Ice & Everything Nice

Hi there! As you may have heard, there was a big ice storm in Ontario this past week. I'm sure you have all seen pictures of it on every single social networking site out there. Now it's my turn to join in the bandwagon of ice photogs ;)

A Very Brief Post About Snow

I haven't updated since October, so here's a tiny update. I tend to slow down on photography in the winter months because it's so dreary...except for when it snows. A snowstorm arrived and it threw a busload of snow at us thus...the perfect opportunity to get back at photography!

DeCew Falls

 Hello, I haven't updated for a long time. I'm not really sure about who exactly reads my blog but I very much appreciate the few out there who do! My family hasn't really gone leaf-watching this year so we decided to go to DeCew Falls in St. Catharines.

The Adirondacks Part 2: Whiteface Mountain

On the 2nd day of our camping trip, we drove up Whiteface Veteran's Memorial Highway near Lake Placid. It was a two-hour drive north from our campsite but it was so, so, so worth it.

The Adirondacks Part 1: Lake Durant, Sawyer Mt. & Buttermilk Falls

Hello again. On the weekend of August 24, 2013, we were supposed to go to Killbear Provincial Park for our second camping trip of the summer. Since we've been there before numerous times, on a last-minute spur I looked around on Google maps for other possible destinations instead. I specifically looked around in New York state because I've seen some blog posts about how beautiful upstate NY can be. That's where I found the Adirondack Park. As soon as I saw the pictures of the mountains, I was hooked--I had to go there.

Camping at Balsam Lake

In Canada, there's a long weekend (Civic Holiday) on the first week of August. We had no plans to go anywhere until the Friday before the long weekend. Looking for campsites in Ontario for the long weekend on such short notice is pretty difficult. Most campsites were not vacant so we took whatever we can get. Luckily, we found a promising "walk-in" site at Balsam Lake Provincial Park.

Chasing Sunsets 2

So technically, this is a sunset post since it was taken around the time of sunset. However, as you can see from the header image...there was no sun. Throughout the day I vaguely knew that there was going to be a thunderstorm but what we got tonight was insane. I live on the upper floors of a residence building so it was pretty interesting to watch the clouds go by. 

 It was actually this dark. I didn't over edit the clouds to make it look like this. This is almost straight out of camera. One minute it was bright and the next minute it was windy and apocalyptically dark. 

It was like this for 20 minutes or so, then the storm system quickly moved out...

 ...it was sunny for about 20 minutes and then another system moved in. It was pouring like no tomorrow but it was strange because the sky was super bright. 

The view from our living room. This later became my panoramic view of one of the intense thunderstorms I've seen in a long time. 

Then about another 20 minutes later, some pink in the sky emerged. Some parts of the sky was pink but others were completely gray. It was weird. 

At about 9 pm, another storm cell moved in and holy, the lightning was intense. Probably 100 flashes of lightning a minute, it was amazing. This is how the weather radar looked like at the time. 

I just hope everyone out there was safe. I was trying to take a picture but honestly, I'm no match for mother nature--way too fast without a tripod. I was in awe watching the "lightshow" and my eyes hurt from watching. Compare it to having camera flashes fire at you every few seconds. It was pure, awe-inspiring power. The lights in the building across from us went off a couple of times too. 

Today's weather was not only bipolar but "multipolar." Makes me wonder how much global warming has to do with all the weather disasters we've been having so far. From the way things have been going, I wouldn't be surprised if we see crazier and more destructive storms in the future. 

-e.m.

Chasing Sunsets 1

"But now the sun has finally had its say and now I feel alright." 

-- Gwen Stefani

Quick Update: Early Summer Lovin'

 Heyoo, I haven't updated for a long time. What's going on with me right now? I have 12 weeks of summerschool starting in May and ending in July. Thus, I've been pretty occupied with things. Here are some photos I took between May and July.

Journey: Mudika Retreat 2013

"Who am I, that the eyes that see my sin  would look on me with love and watch me rise again?

Who am I, that the Voice that calmed the sea would call out through the rain and calm the storm in me?"

-Who Am I by Casting Crowns

Every Pentecost weekend for the past five years, the Mudika (our Indonesian youth group) from UKI (Umat Katolik Indonesia) embark on a three-day retreat. This year, we go to Camp Medeba to have our retreat.

Pseudo - Analogs: California Revisited

What's that you say? Pseudo-Analogs?

The Ten-Day Vacay

Hello folks! Long time no update. I finally finished the school year. Unfortunately, I have a mandatory 3-month spring/summer term , so my "vacation" only lasted about 10 days. Nevertheless, I made the most of it and got a lot of things done...like sleeping, BBQ-ing and of course, taking photos.

Throwback: Vintage Effects

Hey folks. Yet another (very short) throwback post. I planned to shoot some sunsets this week but the sky didn't open up for me--cloudy, grey skies all week long :(

I was feeling creative so I decided to edit some of my old photos. This shoot was done in 2011 for my family friends (meant as an engagement shoot). It was just a purely "just-for-fun" thing. I reprocessed the photos to have a vintage look to them, so if  that's not your cup of tea, you probably won't like this post.

Throwback: Killarney

The dull skies of winter isn't inspiring me to take pictures at all. For a little mood lifter, here's a  throwback to the golden days of summer.

The Wedding of Michelle & Eric

Hello folks! This is it! My first big gig :) 

I never expected to shoot my first wedding as a 3rd year university student. I also never expected to be hired by my former (awesome) high school teacher, Michelle. This was definitely a once in a blue moon opportunity, and I had an amazing experience!