Fishing (For Photographic Opportunities)

I've been fishing exactly once and was advised to never, ever, attempt it (really ever) again.

It was several years ago and an impromptu night fishing trip after a wedding in Houston.  Even then, I never said no to a good adventure.  Around midnight, when most of the guests were headed to their rooms, a few cousins and I headed down to Kemah for night fishing off a private dock in Galveston Bay.  A family friend had built (and rebuilt, post-hurricanes) a weekend getaway house, complete with fish lights installed in the bottom of the bay.  In the wee hours of the morning, I learned how to bait a hook with frozen shrimp and cast properly.  Almost every time we cast, we hooked a fish.  I even caught a fighter that brought the rest of the family running down to my end of the dock when they saw how my pole was doubled over and liable to snap.  All the while, they told me this level of action was not a normal fishing experience by any means and that I've been ruined for all subsequent "real" fishing trips.

Fast forward to Sunday of Memorial Day Weekend.  Despite the warnings I've been given, I agreed to go when the boyfriend proposed a lazy fishing expedition at a local public park "lake" meant to satisfy suburban yuppie yearnings for the outdoors without having to drive much farther than the local Whole Foods.  As added insurance policies against boredom in case fishing turned out to be as uneventful as everyone has told me, I brought my DSLR, a canister of soap bubbles, and an iPad.

It ended up being a lot of fun and despite not catching anything, I enjoyed the sun and lounging about fiddling with my camera.  The photos were definitely underexposed and required a lot of editing in post as a result of what I like to call "lazy photography" - I've been so used to shooting with wide apertures due to low light or motion situations, I forgot to increase the shutter speed when shooting with a narrow aperture.  I will definitely be planning some treks to practice using narrow apertures in the near future, but I love how "arty" some of the shots below came out.

The reel in an instant

Close up of the basket that would have stored fish if we had caught anything.
However genuine to the fishing experience, the little voice of practicality in my head wanted to know how this was a good vessel since it wasn't water tight and would drip fishy water everywhere... I still wonder about that

Lots of turtles at this particular park lake... I wonder if some were former pets

Ducks and geese also

The bubbles I brought with some post-editing to exaggerate their shapes.  As it turns out, it's hard to both blow bubbles and photograph them before they sink and pop.

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Active Shooting Hours: 1.5
Review Hours: 1
Hours to Date: 144.5

525,600 Minutes

Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes,
How do you measure, measure a year?
In daylights, in sunsets?
In midnights, in cups of coffee?
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife?
In five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes,
How do you measure, a year in the life?

One of my favorite songs is "Seasons of Love" from the musical, Rent.  It is a full ensemble piece where the characters wax philosophic about how best to measure the worth of a year of human life, concluding in the chorus that the best way is to measure in love.

And it was exactly one year ago today, that I took the first photos of this project.  While my initial goal for the project was to use it as a means of establishing a better work-life balance, I now understand that it wasn't just about spending time on a hobby... it was about identifying, appreciating, and chasing the love for my life.

As I mentioned in this post, this project has taken me so much farther than I ever expected.  While the actual hour-count dent I've made into the goal of 10,000 hours is underwhelming and so pathetic that it's laughable, the experiences and epiphanies I've had have more than made up lack of hours.

First and foremost, I have developed a better and stronger sense of self.  It sounds ridiculous, but prior to this project, I didn't really know what makes me deep-down, bottom of the gut, happy.  I think I was a little hesitant to even admit that, because it seems like something that should be straightforward - do what you like to do.  People told me to balance my life with work, but I didn't really know what interests, passions, etc. truly made up my life.  This project resulted in first discovering what was important to me in life, followed by a dogged pursuit of these things as opposed to just blindly following societal prescriptions of things that "should" make me happy.  Over the past year, I've witnessed many of my millennial peers also struggling with this concept, but many of them responded by completely shifting their lives 180 degrees.  Many quit their jobs to travel the world or switched careers or went back to school to begin at the beginning once more.  While those courses of action may work well for them, I knew that I would not be satisfied making a drastic change for the fear that it wasn't the right change.  Given my highly analytical nature and habits of frequent reflection, that little niggle of fear would get in the way of actually embracing the change and finding myself.  Not to mention, that would have been me throwing myself into yet another passion rather than learning to establish a balance.

