with their boards, they were taught the basics techniques and moves. Everything seemed easy enough (from my point view). Nick was doing well at first, hopping onto the board and even managing to stay up there for more than a few seconds. As the wind picked up and the wave got higher, he looked a bit fatigued, especially when attempting to hop onto the board. I managed to take some shots of him during the few seconds while he was on the board.


Didn't he look like he knew what he was doing even though he wasn't quite doing the "Blue Crush" out there? He later told me it was one of the most liberating and satisfying activities he's ever done (probably not as exciting as body-checking people into the boards in hockey). Well, not very fun for me as I was freezing my butt off even with layers of clothes while trying to get a few shots of him.

Labels: Tofino Long Beach

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Having lived on the west coast of BC for years, it is a bit surprising that Nick has never been to the west coastal side of Vancouver Island, the very tip of Pacific Rim National Park. It had been years since I went there, so I was just as excited when we set out for a weekend trip to Tofino.

It was a glorious day for highway driving, and we took full advantage of such a nice break in weather as we drove through lovely Parksville and pass the town of Port Alberni. Upon arriving Tofino sometime in the early evening, we dropped off our stuff and went straight to the famous Long Beach.


The sunset on the vast beach was one of the most striking scenes. The current swept up a steady wall of sea water over the shallow beach, and scores of evening surfers appeared and disappeared on the horizon as we looked on. As we watched the magnificent sun set, Nick anxiously waited for the beginning of the next day when he would take his first surfing lesson in his life.

Labels: Tofino Long Beach

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I recently contributed an article to Brave New Traveler on tips for shooting better action photos. It's a brief guideline I use when taking action shots. Be sure to check it out as you may find some of the tips come in handy at the urgent moment.

Labels: Photography Tips and Talk

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My brother has been shopping for a digital camera for a while and still hasn't bought one yet. I asked him what type of digital camera he's looking for. "Well...a quality one" he replied. Well, I guess he doesn't really know what exactly he's looking for. So, I thought this would be a good topic to talk about - how to buy a digital camera based on your own needs.

Everyone has different needs when purchasing a digital camera. You have to prioritize them before you start looking. Here's how I prioritize my own needs:

1. Budget
This is the most important step because what you want is to find the best one within a specific price range. It's always easier to compare cameras once you set the budget. You probably wouldn't get a professional digital SLR cameras just because they're better than the point-and-shoot ones, would you? Once you determine how much you are willing to spend on a camera, you'll have a basic idea of what type of cameras are affordable to you on the market.

2. Zoom
Zoom is a pivotal function in a camera, and it can make a huge difference in your photo shoot. Most digital cameras these days come with 3x optical zoom, which is equivalent to 35-105mm range. It allows you to shoot decent photos within a reasonable range. But I prefer ultra zoom, at least 10x optical equivalent to 38-380mm. With 38-380mm range, you wouldn't have to worry about getting the front seat at your favorite concerts or your kids graduation. A couple of good ones with ultra zoom on the market are Olympus SP-510 Ultra Zoom with 10x optical zoom, and Canon PowerShot S3 ISwith 12x optical zoom.

3. Image Resolution
Image resolution is defined by the number of pixels of the image. The more pixels, the higher resolution and the bigger photos can be developed. Most digital cameras come with 6 mega pixels or above. You should invest in a digital camera with higher image resolution if you want to blow up some of your amazing photos.

4. LCD and Body
Most point-and-shoot cameras are compact and small in body, and I find them hard to handle. I prefer to use the ones with a heavier body and a bigger LCD, which provide you with better grip and larger viewing area. You also shoot better images with heavier body since your hands wouldn't shake easily.

These are the basic needs I look at and how I prioritize them. I'm leaving the technical talks to the experts. It's always a good idea to read consumer product reviews, but product technical reviews done by an independent third party is more helpful. It helps you determine a few brands and models before talking to the sales person. It saves you time and energy in the whole buying process. The one I regularly reference is Imaging Resource, who provide complete full reviews on all models by all manufacturers.

Labels: Photography Tips and Talk

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I've written about Travel Happy in my previous post. It's a very informative personal travel guide to South East Asia. I was asked by Chris Mitchell, the author of Travel Happy to contribute a piece of article. I was gladly obliged. It was quite flattering to be a guest contributor on such a well established site. I wrote a piece on tips of booking tours in Phuket based on my personal experience, and it was published today. You may find them useful if you are traveling to Phuket and planning to take a tour in the near future.

Speaking of guest contributors, I found another good travel blog a couple of days ago that also welcomes contributors, Brave New Traveler. It publishes news, views and opinions of today's savvy travelers, and definitely does not lack rich contents. Be sure to explore it.

Labels: Travel Guide

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