Photoblog
One day with Camaro in Hawaii
As luck might have it I was able to rent a yellow Chevy Camaro on my vacation trip to Kauai, Hawaii. It was really a sweet ride and the 306HP engine does not disappoint :D Plus the Hawaiian sunshine made the yellow paint oh-so-delicious! So I figured a photo shoot of a day with the [...]
London Icons
Took these photos of iconic London architectures on my recent 3-day trip. It was raining really heavily but the results were well worth the effort :D First up is the Westminster and Big Ben. A couple double decker buses provides the light trails to spice things up. Then we have the Millennium Wheel – which [...]
HDR look of Seattle
During my recent trip to Seattle, I’ve made my first serious attempt at taking HDR photos. Here’re the fruits of my labor! First up’s the iconic Space needle: Then we have the shot of downtown Seattle: This is really one of the best situation to use HDR. It was raining the day I went up [...]
Nature in motion
Tried some new techniques involving long exposure plus camera motion. This gives a sense of motion and drama to otherwise common static objects, such as these plants here. These two shots combined zooming with long exposure. I’m really fond of the floral one as it gives sense of color explosion :) This one involves camera [...]
Old Japan
It’s 2010 and Maestro Illuminist Photography’s going to begin the new decade with bang! If you’ve been to the site before, you should’ve notice that the look and feel have dramatically changed! Now a major overhaul wouldn’t be complete without some spanking new photos! I spent some time in Japan over the New Year break [...]
Shanghai: version 2009 (Facing the West)
This is the final article on Shanghai with photos taken from my 2009 trip. I found this artistic drawing of Mao and Obama at one of the numerous street vendors in Shanghai. At a certain level, both Mao and Obama represent “change” but I’m not going to start a political debate here. What strikes me [...]
Shanghai: version 2009 (Traditions)
This is the third installment of my travel series. You can find the first two articles here and here. As fast as Shanghai has developed in recent years, some traditions still manage to survive the onslaught of Western cultural influence. Dining habit is a good example of such. Even with all the countless brand new [...]
Shanghai: version 2009 (The Unnoticed)
This is the second installment of my summer 2009 travel photography. As a continuation of my last article, these photos were also shot in Shanghai. As a result of the rapid economic development, Shanghai’s littered with abandoned buildings waiting to be renovated. This gives an interesting opportunity to capture some intriguing shots of things often [...]
Shanghai: version 2009 (Graffiti)
I’ve been traveling a lot recently and here’s the first of many articles highlighting some of my works during this period. First up is Shanghai – The last time I visited the city was more than a decade ago. So much have changed since then and I was in for a complete shock! The colonial [...]
Energy and music
Met this pair of excellent drummer – dancer performers while trolling down the lovely Newburry Street (I know again) in Boston. You see I’ve always aspired to be a drummer but unfortunately my sense of rhythm is… some what lacking (to put it nicely). And I guess don’t even talk about dancing… Oh well at [...]
Celebration
You wouldn’t think I slacked off during the July 4th weekend right? Well, I almost did since there were constant drizzles here in St Louis over the Indepence Day weekend. Luckily, I charged ahead and went to the fireworks showing on Friday. Nothing an oversized umbrella and human shield can’t handle (to protect my gears [...]
Bending light!
How can I name my site “Maestro Illuminist Photography” without showing off some command over light? Check this out – I can bend light! Okay I was joking – this series of shots were taken at an overpass overlooking a sweeping corner of Forest Park Parkway. Getting these shots were a lot harder than you’d [...]
Wine galore
I’m addicted to restaurants in South End of Boston. These photos are from another hip restaurant called “Toro” in the area. I know what you’re thinking – No, that doesn’t mean “fatty tuna”. In fact, it’s not even a Japanese restaurant but instead a really nice Spanish tapas bistro. Went there for their special Sunday [...]
The Lone Tree
Took this photo during a late afternoon stroll through the Forest Park in St Louis. At first glance you might think this is a normal tree – perhaps until you notice the strange reflections and the lack of foliage. (See those trees in the background?) What in the world is it?! Turns out it’s a [...]
Boston & Cape Cod
These photos were taken on my trip to Boston and Cape Cod this month. Heed my advice, friends: go to Boston during the summer months at all cost! Winters in Boston are miserable even if you somehow avoid any airport disasters. But boy Boston’s such a beaut when there’s no nasty ice to deal with! [...]
My first photoblog!
Here we go! My very first photoblog! Let’s take a moment to commemorate this event shall we ;) So recently I went to the St Louis European Car Show hosted by Plaza Frontenac and shot some really exotic cars. Aston Martin, Ferrari, Rolls Royce… you name it. I kinda wish they would let you test [...]