Through this project, I've also validated my love for travel, adventure, friendship, and continual desire to learn.  I've explored a lot of places, traveled locally and afar, visited best friends... all with an eye to capture photographs.  As a result, I was able to satisfy my curiosity about the world.  My favorite big trip was probably the one I took out to Kentucky to explore the Bourbon Trail, because I'm not sure I would have traveled there if not to photograph the distilleries and scenery.  There was also something about this specific trip (I'm still not entirely sure exactly what clicked) that helped finally kickstart my journey for even more formal education.  While I've always thought that I would go back for a higher degree of some kind, I hadn't formalized any kind of specific timeline or action plan.  When I returned from Louisville, it all suddenly became very clear exactly what I wanted.  In the following 6 months, I took the GMAT, networked like crazy, toured several schools, and put pen to paper for personal statements and applications.  At the end of February, I celebrated and accepted admission to UCLA Anderson's Fully Employed MBA program.  Even though most people shy away from their lives being driven entirely by work and school, I'm exhilarated to not only learn more business theory, but also to be able to apply this knowledge immediately the next day - this is exactly how I love to learn.

Finally, as cheesy as it sounds, I've also found romantic love via this project.  While I didn't meet my boyfriend on a project excursion, his support of my project and desire to help me reach 10,000 hours resulted in planning and going on a lot of adventures together, during which we were able to get to know each other on a much more honest and intimate level than typical dates would allow.  You really get to see someone's true nature when you're challenging each other's comfort zones: driving along the switchbacks of sheer cliffs, getting up at the crack of dawn to catch a moment, and getting increasingly hungry, hot, and sweaty in the name of one more shot.  We have a connection and closeness that is just best expressed as true love.

So, I suppose you could say that the last 525,600 minutes of this 10,000 hour project have been filled with love... for photography, travel, exploration, good friends, learning, romance, and work.  It's ultimately been a journey of finding out precisely what I love and weaving those elements meaningfully to create a life full of love.

Since this is a 10,000 hour project on photography, I'll end with the photos I took this morning successfully summiting Mt. Lee and standing over the Hollywood sign.  After 2 hours, ~3.25 miles, and ~1700 vertical feet, we were rewarded with a view that perfectly captures my feeling about the last year of this project.

~10 minutes into the Bronson Canyon Trail, encouraged by a glimpse of Hollywood Sign up in the hills

The top of the canyon, roughly halfway to the sign.  The overcast day resulted in hazy, flat photos that had to be edited heavily in post, but it was perfect for novice hikers like us tackling a ~6.5 mile hike that also climbed 1100+ feet vertically over the course.  If it had been a clear and hot day, I'm not sure we would have reached the top.

Getting closer!

Reached a vista point and spotted the Griffith Observatory

The trail wound back and forth around and around... we spent a solid 2 hours climbing (and occasionally stopping for photos and to catch our breath) from the start of the trail.  

The sign itself is fenced off due to the fire-prone terrain... and probably to prevent vandalism.  Fortunately, the trail proceeds even higher so you can get a clear shot of the back of the sign without a chain link fence in the way.

View of Lake Hollywood and part of the H from the summit

Panorama I actually took with my iPhone.  I couldn't get the entire sign with the DSLR and  I couldn't back up further since there was only roughly 20 feet to work with before I would have fallen off the backside of the summit.

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Active Shooting Hours: 2
Review Hours: 2
Hours to Date: 142

Mmm... 2kids Beer...

I realize that it's a little early in the morning to be posting about beer, but it is Hump Day, after all. Not to mention, my latest life goal is to go to bed earlier and get up earlier than the masses to get more of what I want to do (i.e. reading, blogging, plotting world domination, etc.) done. At least for the past two weeks, I've been successful at that endeavor and once past the initial alarm-induced groan, haven't regretted getting up early at all.

Anyway, back to the wort of the matter. I spent the past weekend in San Diego, which is never quite complete without a stop for craft beer. Moreover, in my opinion, no trip to San Diego is complete without a stop specifically at 2kids Brewing Company - a nanobrewery with a flair for unusual ales, but none of the pretense that typically comes with that kind of self-description.  I've known brewers Sam & Rob since high school and have watched them go from beer connoisseurs to prolific homebrewers to successful business owners with the opening of their tasting room nearly a year ago. And had the privilege of drinking some tasty and wittily named beer all along the way.

While I've been to their establishment previously, it was early on in this project and I felt that I didn't do their beer justice with the pictures I took then. It was exciting to return with camera in tow to properly capture some of their brews.

Photographically speaking, the challenge I experienced here was the indoor lighting. In the past several months, I have found myself increasingly preferring to shoot in natural, outdoor light, but that presents a major limitations when the interesting stuff is actually inside. To make this even more of a challenge (she says as if the following was intentional), we went to 2kids directly after dinner out and I had forgotten to bring my flash bounce along. I only had my trusty 35mm lens and built-in pop up flash at my disposal. No matter, I managed for the most part with some guerrilla flash diffusers improvised from my hand, a coaster, a translucent envelope, and a dollar bill.  Unexpectedly, the best results were obtained between my hand and the back of the coaster.

