Suddenly I See

I've had my D3200 for a little over 7 months now. I've been "joking" that it's time for a new camera because I'm starting to outgrow it. I thought eventually I would like to upgrade my camera to a full frame one, but probably not for another two years. A couple of days ago, I was presented an offer I could not turn down. So now, I am an owner of a full frame D700.

If you don't know the difference between Full Frame vs. Cropped Frame DSLR Cameras, here is a little write-up explaining the differences. 

One photog friend told me, "You are now on a whole different level of photography." Another told me, "You will see a big difference because the photos will look so much better and you will never be able to go back (to a cropped frame camera)." 

I'm actually seeing a big difference after just shooting with it for a couple of days now. Here are some photos I took with the D700 that I don't think I could've gotten with the D3200.

Taken with Nikon 20mm f/2.8 lens

Taken with Nikon 60mm Micro f/2.8 lens
(Can you see the ants?)

Taken with Nikon 60mm Micro f/2.8 lens

Taken with Nikon 60mm Micro f/2.8 lens

Taken with Nikon 60mm Micro f/2.8 lens
(Look at the legs on that ant!)

Taken with Nikon 50mm f/1.4 lens
(I have an extremely difficult time shooting with this lens on the D3200, but I didn't
have the same problems while using it on the D700.  It was so hard for me to use,
that I always dreaded using it. I'm hoping that will change now.)

Live in Living Color

For several months, I've been wanting to go to the Korean Buddhist Temple (Mu-Ryang-Sa) in Palolo. A friend of mine had posted pictures he had taken there and they looked so awesome! Reese suggested that I try doing some photos in HDR. HDR with any of his cameras is easy. He just sets it to do bracketing and it will take 3 photos in 3 different exposures once he hits the shutter. For me, since my camera doesn't do bracketing, I have to do it "manually". First, I have to take the photo in the correct exposure, then I take the same photo underexposed and then one overexposed. In order for HDR to "work", the frame has to be identical and the only way to do it is to put your camera on a tripod. 

Here are a few sets of photos showing the correct exposure and then the photo transformed into HDR. I think I might get hooked doing this to my photos!  :)

I'm Glad You Came

Yesterday, I took a trip to the east side of the island to capture the sunset and the moonrise. I was extremely unprepared! I didn't bring a tripod and the only lens I had with me was 40mm macro. But, making do with what I had, I am pretty satisfied with what I came up with.

Not having a tripod and having to hold steady for 1 second is really hard. For this last photo, you can see that the trees on the hill are slightly blurry, but I guess for this kind of shot, it isn't too noticeable.  :)

(R)Ice (R)Ice Baby

If I never mentioned it before, Reese and I have been on a carb-free diet for 6 months, which coincidentally, has been as long as I have been learning photography. We have lost a total of 30 pounds combined (yes, just by not eating starch)! Our diet isn't too strict...we can eat carbs if we want, like pasta and bread, but it is absolutely forbidden to eat rice. Every month is a competition to see who can lose the most weight. The person losing the most based on percentage is declared the winner and the loser must pay for the carbo-loaded lunch we reward ourselves with for our efforts. We had already used up our carb quota for November, but since it was Reese's birthday, an exception was made to celebrate his special day.  :)

Here are some photos from Sushi Bistro Shun on South King Street in Moiliili. The restaurant is dimly lit and the lens I had with me was a Nikon 40mm f/2.8 macro lens. To avoid using an ISO higher than 3200, I tried to use the biggest aperture possible. However, when you shoot with a big aperture, the depth of field is very shallow, which makes it challenging to get the entire subject in focus. But hey, I'm still learning and trying to figure it out.   

Special menu board...so cute, yeah?

ISO 3200, f/2,8, shutter 1/30

Pork Kakuni (shoyu pork)...oh so delicious!

ISO 3200, f/4, shutter 1/30

Beef Tataki...so yummy!

ISO 3200, f/3, shutter 1/60

Ikura (salmon roe) - I admit, I'm not a fan, but this one was the best I ever had!

ISO 3200, f/3.2, shutter 1/40

I LOVE avocado...I could eat it every day!

 The unagi sauce and wasabi with the rice made it suprisingly delicious!

ISO 3200, f/4, shutter 1/40

Ray of Light

Yesterday I attended my very first photography workshop sponsored by Professional Photographers of Hawaii (PPH) at Foster Botanical Garden. At this workshop, I met the amazing longtime Master Photographer Claude Ayakawa. He has an undeniable talent of finding any available natural light and using it to capture a superbly lit photograph. What he does is amazing! At this workshop, all Claude brought with him was a Nikon D90 camera and a Tamron lens...no fancy equipment. When I asked him why he didn't use a Nikon lens, he told me this lens is just as good as a name brand one and cheaper. I guess when you have really mastered something, it doesn't really matter what kind of equipment you use. He's a prime example of the photographer, not the equipment, that creates a masterpiece.

Here are some of the photos I took from the workshop.

ISO 200, f/4.8, shutter 1/60

ISO 400, f/5.3, shutter 1/80

ISO 800, f/4.5, shutter 1/100

ISO 400, f/4, shutter 1/125