I have used Adobe Lightroom for a few years now and have adjusted my editing process (or work flow) as I learn more of the features of the program. I initially used Lightroom much like I used Adobe Photoshop in the past: automated adjustments that were applied to each photo in a batch, but which had a very minimal effect on the final look of photo. Generally, however (poorly) the photo may have been captured, that was the final product.

But recently, I have begun to explore the power of Lightroom and the relative ease with which one can process an entire batch of photos very quickly. I still rely on some automated scripts for minor adjustments, but with all of the tools available, I can also focus on each photo in a particular batch. I mostly focus on the colors in the shot and ensure that what I witnessed is actually represented in the photo.

I recently edited some of my older photos to compare the result of my older work flow to the one that I try to employ now. The "old" photos are more gray and flat, while the "new" photos tend to pop out at the viewer. I think that the range of color is also more representative of what I actually saw. This is particularly evident in the photos from the Grand Canyon - the different colored layers in the canyon are much more apparent with the new editing techniques.

Overall, I think this new style of editing better represents the natural beauty that I witnessed. I believe it is a more accurate portrayal, in every sense of the phrase, as to what is really out there.

These first examples are from a hike in the coastal range off Skyline Blvd. that I took with my dad in March 2004.

These next examples are from a trip that I took with my brother to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon in December 2005.

Last month, my brother, Aiminh, and I headed over to Ardenwood Farm in Fremont. In addition to old-timey setting, Ardenwood Farm is also home to many monarch butterflies. These particular butterflies started their migration from somewhere near Canada and ended up at Ardenwood and various locations down the coast.

In addition to a migration destination, Ardenwood Farm provides a good year-round habit for the monarch because of the abundant milkweed and eucalyptus. The monarch lays its eggs on the milkweed plant, so once the eggs hatch, the caterpillars can start their binge eating session. In a little over a week, the caterpillar, after eating its weight in milkweed daily, is over 2000 times its original size. It then enters the transformation stage before emerging as an adult butterfly. We only saw the caterpillars and the adult butterflies (no eggs or chrysalis). 

When is it too late to start skateboarding? Hopefully not yet. My friend AJ and I hit a skate park in Alameda. It is located on the old military base. There wasn't too big of a crowd, which was good because I am a super-beginner. Check out the photos and a video where I show off my limited skating skills.

Happy New Year! I started off 2015 (and the end of 2014) with dusting off the old camera. I've been busy with all that life has been throwing at me and the little adventures and photography took a back seat.

My brother and I went out to some of the restored salt ponds on the east side of Menlo Park (next to the Dumbarton Bridge). It looks semi-restored because although there is natural water flow with the tides, there are still levees that snake around. There are great because they allowed us to walk around out there but not quite native.

I hope to post more photos of adventures soon.

It's been extra-cold in the Bay Area these last few days. That makes it great time to post some photos from springtime in the desert!

I am a big fan of all the hiking around Anza Borrego desert area east of San Diego. It gets a little hot in the summer and a little cold in the winter, but there is plenty of time other than those extremes to get out there for a few adventures.

These pictures are from a little day hike around Anza Borrego in the springtime. We found some nice spots with flowers and these crazy dinosaur sculptures. Fun times were had by all (except for Jon who got his head eaten by this terrible lizard).

I also posted a few pictures from Edgewood Park in Redwood City from the springtime. Edgewood can have some good flowers but it all depends on the year. Sometimes the conditions just aren't right and there is just a lot of grass instead of flowers. Hopefully this year will be great! I've heard of park around San Jose that is supposed to be great too but I need to find out some more information before posting.

Happy New Year! I suppose this should be the year of pictures for me. I took a hike a couple years ago with my cousins, Jon and Anna. We basically hiked the Cataract Creek in Mt. Tamalpais State Park. I have seen a few different names for this hike but we got to see the Cataract Falls and then some nice coastal views a little higher up.

We started at Alpine Lake on Fairfax-Bolinas Rd and then hiked up to the ridge and out to the coast. It has been a while so I forget all of the trail names but it was a really nice hike. I would guess that it is a great hike right now because of all the rain we have had this season - the creek and falls should be flowing nicely.

We made it past the shortest day of the year (and supposedly the end of days), so I am already looking forward to the newness of spring. I went on a hike a couple springs ago with my cousin, Jon, in the SF East Bay. The oak covered Pleasanton Ridge Park overlooks Pleasanton and the Livermore Valley.

Jon and I started our hike in the early afternoon and wandered over the ridge to protected oak grove. We finished in the early evening that made for some great oak silhouettes. I like this late winter/early spring time of year because the hills are green but the trees are still bare. Get out there for a hike in the crisp air!

People tend to not be good tourists in their places of residence. I suppose this might be because the local sights will "always" be there and thus there is no sense of urgency to get out and check them out. I try to force myself to bring my camera out with me around town so I can take some time to appreciate what is in close proximity rather than traveling to far off places to take pictures.

I took some photos at the California Academy of Sciences in San Francisco. I was amazed by this four story rainforest dome exhibit. It is about 80F and 75% humidity. Lots of plants, birds, and butterflies. I tried to catch a few of the butterflies with close-up shots while they were taking breaks on branches.

I also have some photos from around Redwood City. These photos are from my folks' backyard, Pulgas Ridge, and Edgewood Park. I enjoy walking around these local spots. My folks' backyard is obviously close but Pulgas Ridge and Edgewood are only about 10 minutes from their house. I am always amazed that I can get lost in foothills and away from all that is modern in about 10 minutes.

It is getting a little cold and dark here for winter and thus it was a good reminder when looking at these photos that spring is around the corner!

I am feeling better about my new website. And it might even inspire me to start sorting through all of my old photos! I took some photos in the Botanical Building in Balboa Park, San Diego days before heading to the arctic winter of Chicago (it was 1 degree F). These photos are back from 2009 but I would guess that it is still relatively warm in San Diego and cold in Chicago. But the SF Bay Area has been a nice middle ground (this is going to be my second "winter" here).

The flowers and greenery in December in Balboa Park couldn't have been more of a contrast to what awaited me in Chicago. I really enjoyed the trip to Chicago to visit my friend Heather. One thing I noticed about my photos with people as the subject was that they were all reflections. I don't know what that says about me, but definitely an interesting observation. I took some fun architectural tours and thus I took quite a few photos of buildings. The Chicago Public Library was a fun place to poke around. I liked the reflective bean so much that I went there on two different days. I was in Chicago again six months ago - I went to the bean again. I guess I am easily amused by reflections.

I guess consistency has it perks. And I hope that I can use this website service for more than a year! After many years of doing all of the coding for my website, I "upgraded" to a website service that I hoped would be more automated and easy for me to post photos. Unfortunately, it wasn't too automated or easy. 

I hope that this new website service is the answer! I am hopelessly behind on sorting and posting my photos. I go through bursts of motivation and get up some photos but then I just fall back into my old ways. Perhaps this will be a turning point.

These first photos are from a couple trips down to Mexico. I went on a train ride down to Tecate, Mexico (yes, the beer and the town are one in the same) to eat some food and tour the local brewery. The train ride alone was tons of fun - an old steam train, old railcars, a scenic route across the border. We toured the brewery and enjoyed the local fare of small border town. I don't know if they still run the tours from just east of San Diego, but it is definitely worth a look.

The second trip south of the border was a longer excursion down the Baja Peninsula. My buddy Mark and I packed into his car and started driving south. The food was consistently great and the scenery not half bad either. My favorite spot might have been Bahia San Luis Gonzaga. We met Coco of Coco's Corner on the way out there for a beer and he had some stories to tell.