In any case, if you find yourself in the San Diego area, you should go check out 2kids, taste their brews, and have a chat with Sam & Rob yourself. Address and tasting room hours are below - they also come up on Google and Yelp searches for anyone like me who relies almost entirely on various device(s) to navigate through life.

2kids Brewing Company
8680 Miralani Dr. #123
San Diego, CA 92126

Tasting Room Hours:
Thursday:  3:00 - 9:00pm
Friday:       3:00 - 10:00pm
Saturday:   1:00 - 10:00pm
Sunday:     1:00 - 8:00pm

Its 5 o'clock somewhere!

Taps

The beer is so clear, you can see the effervescence. Almost poetry.
Diffusing the flash didn't work so well here, unfortunately.

Dat foam.

My favorite: Winning! Chocolate Stout.  All I need is some vanilla ice cream...

I really did buy a growler and a half. And then some. These just happened to make the photo.

More Cheers

Active Shooting Hours: 1.5 hours
Review Hours: 2.5 hours
Hours to Date: 138

You Can Pet Them!?

That has been the highly consistent response from everyone when they heard about and saw our photos from the weekend. Long story short: we met and pet a couple of penguins as part of a private tour at SeaWorld San Diego - a surprise I arranged for the boyfriend's birthday.

Of course, it's en vogue right now to regard SeaWorld only with scathing vitriol given the release of the documentary Blackfish, but I find most such work to be unfairly one-sided, pushing one very specific agenda. And personally, while I detest making animals do stupid anthropomorphized tricks and disagree with that aspect of their business model, I do think there's value in having animals in a properly administrated zoo/aquarium setting for education purposes and to spread awareness of real conservation issues which are easy to ignore when they're occurring half a world away.  

The up close tour was especially good for education and awareness - we were taken through the penguin encounter exhibits with a guide who provided a background on penguins and explained that as we head into the summer in the northern hemisphere, penguins are heading into winter, which is also their nesting and hatching season. To keep them on schedule with their natural habitat, the keepers gradually dim the lights and eventually turn them off entirely in the penguin exhibit to mimic the changing of the seasons. We went through a brief sanitation process, stepped through a foot bath, and proceeded to the offices and back area where we actually met a Macaroni penguin up close. We learned more about the species, anatomy, and SeaWorld's facilities and interacted briefly with her, including petting her gently on her head and back, which was everything I've ever dreamt it would be and more. 

As part of the tour, we were also able to head into the back corner of the actual penguin encounter and see all of the birds they have on exhibit. Some of them were interested in our presence - in particular, a 30 year old male Emperor penguin named King Tut, who actually enjoys letting people pet him!! There is something so indescribably breathtaking about interacting with an actual emperor penguin - they're even more amazing in real life than even documentaries would suggest. Penguins are surprisingly soft and fluffy!! Their feathers are much softer than their waterproof qualities make them sound.

While we were at SeaWorld, we also saw a few other exhibits as well and fed some sea lions, but the penguins were absolutely, hands-down, the best part... and my best zoo/aquarium experience to date.

In terms of the photographic experience, the key this session brought to me was just the importance of a fast lens, the law of large numbers, and the importance of cropping.  Especially with quick animals, I used the multi-shot feature to get a quick series of shots, resulting in at least one good shot from the bunch.  In the penguin exhibit, I actually abandoned my DSLR altogether in favor of my iPhone because the DSLR was having trouble focusing in the dim lighting conditions.  Additionally, since access was limited, I couldn't use the simple "just get closer" method to properly frame a shot.  Thus, I had to ramp up the picture size and then crop many of the photos in post-editing to get visually interesting compositions and not just another snapshot.

Pair of Magellenic penguins from South America. Contrary to popular belief, not all penguins live on Antarctica & need frigid temperatures. These actually live in a mostly temperate environment & only need access to chilly waters.

The macaroni penguin we met up close!!

The penguin exhibit from the back corner, the lights outside the exhibit were turned off and they were gradually dimming the exhibit inside to mimic the approaching Antarctic winter.

King Tut.  Petting a penguin is totally in my Top 10 of best life experiences so far!!

Dreams do come true!!

More Marine Mammals & Birds

Active Shooting Hours: 3

Review Hours: 2

Hours To Date: 134

Blood Moons: A Game of Light & Shadow

Almost a George R. R. Martin novel.  Almost.

In all seriousness, watching last night's total lunar eclipse was a pretty awesome experience.  While NASA may not consider them to be anything special, considering that there was a 300 year period just before the 20th century where there was a complete absence of blood moons, they still seem pretty awesome and somewhat rare to me.

Alas, I do have two complaints about observing celestial phenomena...

1. They generally involve staying up really late at night, which is just inconvenient since the cosmos don't accommodate a working schedule
   
   and
2. Cloud cover and light pollution mean you have to drive forever to find someplace with an optimal view

Both of those came into play last night/this morning since totality wasn't until 12:45am and our original viewing spot of the beach had to change with the marine layer that rolled in... literally at the precise moment we got out of the car and started walking towards the sand.  It was actually beautifully clear until then.  Fortunately, we had nearly 2 hours from start to finish and were able to head back inland and not really miss too much. 

Since I don't have a telescope, I was relying on my best zoom lens (50-200mm) and a tripod.  And the fact that the moon isn't all that far away really helps.  Since there wasn't a whole lot to change with composition given the distance limitations, this session was really all about the light.  At the end of the day, that is at the core of photography.  This concept was also underscored for me when this girl that happened to be at the same park kept getting frustrated as her little point-and-shoot camera's automatic flash kept going off automatically and blew out all of her snapshots.  I imagine even if she could turn it off, the photos would end up just showing a pinpoint of light anyway, which is what happened with every iPhone photo I attempted to snap. 

Fortunately, with the DSLR, I was able to override automatic modes with manual settings and focus.  I ended up opening the aperture as wide as it would go on the 50-200mm lens (f/5.6) and kept that as a control, so the variable was the shutter speed.  It's interesting how there seems to be a parabolic relationship in terms of light exposure - too much light and the details are lost in the highlights; too little light and the details are also lost, but this time in the shadows.  It's also pretty incredible how much light affects color and how the right lighting conditions can really produce some amazing images.  All of the below photos are digitally unedited with the exception of two that were cropped and yet, they still look pretty visually stunning - a great reminder that digital editing isn't always necessary.

The moon peeking through the marine layer just at the beginning of the eclipse - taken at the beach

Exposed for too long, so the details were lost.  And I freehanded this, so it's slightly blurry.

Further inland and with a tripod, 1/8s exposure @ 12:13am

1/6s @ 12:13am - interesting how the longer exposure resulted in underscoring the red hue as the Earth cast more of its shadow on the moon and made the whole sky darker.

And yet, evidence that photography is still more art than science... this photo was taken with the identical settings as the photo above: 1/6s shutter speed, f/5.6, ISO 3200, and less than a minute after, but looks so different.

Probably my favorite of the series, with the lunar surface detail, but also the copper "blood red".  Shutter speed of 1/5s and 10 minutes before totality

Many Moons
Active Shooting Hours: 1 hour
Review Hours: 1 hour
Hours To Date: 129

Happy April (Don't Be A) Fool's Day

[Edit: 4/2/14 - spent an hour today after work and experimented using a flash bounce on the products and this actually greatly improved the lighting!  I'll have to try and experiment with a photography light box next when photographing objects.]

Today's post is not at all photography related... I initially meant it to be to test my photography on products, potentially in a white box, but I didn't actually get all of my items in time.  In any case, I wanted to make a post and I may try to update with photos this weekend.

I realized that April Fools' Day, a day when most people prank and play tricks on each other, is actually a great annual date to check up on emergency plans, supplies, and smoke detectors to not be the fool when an emergency happens.  Since I have a full-time job and other responsibilities, I'll probably end up doing it the weekend prior or following, but it's a stable date to check everything.

This idea really spawned from the recent spate of earthquakes in Southern California and the realization that I live on the top floor of a multi-story apartment building.  When the rolling started, I realized I only had one very tiny desk to get under and no comprehensive emergency kit to speak aside from a few canned goods and some band-aids.  After the shaking stopped, I went on an Amazon ordering spree followed quickly by a trip to Target and compiled an emergency kit.

I consulted the Red Cross when ordering/purchasing the items for my emergency supplies and based upon that, compiled the list below so you can replicate your own kit.

To keep myself organized and accountable each year, I will be making an Excel inventory workbook with all of the items in the kit listed by expiration date so I can easily check on April 1st to see what needs replacing or updating.  In addition to updating the emergency supplies, I'll also be checking the batteries & functionality of smoke detectors.

Emergency Plan - during the chaos of an emergency, there won't be time and/or mental focus to decide who will do what when, so it's important to have it squared away with all members of the household before anything happens.

• Who (responsibilities each person will have, emergency contact info)
• What (what to do in the various emergency situations common to your location - fire, earthquake, tornado, etc.)
• Where (meeting/evacuation points both inside and outside the house)
• Red Cross Emergency Plan Resource 

Minimum Amount of Consumables - I put all of the food in a large storage bin and the water next to it.  To make this easy to review on an annual basis and replace items as needed, I sorted through the expiration dates and wrote labels on the top of the can.

• 1 gallon of water, per person, per day - I got several 2-gallon jugs from the store and a pack of water bottles
• 2 cans of food, per person, per day - assortment of chili, soup, veggies like corn, fruit, etc.  Don't forget to pack a can opener in the pack, even with the pop tops, I've had those fail before.
• 7 day supply of any medications, vitamins, etc.

Emergency Evac Pack - a mobile pack so I can easily take it with me in the event of an evacuation

1. Fūl Hybrid Rolling Duffel Bag - a backpack would do as well, I opted for the pricier but also sturdier rolling bag in the event of an evacuation to be able to take more supplies (like heavy canned goods) with me
2. Cash - during an emergency which may knock out power, credit cards will be useless.
   
3. Photocopies of important personal documents - insurance policies, passports, financial information, emergency plan, list of medications, etc.
   
4. Multi-tool - I purchased a Leatherman Sidekick, which has a pocket knife, a serrated knife, pliers, wire cutters, pliers, file, saw, bottle opener, and can opener.
5. Flashlight
6. Headlamp (it's nice to have something hands-free in the event of a power outage)
7. Hand-crank or battery powered radio
8. Spare batteries for all devices
9. Mylar "space" blankets
10. Water filter straw
11. Leather work gloves
12. Rain poncho
13. Toiletry kit / sanitary items / wipes / toilet paper
14. First-Aid Kit - I built my own based on the Red Cross Anatomy of a First Aid Kit resource and ordered a red lunch bag to house all of it 

Other Considerations:

• Emergency Pet Supplies (food, leashes, food/water dishes, waste disposal, medications, etc.)
• Entertainment/comfort items - toys like stuffed animals or books specifically for small children to keep them happy and calm

Emergencies are an unavoidable part of life, but being prepared will help make them all a little less scary.  It's interesting to me how this kind of information is really only passed on if parents teach their kids, when it really would be good to include in a school curriculum.  Perhaps there wouldn't be so many helpless individuals if basic survival skills and various financial products were standardized and taught.

[Edit 4/2/14: Added below photos]

Fūl Rolling Duffel, taken with the pop-up flash.  The bag semi-reflected back and created weird shadows.

Same bag, same camera settings (Nikon 35mm f/8), but with a flash bounce.  Not perfect, but much improved.

Evac pack items, tools in the bottom and first aid and toiletry items out front.  Just pop-up flash, which reflected off some of the white colored items but not others as well.  The carpet and the back wall look especially drab. 

With flash bounce. Increased the color saturation slightly in post-editing.

Easily my favorite of the series and not just because of the Maker's Mark!  Love how the red contrasted with the metal can lids.  Nikon 35mm f/8 with flash bounce.

Active Shooting Hours: 0.5
Review Hours: 0.5
Hours To Date: 127

The Island of the Pelicans

Innocent sounding enough, but Native Americans avoided it, believing it to be cursed.  Early Spanish explorers initially called it La Isla de los Alcatraces, after the flocks of migratory birds that nest there; it would later be known simply as Alcatraz.  First a lighthouse, then a military garrison and prison, and finally, and most infamously, a federal prison housing only the most troublesome inmates who had a penchant for escape elsewhere.

Even during one of the most beautiful days I've ever experienced in San Francisco and amidst the throngs of tourists, there's something unsettling and eerie about the place.  Beyond the rumors of it being haunted, it's bleak and cold.  The natural light that streamed into the cell block created harsh contrasts and the incandescent lighting inside the cells themselves cast a sickly yellow tinge upon everything and everyone inside them.  It was a stark contrast to the glorious weather outside.

Perhaps the highlight of the trip was meeting an actual former prisoner, Bill Baker.  He has written a book about his experience and happened to be on-island during our visit.  We were fortunate enough to get signed copies and ask some questions... of course the boyfriend being far more thoughtful than I, asked the better question: What would you have mailed yourself, if you could have? He responded hilariously that he would have mailed himself either a pretty woman or a speedboat to get off the island.  It's amazing to me that he was able to maintain good spirits and humor despite all of that time locked up in a bleak environment not optimized to actually rehabilitate anyone.

Freedom and captivity

Welcome to Alcatraz

Cell blocks

A key hanging from the gun gallery

On any other island, it would just be a glorious day.  On Alcatraz, it further underscores the dilapidation.

So close, yet so far.

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Active Shooting Hours: 4
Review Hours: 2
Hours to Date: 132